A/N: Sorry it took a little longer than usual for me to update. I really wanted to pre-write and figure out where I was going with this fic. I'm excited because I think I finally have all of my major plot down. It's a lot too! And I can't wait to write it! It's totally different than my original idea! YAY!!! I hope you guys enjoy!
CHAPTER 11:
The Adorned Heiress
The fading days of summer slowly gave way to the crisper ones of September as senior year rapidly made its approach, the school year starting on a Tuesday and not Monday which was Labor Day. Sunlight was getting shorter and in turn, parties at the Dells were getting longer, much to many parents' (and the police's) disappointments.
It was now mid-afternoon, the Sunday before school started, and Sheila could be seen running frantically towards the Provost's office.
She quickly glanced at her watch.
"Shit! I'm already late!" 'I feel like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.' Chuckling to herself, she came to an abrupt halt at the end of the long administrator's hallway. She threw a quick "Hello" at the secretary carefully shuffling papers at the front desk and continued down the hall at her hasty speed.
Turning the corner, Sheila let out a tiny cry as she ran into someone who was exiting the Provost's office.
"Oomph." The person fell back, hitting the now closed door, the contents of the files he was holding spilling to the carpeted floor.
"Here, let me help you." Sheila crouched down next to the boy, shifting the papers into haphazard piles on the floor.
The boy picked them up, sighing, and stood, dusting off his dark, grey peacoat. He looked at her, a smile blooming across his somber features. "Hello again." He held out a hand.
Sheila took the boy's offered hand and allowed herself to be pulled into a standing position. She adjusted her Argylesweater, tucking a strand of hair that had come loose from her braid behind her ear. "Hello..."
A beat of silence. He cleared his throat. "How's the hand?"
She held it up and flexed it. "No longer swollen." She eyeballed him, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "And yourself...?"
Chase's mouth twitched. "Let's just say the ice pack came in handy..."
She nodded, drumming her fingers on the side of her thigh. "I bet it did..."
He laughed then, the husky sound sending a rush of heat to Sheila's stomach. "You're very blunt, aren't you?"
She joined in his laughter. "Generally, yes, I am. But why hold things back? I feel there's no room for secrets amongst friends..." She paused. "Or potential friends..."
He shifted the files to his left hand and held out the other. "Chase Collins."
She shook his hand cautiously, a playful smirk forming on her face, before she squeezed his hand and flipped his wrist to face her. She glanced at his watch and tapped the glass face deliberately hard. "And I'm late..." She pushed past him. "So if you'll excuse me..."
Chase scoffed. "What about all that stuff about no room for secrets amongst friends?"
She threw a look over her shoulder, an eyebrow quirked. "Or potential friends... Don't forget that part."
"Well I think I qualify as a potential."
"You do, do you?" Chase nodded and Sheila's grin widened. "After that little episode last night, I don't think you have much potential at all..."
Chase threw his hands up. "Oh come on. You can't hold that against me forever."
Sheila shook her head. "No... But my secrets, even my name, I can..." She almost laughed at his fish like expression, his mouth opening and closing several times. "Have a nice day, Mr. Chase Collins..."
And with that, she opened the door and disappeared into the Provost's office, leaving Chase alone in the hallway. "What a bitch." He shook his head in silent mirth, shuffling the files thoughtfully in his grasp. 'I like it...'
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Sheila burst through the office door, out of breath. "Provost Higgins!" She paused and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had a long night and slept in late."
Sheila wouldn't actually describe her and Kate's movie watching, girly giggling at all the shirtless guys and 500 plus sexual positions in the back issues of Cosmo magazines, getting 'chip-faced' on double, double chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream as a "long night".
It was, for lack of a better word, fun. And very interesting.
Not only did Sheila learn that Kate could fit her whole fist in her mouth, but that her and Pogue still haven't had sex and she was head over heels in love (if not, obsessed...) with Brad Pitt.
Kate found out that Sheila hated peas, didn't plan on going to Harvard (like every other person here at Spenser), and loved astronomy because, while studying it with her father, those moments were the only peace that was ever registered between the two.
