To Pay For a Life

Chapter 2: Or Naw...

Getting to the cemetary was half the fun; the girls had rushed out of the house around eight, excusing themselves with, "We're going to the barn!"  In retrospect, it may not have been the best idea, because their parents may have gone looking if the girls were gone too long.  Tiana and Alex looked at one another and shrugged.  Saving Eddy was their mission at the moment.  Besides, their parents were pretty chill about things.  They'd assume that the kids had gone to another part of the farm.  The twins were allowed to explore the farm, anyway; there was no danger in that.  

As the four of them walked, they found themselves becoming ridden with gooseflesh. The hair on the back of Alex's neck stood up like a wolf's in a battle over territory.  Only this hair's standing was a result of pure terror in lieu of aggression.  Every few steps, Clara would whimper; cobwebs and spiders hung from low-lying branches and briar patches.  The poor girl was terrified, but was determined to be loyal to her best friend, and followed closely to Alex.  Erinn was in about the same state; she clung to Tiana, nearly reaching out to grab the blonde's arm with each additional cry from Clara.  

"Your parents are gonna catch us," Erinn repeated for about the umpteenth time.  

"Shh!" Alex hissed.  "Don't jinx us!"

After what seemed like a whole walk across the local high school, they reached an area with some strange-looking stones jutting out of the earth.  The stones had washed-up old carvings of people and names on them.  Critters were drawn as well; symbols, Alex assumed.  One stone in particular caught the brunette girl's attention.  It was huge and a little smoother than the others, as if it had been taken better care of when it was planted here.  A massive Oak loomed over the stone, shading it eerily.  Moss hung off the top, soaking up little droplets of melted snow like a natural sponge.  Alex walked over to the stone, kneeling and running her fingers along the weathered words.  Running Bear it read.  

Alex yelped and scrambled backwards, accidentally tossing herself into the wet leaves.  The indian who had visited her in the barn...was buried here!  She examined the hulking chunk of rock further, finally brushing her fingers across more words.  This must be the spell, Alex thought, standing.  

"Girls," she said, "I got it!"

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With a quick study of the words on the huge stone, the girls began gather in a circle, as the stone instructed.  As they stood, they began to recite the words written on the stone.  Alex didn't remember what they were afterwards; all she knew was that it was some kind of gobbledygook that had tumbled off her tongue shakily. The four watched as a funnel cloud rose around a jeweled necklace that ripped neatly from the ground.  Dirt and clod fell away cleanly, and it levitated, coming to rest on Running Bear's headstone.  Alex stepped over to the stone and picked up the amulet lying there, feeling the gold chain's freezing temperature seep through her skin and into the very marrow of her bones.  She shivered, but then turned back to her friends, letting the blue unknown gem sparkle and shine in the light of Erinn's flashlight.  

"Alex!  Put that down!  It could be radioactive!" Clara fretted paranoidly.  

"Did radioactivity even exist a hundred years ago?" Alex pondered.  

"Sun spots...?" Clara said.

Tiana rolled her eyes, "Sun spots don't live inside necklaces." 

"They don't technically live, either..." Alex began, when Tiana slapped her upside the head.  

"Alex!  Magic!  Now!  Please!"

"Alright, alright, I was getting to that..." Alex muttered, holding the necklace with both hands now.