THE SECRET OF EASTMAN SPRINGS
A Young Adult Novel
Carol Costa
Published by Open Books Press
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2012 Carol Costa
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Eastman Springs was deserted. Paths were overrun with weeds, and the wooden benches and signs were rotting. Only the trees and the sparkling streams remained untouched by time, providing a cool haven from the summer heat.
Still stunned by the recent death of her mother, Sara had wandered into the springs this evening seeking a solitary place to sort out her feelings.
She had hiked down into the center of the springs. Now she left the path and made her way through the weeds to the trunk of a fallen tree at the edge of a stream. She sat down and watched the water bubble over the rocks and wind its way through the trees.
“Oh, Mom, I miss you so much,” Sara whispered. The tears she had been suppressing all day, stung her eyes.
The first shadows of evening fell across the water as Sara longed for the happy home that had been abruptly shattered. Her mother's death had been so sudden. One day, she had been standing at the door waving Sara off to school, the next day she was gone. A brain embolism. Her father had explained it, using terms he hoped Sara could understand. But she didn't understand, and she never would. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.
Sara was in Michigan to spend the summer with her Aunt Kate. She hadn't wanted to come, but her father had insisted. “Your Aunt will keep you busy, and I'll be up every weekend that I can get away.”
Considering her father's large medical practice in Chicago, Sara doubted if she'd see him more than once or twice in the next two months.
Sara wiped her eyes and looked around. Eastman Springs was once a famous resort. People came from all over the world to drink from the springs of crystal clear water that promised to cure everything from arthritis to a baby's colic. Sara was next to Queen Anne, one of the larger streams. Aunt Kate said Queen Anne's waters were good for stomach aches.
Sara leaned over and scooped up some water with her hand. It tasted cold and fresh. Perhaps if she drank the stream dry, the burning pain inside of her would go away.
“Come to me, Sara. Help me.”
The whispered command caused Sara to bolt into an upright position. She spun around as the voice called out again. It seemed to float through Eastman Springs as if it were part of the soft summer wind.
Sara stood up. She saw no one, yet like the wind, she could feel a presence. Her legs felt weak, but she willed them to move.
It's just the wind and your imagination, Sara told herself firmly. How many times had she thought she heard her mother's voice the last few months? That was impossible, and so was this.
“I'm here, Sara, by the water. Please, help me,” the voice cried again.
Icy fingers of fear curled themselves around Sara's heart making it beat faster. The ground was wet and slippery. Sara reached out for the trunk of a tree to steady herself. Slowly she turned around again and stared into the water. Only her own frightened looking face was reflected in the slowly moving stream.
“Sara! Sara, where are you?” Tom's deep voice jarred Sara back to reality.
“I'm here,” she called back. “By Queen Anne.”
Sara moved away from the spring as Tom approached, aware that whatever she had heard or felt, now seemed to be gone.
“Hey, what are you doing down in the weeds?” Tom asked, holding out his hand to help her onto the path. “The mosquitoes will eat you alive.”
Sara took the hand he offered and scrambled up the slight incline. She was trembling. Tom noticed, and looked at her with concern in the eyes that seemed too dark for his sun streaked blond hair.
“Your aunt said I'd probably find you here. I hope you don't mind my coming after you.”
“No, of course not,” Sara said. So far, meeting Tom had been the only bright spot of the summer.
“Come on, I'll walk you home. It'll be dark soon.”
The path was narrow and Tom walked ahead stamping down the weeds. Sara followed him, still pondering the voice and the presence she had felt.
“Tom?”
“Yes.”
“Did you hear something before?”
“Like what?”
“A voice, a girl's voice calling out for help?”
Tom stopped and turned around to face her. His eyes now squinted in a curious stare. Obviously Tom hadn't heard the voice and Sara was sorry she had asked him.
“Forget it,” she said quickly. “I was just teasing.”
They were almost back to the dirt road that led from the springs to Aunt Kate's house. They continued their walk in silence. Sara wanted desperately to say something cute or witty, but as usual, when a boy was around, especially one as good looking as Tom, she couldn't think of a thing.
Sara looked around her at the houses scattered here and there. In the distance, she could just see Aunt Kate's neat white cottage set back from the road.
