A Dive Into Other Memories
Taking a deep breath, Lisa walked up to the intimidating teacher.
"Professor Snape," Lisa said. "I need to speak with you."
"What is it, Miss Atwood?" Snape asked in his stern way.
"Professor, I believe that Malfoy and several of his friends made and used Polyjuice potion to sneak into my bedroom ransack it and steal my diary!"
"Preposterous," Snape replied, clearly not believing Lisa. "Slytherins would never do such a thing!"
Lisa sighed, this was more or less what she suspected his reaction would be, so she was prepared.
"Before you completely dismiss my claim, Professor Snape, you should know that Dumbledore already knows that my diary has been stolen and that my room was ransacked, now, I am going to tell him about my suspicions concern a certain Slytherin and his friends," Lisa paused to let this sink in then she continued, "Tell me Professor Snape if it comes out that Malfoy is in fact guilty, and that instead of looking into it as soon as you were informed, you completely ignored my story, who's going to have a lot of explaining to do to an angry Dumbledore?"
Snape, though he barely showed it, was shocked and impressed to realize that Lisa had now backed him into a corner.
"Very well, Miss Atwood, you've made your point, I will look into this very thoroughly I assure you." Snape said in his controlled way.
"Thank you, Professor Snape!" Lisa exclaimed, hugging the Potions Master around the shoulders.
Lisa skipped merrily out of the Potions classroom.
Over in the privacy of the Slytherin common room, Malfoy and most of his gang were relaxing.
When Pansy emerged from her dormitory with Lisa's diary in hand.
"Ready for another trip into Little Lisa's memories, Malfoy?" Pansy asked.
"Ready as I will ever be, Pansy." Malfoy answered.
Pansy opened the diary and she and Malfoy took another dive into Lisa's memories.
Within this particular memory, Lisa was in Pine Hollow's tack room.
When Rafael entered.
"Hi, Lisa." Rafael said.
Lisa turned and looked up, "Hey there." she said to Rafael.
"Lisa... my mother and I are moving on tomorrow." Rafael said.
"Oh..." Lisa said.
"It's been really great getting to know you." Rafael said to Lisa.
"Likewise, I realized you weren't going to stay forever, but I didn't think it was going to be this soon." Lisa said to Rafael.
"It's partly because of you." Rafael said to Lisa.
"Me?" Lisa asked Rafael.
"Yeah," Rafael said to Lisa. "I told Mom I wouldn't mind settling down for a year to finish my studies, and she agreed it was a good idea, I was surprised."
"Excellent." Lisa said.
"There's a kind of permanent fair at the new fun park just outside Sweet Water where I'll be able to pick up regular work." Rafael said to Lisa.
"That's great news." Lisa said to Rafael.
"There's only one drawback, really." Rafael said to Lisa gently.
"What's that?" Lisa asked Rafael.
"I'll miss you." Rafael replied to Lisa.
"Same here." Lisa said to Rafael.
"Uh, do you ever get up to Sweet Water?" Rafael asked Lisa.
"Now and then." Lisa answered Rafael.
"Oh, I'll send you my address, be sure to look me up when you do." Rafael said to Lisa.
"I really learned a lot from you, Rafael." Lisa said.
Rafael leaned in and kissed Lisa on the lips.
The scene then shifted to one year later in Pine Hollow's lounge on the the evening of Rafael's seventeenth birthday.
That Saturday, while Desi, Simon, Carole, Liam, Stevie, Phil, Jess, and Melanie were at the musical instrument store, Lisa was busy with making her gift for Rafael.
While Lisa was busy in the lounge, Veronica and Neville were busy making something to soothe Rafael when he drank his tea with his birthday cake.
A few minutes later, the rest of the group came back from the instrument store with the new acoustic guitar and case, they went to their assigned stations.
Carole let Liam borrow Starlight so that he could distract the Romani boy with a good long horseback ride.
