Family Tree - Part One

Chapter One

No Time to be Sick

Lauren groaned as she reached desperately for her phone to silence the incessant alarm. Her legs thrashed under the covers, which felt heavier than normal, until she finally freed them and rolled over. Sure she looked like a fool to anyone watching, she silently thanked the dorm gods her roommate had flaked, leaving her with her own room this semester. Finally hitting the right button, silence bathed the room once again. Out in the hallway, it was a different story. Chatter from her dorm mates as they headed off to class rang in her already pounding head. She struggled to swallow through the feeling of glass shattering in her throat. She prayed she wasn't getting sick.

The end of the semester was not the time to get sick. She swallowed again and pushed herself up with her elbows. Propped against the dorm room wall, she sent her hand on another search mission. This time for the bottle of water on the bedside table. No longer cool, the water was still refreshing, at least briefly. Laurel wished she had some of her grandmother's tea. She could easily text her symptoms to her, certain gran could deliver something to her by the end of the week. The issue? Was she willing to admit she needed the help?

Laurel's gran was a bit of an odd one. She'd raised her after her mother took off with her baby sister. The two rarely talked about it. Actually, there were a lot of things they didn't talk about, but somehow her grandmother still seemed to know everything going on. She exhaled softly as she rolled out of bed and slid her feet into her flip-flops. Her robe replaced the t-shirt and shorts she slept in, despite her body's protest. Laurel considered just getting notes from someone in class, but that would have required talking to people, and she preferred her solitude. She took another swig from the water bottle, then headed toward the bathroom she shared with her floor mates. Fingers crossed, she hoped the shower would make her feel more human.

The shower hadn't been the magic fix she hoped for the but the fact she would be done with her day and back in bed by 12:30 motivated her to keep moving. Balanced gingerly on one foot, she slid one short leg into her leggings, and then the other. She grabbed her favorite worn hoody as well. The one with the holes near the wrist, from the constant yanking of the sleeves over her hands to keep her warm. Finally, she shoved her feet into fuzzy socks and moccasins and grabbed her messenger bag. Halfway to class, she heard her phone ding, no doubt her daily text from her grandmother.

Sending you a package of warm teas and herbal sachets. They will fix whatever is bothering you. Call me soon, sweetheart. XO.

She swore the townspeople were right. Every town had that odd member in the house up on the hill, the one the kids talked about when whispering scary stories to each other. She'd heard her grandmother called a healer, an old wise woman, and more plainly, a witch. The truth, as far as she knew it? She was just a lady with an immense knowledge of all things green. Her greenhouse took up the entire backyard, with plants and herbs blooming from every crevice both inside and outside. The herbs continued into the screened in back porch, where she blended concoctions for her lotions and soaps, as well as special brews for those who asked. They may wonder about her, and talked behind her back, but her creations flew off the shelves of the local gift shop. And, if anyone was ever in need of something special, they didn't hesitate to climb the hill and meet her in the greenhouse. Truth be told, many of the townsfolk seemed to admire her, while also being a little intimidated. Laurel had always struggled with it, though. She already felt like people talked about her, the kid her mother had left behind. Then, with her gran the way she was? It was a lot of pressure, especially when she just wanted to be normal.

Laurel's dorm was centered squarely in the middle of campus, with its grand columns and old brick facade. There were newer buildings she could have picked from, but she loved the architecture of hers. The tall ceilings, pushing the echoes of students through the corridors. Arched doorways and floor to ceiling windows in the lobby cast haunted shadows along hallways where hundreds of students had passed before. She loved this campus, one of the oldest in the state. Ever since she was a little girl, she'd wanted to attend Kemper State. Catching the time on the big clock tower, she stopped daydreaming and picked up her speed. This wasn't a teacher who took kindly to late students.

She rushed into the classroom just as the professor stepped on stage, feverishly searching for an open seat. Unfortunately, the nearest one was beside Juniper Kent.... speaking of weird. Juniper motioned to her, moving her bag so she could sit.

"Running a little tight on time today?" The girl whispered through a shy smile. The gold flecks in her deep emerald eyes twinkled.

Laurel smiled back and instantly felt bad for thinking negative thoughts. Juniper had been nothing but nice to her. But she had this energy that surrounded her, like fireflies in the forest energy. It caused Laurel to feel lightheaded. She checked her forehead again, wondered where that thought came from. It was the type of thing her grandmother would think. She imagined gran and Juniper meeting, and knew they would be the best of friends.