Benton Corners was a small farming community, and on this quiet July evening, the fields were nearly bursting with their crops. Sara remembered the times when she and her parents used to come to help Aunt Kate and Uncle Bill with the harvest.
Those had been wonderful times, but now Uncle Bill was dead, and the largest part of their land had been sold off along with the rambling two story house they had once lived in.
Aunt Kate, her dad's older sister, kept only the portion of the land that contained the cottage, and a garden plot just large enough to keep herself in fresh vegetables.
Kate's sons were both off leading their own lives, Jim in California, and Bill Jr. in the Air Force.
“Sara,” Tom said softly. Sara looked up at him. His expression was one of sadness as if he had been reading her thoughts, and feeling her loss for the lovely days that could never be recaptured. “I just wanted to tell you...well..,” he stammered. “I want you to know how sorry I am about your mother and all. I know that's why you came here.”
“I didn't want to come,” Sara told him. “I felt just awful leaving my dad all alone, but he said it would be the best thing for me. I guess he was right, because meeting you has helped a lot.”
“Honest?” Tom brightened at her compliment.
“Honest.” Sara couldn't believe it. For once, she had said the right thing. For once, she hadn't gotten all tongue-tied and embarrassed herself and the boy. Then another miracle occurred.
“Maybe we could go into town tomorrow night, catch a movie or something,” Tom said. “Do you think your aunt would let you go with me?”
“We could ask her,” Sara replied. “She's sitting out on the porch waiting for us.” Sara motioned towards the cottage, where Aunt Kate sat on the screened-in porch patiently rocking back and forth in the old wooden rocker.
“I see you found her,” Aunt Kate called out to Tom.
“Yes, ma'm, just where you said she'd be.”
“And not a moment too soon, my apple pie is just cool enough to eat.”
Sara laughed and whispered to Tom. “My mother always said that whenever you get to Kate's house, no matter what time of the day or night, the first thing she does is feed you.”
“What's that?” Aunt Kate wanted to know.
“Sara was just saying how good your pie is. We'd love some,” Tom answered as they banged through the screen door onto the porch.
“Well, come on inside.” Aunt Kate stood up and opened the door that led into the house. “This isn’t a restaurant. You want some pie, you have to come and get it.”
They followed Aunt Kate's stout figure through the living room with its old fashioned furnishings into the kitchen. The round wooden table was already set for three. Tom sat down while Sara helped her aunt serve the pie and fill their glasses with cold milk.
The kitchen was surprisingly modern compared to the rest of the house. The oak cabinets and gleaming white appliances had been part of the remodeling Sara's mother had supervised before Kate moved into the cottage.
“If you insist on living in that old house, then I insist on some modern conveniences,” John Barkley had told his sister when she announced that the tenants were moving out of the cottage and she was moving in.
“Just the necessities,” Kate had replied. “None of those new kitchen gadgets that beep and flash like something from outer space. And no crazy colors in my bathroom, simple white fixtures will suit me just fine.”
There were just two bedrooms in the house, a large one off the living room and the smaller one next to the kitchen where Sara slept. The bathrooms had also been updated like the kitchen. With fresh paint and new floor coverings in all the rooms, the cottage was pleasant and comfortable, and Sara had always felt at home there.
Warm apple pie and cold milk tasted delicious, and more memories stirred within Sara. It seemed that everything she did since she came to the farm reminded her of happier times, and suddenly the remembering was good. She was feeling calm and sure of herself. That didn't happen very often and it was especially surprising with a guy like Tom watching her every move.
Tom and Aunt Kate discussed the weather and the good harvest they were sure to have this year. Tom, a year older than Sara, would be starting his senior year of high school this fall.
Tom's grandpa owned the property on the other side of Eastman Springs. Tom and his family had moved from California six months ago to help him run the huge old farm.
“Miss Kate,” Tom began hesitantly. “I was just wondering if it would be all right if I took Sara into town to a movie tomorrow night?”
“If Sara wants to go, it's fine with me.” Aunt Kate smiled her approval.
“Okay,” Tom said to Sara. “Then I'll pick you up about six-thirty.”
Sara nodded.
A few minutes later, she walked Tom outside to the road. She stood at the edge of Aunt Kate's yard watching his tall, lean figure disappear into the darkness.
