The Missing Mortals, page 22
As the two girls passed the lounge, Martha noticed that Sebastian was sitting alone at a table close to the door. There were a handful of other students in the lounge, but they were sitting in the back corner of the room—out of earshot. She might not get a better chance to talk with him. Hurriedly, she told Emma that she would meet her outside in a few minutes. Then she entered the lounge and walked nervously toward Sebastian. He stood up when he saw her coming. For a moment, she was afraid that he was going to leave, but his next words relieved her on that point.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said with a smile.
“You have?” Martha asked surprised. She had been so sure that he was still mad at her.
“Yeah,” Sebastian answered.
An awkward silence followed, and then both of them started talking at once.
“I’m so sorry for what I said last Thursday. I didn’t mean it,” Martha blurted out.
“I wanted to show you something,” Sebastian said at the same time.
Martha had been so intent on her apology that it took a moment for Sebastian’s words to register. Things weren’t going exactly as she had planned, but one thing was clear: Sebastian was no longer angry with her. Confused but grateful, Martha found herself asking, “What?”
Sebastian grinned broadly and held up a piece of paper. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a printout of all of Sebastian’s midterm exam scores. He had gotten above a 90 percent on every test.
“Sebastian, that’s amazing! Great job!”
If possible, Sebastian’s grin widened all the more, and if he’d been wearing a button-up shirt, Martha was convinced he would have burst every button in pride at his accomplishment.
“I bet I get into the Alpha-O’s next year,” he boasted.
“I bet you do too,” Martha agreed with a smile of her own. She was beginning to get an inkling of why the two boys hadn’t been around all week. Sebastian’s next words confirmed her suspicions.
“Doug and I have been going up to his dad’s suite every night after supper to study, and we stayed with him over the weekend too. I figured I would do a better job of studying if I didn’t have so many distractions around.”
Martha could have cried in relief. Sebastian hadn’t been avoiding her as she had thought. He’d merely been trying to ensure that he got good grades on all of his tests so that next year he’d be invited to join the Alpha-O’s. As happy as the news made Martha, she knew it didn’t excuse her behavior last Thursday. She still owed Sebastian a big apology. Not knowing if he had heard her earlier, she began again. Knowing he wasn’t angry with her any longer made it a little easier.
“Sebastian, I’ve been wanting to tell you since last Thursday how sorry I am for what I said. I didn’t mean a word of it, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Sebastian’s expression grew serious. “It’s okay, Martha. Anyhow, I figured I kind of asked for it.”
Martha could have hugged him right then and there, but they weren’t completely alone, so she refrained. Sebastian really was a great guy. All of a sudden, she felt like crying again—this time in happiness.
Sensing her emotional struggle, Sebastian said brightly, “So you’re off on the hayride, right?”
All Martha could do was nod.
“Well, have a good time.”
As Martha turned to leave, she called back over her shoulder, “It won’t be any fun without you.” Embarrassed by the boldness of her statement, Martha rushed out the door. If she had looked back, her heart would have been lifted by the joyous expression on the face of one Sebastian Conners.
Emma was waiting on the terrace with the other Alpha-O’s when Martha appeared. The happy smile on Martha’s face said it all. Martha’s conversation with Sebastian had gone well. While the other students began climbing aboard the two hay wagons parked in front of the castle, Martha quickly filled Emma in on the details.
“I told you things would work out okay,” Emma said when Martha had finished her narrative. “Sebastian is a good guy, and you gave him all the motivation he needed to do well on his midterms.”
“I don’t know about that,” Martha replied with a shake of her head. “I’m just glad he’s not mad at me anymore.”
“It doesn’t sound like he ever was.”
“Maybe not, but he had every right to be.”
“Well, it’s all history now, so let’s see if we can’t have some fun on this hayride.”
By the time the two girls finished their conversation, one of the wagons was full. They quickly climbed aboard the second wagon and found a hay bale to sit on. Once they were settled, Emma looked around to see who else would be riding with them and was dismayed to see the smirking face of Bobby Wilcox. Too late, she realized their mistake. With the exception of herself and Martha, all of the riders on their wagon were older students. A quick look at the other wagon confirmed that the rest of the eighth-grade Alpha-O’s were seated on it.