"Itchy throat and tired. Don't lean too close. I would hate for you to get whatever this is."

Without a thought, Juniper reached into her bag and produced a small glass vial. Immediately, Laurel knew what the vial was. Her gran used the same bottles when she created her blends. Juniper placed the vial in her hand and patted my forearm. The two would most definitely be best friends.

"Take this, every day and night. Roll it on the bottoms of your feet. I promise, the best immunity blend there is."

She managed a thank you before the professor started his lesson. For a moment, she felt jealous. When she was younger, she'd loved being in the greenhouse with her grandmother. It made her feel empowered, as if she could chart her own course with just a few little herbs here and there. But she didn't have the same green thumb her gran did, which frustrated her and eventually moved her out of the greenhouse for good. It was her own doing. She struggled when she didn't excel at things, and instead of continuing to try, it was just easier to focus on the things she was proficient in. Despite her grandmother's desire for her to try again, Laurel insisted she didn't want anything to do with it.

As the professor finished the lesson, she looked at Juniper out of the corner of her eye. She didn't really know anything about the girl. She was quiet, a good student, and always seemed to be by herself. If it wasn't for the weird energy that dripped off her like honey on a hot summer day, Laurel might have considered forming a friendship with her.

"Thanks again for the bottle of stuff." She whispered, not sure what to call it, and not wanting to offend.

Juniper flipped her hand as if it was no big deal. Her response was completely carefree. "I always have an extra. Take care of yourself and drink lots of water."

Laurel felt the energy dissipate as she walked away. Suddenly, she realized she needed a tissue. With her messenger bag propped on the desk, she rummaged around and was struck with the feeling that someone was watching her. Knowing they couldn't possibly be admiring the hot mess on display right now, she wondered who it could be. Making a show of continuing to search, she scanned her surroundings subtly. Almost thinking the wariness was part of her not feeling well, she caught his eye right before giving up. His stare was not only unnerving, he did not hide his focus on her. Maybe he was of those people who thought you should just stay home with every sniffle and sneeze? She raised fully, catching his gaze head on. Two seconds, five, ten... he didn't waver. Her heart pounded as she tried desperately to think of his name. She shifted her attention as the bag slipped off the desk and instantly felt the pressure move away. She glanced back quickly, but he was nowhere to be found. Laurel jumped as her phone rang. She stared at the phone and considered not answering. Her gran would know in an instant something was up, though, and from the earlier message, she already knew she didn't feel well.

"Good morning, gran."

"I knew it. You are coming down with something. Sore throat, congestion, exhaustion, and an aching back?"

Her hand moved to her back. How had she missed the dull ache earlier?

"Gran, I don't know how you do it. I will be okay, though. I'm drinking water and getting plenty of sleep."

"You do know how I do it. You just refuse to talk about it. Never mind that, you read my text about the teas and sachets I'm sending? I overnighted them. Follow the directions and you should be better in no time."

"You didn't need to do that. I'm sure I could have held out for regular mail." Laurel grinned, her heart flushed with love. Despite everything else, she wouldn't trade her gran.

"I promise. I will take them how I'm supposed to. And I'll be home soon to visit. Maybe not this weekend, but the next one."

Two days later, she felt worse. Her grandmother's package still hadn't arrived. She'd meant to ask the student worker the day before, but the line had been too long. Not able to hold off anymore, she forced herself downstairs, line or no line. When it was her turn, she swore she saw the creepy guy from class the other day, perched in the back of the space. Did he stay here too? He must. Only employees of the residence hall were allowed in the back office. And the employees were the ones who put out the mail. Surely he didn't do something with her gran's package. The thought caused her stomach to churn. She wasn't typically one to judge first, especially since she'd felt judged her whole life. But now and then, she got a vibe and couldn't help herself. Her grandmother had told her it was her intuition, or more simply her gut. It was something they'd passionately debated, with her gran telling her she could hone her intuition to work for her rather than just getting feelings out of the blue. In the end, it didn't freak her out as much as some of the other things her grandmother told her.

It was easier for Laurel to swallow, since intuition and gut checks seemed to be more universal than knowing the right herbal concoction for someone who hadn't even asked yet. Still, practicing the art of intuition wasn't something she'd actually taken seriously. Much to her gran's chagrin.

