The news of me volunteering for the dunking booth had traveled around school like a Californian Wildfire, the hallways too were buzzing too with rumors of the two open spots at the bottom of the list would go to. One rumor said Mrs. Kimberly the girls P.E teacher had volunteered, another rumor said that one of the girls from the Junior High had volunteered. I tried to float above the rumors. The night before the fete, I took a good hot bath and made sure to shave under my arms and my legs too. I wanted to smooth as velvet for my time in the booth. A deep blush colored my cheeks as I slipped on the adorable, navy blue, skirted bathing suit my mom had picked out for me.

Once I slipped on the suit, I took a minute to admire myself in the full length mirror of the bathroom. A deep blush colored my cheeks as I noticed how the suit seemed to fit my slender body like a glove. My otherwise small breast seemed to be be pushed up and noticeably larger. My arms, once a ghostly and sickly white where now nice and tanned and firm. My legs too where firmer. I had gotten fit it seemed. The sickly bookworm I was had passed away and now a lively adventure had taken her place. I give credit to the hellish regime of calisthenics and physical training Mrs. Kimberly the Girl's P.E teacher had put me through. She had pretty much transformed me from a twig with hair to well a bigger twig I guess.

I quickly shook my head and made tracks for my room. Once there, I tossed on my school skirt, a pleated red and white skirt, threw on some socks, slipped on a pair of sneakers, and threw on my blouse and tie. That done, I rushed down the stairs, snatched up my gym bag that I had packed the night before. The bag held a towel, some shampoo, soup, a extra hairbrush, rubber bands, a small first aid kit and some other things. Placing the bag over my shoulder, I rushed down the front porch and onto the street corner.

At the corner of the street a trolley picked me up and after dropping my a random handful of silver coins into the bucket, I took a seat and waited. Lily soon appeared, the driver waved her through. She smiled as she took the seat next to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “I owe you one sis.” She said with a small smile.

“For?” I said turning toward her as I returned her smile with one of my own.

“You paid for my fare. The conductor said you paid for like yours and mine. So like I owe you one, on top of owing you like a one movie and with snacks.” She said sighing. “So how about this, like I know I promised to take you to Ridgeland to see the movies, but chances are that not going to happen. I mean I planned on taking you the weekend after homecoming. But you know, Jamie came into being, school drama started, you got knocked out. Crazy Headmaster threaten to throw me off the cheerleader team. Then you got baptized again. Halloween came, You got gunged again, Linda left for St. Katherine's and now, were about to finish the year. Oh did I mention, you got your first ever school spanking too. So yes, its been kind of a crazy year.”

“I get it sis. Its been a crazy year.” I said rolling my eyes. “And don't forget, I almost died on the operating table of MCC. I mean, I might have just died. I'm not sure what the freak happen. I just remember them giving me a shot and the next thing I knew, I was standing in some kind of field.”

Lily blinked and turned her head toward me. I never told any one about this, not even my best friend Madeline. But Lily, she was my older sister and I felt that, if you could not trust your older sister, you might as well just give up on life. Plus, we had a good fifteen minutes till the trolley reached the front gates of Benton Academy. More than plenty of time for me to tell my story.

“So, is this going to be Jamie story time again?” Lily said smiling.

“Sure, if you like.” I said shrugging my shoulders.

Lily smiled and nodded her head. “Sure, go ahead sis and tell the story.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and for a minute I was back there again. I was once more standing in the clearing, okay it was more like a meadow, it was like one of those meadows in a children's book, a large oval that was surrounded by tall trees that formed like a huge circle around the space, the meadow itself was dotted with flowers of all kinds that were in bloom. I could still clearly remember there being huge sunflowers, sweet smelling roses, buttercups and blue bells. From where I stood, I could see the outline of tall, snow capped mountains looming in the distance. And beyond those, I knew there were cities. I could not see the cities, but I could sense them and and smell them. I could hear the laughter of children, the sound of horse's hooves clomping down on cobblestones and the smell, oh the smells. Fresh baked breads, cured meats hanging in the display windows of shops. And the sides of the street where line with fruit trees too, apples, limes, oranges, cherries, and lemons. There branches where heavy with them and hanging so low, that the children who played and the people who lived in those villages could just reach up and pick them at there pleasure.