“Oh no,” she whispered softly.
“What’s wrong?” Martha asked. She had been watching Mr. Dorfman, the boys’ PE teacher, start up the tractor that would be pulling their wagon and hadn’t noticed Bobby yet. Mr. Criderman was driving the tractor that was pulling the other wagon.
“Look who’s on the wagon with us.”
Martha looked around then, and Emma heard her sharply indrawn breath as she realized they’d be spending the next hour or so in Bobby’s company.
“It’ll be okay,” Martha whispered back. “What can he do to us here?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure he’ll think of something.” Emma surveyed the group again. It wasn’t just Bobby she was worried about. He had all of his buddies with him and some of the freshman girls that thought Bobby was the greatest thing going.
They didn’t have long to wait to discover Bobby’s line of attack. The moment the wagon began to move, he started in. He was fully aware that the sound of the tractor’s motor would prevent Mr. Dorfman from hearing anything that was said.
“You’d think it was December instead of October,” Bobby sneered, pointing at the blanket that Martha was holding.
Embarrassed, Martha looked around. None of the others on the wagon had brought blankets. Martha couldn’t prevent the blush that crept into her cheeks.
Seeing her blush, Bobby laughed out loud. “They shouldn’t let eighth graders into the Alpha-O’s. They’re so immature.”
Barb and Daphne, the two freshman girls sitting on the hay bale next to Bobby, smirked at Emma and Martha as they nodded their agreement.
“Just ignore him,” Emma said under her breath. Maybe Bobby would leave them alone if they didn’t respond to his taunts.
The rest of the hayride was nothing short of torture for Emma and Martha. Although Bobby didn’t address them directly, he kept whispering things to Barb and Daphne, who would then look at the two girls and laugh hysterically. It couldn’t have been more obvious that he was making fun of them. Emma and Martha tried to tune them out by talking quietly to each other, but they weren’t completely successful. By the time the wagon pulled into the campsite where they would roast hot dogs and make s’mores, Emma was nearly in tears. She wanted nothing more than to return to the castle.
As they got down off the wagon, Emma’s frustration turned to anger. I don’t care if Martha and I have to walk back to the castle. We’re not riding on that wagon again, Emma thought. She would ask Mr. Dorfman if the two girls could switch wagons at the first opportunity. She didn’t tell Martha her plan in case it didn’t pan out. She didn’t want to get Martha’s hopes up.
The other wagon pulled up just then, and grabbing Martha by the arm, Emma hurried them both over to it. At least they would be able to spend the next hour or so in the company of their classmates. Some fun might yet be salvaged from the evening.
While the two girls waited for their friends to join them, Emma took the opportunity to look around. The campsite was set in a heavily wooded area on the side of the mountain. There were picnic tables scattered around, and a sign to the right of the picnic area indicated that there were restrooms available down a dirt path. Beyond the picnic tables were wooden benches with a circle of stones at its center where a campfire could be safely built. Several walking trails took off in various directions from the picnic area. A sign on one indicated that it led down to the river. Another trail advertised that it led to an overlook of Boulder Falls.
While the teachers and some of the senior members of the Alpha-O’s set about building a campfire and making preparations for the hot dog roast, the rest of the members were free to do a bit of exploring. Their only instructions were to stay in groups of at least three and to be back at the campsite before dark. Emma and Martha made it a point to stick with the other eighth graders. They weren’t going to give Bobby any more opportunities to make fun of them. Emma decided to wait until Mr. Dorfman was alone before trying to speak to him about changing wagons. She didn’t want any of Bobby’s bunch to overhear her request. She refused to give him that satisfaction. In the meantime, she and Martha could hang out with Phil and Tom.