"Can I help you?" The girl behind the desk was staring at me and I got the sense this wasn't the first time she'd asked.

"Sorry, I was wondering if I'd missed a package?"

"Room number and name?"

"Laurel Parker, room 337." She said this last part softly, in case the creepy guy was really in the back. The realization he already knew exactly where her room was if he truly worked there didn't quite hit her yet.

"I don't see a package logged for you, sorry."

She thanked her and considered her options. As much as she'd always tried running away from her grandmother's gifts, she was still raised on natural medicines and tried hard not to take anything that wasn't herbal. She realized that made her a bit of a hypocrite. Still, the thought of a trip to Health Services to take some pill didn't completely sit well. But she had to do something. The pain in her back had only intensified, making it harder to cough or even sneeze. With no other option, she dropped her belongings in her room and grabbed her ID. As she walked across campus, she cursed herself for not driving home the minute she realized the package was missing. She probably would have been on the mend already.

Chapter Two

Calm Amongst the Confusion

Her eyes fluttered and her throat felt like it was on fire, which was somehow worse than feeling like she'd swallowed glass shards. Her entire body felt heavy, like she was floating on quicksand. She tried to take in her surroundings, remembering the doctor at Health Services saying she had meningitis and needed to go to the hospital. The last thing she remembered was being in the ambulance. Had she heard someone call her name? But now, she seemed to be in the hospital. She looked at the tubes connected to her arm and followed their trail to the monitor with flashing lights and sensors. Why couldn't she remember anything else? Her eyes widened. Her grandmother! Had anyone called her? Suddenly, she heard her sweet voice carry through the air and her body relaxed.

"Thank you, doctor. And I hope that lotion works well for your son."

Laurel tried to open her mouth, call out to her, but the dryness was too much.

"Well, sweetie, you're awake!" Gran rushed in. She looked worried. "I had a feeling something wasn't quite right. Thankfully, your friend picked up your phone after you dropped it at Health Services and called me."

Her friend? What friend? And when had she dropped her phone?

"Do you want to sit up? There's some ice water here, but you need to take slow sips."

She pushed some buttons, like she'd worked at the hospital for years. The bed raised Laurel to an almost upright position. Her initial reaction was to gulp down the water in the tumbler her gran put in her hands, but the cumbersome lid and her grandmother's watchful eye stopped her. She had so many questions milling around in her head. Not even needing to vocalize the thought, her gran jumped into action.

"Let me get the doctor. He can tell you what's going on."

She continued to sip, frustrated she could remember what happened after they loaded her into the ambulance. It was an odd sensation to know you were missing a part of your memory.

"Ms. Parker." A deep, booming voice entered her focus. "I'm glad to see you awake. I'm Dr. Kelly. Do you remember anything that happened?"

She shrugged her shoulders, motioning to her throat. It didn't quite feel loosened up enough to talk yet. Plus, what would he say if she didn't remember anything? He nodded and took the chart from the end of her bed.

"Don't talk until you're ready. I'm sure your throat is quite dry. We are giving you fluids, but that doesn't necessarily mean you don't want to drink a gallon of water right now."

Back at the head of the bed, he took off his stethoscope and gave her a once over as he continued.

"You came in with meningitis. And it's a good thing you came in when you did. We caught it before it could do any major damage. You've been here for a couple of days now. I would suspect you should start feeling much better in the next day or two, but this is something that's going to keep you exhausted for a few weeks."

Her immediate concern, of course, was school, now that he'd confirmed she wasn't dying. There were only a few weeks left, and she wasn't certain what to do if she couldn't finish her assignments.

"Once you're discharged, you can return to school. You will just need to take it easy. I understand your teachers have been informed, so there's no need to worry about that."

"Oh, yes. Laurel, your friend, has been wonderful taking care of those things, and such a delight to get to know."

Her mind raced again. What friend was she talking about? She felt a catch in her breath, remembering the creepy guy from class. She'd seen him right before walking to Health Services. Had he followed her? Talked to her grandmother? Instantly, a calm washed over her as she noticed her gran stroking her forearm. Just another of her talents. She'd always been able to soothe her fears.

"Laurel, sweetie. You look pale. Are her numbers okay?"

Dr. Kelly checked everything again and told her it was most likely just the shock of waking up in the hospital. He let Laurel know he would do rounds in another few hours and to call the nurse if she needed anything. Once he left the room, her gran moved to face her fully.