“Nice young man, that Tom,” Aunt Kate remarked as Sara returned to the porch. "You could do a whole lot worse than him.”
Sara blushed at her insinuation. “Aunt Kate, I just met him a few days ago.”
“So what? Your mother only knew your dad for a month, and they ran off and got married.”
“Really? I didn't know that, although mom always said it was love at first sight.”
“That it was. Your father was engaged to another girl, you know, but when he met your mother he broke off his engagement. Shocked the whole town with the suddenness of it. People gossiped about it for months.”
“I didn't know that either.” Sara tried to imagine her father, a conservative family physician, as a heart-breaker. “How exciting. Who was the other girl?”
“Her name was Lacey Matthews.”
“Tell me about it, please,” Sara urged. “What did she look like?”
“Heavens, child, I haven't even thought about the girl in years. Let's see. She was a blond like you with sparkling blue eyes, only her hair was long, real long. She was a pretty girl, but as wild as the wind.”
“And my dad was engaged to her?”
“Well, not officially, Lacey was a few years younger than John, but they'd known each other since childhood, and it was always expected, by both families, that they'd get married. Anyway, your dad went off to Ann Arbor to college, met your mother, and that was that.”
“What happened to Lacey Matthews? Did she marry someone else?”
“Nope. She was a beauty, but like I said, a real wild one. The boys flocked around her all the time. She ran around with every other guy in town, always making a spectacle of herself. Then, one night, she was gone. Just seemed to disappear into thin air. Everybody went out looking for her. Searched Eastman Springs from top to bottom.”
“Eastman Springs? You mean they thought she got lost in the springs?”
“Yep. Sure did.”
“Why?” Sara was remembering her experience in the springs just an hour or so ago.
“Because she spent so much time there. Always said it made her feel like she was in her own special world to sit down there by Queen Anne dangling her feet in the water.”
“Queen Anne.” Sara repeated the words slowly. The icy fingers returned making her chest feel tight. Sara took a slow, deep breath trying to loosen their grip. “And they never found her?”
“No, they never did. Of course, I always figured she ran off with one of those sailors that started hanging around town about that time.”
“What about her family? What happened to them?”
“They left town the week after Lacey disappeared. Moved to Chicago, I believe. As far as I know, Lacey never turned up again.”
Or she might still be there in the springs by Queen Anne, Sara thought frantically. Not wanting to be found, until today, when she called out to me. Sara's body felt numb as she realized something that had not occurred to her earlier. The voice had known her name. It had called her by name.
“Yes, sir,” Aunt Kate rambled on. “That Lacey Matthews was a crazy girl....Sara? Sara, are you listening to me?”
“I'm sorry. What did you say?” Sara asked, trying to swallow down the lump of terror in her throat.
“I was just thinking that maybe we should call your daddy, and see how he's doing."
“Oh, no, not tonight. I'll do it tomorrow.”
“What's wrong, child? I hope I didn't upset you talking about your mother.”
“Oh, no, Aunt Kate,” Sara protested. “I'm glad you told me. I never heard that story before, and well, I'm just glad you told me. I think I'll go to bed now. I'm really tired.”
Sara got up and reached for the door grateful for the darkness that covered the flush of her cheeks.
“All right. Pleasant dreams, honey.”
Sara undressed and slipped into bed, but hours later, long after she heard Aunt Kate come in and go to her room, Sara was awake. She was reliving her experience in Eastman Springs and thinking about what Aunt Kate told her about the girl named Lacey Matthews.
“It was her,” Sara whispered into the still night air. “I know it was her, but what does she want?”
Sara's initial fear was dissolving and being replaced by a strong desire to know more about Lacey Matthews. The more Sara thought about it, the more certain she became that something awful had happened to Lacey Matthews in Eastman Springs. Why else would Lacey be calling out for help.
When Sara finally drifted into sleep, her dreams were filled with images of a laughing young girl running through Eastman Springs and then disappearing into the darkness.
Slivers of sunlight cut through the tree branches dropping patches of light on the weed covered path. Sara walked slowly towards Queen Anne. The silence of the springs enveloped her, making her feel calm and strong for the first time today.
