Part Three
Aaron and Edyn sat on one of the queen beds in their hotel room. “You should have asked me before involving her, Aaron.” Edyn stated in an accusing tone. Aaron, bored with this argument, did not respond. His thoughts were still with Whit. He knew he was becoming emotionally involved with her. He did not want to prevent it for the first time in a long time. The line of work that the three of them had chosen did not leave much room for relationships. Sighing, he turned to his twin sister, “Edyn, I know you feel as if you did not have a say in Whit joining us, but she has proven that she is loyal. She did not run to the police or anyone else when I told her about us.“ Edyn opened her mouth to respond but Aaron help up his hand to show that he was not finished. “ I care about her, Edyn. I do. For the first time in a long time, I care about something other than the Crystalline group. I am not going to torture myself by fighting what I feel,” he finished. “When I am around her,” Edyn began, “I can feel her attraction to you. She feels the same about you as you do about her. I can also feel the pain she has inside of her. The loneliness she feels from not having a family. I was only trying to protect you from getting involved. I can see that it is useless. You have made your decision.” Aaron nodded, assenting that he had made up his mind about Whit.
Whit, surprised by the knock on her door the next morning, was still in her pajamas when she opened it to see Aaron standing on her doorstep. “I, uh…I came to make sure you were okay,” he stammered. Whit felt herself blush. “Come in,” she told him. “After you left last night I saw something that could be important,” she revealed. She went on to tell him about seeing Dolan watch him and then seeing Alan Kirk going into the newspaper office. Aaron listened intently, never taking his eyes off her. Aaron reached and grabbed Whit’s hand. “Maybe you shouldn’t go to the paper today,” he began with concern. “But if I don’t and Dolan knows you were with me last night, he will be even more suspicious. We have to find out how he is connected to Alan Kirk,” Whit reminded. Aaron agreed reluctantly that she was right.
Aaron made sure that Whit had his cell phone number before leaving her to walk to work be herself. Dolan was sipping coffee at his desktop when she arrived. He had been allowing Whit to do some accounts payable work and she had been learning how to layout the paper for printing. This morning she planned to work on the layout for Saturday’s edition. Dolan rose from his chair as Whit began setting up the layouts. “I have some loose ends to follow-up on for that accident, I will be out of the office most the day,” he said. Relief washed through Whit. She nodded and smiled at him. Dolan reached for the satchel that he carried with him everywhere. Rummaging through the contents, he appeared to be looking for something. “Damn!,” the exclamation caught Whit off guard, she had never heard Dolan get even a little irritated. “I forgot my voice recorder at the house, now I have to drive all the way there to get it,” he complained. Whit felt more at ease after Dolan left. She set about her work so that she would not linger on the reasons for Dolan’s recent behavior. Whit ran out of tape to place the articles to the pages of the draft copy of the paper, knowing that Dolan had more tape on his desk, she went to grab the dispenser off of his desk. She noticed a folded up piece of white paper on the floor by his chair. It must have fallen out of his satchel when he was rummaging around in it, she thought. Picking up the paper, she glanced out the front window to make sure that Dolan was gone. Whit unfolded the paper and read the contents.
Dolan,
We need to accelerate the plan. Harper is getting suspicious.
Please contact Monroe immediately. In addition, the girl you brought to the house the other day to ask about the supposed accident was the same girl I saw Harper talking to earlier this week.
Regards,
Alan Kirk
Whit took a deep breath. Oh, no! Whit thought, Dolan had taken her out to the Kirk house so Alan Kirk could identify her as the person he saw Harper talking to that day. Whit was more than just alarmed now. If it was not clear last night, it certainly was now that Alan Kirk and Dolan had known each other for a long time. Furthermore, Alan Kirk knew the accident was a falsehood. He had played along with Dolan during the fake interview. He knows Monroe Dusaunt by first name, Whit realized. Dialing Aaron’s cell number as she hurried across the square to his hotel, Whit was oblivious to the world around her. She nearly walked out in front of a car. The driver honked his horn as he whizzed past. Just as she was stepping off the curb to try again, someone grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?” Aaron asked, alarm in his voice. “You nearly walked in front of that car.” Whit noted the concern in his voice and it warmed her heart. He cares about what happens to me, she thought to herself. “I was coming to find you,” she answered. “We need to find somewhere completely private to talk.” She was suddenly afraid that Dolan might be watching her or he could have bugged her apartment somehow. “Let’s go get my car,” she suggested to Aaron.
Whit parked her Saturn in the lot at Midnight Cemetery. Neither she nor Aaron spoke as they walked the path to her family crypt. When they were seated on the bench, Whit turned to Aaron and spoke in a low voice, telling him what she had discovered, showing him the note and sharing her ideas about what it all meant. Aaron sat quietly taking it all in. He began absently playing with a strand of Whit’s hair. Whit concentrated on keeping her breathing normal. Aaron leaned his face closer to Whit’s face. Their lips were touching before Whit realized what his intention had been. He kissed her and she kissed him back. Whit did not want this to end. For a minute, they were alone in the world. When they pulled apart at last, Aaron kissed Whit’s forehead. “When I saw you that first day in the Koffee Klatch,” he began. “I knew I had to know you.” Whit nodded, unable to put words to her emotions. Aaron continued. “I don’t want to leave Midnight when we finish this assignment. I do not want to leave you. I am going to stay. Work in the field for a while longer. Midnight has more mysteries than just the Kirk family. I have been doing some research on the area.” He finished his speech with a deep breath. Whit could see the effort it took him to reveal his heart like that. “Aaron,” she began. “I think I love you.” They sat talking for a while longer. They decided that it was time to talk to Harper Kirk together.
Whit borrowed Ria’s car to keep watch on the Kirk place, waiting for Alan Kirk to leave for work. He finally left at noon. Aaron and Whit climbed the stone steps together and Whit knocked on the door. Harper opened the door almost immediately. She looked up and down Ragged Rock before opening the storm door. “He’s gone, Harper, “Whit said to the woman. “I watched him drive off.” Harper nodded. An unspoken message between the two women, Harper was afraid and Whit knew why. “What do you want?” Harper asked. “We want to help you and the kids.” Whit answered. “Alan wants to send them away doesn’t he?” Whit encouraged. Tears came to Harper’s eyes and she nodded curtly. “Alan thinks it would be best if the children went to a special school. He said he went there as a child.” Harper revealed, wiping her eyes. “Ms. Kirk,” Aaron began. “The school that your husband wants to send Drake and Rayna to is not a good place. They will learn how to use their gifts for personal gain. The man who runs that school does not have the welfare of your children in mind. He wants to train them so that he can gain from their abilities.” Harper looked from Aaron to Whit. “Please come in,” she said as she held the door open for them.
The inside of the Kirk home was a hodgepodge of themes. There were some African ornaments, a worn sofa, Asian themed pillows and throw rugs. The walls were a neutral color. Whit did not see any toys lying around as one ought to see in a house with children. There was no sign of the children. “Where are the children?” Whit asked. “In the backyard, playing,” Harper sighed. “I let them out when Alan leaves. He does not like them to be seen by anyone.” Whit looked out the back window and saw two blonde heads bobbing around. “Alan was not like this when we met,” Harper stated. “He was handsome, sweet and caring. He hid his abilities from me at first then one night I made him mad. It was some trivial thing, burnt dinner or something like that. The room got extremely hot during his tirade. I was sweating profusely. All of the sudden the inside of the trash can caught on fire. I could not figure out how it happened, there was no hot grease or anything around it.” Harper took a deep breath as if gathering the courage to go on. “Alan laughed at me as I searched for a reason for the fire. He yelled, “I did it Harper, I started the fire. I don’t need any help starting a fire. I can do it at will. Of course, I did not believe him. So he did other things, moved a chair without touching it, papers flew off of the table and the faucet turned on by itself.” Whit looked at the woman, she could not figure out why Harper stayed with such a man. Harper met her eyes. “I know what you are thinking,” she said to Whit. “Why did I stay with such an abusive person? Alan was not half as bad as my father and brothers. My mother died when I was very young. My father had no patience for a girl and my brothers followed his lead. When I met Alan, I know it was my ticket out of that hell. However, I went from one sort of hell right into another. Then the kids came along and leaving was not an option. Drake showed signs early on that he had the same abilities as Alan. Drake screamed and screamed when I was holding him. Alan would take him and he calmed instantly. It took me a little while to figure out that Alan was talking to the baby in his mind. We put Drake in school, which did not last long. He could not control himself. Alan withdrew him and taught him at home. Then Rayna came along, she was even more talented than Drake. She could shake her mobile at three months of age. I do not want the children sent to that place. Look how Alan turned out.” Harper turned to stare out the window at her playing children. Aaron, silent thus far, said “Harper, we can help you. I work for a group called the Crystalline group. We take children like yours and teach them how to manage their abilities, use them for the betterment of their world and to help those in need. I know Monroe Dusaunt and his academy is not the place for children. It is a training ground for soldiers who will fight in Dusaunt’s war on humanity. We will provide you with new identities and a new home in a new town. You and the children will be untraceable. Alan will not find you.” Harper looked at Aaron with pleading eyes. “It is impossible to get away from here. Alan comes and goes. Dolan is usually on watch when Alan cannot be around,” Harper said in a teary voice. “Dolan?” Whit interjected. “Why is he watching you?” “Dolan works for Dusaunt. When Alan decided to move to Midnight, Dusaunt sent Dolan to keep an eye on Alan and to help Alan in the event that children were born with abilities. The paper is just a cover. The office is paid for by Dusaunt as well as Dolan’s salary. Alan and Dolan were talking here the other night and Dolan said that a group called Crystalline has sent three agents. Dolan said that the plan to get the kids to Dusaunt had to happen soon.”
Aaron looked at Harper. “Harper, do you want to get your kids to a safer place?” Harper nodded emphatically. “We can help you but you have to be ready to run at a moment’s notice.” Harper nodded again. “I have three overnight bags already packed. They have been packed for months; I was trying to get the courage to run.” Harper revealed. “When will Alan be away?” Aaron asked. “He works until midnight tonight. Nevertheless, Dolan will surely be watching the house. He usually shows up at dark. Alan knows that I would never risk being seen in daylight.” Harper informed Aaron. “We can take care of Dolan,” Aaron stated with anger in his voice. “Do you know where the back door to the paper office is?” Whit asked. Harper nodded. “Great idea, Whit,” Aaron interjected. “Harper and the kids can hide there until it is safe to move them. Dolan will be so busy trying to get here to keep watch that he won’t see you leave.”
As they left the Kirk home, Aaron got on his cell phone to Patrick. “Patrick, we will need your expertise tonight. Meet me and Whit at the Koffee Klatch in half an hour.” With a click of the cell phone, Aaron grabbed Whit’s hand and kissed the back of it. Thirty minutes later, the foursome was squeezed into the back booth of the Klatch. “What kind of car does Dolan drive, Whit?” Patrick asked. Whit described Dolan’s hatchback and where it could be located. “Edyn, you will need to arrange the transport for the Kirks,” Aaron instructed. “What is she going to doing?” Edyn asked, gesturing towards Whit. “She is going to make sure the Kirks are hidden until it is time to get them out of Midnight.” Aaron answered impatiently. Aaron went on to describe how they were going to get Dolan out of the picture. Patrick would incapacitate Dolan’s car. Aaron would get the Kirks to the office. Edyn would get the transportation ready and let Aaron know where the drop point was going to be. When the meeting broke up, Whit had instructions to head back to the paper office.
