Vision of Serpents Read online

  Mr. Fleming was on the chubby side. He also had glasses. They were thick-rimmed and round and made him look a little owlish. He wore a red tie that stood out against his blue shirt. I noticed he tended to crack his knuckles when he thought nobody was looking.

  Ms. Carter had dark brown hair. She wore a periwinkle outfit that suited her well. She had a very approachable look about her. Her face reminded me a little of my Aunt Eve, who I’d only met once, as a ghost.

  Mr. Underhill reminded me of a Marine. He was tall and broad shouldered, and even had the flat-top haircut. He didn’t look like a counselor. He looked more like a gym teacher that could bench press half the school, although he had a kind face.

  Mrs. Bennett continued speaking. The entire morning was going to be spent talking about bullying, standing up to bullies, and why people bully. After a moment, her words were drowned out as I felt a sharp amount of anger and hatred. It pierced through everything else in the room, dark and dangerous. I looked around, trying to see where it was coming from.

  Blasé.

  He was getting up from his seat in the front row, telling a teacher something before he walked away from the row of seats. I imagined he’d said he had to use the bathroom. He walked past us and for a moment, our eyes connected.

  He was the source of the hatred, and I was sure it was directed at me.

  Towards the end of the assembly, I saw Varick McKnight emerge from one of the side doors at the bottom of the auditorium. He had been watching things from backstage. I was sure he was the one who had arranged all of this. I gave him credit for being understanding, and even more for not trying to be recognized for organizing this.

  Varick scanned the crowd. I could tell he was looking for Blasé. When he didn’t spot him, Varick made his way toward us.

  Quietly, he leaned down towards Hunter.

  “Have you seen your cousin?”

  Payne was right behind her. Chase, Toby and Archer were somewhere in here. Yet Hunter knew exactly which McKnight Varick meant.

  “He left,” Hunter answered. “He didn’t look very happy.”

  Varick sighed as he stood up. As the assembly came to an end, he motioned for us to follow him backstage.

  “I helped arrange for these professionals to be here for the term,” Varick said. “I’m hoping they can help some of the students learn to deal with each other in a more compassionate way. However, some of them moved from out of town and it did cause an inconvenience for themselves and their families. I was hoping to introduce some of their children to you.”

  “I don’t mind meeting their kids,” I said, “but I’m not going to see a counselor.”

  “Bristol,” Varick put his hand on my arm. He motioned for the others to continue to the stage without us. “It’s been less than a year since your parents were buried. Your entire life has changed. You may not feel as if you need it, but I assure you that it can help.”

  “Well,” I stammered, “still, I don’t see myself going to one of them. I’m sorry. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I just don’t open up easily. If I need to, that’s what Ricky is for.”

  “I just want you to know that they’re available, should you need to speak with them,” Varick said. “In case you find yourself in need of someone more responsive than your hamster. I will let you know that Mrs. Carter grew up in Spirit, and is aware, in a general sense, of the issues between our two families. If there was ever anything very private you would want to talk to someone about, she would understand.”

  “Okay,” I said. I thought I got what he was saying and it was really very sweet. However, I still wasn’t planning on spilling my guts to anyone. “Thank you; I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Varick smiled. It seemed like he knew that I wasn’t likely to change my mind. We made our way to the corner of the auditorium where Payne and the others were talking with a dark-haired girl I didn’t recognize.

  “Bristol,” Varick said, “although the others have found her first, let me introduce you to Mr. Underhill’s daughter, Scarlett.”

  In person, she had a twinkle in her eyes that spoke of an engaging personality, but it took me a moment before I finally realized: she was the girl I’d seen murdered by Varick in that quick flash of a vision.

  Damn.

  “Well, hello,” Scarlett said. “Mr. McKnight is so sweet to be concerned, but I’m always thrilled to have the chance to meet new people. You’d be Bristol? I love that name, by the way.”