Phil and Tom gladly welcomed Emma and Martha into their little group. Cindy and Kim, who were also in the eighth grade, joined them as well. Emma had been on the point of suggesting that they take the trail leading to the view of the falls when she saw Bobby’s group heading in that direction. Much to her relief, Phil and Tom chose the trail leading down to the river instead. They had probably noticed Bobby starting up the other path too. Emma knew that Phil and Tom didn’t like Bobby either, and it may have been their own dislike of the troublemaker that prompted their decision to take the river path. Whatever their reasons, Emma was just glad to be headed in a direction opposite to that of one Bobby Wilcox.
Together they made a happy group as they walked along. The path, bordered by trees on both sides, was wide enough for two people to walk side by side. It was clear from the start that Phil and Kim liked each other. They held hands as they led the way down the dirt path together. Emma could see why Phil liked Kim. She was tall and slim with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. In addition to being pretty, Kim had a quick wit that kept them laughing all the way to the river. Although she was rich and beautiful, she didn’t have the superior attitude that Clarice often displayed. Tom and Cindy followed directly behind Phil and Kim, and although they didn’t hold hands, Emma suspected that Tom liked Cindy. Tom probably would have liked to hold Cindy’s hand, but he was shy by nature and lacked the degree of self-confidence his friend Phil possessed. Cindy was just the opposite of Kim as far as looks went. She was short—barely over five feet tall—with dark brown eyes and short dark hair that just brushed the tops of her shoulders. Emma thought she was just as pretty as Kim and she seemed just as nice.
Emma and Martha were content to bring up the rear as they made their way down the hill. Normally, Emma would have felt like a fifth wheel, but she was so relieved to be away from Bobby that tonight she didn’t care. She just hoped she’d get a chance to talk to Mr. Dorfman about switching wagons for the ride home.
When they got to the gravel bar at the river’s edge, the boys began searching out some flat rocks to skip. Phil was the first to send his rock skipping along the surface of the water. Tom went next with equal success. Emma was amazed at their skill. This was obviously something they’d done many times before. The girls tried, but their poor attempts were met with laughter from the boys.
“Instead of making fun of us, why don’t you show us what we’re doing wrong,” Kim said with a laugh, when instead of skipping along the surface, her third attempt landed in the water with a loud plop and promptly sank to the bottom.
“Yeah,” Cindy chimed in.
The boys were more than happy to oblige.
“Well, first you have to find the right rock. It’s got to be pretty flat,” Phil instructed as he searched the gravel bar for the perfect specimen. “Hold it horizontally, like this,” Phil said, demonstrating as he spoke. “Then flick your wrist as you toss it.”
Once again Phil’s rock went skipping effortlessly over the water.
“You make it look so easy,” Kim said with a sigh.
“Here, I’ll help you,” Phil said. After searching out another flat rock, he handed it to Kim and then stood behind her so that he could take hold of her right arm to assist her in her throw. To Emma, it looked like a good excuse for Phil to put his arms around his girlfriend. Phil was definitely enjoying himself, and Kim didn’t seem to mind either. The others watched as Phil helped Kim toss her rock and clapped and cheered when it went skipping along the surface just like it was supposed to.
“See,” Phil said, grinning. “I told you it’s all in the wrist.”
Encouraged by Phil’s teaching success, Tom found a rock and proceeded to help Cindy by holding her arm just as Phil had done with Kim. Emma had to hide her smile when Cindy’s rock sank to the bottom like all of her previous attempts.
“Don’t give up,” Tom said quickly as his face grew red in embarrassment. “We’ll try again.”
“I think we’d better head back up to the campsite,” Phil said then. “It’s starting to get dark.”
Emma wasn’t sure if Phil had mentioned the need to leave in order to save his friend from further embarrassment or if he really thought they should get going. In any case, Tom seemed relieved and quickly agreed.
Like the others, Emma had been so engrossed in their game that she hadn’t noticed the sun sinking behind the mountains. Twilight was already upon them by the time they were halfway up the trail. Thankfully, solar lights had been positioned at regular intervals along the path, so they could see where they were going.
