Into The Light
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic!
Chapter Eleven
"Where do you think everyone went?" Trixie questioned as she finished her cake. She glanced around in search of the missing foursome but couldn't catch a glimpse of them. It was oddly quiet without the others around and the two of them alone. As much as she loved being with her friends, she found she didn't mind it. She had more than enjoyed her alone time with Jim. She studied his handsome face as unobtrusively as she could, even though she knew it by heart.
"Maybe to the clubhouse," he suggested, extremely grateful to the friends who had given him such a treat. Uninterrupted time with Trix, during a group outing, no less. It was hard to come by. He couldn't believe that he had managed to get two separate occasions with only Trixie during the same weekend, slightly astonished at the lucky streak he was on. He wasn't used to it. Most of the time there was at least one or two other friends around. He hoped it boded well for the approaching summer. "What do you have to do when you get home? Any homework?" He was ready to offer to help her, should she need it.
"No homework for me but I do have chores, chores and more chores," she answered back with a laugh. "I was a little busy with homework this past week. Something needed to give. Moms was understanding, of course, as she always is, and let me off the hook." She rolled her shoulders and spoke regretfully, "Unfortunately, it is time to pay the piper. The second I get back to the house I need to get started. I have a list of chores a mile long. I really can't complain, though. I've had a pretty packed weekend." She paused, looked down at her hands, and then added shyly, "It's been the best weekend I've had in a long time, too."
He saw the slight pink that tinged her cheeks. There could have been many reasons why she had said it one of the best weekends she had spent but he knew that she meant it because they had spent a lot of time together. "I'll second that," he agreed smoothly, wondering if she caught the same reasoning behind his quick agreement. "Last weekend I was preparing for my finals and finishing up projects. It's been a treat to be home."
"Brian mentioned that one of your professors had asked you to be an intern for a summer job in the City. What made you decide not to do that and come home instead?" Her expressive face showed her natural curiosity.
The reason why was sitting twelve inches from him. Nothing, not even the most intriguing internship imaginable that had been presented to him, could have prevented him from spending the summer at home, especially when it was the summer that followed her high school graduation. His plans were big and his hopes were bigger. His professor had been astounded when he had turned down the offer, had tried to persuade him to change his mind, but Jim had been adamant. He was spending his summer in Sleepyside, where his own agenda outshone the experience he needed for his school. There would be other internships. "Oh, the internship wasn't all that interesting, Trixie. Besides, I would rather be home." He softened the little white lie with the truth.
"I'm glad you didn't stay in the City. I like having you home." Afraid she had revealed too much, she was quick to add, "And Mart and Dan, too. Now if only Brian would change his mind and spend the summer here..." Leaving the rest unsaid, Trixie's ears perked up. She heard the whistle before the small group appeared on the path. "Looks like they're finally back," she noted with a gleeful grin. "I'd know that whistle anywhere."
Jim saw that she looked relaxed and happy, a vast improvement over the way she had appeared right after Mart's prank and during their private talk on the dock. He knew the others would see the change in her, too, and waved as the small group came into sight, the two young women in front and the men behind them. They quickly came over to the table, the promise of the chocolate cake drawing them in.
Di caught Honey's eyes and pointed to Jim and Trixie, who were sitting next to each other while the rest of the spots were totally available. She gave Honey a thumbs-up sign, briefly wondering if the two of them would ever get it together. It was blatantly conspicuous to all of them that they were perfect for each other.
Moving slower than the others, his hands stuffed in his pockets, Mart was the last to sit down at the table. With a wary look to his eyes, he aimed a small smile at Trixie, unsure if she would reciprocate it, but didn't offer her any words. There were a few too many people around. He would have to verbally apologize later. He felt relieved when she returned his smile with a sunny one of her own, without any hint of ire or irritation left on her face. Pleased that her temper had blown over and she no longer held a grudge towards him, he nodded and then picked up his fork, getting down to one of his favorite tasks, finishing his half-eaten lunch.
Honey had plopped down next to Trixie, also relieved to see that her earlier dark mood had been replaced with her normally cheerful disposition and squeezed her hand sympathetically. Honey was one of the few people Trixie talked to about her feelings when Mart teased her. Ever the tactful one, she overlooked the earlier incident and began the conversation. "We took a brief trip down memory lane," she informed them when Trixie and Jim gave her expectant looks. "It was a lot of fun. We went into the clubhouse and looked through many of the scrapbooks that we have on the shelves."
He had enjoyed himself more than he could have imagined. Looking through the scrapbooks had been more enjoyable than he had thought it would be. "It was a lot of fun. I forgot how many mysteries the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency has actually solved. You would think that Sergeant Molinson would cut you girls some slack when you tell him something weird or mysterious is going on. He should have learned his lesson by now." Dan cut himself a generous piece of cake. "Next time you'll have to come along," he added, straight-faced, and winked at the two who had missed out on the trip, certain that they didn't have any regrets about staying behind.
Trixie ignored the comment and handed Di a slice of the chocolate cake. "Here you go, Di. You'll have to tell your cook that the cake was delicious."