Sara had spent the entire morning arguing with herself. One minute she told herself that the voice she heard last night existed only in her imagination. Aunt Kate's story about Lacey Matthews had just been a crazy coincidence prompting her to fantasize even more. She should forget about this nonsense and concentrate on something real, something important, like what she was going to wear on her date tonight. Then, the next minute, she would feel cold and uneasy as if someone was watching her sort through her wardrobe trying to find the perfect outfit.
She would stand frozen as her mind repeated the words of the voice from the springs. “Come to me, Sara. Help me.” Over and over the words replayed themselves like a carefully recorded message.
Finally, Aunt Kate knocked on the door and insisted that Sara come out and have some lunch. “Whatever you're doing in there can be done better on a full stomach. Skipping meals never solved anyone's problems.”
Sara smiled as she remembered the plate full of food her aunt had waiting on the table for her. Sara had refused breakfast which had obviously worried Kate. After all, one of her duties towards her niece was to fatten her up a little. Sara didn't want to be fattened up, being tall like her dad was bad enough. Until this year, she had towered over everyone in her class, then miraculously, some of the boys began to pass her up.
Her mother used to tell her to straighten up and be proud of her height. “You're a beautiful girl, Sara Jane Barkley. Act like it.”
Thinking about her mother's words caused a sudden jolt of pain to shoot through her. Maybe that's what this was all about. The voice in the springs was simply a device Sara was using to forget about her mother. But she didn't want to forget the lovely face with the laughing brown eyes that looked at Sara as if she really were beautiful.
“It's not that I'm ugly,” Sara conceded aloud. “I'm just too average.”
The sound of her own voice broke the silence of the springs and Sara looked around quickly feeling apologetic for intruding on the peacefulness of this place. She was just a few feet from Queen Anne. The sign to her right said that this was the perfect table water. It was the deepest of the springs and that made its waters cooler and purer than any of the others.
Sara stood perfectly still, waiting and listening, but the only thing she heard was the sound of her own breathing. Last night must have been my imagination, she told herself. To reaffirm it, she stepped carefully down to the edge of the spring and peered into the water.
The clear, slow-moving spring picked up the reflections of the leaves overhead. Sara held on to the giant tree that stood next to Queen Anne and leaned across the stream. The reflection she saw was blurred, but it was a face surrounded by long flowing hair. Instinctively, Sara reached up and felt the shortness of her own hair cut above her shoulders just a few weeks ago.
“Help me, Sara. Help me.” Today the voice was sweet, almost childlike.
Trembling, Sara jumped back and leaned on the trunk of the old tree. Its bark felt hard and cold against her, and she shuddered. I'm going to get out of here, she thought, taking deep breaths to still the panic. I was crazy to come back here alone.
She turned slowly away from the spring and it was then that she noticed the crudely drawn heart etched into the tree in a place where the bark had been pulled away. Inside the heart were two sets of initials, L.M. and J.B. Names to fit the initials flashed through her mind, Lacey Matthews and John Barkley.
Sara reached out and traced the initials with her index finger. The carving felt deep, as if it had been put there recently. But that wasn't possible. How could it have survived the elements of wind and rain? As Sara pondered the question, a soft breeze touched her cheek and a quiet laughter filled her ears.
The fear began to leave her again. If the spirit of Lacey Matthews did indeed live in Eastman Springs, she was there for a reason. Perhaps she was waiting for someone to solve the mystery surrounding her disappearance. Perhaps she was drawn to Sara because of the love she once had for her father.
“I'll help you, Lacey,” Sara whispered. “I'll find out what really happened to you.”
“And I will help you, Sara,” the voice whispered back.
Sara ran up the hill that led from the springs to the road. Perhaps, she could call her father and ask him about Lacey Matthews. Surely, he had some ideas about Lacey's disappearance.
After the cool darkness of the woods, the sun felt hot on Sara's face and made her squint. She shaded her eyes with her hand as she readjusted to the brightness outside of the springs.
On the road just ahead of her was a small boy riding a bicycle. He was dressed in bright green shorts with a matching t-shirt and was weaving around trying to keep the bike in an upright position.
It reminded Sara of herself at about the same age. This quiet country road was where she had first mastered the art of riding a two-wheeler.
