Chapter 30: Unmasked

After securing the car keys from my mother, we began to make our way into town.

“It’s so cute here,” Haylee remarked as we passed the park, which was buzzing with activity. “It’s almost like you moved into a storybook.”

“It’s picturesque,” I agreed, “but this place is ruled by a certain set of social politics that I don’t quite grasp. I’m not looking forward to starting school.”

Haylee laughed. “You are a dark-haired beauty living in a house with an interesting backstory, and you are dating the wealthiest guy in town. You have all the makings of a queen bee. You just have to play your cards right.”

“I just want to survive high school,” I told her. “I don’t want to be a queen bee.”

“Social status is a currency you can bank on,” Haylee reminded me. “Don’t be so anxious to cower in the shadows.”

“I don’t want to cower in the shadows, either!” I argued as we pulled up to Maggie’s. “I just don’t want to spend the remainder of my school career under a microscope.”

“You may not realize this, but the focus is already on you,” Haylee countered as we exited the car. “You are the new girl. I suspect everyone in town is curious.”

“Thanks, Haylee. I needed that extra dose of insecurity,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I’m just keeping it real,” Haylee replied in a dismissive tone as she entered the store.

I loitered outside for a second, and it didn’t escape me that an elderly couple on a bench across the street were already staring. I sighed and followed Haylee inside.

“Oh my goodness!” She clapped her hands together. “This place is amazing!”

“Yeah, it’s pretty neat…,” I muttered, feeling a bit put off by our conversation. I allowed Haylee to wander around the store while I browsed on my own.

I was examining the array of incense when Maggie approached me. “I expected you to return sooner.”

“I guess you’re not the magi you imagined yourself to be,” I quipped. “Besides, I don’t have fifty dollars to splurge.”

Maggie laughed, then glanced over at Haylee. “I see you brought a friend.”

“Yeah, she’s visiting for the weekend. She was actually hoping to snag one of those straw dolls.”

Maggie and I watched as Haylee sniffed a bee’s wax candle, seeming to enjoy the smell so much that she stuck out her tongue to see how it tasted.

“You better show her the dolls before she eats all your candles,” I cautioned Maggie.

Maggie furrowed her brow in concern as she witnessed Haylee select a new candle from the display, but before she could intervene a thought occurred to me, and I stopped her.

“Actually, Maggie, there is something you can help me find,” I said, grasping the crook of her arm. “Do you happen to have any books about visions?”

Maggie peeled her eyes away from Haylee, appearing intrigued as she met my gaze. “Why are you so interested in visions?” she queried. “Does this have something to do with the night terror you told me about? Have you had another one?”

“What I see is…” I paused, finding it difficult to articulate what I had been experiencing. “It is similar to what I witnessed during my night terror, only these past two times, I wasn’t asleep…”

“If you weren’t asleep, then what were you doing during those moments?” she pressed.

“It often happens when I’m in distress,” I told her. “It’s as if I black out to escape the current danger, but then I’m transported to another time.”

“It’s not uncommon for our subconscious to relive past trauma to aid us in navigating our present dilemmas,” Maggie enlightened me.

“But it’s not ~my~ past I witness during these episodes—it’s the Johnsons’,” I revealed. “Most of the time, they are doing pretty mundane things, but there is a dark cloud looming over them, and they don’t seem to notice it.”

“But ~you~ do,” Maggie said thoughtfully. “Why are you so concerned about the dark cloud?”

“Because I have a feeling that it is dangerous,” I said. “What if it’s still in the house?”

Maggie began to run her fingers along the row of book spines arranged on the shelf to her side. “When we find ourselves in darkness, our first instinct is to seek out the light,” she said as she plucked a hardback off the shelf and offered it to me.

“~Inner Light Work~?” I read the title in a doubtful tone. “How is this going to help me?”

“Universal law declares that what exists in the physical must exist in the metaphysical as well. As above, so below,” Maggie emphasized. “The absence of light itself is no threat to you, but there are elements that thrive in that environment that are fatal. Imagine the metaphysical equivalent of mold and rot.”

My skin broke out in goosebumps, and I wanted nothing more than to take Maggie’s advice and turn into a gazelle, but an intrusive thought prevented me from sprinting to the door.

“What if someone can’t escape the darkness?” I posed, remembering the cloud looming over Rosie as she gazed down at her beautiful newborn. “What if it follows you?”

“That is why internal light work is so important,” Maggie said, tapping the book I still held. “You have complete control over your inner radiance.”

I wasn’t completely satisfied and would have pressed further, but an excited squeal drew our attention to the center of the room, where Haylee stood in front of the doll display.

“I found her!” Haylee announced, breaking through the tension as she raised a straw doll in the air. “I love her, and I think I will name her Patty.”

Maggie broke out in a grin as she watched Haylee clutch the doll to her chest. “Perhaps you have an external flame you can rely on as well,” she said to me.

