~*~ 26 ~*~
I didn't spend a lot of time getting dressed. Running a brush through my impossible hair I gave up, opting to twist it up into a loose pile, pinning it into place. I went downstairs where dad was already making friends with a mug of coffee, the newspaper unopened and folded in front of him on the table.
"Morning dad!" I said cheerfully.
He looked up, surprise coloring his eyes. "Morning baby girl" His voice was hesitant, unsure. I could feel his eyes watching me as I went to the cabinet getting down a glass and filling it with tap water. Looking out the back window while taking a drink, I steeled my nerves for what was about to come.
"You're strangely quiet this morning" he said finally.
"I was thinking the same about you." Turning I sat down at the table.
"You hungry?" he asked.
"Not really."
"How come---" he looked closely at me, "how come you're not tearing into me? Even Uncle Mark said you would. You're known for that Rowan. How come you're letting me off the hook?"
I looked down at my glass deciding I needed something with a bit more kick. Getting up and pulling down a mug from the cabinet, I sloshed some coffee into it. "What's the point?" I said finally turning back to look at him leaning against the counter.
"I did a lot of thinking last night."
I blew on my coffee to cool it while looking at him over the top of the mug.
"I wanted to know how you felt about going to see Grams."
"Now?"
I could see dad steel himself for an argument. "Soon."
"I don't want to go but," I shrugged my shoulders, "there is some merit to it."
"Christmas vacation is coming." he spoke dejectedly. I could tell this was not something he felt he had a lot of options about.
"I was leaning more towards after school got out. It's my junior year dad. I kind of want to stay with my friends. I already switched once, I'm not doing it again."
"Will you at least think about it?"
"I can do that, but why do you want me to go there now?"
"I, well, Uncle Mark and I think you will be," he paused looking for the right word, "we think it will be a good thing."
I knew he had been about to say safer. "We?" I looked at him to elaborate. When he didn't I sighed softly. "Why?"
"Rowan? There are things that only your Grams can tell you, things that have to do with," he paused uncomfortably, "the female side of our family."
"Her gifts." I added knowing what words he was dancing around not using.
He shook his head slightly yes.
Now I was really curious wondering just who my Grams was. How she fit into what I had remembered last night and why she had set walls up around my memory. She had never come up in any of my dream slips. "And you are not going to tell me about these gifts are you?" I already knew the answer.
"Rowan, you need to talk to my mom, to Grams."
"Well," I said after a few moments, "I'll keep an open mind, but I'm not going during the school year dad."
He changed the subject.
"What are you doing today? You're going to school right?"
"Yeah, and then I'm going to Sarah's after school."
He nodded. "No one would blame you for not going today. It was a bad thing last night."
"I heard. Some people died?"
"Yes."
I looked down at the newspaper face down on the table and was just reaching for it when the house phone jangled an irritating interruptive sound. Pushing away from the counter "I'll get it."
Dad ran his fingers back and forth over the newspaper in thought.
"Hello?"
"Hey—- what's wrong with your cell phone?"
I looked at my dad. He was pretending not to listen but I could tell he was.
"I left it upstairs. Sorry. What's up?"
"Seeing if you were going to school today. Are you?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I? Are you?"
"Mom thinks its best. Go on as normal as possible and since we weren't hurt." She paused, "I take it you have not seen the newspaper yet."
"No." I looked over at the one my dad had in front of him and saw he had placed his coffee mug on it now.
"You should read it, there's an article about last night. You know, the waitress said that you healed her broken ankle."
"Oh shit! I didn't know that!" That would surely bring attention to me that I didn't need. Maybe even the wrong sort of attention. The left over feelings from my dreams, what Grayson had said, sent icy fingers of apprehension up my spine.
Dad looked up at me then, hearing me cuss was not a frequent occurrence. He saw my expression and looked worried. I turned my back to him and looked out the kitchen window at nothing.
"You healed her too, not just me?"