The paper layout was nearly complete by the time Dolan appeared in the office at four thirty in the afternoon. Dolan typed on his computer for another hour. The sun was setting in the west and its beams were illuminating the office in a natural light. Switching off his computer, Dolan rose from his chair. “Well, I am taking off,” he said. Whit nodded and smiled. Dolan went off to the bathroom. Whit heard him close the door and turn on the fan. Whit hurried down the stairs to make sure the basement door was unlocked so that Harper could get inside. Once she was sure the door was unlocked, she ran back to the paper layout. The bathroom door was still shut and the fan still on when she passed. Good, she thought. I beat him back. Whit bent to continue the work on the layout. Suddenly, a cloth was placed over her nose and mouth. Instinctively, Whit began to fight. She kicked and hit the paper layout, the table and layout crashed to the floor. Whit tried to reach back and claw at the person who held her. She could not get purchase on skin at all. She began to grow drowsy. She could feel her mind and her limbs slowing and then blackness.
Aaron parked Whit’s Saturn down the road from the Kirk home. Patrick had incapacitated Dolan’s car at the man’s house. Dolan would be late for his Kirk watch tonight. Aaron was growing frustrated because Whit was not answering her cell phone. Perhaps Dolan was lingering and she did not want to answer in front on him. Harper Kirk appeared on her porch with the two children in tow. Aaron flashed the headlights twice. Harper headed towards the car. Once they were in, Aaron started the engine. The children did not ask questions during the drive. Harper must have informed them of what was occurring. Aaron parked behind the paper office and led the Kirks to the back door. The door was unlocked just as Whit had promised. As Aaron entered the basement, he felt that something was wrong. Where was Whit? He ushered Harper and the kids in the basement and closed the door. A movement of to the side caught his eye. “Whit?” he called. “Whit is occupied at this moment, Aaron.” Aaron stiffened at the voice. Dolan stepped out from behind a stack of boxes. “What did you do to her?” Aaron demanded. “She is taking a little nap,” Dolan answered in a mocking voice. “Did you really think I was completely ignorant of your plans?” he asked. “I had you and your party pegged the minute I saw you. I know a Crystalline when I see one. Oh, yes, your sister has her little ability; unfortunately, for you she has trouble guarding her thoughts. But you, my boy, you are the gifted one, aren’t you?” As Harper followed the conversation, her head went back and forth as if she were watching a tennis match. Aaron struggled to keep control. His thoughts, on Whit, Aaron’s hands clenched as he felt his anger swell. The shelves in the basement began to shake. Harper turned to her children. “It’s not them, Harper,” Dolan stated. “Aaron has been holding back some vital information.” Boxes began to levitate off the ground. Dolan took a step towards Aaron, the temperature in the room began rising, Aaron kept his attention on the other man. Waves of heat were generating off Aaron’s skin. Suddenly a hammer levitated into the air and flew at full speed towards Dolan’s head. The hammer slammed into Dolan’s temple, he dropped in a heap to the ground. The temperature in the room began to drop and the shelves stopped shaking. Aaron turned to the children. Drake, with a small grin on his face winked at Aaron.
Muffled voices cut through the darkness. One voice stood out among the others. Whit felt warm fingers stroke her cheek. She struggled through the oppressive darkness in which she found herself. A groan escaped her lips. “Whit,” the voice said. “Wake up, I am so sorry,” the voice apologized. Whit could not understand the reason for the remorse. Whit opened her eyes, staring right back at her were the brown eyes that had come to mean so much to her in the past few weeks. “What happened?” she murmured. “Dolan happened,” Aaron, answered. Helping Whit sit up, Aaron kissed her forehead and pulled her slowly to her feet. Her head beginning to clear, Whit recalled the events that led to her being unconscious on the floor. Harper and the children looked on with relief and concern. A banging noise downstairs got their attention. “HARPER!” a male voice stormed below. Harper sucked in her breath. “It’s Alan; Dolan must have called him and told him the plan. Take the kids and hide them and I will lead him away.” Whit and Aaron ushered the two children out the front door. Harper headed to the stairs.
Whit and Aaron did not wait around to see if Harper would be all right. They ran across the square with the kids in tow to Whitney’s apartment building. As soon as they were in Whit’s apartment, Aaron got on the phone to Edyn. She had arranged a Crystalline car to take Harper and the kids to a safe house for the night. “We have to go back for Harper,” Whit stated. Aaron nodded. He did not know what kind of situation they would be walking into with Alan Kirk and Dolan. Aaron decided it was safer to go in the basement door instead of the front. The basement was empty when they entered. “Harper must have led them away,” Whit guessed. A whimper caught their attention. Aaron rushed towards the sound. They found Harper crumpled in the corner, trembling. Beside her were the charred bodies of her husband and Dolan. Smoke still rising off the flesh. Aaron pulled Harper to a sitting position. She was crying uncontrollably. “Harper, what happened?” Whit asked. Harper shook her head. “Alan was so angry, I was sure he was going to kill me if I did not tell him where the kids had gone. Then something happened, I felt heat start in my stomach and the room got hot like it did before.” Aaron glanced quickly at Whit when he heard this statement. Whit did not seem to understand the comment. “Then Alan and Dolan burst into flames,” Harper went on. “I don’t know what happened. At first I thought maybe Alan had lost control but he never would have lit himself on fire.” Aaron began dialing his cell phone. “Patrick, we need some help.” Aaron walked off to another corner of the basement. Whitney helped Harper up and the two women left the basement and headed to Whit’s apartment.
The landscape was still dark at three a.m. Whit, Aaron and Edyn along with Harper and the two children sat in Whit’s Saturn in the empty parking lot of a closed grocery store chain. The drive to Kill Devil Hills had taken forty minutes. The children had fallen asleep. Harper sat in the back with a child on each side. A black sedan glided into the lot and parked next to the Saturn. A middle- aged man with salt and pepper hair got out of the back seat. Aaron opened the passenger side door and stepped out. “Foster,” Whit heard him say, “It is great to see you again.” Aaron and the man shook hands. Whit and the others piled out of the Saturn. Foster appraised the children with his eyes. He smiled broadly at Harper. “What beautiful children.” Harper thanked him and put an arm around each child. Foster stared a moment longer at Harper. “I believe, my dear, that you carry another child.” Harper, bewildered at this observation, started to shake her head. “I don’t think….” Harper fell silent for a moment. “I think you might be right,” she gasped, astonished. “I have not been paying attention to my cycle, I am two weeks late.” Foster smiled gently. “I think we will find that this new child has very strong abilities already.” The children and Harper said their goodbyes and got into the backseat of the sedan. Foster followed and the sedan drove away into the approaching morning. “What will happen to them?” Whit asked. Aaron wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her close. “They will be taught how to control their abilities. They will learn how they can help the world.” Whit turned in Aaron’s arms and stared into his eyes. “Did you mean what you said the other day? About staying?” she asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. “Absolutely,” Aaron stated. Their lips met as the first rays of dawn crept across the vacant parking lot.
The End
Monday, May 11, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Indigo Part 2
Indigo
Part 2
Whit practically held her breath as she and Aaron climbed the steps to her second floor apartment in the Overlook. Unlocking the door, Whit inhaled, flooding her deprived brain of much needed oxygen. Get it together, she thought to herself. Aaron followed her in; Whit closed the door, turned to him and smiled. “So, this is my place,” she stated simply. “Nothing fancy.” Aaron nodded and put his bag down on her sofa. “It’s nice,” he offered. Alistair appeared and raked his green eyes over Aaron for a minute then returned to his nap on Whit’s bed in the other room. “Would you like something to drink?” Whit suggested. Aaron declined. Whit could tell he wanted to get right to business on whatever matter he could not discuss at the Klatch.
Aaron took a deep breath. “Please do not think I am crazy,” he began. Whit felt her stomach tighten slightly at the sentence. She told herself to just listen and not interrupt. “Okay,” Whit replied. “We are here to do research but it is not for college. It is for an organization called the Crystalline group. We investigate anomalies in the development of children. We also have an interest in other areas of lucrative research such as the paranormal, unexplained occurrences and things of that nature. Recently, Crystalline has been gathering research on children whose intellectual abilities are far beyond their age group or whose abilities are completely unexplainable. Whit nodded and Aaron went on. “At the café you asked what all of this had to do with the Kirks. The group has been trying to get any sort of information on the Kirks since the father was a child. It seems that as a child, Alan Kirk had some extraordinary abilities. We did not find much when we visited his hometown in New England but we were able to dig up some old school records. He was constantly in trouble for throwing objects in class and somehow, in third grade, he managed to start a fire in a trashcan in class. The records contained no explanation. I assume the principal did not even bother asking Alan’s parents since odd things had been occurring around the boy since Kindergarten.” Aaron stopped talking to let Whit absorb everything.
After ten seconds of silence, Whit went to her purse and pulled out the documents that had started this whole conversation. “I found this stack of documents in Dolan’s basement today. I heard him tell you three that he had nothing regarding the Kirks. He may have forgotten or he may have deliberately misled you,” Whit stated. Aaron took the papers and began flipping through them. He paused at the police report that Whit had read earlier. “Just like their father,” he commented. “What will be the outcome of all of this research?” Whit asked. “Sometimes we try to approach the families and offer assistance, such as putting them in touch with other families in the same situation. You would be surprised at how many of these families feel completely isolated,” Aaron explained. “Crystalline offers education for the children and their parents. We can teach the kids how to use their abilities to help others and how to conceal them in the everyday world. Other groups have a more sinister idea of how to use these children. The most common is to use them as a weapon in warfare,” Aaron said this last bit of information in disgust. “How did you first find out about the Kirks?” Whit inquired. “We have people on the inside of schools, hospitals, daycare centers, pediatrician offices and other areas. If one of our field agents finds an Indigo, we start an investigation to determine the best approach for that individual case,” “Wait, a what?” Whit questioned. “An Indigo,” Aaron repeated. “Okay, I give up.” Whit admitted. “What is an Indigo?” Aaron smiled. Whit’s heart pitter-pattered. “Indigo Children” is a term that was first introduced by Nancy Anne Tappe. In the 1960’s Tappe began to notice that some children were being born with special abilities. These children could do amazing things. They could read by age one, move objects without touching them and express extreme empathy for others. Some have even remembered previous lives. The first big wave of the children was born in the 1970’s. Then another wave has been born during each subsequent decade.”Aaron revealed with excitement. “The Indigo children theory has stayed mostly in the New Age circles. Mainstream doctors and other individuals do not give the theory any credit at all.”
Whit went to the fridge to get some pink lemonade. She offered Aaron a glass. He took it with a smile and drank half of the glass. Whit could feel his brown eyes searching her face as if he was waiting for her to kick him out and call the sheriff to run the crazy strangers out of town. “Whit,” he began. “We could really use some local help with this case. We have never made any contact with the Kirks and have no idea on how to approach them. Alan Kirk was taken out of public school and we have no idea how he received the rest of his education. We had no idea that he had even had children until one of our field agents contacted us from the school district.” Whit, taken back a bit by the pleading in Aaron’s voice, took a deep breath to settle the butterflies in her stomach. “What happens if you fail to make contact with the family?” Whit asked. A dark look crossed his face. “The risk of some other group who wants to use the children for destruction could approach the families and promise the world.” Aaron answered. “Has that happened before?” Whit wanted to know what the risk here was. “Yes, Crystalline can usually make initial contact before the other groups get wind of an Indigo, but we have failed in the past. School shootings are a common sign that the wrong party has contacted an Indigo child.” Whit nodded, her mind made up. “What can I do?” she asked.
