| |
Juniper slammed her locker shut.
“Hey, I needed that.” Megan reached over and grabbed the lock, then twisted in the combination. “I hate to say I told you so,”
“Megan!” Hannah jammed her elbow into Megan’s side.
“Sorry,” Megan mumbled. “But I assume this is all about Levi. Seriously, I know some people that could mess him up if—”
“Megan.” Hannah stared at her, wide eyed.
“Well, not mess up like the mob or something but mess with at least. There are endless possibilities.”
Hannah turned her sympathetic eyes on Juniper. “What Megan means is that we’re concerned. Is everything okay? Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” She imagined what that conversation would be like. A ghost tried to kill me again and there is this magic box that might have once held super powers. Then there is the fact that the responsibility of finding the hidden skulls of murdered psychos fell on me alone, but I can’t do it because I’m basically grounded. When she thought about it that way it sounded so stupid. She knew she had to do something to help, but she didn’t want to betray her dad’s trust again.
The heaviest things on her mind were things she couldn’t talk to anyone about now, at least not anyone her own age. But the parts about Levi were something Megan and Hannah could probably understand. And the being grounded part.
“Well, maybe I do want to talk. I’m just not sure I can trust Levi, and with the stuff that’s going on in my life right now, I need someone I can trust,” Juniper said, slinging her backpack over her arm.
“You can trust us,” Megan said. “I mean, you could tell us every gritty detail and I’d just listen like the true friend that I am.”
Juniper rolled her eyes. Hannah put her hand on Juniper’s back as they walked down the hallway. “It’s not just about Levi,” Juniper said. “I’m sort of grounded.”
Megan gasped. “What did you do? Was it because of Levi?”
“No. Not exactly.”
“You're holding out on us as we are practically dying of boredom here.”
“I’m sure Juniper didn’t create her crisis to provide entertainment for you,” Hannah said. “Be a little more sensitive.”
Juniper was ready for this conversation to be over, so she was relieved when a hand touched her shoulder from behind.
But then she wasn’t.
“Junie?”
All three of them turned. A sheepish looking Levi stood behind them, his hands in his pockets. “Can we talk?”
Megan and Hannah looked at each other with wide eyes.
Juniper turned around and kept walking. “I don’t think I’m supposed to talk to you.”
“Or make eye contact?” he asked. “You didn’t even look at me all through English. Who knows what I’m going to have to resort to to make you pay attention to me.”
Juniper pinched her mouth shut and quickened her pace. Megan and Hannah followed at a close distance, probably making sure they didn’t miss anything good.
“Okay, that was the wrong joke. I get it. But I really need to talk to you. It’s, you know, important. I could always just fill you in right now.” Levi tipped his chin up and smiled, as if daring her to call his bluff.
Juniper stopped short. He wouldn’t say anything here would he? She glanced quickly at Megan and Hannah and sighed. “Fine.”
She waved the girls off, then stood there, not knowing what she would say to Levi even if she could. She missed having him around. She liked the way he understood her and handled every weird thing that came up as if it was the exciting next level of some creepy video game. Then she’d gone on without him.
He was a good friend, but it seemed like he did whatever he needed to do to get what he wanted. Like swiping Opal’s box, and creating a whole fake scene to get her to pay attention to him. How could she count on someone like that to help her keep the town from an afterlife overtaking? But she knew he’d never done anything to intentionally hurt her. And he certainly got results.
She turned to Levi. “I told you. I’m not supposed to talk to you. I think my dad just needs some time to cool off.”
“And you?”
“Yeah, me too.”
“You don’t hate me?”
“No. I just don’t know what to do right now.”
“How about I walk you home, and we don’t even talk. Then I’ll ask your dad’s permission to show you what I found out.”
“Show me?” She tried not to let the curiosity that was blooming inside her show on the outside.
“Shhh.” Levi smirked, his confidence returned now that he had the upper hand, and they walked out the front door and down the steps together. They fell into the familiar sync she’d come to enjoy with Levi. Even without speaking, she began to feel at ease, and spending time with someone in silence without feeling awkward or out of step was a notable feat. But then communicating with Levi that way had always been easy.