Suddenly, the boy lost his balance and toppled over. He lay in the dust, with the bike on top of him. Sara ran to his aid. “Are you okay?” she asked as she approached.
The bright green outfit was covered with dust and the boy's face was red with embarrassment. Sara repeated her question, lifting the bike off the child.
“I'm okay,” he mumbled. “Just skidded on something is all.
Sara tried not to laugh at the look on his face, but was unable to suppress a soft giggle. “It happens to everyone. This is where I learned to ride, and I took plenty of falls myself.”
The boy looked up at her and smiled. “This is my cousin's bike. He brought it all the way from California, but now that he's got a drivers license, he doesn't ride it anymore.”
“California?.....oh, you must be Tom's little cousin; Kevin, isn't it?” Sara remembered Tom complaining good-naturedly about Kevin following him around all day.
“Yeah, that's me. Who are you?”
“My name is Sara. I live in Chicago, but I'm staying here for the summer with my Aunt Kate.”
“I know her. She makes great cookies.”
“Yes, she does,” Sara agreed. “Do you want me to hold on to the back end of the bike until you get going again?”
“Sure.”
Kevin straddled the bike and boosted himself onto the seat while Sara held it steady for him. “Okay,” she instructed. “Now start out slow. I'll run along beside you but I won't really be holding you up.”
Kevin nodded and started to peddle. Sara ran beside him, giving him just enough support to keep the bike on a straight course. By the time they got to Aunt Kate's house, Kevin was doing pretty well and Sara was out of breath trying to keep up with him.
“This is where I get off,” Sara told Kevin. “You're doing great.”
Kevin applied the brakes slowly and came to a successful stop. “Thanks, Sara. You're okay. I'm going to tell Tom that he better be nice to you tonight.”
Sara was pleased that Tom had mentioned their date to his cousin. “I don't think you have to do that. Tom is always very nice.”
“That's what you think,” Kevin insisted shaking his head from side to side. “He put up a big fuss when his mother told him to ask you out on a date.”
Sara's voice caught in her throat, but she managed to ask the question anyway. “Why did his mother tell him to do that?”
“Because your aunt came over with a big plate of cookies and begged her to do it.”
“When was that?” Sara felt dizzy and sick as she waited for an answer.
Kevin shrugged his shoulders and dug his sneakers into the soft dirt on the side of the road. “I don't know, about a week ago, I guess. She said you were real sad and a date with a good looking boy like Tom would cheer you up. I think she's crazy. Tom ain't that good looking.”
“No, he's not,” Sara said quietly. She turned and walked across the yard towards the house. Kevin shouted his good-bye after her but Sara didn't turn around again.
Looking down at the ground she was covering it in long deliberate strides. Sara also ignored Aunt Kate's greeting.
“If you're hungry, there's some cookies in the jar. I'll get supper started as soon as I finish up this weeding.”
Sara just nodded and hurried into the house. If she had to speak to Aunt Kate right now, Sara might start screaming.
Closing the bedroom door firmly, Sara turned the key in the old fashioned lock and threw herself across the bed. She lay there for a long time, voicing her anger to herself. She was determined not to cry. This wasn't worth it. She would simply stay in her room and tell Aunt Kate she was sick, too sick to go out with Tom. That would be the end of it.
Sara rose from the bed and walked over to look in the mirror. The white blouse and the denim skirt and vest she had picked out for tonight were hanging neatly in the closet. Why couldn't she be beautiful like her mother was?
She ran a hand through her hair. It was too limp and straight, and her face devoid of makeup looked thin and pale. My eyes are my best feature, Sara thought. She moved closer to the mirror and studied her eyes. Yes, they were nice eyes. Clear blue eyes that sparkled like the waters of Queen Anne.
Suddenly, her face began to blur. Sara squinted into the mirror and saw long flowing hair moving around her face. Her image remained hazy, but it was taking on new dimensions. The same bright blue eyes, but the cheekbones were now flushed with color, the chin was stronger, the lips fuller. Then the lips curved into a smile and soft unfamiliar laughter began to rise within Sara.
The strange calmness she had felt in Eastman springs returned and the anger she had been feeling at her aunt, at Tom, was washed away.