Back at Pine Hollow's lounge, Veronica went into the lounge's kitchen.
"Get lost, Veronica!" Carole snapped.
"Agreed," Jess added. "we're starting on Rafael's birthday cake!"
"Hey," Veronica said to Carole and Jess. "all I want to do is to make some hot honey lemon ginseng green tea for our birthday boy!"
"You really want to make hot tea for Rafael for his birthday?" Jess asked Veronica, eying her suspiciously.
"Yes, Jess," Veronica answered. "I do."
Veronica quickly got set to work making Rafael's hot tea as Neville entered with the cube shaped finishing touch that he and Veronica were certain would put an end to Rafael and Lisa's special bond.
"Here's the final touch for that vagabond's tea." Neville said to Veronica, handing her the cube.
"Thank you, Neville." Veronica said, taking the cube from his right hand.
Stevie, Phil, Simon, and Desi saw Veronica put the cube into Rafael's tea cup which immediately dissolved in the liquid of the tea.
"What did you put in Rafael's tea just now, Veronica?" Stevie asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Stevie?" Veronica answered coolly.
"I might not want to know, Veronica, but Lisa might," Stevie answered. "after all, Rafael is her boyfriend!"
Lisa put Rafael's wrapped pendant next to the unwrapped guitar which was in the case, then, she began to wrap the guitar in its case in the same shiny blue wrapping paper that she had used to wrap the ring box she'd used to hold Rafael's amethyst crystal pendant.
"You had better tell me what you put in Rafael's tea, Veronica!" Lisa ordered.
"All in good time, Little Lisa." Neville said.
"Neville's right," Veronica taunted. "all in good time, Little Lisa."
From out of the kitchen window, Jess could see Liam returning to Pine Hollow on the back of Starlight and not too far behind him was Rafael returning to Pine Hollow on the back of Diablo.
Jess knew the code phrase for "Rafael's returning", so she had to use it.
"The Lone Rider's coming this way!" Jess shouted.
"We've got to set up the party! Lisa! The lights," Max called. "Stevie, set up the party treats and gifts! Carole, close the curtains!"
The Saddle Club girls did as instructed.
"Now, we have got to hide!" Desi observed.
"You're right, Desi," Simon agreed. "I can hear footsteps!"
They all hid until they heard the sound of the lounge door opening.
"I'm turning a light on, Rafael." Liam whispered.
"All right, Liam." Rafael whispered back.
Liam flipped the light switch and everyone else jumped out of hiding.
"Surprise," everyone shouted. "happy birthday, Rafael!"
Rafael just rubbed his eyes in surprise, "This is the happiest day of my life! I have such wonderful friends!" he exclaimed.
"You can thank Lisa." Carole said to Rafael.
"Yeah," Stevie said to Rafael. "it was all her idea after all."
Rafael kissed Lisa.
"Thank you, Lisa, my gypsy soul." Rafael said gently.
"You're welcome, Rafael." Lisa said shyly, covering her scarlet red face.
"Excellent! Lisa's blushing!" Stevie teased.
Lisa went out to be alone, she needed to think, so as she watched Diablo jumping trees, Lisa began to sing.
Lisa: I've always thought that men were slime;
And every guy I've met has proved me right;
Until tonight;
Just when I thought I had it figured;
That life's a game you cannot win;
He comes in and changes all the rules;
What I've been taught, I learned the hard way;
That life and love are never just;
And if you trust, you're just one of the fools;
And now I can't believe my heart;
Is saying don't resist him;
That I've been on my guard too long;
I can't believe my heart;
Surrendered when I kissed him;
And told me all I thought I knew;
As sad but true, is wrong;
If life is worth the disappointment;
I hadn't seen one reason yet;
Until I met the boy who smiles for free;
Upon this Earth, there's no one like him;
He sees the girl I long to be;
Making even me believe in me;
And now I can't believe my heart;
Has overcome my senses;
To help me see that he's the prize;
I can't believe my heart;
Says tear down all your fences;
That everything you want and more is right before your eyes;
I can't believe my heart;
Could be so;
Wise.