Whit stood on Ragged Rock Road staring up at the Kirks front door. What have I gotten myself into; she thought. Aaron had asked her to make the initial contact with the Kirks. He felt that since she was a local, the Kirks might be more receptive to her. Well, here it goes. Whit walked up the driveway, climbed the two stone steps and knocked on the door. There was no sound at first. They probably will not come to the door, she thought. Whit had her story all planned out. They were looking for volunteers to work the raffle booth at the Geranium Festival. She would ask the Kirks if they wanted to volunteer. The answer would most definitely be no, but it was a cover at least. Whit, raising her hand to knock again, was startled by a noise behind her. Whit turned to see a little blonde girl, no more than six or seven, standing in the yard. “Hi,” Whit said, using her best little kid voice. “My name is Whitney, what’s your name?” The little girl stated at her with the lightest blue eyes Whit had ever seen. The girl did not offer her name. Instead, the girl began to look frustrated. “Why won’t you answer me?” the girl asked. Whit was baffled. Had the girl asked her anything? “What did you ask me?” Whit questioned. “I asked you what you wanted and you did not answer,” the girl said. “I am sorry, I did not hear you,” Whit smiled. “You must be a mouth talker like my mommy.” This answer puzzled Whit but she thought it better not to inquire anymore. “Is your mommy home?” Whit asked. Before the girl could answer, a woman came around the corner of the house from the backyard. She appeared to be around thirty, maybe a few years older. She had wavy red hair that reached her mid-back. Her eyes, an emerald color, were enhanced by the denim sundress she was wearing. “Rayna,” the woman said. “Please go back to the patio with your brother.” Rayna looked like she might challenge her mother on this command, but something in the woman’s face changed the little girl’s mind and she stomped off back around the house. “I am sorry,” the woman began, “they are not used to visitors.” Whit smiled, “Oh,that is fine. My name is Whitney Jasper. It is nice to meet you.” The woman stared at Whit for a second, as if trying to divine Whit’s reason for coming here. “I am Harper Kirk,” she said. “What brings you out to Ragged Rock?” Harper asked. “Well, we are trying to find volunteers for the raffle booth for the festival coming up.” Whit explained. Harper nodded her head, showing that she knew of the festival. Before Whit could go any further, a Ford Explorer came down the road slowing as it came to the Kirks driveway. Whit heard Harper suck in her breath. “Please go,” she said suddenly. Whit turned to see panic in the other woman’s eyes. “Should I come back another time?” Whit asked, trying to stall. “No!! Please do not come back, my husband does not like visitors.” Harper pleaded. Whit started towards her Saturn. As the Explorer turned into the driveway, Whit saw a blonde man staring at her. Luckily, Whit was in her vehicle before he could bring his to a stop. Whit started her car and began to drive off. Looking in her rearview mirror, Whit saw the man grab Harper’s arm roughly, steering her inside the house.
“She seemed afraid of him?” Aaron asked again for clarification. Whit nodded. “Maybe I should have gone.” Edyn stated. The four of them were gathered in Whit’s little apartment. She had located Aaron at the Klatch just as they agreed after her visit to the Kirks. “She may not even have spoken to you,” Whit reminded. “She has at least seen me once or twice around Midnight.” Whit could tell that Edyn was irritated that her twin had involved Whit without consulting her first. Aaron did not seem to notice. Patrick had not offered anything; he sat on Whit’s couch taking in the whole conversation. “So the girl said that you must be a mouth talker, like her mother?” Aaron asked. “Yes.” Whit answered. “Telepathy?” Edyn offered. “It’s possible,” Patrick’s voice surprised Whit. “The girl said, “like my mommy”, then that means that daddy must be able to communicate with the kids telepathically.” Aaron nodded at the theory. “Telepathy is rare even among Indigos but it does exist.” Edyn sighed. “I should have gone. I may have been able to get an idea of what was in the girl’s head.” Whit looked at Aaron’s twin in confusion. “Edyn has a special gift,”” Aaron began. “She can pick up what a person is thinking, but it is very abstract. For instance, if Rayna was thinking about her mother not being telepathic, then Edyn may have seen pictures of the two kids communicating through their minds, with pictures coming from their heads. Then again, she may have seen nothing at all. It all depends on the strength of the thought and the emotion behind the thought.” Whit suddenly felt very untalented.
The next morning revealed a cobalt blue sky and temperatures in the high seventies. The walk to the newspaper office was a pleasant one for Whit. Dolan greeted her as she entered. “Good morning, Whitney,” he exclaimed. “Morning, Dolan,” Whit replied with a smile. Dolan stood up and grabbed his car keys. “I am heading out to Ragged Rock Road; there was apparently a car wreck out there last night. I am going to do a short piece on it this week.” Whit nodded. Dolan exited, got in his car and drove off. Whit turned to head towards the basement. Before she reached the stairs, she heard the door open. Rushing back towards the front, Whit scolded herself for not locking the door. Seeing who was in the front changed her mind about wishing she had locked the door. Aaron, by himself, stood with his hands in his pockets. “I saw Dolan drive off and I thought maybe I could help you out today downstairs,” he suggested. Whit had to fight to keep herself from grinning ear to ear. “Sure,” she said.
The basement was dusty from the recent work Whit had done. After explaining to Aaron the basic idea of what she was doing, he began lining up boxes in a row. “We can line them up and sort through them one after the other without having to stop and lug them out each time,” he explained. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Aaron asked as they worked. “No, it’s just me.” Whit responded. “That must be lonely,” he observed, a hint of sadness in his voice. Whit did not answer. It was lonely but the last thing she wanted was for Aaron to feel sorry for her. Relocating the boxes revealed on old metal office desk in the corner of the basement. Whit and Aaron wasted no time opening the drawers. Inside they found old receipts from delivery accounts, some stray notes from an unknown reporter and miscellaneous office supplies. In the back of the bottom drawer, Aaron found an old brochure. “The Dusaunt Academy?” Whit questioned. Aaron did not respond at first. “It is a school for gifted children.” Aaron answered, finally. “How do you know about it?” Whit asked. “Monroe Dusaunt is the founder of one of the other groups I told you about. He finds Indigos and invites them to his school so that they can learn to use their gifts for his agendas. Although, when the children are learning these things, they are not aware of why they are learning them. All they know is that they are among others like them and fit in for the first time in their lives,” Aaron explained. “The question is,” he continued, “What is this brochure doing here?” Whit shook her head indicating that she had no idea. Aaron pocketed the brochure and they continued to work in silence for the rest of the afternoon.
Aaron left before Dolan returned from Ragged Rock Road. Whit heard his footsteps on the stairs leading down the basement. “Looks like I am getting my money’s worth,” he exclaimed as he entered the room. Whit smiled. “Say,” Dolan began, “I hear that you were up on Ragged Rock Road the other day.” Whit hid her surprise. Dolan could only know that if he talked to the Kirks. The surrounding houses were not close enough to the Kirks to have a clear view of their house. “Oh, yeah,” Whit said nonchalantly, “The festival committee wants me to round up volunteers for the festival,” she lied. “I thought I would take a chance and see if the Kirks might want to help,” she explained. Dolan nodded. “I did not know that you knew the Kirks,” Whit stated. Dolan paused in his the step he was taking. I caught him off guard, Whit thought. “Oh, I don’t really know them; I stopped by the Klatch on the way back and heard some old timers talking about it.” “Oh, I see,” Whit, answered. Without further discussion, Dolan went upstairs.
Whit had to prevent herself from breaking into a run to get to the Koffee Klatch. Ria would tell her if Dolan had been in there or not. The bell rang as Whit entered the door. This late in the afternoon the place was nearly vacant. Ria was wiping down the coffee counter from behind. “Hey girl!” she called when she saw Whit. “Hey.” Whit answered. Taking a seat at the bar, Whit asked for a Diet Coke. Less than two minutes later, Ria set it in front of her. “So what is new kiddo?” Ria asked. “Was Dolan in here earlier, he was supposed to bring me a Diet Coke but he forgot.” Whit asked. “He forgot because he did not come in here at all. I have been here since opening and have not seen Mr. Dolan.” Ria revealed. Whit hid her surprise. Why Dolan would lie to her?
The next morning, Whit was finishing the basement when she heard Dolan coming down the stairs. Her heart jumped a little. Just act natural, she told herself. “Hey, Whitney,” said Dolan casually. “I think it would be a good thing if you learned how to cover a story just in case I need you, so I thought it would be interesting for you to accompany me on a story today.” Whit hid her apprehension. “Okay,” she said trying to throw in some enthusiasm. “Great,” Dolan answered. Whit completed her work in the basement and met Dolan in the front office. He did not tell her where they were going.
In Dolan’s car, it was silent. “I hear from Ria that you’ve made some new friends,” Dolan stated, breaking the quiet. Whit hid her surprise. “Yeah, I did.” She answered. “What brings them to town?” he asked. “Just some research for school.” Whit answered, using Aaron’s cover. “What kind of research?” Dolan pressed. Whit hid her impatience with the line of questioning. “I am not really sure, I did not ask.” She replied. Dolan did not ask any further questions. He turned on talk radio to break the silence. Whit’s stomach lurched when Dolan turned onto Ragged Rock Road. “Are we going back to the accident scene?” she asked. Dolan shook his head. “No, not the scene, we are going to ask the residents if they saw anything.” Whit’s heart skipped a beat as they pulled into the Kirk’s driveway, Whit saw the Explorer parked near the front door. As they approached the door, Alan Kirk stepped out onto the stone steps. “Dolan, what brings you out here?” he asked. “Just came to ask some questions about that accident the other day.” Dolan said. Alan Kirk nodded but did not make a move to invite them inside the house. If he recognized Whit as the person at his house the other day, Alan Kirk did not show it. Dolan asked few mundane questions about the accident and jotted down some notes in his pad. While Dolan wrote, Alan appraised Whit with his pale blue eyes. Whit did her best to look comfortable under his stare. Whit saw the curtain flutter in the front window to her right. She looked in the direction of the movement and saw a young boy’s head appear between the curtains. Alan Kirk, slightly turned his head in the direction of the window. He did not make eye contact with the boy at all but the boy disappeared from the window immediately. Had he told the boy through telepathy to get out of the window or was the boy just accustomed to the slight turn of the head that Whitney saw? Dolan finished his questioning. As they were returning to the car, Dolan said that he had forgotten an appointment he had at the police station so they would be heading back to the office instead of questioning more residents.
Whit, relieved to be back at the office after the excursion to the Kirk house, told Dolan that she was going over to the Koffee Klutch for a soda. Ria greeted her has she sat down at her usual spot. “Where’s Romeo?” Ria asked. Whit blushed, “He is doing some research,” she replied. “Hey, Ria,” Whit continued. “Did you tell Dolan about me having a drink here with Aaron?” Ria looked thoughtful for a moment. “I don’t think so, hon.” she said. “Oh, well he knew somehow, he mentioned it when we went to Ragged Rock Road today to get more information about the car accident that happened out there.” Whit replied. “What accident?” Ria asked. “I am not sure, it happened the other day,” Whit answered. “Dolan is doing a story on it.” Ria walked away for a moment to speak to another patron. Whit recognized the woman as Marla Petrie. She was a lifelong resident of Midnight. Whit remembered suddenly that Marla lived out on Ragged Rock Road. Five minutes later, Ria returned to Whit. “Marla says that there ain’t been an accident out on Ragged Rock,” she revealed. Whit did not know what to say. “Is she sure?” Whit questioned. “Sure she is,” Ria responded. “Marla has lived on Ragged Rock forever, if there was an accident on that one-horse road Marla would know about it.” A little flustered, Whit finished her drink and left the Klatch. Why was Dolan lying to her? How did he know that she had a drink with Aaron if Ria had not told him. Had someone else there that day told him? Why had they only stopped at the Kirk place? It would have made more sense to start with the more sociable residents. The more Whit thought about it the more upset she became. She had no one to tell about this and it was times such as this when she missed her parents the most. Thinking about her parents made her even more upset. Whit ran back to her apartment building to retrieve her car. She knew where she wanted to be at this moment.