When they reached Juniper’s house, she noticed her dad’s truck in the driveway. She wasn’t sure if it was a good thing he was home or not. He might be angry, but there was a chance he’d let her go with Levi, albeit a small one. She had to see whatever it was he was so excited about.
As they walked toward the house Levi broke the silence. “Why the pink house? I’ve always wondered that.”
“It’s Raspberry Rumba,” she said. “And it’s an expression of love and belonging.”
“Oh. Pink says all that, huh? I’ll remember that.”
“I’ll tell you the story later.” Juniper smiled. “Now, shhh. You promised.”
They walked up the back steps and into the kitchen.
“Dad?”
Max’s footsteps thumped through the living room and he appeared in the kitchen. “Hey, Jun—Oh.” His smile fell off. “We have a visitor. I don’t think you’re cleared yet.”
“I know. He followed me home.”
Levi’s face had all the eagerness and humility of a hopeful puppy begging to be taken in.
“He wanted to ask you something.”
Levi was usually able to handle grown-ups and peers alike with an ease and confidence Juniper would never understand, but he seemed to have lost that knack as he stood facing her dad. It was hard for her to believe that she’d done that to him somehow. The thought made her feel sorry, but then again, it was good for everyone to show vulnerability sometimes, wasn’t it? It meant they cared about something. Or someone.
“Sir, I’m sorry I let Juniper put herself in danger.”
Juniper had to bite her tongue to keep herself from commenting on the word ‘let.’ This was an uncomfortable situation for Levi, and she knew he was doing his best.
“I’d never want anything bad to happen to her, and we’ll be more careful in the future.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” her dad said, softening. “But I’m guessing you didn’t let that girl do anything. She’s pretty much had her own agenda since she was born.”
“Would it be okay if I showed her something just past the trees back there? We won’t go very far.”
Juniper saw the hesitance in her dad’s face, and his heavy brows lowered in worry. “I really don’t like you going back there.”
“It’s important, and she can tell you all about it after. No secrets.”
Max scrubbed a hand across his jaw. “Okay, but stay close. I’ll be waiting on the back porch. Shout if you need me.”
“Thank you. It won’t take long.”
Juniper followed Levi out the kitchen door and across the backyard.
“Can I talk now?” he asked.
“Yeah, I guess we’re cleared. I can’t believe he let us go.”
“I don’t blame him for being mad. I meant it, you know. I know I can’t tell you what to do, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I’m sorry I got you in trouble the other day. But I’m not sorry, too. You could have been killed.”
Juniper felt the defensiveness rise in her chest, but she let it out in a big breath. He was right. “I know. I’d get you busted if you did something life-threateningly stupid too,” she said.
“Aw, thanks. I knew you cared about me.” He looked down at his feet. “I know you’re mad about that stunt in the auditorium. That was wrong. All I can say is I’m sorry.”
“Okay,” Juniper said. Maybe Levi deserved a break. She’d made plenty of her own mistakes lately.
As soon as they walked into the woods Juniper shuddered, wrapping her arms tightly around her as she remembered the last time she’d been out here.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We don’t have to go far. This will do fine.” Levi led her to a small open space. He stood there looking at her, rubbing his hands together like he didn’t know what to do with them.
“Well?” she asked.
He motioned to the ground, then sat, patting the spot next to him.
Juniper looked around, hoping to see some clue that might tell her what this was about before sitting down next to him.
“Is Bo meeting us here?” she asked.
“Yeah, there’s a guy you can just make an appointment with. Totally reliable.” He gave her a crooked grin. “Just lay back.” His voice shook, as if he was nervous.
They both lay down on the ground, the dry leaves crinkling under them, and looked up at the sky. The trees were skeletons dressed in scraps of yellow and orange.
“What do you hear?” Levi asked.
“Just the leaves.”
“You used to hear those birds, the warblers, right?”
