Believe

Chapter Five: The Possibility of Truth

“What?!” Jean screeched at what seemed like the top of her lungs. Everyone in the classroom looked over at our group of friends. I hunched down a little in my seat, not wanting to be the center of attention. Mr. Nummer had just finished going over our first set of The Scarlett Letter questions and had allowed us to talk a little before the end of class. It was Thursday and I had forgotten to tell my new friends about the date I had with Matt.


         “How could you forget to tell us something so huge?” Asked Melissa, no doubt thinking how a girl like me could catch a guy like Matt when she was available. “I would have told the whole school if it had happened to me”


         I looked at Blaire who smiled and nodded. I knew we were both thinking Melissa really would have told the whole school. She knew she was pretty and flaunted it, my first impression of her had been exactly right. She hated anyone who was able to get the guy she was after.


         “Sorry, I got side-tracked.” I answered to my shoes, trying to hide a smile. The thought of Melissa running to every person she saw in the hallway and telling them she had a date with Matt Siduous was just too funny. 


This was the third time today I had to go through this conversation. I had to go through it first with my mother, then with Eleanor, who had been less then pleased to say the least, and now with my friends. To make matters worse, ever since our argument in the hallway, Euan had refused to talk to me. All of it made me wish that I had never agreed to go on the date in the first place.


         “How do you get side-tracked with someone like Matt?” Blaire was just as displeased as Eleanor had been. She had been the first one of my friends I had told. She had already told me that she didn’t like it and that she didn’t want me going.


         “I was thinking about something else entirely,” Well technically, someone else. I looked around the classroom dully. Everyone else was laughing and having fun with their friends and all I could think about was some stupid date that I didn’t even want to go on anymore.


         I was starting to think that maybe it just wasn’t worth it anymore. My new family didn’t like me for this stupid date and the really good friend that I had managed to make didn’t like it. Then I remembered that there was information that I could get out of Matt that I couldn’t out of Euan. I was sure Matt would tell me just about anything, he didn’t seem to hide much. I took a deep breath. Everything happens for a reason and there was a reason I had agreed to go on a date with Matthew Siduous.


         “Thinking about something else or someone else?” McKenna teased slightly. My stomach dropped slightly. Had the expression on my face been so easy to read? I told myself that McKenna was just teasing me, that she had no idea about how I really felt.


         “Yes, do tell us. Things between you and Euan seem to be a bit cold.” Melissa smiled deviously and tossed her hair over her shoulder. I was beginning to really dislike Melissa. She had already told me that she was after Euan, I had effectively removed myself from her path and she had been gloating about it since the second day I knew her. I knew it was just my temper making me think all the thoughts about Melissa, but at this point in time I wanted nothing more than to punch her in her perfectly lip-glossed face.


         “I…” was all I was able to get out before the bell for second period rang. I let out a small sigh of relief. I had not wanted to answer that question. 


          The girls decided to drop the subject, I was thankful for that. The rest of the day went by without a hitch, with the exception of Pre-Calc which had been a bit tense. Matt gloated the entire time and I saw Euan’s shoulder’s tense every time he mentioned our date.


          I was waiting outside the school for Matt when I realized how nervous I was. My stomach writhed and my heart pounded as if I had just got done running a mile. I told myself I had nothing to worry about, but for some reason I just couldn’t keep myself from being worried. I had never been on a date before. I was nervous and excited all wrapped into one. I felt like pacing, but sat patiently on one of the many benches outside of the school.


         Matt exited the school building, spotted me and headed my direction. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening to me! I wasn’t sure what this date was going to be like; I almost wanted to run away. I told myself to breathe and to calm down. There was no reason to be worried. I was just going to go hang out with someone.


         “Hey,” I said breathlessly as Matt reached me.


         “Hi,” He smiled. “Are you ready to go? I could certainly use a coffee after that lesson in Pre-Calc today!”


         “I know what you mean! I only got half of what she was saying and when I went up to talk to her, she barely helped me at all!” I walked next to him as we made our way to his car.


         “She is the most hated teacher in all of D.C.H. We should just be lucky that we aren’t in the Honors class. I hear it is awful.”          


         As we reached his car I gave myself a mental shake, took a deep breath and told myself to act normal. We got along just fine at school there was no reason I should act any other way just because we were going out for coffee together.


         


The car ride went much better than our walk to the car. I asked him about basketball and the other sports he played. I didn’t really have to talk much when basketball came up, so maybe that was why it was easier. I didn’t know exactly why, but by the time we reached the café I felt much calmer


         Matt got out of the car and waited as I got out of the passenger door. We went up to the counter to order our drinks and I started to get a little nervous. Was I supposed to pay for my own drink? Should I at least offer to buy my drink? Would he think I was being rude if I asked if I should pay for my own drink? I guessed since he had asked me out on this date, then he must have known that he was suppose to pay for me.