“I am beautiful,” Sara declared. “I’m like my mother,like Lacey Matthews. I'm beautiful and young and free as the wind, and tonight Tom is going to have a date he'll never forget.”
All through supper, Sara chatted away about how glad she was to be in the country again, away from the noise and the heat of the city. Aunt Kate seemed pleased with the sudden change in her niece.
“Well, child,” Kate remarked as they cleared the table. “You're certainly in high spirits tonight.”
Sara laughed. “Of course I am. Isn't that what you wanted when you forced Tom to ask me out?” Kate's eyes narrowed and the smile left her face. “Oh, don't look so guilty,” Sara continued in a lilting voice. “I don't mind. In fact, I'm really looking forward to this evening. Wait till you see what I'm going to wear.”
Sara bounced out of the room. Kate started to follow her. but before she could say anything, Sara slammed the bedroom door and turned the key in the lock.
Aunt Kate washed the supper dishes and waited for Sara to reappear. She was hoping to talk to her niece before Tom got there, but Sara didn't come out of the bedroom, and Kate was feeling too guilty to intrude on her privacy.
Tom arrived and Aunt Kate knocked softly on Sara's door. Almost immediately the door was flung open as if Sara had been standing on the other side with her hand on the knob.
“Hi, Tom,: Sara called out gaily. “How do I look?”
She spun around the room letting her full skirt flare out to reveal her long nicely shaped legs. She was wearing a peasant style blouse which she had pulled down off her shoulders. Her hair was brushed back away from her face and held in place by a silver clip.
Sara stopped spinning and Aunt Kate got a good look at her niece's face. Her first instinct was to run for a wash cloth and give Sara a good scrubbing.
“You look great,” Tom said stepping between Aunt Kate and Sara.
“I'm glad you think so,” Sara replied winking at him. “I don't usually wear makeup, but I consider tonight a special occasion.” Sara grabbed Tom's arm. “Goodnight, Aunt Kate. Don't wait up.”
Once again, Sara made a quick exit, before Aunt Kate could protest.
Tom helped Sara into his father's truck and pulled out of the driveway onto the road. “What movie would you like to see?” he asked Sara. “We have our choice of a comedy or a western.”
“Do you mind if we skip the movie?” Sara asked sweetly. “I'd much rather meet some of your friends.”
“Oh, well...I don't know what anyone else is doing tonight,” Tom protested.
“Sure you do,” Sara replied. “Come on, take me where your friends are, please.”
“Well,” he said a little reluctantly. “I guess we could go to Bennies. Most of the kids from school hang out there.”
Tom turned onto the main road that connected the farm community with the downtown area. As they drove Sara took out a compact to check on the eye makeup she had so carefully applied. The eye shadow made her eyes appear wider, but the real difference was the defiance that shone in them. Sara laughed and dropped the compact back into her purse. She reached across the seat and rested her hand on Tom’s shoulder. He looked down at her, seeming a little nervous.
“Are you feeling all right, Sara?”
“Sure, why?”
“I don't know, you just seem a lot different tonight.”
“I'm glad you're so tall,” Sara replied changing the subject. “Short boys are such a bore.”
Bennies was a small restaurant near the high school. Sara had been there once or twice before and knew it was usually filled with teenagers.
Tom parked the truck and came around to open the door for her. Sara had a moment of panic as he took her hand to help her out of the truck. Giving Tom a hard time was one thing, but playing it out in front of his friends was another. Sara was about to suggest that they go the movies after all, when Tom mentioned his cousin.
“I hear you met Kevin today,” he said casually.
Sara nodded and didn't hear the rest of Tom's remark. The soft laughter was bubbling inside her again, and with it came courage.
Inside Bennies, Tom and Sara crowded into a booth with three other people. Tom introduced Sara to his friends, Brad and Susan, who were obviously “going steady”, and a chubby, acne-faced boy named Andy. Tom left Sara with them and went to the counter to order soft drinks.
Brad and Susan greeted Sara, and then went back to gazing into each other's eyes, so Sara turned her attention to Andy. “I live in Chicago,” she told him. “Have you ever been there?”
Andy nodded. “Once, with my dad. He took me to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs play.”