She sighed, imagining she could hear them again. “Yeah. Of course it’s getting late enough in the season that most of the birds would be flying south by now, anyway.”
Levi reached over and took her hand. He mumbled something.
“What?”
He closed his eyes, taking a breath and letting it out slowly. “Feathers, song, a long while gone.”
“You wrote a poem?”
He didn’t look at her, his face tense with concentration. She leaned back, looking up, and listened quietly.
“Come to life, reclaim your home.”
Juniper’s eyes filled with tears as she remembered how full of life these trees used to be. She gripped Levi’s hand, grateful for the emotion in his voice as his words rose into the air. His hand grew warm. It buzzed a little, like when her foot fell asleep, only she could feel it from the outside.
Then she heard a chirp and a rustle of leaves. A delicate, red-breasted bird hopped out onto a branch above her. She gasped.
“Levi, look.”
He looked at her, and his eyes lit up. Then he closed them again and continued, his words more of a chant now.
Another bird hopped out, then another. The song that once woke her in the morning along with a shaft of golden morning light broke out clear and sweet. Soon there were a dozen singers. Then more. Before long there were almost as many birds dancing along the branches as leaves.
One of them took flight, its wings spreading out in the sunshine. Another joined it and they glided across the blue like graceful ice-skaters.
“Do you like it?”
She looked at Levi, wiping a tear from her eye. “It’s amazing.”
The trees were alive with enthusiastic chirping and flapping, like a family reunited after years of separation. It was like seeing spring in the fall. Juniper closed her eyes a moment, letting the sounds of life sink into her.
“Remember that day on the grass, when Bo was talking about connecting and the key to my gift?” Levi asked.
“Yeah, I just didn’t know what it all meant.”
“Me, either. I felt my words connect me to the earth and all the living things, but I didn’t think I did anything. Then I went home and took a shower, and I noticed all the scrapes on my back were completely gone. You know, from when I got tossed against that tree.”
Juniper cringed, remembering the wounds.
I wasn’t sure if Bo had healed me or what. I thought maybe he was one of those Chavihanos. I was going to talk to you about it that day you went for a swim—”
“I’m sorry, Levi. I should have been there for you.”
He waved his hands. “All that’s over. Anyway, Sunday I was in my backyard, and I sat there all by myself, thinking about the things Bo told me. And I felt that connection again, like I was part of everything. The power just sort of flowed into me from the ground.” He touched his forehead. Juniper had forgotten about the scratch. It was completely gone. “I felt it heal.”
“You’re the Chovihano.”
He shrugged. “I guess so. Although I think Bo was too, in his time.”
“And the birds?”
“I just knew I could do it. Healing the birds, healing the land, it’s all part of the package.”
Juniper sighed. “I guess we’ll have to send them all away now, huh? They’ll need to fly south in a hurry.”
“Yeah,” Levi said. “Ready?”
She nodded.
“We’ll see you in the spring.” Levi reached his arms up and waved them, as if conducting a symphony. All at once the birds took flight, replacing the blue sky with a shifting, noisy sea of wings with sparks of red. It was the most amazing thing Juniper had ever seen.
“What if they come back only to get chased away again, or killed.” The thought darkened Juniper’s joy.
“They won’t. We’re going to put an end to all of that. It’s like Opal said. It’s all coming to a head.”
Juniper sat up suddenly. “Hey, you said you could heal all kinds of things. All part of the package, right?”
“Sure.”
“What about a hole between the realm of the living and the dead?” Her chest burned with excitement as another piece fell into place. She could see most of the picture now. That had to be why Bo had wanted them to open the box, and why he’d been trying to prepare Levi. They needed a healer to fix that tear Asher and David had made.
Levi’s eyes shone, but he bit at the corner of his bottom lip. The idea was exciting, but it was a lot of pressure to put on someone. She knew just how he felt.
Juniper put all her dark thoughts back in their box. Hope chirped inside of her like the first bird Levi brought back to life. If a miracle like this could happen, who knew what the future had in store?