Dusk was falling by the time Whit steered her Saturn through the gates of Midnight cemetery. She parked and cut the ignition. She only came here when she was upset. Overwhelmed by the thought of not having a single soul in this world to turn to in times of crisis, Whit felt a lump begin to form in her throat. Here in the cemetery, in the Jasper family crypt, her mother, father and grandmother were together. Whit took her usual seat on the bench outside the crypt. It was a warm spring night and the moon was full so there was a lot of light. As she sat reflecting on memories of her family, an owl began hooting somewhere in the cemetery. Fatigue began to creep through her body, Whit leaned her head against the stone pillar on the bench. She was seeing images of her family in her head, dreaming really. Birthdays, Christmases, family picnics, vacations and other scenes danced through her mind. The laughter they had shared on these occasions rang in her ears. Whit’s heart ached to be able to touch the people in her dreams. Whit felt a warm touch on her arm; she opened her eyes, jumping in surprise. Brown eyes stared back at her, his eyes. “Do you always sleep in cemeteries?” Aaron asked. Whit looked around, confused for a moment, realizing finally that she must have fallen asleep. She wondered how long she had been there. “I, uh, I guess I must have drifted off,” she finally admitted. Aaron smiled. “Why are you here?” she asked, regaining her senses. “I am doing some research on something,” he answered, using his staple response. Whit nodded. Part of her wished that he had left her alone to her dreams of her family. The thought brought tears to her eyes. She tried to hide it by looking away, but the moonlight betrayed her. “What’s the matter?” Aaron asked concern in his voice. Whit shook her head, unable to speak. The tears were flowing freely down her face now. Aaron sat beside her in silence. “Sometimes I just feel so alone,” Whit began, trying to offer some reason for her behavior. “I should be used to it; my parents have been dead for ten years. I am twenty-three years old, I should be able to handle things without breaking down,” she stammered. “But after today, I could not face going home and being alone so I …” she did not finish, sobs racking her body. Aaron took her hand in his. Whit felt the warmth of his skin against hers. “What happened today?” he asked. Whit poured out the entire day’s events in one ragged breath. Aaron sat silently for a moment and then he scooted closer to Whit, putting his arm around her he pulled her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like this, the two of them, not talking, for a long while.
Whit allowed Aaron to drive her back to her apartment. It was well after midnight when they arrived. Aaron made sure that Whit was safely in her apartment before he set out on foot back to his hotel across the square. Whit watched him from her window. She was falling for him, that much she knew. As Aaron passed under a streetlight, Whit noticed a movement in the darkness. Shock passed through her as she watched Dolan appear after Aaron has passed, he watched Aaron enter the hotel. Dolan was watching them! How long had he been watching? Whit watched as Dolan walked to the paper’s office and unlocked the door, entering without turning on any lights. He is being covert for a reason, Whit thought. Just a she was turning away from the window, Whit saw a black Explorer enter the square. She reached to turn out her light so that she could not be seen from the street. The Explorer parked in the square across from the paper office. Whit gasped as Alan Kirk got out of the vehicle and quickly walked to the office door. He knocked and Dolan let him in the office. Now Whit was sure that Dolan was lying. She had to talk to Aaron as soon as possible.
Part 2
Whit practically held her breath as she and Aaron climbed the steps to her second floor apartment in the Overlook. Unlocking the door, Whit inhaled, flooding her deprived brain of much needed oxygen. Get it together, she thought to herself. Aaron followed her in; Whit closed the door, turned to him and smiled. “So, this is my place,” she stated simply. “Nothing fancy.” Aaron nodded and put his bag down on her sofa. “It’s nice,” he offered. Alistair appeared and raked his green eyes over Aaron for a minute then returned to his nap on Whit’s bed in the other room. “Would you like something to drink?” Whit suggested. Aaron declined. Whit could tell he wanted to get right to business on whatever matter he could not discuss at the Klatch.
Aaron took a deep breath. “Please do not think I am crazy,” he began. Whit felt her stomach tighten slightly at the sentence. She told herself to just listen and not interrupt. “Okay,” Whit replied. “We are here to do research but it is not for college. It is for an organization called the Crystalline group. We investigate anomalies in the development of children. We also have an interest in other areas of lucrative research such as the paranormal, unexplained occurrences and things of that nature. Recently, Crystalline has been gathering research on children whose intellectual abilities are far beyond their age group or whose abilities are completely unexplainable. Whit nodded and Aaron went on. “At the café you asked what all of this had to do with the Kirks. The group has been trying to get any sort of information on the Kirks since the father was a child. It seems that as a child, Alan Kirk had some extraordinary abilities. We did not find much when we visited his hometown in New England but we were able to dig up some old school records. He was constantly in trouble for throwing objects in class and somehow, in third grade, he managed to start a fire in a trashcan in class. The records contained no explanation. I assume the principal did not even bother asking Alan’s parents since odd things had been occurring around the boy since Kindergarten.” Aaron stopped talking to let Whit absorb everything.
After ten seconds of silence, Whit went to her purse and pulled out the documents that had started this whole conversation. “I found this stack of documents in Dolan’s basement today. I heard him tell you three that he had nothing regarding the Kirks. He may have forgotten or he may have deliberately misled you,” Whit stated. Aaron took the papers and began flipping through them. He paused at the police report that Whit had read earlier. “Just like their father,” he commented. “What will be the outcome of all of this research?” Whit asked. “Sometimes we try to approach the families and offer assistance, such as putting them in touch with other families in the same situation. You would be surprised at how many of these families feel completely isolated,” Aaron explained. “Crystalline offers education for the children and their parents. We can teach the kids how to use their abilities to help others and how to conceal them in the everyday world. Other groups have a more sinister idea of how to use these children. The most common is to use them as a weapon in warfare,” Aaron said this last bit of information in disgust. “How did you first find out about the Kirks?” Whit inquired. “We have people on the inside of schools, hospitals, daycare centers, pediatrician offices and other areas. If one of our field agents finds an Indigo, we start an investigation to determine the best approach for that individual case,” “Wait, a what?” Whit questioned. “An Indigo,” Aaron repeated. “Okay, I give up.” Whit admitted. “What is an Indigo?” Aaron smiled. Whit’s heart pitter-pattered. “Indigo Children” is a term that was first introduced by Nancy Anne Tappe. In the 1960’s Tappe began to notice that some children were being born with special abilities. These children could do amazing things. They could read by age one, move objects without touching them and express extreme empathy for others. Some have even remembered previous lives. The first big wave of the children was born in the 1970’s. Then another wave has been born during each subsequent decade.”Aaron revealed with excitement. “The Indigo children theory has stayed mostly in the New Age circles. Mainstream doctors and other individuals do not give the theory any credit at all.”
Whit went to the fridge to get some pink lemonade. She offered Aaron a glass. He took it with a smile and drank half of the glass. Whit could feel his brown eyes searching her face as if he was waiting for her to kick him out and call the sheriff to run the crazy strangers out of town. “Whit,” he began. “We could really use some local help with this case. We have never made any contact with the Kirks and have no idea on how to approach them. Alan Kirk was taken out of public school and we have no idea how he received the rest of his education. We had no idea that he had even had children until one of our field agents contacted us from the school district.” Whit, taken back a bit by the pleading in Aaron’s voice, took a deep breath to settle the butterflies in her stomach. “What happens if you fail to make contact with the family?” Whit asked. A dark look crossed his face. “The risk of some other group who wants to use the children for destruction could approach the families and promise the world.” Aaron answered. “Has that happened before?” Whit wanted to know what the risk here was. “Yes, Crystalline can usually make initial contact before the other groups get wind of an Indigo, but we have failed in the past. School shootings are a common sign that the wrong party has contacted an Indigo child.” Whit nodded, her mind made up. “What can I do?” she asked.
Whit stood on Ragged Rock Road staring up at the Kirks front door. What have I gotten myself into; she thought. Aaron had asked her to make the initial contact with the Kirks. He felt that since she was a local, the Kirks might be more receptive to her. Well, here it goes. Whit walked up the driveway, climbed the two stone steps and knocked on the door. There was no sound at first. They probably will not come to the door, she thought. Whit had her story all planned out. They were looking for volunteers to work the raffle booth at the Geranium Festival. She would ask the Kirks if they wanted to volunteer. The answer would most definitely be no, but it was a cover at least. Whit, raising her hand to knock again, was startled by a noise behind her. Whit turned to see a little blonde girl, no more than six or seven, standing in the yard. “Hi,” Whit said, using her best little kid voice. “My name is Whitney, what’s your name?” The little girl stated at her with the lightest blue eyes Whit had ever seen. The girl did not offer her name. Instead, the girl began to look frustrated. “Why won’t you answer me?” the girl asked. Whit was baffled. Had the girl asked her anything? “What did you ask me?” Whit questioned. “I asked you what you wanted and you did not answer,” the girl said. “I am sorry, I did not hear you,” Whit smiled. “You must be a mouth talker like my mommy.” This answer puzzled Whit but she thought it better not to inquire anymore. “Is your mommy home?” Whit asked. Before the girl could answer, a woman came around the corner of the house from the backyard. She appeared to be around thirty, maybe a few years older. She had wavy red hair that reached her mid-back. Her eyes, an emerald color, were enhanced by the denim sundress she was wearing. “Rayna,” the woman said. “Please go back to the patio with your brother.” Rayna looked like she might challenge her mother on this command, but something in the woman’s face changed the little girl’s mind and she stomped off back around the house. “I am sorry,” the woman began, “they are not used to visitors.” Whit smiled, “Oh,that is fine. My name is Whitney Jasper. It is nice to meet you.” The woman stared at Whit for a second, as if trying to divine Whit’s reason for coming here. “I am Harper Kirk,” she said. “What brings you out to Ragged Rock?” Harper asked. “Well, we are trying to find volunteers for the raffle booth for the festival coming up.” Whit explained. Harper nodded her head, showing that she knew of the festival. Before Whit could go any further, a Ford Explorer came down the road slowing as it came to the Kirks driveway. Whit heard Harper suck in her breath. “Please go,” she said suddenly. Whit turned to see panic in the other woman’s eyes. “Should I come back another time?” Whit asked, trying to stall. “No!! Please do not come back, my husband does not like visitors.” Harper pleaded. Whit started towards her Saturn. As the Explorer turned into the driveway, Whit saw a blonde man staring at her. Luckily, Whit was in her vehicle before he could bring his to a stop. Whit started her car and began to drive off. Looking in her rearview mirror, Whit saw the man grab Harper’s arm roughly, steering her inside the house.