By the time they reached the campsite, some of the students had begun roasting hot dogs over the campfire. Phil and Tom gallantly offered to roast hot dogs for everyone, so the girls got plates and prepared the buns. Mustard, ketchup, and an assortment of chips had been set out on one of the picnic tables along with the makings for s’mores. Coolers containing canned soda sat on the ground at the end of the table. Once everyone had had their fill of hot dogs, they began roasting marshmallows to make s’mores.
Everything tasted delicious, and Emma found herself enjoying the evening even though it had started so horribly. Emma had been glancing at Mr. Dorfman from time to time, hoping for an opportunity to speak to him out of earshot of everyone, but every time she looked over at him, he was surrounded by students. Knowing the group wouldn’t be leaving the campsite until the traditional sharing of scary stories had taken place, Emma decided to relax, certain that she would get a chance to speak with Mr. Dorfman alone before the ride home.
When everyone had finished eating and all of the food and coolers had been packed away, the Alpha-O’s sat around the campfire and listened with rapt attention as President Nathan Boyd began the tale of the “Wailing Widow.” Although it didn’t seem to match his appearance, Nathan had the perfect voice for storytelling—deep and clear. As Emma listened, her gaze was drawn to the fire. It continually popped and crackled, sending up little sparks that left glowing trails as they spiraled upward. At times, the trails seemed to twist and spin in a sort of primitive dance. Emma followed them upward until they disappeared, their glow extinguished as if by some unseen hand. It was then that she noticed a full moon had risen above the mountain. Chiding herself for her too fanciful imagination, Emma turned her attention back to Nathan and his story.
“The tragic tale of the ‘Wailing Widow’ is well known in these parts,” Nathan told them. “It began many years ago when a newly married pioneer couple built a home here in the mountains. One day, the husband went down to the river to do some fishing and was never seen or heard from again. Some of the folks that lived in these parts at the time believed that a bear or some other wild animal had attacked and killed him. Some thought he had drowned but, as his body was never found, there was no way to be sure of what had happened. The fact that they never found his body eventually drove the man’s poor widow mad. Every night after her husband’s disappearance, she would walk down to the river and spend hours calling his name. She would call and call until she could call no more. One night, she waded into the river and drowned. No one knows for sure what exactly drew her into the water, but some say she saw the face of her dead husband reflected on the surface. They say her ghost still walks the path down to the river every night, and when the wind blows up the hollow, you can hear her calling his name.”
As if on cue, the wind suddenly picked up and began rustling the few leaves that still clung to the trees. Emma shivered in spite of herself and looked over at Martha whose eyes were still fixed on Nathan.
“What was his name?” someone finally asked.
“Nobody knows for sure, but if you listen carefully, you can hear it in the wind,” Nathan replied.
For the next several seconds, everyone sat quietly as they tried to discern a name in the wind.
“I hear it,” Bobby said in a tone heavy with sarcasm. “It’s whispering the name Frank.”
“No, it’s Garth,” a friend of Bobby’s chimed in with a laugh.
It was clear that Bobby and his buddies were making fun of the story, but what had started as mockery quickly became a hilarious game as other Alpha-O’s began to throw out names—each one more ridiculous than the last. Some of the names offered for consideration had Emma laughing so hard her side hurt.
Nathan waited with a slight smile on his face. His whole demeanor reminded Emma of an indulgent father waiting patiently for his rowdy children to settle down before attempting to tell them a bedtime story. When the game finally wound down, Nathan let his gaze roam slowly over the group before asking, “Now, would you like to hear the other version of the story, the one most people believe is what actually happened?”
Nathan’s question was quickly answered with a resounding yes from those assembled.
When everyone was sitting quietly once more, Nathan began again. “Most people believe that the man’s wife was completely insane, a fact she managed to hide from her husband until after the marriage. One day in a fit of madness, she killed her husband and hid his body so that it would never be found. Not long after that, in a search for revenge, the husband’s angry spirit appeared to the woman during the night and led her down to the river. Repeatedly calling her name, he lured her into the water knowing full well that she couldn’t swim. By the time she realized her plight, it was too late. She screamed and struggled in vain. No one was around to hear her cries for help as the swiftly moving icy water of the river overwhelmed her and pulled her down into its depths.”