Provost William Higgins smiled at her, his eyes catching the faint light of his desktop lamp as he gestured towards a seat. Sheila immediately accepted and plopped down in front of his desk, lazily fanning herself with one hand.
"It's quite alright, Sheila. Adjusting to anything new is difficult." Sheila smiled. William leaned back in his chair, lacing his hands together where they rested on his lap. "Now, tell me, how are things progressing with you and the people here at Spenser? Making any friends?"
Sheila shrugged. "Everything's great, I suppose." She blew air threw her lips, making a flapping noise, and slowly lowered her head onto the edge of his desk, moisture prickling the edges of her blue eyes. "I mean, I'm used to the stares..." She caught a falling tear on her lip and quickly licked it away. "... The whispers... And the rumors of you and my father don't help much either..." She paused. "But I'm dealing."
The older man, whose chin was wrinkled in layers of fat, sighed. "I heard about the incident between you and Keira Daniels." Sheila rolled her eyes and a small smile spread on William's face. "Now is that the way to start a new school year?"
"The school year technically hasn't started yet..." She mumbled, fiddling with the ink pens in his little, metal cup on the corner of his desk.
"Is something wrong, Miss Lamont?"
She cheesed him a huge smile and gave him a thumbs-up. "No. I'm great, Provost. Everything is going smoothly."
He stared at her and she could feel his pale grey eyes burning into the top of her head. "I'm under the impression that you are lying to me."
Sheila grunted. 'That's because I am...'
"It's the dreams again, isn't it?"
Sheila nodded, pushing herself upright and leaned uncomfortably into her chair. "It's not just that, William."
"Tell me."
She took a deep breath and averted her gaze to the tree standing outside his office window. "I feel helpless when it comes to my Powers..." The Provost nodded and she continued. "But only sometimes, like when my emotions get extreme."
"Extreme? How? When you're angry?"
"Yeah. Angry and..."
William picked up a candy dish full of small, yellow round things and popped one in his mouth. "Lemon drop?" He held out the bowl towards her and she shook her head. "Angry and what?"
"I'm half succubus, Provost, doesn't that at least hint at anything?" He shrugged and she growled in frustration. "Horny!" Her face flushed in embarrassment when she saw the man's eyes widen. "It only happens when I'm angry or... turned on..."
William stifled a laugh with a cough. "Does this happen a lot?"
"No. I get stressed out the same as any teenager going to high school." She waved her hand dismissively in the air. "Just when I get really angry. Like the thing with Keira."
"And the other thing?"
She looked at him, a grin itching to form on her face. "I'm a succubus, William. To males, especially teenage ones, I ooze sex..."
Though he would never admit it out loud, being in her presence always made William feel uncomfortable, like at any minute the cops could burst in and arrest him for the thoughts that flew through his head anytime she was around.
They were inappropriate he knew.
He also knew that they weren't his fault.
They came because she was part succubus... a female sex demon... Gorman had told him it would happen more often since this was the year of her Ascension, but it still made William feel dirty... vile... and he hated himself for it. For every sexual image that reeled through his mind.
William shook his head. "You said it feels like you can't control your Power when this happens. Describe that for me."
Sheila licked her lips. "It's like I'm not even in my own body. Like the other half, the incubus, is trying to escape. The Power engulfs me and I almost feel like I'm drowning. Stifled, you know? And the only way to save myself is to find release from my frustrations." She lowered her voice. "Whether it be punching some bitch in the face or getting off..."
"And has it ever gotten to that point? Where you've, uh, released?"
"Yeah, Keira, remember?" He raised his eyebrows at her, prompting her to continue. "But sexually no, never, you know that. And you know why too."
He nodded. "I do."
They sat in silence for a moment before William stood and moved swiftly to a corner of his office behind her. She watched his movements, curious, as he picked up a huge post office box. She glanced her name scribbled on the side as he set it on his desk with a loud thud.