  She spoke with a tinge of a southern accent, and seemed like the type of girl who was a natural flirt. Not in an obnoxious way, just friendly and approachable. She was going to drive the boys in school crazy.

  She reached out her hand to me and I slowly took it, afraid of what I might see when we touched. There was no flash of vision upon contact, just an overall feeling that I could trust her.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I like yours too.”

  “Thank you,” Scarlett said, and batted her eyelashes in jest. “My brother always jokes that I got a sexy name to make up for the fact that I’m such a dork. He’s not here today. Maybe you can meet him later.”

  “I’ll leave you all to get to know each other,” Varick said. “I need to go find one of my grandsons.”

  I saw Scarlett grab his hand. “Thanks again, Mr. McKnight. And you go easy on Blasé. I was sitting with him earlier, and he was looking real uncomfortable. You know boys. They act all mean on the outside.”

  I was a little surprised. Varick intimidated most people, but Scarlett seemed very at ease instructing him on how to deal with his own grandson.

  “You are very kind,” Varick said. “I shall take care. Welcome to Spirit.”

  Varick made his way out to look for Blasé. I took a long look at Scarlett. I didn’t know what to expect when I first met her. Maybe there could be a reason why Varick would kill her.

  But it was hard to imagine. She seemed very friendly. She was one of those touchy-feely girls who liked to make physical contact with everyone she talked to, which the boys in the group seemed to like. She also seemed very interested in everyone, whether she was talking to Payne, Maggie, Ian, Hunter, or even me.

  I actually liked her. So much so that when she insisted all the girls go to her place and hang out after school, I didn’t object. Much.

  Not that Scarlett seemed too willing to take no for an answer. I could tell she was used to getting her way.

  We pulled up to a very nice three-story home with a stone front and a lovely garden. Mr. Underhill was still at school, but Mrs. Underhill was home. She seemed thrilled to meet us and offered us snacks.

  You wouldn’t know that they’d just moved in by the look of their home. While the walls were bare, there were no traces of moving boxes. The entire house looked extraordinarily tidy, maybe because they hadn’t had a chance to accumulate the clutter that families normally did. The dining room featured a long table that was made of dark wood and was centered under a crystal chandelier. The living room didn’t have a TV in it, but large, fancy chairs and sofas that looked more for formal entertaining that anything else.

  We went up a staircase where Scarlett led us to her room. Just as I entered, I heard the sounds of country music mixing with someone starting a shower from down the hall.

  Here in Scarlett’s room, it was a mess. She had boxes scattered around her room, a bed cluttered with clothing, and a closet so full it was impossible to close. We watched as she pushed most of the mess to the side and invited us all to sit.

  “So, let’s get to what’s important,” Scarlett said. “Tell me about the boys in this town. You had a few cute ones before. Who were they?”

  “Well, the one that kept tripping was Ian,” Hunter said. “He’s very sweet and very smart. He’s got some sort of personal project with the history of this town. He can be a little shy, but he’s really endearing in a dorky kind of way.”

  “I can deal with dorky,” Scarlett said. “What about th
e others? Who’s available?”

  “Bryan,” I said. “He’s my cousin.”

  Scarlett smiled slowly and cocked her eyebrow. “Well, he seemed pretty well put together. There were a few other boys I met today. All got real interesting names: Archer. Payne. Blasé.”

  “Those are my cousins,” Hunter added. “Payne’s dating Bristol.”

  Scarlett looked at me. “You two are boyfriend and girlfriend?”

  “No,” I said. “We’re not.”

  Both Hunter and Maggie rolled their eyes.

  “What’s going on?” Scarlett asked.

  “Bristol is dating Payne,” Maggie explained. “Except she just doesn’t like saying she’s dating Payne. She has this thing about the whole boyfriend/girlfriend label.”

  Maggie made imaginary quotation marks in the air when she said the word thing.

  “I don’t have a thing,” I retorted, making the same gesture. “He’s not my boyfriend. I’m not his girlfriend. It’s very simple. We spend time together, and we care for each other a lot, but there is no thing.”