         Matt paid for both of our drinks without even a second thought. He looked around a moment before heading over to a small two person table next to the window. I felt a little guilty, maybe I should have offered to pay for my drinks. Matt seemed to sense my distress because he smiled at me as we sat down and gave my hand a squeeze.


         I did not know what I had been expecting, but I had expected to feel something when Matt touched me, but there was nothing. No tingle or shock of electricity. Why was it when Euan touched me I felt tingly and when Matt touched me I felt nothing? I decided to dismiss any idea of Euan out of my head. I didn’t want to spoil my date with thoughts of that stupid jerk.


         “So Euan seemed to be less then pleased that we were going out today,” Matt said in an offhanded tone, but I knew he wanted me to answer. I sighed a little on the inside, so much for not thinking about Euan.


         “You have no idea,” I looked down into my drink. For some reason I was nervous to meet Matt’s gaze.


         “Well you do know the story surrounding the McCready’s, don’t you?” Matt asked and my eyes went up to meet his. His eyes bored into mine as if he were looking for something. His stare made me blush and look away quickly. I never dreamed a date would be this awkward.


         “Not really. I have only heard partial stories,” I lied. I had heard a full story, the first day from Blaire. For some reason I didn’t want to tell Matt that all of the older people in the society held his family responsible for the killing of the Deadstones.


         “Well, I’ll tell you the full story.” Matt said confidently. He took a sip of his drink before launching into his side of the story. I leaned in to listen. I hoped I would finally be getting the answers I needed.


         “Well as you probably know the McCreadys, Siduous’ and the Deadstones were the first to settle in this area. The McCreadys and the Siduous’ starting fighting almost as soon as they met each other, they hated each other. It had something to do with a piece of land that lay between the two families. The Deadstone’s had tried to play peacemaker between the families and eventually found their attempts were futile. If the McCready’s and my family didn’t argue about land, they argued about ownership of cows or horses, or anything else that came to mind.


         “Eventually the arguing turned into fighting. The McCready’s seemed to want everything we owned. They wouldn’t rest until they had everything of my family’s. The worst part was when members of my family started to disappear. The McCready’s murdered and injured people of my family until there were only a few people were left who were able to fight against them. Those last few people were my great-great grandparents and my great grandfather. Somehow they had managed to live through all of the McCready’s attacks and they were tired of all the fighting. They decided they were going to face the McCready’s to settle everything once and for all.”


Matt paused and took a drink of his coffee before beginning again.“My ancestors had just come up with a perfect plan. When the Deadstone’s tried to help again, they offered to help my family run the McCready’s out of the area. Sadly, there was a traitor in the group and the McCready’s found out that the Deadstone’s were going to help us. So they did what they do best, kill. The killed every single person in their house with the exception of one girl and that was just a simple mistake.”


         Matt looked out the window and I followed his gaze. There was not much outside but a gray sky. “The McCready’s realized they had left the family massacre unfinished took the Deadstone girl back to their house and no one ever saw her again. By this time several other families had moved into the area and the McCready’s decided that they had better stop the fighting. They couldn’t possibly kill everybody who had decided to settle in this area. So the fighting and arguing slowed and there hasn’t been a really big battle between the families since. Our families still hate each other, but I am sure in time that will pass as well.”


As Matt finished his tale and took a long drink of this coffee I stared at him and wondered who to believe. Blaire had said her grandmother was sure the Matt’s family was the one who killed the Deadstone family, but Matt made it sound as if it were his family that had been the innocent one. There could only be two answers. Matt was either telling the truth, or making his family look better for me to like him. However, his story had sounded well rehearsed.


I had watched Matt’s face the entire time he had told the story. His face had taken on a dreamy look and the more he got into the story the angrier his face had looked. His voice was extremely persuasive, but I was afraid to trust him. No one else really seemed to.


         I would be angry too if someone had killed or injured most of my family. Then again this tale was probably over one-hundred years old, how could the Siduous’ possibly still be angry?


         I had finished my drink while Matt had been telling his story so I looked at him while he finished his. He noticed me looking at him, smiled and grabbed my hand again. His face then took on a puzzled expression and he released my hand. I looked out the window again think how weird it was that I felt nothing when Matt touched me. I mean my heart jumped a little, but it was nothing like when Euan had grabbed my upper arms the other night in the hallway. I had a total lack of feeling with Matt. He was just kind of someone to be around. The only thing really keeping me there was the fact he had information I could not get out of Euan.


         “You don’t believe me, do you?” I heard Matt ask and I looked back at him to see him finish off the last of his drink. 


         “It is not that I don’t believe you.” I chose my words carefully. I didn’t want to make an enemy of Matt. He would not be the person to make enemies with if Blaire’s story was true. “It is just that your story contradicts every other one I have heard.”


         “Well what if I said that I could prove I am telling the truth?” Matt asked grabbing my hand and pulling me up so I stood next to him.


         “I would be ecstatic,” Matt and I were now walking hand and hand to the door of the café. I knew I should feel happy that I was holding hands with someone for the first time, but I was preoccupied with looking out the door. I had thought I had seen a black BMW across the street from the small café, but it was no longer there. It was probably just my imagination…or wishful thinking.