“She seemed afraid of him?” Aaron asked again for clarification. Whit nodded. “Maybe I should have gone.” Edyn stated. The four of them were gathered in Whit’s little apartment. She had located Aaron at the Klatch just as they agreed after her visit to the Kirks. “She may not even have spoken to you,” Whit reminded. “She has at least seen me once or twice around Midnight.” Whit could tell that Edyn was irritated that her twin had involved Whit without consulting her first. Aaron did not seem to notice. Patrick had not offered anything; he sat on Whit’s couch taking in the whole conversation. “So the girl said that you must be a mouth talker, like her mother?” Aaron asked. “Yes.” Whit answered. “Telepathy?” Edyn offered. “It’s possible,” Patrick’s voice surprised Whit. “The girl said, “like my mommy”, then that means that daddy must be able to communicate with the kids telepathically.” Aaron nodded at the theory. “Telepathy is rare even among Indigos but it does exist.” Edyn sighed. “I should have gone. I may have been able to get an idea of what was in the girl’s head.” Whit looked at Aaron’s twin in confusion. “Edyn has a special gift,”” Aaron began. “She can pick up what a person is thinking, but it is very abstract. For instance, if Rayna was thinking about her mother not being telepathic, then Edyn may have seen pictures of the two kids communicating through their minds, with pictures coming from their heads. Then again, she may have seen nothing at all. It all depends on the strength of the thought and the emotion behind the thought.” Whit suddenly felt very untalented.
The next morning revealed a cobalt blue sky and temperatures in the high seventies. The walk to the newspaper office was a pleasant one for Whit. Dolan greeted her as she entered. “Good morning, Whitney,” he exclaimed. “Morning, Dolan,” Whit replied with a smile. Dolan stood up and grabbed his car keys. “I am heading out to Ragged Rock Road; there was apparently a car wreck out there last night. I am going to do a short piece on it this week.” Whit nodded. Dolan exited, got in his car and drove off. Whit turned to head towards the basement. Before she reached the stairs, she heard the door open. Rushing back towards the front, Whit scolded herself for not locking the door. Seeing who was in the front changed her mind about wishing she had locked the door. Aaron, by himself, stood with his hands in his pockets. “I saw Dolan drive off and I thought maybe I could help you out today downstairs,” he suggested. Whit had to fight to keep herself from grinning ear to ear. “Sure,” she said.
The basement was dusty from the recent work Whit had done. After explaining to Aaron the basic idea of what she was doing, he began lining up boxes in a row. “We can line them up and sort through them one after the other without having to stop and lug them out each time,” he explained. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Aaron asked as they worked. “No, it’s just me.” Whit responded. “That must be lonely,” he observed, a hint of sadness in his voice. Whit did not answer. It was lonely but the last thing she wanted was for Aaron to feel sorry for her. Relocating the boxes revealed on old metal office desk in the corner of the basement. Whit and Aaron wasted no time opening the drawers. Inside they found old receipts from delivery accounts, some stray notes from an unknown reporter and miscellaneous office supplies. In the back of the bottom drawer, Aaron found an old brochure. “The Dusaunt Academy?” Whit questioned. Aaron did not respond at first. “It is a school for gifted children.” Aaron answered, finally. “How do you know about it?” Whit asked. “Monroe Dusaunt is the founder of one of the other groups I told you about. He finds Indigos and invites them to his school so that they can learn to use their gifts for his agendas. Although, when the children are learning these things, they are not aware of why they are learning them. All they know is that they are among others like them and fit in for the first time in their lives,” Aaron explained. “The question is,” he continued, “What is this brochure doing here?” Whit shook her head indicating that she had no idea. Aaron pocketed the brochure and they continued to work in silence for the rest of the afternoon.
Aaron left before Dolan returned from Ragged Rock Road. Whit heard his footsteps on the stairs leading down the basement. “Looks like I am getting my money’s worth,” he exclaimed as he entered the room. Whit smiled. “Say,” Dolan began, “I hear that you were up on Ragged Rock Road the other day.” Whit hid her surprise. Dolan could only know that if he talked to the Kirks. The surrounding houses were not close enough to the Kirks to have a clear view of their house. “Oh, yeah,” Whit said nonchalantly, “The festival committee wants me to round up volunteers for the festival,” she lied. “I thought I would take a chance and see if the Kirks might want to help,” she explained. Dolan nodded. “I did not know that you knew the Kirks,” Whit stated. Dolan paused in his the step he was taking. I caught him off guard, Whit thought. “Oh, I don’t really know them; I stopped by the Klatch on the way back and heard some old timers talking about it.” “Oh, I see,” Whit, answered. Without further discussion, Dolan went upstairs.
Whit had to prevent herself from breaking into a run to get to the Koffee Klatch. Ria would tell her if Dolan had been in there or not. The bell rang as Whit entered the door. This late in the afternoon the place was nearly vacant. Ria was wiping down the coffee counter from behind. “Hey girl!” she called when she saw Whit. “Hey.” Whit answered. Taking a seat at the bar, Whit asked for a Diet Coke. Less than two minutes later, Ria set it in front of her. “So what is new kiddo?” Ria asked. “Was Dolan in here earlier, he was supposed to bring me a Diet Coke but he forgot.” Whit asked. “He forgot because he did not come in here at all. I have been here since opening and have not seen Mr. Dolan.” Ria revealed. Whit hid her surprise. Why Dolan would lie to her?
The next morning, Whit was finishing the basement when she heard Dolan coming down the stairs. Her heart jumped a little. Just act natural, she told herself. “Hey, Whitney,” said Dolan casually. “I think it would be a good thing if you learned how to cover a story just in case I need you, so I thought it would be interesting for you to accompany me on a story today.” Whit hid her apprehension. “Okay,” she said trying to throw in some enthusiasm. “Great,” Dolan answered. Whit completed her work in the basement and met Dolan in the front office. He did not tell her where they were going.
In Dolan’s car, it was silent. “I hear from Ria that you’ve made some new friends,” Dolan stated, breaking the quiet. Whit hid her surprise. “Yeah, I did.” She answered. “What brings them to town?” he asked. “Just some research for school.” Whit answered, using Aaron’s cover. “What kind of research?” Dolan pressed. Whit hid her impatience with the line of questioning. “I am not really sure, I did not ask.” She replied. Dolan did not ask any further questions. He turned on talk radio to break the silence. Whit’s stomach lurched when Dolan turned onto Ragged Rock Road. “Are we going back to the accident scene?” she asked. Dolan shook his head. “No, not the scene, we are going to ask the residents if they saw anything.” Whit’s heart skipped a beat as they pulled into the Kirk’s driveway, Whit saw the Explorer parked near the front door. As they approached the door, Alan Kirk stepped out onto the stone steps. “Dolan, what brings you out here?” he asked. “Just came to ask some questions about that accident the other day.” Dolan said. Alan Kirk nodded but did not make a move to invite them inside the house. If he recognized Whit as the person at his house the other day, Alan Kirk did not show it. Dolan asked few mundane questions about the accident and jotted down some notes in his pad. While Dolan wrote, Alan appraised Whit with his pale blue eyes. Whit did her best to look comfortable under his stare. Whit saw the curtain flutter in the front window to her right. She looked in the direction of the movement and saw a young boy’s head appear between the curtains. Alan Kirk, slightly turned his head in the direction of the window. He did not make eye contact with the boy at all but the boy disappeared from the window immediately. Had he told the boy through telepathy to get out of the window or was the boy just accustomed to the slight turn of the head that Whitney saw? Dolan finished his questioning. As they were returning to the car, Dolan said that he had forgotten an appointment he had at the police station so they would be heading back to the office instead of questioning more residents.
Whit, relieved to be back at the office after the excursion to the Kirk house, told Dolan that she was going over to the Koffee Klutch for a soda. Ria greeted her has she sat down at her usual spot. “Where’s Romeo?” Ria asked. Whit blushed, “He is doing some research,” she replied. “Hey, Ria,” Whit continued. “Did you tell Dolan about me having a drink here with Aaron?” Ria looked thoughtful for a moment. “I don’t think so, hon.” she said. “Oh, well he knew somehow, he mentioned it when we went to Ragged Rock Road today to get more information about the car accident that happened out there.” Whit replied. “What accident?” Ria asked. “I am not sure, it happened the other day,” Whit answered. “Dolan is doing a story on it.” Ria walked away for a moment to speak to another patron. Whit recognized the woman as Marla Petrie. She was a lifelong resident of Midnight. Whit remembered suddenly that Marla lived out on Ragged Rock Road. Five minutes later, Ria returned to Whit. “Marla says that there ain’t been an accident out on Ragged Rock,” she revealed. Whit did not know what to say. “Is she sure?” Whit questioned. “Sure she is,” Ria responded. “Marla has lived on Ragged Rock forever, if there was an accident on that one-horse road Marla would know about it.” A little flustered, Whit finished her drink and left the Klatch. Why was Dolan lying to her? How did he know that she had a drink with Aaron if Ria had not told him. Had someone else there that day told him? Why had they only stopped at the Kirk place? It would have made more sense to start with the more sociable residents. The more Whit thought about it the more upset she became. She had no one to tell about this and it was times such as this when she missed her parents the most. Thinking about her parents made her even more upset. Whit ran back to her apartment building to retrieve her car. She knew where she wanted to be at this moment.
Dusk was falling by the time Whit steered her Saturn through the gates of Midnight cemetery. She parked and cut the ignition. She only came here when she was upset. Overwhelmed by the thought of not having a single soul in this world to turn to in times of crisis, Whit felt a lump begin to form in her throat. Here in the cemetery, in the Jasper family crypt, her mother, father and grandmother were together. Whit took her usual seat on the bench outside the crypt. It was a warm spring night and the moon was full so there was a lot of light. As she sat reflecting on memories of her family, an owl began hooting somewhere in the cemetery. Fatigue began to creep through her body, Whit leaned her head against the stone pillar on the bench. She was seeing images of her family in her head, dreaming really. Birthdays, Christmases, family picnics, vacations and other scenes danced through her mind. The laughter they had shared on these occasions rang in her ears. Whit’s heart ached to be able to touch the people in her dreams. Whit felt a warm touch on her arm; she opened her eyes, jumping in surprise. Brown eyes stared back at her, his eyes. “Do you always sleep in cemeteries?” Aaron asked. Whit looked around, confused for a moment, realizing finally that she must have fallen asleep. She wondered how long she had been there. “I, uh, I guess I must have drifted off,” she finally admitted. Aaron smiled. “Why are you here?” she asked, regaining her senses. “I am doing some research on something,” he answered, using his staple response. Whit nodded. Part of her wished that he had left her alone to her dreams of her family. The thought brought tears to her eyes. She tried to hide it by looking away, but the moonlight betrayed her. “What’s the matter?” Aaron asked concern in his voice. Whit shook her head, unable to speak. The tears were flowing freely down her face now. Aaron sat beside her in silence. “Sometimes I just feel so alone,” Whit began, trying to offer some reason for her behavior. “I should be used to it; my parents have been dead for ten years. I am twenty-three years old, I should be able to handle things without breaking down,” she stammered. “But after today, I could not face going home and being alone so I …” she did not finish, sobs racking her body. Aaron took her hand in his. Whit felt the warmth of his skin against hers. “What happened today?” he asked. Whit poured out the entire day’s events in one ragged breath. Aaron sat silently for a moment and then he scooted closer to Whit, putting his arm around her he pulled her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like this, the two of them, not talking, for a long while.
