Secrets of the Stone

By Karlajean Jirik Becvar

Having traveled back in time and having survived the Great Hinckley Fire, Addie Ever’s desire for adventure should be more than satisfied. However, after reading an historical account at the library that reveals the true fate of Thomas and Judith Markham after the fire, Addie finds herself drawn back to the past in an effort to save them from certain death. What awaits her as she re-enters 1894, is definitely not what she expected...

• Language: English
• Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud
• Release date: May 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9780878399390

Karlajean Jirik Becvar

Legacy of the Stone is Karlajean Becvar's third book in the Firestorm Chronicles series. The author makes her home in Hinckley, Minnesota, with her husband, five dogs, and two cats. Check out her website at thefirestormchronicles.weebly.com.

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Minnesota

Dedication

To my nieces: Katie, Kristie, Julianna, and Clara Marie

(Girl Scouts all!)

To my 2012 Creative Writing Class:

Keegan M.

Zac H.

Colton B.

Jonah V.

Jennifer OB.

Marissa K.

Brianna B.

Jennifer O’N

. Katie O.

Brittany R.

Acknowledgments

Taking on this project has been both an exciting and daunting adventure. In trying to make Addie’s connection with an Ojibwe family as authentic as possible, I relied on the following experts for the language and culture of this great People. To them, I am forever grateful and any errors found in the Anishinaabe language or culture are mine, and mine alone.

Mr. Gabe Derosiers-of the woodland Ojibwe from the Northwest Angle 33 First Nations in Ontario, Canada; Anishinaabe linguist and lecturer at the University of Minnesota,-Morris

Mr. Thomas Peacock, member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, author, historian, educator, and University of Minnesota-Duluth education professor

Mr. Carl Gawboy and Mr. Ron Morton authors of Talking Rocks

The Davis Family of Hinckley, Minnesota: Martha, Karen, & Corrina

And to Katherine Wadena McDonnell who risked her life during the Hinckley Fire, to save a white family

I would also like to acknowledge those who helped me get this book right through support, guidance, encouragement, and gifted knowledge:

Mrs. Jean Sauter, AP Psychology instructor

Nick Hupton, North Star Press author of If I Know It’s Coming and The Ridge: A Zach Sutton Mystery

North Star Press for guidance, wise council, and believing in this series.

Josie Barstad, Katelyn France, and Katelyn Kappauf, my personal, junior editing and promo team!

Prologue

Addie Evers held her breath, eyes wide open. Everything around her was shrouded in a cloud—a dark green, opaque cloud. With her body weightless and her arms outstretched, she floated in the filmy stuff.

Jerking her head back and up, she saw light barely breaking the thickness. Bubbles like soda fizz appeared and drifted past her, only to be caught and drawn into the green gunk. Feeling as if her lungs had been closed off by a giant clamp, she couldn’t get any more air.

Full-blown panic flooded Addie’s brain. The pressure, the lack of air, the inability to open her mouth—all convinced her she was submerged in water. Looking up once more, she knew she had to breathe, and in order to do that she had to get to the surface. She had to reach the light.

Kicking her legs, she pulled with her arms as hard as she could, but the harder she kicked and pulled, the less she moved towards the light. Something held her back. Stealing a glance behind her, Addie now saw rope-like wisps coiled around her ankle. She yanked her foot, but with low visibility, she didn’t see what they were attached to. Using her arms, she rotated about ninety degrees, which only stirred up more muck from the bottom, and still she couldn’t see anything.

An ink-black head, the size of a bowling ball on a spring, lunged towards her. Opening its mouth with stalagmite-like teeth, the creature snapped at her face. Pulling back in horror, she almost gulped a mouthful of water. Thrusting her body forward, Addie struggled to get away.

Nothing happened. Two more times she twisted and jerked, trying to loosen the hold on her. How much longer before her lungs exploded? She gripped her throat with her right hand, to keep what little air remained, from escaping.

Concentrate, Addie …

Great-grandfather?

Addie, relax. I’ll help you. Closing her eyes, Addie focused on the sound of his voice.

It was her great-grandfather! But here? At the bottom of a lake? She wanted to speak, say something to let him know she had heard.

The hold on her foot gave way and she was moving, moving upward! As she swam closer to the surface, the water parted and a loon darted towards her. Sleek, feathers like velvet, it swirled and spun, swimming closer and closer until she could almost touch it.