         “Where are we going?” I asked as I got into the car, Matt sliding into the driver’s seat next to me.


         “Down town…to the library.” His reply was short and he made it very obvious he didn’t want me to ask any more questions. I hadn’t even been aware that Deadstone Creek had a ‘down town’. The town didn’t really seem big enough.


         I sighed inwardly and looked out the window. So far my first date had consisted of going to the library and a café for coffee. Not exactly what I would call romantic. Maybe I had expected too much, maybe things like picnics and candle lit dinners were things only found in movies.


         We pulled up in front of an old looking building that had twin statues of men on horses at the entrance. Matt stood impatiently outside the car as I fiddled with my seatbelt. I had wanted to see if he would open the door for me like Euan always did, but apparently that was not his agenda. He grabbed my hand again and practically pulled me in the doors. We talked to the receptionist about some old microfilms dated in about the time of the Gold Rush.


         The receptionist was an old woman who wore a smart black jumper with a white shirt underneath. Matt and I made fun of the way she walked and were giggling hysterical by the time we reached an ancient microfiche. We were on the bottom floor of the library in a small musty smelling room. The receptionist, whose name was Mrs. Gunther, put the microfilms onto the machine and left us to look at them. She sniffed at us that the library would close by five and we had better be upstairs by then. No doubt she thought that Matt and I were going to be making out in a library basement.


         As she left the room Matt told me to take a seat and read the films that Mrs. Gunther had found. All of the stories came from a newspaper called the Deadstone Creek Tribune, so all the papers were dated after the Deadstone’s had been murdered.


         I turned through them slowly looking at each of the headlines in turn. Each told of some mysterious death of the Siduous’ family and each story that followed the headlines blamed a member of the McCready family. The strangest thing about the stories was that none of the papers ever mentioned names of the McCready family. It just said ‘the infamous McCready clan’ or ‘McCready’s band’. I wondered why they wanted to keep the names a secret. Maybe the newspaper editor thought the Deadstone’s fate would fall on him if he dared print one of the McCready’s names.


         When I had seen enough to satisfy any of the doubts I had about Matt’s story I leaned away from the microfiche and looked around to Matt. He was staring at me intently. I smiled to show that I believed his side of the story. He had shown me facts when no one else was able to, I had no choice but to believe him.


         “It was strange the way they all died,” I said as we both got up to leave the library. According to Matt’s watch it was four-fifty and we knew Mrs. Gunther would be waiting for our return.


         “They all died the same way right? That is what my grandmother always told me.” Matt wouldn’t meet my eyes. Was it possible that Matt knew more about the subject then he was letting on?


         Of course it was possible! It was his family and I was sure that what he was hiding had to do with whatever their family secret was. I decided that I didn’t want to press for anymore information today and I changed the subject to a lighter one.


         “Yeah, they all died the same. Some sort of ‘burning cut’ is what the paper had said. Most journalists had called it witch craft.” I laughed slightly. “Can you believe that? People were so ignorant back then.”


         “yeah,” was the only thing Matt said. He silently escorted me back to the disapproving Mrs. Gunther and then out the door.


         Matt and I left the library and headed for my home. I still didn’t understand why he wanted to take me home especially after all I had just read. Maybe he really did believe that the argument between his family and Euan’s would eventually stop quarrelling. I doubted it, but I wasn’t going to crush his hopes. We talked very little about what I had seen at the library. Matt seemed pleased that I believed his story above everybody else’s.


         We pulled into the driveway of my home. I saw that my mom was waiting on the porch for me, I was sure she wanted to hear all about my date. She had probably been waiting on the porch since she had gotten home from work. I sighed and smiled at my mom through the front windshield. She gave me an excited smile back and went inside. I knew she would be waiting on the staircase when I came in.


         “Thank you, I had a wonderful time.” I started to unbuckle my seat belt, suddenly feeling nervous again.


         “It was my pleasure. We should do it again some time.” I looked up at Matt surprised. Was he serious? I thought he just wanted to be friendly and show me some of the town. Maybe he really wanted to date me. “How does next Saturday evening sound?”


         “That sounds…great! I would love to go out again. What will we be doing?” I asked looking into his eyes. He did have nice eyes, but Euan’s were better. I told that small part of my mind to shut-up. Euan had no wish to even live with me, let alone go out with me.


         “How does dinner and a movie sound?” Matt smiled as a look of surprise came across my face again. I could not believe Matt wanted to take me on a date, especially after seeing what his last girlfriend had looked like.


         “It sounds wonderful.” I said. I couldn’t wait till next Saturday. “I guess I will see you tomorrow.”


         “I would walk you to the front door but I probably couldn’t make it that far.” Matt said this with a smile, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow Gabriella.”


         I got out of the car and hurried to the front door. I could see over the trees that a storm was blowing in and I knew that my mom was waiting for me to give her all the details.