Di took a dainty bite of the cake and gave a low hum of approval. It was the best she had ever eaten. "You're so right, Trix. I'll be sure to do that the second I get home."
"We would have been back sooner but Di thought she heard something outside of the clubhouse. We couldn't leave without going out to investigate it, as you know. This outfit can't let anything go, no matter how innocent or how suspicious it may be, without investigating it to the fullest extent possible," Mart explained nonchalantly as he finally finished his lunch. Without wasting time, with the hollow leg he was known for having, he reached for a large piece of cake and started in on that.
"What kind of noise?" Jim asked Di, one eyebrow arched.
Di put down her fork, her lovely face overshadowed with the anxiety of the memory. Praying she didn't sound like a fool, she attempted to explain, "I don't know how to describe the sound. We were all around the table, looking through the scrapbooks and reminiscing about our adventures, when I heard the sound. It was an odd noise, one that I'm not sure if an animal could have made or not. Definitely not a small animal. It was a little too loud for an animal like a rabbit or a chipmunk or a squirrel to have made." Her lips settled into a frown although she released a small, nervous laugh. "I'm rambling. I don't think I'm making any sense. I guess it's just my intuition. I didn't like it, whatever it was."
It hadn't unnerved Dan. He swallowed and offered, waving his fork in the air, "We gave a brief search around the clubhouse but came up with nothing. There weren't any tracks or any other signs that something had been there." Giving a shrug, he added, "I think it must have been a deer."
Jim didn't say anything. He slid an intent gaze towards Trixie, who was staring at Dan and Di and absorbing all that they could tell her. An odd noise? he thought to himself and pondered if it was something to worry about or not. Maybe he would take a look around the clubhouse after everyone went home.
"I don't know about that, Dan. Deer generally move very quietly and, as you said, we didn't find any sign of a deer or any other animal. There was nothing outside to prove that an animal had made that sound." Then Di gave a sigh and threw her hands up in the air. "What does it really matter, anyway? Whatever made the noise is long gone and we certainly don't need to bother with it. What's done is done and that should be the end of it."
Trixie tilted her head and considered. It was odd, all right. Di had always had a strong sense of intuition. If she thought the noise hadn't been made by an animal, then Trixie was inclined to believe her. The lines on her head furrowed together as she contemplated the information her friends had given her.
Mart caught the look he knew so well on his sister's face, a jest on the tip of his tongue about mysteries, schoolgirl shamuses, and making mountains out of mole holes or, in this case, an unknown sound, but rapidly decided against voicing his teasings, much to his internal chagrin. He had already done enough of that for one day and didn't want to incure her wrath again, as well as the others around the table. He wouldn't be surprised if a few of the members would attack him if he attempted to tease her again, especially the redhead across the table from him. Steering a neutral course, mentally patting himself on the back for leaving well enough alone, he declared, "I say Di is right. We don't need to worry about it. All we need to do is enjoy this delicious cake." He held up his plate and looked at it with fondness. "It has to be the best cake I've ever eaten, with three layers of pure chocolate delight."
"You three must be counting down the days," Dan remarked idly as they all followed Mart's advice and made short work of their slices of cake. He looked at each girl in turn, finding it hard to believe that they were ready to join the ranks of high school graduates. "It won't be long until all of the Bob-Whites have graduated and no longer frequent the hallowed halls of Sleepyside Junior-Senior High."
"Hallowed halls?" Honey teased him, aiming her fork in his direction."We can all tell who you have been rooming with this past year. That's a Mart word if I have ever heard one."
Trixie leaned her chin on her hands, stars in her eyes at the thought of finally leaving her high school years behind. The next few weeks promised to be some of the best of her life. That final hurdle was in sight and she couldn't wait to reach it. "It is hard to believe that graduation is practically around the corner. I, for one, won't miss those halls, hallowed or not, one bit, and certainly not the classrooms. It'll be a relief to finally say goodbye to it." She meant it. Socializing with her friends had been the best part of high school. She could have done without the schooling aspect of it. Who needed homework? Not her. She still truly believed it was an instrument of torture instead of an established learning tool.
"I agree with you completely, Trix," Di said fiercely, forgetting about the noise. "These last weeks have to be the toughest, though. It seems so hard to stay focused on school work with the end so near. Senioritus started for me the second we got the first hint of spring weather, back in early April. It doesn't help that the teachers all seem to be assigning the hardest assignments right now, too. It's happened to all three of us," she told the boys seriously.
"I'm going to miss it," Honey broke in suddenly and with feeling. She was excited about the next part of her life starting but was a little melancholy about the ending of her high school experience. She had enjoyed every minute of it, from the start of her freshman year to the dwindling time remaining, and was a little forlorn that it was all coming to an end. It had been so much better than her boarding school experiences. She had finally found a wonderful group that she belonged to, truly and completely, and she couldn't have asked for a better set of friends. "This was the first school I ever attended that actually felt like a school to me. You have no idea how awful the boarding school was for me. Plus I got to go there with the most amazing friends possible. I am going to miss it!"
