Mystic Awakenings-Ch4

Sarah found her mother in the laundry room. She asked her if they could talk. She shut the door behind her, as they exchanged stories of their dream journeys, while doing the laundry. It turns out that, Stacey’s only ability was her sixth sense, which had never failed her. She told Sarah she had seemed something about Gary Beck, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

 

Sarah holding to her mission to protect her family, never revealed what she had encountered at the Lighthouse earlier that evening. She only mentioned that she sensed the family was in some sort of danger. Stacey further encouraged Sarah to embrace Sasha. She told her daughter that, if Sasha could help her reconnect with her abilities, then she should do so with her blessings. Helping to free Sasha from her curse was a brave and selfless mission, one that would "awaken" her soul. Sarah pondered her mother’s suggestions.

 

Mica arose from her slumber. She pulled her headphones out of her ears and shut off her CD player. Looking around her room, she wondered how she got there in the first place. As she walked down the hall to the bathroom. She spots her father watching tv in the living room. He looked up at her and smiled. "Hello Sweetheart. Up from your cat nap?" he said, smiling pleasantly. Running her hands threw her tasseled hair, Mica sleepily replied, "Yeah dad. How long was I asleep for?" "Several hours, Darlin’.It’s late. You really should change and go back to bed." Mica recognized the "father of the year" routine. She had seen it before. It seemed to forego some major event. She went to the bathroom.

 

She engaged her father again. "You know, Dad, I don’t remember being sleepy. How did I get up here to my room?" "You told me you had a headache, so I gave you some aspirin. Then, you said you were going to lie down to help make it go away," he said, carefully choosing his words. "Huh," she mumbled. She knew he was lying. "Boy, he’s slick," she thought to herself. She didn’t remember even seeing him after she hung up the phone with Sarah. Mica shuffled toward her room, glancing again at her father with suspicion. As she turned to enter her room, she glanced once more to find her father standing, watching her, watching him.

 

"Something the matter, Dear? You looked confused," he asked with that weird look in his eye. Remembering that look, she said, "No. No Dad, I just wanted to say goodnight." A safe response. "Good night then," he said. "Good night, Dad." Having said that, mica walked in her room, flopped on her bed and grabbed her alarm clock. She noticed it was eleven-thirty pm. "Hm. I must have fell asleep around six-thirty or so, but I still don’t remember having a headache or even seeing him after the phone call . . . why is that?" she asked herself. She returned her alarm clock to the night stand and faded off to sleep.

 

The next morning at school, Mica and Sarah met on the bench nearest the library. "I need your opinion on something." Said Mica, sounding mysterious. " Okay, shoot," volunteered Sarah. " Last night, after we hung up with each other, my curiosity got the best of me." Sarah knew this wasn’t going to be good news. Mica continued, "I peeked into the living room, looking for my Dad. The tv was off and he wasn’t there . . . " Sarah felt a punch in her gut and wanted to scream out what she knew. She held back, remembering Gary Beck’s threats. "What do you make of it?" Mica was searching for clarity. "I dunno." Sarah replied shrugging her shoulders. "Sarah, I am beginning to think he was actually the one listening to our conversation." Sarah was practically biting her tongue off, trying not to spill the beans to her best friend.

 

Sarah already knew that Gary was the one listening in on the conversation. "That’s not all that happened either . . . here’s the really weird part . . . " Sarah was bouncing her leg up and down from nerves. She tried not to be obvious. Mica continued, "I do not remember anything asking my Mom where my Dad was! Then, I woke up, in my room, at eleven-thirty at night! I do not remember going to my room, nor do I remember the headache my Dad told me that I supposedly told him I had. Nor do I remember taking the aspirin he supposedly gave me. I don’t remember walking up to my room, putting on my headphones and going to sleep!" Mica was frazzled by the memory lapse and with good reason.

 

Sarah wasn’t able to calm Mica in the way she had become accustomed to. She really wanted to tell her everything, but really feared for her friend’s safety. "Mica, I don’t know what to say, I was just guessing that he might . . . " she was interrupted by Mica. "Yeah I know, Sarah. He is up to something. He was acting weird last night. The last time he acted that way, something major happened." Sarah shot Mica a serious look and asked, " What exactly happened, Mica?" Sarah asked reluctantly. She paused, then looked Sarah dead in the eye and said, "He suddenly retired and we moved here the next day!" Sarah gave Mica a long, strange look.