"The real reason you're here." He patted the box and looked at her. "We've been working on settling your dad's estate for some time now-" She nodded. "-and I am happy to tell you that it's finished. The lawyers have sifted through his Will and everything he left to you came in today, express." He drummed his fingers on the lid of the cardboard box.
She stood. "And?"
William seemed to be lost in thought. "Hmm? Oh and here it is." He scooted the box towards her and she pulled it closer with shaky hands, removing the lid. They both leaned over the edge of the box, peering in.
"This is all? Nothing more?"
He shook his head. "Afraid not. This is all it said."
Sheila's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand..."
Her father was a wealthy man.
Mansions across the country...
Luxury cars people couldn't afford with their lifetime earnings...
A private jet...
She reached inside the box, full of nothing but papers and manila envelopes filled with family pictures, more likely, and pulled out a tattered leather bound journal. It's pages yellowing and the letters 'J.L.D. III' etched into the front. She ran her fingers across the gilded initials, shaking her head, and looked at the Provost.
"J. L. D. the third." She read aloud. "This doesn't make sense. My father's name was Marcus Lamont." She threw the book back into the box unceremoniously. "I really don't understand. There must be some kind of mistake."
William walked around the desk and draped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close, in a fatherly manner. He patted her back. "I know, but this was what it said in his Will." He pulled back and looked at her. "The lawyers said they found them at your father's country estate. The one in Maine. Said they were hidden away in some wall safe." He sighed. "Look, I know it's not what you expected, but your father left these to you for a reason and whatever it is or was, you need to accept that fact." He stared into her eyes and saw a ripple of Power skid across the surface. "This box could contain your future..."
Sheila nodded, defeat etched on her frowning features. "I know..." She took a step back and wrapped her arms around her waist with a sigh. "My dad always did like a good mystery..."
William smiled, holding up a finger. "But wait, Sherlock, there's more." He reached into his suit pocket, pulling out a small velvet box. "He also left you this. It's not a key to one of his Ferraris, but I'm sure it'll do. "
She took it from his hands, hesitantly, and opened it. It was a locket. The silver tarnished, but still beautiful, the small round pendant glinting in the harsh office light. She used only her pointer finger to pick it up, hooking it through the tiny linked chain. Sheila watched it as it spun circles in the air between her and William, the curlicue letters "A" and "J" etched on opposing sides of the pendant.
She squinted her eyes curiously at it. It smelled of magic. She could feel it pulsating into her hand although she was only touching a minute surface of the chain.
It was VERY powerful...
"Open it up. See if there's a picture."
Sheila looked at the Provost, almost forgetting that he was in the room, and opened her mouth to protest, but his gentle smile changed her mind. She lay the pendant gently in her hand, feeling the cool weight of it in her palm, and ran a finger lightly across the sullied surface. Then, placing the tip of her tongue between her teeth, forcefully nudged her thumbnails into the tiny crevice between the pendant halves and pulled.
Nothing happened.
She tried again, this time harder, and still it didn't open.
She gave up, shrugging her shoulders in frustration. "It's stuck or something." A look of disappointment seemed to fleet across William's face and Sheila furrowed her eyebrows, but the look disappeared almost as fast as it had come. 'My imagination seems to be running away with me again.' "Here." She held out her hand. "You try."
The Provost's eyes latched onto the locket, widening in fear. "Oh no." He held up his hands, letting out a nervous laugh. "I'd probably just break it."
Sheila shrugged, dropping it back into its velvet box, and shoved it into her fleece jacket pocket. "Anything else?"
"Yes." He held up a finger like he had just made some huge scientific discovery. "The release form must be signed or you don't get any of this stuff."
"Who said I wanted it in the first place..." She mumbled, clapping her mouth shut when he shot her a pointed look. She put on an innocent smile. "I was only joking. Where are the papers?"
He pulled them from his back pocket and slid them across the desk, grabbing a pen from his holder. "Here."
She took the pen with a huff and leaned over the legal document, scrawling her name in cursive on the marked line. "There." She dotted her 'I' and nearly dropped the pen when she felt a surge of magic encompass her hand. She let out a gasp, the room spinning for a moment before her eyes settled on William, his face twisted in concern.
