The clown missed them, but it had rattled them pretty good.
Now the rest of the audience began to clap. Maria wasn’t sure how to feel.
So she ran—ran to the parking lot, and got into Claire’s car.
Chapter Four
“What the fuck was that?” Tabby said. She and Claire ran through the crowd of amazed onlookers, and Sherlock followed them, barking his head off. Maria had already reached the Kia.
“Unlock the car!”
The Kia chirped, and the locks clicked up. She threw herself into the front seat, pulled the goofy feather hat from the floor, and put it over her face.
Claire and Tabby followed her into the car.
“That was like something from one of my brother’s video games!” Claire said.
“Holy shit. I’ve never seen anything like that, video game or otherwise,” Tabby added.
“Just drive, “ Maria whispered. Through the hat, she noticed the glowing blue light coming off her skin. It reminded her of those weird floating jellyfish things in the movie Avatar. Quickly, she covered up her glowing arm with her other arm, which was not glowing.
The Kia roared as Claire peeled out of the parking lot and onto Britain Boulevard, narrowly missing a Ford truck. The Ford honked. Maria removed the hat from her face and angled her body to hide her lit-up right arm. Out the window, she was able to see Kaylee and her gang crawling out of the small pond on the eighth hole. Their clothes were dripping wet and their hair was plastered to their faces. It made the fear and anger leave Maria. She smiled and then burst out laughing.
“That was awesome!” Tabby said. She held her hand up for a high-five.
Maria was too busy catching the last fleeting glimpses of the soiled Kaylee gang, so Sherlock raised a paw. Tabby gladly took it.
“Seriously though, what the fuck was that?” Claire said. She just made the light through Barney’s Busy Corners. Good thing. Drivers had been known to sit at the intersection for upwards of ten minutes when traffic was really bad.
“I have no idea,” Maria answered.
“Did you glow?” Tabby asked. “I could’ve sworn you glowed.”
“I…I’m not sure,” Maria said. “No. No way.”
You glowed. You always glow, that phantom voice said. This time Maria caught Sherlock’s gaze with it.
“Is that you?” she asked.
“Huh?” Tabby said, looking confusedly back and forth between Maria and the Bloodhound.
Sherlock held Maria’s eyes, and he…nodded.
Holy shit, Maria thought, her jaw dropping.
Tabby snapped her fingers. Click-click. Waved her hand. “Earth to Apple, are you all right? Mariaaaaaa!”
“Yeah, yeah, I guess.”
The night was darker on the road that led to Maria’s house. Clouds covered the moonlight. The air was still; the only sound was the whipping wind from the open windows.
“Well,” Tabby said, “what a fucking night.” She laughed.
“Yeah, now what? Want to watch a scary movie or something?” Claire asked. “If your grandpa will let us have the TV, that is. I’m sure he will…it’s your birthday for like, two more hours.”
Maria didn’t answer. She was staring at Sherlock. Did I just talk to my fucking dog? What the hell is going on with me? First the popcorn and the weird guy watching me in the mall’s parking lot, and now exploding clown heads and glowing blue skin.
“Maria?” Tabby said.
“Uh, yeah…yeah,” Maria replied, snapping out of it.
“Yeah, you want to watch a horror movie? What about Texas Chainsaw Massacre?” Tabby asked. “New or the original?”
“Yuck,” Claire moaned.
Sherlock whined. I don’t like the sounds of those chainsaws. They’re just so…uncouth.
“ ‘Uncouth’? What the hell does that mean?” Maria asked.
“Maria?” Tabby said, “Geez, I think there’s something really wrong with her.” Her hand came out to feel Maria’s head.
Maria blinked and pushed the hand away.
“So new or original?” Tabby asked again.
Claire turned into Maria’s driveway, put the Kia in park, and started rolling the windows up.
“Uh,” Maria stammered, then shook her head. “No, no movie tonight. I’m beat. The early shifts kill me.”
“Aww,” Tabby and Claire said simultaneously.
Thank you, that voice said—that voice that somehow came from Sherlock.
“Yeah, raincheck, guys,” Maria said. She checked that her arms were not glowing before she leaned in and hugged Claire, then over the backseat to hug Tabby. “I had a great birthday. Thank you guys so much.”
“A great weird birthday,” Tabby said.
“It’s the only way,” Maria said, grinning.
She got out and went around to let Sherlock out. He eased his way down—he was old after all. Then Maria headed up to the front door. She was not tired at all. Her body hummed with an odd energy, one completely unexplainable. She opened the front door while hoping to get to the bottom of whatever was happening to her. She was backtracking, thinking about when it all started. But she was unable to pinpoint it. That’s okay. If anyone knows what’s happening, Gramps will.
The headlights washed over Maria, and she waved to Claire.
“Weird,” Maria said. “Such a weird day.”
Sherlock whined in what sounded like approval.
“Well, whatever,” Maria dismissed. I have bigger things to worry about.
She turned and went back into the house, closing the door behind her. She made sure it was dead bolted. No former high school drama queens would be able to get in.
The television was on, playing a recorded episode of General Hospital. Her grandpa sat in his wheelchair with a blanket over his legs, which probably meant he was in his underwear, snoring away. His head was cocked back, his mouth open, drool shining in the bright light from the picture. A man in scrubs kissed an older woman passionately.
“Yuck,” Maria said. “Probably should turn it off; save electricity and all that crap.”
I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Sherlock warned.
Maria looked down.
Seriously, what the fuck? she thought.
Sherlock looked