 

She was shocked and slightly horrified. "Oh Mica!" She reached over and hugged her friend as tightly as she could. She didn’t want to lose her best friend to her father’s mindless and devious whims. "Mica, I don’t want to lose you! Is there anything I can do?" Sarah said in desperation. "Yes. There is . . . " Mica answered in a very serious tone. Sarah pulled back and looked at Mica’s face. "Mica, you’re scaring me. What is it that you want to do?" She swallowed hard and waited for an answer, bracing herself for the worst.

 

"I want you to . . . " the sounding of the bell interrupted Mica. They knew they had to go to class and this would have to wait. "I’ll just tell you later. See ya after school!" Mica ran off, leaving Sarah speechless. "Oh no . . . what is she gonna ask me to do? Now I’m the one who’s freaked out!" Sarah dreaded the thought of resuming that conversation after school. She ran off to her Biology class.

 

As Mica jogged threw the hall, she came across Jake. He stopped and asked her where he could find Sarah. Mica smiled. She knew how much Sarah liked Jake, unaware of the trauma her friend endured at his hand, just last night. She told him what class she was in and they parted ways. Sarah sat in Honors Biology, unable to shake off the past twenty-four hours. She incessantly rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers threw her hair. She was a wreck. The lack of sleep caught up to her. Leaning her head in her hand, she nodded off for a few precious minutes. She instantly began to dream. She was back with Sasha now and she was telling her to take notes for something, handing her a fountain pen and parchment. When Sarah asked what she needed to take notes for, she suddenly snapped out of her dream, by dropping her pen on the floor. She bent over to pick up the pen and noticed it looked like the pen from the dream. Startled, she shook her head and began to pay attention to the class.

 

A few minutes into the lecture, Sarah noticed Jake standing outside the classroom door. He was signaling for her to come out to talk to him. This enraged her. She squinted her eyes and flipped him off. He looked shocked by her response, but signaled again for her to come out. She asked the teacher if she may be excused and he obliged. She opened the door and kicked him right in the shin . . . again. "Hey! What was that for?" Jake yelled. "That is for that little stunt you pulled at the Lighthouse last night!" she snapped back, shoving him into a set of lockers.

 

Jake, looking like a lost puzzle piece, asked "What are you talking about? I wasn’t at the Lighthouse last night! I was at my Grandma’s in New London!" If looks could kill, Jake would be dead- Sarah his assassin. "Don’t play me, Jake! You know what you did! At least be a man and apologize!" Sarah demanded. "Sarah, I swear! I was at my Grandma’s in New London! If you don’t believe me, ask my Mom. She was with me and my Dad until about ten o’clock last night!" Sarah was at a loss for words. "Jake, I am so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. Let me see your leg . . . "Jake exposed his right forearm in the process of lifting his pant leg . . . no tattoo. Sarah carefully slipped her hand under his calf. She had left a good sized bruise, but he claimed he would live threw it. She was stunned by the absence of the tattoo. "I know what I saw last night. But he was at his Grandmother’s in New London . . . and no tattoo? Then, if he wasn’t there . . . who was?" Sarah felt like she was in the "Twilight Zone" again.

 

He asked her if she wanted to go to the Homecoming Dance with him on Saturday. He gave her his phone number and asked her to call him later, after she asked her parents permission. She smiled and waved as he walked away. She went back to her class. She was greeted with catcalls and teasing from her classmates. They witnessed the whole scenario. She face was crimson as she lowered her head in her hands, and ran back to her desk. The teacher called the class to order and the focus shifted back to Biology.

 

After school, Mica met up with Sarah. While they waited for the bus, Mica brought up the subject of the ‘favor’. Sarah cringed in anticipation, as Mica asked her to find out what happened in 1998 that resulted in the sudden move to Mystic. Sarah was taken back by her request, "Mica, . . . I don’t know how I can." Mica continuing to push the issue, " I will not hold anything you find against you, if that’s what you’re afraid of. You are my friend and I trust you." Sarah agreed to do the favor with a heavy heart. She knew what Mica asked of her was near impossible, but she accepted anyway.

 

That night, Sarah found herself, yet again, staring deep into the blackness of the night sky for answers. "No fifteen-year-old should have to deal with this kind of crap," she sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Okay . . . I need a good night’s sleep and just maybe, this will all make sense in the morning." She flung back her comforter and flopped into her bed. She turned off her table lamp and her thoughts for the night.

