Tales from The Carriage House: Chapter 3

 

The young girl sat with her mother in the bleachers, her shoulders slumped, gazing out over the floor of the auditorium.  She sighed, fingering the silver medal hanging from the ribbon around her neck and said, “I can’t believe I lost to Greg Compton.  Just because he drank the water from distilling his own pee is no reason for him to win.”  She turned to her mother.  “Don’t you think the effect of global warming on the population of butterflies is more important?”

Her mother hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.  Just as she was about to answer, a smartly dressed woman approached with a smile.  “Are you Tess Wilford?” the woman asked warmly, handing Tess a business card.  “My name is Romy Devereaux.  Do you and your mother have a few moments to talk?”

Tess examined the card, her eyes opening wide.  “You’re a lawyer?” she asked nervously.  “I swear, all my work was my own.”

Devereaux shook her head reassuringly, “Oh, I’m not here for anything like that.” Smiling, she pulled a folder from her bag.  “Actually, I’m here to offer you a scholarship.” 

Tess blinked.  “Me?”

The lawyer nodded and looked over her notes as her mother took the folder, “You skipped a grade from elementary to middle school and skipped again going into high school.  You’re in the top one percent of your class, you’ve scored very high in all your aptitude tests, you’re respected and liked by all your teachers, and…” Devereaux’s eyes smiled as she looked up at Tess, “It looks like you just won a medal in the State Science competition.”

With a crooked smile, Tess intoned, “Behind a guy who drank his own pee.”

Mrs. Wilford froze in place as she looked through the packet.  “This…this is a fully paid, four-year scholarship!”

Devereaux responded with a smile.  “There are a few stipulations, of course.  Tess has to maintain good grades…”  Her mother nodded, a stunned look on her face.  “And she has to create a community outreach or charitable program.”

Tess and her mom sat in quiet disbelief until the mother whispered, “How does this happen?”

The lawyer gently placed her hand on her arm, “The Guillory Corporation invests in people, and the future.” She paused.  “Oh, I almost forgot…”  She reached into her bag and pulled out a small envelope, “A message for Tess from Charlotte Guillory.”

Tess carefully unfolded the note from the envelope.  The handwritten message read, “Go forth!  Be brave!  Destiny awaits!”

 

After graduating from high school, Tess was safely ensconced at the Carriage House.  Since she was a minor, there were several security protocols put into place to allow her to attend college on her own.  The renovated residence was tucked toward the back of the Sterling estate, giving her both security and independence, under Phoebe’s watchful eye of course.  A cell phone with a tracking device and panic button, gave Tess and her mother more confidence about her safety.

College life was challenging, and living by herself added an extra layer of stress.  Still, Tess was determined to spread her wings and one afternoon decided to take a city bus to the Botanical Gardens.  It didn’t take her long to realize she had boarded the wrong bus, and with panic rising in her chest, she stepped off at the next stop.  In an unfamiliar part of town and with darkness falling, Tess, her hands shaking, reached for her phone and called the number that was simply listed as Help.

“Exchange,” a steady voice answered.

“This is Tess Wilford -” she stammered.

“Are you in danger?”

“No, but I’m lost and… a little scared,” Tess glanced around nervously, her free arm hugging herself.  “I took the wrong bus and panicked, so I got off, and now I’m…”

“Tess,” the speaker said reassuringly, “I’ve got your location, and I’ll have someone there in-” there was the clicking of a computer keyboard, “-less than ten minutes.”

“I was told to call this number if I ever had problems.  I didn’t know who else to call,” her voice was shaking.

“You did the right thing, Tess.” The voice was warm and comforting.  “I’m going to stay on the line with you until…Adam…arrives.”

Tess repeated, “Adam…”

“That’s correct.  He will be driving a black SUV, wearing jeans and a black leather jacket.  He’s going to ask if you’re Tess, and you’re going to reply, one, one.”

“One, one.”

“Perfect, just like that, Tess.  Then he is going to ask you to authenticate and you’re going to say a code word.  What would you like that word to be?”

She thought hard for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, “Caterpillar.”

“You’re doing great,” the voice said gently.  “Adam should be there in a few seconds.”

A pair of headlights appeared from around the corner, and a moment later, a black SUV stopped a few yards away.  A tall man stepped from the vehicle, dressed in jeans and a black jacket, as promised.  He took a quick look up and down the street before his eyes settled on Tess, and in a clear steady voice asked, “Are you Tess?”

She clutched the phone, her voice shaky, “One, one.”

The man nodded with a smile, “Authenticate.”

Relief washed over her.  “Caterpillar,” she replied.

He opened the car door and extended his hand, “I’m Adam.  Let’s get you home.”

She settled into the back seat, leaned against the headrest, and spoke into her phone.  “Thank you so much,” she murmured.