He touched a hand to her shoulder. "You okay?"
She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. 'What is wrong with me? Why do I keep feeling these things...?'
Her eyes fluttered open and she put on a tiny smile. "Well thank you so much, William." She hugged him and the older man took a step back in surprise before wrapping his huge, meaty arms around her petite frame. "For this-" She gestured to the box still sitting undisturbed on his desk. "-and-" She paused, her eyes glistening with tears. "-everything... My father couldn't have picked a better man to take care of me."
William leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Your welcome. I have never experienced anything that you have on such a level, but I do know that it takes a special kind of courage to get over what we go through." He gave her another squeeze. "And you, my dear, are very brave..."
Sheila pulled herself from his grasp, laughing, and wiping tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I get so emotional sometimes."
The Provost shrugged, grinning. "At least you didn't punch me in the face."
She laughed, playfully slapping his arm, and the sound warmed his heart. It was so nice to see her smile, a true smile, after all she had been through.
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He had found her in the woods after a day of fishing with his wife, Sheila's Mustang sitting undisturbed on the side of the road, but it was the smoke from the SUV that had caught his attention first. He found her not too far from the wreck, bruised, rivers of blood flowing from her abdomen where a thick tree branch had impaled her.
A hand to his mouth, he thought her dead. Then he heard her groan and rushed to her side, cell phone being pulled from his slacks pocket as he descended the embankment, his wife standing wide eyed in terror at the image before her. The ambulance from Gloucester arrived within minutes, strapping her limp, pale body to a gurney as the police searched the area for the others.
Her father and the unknown couple they could not save...
All three deaths were announced undetermined at their autopsies...
Marcus' Will was taken into legal custody by his family's lawyers...
Sheila's adoption papers were signed shortly after...
The boy in the woods was never found although Sheila insisted with utmost determination that he existed...
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William shook his head, breaking the reverie. "Well I shouldn't keep you. School starts Tuesday so I'm sure you have some supply shopping to do or something."
"I do. I'm actually meeting Kate in town right after this. Thank God for Labor Day falling on a Monday this year, huh?" She replaced the lid on the box and hefted it from the oak desktop with a grunt. She grinned. "Three day weekends are great..."
She was halfway out the door when he spoke.
"You should come by the house sometime and visit. Miranda really misses you."
She threw a smile over her shoulder. "Tell her to make that delicious lasagna of hers and it's a deal."
William chuckled with a nod.
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Sheila stared at the unturned keys in her Mustang's ignition, letting her hand fall to her lap with a tiny sigh. She turned to stare at the box that William said could contain her future, but instead held nothing but forgotten memories and some ratty journals and legal documents.
She drummed her fingers thoughtfully on her thigh, biting her lip to prevent herself from crying.
Or screaming.
She closed her eyes for a moment, slowly counting to one hundred between deep breaths, then opened them again, angrier than she previously was.
Without thought or effort, she punched the side of the box with a grunt. Then picked it up, throwing it against the passenger door where it fell onto the floor, lopsided, the contents spilling out, staring emotionlessly back at her.
Almost as if they were mocking her.
'...What am I supposed to do now?... I was counting on that money...'
She took a deep, uncertain breath, pulling the locket box from her jacket pocket and gazed at it for a beat. Sheila snickered, sticking her tongue out at it, and threw it on the floor with the rest of her unwanted belongings.
Sheila banged her steering wheel with open palms. "Damn it!" She fell back onto her leather seat, out of breath, and put her head in hands, finally letting almost 2 months worth of sobs wrack her still shaking body.
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Chase's SUV sat across the student parking lot as he watched Sheila weep, a look of complete sympathy on his usually malevolent face.
A/N: Whoo! That was a long one! You got to peek into Sheila's past a bit and kind see what went down after the accident that day her father died... I hope it was worth the wait! Is Chase stalking Sheila now?... Coming up next, Sheila and Caleb fluff (finally!). Please review!