"I don't know." I said as an exhaled breath. "Can we talk about this later Sarah? I don't want to be late for school."
"Okay but sometime you are going to have to tell me what is going on. I'll meet you at our lockers in twenty minutes."
"Okay. I'll be there. Hey! How are you getting to school?"
"Dad's picking up a loaner this morning and he and mom are sharing it, letting me have dad's car. I just have to drive my sisters in to school since mom will carpool with dad."
"That works."
"Okay, see you in twenty or so." We both hung up and dad's eyes were following me. It was unnerving. He touched the paper in front of him. "She told you?"
"Yeah." I wanted to read it and yet didn't. I looked at it from across the room.
He nodded. "So you know then?"
It was my turn to silently nod, lost in thought.
"You want me to take you to school today?"
"No. I will go, it's no big deal."
It was. We both knew that.
Sighing he got up, rinsing his coffee mug in the sink, and grabbed his jacket off a peg on the wall by the door. Turning and doubling back he picked up the newspaper, tucking it under his arm, something he never did. He picked up his phone and keys. "You hang in there and we'll talk more tonight okay?" Pulling me into a hug. "It's going to be okay." Turning he headed out the back door. He wasn't going to leave the paper, which made me really want to read it now.
Quickly I called Sarah back from the house phone.
"Sarah?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you bring the paper? Dad took his to work. I didn't think that I wanted to read it, but now I do."
"You probably should. You're lucky, caught me just as I was going out the door."
"Okay, I'm leaving right now. Meet me in the parking lot not my locker. I want to read this thing first. I need to know what I am going to be facing all day."
"Of course! Dad gave me my own copy this morning and said I was getting my fifteen minutes of fame."
I could hear her mom calling her in the background.
"Rut-roh, I have to go and find out what mom wants. Remember I'm driving the monsters to school so I might be a few minutes later than normal. Just wait for me okay?"
"No problem. I'll see you there."
Hanging up I ran upstairs two at a time to retrieve my phone then back down grabbing my keys and sweatshirt. I reconsidered grabbing Grayson's coat instead but decided against it. I was out the back door snatching up my book bag at the last second. Driving up the curving road, paying careful attention, I made good time beating Sarah to school. Pulling in the parking lot I saw a shiny white news van parked by the front door of the school. Turning back out of the parking lot I decided to park out on the street to watch for Sarah. Finally I saw her pull into the lot and followed her, parking my car right next to hers, I got out and leaned in through her window.
"They're here." I nodded toward the front of the school. "And they don't look local to me. Their set up is too big. Doesn't Harry just have an old station wagon for the paper?" Harry was the man who had ran the local paper since the sixties.
Sarah pushed her sunglasses up on her head and looked towards the front of the school. "I think you are right. Wonder where they are from?" She reached between the two front seats and dug through her stuff. Finding it, she passed me the newspaper looking at me gravely. "Consider yourself warned."
Shaking it open, there on the front page with a picture of the demolished diner you could see parts of the twisted wreckage of Sarah's moms van, the back end of the large delivery truck jutting horrifically out of where the front doors used to be. Most of the front of the building was obliterated. It looked a lot worse seeing it in daylight. Beneath that picture was a photo of the blond waitress. Below the waitresses picture was three other photos of people. I recognized the one who had come into the bathroom just as Sarah and I had been leaving.
'MAN HAS HEART ATTACK: DRIVES THROUGH LOCAL DINER KILLING THREE' screamed the headlines.
The first tiny paragraph was about what happened mentioning both our names, the second about the three who died. The third paragraph was a quote by the waitress. 'My ankle was broken and that girl Rowan came and laid hands on me, healing me! It was a miracle!'
Crumpling up the paper I surreptitiously looked towards the front of the school. They hadn't noticed us. "I can't do this Sarah, I thought I could but not this. Not this whole miracle healer thing! How did they find out it was us that quick, and I didn't think they could use our names!"
