Her grandmother's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, but I just can't explain right now."
Mercy felt a tear roll down her cheek and drop from her chin onto her
breast
.
"You deserve an explanation
,
but I'm just not sure you could handle it.
Not yet.
It might confuse you even more, just when you're making such excellent progress in your training. I'm here to
undo
a
spell, but there
's more. It's for your own protection
. Just trust me."
An icy tingle crept along Mercy's spine.
"Of course I trust you."
Her grandmother's face brightened. "And these silly creatures have taken to me and seem to want me to stay. I keep explaining that I'll be going home
,
but they think they can keep me here. Don't worry, dear. I'll find my way back to you."
“Is there anything I can do to bring you back?” Mercy tried to keep the whine out of her voice. “I need you here.”
“I’m trying.”
Gran gave her a brave little smile. “Be patient a little longer.
I have a task to complete here and then I hope to return.
Surely I’ll find my way back soon.” Her face began to fade int
o the fogginess that was Minah.
Mercy nodded and forced a smile as Gran disappeared completely. A tear ran down the side of her face and she brushed it away with the back of her hand.
~*~
She was in her homeroom class, when a knock at the door got her attention
. The teacher opened the door a crack and then opened it wider. “Mercy, you’re wanted in the Principal’s office…right now.”
Mercy’s stomach
took a dive to the floor.
Principal’s office? Me? I never get called to the Principal’s office.
She stood on shaky knees and gathered her books. She felt the weight of the entire class staring at her as she made her way to the door. Her own gaze was cast down, but she glanced up to meet Kelli’s concerned
expression as she slipped out.
The Office Aide strode ahead of her with an air of importance, as though he was escorting a wanted felon to the gallows.
The Principal’s Secretary looked up when she got to the office. Her lips tightened in an ‘Oh, no!’ expression and she quickly looked down at her paperwork.
Mercy unloaded her books on top of the counter and stood for a moment staring at the woma
n who refused to meet her gaze.
The Office Aide
cleared his throat and
stepped aside for her to enter the Principal’s inner office, but his expression sent the message, ‘You’re as good as dead.’
The Principal looked
up when she crossed his threshold. His expression was
grim. “Mercy, this is Sheriff Ringold. He has some questions for you.”
Mercy turned to the
humongous
man sitting across from the principal. She knew who he was, of course, but had never had occasion to speak to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but found that she had no voice. Just
a timid little squeak came out.
The sheriff’s
bulgy, frog-like
eyes narrowed
into slits
.
She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. She tried to
collect
the remnants of the Orb of Enchantments around her and felt a tiny tingle in response. It must be fading fast.
She envisioned the Orb as a cape she could wrap around herself to protect her from his steely gaze. A moment of deep concentration
reminded her of
blowing onto an ember. She felt the Orb gathering strength as a
warm glow ignited in her core.
“
Questions? For me
?” she said, meeting his steely-eyed gaze.
She was surprised that her voice had come out as strong as it sounded. She didn’t feel strong. She made a mental clutch at the Orb
and wrapped her fingers around the sapphire locket
.
“Sit down, young lady
.
”
H
e gestur
ed
to the other chair.
She
sank onto the hard surface as her knees collapsed under his command.
The sheriff leaned closer to her and the principal also leaned forward on his desk.
“What can you tell me about the disappearanc
e of three of your classmates?”
She felt the air crush out of her lungs. “What?” she wheezed.
“Your friends, Lindy
Boyd
, Amy
Hoffman
and Becca
Mandrake
. Surely you know they’re missing?”
Her gag reflex worked over the phrase, ‘your friends’ a bit before she could answer.
“Well, yeah, sort of.” She adjusted her books. “I mean I heard, but I thought they were just playing around.
”
She moistened her lips. “You know, like a prank.”
The sheriff’s g
aze bored deeper into her soul.
The principal coughed, as though he had choked on something. He reached for a tissue and wiped his eyes. “Did you say, playing around?”
Mercy nodded. “Um, well,…Lindy’s kind of a drama queen and this sounds just like something she would come up with.”
Shut up! Just shut up now!
The sheriff’s voice boomed louder. “Are you trying to tell me you think this is some kind of a
hoax
?”
Shut up…Shut up
…She nodded
mutely
, not daring to breathe.
“Now why would three
nice
girls from prominent families
disappear after a school dance and be gone for days
…” He leaned near her again, his voice dropping lower in pitch. “Wit
h no trace of them anywhere?”
“I...I don’t know.”
“Do you honestly think they would stay away this long if it was a prank?”
Mercy shook her head.
“We found Lindy’s car pulled over on the side of
Bender
R
oad. Both front doors and the back passenger door were standing wide open.