  “Oh,” Scarlett said. “Okay, so can I make him my boyfriend?”

  “No,” I said quickly.

  Scarlett laughed, and looked like she was going to say something else, but before she could speak, we were interrupted by the theme from The Addams Family. It was coming from Maggie’s cell phone.

  “Ooh,” Maggie said as she reached into her bag. “That’s my mom.”

  “Take your time,” Scarlett said. “I’ll be back in a second.”

  With that, Maggie went into a corner to start talking to her mom, while Scarlett left the room. Hunter scrambled over to me.

  “What’s your impression of her?” Hunter asked.

  “Scarlett?” I asked. “She seems nice. Very friendly.”

  “Yeah,” Hunter said. “She seems to be. She also likes to tell people what to do. Did you see how she talked to my grandfather?”

  I nodded. “I get the impression she’s used to people doing as she says, like when she wanted the three of us to come here. But I don’t mind that. She’s fun.”

  Hunter seemed to agree. “She is. I like her. She’s big on the hugs, though. It’s like she’s always in flirt mode.”

  Maggie came back over with a sad, puppy dog look on her face.

  “I’ve got to go,” she said. “My mom needs me to stop at the pharmacy for her on the way home.”

  “I can give you a lift,” Hunter offered. “There’s actually a store right near there I need to run into.”

  “Oh,” Scarlett said as she came back into the room, “are you guys leaving?” She looked disappointed. “I wanted to show you something.”

  “I’m sorry,” Maggie said. “My mom called. She’s in crisis mode. I’ve got to go get her an emergency prescription and Hunter said she’s going to drive me.”

  “Well, I’ll show you guys next time,” Scarlett said as she took Hunter’s hand and pulled her into a hug. “It was great hanging out. We should do it again.” She then did the same to Maggie.

  Hunter sent me a look. I think she was still trying to figure Scarlett out.

  “Bristol,” Scarlett said. “What about you? You can hang out for a little bit longer, right?”

  I couldn’t help but notice that while this was phrased as a question, her tone made it sound like more of a command.

  “Well, um, I guess,” was about all I got out before she grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the stairs.

  “My brother just got done with the basement,” she said. “It still needs to be decorated, but I think it rocks. My mom says maybe we can have a party at some point.”

  She pulled me down a musty-smelling staircase and through another door. When she flipped the switch, I saw teenage heaven.

  In the middle of the room was a pool table. Lining the walls were several old style pinball machines and classic arcade-style video games like Pac-Man and Frogger. In the corner was a flat-screen TV hooked up to an X-box and with all the gear needed for a full Guitar Hero band.

  “Wow,” I said. “It is pretty cool.”

  “Yeah, setting this up is what my brother did all day. I think it would be really great to get some people together and break the room in.”

  I could picture it. It would be a cool place to have a party. However, I didn’t think today was a good time for a celebration, and I told Scarlett so.

  “Not right away,” she said. “Besides, I want to make it really nice down here. Some cool lights, or some classic posters. James Dean, Elvis. Maybe we can party in a few weeks.”

  As we looked around, my cell rang.

  “That’s me this time,” I said as I reached for the phone.

  “Okay,” Scarlett said, heading for the door. “I’ll be back in a second.”

  When I answered, it was Uncle Mark. He sounded apologetic. “Bristol, any chance you could get home? Your grandfather’s supposed to go to the lodge tonight, and I’ve got an accident out here on Route 50.”

  “Is anyone hurt?” I asked.

  “Not badly,” he explained, “but it’s a mess. It was a truck transporting live chickens and they’re all over the road.”

  “Chicken?” I repeated. “Original or extra crispy?”

  “Ha, ha,” he said, without much humor in his voice. “I was hoping you could be home for the boys. I know it’s Friday, but . . . ”

  “No problem,” I said. “I’ll get there in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks, Bristol. I’ll be home as soon as possible. Order pizza. I left cash.”