Whit allowed Aaron to drive her back to her apartment. It was well after midnight when they arrived. Aaron made sure that Whit was safely in her apartment before he set out on foot back to his hotel across the square. Whit watched him from her window. She was falling for him, that much she knew. As Aaron passed under a streetlight, Whit noticed a movement in the darkness. Shock passed through her as she watched Dolan appear after Aaron has passed, he watched Aaron enter the hotel. Dolan was watching them! How long had he been watching? Whit watched as Dolan walked to the paper’s office and unlocked the door, entering without turning on any lights. He is being covert for a reason, Whit thought. Just a she was turning away from the window, Whit saw a black Explorer enter the square. She reached to turn out her light so that she could not be seen from the street. The Explorer parked in the square across from the paper office. Whit gasped as Alan Kirk got out of the vehicle and quickly walked to the office door. He knocked and Dolan let him in the office. Now Whit was sure that Dolan was lying. She had to talk to Aaron as soon as possible.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Part One of Whit Jasper series "Indigo"
Indigo
Part One
“I am so damned tired of applying for jobs.” Whitney grumbles to her cat, Alistair as she shuts off her computer. Whitney Jasper, Whit for short, newly laid off office employee and experienced grumbler, takes a sip of her Coke Zero. “I don’t even know what the heck I want to do,” she reveals to Alistair, who in turn looks bored with her human drama. As long as he keeps getting his Fancy Feast, Alistair could not care less Whitney thought. I really do not want to go work in another office, Whit proclaimed in her head. She has had enough of the office drama queens and gossip pools. Whitney just never quite fit in at any of the offices she worked at in the past. Six weeks into a lay off and no bites on the job search fishing pole. What am I going to do, Whit asked herself. Unemployment benefits, thankfully would last another 8 months.
Whit had stopped checking her cell phone for messages from potential employers. The habit was really getting to the OCD point. Sighing, Whit grabs her spring sweater, glances in the mirror at her petite frame, grey eyes and blond hair, pets Alistair on the head, and heads out the door to the Coffee Klatch on the town square. The day was mildly warm with a slight breeze. The square was all done up with geraniums for the upcoming festival next month. One thing Whit had to admit, there were two times a year that made Midnight, Georgia the most beautiful place on earth. Fall in Midnight was so crisp and tawny that it could rival New England autumns. Spring in Midnight brought the most beautiful flowers to bloom. The annual Geranium Festival, held every May, in Midnight’s town square, was attended by everyone in the county.
The Coffee Klatch door cowbell rang as Whit opened it and smelled the aromatic mixture of coffee and cinnamon. Inhaling deeply, Whit took her usual stool at the coffee counter. “Hey Whit!” Ria, the morning waitress called out. “How’s the job hunt going?” Whit groaned and showed Ria a thumbs down sign with her hand. “Don’t worry darling, something will come along.” Whit nodded and ordered a cinnamon bear claw from the employee behind the counter. Randall Long, retired postal worker and unofficial town historian was holding court with his fellow retirees down the coffee bar. “Randall, what are you going on about over there?” Ria demanded. Randall turned his retired eyes to Ria and said “The whopper I caught out at Moon Pond today, that fish was as big as my leg.” Groans of disbelief drifted to Whit’s ears. Before Randall could go on with his tall tale, the cowbell on the door sounded and three twenty somethings walked into the “Klatch”. Midnighters were rather shy around strangers; so Randall did not continue his story. The new group consisted of three people, two guys and a girl. They were all dressed in broken in jeans, graphic t-shirts and sneakers. The girl had a nose ring in her left nostril, a small stud. Ria stepped up to the table the threesome had chosen and asked if she could get them anything. The stud girl ordered water and the two guys ordered sodas. Whit could not help being curious about the three strangers.
Midnight was not off the interstate so the town did not see a lot of unfamiliar traffic. Trying not to be obvious, Whit looked at the group from her peripheral vision. It was not the best mode of covert observation but it would have to do for now. Stud girl had red hair cut into a chin length bob. Her eyes were such a dark brown that the hue made her face seem pale. Visibly uncomfortable with her current surroundings, she sat with her arms folded across her stomach. The two guys at the table seemed more relaxed than Stud girl. The first had short dirty blonde hair; he lounged in his chair to the point where the back of his head was resting on the top of the chair back. The other one had his reddish-brown head bent reading the menu. His hair was longer on top and the length cut above his collar. Ria returned to take their order, Whit overhead them all ordering chicken club sandwiches. Twenty minutes later, Whit decided she better head out for the day’s job hunt before it got too late. Paying for her drink, she grabbed her sweater and began to walk past the table where the strangers were sitting. As she passed, the red haired guy looked up at her. Whit stopped breathing. His eyes were deep brown and Whit felt that they could see into her soul. Whit hurried out of the Klatch without glancing back.
The coolness of the library was a welcome relief to Whit after scurrying around town most of the morning looking for help wanted signs in windows. Whit had removed the Jane Austen collection from the shelf and found her place in Northanger Abbey. Yes, she could just check it out but that would mean reading it in her miniscule apartment, leaving her little reason to get out. With her IPod ear buds pouring soothing classical music into her ears, Whit was quickly absorbed in the gothic tale. After about ten minutes, the song ended and Whit shut off the device to concentrate more on the story. She left her ear buds in her ears. This was comfort thing for Whit. People seldom tried to talk to you if you had a pair of buds in your ears. They assumed you had music going and could not hear them.
The doorbells jingled. Whit did not care to look to see who had entered the library. There was some hushed whispering from the direction of the circulation desk and then the clicking shut of the archive room door. Whit read undisturbed for the next hour. The door to the archive room reopened and then shut again. Whit waited to hear the jingle of the doorbells signaling that she was once again the only person in the library, but the confirmation did not come. Instead, Whit felt as if someone was standing in front of her waiting for her to look up. When she did, the redhead guy from the Klatch was standing on the opposite side of the table from where Whit was sitting. If he had been looking at her he was not now. He was perusing some New Age books on the shelf on that side of the table. Whit heard the archive room door open again and Stud girl joined him at the shelf. “I checked the archive back to the day the oldest Kirk child was born, nothing,” she stated with annoyance. “There are no announcements of births or anything like that.” Whit kept her head down over her book but did not read. She was listening to their conversation. She turned a page every few minutes so they would not catch on to her eavesdropping. “Maybe they were all born at home,” the guy suggested. The girl shrugged and they both walked back to the archive room, closing the door again.
The Kirks, Whit, though to herself, why would they want to know about them? The family, described as reclusive at best, did not come into town at all. The two children were home schooled by the mother. Whit assumed that they got all their groceries and other needs in the next town over, Kill Devil Hills. She never saw them around Midnight. Whit’s, friend Lana, worked at the local Health Department office and he told Whit once that the Kirks brought the kids in once a year for immunization shots. Other than that, there was no interaction between the family and the residents of Midnight. Why would these three from out of town be curious about the Kirks? Whit began to gather her things together. Alistair was at home, it was Fancy Feast time and Whit had to get home to feed him. Waiving to Loretta, the librarian, Whit opened the door and stepped out into the sunshine.
As she walked along the square, Whit once again ran job possibilities through her head. What was left, she thought. I have checked everywhere. As she passed, the Midnight Express office, the town newspaper, Whit stopped. She had not checked there. Dolan, the editor and only reporter was a common face around Midnight. Why not, Whit thought. Everything else has led to nothing. Dolan was typing up a storm when Whit entered the small office. “Whitney!” he exclaimed when he saw her. “How ARE you doing?” Whit smiled. “Okay, I guess,” she replied. “Job hunt not going as expected?” Dolan asked. “Not really, there is just nothing available right now.” Whit revealed. Dolan looked thoughtfully at her for a moment. Whit felt a surge of hope rise in her chest. “Well, maybe there is something you can do around here,” Dolan offered. “Of course the pay is not that great,” he continued. Whit shook her head at that comment. “Whatever you had would be fine,” she said. Dolan stood up from his desk and walked over to stand in front of her. “Come in tomorrow, we will find something for you to do around here.” Whit threw her arms around him. Dolan, not expecting such a display of emotion, chuckled and patted Whit’s back.
Whit had trouble sleeping that night due to the excitement that she felt about her new job. She did not know what Dolan had in mind but she hoped it might lead to a reporter position later. Whit’s secret desire was to be a reporter for a newspaper. Awake before her alarm went off, Whit showered, dressed and ate in record time. Alistair, still asleep on top of the TV, did not stir once, as Whit got ready for her first day. Traffic on the square was as heavy as one could expect for a town like Midnight. As she walked across the street from her apartment building, Whit waived to the old timers who drank their coffee outside of the Feed and Seed Stop.
Dolan, dressed in wrinkled khakis and a plaid button up shirt, smiled when Whit entered the newspaper office. “Ready for your first day?” he asked. “Definitely,” Whit replied. Dolan waived for Whit to follow him down the steps into the basement area of the office. “Down here are some old editions and files that need organizing and some need to be thrown away,” Dolan began. “Your first job is to sort through all this mess organize it somehow and catalog it for me so I will know what I have down here. “ Whit nodded and was glad she had worn jeans. Dolan disappeared up the stairs and Whit got to work. The first box Whit looked into contained photos of the Geranium Festival of years past. Whit decided it would be best to put all photos in one area of the basement. She found a Sharpie marker and wrote “Geranium Photos” on the outside of the box.
Whit had been sorting and organizing for about an hour when she heard Dolan talking to someone above. Needing a break anyway, Whit climbed the stairs. Hearing the conversation before she was visible to the participants, Whit stopped in her tracks. “I don’t really keep too much on town residents.” She heard Dolan state. “So you have nothing on the Kirks at all?” a female voice asked. Whit did not have to wonder at all, to whom Dolan was speaking. “I know for certain that I do not have any archives on that family.” Dolan retorted. “Out of curiosity”, Dolan began, “why are you interested in the Kirks?” A noticeable moment of silence followed the question. “We work for an attorney’s office who is handling the estate of a deceased relative and the Kirks are beneficiaries of the will,” a male voice offered. “Ahh,” Dolan replied. “Well, sorry I could not be of more help,” Dolan said, although to Whit he did not sound remorseful at all. “Why don’t you just go out to their place on Ragged Rock Road?” Dolan suggested. “We will try that, thank you,” a different male voice, answered. The next sound was the door to the office opening and closing in departure of the visitors.
Whit decided not to make her presence know, so she went to the bathroom in the back of the store. After her break, Whit decided it was time to tackle the dark reaches of the basement and headed for the back right corner. Cardboard boxes were stacked in neat towers. Whit grabbed the first one she saw off the nearest stack. Inside she found old engagement announcement and obituaries for a decade ago. Goodness, she thought, does Dolan keep everything? The next three boxes were much of the same. The fourth box she pulled out was a bit heavier than the others had been. Whit heaved it to the floor and opened the top to start sorting. Whit came across a police report first. Reading, Whit saw the date at the top, January 3, 2004. Whit began reading.
Officer on scene: Whitmore
Complaint: Disturbance of the peace
Complainant: Thelma Hughes
Address: 332 Ragged Rock Road
Statement of Complainant below:
I don’t usually get involved with the business of other people but I am having trouble keeping this one to myself. I was walking down Ragged Rock the other morning and had just started to pass the Kirk place when that boy, the four year old ran out the front door of the house. He was carrying on about a toy truck that apparently his younger sister had taken from him because there she sat, in the front yard, with a toy truck, rolling it back and forth in front of her. The boy, Drake, I think they call him, looked at his sister and the next thing I knew that truck was flyin’ through the air towards the boy and it landed as pretty as you please right in his hands. Now, that girl had not moved an inch so I know she did not throw the toy and even if she had, she could not have thrown it as far as it went. The girl stood up and glared at her brother. All of the sudden some loose gravel flew up off the ground and landed all over that boy. What was I seeing? I could not believe it. The mother comes out, sees me and high tails those kids back in the house.
Follow-up of call: Officer on scene went to the door of the Kirk house and tried to get someone to respond to his knocking. No one came to the door. Office left his card and left the scene.