Soon, to Sara's surprise, she and Andy were talking non-stop about major league baseball. The fact that Sara didn't know a lot about the sport didn't seem to matter. She just let Andy, who knew a great deal about both Chicago teams, tell her about them.
Tom returned with their drinks and joined the conversation, and all Sara had to do was nod and smile. This is really easy, Sara thought, as the conversation moved on to football, a sport Sara did know about.
It wasn't long before other people in Bennies were noticing Sara, and began coming over to the table to meet her.
Someone put money in the juke box and Brad and Susan got up to dance. Two more boys, who had just arrived, slid into the seats that the couple vacated.
“You've been holding out on us, Tom, old buddy,” one of the boys said looking directly at Sara. “Who's this gorgeous girl?”
Sara acknowledged the compliment with a brilliant smile and a teasing wink.
Tom introduced Sara to the newcomers, then stood up and announced that he and Sara were leaving.
“Where are you going?” Andy asked. “It's still early.”
“I know.” Tom pulled Sara out of the booth and turned her towards the door.
“Let's go to the park," Sara suggested when they got outside. She was feeling stronger and more confident with each passing moment. “We can ride the merry-go-round.” She took off running with Tom chasing after her.
The park was just a few blocks from the restaurant, and on this warm summer night it was filled with people.
Sara and Tom found a bench near the playground where several children were being entertained by their parents.
Tom started telling Sara about school, and how different it was from the one he attended in California. He was on the basketball team and was hoping for a scholarship to college.
Sara told him some amusing stories about herself on the girls' track team. Never before had she been able to talk so easily with a boy.
“No wonder I had trouble keeping up with you,” Tom teased. “I'm out with a track star.”
"I feel like swinging." Sara jumped to her feet and pulled on Tom's hand urging him to follow her. She seemed to be filled with a restless energy that had to find release.
By this time, the last child had been taken home and Tom and Sara had the brightly lit playground to themselves. Side by side, they pumped their swings into the air. Sara's skirt blew around her knees and her hair flew around her face.
“Race you to the merry-go-round.” With her swing still in mid-air, Sara leapt off and ran across the playground. “Last one there has to push,” she yelled to Tom who was right behind her.
Sara won the race by a few steps and settled herself between the heavy iron bars of the ride. Tom soon had her spinning so fast the park was a blur of dancing lights. Sara lifted her face to the sky and laughed with the abandonment of a delighted child.
Finally, Tom managed to jump on beside her. He was out of breath, but laughing too. Sara looked at him standing across from her and for one sobering moment realized that her mind was spinning as fast as the merry-go-round. She was not herself. She was out of control. Then Tom jumped over the bars that separated them. He stood close to her and Sara let the strange soft laughter surface again.
On the way home, Sara held tightly to Tom's hand as they drove. “You made a big hit with my friends tonight,” Tom said. “You know when I first met you I thought you were really shy, but then you get a few miles away from your aunt, and wow!”
“Well," she replied flippantly, giving his hand a squeeze. “I know you didn't want to take me out. You just did it as a favor to my aunt, so I didn't think you'd mind if I paid attention to other boys.”
“Oh.” Tom was embarrassed and pulled his hand from hers.
Sara shrugged and reached into her purse for the compact. Even in the darkness, Sara could see her own reflection clearly. All at once, she was herself again. Lacey was gone. And with the realization came her normal uneasiness at being alone with a boy.
“Tom, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I was just angry because I found out why you asked me out.” The words came out quickly without any thought. Sara took a deep breath and stared out the window. Her cheeks were burning and she was afraid she was going to cry.
Tom pulled the truck into Aunt Kate's driveway, and Sara reached for the door handle.
“Sara, wait.” Tom placed his hand on her arm. “Okay. I'll admit it was your Aunt's idea for me to ask you out, but I'm really glad I listened to her. I had the best time tonight. You're really fun to be with.”
Sara was stunned. Tom actually liked her. Or at least he liked the girl she had been tonight. She turned to face him. She wanted to tell him that tonight had been a crazy mistake, that she had never acted like that before, but all she could do was look into his dark eyes and wish that she could continue to be the girl he thought she was.
Tom brushed his lips across Sara's. It was a shy, quick attempt at a kiss, but Sara thought it was wonderful.