About an hour later, Lisa returned to Pine Hollow upon Diablo's bare back.
After releasing Diablo to roam free, Lisa went back into the lounge to find Rafael coughing due to a dry throat and shivering because he was cold.
"Rafael, are you cold?" Veronica asked.
"Yes I am, Veronica," Rafael answered. "and I'm thirsty too."
"Here, drink this," Neville said to Rafael, feigning kindness, handing Rafael his teacup which had tainted tea within it. "Veronica and I both know that you and your lovely Lisa are quite fond of honey lemon ginsang green tea."
"It's our favorite tea," Rafael said to Neville, taking the teacup unaware that the tea inside had been tainted. "thank you."
Stevie and Carole saw Rafael raise the cup to his lips.
"No!" Stevie warned Rafael.
"Do not drink that tea, Rafael, it's been tainted!" Carole warned.
Rafael suddenly staggered, he stumbled, his vision blurred.
"What's... going... on... why... do... I... feel... so... exhausted... all... of... a... sudden?" Rafael asked in a dizzy manner.
Lisa rushed to Rafael and barely got him onto the couch.
"Rafael, Rafael!" Lisa cried, tearing up.
Carmina covered Rafael with the saddle blanket that Colonel Hanson sent to Carole from Afghanistan as her helpless looking son lay on the sofa.
Carole checked Rafael's pulse, it was strong and he was breathing.
"Lisa, Lisa," Carole exclaimed, shaking her distraught friend by the shoulders, "Rafael's alive, he's just unconscious!"
Stevie saw Veronica and Neville trying to hide their smirks.
"Veronica! Neville," Stevie growled. "what did you give Rafael?"
"Why, whatever do you mean, Stevie?" Veronica sneered innocently.
"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Neville asked Stevie.
Carole leveled a deadly glare at Veronica and Neville.
Suddenly without warning, Carole struck the corner of the table next to the couch with a downward palm strike so hard that it broke off the corner of the table.
"Don't make us ask twice Veronica and Neville!" Carole warned.
"Veronica and I put Black Ice in the drifter's tea to make him drowsy so we could disconnect his bond with Loser Lisa!" Neville confessed.
"Black Ice?" Max asked Veronica and Neville out of anger.
"What? No!" Deborah screamed.
"Black Ice? Deborah, what is Black Ice?" Stevie asked.
"Black Ice is a man made drug that turns any beverage into a powerful sedative, it is especially dangerous for the Romani people." Deborah explained to Stevie and Carole.
Rafael grabbed Lisa's right hand with his left hand and squeezed hard but gently.
"Hmmm... Li... sa... hmmm..." Rafael called groggily, yawning.
"It's quite all right, Rafael," Lisa sobbed bitterly. "I'm by your side, just like I'll always be."
Rafael yawned and sighed, letting go of Lisa's right hand.
"You two," Andrew Regnery or Drew to his friends said to Neville and Veronica sternly. "in Max's office, now!"
"Yes, Drew." Neville and Veronica sighed.
"I'll be with you in a few minutes, Drew." Max said.
Drew led Veronica and Neville out of the lounge and into Max's office.
Rafael mumbled something in his sleep, Lisa leaned closer to hear.
"Hmmm... Lisa... a... spirit... free... and... beautiful... like... a... Roma... hmmm..." Rafael whispered.
Lisa brushed a teardrop away, "Thank you, Rafael, our souls will always be as one." she said.
Max walked up to Lisa.
"Don't you fret, Lisa," Max said. "I will make sure that Veronica and Neville get what's coming to them."
"Thank you, Max." Lisa said.
That was when Malfoy and Pansy emerged from the pages in Lisa's diary.
"There," Pansy said to Malfoy, closing Lisa's diary. "now we have enough material for our next performance."