It was like something just sucked those poor little girls out of that car.
” He
let his gaze float away for a moment and then s
napp
ed his head around to
stare at Mercy.
She
felt like she was shrinking under She
riff Ringold’s unwavering gaze.
“
It’s looking more and more like an abduction.
Their parents are worried sick.” He scooted his chair closer to her, making a squeak that raised the hair on the back of her neck. “Why don’t you just tell
me
what
happened
?”
“Me? You think I did something with them?” She swallowed hard. “How could I do anything with the three of them?”
“Well, Mercy…” the sheriff began. “I’ve been talking to some of the other
youngsters
. They told me there was some trouble at the dance last Friday.”
She nodded
and dropped her gaze
.
She stared at the pile of papers in the principal’s inbox. “Yes, but I didn’t start it.”
The principal almost leaped across the desk. He stood and leaned toward her, sending papers in every direction.
“So, there was a fight?”
She drew back, recoiling from his accusation. “No, not a fight
, exactly…”
“Miss
Sanders, the V
ice
P
rin
cipal,
said she broke up a fight in the
girl's
rest room
...And…” He paused for effect. “That you and the three missing girls were about to mix it up.”
“Mix it up? You mean fight? No, I’m not a
violent
person.
I never fight.
” Mercy recalled the moment that M
is
s
Sanders
had entered the rest room.
Yes, she had thought she was about to be attacked. She swallowed again. Maybe M
is
s
Sanders
had saved her.
"Never?" The sheriff drew the word out.
“Well, I don’t know what Lindy and her gang had in mind, but I had no intentions of fighting.”
“Gang?
” The sheriff’s big froggy eyes bulged even more. “Are you saying there’s gang activity here in
Tannersville
?”
Mercy felt a strangling sensation. “Nooo-o-o! I didn’t say that…Well, yes
, I d
id, but I didn’t mean it that way.
”
The two men exchanged a glance. “And how exactly did you mean it?” the principal asked.
“I mean they were friends. A group of friends. A circle of buddies. A collection of pals.
That's what I meant
?”
She glanced from one man to the other anxiously.
Both men leaned back in their respective chairs and glared at her. “And then what happened after M
is
s
Sanders
broke up the fight?”
“There was not a fight!” She was aware that she raised her voice. “I danced with my boyfriend…” She stumbled over the word, but went on. “And when we went to the punch bowl, Lindy and her
…friends spilled punch on my dress.” A little stir of anger in her chest reminded her of how
upset
she had been at the time. Having a few days without Lindy to batter her self-worth had been refreshing to say the least.
Now she realized that the whole school might be thinking she had something to do with the disappearances. She glanced from one man to the other. “The dress was dripping wet so my boyfriend…”
There’s that word again
. “He took me home.”
“And where did you go after that?”
“Nowhere. I stayed home after that.”
“And your grandmother? She’ll vouch for your whereabouts?”
“Yes…Yes, of course.” Her stomach felt like she had taken the express elevator straight to hell. How could she tell them that her grandmother was not available?
The sheriff
made a strange grunting noise that sounded like ‘humpf’ and rearranged his hugeness in the chair
. “That’s good enough for me. I’ve known Miss Lavinia for years. She’s a fine lady.”
The principal nodded his
head in
agreement.
Mercy
’s
heart thump
ed
against her ribcage
as though she
was
run
ning
a marathon
.
Please don’t cal
l Gran. Please don’t call Gran.
The principal and sheriff leaned back in their respective chairs. “That’s all, Mercy,” the Principal said, gesturing toward the door.
The sheriff
stood, adjusting the wide belt that held his weapon. The belt strained to contain his
immensity
.
“I’ll get back to you if I have more questions.”
~*~
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mercy fled the room, clutching her
arms around
her like a protective shield.
She raced through the outer office and into the hallway, leaving the office staff staring after her, open-mouthed.
She wanted to go home. She wanted her grandmother. She wanted to run inside the hous
e and lock the door behind her.
Unfortunately, at that moment
she realized her books were still piled on top of the counter in the outer office. Her stomach turned over at least twice
and
she spun around. A choking sensation cut off her air supply. S
he
would have
to return to the principal's office.
On rubbery legs she crept back down the hall, taking a deep breath as she peered through the open doorway at her books.
If I do an attraction spell, surely someone will notice.
She gathered her courage and cautiously stepped inside.
The secretary was
typing on her keyboard and didn't
se
e her approach. Mercy sucked in a breath and reached for her books just as
the
sheriff
emerged
f
rom
the principal's office. The two men shook hands.
Sheriff Ringold adjusted his holster and patted his sidearm.
"I'll be keeping an eye on that little gal."