“You’re welcome, Tess.”  The comforting voice from the Exchange paused for a moment then said quietly, “Have a safe trip.  End call.”

Adam turned and smiled at Tess.  “Buckle up.” He started the car and began the journey home.

Finally, Tess was able to relax, knowing that she would be back at the carriage house in a few minutes.  She looked at Adam in the rearview mirror and said, “This adulting stuff is har-”

Her sentence never finished.  There was a blinding rush of headlights, the screaming of tires on the pavement, and the sudden, sickening, sideways lurch from a pickup truck running through the intersection.  Glass exploded, and the sound of the violent ripping of metal tore through her as the SUV crumpled from the impact.

The silence that followed smothered her, until she finally remembered to breathe, taking in a ragged gulp of air.  Something wasn’t right.  There was a taste of blood in her mouth.  Her chest hurt where the seatbelt held her.  She slowly shook her head to clear her thoughts, but it only made the pounding worse.  Confused, she turned toward Adam, questions forming on her lips …but the front of the car was… gone.

Tess blinked once, then twice.  Suddenly, the realization of what had happened swept over her.  Her voice was small, calling out, “Adam?” Fingers fumbling, she unfastened her seatbelt, then slid from the seat, collapsing to her knees on the street.  Several feet in front of her lay the crumpled form of the driver. 

“Adam?” Her voice cracked as she stumbled over to him.  A gash on his neck pulsed slowly, a dark pool of blood forming beneath his head.  His eyes were open, unseeing, staring blankly into the night sky.

“Adam!” Her mind was racing as she knelt next to him, “No, no, no,” she moaned.

Pressure, she remembered.  You’re supposed to put pressure on a cut to stop the bleeding.  Hands shaking, Tess leaned down and pressed her fingers firmly against the wound.  Please don’t die, please don’t die.  Her heart was racing.  With everything that had happened, she felt her strength leaving her, and as she slowly blacked out, all that was left was the wail of the approaching ambulance.

 

A soft beeping slipped into her consciousness.  She wrinkled her brow, trying to focus.  “Where am I?” she murmured.

“Tess?” a calm voice asked.  “You’re in an ambulance.  We’re taking you to the hospital to get you checked out.” 

The soft hum of the tires and the gentle sway of the ambulance helped bring her back.  Tess’s eyes fluttered open to see the warm smile of a young woman sitting to her right.  “I’m Dr. Roberts.  I work for the Exchange.  Can you tell me what happened?”

Tess closed her eyes and tried to remember.  “We were in the car, and someone crashed into us.”  She rubbed her head.  “I tried to find Adam, but he was gone,” her pulse started to race.  “And then I found him, and he was bleeding out.”  She stopped suddenly, her eyes snapping open.  “Where’s Adam?” she cried out.

“I’m right here, Tess,” Adam’s calm voice floated from her other side.

Tess quickly turned her head to see him sitting quietly next to her.  Her voice shook, “You’re okay?”  Incredulous, she turned back to the doctor, “How… how is that possible?”

Dr. Roberts shook her head.  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.  When we got there, there was a large pool of blood under his head.  We thought he had bled out.  You were unconscious, your hand on his neck, but when we looked, well…” 

Adam pulled his bloodstained shirt to the side.  In place of the horrific gash that had been there earlier, now there was a faint discolored line on his neck.  “You did something, Tess.”  His voice was full of wonder and respect, “I was gone.  I was watching from somewhere above and could see you pressing down on my neck, and I heard you say, no, no, no.  Then I was back, and Dr. Roberts was checking us out.”  Adam ran his fingers through his hair.  “I don’t know what you did but thank you.  I’m…okay.”

“I can’t explain it,” the doctor said with a smile, “but I can’t dispute it.”  The ambulance came to a stop, and the doors opened.  “Let’s make sure you’re okay, Tess.”

 

Afterword

After a quiet night under observation, Tess Wilford was released from the hospital with no ill effects nor explanation of the night’s events.

Tess graduated early and for her scholarship project, she created a mobile science lab that crisscrossed rural parts of Texas, bringing microscopes, specimens and hands-on experiments.  She curated her love of butterflies into her lessons and spread the wonder of science in every community she visited.  Afterwards, she would often stop by the local hospitals and clinics to lend a hand, and there were quiet rumors of unexplained healings after she had gone.

Adam experienced no aftereffects of the accident and continued to work for the Exchange.  Nine months after the accident, while on an assignment in Afghanistan, Adam was credited for stopping an attack on a girls’ school, saving the lives of dozens of girls and their teachers.

Dr. Roberts, who had kept in touch with both Tess and Adam, heard about Adam’s heroics and quietly inserted a note into a file.  It read, “Butterfly effect.”