'You seemed to react when I mentioned Juniper. Is there something I should know? I get a great energy from her. I'm so glad you found someone to connect with. She just stopped by yesterday to give me your phone. We sat and talked awhile but I promise, I didn't let all my crazy hang out."

Gran laughed as she said this, knowing she struggled with some aspects of her personality. Relieved, Laurel tipped her chin at the mention of Juniper's name.

"Juniper." The name barely hovered above a whisper.

"Yes dear. She was walking outside Health Services as they loaded you into the ambulance. She tried to catch the EMT's when you dropped your phone, even yelled your name, but no one heard her. Thankfully, you had that emergency number thingy set up, and she could have your phone call me."

The emergency number thingy was only set up because her grandmother had badgered her for months about it before she finally caved. Yet another thing she was right about. She took a few more sips of water, as her gran launched into stories she and Juniper had shared. She continued to talk about the greenhouse and her customers. Her voice comforted Laurel, allowing her to relax once again.

"Now, Laurel. I didn't want to say anything in front of the doctor, but it's not like you to ignore what I send your way. I'm not saying the teas would have held off meningitis since you already seemed to be far into it, but they might have at least help you sleep."

Her eyes narrowed. Confusion took over once again. She clearly remembered everything before they lifted her into the ambulance, and she knew she had never received the package. Why did her grandmother think she did? Making every effort to talk slowly, she asked just that.

"Gran, I didn't get the package. I checked again right before going to Health Services."

"Well, that's odd. Your Resident Assistant said the open package was sitting on your laptop when she grabbed it and your charger. I knew you would need them and gave her permission. I hope you don't mind. Since the package was sitting there, she asked if you needed it. She also brought your blanket so you would feel at home."

For the first time, she noticed the blanket covering her was her favorite. There was no explanation for why the package was in her room, opened. She hadn't been that out of it. And she knew for certain the package wasn't anywhere in her room, let alone sitting on her laptop.

"Maybe a neighbor picked it up on accident and the Resident Assistant meant to say she put it in your room for you. That makes me feel so much better. I knew you wouldn't just not take it, even if you don't believe in all my woohoo stuff."

Her gran grinned, but Laurel could still see the hurt in her eyes. Their decision to just not talk about their differing beliefs had come into play before. Shaking her head, differing beliefs weren't the right way to put it. Either way, her mysteriously missing package had apparently been found, and she had no clue by who.

Another week passed and slowly but surely, she felt better. She'd spent most of her hospital stay asleep. There were times, though, when she would wake because she swore she heard talking in the room. But no one would be there when she opened her eyes. And there was more than one time when she was partially awake and thought she saw Juniper in her room. She had to be mistaken, though. Juniper wasn't a family member. Yes, she'd visited once, but that was to give her grandmother her phone. After the tenth day in the hospital, they had finally discharged her.

In the waking times, she'd been in contact with her teachers through email. They'd allowed her to finish assignments remotely when she had the energy. Thankfully, she was a fairly good student and anything she'd miss wouldn't affect her final grades much. The mystery of the package still bothered her, but in the end, she decided her gran was probably right. Someone had probably accidentally opened it and either returned it while the RA was in there, or given it to the RA to return. It was probably an honest mistake.

More bothersome to her. When she'd returned to campus, things had been a little off. She'd expected to be tired still, but the huge, sweeping mood swings were not in the meningitis handbook. They came from nowhere, hitting her like a Mack truck at times. And then, just as suddenly, they were gone again. Today was her first day back to classes and she once again struggled to get out of bed. She knew she was running late again, without even looking. Finally, she pulled herself upright. She took a few minutes to brush her teeth and wash her face before she threw her hair into a messy bun and called it good.

As she moved across the campus, she paced herself. She still struggled to take a deep breath. Dr. Kelly explained this would pass as well, but might take longer than she liked. He was right. Currently, she felt like a pack a day smoker who needed to take a breath after every few flights. She walked into her Criminal Psych class, but this time, she looked for Juniper rather than avoided her. She wanted to thank her for everything she'd done while she was out, and maybe ask her if she'd visited her.

A wall of emotions hit her as she glanced around the space. Anxiety, sadness, happiness. The mood swings again. It was worse in enclosed spaces like this. It felt like someone had jackknifed a tractor trailer of emotions and she had no way to avoid them. Feeling overwhelmed, she jumped when she felt a hand on hers.