Haylee waited until Maggie reclaimed her position behind the cash register before she asked, “What were you two talking about? I could feel the tension from across the room.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell Haylee the truth, but I hesitated. It wasn’t because I was afraid that she wouldn’t believe me; I was terrified that my revelation would cause her concern, and she would alert my mother.

Though my mother was spiritual, she was a scientist first, and she would classify my visions as delusions and insist on having me tested and diagnosed.

“We were talking about the importance of meditation and inner light work,” I simply said, displaying my book as evidence.

“Do you think any of this stuff is legit?” she asked as she plucked a book from the shelf and started thumbing through it.

“My mother says rituals can be just as healing as medicine,” I put forth. “According to studies, prayers can improve one’s mental health.”

“I could use some help with my mental faculties,” Haylee joked as she selected a couple books from the shelves and tucked them behind her straw doll. “We better get out of here before I end up charging everything in this store to my parents’ credit card.”

Once Haylee made her purchases, we returned to the car.

“Where would you like to go next?”

“I want some snacks,” Haylee announced.

“I know just the place,” I told her as I put the car into gear and started heading in the direction of Conners’ Market.

“Ooo!” Haylee exclaimed as we entered the store. “It’s like an indoor farmer’s market.”

As we passed the pharmacy, I recalled what the doctor had said about reporting the pill mishap, so I paused and located the brand I had used.

“Whoops, someone did it again!” Haylee sang from behind me.

“No, I’m getting the number off the back of the box so I can call the company and inform them about the contamination,” I explained as I slipped my phone back into my pocket.

“Let me see that,” she ordered.

I thought she had just meant to read the instructions, but then she began to tear open the packaging.

“What are you doing?!” I hissed, moving to shield her from other customers.

“Calm down, I just want to see something,” she muttered, slipping the aluminum package out of the box. Then she began to browse the shelves for other medications.

Selecting a clear bottle of aspirin, she held it up. “The company that produced your morning-after pill is the same one that makes this aspirin. If they package them in the same distribution center, it seems as if they would be easy to confuse.”

I shook my head. “The pill I took was oval, and it was more of an off-white shade.”

“Oh. Well, there goes my theory,” Haylee said, returning the aspirin bottle.

“Can I help you ladies find anything?” a familiar voice piped up from behind us.

“Toby!” I greeted him warmly. “I was hoping we would run into you. I want you to meet my friend, Haylee.”

Haylee waved using the hand that held the damaged packaging, which Toby gazed at with puzzlement.

“You know what they say. You should take it as soon as possible,” she joked, then hurried to add, “I’m going to pay for it, I promise.”

“What does Dharma have planned for the two of you this weekend?” Toby asked her.

“Nothing, as far as I know,” Haylee said, shaking out her curls. “Right now, we are just flying by the seat of our pants.”

“Well, if you like alternative goth music, there is a band called Unmasked playing at the fairgrounds tomorrow night.”

“Unmasked? Never heard of them. Who is their lead singer?” Haylee quizzed him.

“They are a masked band. Nobody knows their true identity,” Toby divulged. “It’s their whole gimmick.”

“So, they have never been ~unmasked~!” Haylee exclaimed, clapping. “Clever. Why don’t the three of us go together?”

“I was actually just making a suggestion for you two,” Toby said. “My truck is in the shop this week, and I doubt my dad will loan me his car to go to a concert.”

“Why don’t we ask Dharma’s mom if she will loan us her car?” Haylee raised, turning to me for confirmation.

“We can ask,” I said in a noncommittal tone, though I thought my mother would oblige, since we would be in Toby’s company. She seemed fonder of him than Justin.

“Well, message me and let me know,” Toby told me.

“Dharma has been a flake lately,” Haylee interjected smoothly. “Why don’t you give me your number, and I’ll text you once we get our plans sorted out?”

I bit my lip as Toby took the bait and entered his number into Haylee’s phone, then handed it back to her.

“I hope to see you both tomorrow night,” he said, shifting his gaze between the two of us. “I better get back to work. My dad is managing tonight, and if he catches me loitering, I won’t hear the end of it.”

“Bye, Toby,” we said in unison as he walked away.

“Jinx, you owe me some snacks,” Haylee hurried to say.

“Fine, come along. The Twizzlers are this way,” I said, linking my arm through hers, then I leaned in and whispered, “That was smooth, by the way.”

“He’s cute—I couldn’t resist,” Haylee spouted. “Besides, I didn’t think you would mind since you have your hands full with Justin.” She paused as she had an inspired thought. “Why don’t we ask Justin to drive us?”

“I’m not sure my mother will allow it,” I said, frowning. “She wouldn’t even let him pick me up for lunch with his father. She is convinced that we just can’t wait to rip each other’s clothes off.”

“Is she wrong?” Haylee posed.

I gave her a warning look. My mother wasn’t wrong, but that was beside the point.