But then, it all changed, the grass started to wither, dark storm clouds clouded the once blue sky. The sound of rolling thunder echoed off the mountain side. The wind started to rise and from the heavens, large pieces of ice and hail started to fall. And there in the clearing beside me, stood the shadow, smiling ear to ear, a smile that caused my blood to freezing water. Its eyes where a deep, deep, hellish red color and reeked of smoke and embers. The shadow advanced toward me, reached and wrapped his fingers around my throat and started to squeeze as he peered into my eyes and then it said.

I don't remember what it said, but my heart froze. Another vision filled my head. A crowed operating room, nurses and doctors surrounding somebody. The machines where flickering on and off. Panic was setting in and beeping of the machine grew louder and louder and louder with each passing second as one voice yelled out above the noise and confusion.

“Were losing her! Doctor were losing her!” I cried out. I then noticed everyone on the tram had paused and was now peering at me. Lily above all who was just looking at me. Slowly she blinked and looked to her left and then she looked to her right. And finally she leaned over and in a series tone of voice said.

“Cool it sis. Listen I understand if you don't want to talk about. That night was hard on all of us. But I would really suggest dropping down by the church and seeing the new priest. Fr. Bell, he's a good friend of dads since they you know ran together when he was at St. Katherine's I think they were in the comic book club together or something. Not sure. Anyway, go see him.. When you get a chance.”

“Also, I was thinking about renting all three of the 'Annabelle films' cause, I know you dig the supernatural stuff. And, giving you, you're really first pedicure and manicure, cause while you have been living as a girl now for at least a year. You've never really gotten on. I mean, don't get me wrong, I can understand why, like there only really good salon in town that does them. And the owner is a bitch..” She said closing her eyes.

I nodded my head, the woman in question was indeed a 'Bitch' her name was Cindy Cotton and for years she had been the go to location for all this beauty in the town. Her salon, 'Cotton's Salon and Spa' was located on main street a dozen or shops down from where my sister and her friend had there business. Mom and Cindy had been friends at one point two, and Lily till up a few months ago would only let Cindy or one of her daughters cut her hair. That all changed of course.

See, in Benton there a a certain class of people, Cindy like her mother before her, belonged to that special breed of folks who came to Benton in the booming years that followed our Victory in the Second World War. Cotton, soybeans and other things were once more being shipped down the Big Black River and Benton being the only port on said river drew in the goods like a moth to the flame.

New neighborhood's where also springing up. The dirt roads were being replaced with new blacktop. The main streets in the older sections of town, my neighborhood for example and Main street voted to keep there streets paved in brick. Anyway, most of those people came from the poorer regions of the state and they brought with them, the conservative values of the Clay Hill Region and Pine Belt Region. Most of them mistrusted anything having to do with Rome, and openly disliked the few Roman Catholics that had settled in Benton. Many of them joined the local Baptist Church and when the teachings of that church did not suit there needs many of them would break away and form one of there own that better suited there special brand of 'Hellfire and Brimstone' if you catch my drift.

“Anyway,” Lily said. “Like I saying. I was going to rent a few supernatural movies. But lately, you've been worrying. You claim the downstairs bathroom is haunted, haunted by what I have idea. You wake up in the middle of the night screaming about a shadow that going to drag you into hell. I mean, I get it. You like the paranormal stuff. I'm cool with that, really I am. I think you need to chill for a night and take a small break from it. So, how about this, how about I rent some Disney Classics and we catch up. You know, 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Snow White', 'Princess and the Frog' and 'Frozen'.” She said squeezing my shoulder.

“Sounds like a winner.”

The trolley came to a rolling stop. Quickly I collected my bag and Lily collected hers and soon we were off along with the dozen or so other Benton Academy students who often rode the trolley to school on a daily bases. Once we stepped off the tram, we walked through the open iron gates. Lily and I parted ways in the hallway. She speeding toward the gym for one last meeting with the cheerleaders and I making tracks to homeroom.

The end of Chapter 4.