Whit re-read the report. She laid it aside and returned to digging through the box. The next document was a copy of a birth certificate from the county hospital. The name on the certificate was Drake Kirk, born November 9, 2000 to Alan and Harper Kirk at their home on Ragged Rock Road. The guy from the group had been right. The kids had been born at home. The girl’s birth certificate followed, her name was Rayna Kirk. Her birthday was October 4, 2002. The boy is nine now and the girl is seven, Whit thought. Next, Whit uncovered some public school records for Drake. So, they had sent at least the boy to school at one point. Whit opened the envelope that said Welford County School District on the outside. Whit learned that Drake was once enrolled in the elementary school in town for kindergarten. Whit sifted through the documents, there were a few conduct citations from his teacher, a copy of a note sent home to his parents requesting a conference and his grade report. Whit read the grade report, Drake had gotten all very satisfactory in all the subjects, why all the conduct citations and why the request for a meeting? Whit switched to the conduct reports, almost all of the citations were for throwing objects in class. The last piece of paper in the stack was a notice of expulsion from the township.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Kirk:
The school board for Midnight Township has decided that your son, Drake Kirk, will not be allowed to return to school in this district. Your son had been a constant disruption to the other students in his class. Furthermore, he does not respond to traditional methods of discipline. Please do not feel as if we are unconcerned with your son’s welfare and education. We recommend that Drake attend the behavior modification program at Kill Devil Hills Alternative School. This program has been effective in helping other students modify their behavior in the classroom setting.
Sincerely,
The Midnight Township School Board
Wow! Whit thought, expelled at six years old, it had to be a record. Whit found nothing of further interest in the box. Why would Dolan tell those people that he had nothing on the Kirks when he had this box in the basement? Maybe he forgot he had the box. Stashed in the farthest corner of the basement, the box would be easy to forget. Whit knew that the only person who could answer that question was upstairs. Whit decided not to bring it up now with Dolan, instead she took the documents and put them in her bag. She would read the rest at home. For the rest of the afternoon, Whit cataloged and organized the piles of papers in the basement. At four o’clock she decided it was time to leave. Trudging up the stairs, Whit felt grimy from the dust on the boxes. Dolan looked up from his computer when she appeared in the front of the office. “Done for the day?” he asked. “Yeah, I will be back tomorrow or the next day to finish up,” Whit replied. Dolan paid her for the day and locked the door behind her as she left.
The afternoon sun was streaming through the old oaks on the square as Whit headed for the Klatch for an after work soda. As she rounded the corner, she ran smack into someone. Her purse spilled onto the sidewalk. “Oh, no!” a male voice exclaimed. “I am so sorry.” “It’s okay,” Whit reassured the owner of the voice as she bent to pick up the contents of her purse. She looked to see who she had run into and her breath caught. It was the guy from the library. Those brown eyes, searching her face for something. “Let me help you get your stuff, at least,” he said. Whit could only nod. He reached for the stack of Kirk papers and caught a glance of what was on them. He stared at them for a split second and handed them to Whit. Quickly gathering the rest of the purse contents, Whit stood up and thanked him for helping her. Desperate to flee the scene before she made a complete idiot of herself, Whit smiled and stepped around the guy. “Um, wait,” his voice had a note of urgency. Whit turned to look at him. He was about six feet tall. He was even more handsome up close. His brown eyes were by far his best feature. His auburn hair fell over his forehead in a careless sort of way. He ran his hand through his hair in what looked like a nervous gesture. I am making him nervous, Whit thought. “Were you going to the Koffee Klatch?” he asked. Whit nodded. Don’t be an idiot!! she said to herself. “Would you mind if I joined you?” he inquired. “Uh, sure,” Whit answered. “My name is Aaron,” he offered. “Whit.” Aaron nodded. Together they set off for the Koffee Klatch.
Once seated in a booth in the back, Whit got the nerve to start a conversation. “What brings you to Midnight?” she asked. “Research,” was his only reply. “What kind of research?” Whit pressed. “Just some stuff for college.” Whit nodded. Aaron looked around as if he was looking for someone. “Where are your friends?” Whit asked, wondering herself. “Edyn, the red haired girl, is my twin sister; she is back at the hotel. Patrick, my cousin, is at the library again doing some fact checking. “Oh,” was all Whit could say. “How long have you lived here?” Aaron asked. “My whole life,” Whit replied. “Do you have family here?” Whit shook her head. “My parents died when I was thirteen, I was raised by my grandmother, who died last year.” “Oh, I’m sorry,” Aaron, offered. Whit shook her head to show it was okay. Aaron stared at her for a long moment, took a deep breath and said, “I could not help but see the papers in your purse when it was dumped on the sidewalk. The papers about the Kirks?” he said, as if reminding Whit what the papers concerned. “Okay,” Whit replied. Aaron fidgeted for a minute. “What kind of research are you doing?” Whit asked again. Well, it is complicated,” he stated. “Why are you so curious about the Kirks?” Whit pressed. “How long have the Kirks lived here?” Aaron asked instead of answering her question. “I guess about nine or ten years,” Whit estimated. “Have you ever talked to them?” Aaron pressed on. “No,” Whit stated. Aaron nodded. “Do you live close by?” he asked. “Just across the square on the Overlook,” Whit revealed. “Can I have a look at those papers?” he questioned. “If you tell me why you want to know so much about the Kirks,” Whit countered. Aaron took a deep breath and bit his lower lip as if in thought. “Have you ever heard of Indigo children?” Whit shook her head. “We think that the Kirks children are Indigo children.” Aaron stated. “What are Indigo children?” Whit inquired. “That is a long story, too long and too private for here.” Aaron stated. “Can we meet tomorrow at your place?”
Part One
“I am so damned tired of applying for jobs.” Whitney grumbles to her cat, Alistair as she shuts off her computer. Whitney Jasper, Whit for short, newly laid off office employee and experienced grumbler, takes a sip of her Coke Zero. “I don’t even know what the heck I want to do,” she reveals to Alistair, who in turn looks bored with her human drama. As long as he keeps getting his Fancy Feast, Alistair could not care less Whitney thought. I really do not want to go work in another office, Whit proclaimed in her head. She has had enough of the office drama queens and gossip pools. Whitney just never quite fit in at any of the offices she worked at in the past. Six weeks into a lay off and no bites on the job search fishing pole. What am I going to do, Whit asked herself. Unemployment benefits, thankfully would last another 8 months.
Whit had stopped checking her cell phone for messages from potential employers. The habit was really getting to the OCD point. Sighing, Whit grabs her spring sweater, glances in the mirror at her petite frame, grey eyes and blond hair, pets Alistair on the head, and heads out the door to the Coffee Klatch on the town square. The day was mildly warm with a slight breeze. The square was all done up with geraniums for the upcoming festival next month. One thing Whit had to admit, there were two times a year that made Midnight, Georgia the most beautiful place on earth. Fall in Midnight was so crisp and tawny that it could rival New England autumns. Spring in Midnight brought the most beautiful flowers to bloom. The annual Geranium Festival, held every May, in Midnight’s town square, was attended by everyone in the county.
The Coffee Klatch door cowbell rang as Whit opened it and smelled the aromatic mixture of coffee and cinnamon. Inhaling deeply, Whit took her usual stool at the coffee counter. “Hey Whit!” Ria, the morning waitress called out. “How’s the job hunt going?” Whit groaned and showed Ria a thumbs down sign with her hand. “Don’t worry darling, something will come along.” Whit nodded and ordered a cinnamon bear claw from the employee behind the counter. Randall Long, retired postal worker and unofficial town historian was holding court with his fellow retirees down the coffee bar. “Randall, what are you going on about over there?” Ria demanded. Randall turned his retired eyes to Ria and said “The whopper I caught out at Moon Pond today, that fish was as big as my leg.” Groans of disbelief drifted to Whit’s ears. Before Randall could go on with his tall tale, the cowbell on the door sounded and three twenty somethings walked into the “Klatch”. Midnighters were rather shy around strangers; so Randall did not continue his story. The new group consisted of three people, two guys and a girl. They were all dressed in broken in jeans, graphic t-shirts and sneakers. The girl had a nose ring in her left nostril, a small stud. Ria stepped up to the table the threesome had chosen and asked if she could get them anything. The stud girl ordered water and the two guys ordered sodas. Whit could not help being curious about the three strangers.
Midnight was not off the interstate so the town did not see a lot of unfamiliar traffic. Trying not to be obvious, Whit looked at the group from her peripheral vision. It was not the best mode of covert observation but it would have to do for now. Stud girl had red hair cut into a chin length bob. Her eyes were such a dark brown that the hue made her face seem pale. Visibly uncomfortable with her current surroundings, she sat with her arms folded across her stomach. The two guys at the table seemed more relaxed than Stud girl. The first had short dirty blonde hair; he lounged in his chair to the point where the back of his head was resting on the top of the chair back. The other one had his reddish-brown head bent reading the menu. His hair was longer on top and the length cut above his collar. Ria returned to take their order, Whit overhead them all ordering chicken club sandwiches. Twenty minutes later, Whit decided she better head out for the day’s job hunt before it got too late. Paying for her drink, she grabbed her sweater and began to walk past the table where the strangers were sitting. As she passed, the red haired guy looked up at her. Whit stopped breathing. His eyes were deep brown and Whit felt that they could see into her soul. Whit hurried out of the Klatch without glancing back.
The coolness of the library was a welcome relief to Whit after scurrying around town most of the morning looking for help wanted signs in windows. Whit had removed the Jane Austen collection from the shelf and found her place in Northanger Abbey. Yes, she could just check it out but that would mean reading it in her miniscule apartment, leaving her little reason to get out. With her IPod ear buds pouring soothing classical music into her ears, Whit was quickly absorbed in the gothic tale. After about ten minutes, the song ended and Whit shut off the device to concentrate more on the story. She left her ear buds in her ears. This was comfort thing for Whit. People seldom tried to talk to you if you had a pair of buds in your ears. They assumed you had music going and could not hear them.
The doorbells jingled. Whit did not care to look to see who had entered the library. There was some hushed whispering from the direction of the circulation desk and then the clicking shut of the archive room door. Whit read undisturbed for the next hour. The door to the archive room reopened and then shut again. Whit waited to hear the jingle of the doorbells signaling that she was once again the only person in the library, but the confirmation did not come. Instead, Whit felt as if someone was standing in front of her waiting for her to look up. When she did, the redhead guy from the Klatch was standing on the opposite side of the table from where Whit was sitting. If he had been looking at her he was not now. He was perusing some New Age books on the shelf on that side of the table. Whit heard the archive room door open again and Stud girl joined him at the shelf. “I checked the archive back to the day the oldest Kirk child was born, nothing,” she stated with annoyance. “There are no announcements of births or anything like that.” Whit kept her head down over her book but did not read. She was listening to their conversation. She turned a page every few minutes so they would not catch on to her eavesdropping. “Maybe they were all born at home,” the guy suggested. The girl shrugged and they both walked back to the archive room, closing the door again.
The Kirks, Whit, though to herself, why would they want to know about them? The family, described as reclusive at best, did not come into town at all. The two children were home schooled by the mother. Whit assumed that they got all their groceries and other needs in the next town over, Kill Devil Hills. She never saw them around Midnight. Whit’s, friend Lana, worked at the local Health Department office and he told Whit once that the Kirks brought the kids in once a year for immunization shots. Other than that, there was no interaction between the family and the residents of Midnight. Why would these three from out of town be curious about the Kirks? Whit began to gather her things together. Alistair was at home, it was Fancy Feast time and Whit had to get home to feed him. Waiving to Loretta, the librarian, Whit opened the door and stepped out into the sunshine.