A small silence descended over the group. Trixie remembered the shy, almost sickly girl she had met, that fateful summer so long ago. It had brought two very important people into her life. It was hard to believe that the Honey sitting next to her was the same girl. She captured Honey's hand in hers and held on tightly to her best friend, smiling warmly at her. "I don't think I'll ever miss school, Honey, but I know I'll always remember the times we spent together."
"Now you're going to make me cry," Di cried out, feeling the moisture starting to gather in her eyes and making the three men look at each other in comical dismay.
"Enough of that!" Mart ordered strongly, speaking for all of the males present. He didn't like the sight of tears and wouldn't allow it on their picnic. "We can save all of this melodrama for your graduation day. No need for a rehearsal, ladies. You can share your memories and emotions with each other at a later date, preferably when us men-folk are not present."
"And, unless I miss my guess, we're going to get another type of waterworks very soon." Jim eyed the sky that was now completely gray, with the blue hidden from sight. The cool air almost smelled of the forthcoming rain. He stood up from his seat and started clearing his spot. "Call me crazy but I think it would be a good idea to clean up. Now."
They all started in motion, heeding Jim's words, and making quick work of cleaning up the remains of their picnic. The food was packed up, empty containers were placed back in the coolers, and the trash was bagged up. Then the group of six looked at one another, not really wanting their time to end but knowing that each one had responsibilities that were waiting for them, as well as the promise of a spring rainstorm rolling in momentarily. Still, no one wanted to be the first to say goodbye.
"You know, I have a great idea!" Honey exclaimed before everyone went their separate ways. She was still feeling sentimental and didn't want to leave. Her friends meant the world to her. "Why don't we set aside time on each Sunday to get together during the summer? I know Mart, Dan and Jim won't be working on Sundays." She stared at Trixie and Di, who were scheduled for weekend work. "We will but we can easily schedule a get-together around our schedules. It won't be that difficult, really. We could have picnics or cookouts or just get together to watch a movie or go swimming here in the lake. Anything. I don't care what we do as long as we spend time together. I don't want the summer going by without us seeing each other as much as possible." Her eyes pleaded with everyone to agree with her.
"That is a terrific idea, Honey," Di agreed immediately. She shivered and pulled her hood over her dark hair. "We can rotate houses or meeting places and catch up on each other's week." She clasped her hands together, a beautiful smile adorning her face, and felt that the matter was settled. "I second the motion made by Miss Wheeler."
"We can start next Sunday," Mart said enthusiastically. "Brian will be back by then and we'll actually have our entire club together, in the exact same spot. It's been a long time since we've been that lucky." He rubbed his full stomach. "I also vote that we always have food at our gatherings."
Everyone laughed at Mart. Trixie caught a forgotten soda can that had rolled under the picnic table out of the corner of her eye and went back to pick it up. As she reached down to get it, she suddenly got that odd sensation that continued to plague her again. Like an animal sensing oncoming danger, she lifted her head, eyes narrowed, and looked for the source, her body as still as a statue. It was disconcerting, especially when she couldn't see anything unusual, just like the other times. Maybe it was Di's talk earlier about an odd noise near the clubhouse that had brought on the feeling this time, she thought to herself as she broke her frozen stance and moved quickly back towards the group of friends, sidling up as close to Jim as she could get without being too obvious. She immediately felt safe and protected and did her best to ignore the uneasiness that was threatening to swamp her. She was beginning to despise these sensations with a vengeance and fervently wished she could find the reason behind them or that they would stop.
Not knowing the state of the tumultuous thoughts tumbling around in her mind, Jim gave her his lopsided grin. Before he even knew of his intentions, he brought his hand and lightly rubbed it over her back, leaving his hand to rest on her waist. He wasn't one to question why she had the sudden need to get close to him but he wasn't going to argue with it. He was merely glad to appreciate it and hoped she felt the same way.
Honey and Dan caught the brief interplay and exchanged amused glances. Di hadn't, more concerned about how she was going to get home without getting soaked. Walking wasn't an option now. "Is anyone willing to give me a ride back to my house? My mom dropped me off on her way into town today. I told her that I would either walk home or get someone to drive me." She pointed to the ominous sky. "I don't think that walking is going to be an option."
Mart was overly enthusiastic in response, his words practically tripping over themselves in his effort to get them out before someone else offered. "Of course, Di. You can consider me your chauffeur, Miss Lynch." He bowed lowly towards her and offered her his arm, which she took without a moment's hesitation. Then he waved his free arm with a flourish and added, "Allow me to lead you home." They started towards Crabapple Farm, her soft giggles floating back to the remaining group, her arm still in the crook of his, and his free arm wheeling his cooler behind him.
"Well, I'll see all of you later. Thanks for a wonderful time." Normally Trixie would have dallied a bit but not today. All she knew was that she didn't want to be left alone on the path. It had never bothered her before but she decided then and there that she wouldn't be walking anywhere by herself, not until these odd sensations ceased to exist. She couldn't quite shake the feeling of apprehension, no matter how hard she tried. She sent a wave to her friends, gave one last long look towards Jim, and then hurried to catch up with Mart and Di.
