The Inheritance Book 1

Ch 67 Proposal: Jarrett Jennings [Sunday Morning, End of Week Three]

Jarrett, along with a few of the other kids, went into the dining room to wait for the results of the art masterpiece contest. Maui was talking to the old lady, and Elizabeth had gone off to fix her makeup. As though she needed it.

He ran his hand along the smooth, shiny tops of all 16 of the polished, carved wooden chairs down to the far end of the main table. He took the second to last one, saving seats for his friends on either side of him. Graehm's group settled at the opposite end. Bossy and Blondie huddled around the small corner side table.

He rested his forehead on his hands and, for the hundredth time, stewed over his complete fail on Thursday, right here in this very room.

What was wrong with him? He wanted to be alone with Elizabeth, but every time he was, he got all sweaty, blushed beet red, and his brain stopped working.

She had surprised him by opening the door of opportunity before he'd even gotten up to the porch. Any other guy would've probably swaggered on in. Not him, though. He had tripped over his own two feet, then ran away like a scared rabbit. So far away now that he wasn't even on her street anymore.

How could he ever regain that lost ground?

Maui came in and sat down next to him, temporarily saving him from further self-inflicted ass-kicking.

"Dude, I thought you lost that on the boat," Jarrett said when he noticed what Maui was wearing.

Maui smiled down at his 'Tongan Roots, American Grown' shirt. "I did. But auntie said it washed up on the shore of the lake. Mr. Carter found it. And they cleaned it, by the way."

"Nice! But weird. Not that they cleaned it. That's not weird, but do I dare even mention how slim the odds are of a shirt washing up on shore and how lucky you are? I would think it would just sink and stay sunk, wouldn't you?"

Maui slid his hands down the front of his beloved shirt. "Yes, but just like every other crazy thing here, we could try to explain it all day long, but it won't do any good. We'll just be running around in circles again."

"Right? There are either no answers, or no one is willing to give us the answers. It's getting to the point where I'm now expecting the unexpected, no explanation necessary." Jarrett fidgeted in his seat, and started bouncing his knees up and down. Sitting still was always such a challenge.

"They should have told us that in the invitation." Maui switched into a t.v. announcer voice. "Come to Trecorin, where we're redefining normal. Enjoy our luxurious pool while you gradually become used to the screams of a fantastical beast locked away in a steel vault. Take a boat out on the lake and wake up half-drowned on the shore. Indulge in gourmet food while comparing birthmarks with the other guests."

Jarrett tapped his fingers on the underside of his chair. "Yep. Strange is the new normal here. It's not just us, either. I've heard the other kids saying the exact same thing."

Maui put an elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. "Let's talk about something else then. Hannah. After what just happened, do you think she's the stalker now?"

"Volleyball girl?" he said. "Nothing would surprise me at this point. She is quiet and kinda keeps to herself, like most psychopaths and school shooters. And I overheard those two," he tipped his chin in Bossy and Blondie's direction, "saying something about her sneaking into one of their rooms. And it's obvious she hates Elizabeth. What about you? What do you think?"

Maui shrugged. "I thought Hannah was cool at first. But you're right. She keeps to herself, so it's not like we know her all that well. She's just as good a suspect as the others. It's hard to know for sure because none of the girls like Elizabeth."