Exaltation (Insight #11)(13)



Both River and Ash kicked Raven under the table at the same time. Welcome to the twilight zone, was the common thought they had running through their mind. They often teased Emery that she should hook up with Jamison and enjoyed the flushed look they would get in response. This was the most they had ever seen them touch.

“We were just going over some test scores with Miss Sabien,” LaDay said.

Jamison nodded. “I was impressed with how high they were.”

LaDay cleared his throat. “Well, of course. They were excellent, but you see—”

Jamison interrupted. “I mean how lucky can one man be. Beautiful girls, a beautiful woman, and brilliance surrounding me from all sides. They’re only seventeen and will have college credits this year. Genius. Wish I could take all the credit for that,” he said with another wink at Miss Emery, which made her turn scarlet red and the girls crack an astonished smirk.

“Right, of course, and the college credits are the reason we are here today.”

Jamison let a sly smile come to him as his fingertips slowly moved in circles on Emery’s bare shoulder. He was trying to calm her but that clearly wasn’t working. He could feel her tensing under his touch. “Oh, so you have discovered what the girls were regrettably telling you silently.”

“Silently?” LaDay repeated.

“Yes, of course, silently. You see, these girls are just like Emery. They crave knowledge.” His eyes met hers. “Can’t quite get enough of the wealth of it.”

Emery’s lips parted in a shy smile.

Jamison glanced back to the principal. “Obviously the girls thought six periods of superior education was not enough, so they turned six classes into eighteen. I understand it would have been wiser for them to openly speak their desires, but they tend to be shy when they come to a new school. Thankfully, you caught it before they earned any credits this way.”

LaDay hesitated before he spoke again, clearly feeling intimidated by Jamison. “Four weeks is a long period. Mr. BellaRose, this is still a serious infraction on their part.”

“Well, then. I suppose you can utilize the test you gave them, without notifying myself or Miss Sabien, to give them credit for the work they have done. Those tests reflect their comprehension. The girls will ensure that they attend the right courses from this point forward.”

“Raven is already four weeks behind on a research paper for my course, a course she has only attended three times,” Duncan chimed in, clearly appalled that LaDay was buying this excuse.

Jamison cracked a cold smile. “I doubt that. There’s research material all over my home. She’s completing the work for your class. She’s simply not attending your lectures or taking your exams. If it would appease you, she could retake all of the tests she’s missed.”

“How many exams are there?” LaDay asked.

“None thus far,” Duncan stated in a flustered tone.

Jamison withdrew his arm from around Emery and leaned forward, folding his arms before him on the table, a stance that made him look downright lethal in that suit of his. His carefree smile was gone. “My daughter missed no exams for your course, has completed all the work for your course…and you have singled her out. Why is that, Mr. Newberry?”

He never answered, so LaDay decided to do so for him. “He has no reason to single her out. He just happened to notice she wasn’t in his class.”

“I certainly hope that is the only reason.” Jamison glanced at the girls. “Is there a reason I’m missing here?”

“Prickles,” River said, as if the word had been trying to explode out of her since ‘Mr. Berries’ had walked in the room.

Emery’s eyes went a bit wider—Jamison’s jaw flinched and oddly the temperature dropped a degree or two in the room. That always happened when a protective anger came over Jamison.

Prickles was a childhood word the twins had often used. It basically meant bad mojo. Raven never claimed to feel them but surely listened to the twins if they told her to go down a different path when they felt them.

Raven fidgeted with her hands and cast her glance down. River hadn’t told her that was why she and Ash were all for this switch up with their classes. Each time they felt those before it was bad, it was bad when they felt those about boys and it was definitely bad when the weatherman agreed with them. Distressing things happened to the girls when the weather changed without warning.

When they were twelve the twins had a wicked case of the prickles. That year three hurricanes threatened their town. The details of what went down during those storms were lost on the girls, all they knew was they woke with a bad headache and were exhausted…and for a good while dared to glance over their shoulder for an unseen enemy.

When Raven was sixteen the twins had strep so she went skating on her own that weekend. Raven called to ask if it was okay to get a ride home with a friend, said that she wanted to go home early. Emery agreed, thinking it would be good to have her home. She had felt off all night and wanted all the girls in one place.

Then, not even thirty minutes later, River and Ash woke and took off running down the street. Emery called Jamison in a panic. Thankfully, he got there in time to pull Raven from the car that had wrecked and burst into flames. The boy with her had vanished.

“Excuse me?” LaDay said.

“Pringles. She’s hungry,” Emery said quickly, as she tossed a harsh look at Duncan, wondering what the hell he was up to. It had to be sinister for her daughter to utter their trigger word. River never exaggerated anything, ever.

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