As she walked along the square, Whit once again ran job possibilities through her head. What was left, she thought. I have checked everywhere. As she passed, the Midnight Express office, the town newspaper, Whit stopped. She had not checked there. Dolan, the editor and only reporter was a common face around Midnight. Why not, Whit thought. Everything else has led to nothing. Dolan was typing up a storm when Whit entered the small office. “Whitney!” he exclaimed when he saw her. “How ARE you doing?” Whit smiled. “Okay, I guess,” she replied. “Job hunt not going as expected?” Dolan asked. “Not really, there is just nothing available right now.” Whit revealed. Dolan looked thoughtfully at her for a moment. Whit felt a surge of hope rise in her chest. “Well, maybe there is something you can do around here,” Dolan offered. “Of course the pay is not that great,” he continued. Whit shook her head at that comment. “Whatever you had would be fine,” she said. Dolan stood up from his desk and walked over to stand in front of her. “Come in tomorrow, we will find something for you to do around here.” Whit threw her arms around him. Dolan, not expecting such a display of emotion, chuckled and patted Whit’s back.
Whit had trouble sleeping that night due to the excitement that she felt about her new job. She did not know what Dolan had in mind but she hoped it might lead to a reporter position later. Whit’s secret desire was to be a reporter for a newspaper. Awake before her alarm went off, Whit showered, dressed and ate in record time. Alistair, still asleep on top of the TV, did not stir once, as Whit got ready for her first day. Traffic on the square was as heavy as one could expect for a town like Midnight. As she walked across the street from her apartment building, Whit waived to the old timers who drank their coffee outside of the Feed and Seed Stop.
Dolan, dressed in wrinkled khakis and a plaid button up shirt, smiled when Whit entered the newspaper office. “Ready for your first day?” he asked. “Definitely,” Whit replied. Dolan waived for Whit to follow him down the steps into the basement area of the office. “Down here are some old editions and files that need organizing and some need to be thrown away,” Dolan began. “Your first job is to sort through all this mess organize it somehow and catalog it for me so I will know what I have down here. “ Whit nodded and was glad she had worn jeans. Dolan disappeared up the stairs and Whit got to work. The first box Whit looked into contained photos of the Geranium Festival of years past. Whit decided it would be best to put all photos in one area of the basement. She found a Sharpie marker and wrote “Geranium Photos” on the outside of the box.
Whit had been sorting and organizing for about an hour when she heard Dolan talking to someone above. Needing a break anyway, Whit climbed the stairs. Hearing the conversation before she was visible to the participants, Whit stopped in her tracks. “I don’t really keep too much on town residents.” She heard Dolan state. “So you have nothing on the Kirks at all?” a female voice asked. Whit did not have to wonder at all, to whom Dolan was speaking. “I know for certain that I do not have any archives on that family.” Dolan retorted. “Out of curiosity”, Dolan began, “why are you interested in the Kirks?” A noticeable moment of silence followed the question. “We work for an attorney’s office who is handling the estate of a deceased relative and the Kirks are beneficiaries of the will,” a male voice offered. “Ahh,” Dolan replied. “Well, sorry I could not be of more help,” Dolan said, although to Whit he did not sound remorseful at all. “Why don’t you just go out to their place on Ragged Rock Road?” Dolan suggested. “We will try that, thank you,” a different male voice, answered. The next sound was the door to the office opening and closing in departure of the visitors.
Whit decided not to make her presence know, so she went to the bathroom in the back of the store. After her break, Whit decided it was time to tackle the dark reaches of the basement and headed for the back right corner. Cardboard boxes were stacked in neat towers. Whit grabbed the first one she saw off the nearest stack. Inside she found old engagement announcement and obituaries for a decade ago. Goodness, she thought, does Dolan keep everything? The next three boxes were much of the same. The fourth box she pulled out was a bit heavier than the others had been. Whit heaved it to the floor and opened the top to start sorting. Whit came across a police report first. Reading, Whit saw the date at the top, January 3, 2004. Whit began reading.
Officer on scene: Whitmore
Complaint: Disturbance of the peace
Complainant: Thelma Hughes
Address: 332 Ragged Rock Road
Statement of Complainant below:
I don’t usually get involved with the business of other people but I am having trouble keeping this one to myself. I was walking down Ragged Rock the other morning and had just started to pass the Kirk place when that boy, the four year old ran out the front door of the house. He was carrying on about a toy truck that apparently his younger sister had taken from him because there she sat, in the front yard, with a toy truck, rolling it back and forth in front of her. The boy, Drake, I think they call him, looked at his sister and the next thing I knew that truck was flyin’ through the air towards the boy and it landed as pretty as you please right in his hands. Now, that girl had not moved an inch so I know she did not throw the toy and even if she had, she could not have thrown it as far as it went. The girl stood up and glared at her brother. All of the sudden some loose gravel flew up off the ground and landed all over that boy. What was I seeing? I could not believe it. The mother comes out, sees me and high tails those kids back in the house.
Follow-up of call: Officer on scene went to the door of the Kirk house and tried to get someone to respond to his knocking. No one came to the door. Office left his card and left the scene.
Whit re-read the report. She laid it aside and returned to digging through the box. The next document was a copy of a birth certificate from the county hospital. The name on the certificate was Drake Kirk, born November 9, 2000 to Alan and Harper Kirk at their home on Ragged Rock Road. The guy from the group had been right. The kids had been born at home. The girl’s birth certificate followed, her name was Rayna Kirk. Her birthday was October 4, 2002. The boy is nine now and the girl is seven, Whit thought. Next, Whit uncovered some public school records for Drake. So, they had sent at least the boy to school at one point. Whit opened the envelope that said Welford County School District on the outside. Whit learned that Drake was once enrolled in the elementary school in town for kindergarten. Whit sifted through the documents, there were a few conduct citations from his teacher, a copy of a note sent home to his parents requesting a conference and his grade report. Whit read the grade report, Drake had gotten all very satisfactory in all the subjects, why all the conduct citations and why the request for a meeting? Whit switched to the conduct reports, almost all of the citations were for throwing objects in class. The last piece of paper in the stack was a notice of expulsion from the township.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Kirk:
The school board for Midnight Township has decided that your son, Drake Kirk, will not be allowed to return to school in this district. Your son had been a constant disruption to the other students in his class. Furthermore, he does not respond to traditional methods of discipline. Please do not feel as if we are unconcerned with your son’s welfare and education. We recommend that Drake attend the behavior modification program at Kill Devil Hills Alternative School. This program has been effective in helping other students modify their behavior in the classroom setting.
Sincerely,
The Midnight Township School Board
Wow! Whit thought, expelled at six years old, it had to be a record. Whit found nothing of further interest in the box. Why would Dolan tell those people that he had nothing on the Kirks when he had this box in the basement? Maybe he forgot he had the box. Stashed in the farthest corner of the basement, the box would be easy to forget. Whit knew that the only person who could answer that question was upstairs. Whit decided not to bring it up now with Dolan, instead she took the documents and put them in her bag. She would read the rest at home. For the rest of the afternoon, Whit cataloged and organized the piles of papers in the basement. At four o’clock she decided it was time to leave. Trudging up the stairs, Whit felt grimy from the dust on the boxes. Dolan looked up from his computer when she appeared in the front of the office. “Done for the day?” he asked. “Yeah, I will be back tomorrow or the next day to finish up,” Whit replied. Dolan paid her for the day and locked the door behind her as she left.
The afternoon sun was streaming through the old oaks on the square as Whit headed for the Klatch for an after work soda. As she rounded the corner, she ran smack into someone. Her purse spilled onto the sidewalk. “Oh, no!” a male voice exclaimed. “I am so sorry.” “It’s okay,” Whit reassured the owner of the voice as she bent to pick up the contents of her purse. She looked to see who she had run into and her breath caught. It was the guy from the library. Those brown eyes, searching her face for something. “Let me help you get your stuff, at least,” he said. Whit could only nod. He reached for the stack of Kirk papers and caught a glance of what was on them. He stared at them for a split second and handed them to Whit. Quickly gathering the rest of the purse contents, Whit stood up and thanked him for helping her. Desperate to flee the scene before she made a complete idiot of herself, Whit smiled and stepped around the guy. “Um, wait,” his voice had a note of urgency. Whit turned to look at him. He was about six feet tall. He was even more handsome up close. His brown eyes were by far his best feature. His auburn hair fell over his forehead in a careless sort of way. He ran his hand through his hair in what looked like a nervous gesture. I am making him nervous, Whit thought. “Were you going to the Koffee Klatch?” he asked. Whit nodded. Don’t be an idiot!! she said to herself. “Would you mind if I joined you?” he inquired. “Uh, sure,” Whit answered. “My name is Aaron,” he offered. “Whit.” Aaron nodded. Together they set off for the Koffee Klatch.
Once seated in a booth in the back, Whit got the nerve to start a conversation. “What brings you to Midnight?” she asked. “Research,” was his only reply. “What kind of research?” Whit pressed. “Just some stuff for college.” Whit nodded. Aaron looked around as if he was looking for someone. “Where are your friends?” Whit asked, wondering herself. “Edyn, the red haired girl, is my twin sister; she is back at the hotel. Patrick, my cousin, is at the library again doing some fact checking. “Oh,” was all Whit could say. “How long have you lived here?” Aaron asked. “My whole life,” Whit replied. “Do you have family here?” Whit shook her head. “My parents died when I was thirteen, I was raised by my grandmother, who died last year.” “Oh, I’m sorry,” Aaron, offered. Whit shook her head to show it was okay. Aaron stared at her for a long moment, took a deep breath and said, “I could not help but see the papers in your purse when it was dumped on the sidewalk. The papers about the Kirks?” he said, as if reminding Whit what the papers concerned. “Okay,” Whit replied. Aaron fidgeted for a minute. “What kind of research are you doing?” Whit asked again. Well, it is complicated,” he stated. “Why are you so curious about the Kirks?” Whit pressed. “How long have the Kirks lived here?” Aaron asked instead of answering her question. “I guess about nine or ten years,” Whit estimated. “Have you ever talked to them?” Aaron pressed on. “No,” Whit stated. Aaron nodded. “Do you live close by?” he asked. “Just across the square on the Overlook,” Whit revealed. “Can I have a look at those papers?” he questioned. “If you tell me why you want to know so much about the Kirks,” Whit countered. Aaron took a deep breath and bit his lower lip as if in thought. “Have you ever heard of Indigo children?” Whit shook her head. “We think that the Kirks children are Indigo children.” Aaron stated. “What are Indigo children?” Whit inquired. “That is a long story, too long and too private for here.” Aaron stated. “Can we meet tomorrow at your place?”
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Welcome to my site!!!
Thank you for coming to my site. On this blog site I will post stories as I write them. I welcome constructive and helpful suggestions to improve my writing. If you are just here to be mean, then go hack somebody's My Space.
The first installment of the Whit Jasper short stories will appear soon on my blog. Whit is a laid off office assistant who lives in Midnight, Georgia. Midnight, GA has more than it's share of weird residents and bizarre happenings. Whit meets a trio from out of town who have come to Midnight to try and uncover some of these mysteries. I hope you like it. Thank you.
The first installment of the Whit Jasper short stories will appear soon on my blog. Whit is a laid off office assistant who lives in Midnight, Georgia. Midnight, GA has more than it's share of weird residents and bizarre happenings. Whit meets a trio from out of town who have come to Midnight to try and uncover some of these mysteries. I hope you like it. Thank you.
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