Another loon joined the first. And another. Their synchronized water dance relaxed Addie and she felt herself drifting back into the dark depths. Somehow the loons caught her. Supporting her with their bodies, they lifted her up and up and up.

As fast as they had appeared, the loons were gone. Thrusting her hand forward, Addie aimed to push beyond the water to the air above, but her hand hit something solid. A thick sheet of glass or ice barricaded her escape.

Pushing now with both hands, she had to break through or find a weakness in the barrier, but only cold, thick firmness met her fingers. Frantically she swam under it, trying to get past the obstruction. It seemed to go on as far as she could see. Addie was trapped. Confined like an animal, she was going to die!

1

Monday

Addie?

Mrs. Saunders, Addie’s social studies teacher, and everyone else in the classroom stared at her. She cleared her throat and spoke. What did you say?

Quiet snickers floated around the room.

Class, that’s enough, said Mrs. Saunders. Turning to Addie, she said, I asked, what started the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga?

Uh … Addie looked at the faces of her classmates. These were familiar faces. Faces that should offer comfort and trust, not boredom and pity.

Do you want to try again, Addie, or would you rather pass?

Pass, Addie muttered. Great. She had just made a fool of herself in front of the entire class and her favorite teacher. She slumped down in her seat. Picking up her pencil, she wrote the word concentrate in her notebook.

Concentrate? She couldn’t concentrate, not when every waking minute of her day was taken up with worrying about Thomas and Judith, not to mention the crazy loon dream.

The bell rang and Addie stood up. Mrs. Saunders was watching her. Her classmates gathered their books and headed for the door. Addie hoped to escape right behind them.

Hey, Addie, do you want to sit with Travis and Gil at lunch? Jessica, Addie’s best friend, stood next to her desk. Susan said she’d save us seats.

Grabbing her things from her desk, Addie’s history book slipped out of her arms. Trying to catch it, her folder emptied, strewing papers all over the floor. Uh, sure, Addie said, bending down to clean up the mess.

Addie, can I speak to you a moment?

Uh-oh. Mrs. Saunders wanted to talk to her. This couldn’t be good. Addie looked at Jessica, who had stooped to help her. Go ahead. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria.

After Jessica left, Mrs. Saunders came over and sat in a desk opposite Addie’s. From the ground, Addie could only see Mrs. Saunders’ shoes. They were stylish with sensible heels, and she agreed with the choice, that it must be too uncomfortable to wear high heels all day.

Is something bothering you, Addie?

Addie shrugged and continued sorting through her papers on the floor.

You seem distracted lately. And tired.

Distracted. That was putting it mildly. Addie’s loon dream had recurred three nights in a row and it always ended the same, with her trying to break through the surface of the water so she wouldn’t drown. The loons tried to help, but she couldn’t get past the glass barricade that prevented her escape.

Are you sure you’re getting enough sleep? Mrs. Saunders’s voice brought her back.

Of course she wasn’t getting enough sleep. All her worry about Thomas and Judith’s drowning had made her subconscious work overtime. I’m okay. Finally Addie had the confusion of papers gathered, so she stood.

How’s your sister Anna doing at college?

Good. Change of subject. She really likes it. My parents, Aimee and I are going to Duluth on Saturday. It’s family weekend and we all get a tour of the campus.

That should be fun.

She look at Mrs. Saunders for the first time. Yeah, they’re even having a huge pizza party in the cafeteria of Anna’s dorm.

Does Anna like her roommate?

They get along really well. They had been in touch over the summer, so they each knew exactly what to bring.

That was smart. Mrs. Saunders hesitated, then asked, Are you sure you’re okay, Addie?

Addie looked at the floor again. No, she was not okay. According to the historical account at the library that Addie had seen in August, Thomas and Judith were going to drown in a freak boating accident. How could Addie save them when she couldn’t even save herself, at least, if that dream was any indication? She needed to tell someone she could trust, someone who would believe her. Maybe Mrs. Saunders wouldn’t laugh or think it was so weird after all. She looked up at her teacher.

You know, if you need someone to talk to, I’m a good listener, Mrs. Saunders said with a smile. But if you don’t want to talk, Addie, I under—

I keep having this dream. There, she’d said it.

Mrs. Saunders leaned forward in her seat. And?