"I don't know. And they only used your first names so I think that is legal, maybe unethical, but legal. It's just a small newspaper." She stared hard at me for a minute. "Can you tell me what is going on now?"
I looked back at her. "I can't yet. But I promise you," looking over the top of her car I could see the news crew van, the driver was looking around. "I promise you as soon as I can I will."
Sarah looked at me with the same expression that had been all too common on my own lately. Frustrated with being kept in the dark.
"Sarah, it— I just can't. You are going to have to trust me on this." Leaning down I whispered in her ear "It's too dangerous." Standing up again I looked at her willing her to hang with me for a bit more.
"Trust me okay? Please? I will, I swear it, I will tell you when I can."
She looked at me concerned and a bit miffed that I didn't trust her. "You swear." she looked at me levelly.
"I swear it. You're my best friend who is the only sister I will ever have. I will tell you as soon as I can."
"You are in real danger aren't you Rowan?"
"And you are intuitive as ever."
I was watching the news van. Mr. Dillon was talking to the driver and pointing towards the main road. Probably telling them they couldn't park there. As Mr. Dillon walked around the front of the van and back towards the school the driver looked around the parking lot noticing us.
Sarah said what I was thinking. "Looks like they have spotted us."
"I know. Now what?" I felt chilled and didn't want to go through this.
"Get out of here and go back home. I'll wing it and buy you some time, I was there after all. Then I'll go in the office and let them know that you went back home, call them when you get home. After school come to my house okay?"
I nodded "Sounds like a plan. Thanks Sarah."
"Be ready to talk to me! Now go!"
I got back in the car tossing the newspaper in the backseat and wrenched on the key, bringing the tank to life. Pulling out of the parking spot I saw Sarah putting on a pretty smile, opening her door to intercept the reporter and photographer just driving up the aisle. I owed her huge!
Turning off of main I saw Grayson's truck just ahead coming towards me. We both slowed down, he pulling along side of me, a frown creasing his brow. He already had his window rolled down.
"You're going the wrong way." he quipped keeping his voice light but his eyes looked shadowed and troubled.
"News team is at the school, I don't want to deal with it right now. Sarah is covering for me so I could get out of there and lay low at home."
He appeared to be thinking about it. "You know, that's probably a good idea. I have to go for a bit."
"You aren't going to school either?"
"I have to do something. You're not going to go anywhere else are you?" he eyed me speculatively.
"Not planning on it. Why?"
He rose an eyebrow looking at me intently recalling the last time I was unintentionally evasive. "I don't know. Just stay home. I'm going to have Archer keep an eye on you today for me. I have to go, I hate this Rowan!"
"It will be okay, won't it?"
"It's more than that." he sighed "I have to be gone for a little while. I won't be back until tonight. I have to talk to my father. It's more than important now, it's downright imperative." His eyes clouded over again.
I noticed. "What's wrong?"
He looked in his rear view mirror checking to see if anyone was coming and got out of his truck leaving it running with his door open.
Leaning his head in, he whispered "Truth?"
I nodded, already knowing I wasn't going to like it.
He reached for my left hand and held it, his other hand tracing a line down my cheek. "Because I won't be able to be able to hide out as a student anymore. I don't know what happens after that. My father could send me elsewhere."
I sucked in my breath audibly.
"Don't worry yet Rowan. A lot can happen between now and then." he looked at my bare finger on my left hand pointedly and then rubbed the spot where a ring would go. "Well explore our options together when we can talk alone okay?" He smiled. "Now get out of here and stay at home!"
I nodded mutely a million feelings spinning out of control.
He grinned. "I love you Rowan Laurel. Now, get out of here." he kissed the side of my forehead. "Before I make an obvious scene out here how very much I want you."
I couldn't breathe.
He was still laughing at my expression as he went back to his truck leaping in, then gunned the engine waiting for me. I put it in drive and slowly moved forward.
Grayson drove on into town, his hand hanging out his window waving at me so I could see it in my rear view mirror. I missed him already.