"Steady." Juniper's soft whisper connected with her. "You look like you could use some help."

Strangely, her touch seemed to mute the surrounding chaos. The pause allowed her to focus long enough to sit down. No matter how odd she thought this girl was, it was clear she needed her right now.

"Thank you. I have been feeling a little strange since my discharge."

"It's to be expected. You were in the hospital for a long time. I'm glad to see you back. I made a copy of my notes if you need them for the final."

She handed me the stack, saving me yet again.

"By the way, thanks for grabbing my phone. Talk about the right place, right time. And for visiting. My gran mentioned she talked to you?"

"Yes, she is delightful. I should have known when you didn't call me crazy after I gave you the roller ball, that you had someone like your gran in your life. I was happy to get it back to you, and besides, I'm there twice a week volunteering, so not that big of a deal to drop it off."

Laurel felt herself soften towards Juniper even more. No wonder gran liked her. It was more than their shared interests. Juniper genuinely seemed to be a nice person. She hated admitting she'd felt jealous of her before. She'd even thought her gran might have loved to have Juniper as a grandchild, rather than herself. Laurel knew that was crazy. Even when her gran pushed her to learn more about the family gifts, she knew it was her choice and her gran would love her whether or not she learned. But now? She had a sneaky suspicion her newest issues were too big to ignore and, unless she wanted to live in an emotional fish bowl; she needed to finally open up and let gran in.

The professor cleared his throat at the front of the room and announced our final project for the year. One to be done in pairs. Lauren looked Juniper's way, raising her brow. Before her hospital stay, she would have groaned at the thought of working with anyone, but she no longer felt that way. Besides, Juniper was the top student in the class. Why would Laurel not want to work with her? They moved to the front of the room to sign up and pick up their packet. They looked it over at their seats. It seemed fairly straightforward. She gave Juniper her phone number, and they agreed to meet in the library tomorrow afternoon. With any luck, they could bust out the project quickly and Laurel could work on everything else that was due.

It wasn't until they packed up that Laurel remembered the creepy dude. She looked around quickly. He had either already left, or he didn't show today. She wondered what vibe she might get off him, and her body shivered at the thought. He was creepy before. She wasn't sure what that looked like amplified. She made a note to mention it to Juniper the following day and suddenly found herself excited about the project. Imagine that, two years in and she'd finally come around to socializing with the surrounding students. Speaking of the surrounding students, Laurel's senses had heightened the instant Juniper had left. Furrowing her brow, it was almost as if Juniper was a buffer for her, not letting all the craziness in. She sighed. The more she thought about it, the more she knew she needed her grandmother's help with this. She needed to do some of her own research as well.

The next day, she arrived at the library early to find a spot where the commotion didn't overwhelm her. The exhaustion of being out for two weeks was one thing. This new dilemma of feeling everyone's emotions within a two-block radius was something else altogether. She'd gone back to her room yesterday and hit the internet hard. It didn't take long to whittle down what was happening with her. A few articles, a couple of quizzes, and some self-reflection pointed to her being an empath. From what she could tell, the gift.... as her grandmother would call it, was triggered by her bout with meningitis. And as she'd suspected, meditation was one of the best ways to learn to deal with it. She'd finally fallen to sleep when she couldn't read anything else. For now, she needed to focus on getting through the rest of the semester. Once she was home, she and her gran could come up with a plan.

A few hours later, she and Juniper had finished the project. Just like the day before, Juniper's presence had soothed the surrounding craziness. Laurel had wanted to ask about it, it'd been on the tip of her tongue, but she'd been interrupted when Juniper stepped away to take a phone call. Almost immediately, the overpowering feelings rushed in again. Something was different about it this time, though. Underneath the base feeling she felt something more sinister. Something almost evil. The feeling sent shivers down her spine as she looked around, trying to find the reason. And there he was, just around the corner, watching her through a break in the books. The creepy guy was back.

She'd had a feeling his presence would feel different, and she'd been right. When Juniper returned, Laurel opted to ask what Juniper knew about him, instead of fessing up about her weird gift. She'd said he was a teacher's aide but knew nothing else about him, and agreed with her it was weird he kept showing up. She encouraged her to say something to the professor if the behavior continued. Laurel had to admit, she was a little freaked out he affected her that way.