“I hope we can spend a lot more time together,” Tom said as he walked her to the porch. “Maybe tomorrow night, we can catch that movie.”
“I'd like that,” Sara managed to say in a weak voice, then hurried into the cottage.
Aunt Kate was sitting in front of the television set sound asleep. Sara touched her shoulder to wake her.
“Oh, Sara, you're back. I was worried about you.”
Sara felt uncomfortable. “I'm sorry, Aunt Kate.I acted badly. I know you were just trying to help me.”
Kate shook her head solemnly. “No. I was dead wrong to meddle. I know better and I won't do it again. I promise.”
On an impulse Sara hugged her. “It's all right, really it is. Tom and I had a wonderful time, and he asked me out again.”
“You mean after all my worrying, things worked out just fine?”
“Yes, they did.” Sara laughed and Aunt Kate joined her.
After they said their good nights, Sara went into the bathroom to wash the makeup from her face. She followed the warm wash with splashes of cold water making her skin feel fresh and tingly. As she patted her face dry with a soft towel she looked into the mirror. Her face was clear and familiar, but her eyes still held the sparkle of excitement.
“I like Tom so much,” Sara whispered as if she were confiding a secret to a friend. Then, her smiling reflection disappeared and the mirror became cloudy and distorted.
The childlike voice was soft but insistent. “Help me, Sara.”
Sara touched her fingers to her lips. Had Tom really kissed her, or was it only the image of Lacey Matthews that touched his lips?
Sara walked from the bathroom into her bedroom and undressed. She didn't turn on the lights. She wanted to be in the darkness, where the mirrored image could not be seen. She wanted to think about the incredible events of the last twenty-four hours and decide what to do.
She had let Lacey control her tonight. Without understanding how it could happen, she had let Lacey's personality overshadow her own. She hadn't tried to fight Lacey's presence, she had welcomed it.
It was wrong. It was terribly wrong, and Sara told herself that she would never let it happen again. She was usually such a sensible girl. Yes, a voice inside of her taunted, you are a sensible girl, a sensible, dull girl.
Lacey had given her something tonight. Maybe she should have fought against it. She was flirting with a danger she had never encountered before, never even thought of before, but it was so exciting.
At home, Sara always seemed to be on the outskirts of the fun, watching the girls who were prettier, more petite get all the attention. Tonight, Sara had been the pretty one, the one getting the attention. After all she'd been through, all the sorrow she had known since her mother's death, didn't she deserve a little fun? Didn't she deserve the attentions of a boy like Tom?
“Help me, Sara. Help me.” Lacey's voice seemed to float through the open window and linger in the room like the fragrance of the night air.
“All right, Lacey,” Sara finally answered. “I will help you. I will find out what happened to you in Eastman Springs. I will start tomorrow.”
Sara decided to begin her investigation at the library. Using the old bicycle that had once belonged to her cousin, Sara peddled down the dusty road that ran past the cottage and ended at the sleek black highway that led into town.
Everyone in Benton Corners knew each other. Although Sara didn't live there, she was John Barkley's daughter and that made her somewhat of a celebrity. Her father was the local farm boy who became a successful big city doctor. This meant there was no way that Sara could go around asking a lot of questions about Lacey Matthews without word getting back to Aunt Kate, and then to her father.
Although Sara was back to her normal self this morning, Aunt Kate seemed to be watching closely for the Sara that had painted her face and acted so reckless the night before.
Sara was fairly certain that her father would be summoned immediately if she displayed any more uncharacteristic behavior like that. Of course, Sara couldn't blame her Aunt for having second thoughts this morning. She was having second thoughts herself. And what about Tom? Was he also thinking twice about Sara and the way she had acted last night?
Sara reached the highway and turned right. The business district was about two miles away. The highway shimmered with the heat of the sun and Sara felt like one of Aunt Kate's apple pies browning in the oven.
There weren't many houses near the highway, only open fields and trees. As usual, the morning was filled with the sound of chirping birds and the constant buzz of insects. Every few minutes a car or truck would speed by Sara, who was staying to the right allowing them to pass her safely. She hardly noticed.
Tom would be working in the fields this morning. Sara had tried to catch a glimpse of him as she passed his grandfather's farm a few minutes ago. All she could see were the corn stalks.