  I got off the phone and went to find Scarlett. She was in her kitchen.

  “I hate to ditch you, but I’ve got to go,” I explained what happened. “Sorry.”

  “Oh, it’s okay,” Scarlett said and gestured to someone behind me. “I wanted you to meet my brother, Dante. He can give you a lift.”

  I turned around and saw him walking into the kitchen. He was tall: taller than my uncle. His dark blonde hair was still wet, like he’d just gotten out of the shower. He had gray eyes that reminded me of my mom’s. He was athletically built and had a face that could stop traffic. It was a face I’d seen many times over the last few weeks.

  Here was the mystery boy. The one to whom I would apparently say I love you.

  Oh, for crying out loud.

  “Hey, Bristol,” he said in a voice that had a hint of a southern accent like his sister’s. “My sister tells me you need a ride?”

  “No, I’m fine,” I said as Scarlett grabbed my hand. “I can walk, it’s not that far. I don’t want to be any trouble. Really, you don’t have to drive me. It’s a nice day for a walk.”

  Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder and the sky opened up. I looked out the window just as it began to pour.

  “Maybe I could borrow an umbrella?” I asked.

  Meanwhile, Scarlett pulled me right to Dante, grabbed his arm and kept hold of mine so I couldn’t run, which I really wanted to do. Instead, she stuck our hands together, like we were meant to shake.

  I could feel Dante kissing me, slow and tender on the lips.

  The flash was over as fast as it came. I yanked my hand back.

  “Ain’t no trouble,” Dante said, completely unaware of what had just happened. “And I’m not letting you walk home in this. Let me get my keys.”

  “Dante will drive you home and that’s the end of it,” Scarlett said with a note of finality. “You two will hit it off, don’t worry.”

  “Why would I be worried?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “But you look like you’re scared to death. Don’t she, Dante?”

  Dante looked me over and grinned. “You do look like a rabbit ‘bout to bolt.”

  “No,” I said. “I’m not scared. Why would I be scared?”

  “I don’t bite,” Dante said.

  Scarlett leaned over to whisper in my ear. “That’s not what the girls in our old high sch
ool said.”

  Oh, geez.

  Next thing I knew, I was getting into a red Toyota pickup truck, watching as Dante closed the door behind me and moved to the driver’s side.

  I knew I was being ridiculous. I was going all gaga over a boy I just met. Sure, Dante was hot beyond belief, but I had Payne.

  Besides, it’s not like I hadn’t been around other cute guys since Payne and I became, well . . . Payne and I. For a small town, Spirit’s high school was crawling with cute guys.

  Okay, so most of them were either McKnights or Blackburns, but there were a few others.

  Dante climbed in, hit a button on a nearby remote to open the garage door and then started the truck. He pulled out into the driveway, flipped the windshield wipers on, and waited for me to tell him which way to go.

  “Right turn,” I said, and he pulled out onto the road.

  “So,” Dante said, as we drove along in silence, “if I didn’t know better, I’d say Scarlett was trying to get the two of us alone.”

  “Really?” I squeaked. “I’m not exactly on the market.”

  “Oh,” Dante said with a grin. “What exactly are you? Do you have a boyfriend?”

  “I, um . . . ” I stammered.

  “That don’t sound like a yes to me,” Dante said.

  “It’s not a no,” I said. “I don’t like saying boyfriend or girlfriend. But there’s this guy, Payne. He and I are together.”

  “Okay,” Dante said. “Is it exclusive?”

  “Yeah,” I answered. “Pretty much.”

  Dante turned down my block and I pointed to where my house was.

  “What exactly does that mean? This Payne not want to commit?”

  “No,” I said right away. “He does. I just . . . don’t like labels, but I know Payne is committed. Anyone who spends as much time around me really should be committed.”

  “If you say so,” Dante said as he pulled into my driveway. “I guess you and I will just have to be friends.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Just friends.”

  Dante leaned in and I felt panicked. Why was he leaning in? We just established that we were friends.