Addie sat down. And it’s the same dream over and over. I know you teach dreams in psychology, because last year, you had my sister, Anna.

That’s right.

Are you able to interpret what dreams mean?

Mrs. Saunders sat back in her seat and chuckled. Addie knew she shouldn’t have said anything. Now Mrs. Saunders did think she was crazy.

Addie, the belief that dreams can be interpreted based on their content is ‘old school’ thinking.

You mean there’s no way of telling what they mean?

Well, there are other theories, but all of them are based on logic, not speculation. She got up, went to her desk and opened the mini refrigerator behind it. Pulling out a sandwich wrapped in wax paper and tucked into a plastic lunch bag, she brought it back to the desk, offering half to Addie.

Thanks. Addie took the sandwich and bit into it. Egg salad. One of her favorites. She chewed and swallowed. But this dream isn’t logical. I’m at the bottom of a lake and something grabs on to me. I can’t swim up to the surface. I’m running out of air, then these loons rescue me. They push me towards the surface, but a glass or ice barrier is across it, so I’m going to drown anyway. She met Mrs. Saunders’s gaze. What does it mean?

Wow. She was silent for a moment. What do you think brought on this dream, Addie?

You mean, is it just a figment of my imagination? Addie didn’t need to be told that the dream was some concoction her mind had made up.

Have you been watching scary movies lately?

Addie shook her head.

Or reading frightening stories?

No. The dream didn’t start because I saw or read something creepy. Addie’s voice included more frustration than she had intended. And the dream didn’t happen because I ate pickles and peanut butter either. She crossed her arms and glared at the floor.

You know, just before I had my son, Zach, I craved peanut butter and pickles.

Addie couldn’t help but smile at that.

Look, Addie, I’m just trying to pin this down, think it through. Logically.

But it’s not logical.

Well, let me think on it. I’ll do some investigating. Besides, lunch is almost over and we both need to get ready for fifth hour. Come see me when you get here in the morning. Okay?

Addie nodded. The bell rang, she took two more bites of her sandwich, threw away the rest, gathered up her books and walked to the door. She hesitated before stepping out into the hall. Turning back to Mrs. Saunders she said, Thanks for lunch, Mrs. Saunders. And thanks for listening.

Mrs. Saunders spoke from the board, where she was writing the next hour’s lesson. You’re welcome, Addie. See you in the morning.

2

Tuesday Morning

So help me, Addie, if you make me late, I won’t drive you to school ever again. Hurry up.

Okay, okay. I’m coming.

Girls, you’d better get going if you don’t want to be late. Addie’s mom’s voice carried up the stairs.

We’re coming, Mom, Aimee said as she ran downstairs to the foyer. As long as her highness doesn’t keep holding us up,

I had to get my homework, Addie said, trailing behind Aimee. Jeez, what did you expect me to do?

Leave it, Aimee said, checking her watch.

Addie tilted her head, wrinkled her nose, crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at her sister.

Ha, ha. So funny I forgot to laugh, Aimee said.

Okay, enough teasing. I’ll see you tonight, around 6:00, Mrs. Evers said, handing each of them a lunch bag.

Don’t forget, Mom, I have cross-country practice until 4:30 this afternoon, so I’ll be home around 5:00. Aimee opened her lunch bag and dug through the contents. Did you pack any of those fruit and nut trail mix bars?

They’re on the bottom.

Crumpling the bag shut Aimee continued. Addie will be coming home on the bus. Going outside, she let the screen door slam.

Head down and shoulders rounded under the straps of her backpack, Addie descended the last two steps, taking each one foot at a time.

Addie, do you feel okay?

She nodded.

Mrs. Evers reached over and put her hand on Addie’s forehead. You don’t feel hot. She frowned.

Ducking out from under her mom’s hand, Addie plastered a smile on her face and said, Mom, I’m okay. Really. See you tonight.

When they arrived at school, there weren’t many cars in the parking lot and none of the buses had arrived. The sisters parted ways just inside the front entrance. Addie went to her locker first and then to Mrs. Saunders’ room.

Good morning, Addie, Mrs. Saunders greeted her.

Hi. Addie liked the gauzy, mint green henley that Mrs. Saunders wore under a fleece cream vest. It brought out the color of her eyes. Have you thought about what I told you yesterday?