 

The next morning, lost in her thoughts, Sarah stared blankly at her Geometry quiz. Recent events kept playing over and over in her head. While tracing the shapes of the equations, a light went off in her head, chasing away the grog. "Gary Beck must have drugged Mica before he left their house! He drugged her, in order to leave undetected and without having to explain what he was doing or where he was going!" Suddenly, it all made perfect sense. "She said he gave her ‘aspirin’ . . . yeah, I bet it was a lot stronger than that!" Sarah was deeply disturbed by this revelation. Her best friend was being drugged by her own father, so that he could work his evil under the radar . . . undetected.

 

"Sick puppy," the thought of him disgusted her. Another thought ran across her mind. "Whomever was at the Lighthouse, must be connected to Gary Beck in some way. She had to talk to Mica and run this by her. She finished her quiz and would talk to Mica after school.

 

The two girls met after school. Mica went over to Sarah’s to discuss Gary’s recent actions. She noticed that Sarah was kinda anxious so she asked, " What’s going on, Girl? You look nervous or something. What’s up?" Sarah stopped pacing around her bedroom, but continued wringing her hands nervously. She was conflicted over what she was about to do. She had no choice. She had to tell Mica what her father has been up to.

 

"Mica, what I am about to tell you, I do so knowing . . . " she paused as the words got stuck in her throat. "Sarah? What is it?" Mica looked at the seriousness on Sarah’s face and realized, "This isn’t going to be good." "I have to tell you something about your father . . . and it’s not very nice." Sarah felt the blood rush to her face and her head was spinning with thoughts of the repercussions this conversation may have. She knew there was a lot at stake here, but pressed on with a heavy heart, again. Mica braced herself.

 

"Last night, there was a reason you didn’t see your father in the living room. Your father was at Lighthouse Park . . . threatening me . . . " She stopped. " Mica . . . your father is Gilliam the Horrid. He admitted it to me, in the park, threatening to hurt you and my family if I told you about it." She said it. She walked over to her window seat and collapsed. Mica ran over to her and helped her sit upright.

 

"Sarah! Are you okay?" Mica was frightened. As Sarah collected herself, she said, "Mica, I swear it’s the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you about something like this." Mica felt like that missing puzzle piece. She heard what Sarah said, but didn’t know to comprehend the atrocity that went along with it. "This is my father we’re talking about here. He actually threatened to hurt me and your family?" Mica couldn’t believe the words coming out of her own mouth. The horror of this situation was the look on her best friend’s face. She was confused, hurt and felt betrayed. But just whom she felt betrayed by, is what Sarah was reeling about.

 

"Mica, I didn’t want to tell you, but . . . " Mica interrupted her. "I don’t believe I’m gonna say this, but, I’m actually glad you did. What else is there that I need to know?" Sarah swallowed hard and said reluctantly, " That wasn’t aspirin he gave you, Mica. It was something else." Mica squinted her eyes and studied Sarah’s face. "What was it then?" Mica asked, with part of her not wanting to know. "I don’t know Mica. But it had to be stronger than any aspirin to knock you out for that period of time." Sarah had a really good point. Mica turned around and began to pace slowly, rubbing her chin, letting Sarah’s words sink in.

 

"I hate this!" Mica screamed out. Sarah almost jumped out of her skin. Sarah stood up and walked over to Mica, putting her hands on Mica’s shoulders. "I hate this too. I hate the fact the he was the one I squared off within my past lives. I hate the fact that he’s put you and I in this position. But here is a reason I haven’t been able to defeat him, Mica, I needed to meet you. Had I defeated him sooner, I may have never gotten the chance to meet you. You are my best friend and confidante" Sarah’s eyes welled up and her bottom lip began to quiver. "Sarah, it’s even harder for me because I am his daughter! Your supposed enemy’s daughter! I should be insulted as your friend that you think my father is your enemy from a former life and yet, I feel sympathetic toward you. Technically, I should hate you and you should hate me!" Mica reeling with emotion, began to shake.

 

"I know," Sarah sighed heavily. " I hate this!" she screamed. Mica grabbed Sarah and squeezed her as tight as she could. The two friends sat sobbing and hugging one another in their emotional cess pool. They spent the remainder of the afternoon comforting each other. As obscure as it seemed, Mica accepted what her trusted friend has concluded about her own father. It would confirm the suspicions she already had, prior to her friends dreams. They arrived at the decision to remain friends, come what may. They would not hold the Gary/Gilliam issue against one another. They parted, armed with the mystic secrets that bond them.