Flashes - Chapter 7

FLASHES - CHAPTER 7
Now that Freckle Boy knows I’m really psychic, he’ll tell everyone, and all of the Trinity stuff will go away. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Well, right about one thing. Freckle Boy did tell everyone about my vision of Trinity tripping yesterday afternoon.

And this morning, Trinity and the clones are striking back with a full-scale smear campaign.

“She’s a witch,” a clone says as I walk to my locker. She’s using one of those stage whisper voices, so it seems like she telling a secret, but really she wants me to hear. Great. Not that this is a complete surprise, but I was kind of hoping the drama with Trinity was over. “She used black magic to make Trinity trip yesterday.”

I laugh out loud. That’s the best they could come up with? What is this Salem, Massachusetts?

“Ooo. Listen to the witch cackle,” another clone hisses.

“Okay, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” I say. “Couldn’t you have at least come up with something creative? I mean we’re art students here. You’re supposed to be creative.”

The clones are not amused. They storm off. Probably reporting back to the hive queen.

“So I hear you live in a creepy old Victorian with your grandma,” Cameron says at lunch. He has this dopey lopsided grin when he talks. “One of Trinity’s followers told me it’s proof you’re a witch.”

“Everyone in my neighborhood lives in a Victorian,” I say. I’m assuming his smile means he’s joking, but you never know. FYI he’s eating two pieces of plain bread together like a sandwich for lunch. I hope that doesn’t mean he’s stuffed lunch meat under the table again.

“I sleep in the attic bedroom in my house,” Abbey says to him. “Does that make me a witch too?”

“Probably,” Cameron laughs. “But don’t take my word for it, you’ll have to check with Trinity if you want to know what to think. She like’s to be in control of what people think.”

“No kidding,” Abbey laughs. Cameron takes another bite of his bread and does his lopsided grin again while he chews. He has this one cute dimple that pops up every time he chews. It’s a little distracting. Bite. Dimple. Bite. Dimple.

“So what clubs are you joining?” Abbey asks. I tear my eyes away from Cameron’s chewing. All school clubs start up this week. It’s the only thing people are talking about, aside from me and Trinity, that is. To be honest though, I haven’t really looked at any of them too seriously.

“I don’t know. Which ever one Trinity isn’t in,” I mumble.

“Okay. Well, I’m going to the Earth Crusaders meeting after school today,” she says. “Do you want to come with me?”

“I can guarantee Trinity won’t be in that club,” Cameron cuts in with his mouth full of apple, “She doesn’t like anything that has to do with the outdoors.”

That settles it for me.

The Earth Crusaders club is headed by a sculpture teacher, Ms. Leslie, who wears only organic cotton clothing. No really, she told us that, like it’s a big deal. She paces back and forth in front of the room while she gives a little speech about how the point of this club is to make the world a healthier place for all living things.

“I’m not just talking about people and animals,” she says. “Trees and rivers are living things too.”

I’ve never really thought of rivers as living things before. I like that. I’ll have to paint a ‘living river’ someday.

“As part of this club, you’ll be expected to do one thing every week to better the Earth and her inhabitants.”

I can get into this. Even if the club is led by a teacher who keeps referring to the planet as “our mother Earth.” I even have an idea already for the first thing I’m going to do too.

I’m about to tell Abbey my idea, when Cameron accidentally bumps into my arm while we’re walking out of the classroom. Just like that, I see the lightning flash.

It’s the Frankenstein vision. Again. How weird.

“You will never guess what I just had a flash of,” I tell Abbey. “Cameron as Frankenstein.”

“You mean you saw him dressed up in a costume?”

“Nope. I saw him as the monster getting electrocuted to life by Dr. Frankenstein.” Then I add, “but I’m thinking this one may not come true.”

“Oh yeah, you’re psychic alright,” she laughs.