Excerpt from The Third Coin

This is part of Chapter 14, one of my favorite Chapters in The Third Coin. Nisha is finally finding her power and her bravery.

On her tenth birthday, Aunt Faye presented Nisha with same the lovely necklace Nisha had rejected the year before. 

“It was your mother’s,” Faye explained, “Perhaps I didn’t tell you that last year.  The circle gives you strength.  It holds your mother’s love inside it.”  Despite her protests, Faye fastened the necklace around Nisha’s neck and as she did, a large tear fell from Nisha’s left eye and then another from her right.  Before she knew it, she was crying with great heaving gasps.

Faye stroked her hair and said, “There, there my little Goddess. The power of The Lake is within you, I’m sure of it.  Look at your tears, how big they are!  Only a Daughter of the Lake can cry such marvelous tears.”

Though the next day was bitter cold, several of the Horribles had the bright idea to follow Nisha home. She tried to walk quickly, but the sidewalks were slick with slush from a recent storm.  The girls trailed her, just a few steps behind, laughing each time she lost her footing.  At an intersection, Nisha decided to make a run for it.  She made it across the busy street, but as she rounded the corner, she slipped and fell, tearing her tights and scraping her knee badly.  The Horribles caught up to her a moment later.  One girl reached out to help her up, only to twist her arm behind her and force her into a nearby alley.

The alley was narrow and dark, not much wider than a sidewalk. Along one side was a dumpster and a cluster of overflowing trashcans. Long soot-blackened icicles hung from the fire escape above.  

The girls forced Nisha to the ground and began to bury her in the filthy snow. Several times, she tried to get up, but they held her down until they were finished.  Then, one by one, they stepped back, laughing at their handiwork, their faces in shadowy contrast to the bright winter sun above them. 

“That’s just where you belong, you hideous little freak.” Even through the trash, Nisha could smell the noxious odor of Amanda Whitehead.

As Nisha looked up into Amanda’s round, ruddy face, she felt tears pushing at her eyelids. Please don’t cry, she begged herself, and, oddly, the feeling vanished.  At the same time, she noticed a tingling at her throat.  She reached up and felt her new necklace. It was surprisingly warm to the touch and her freezing fingertips thawed a little as they traced the ruby circle. The ache to cry was slowly replaced by a pounding in her heart.  Her blood began surging through her until she felt almost hot.  It took her a moment to recognize the feeling, for it was one she had denied for so long.  It was anger, and it was suddenly so strong she felt she could barely contain it.

“Leave me alone,” she heard herself whisper, but her words were lost in a cold snap of wind.

“Did you say something, freak?” said Amanda, jeeringly. Her voice echoed slightly on the brick alley walls.

“I said, leave me alone,” Nisha repeated, less meekly this time.

“Yeah, well, how are you gonna make us do that?” a tall girl asked, wiping her runny nose with the back of her gloved hand.  Then she flapped her arms up and down and laughed.  “Are you going to make us all fly away like little Charlie Campbell?”

Nisha took in a slow breath.  Normally, any reference to that day in the playground brought tears to her eyes.  But today she noticed something she hadn’t before; something in the girl’s voice. Underneath her words, Nisha heard or perhaps sensed the undeniable tremor of fear. Despite her predicament, she almost smiled.  They hate me because they are afraid of me, she thought.  They’re afraid of me. 

Nisha touched her necklace again and felt another surge of warmth, stronger than before. She felt oddly calm as she pushed her way through the trash and stood up, slowly brushing a sticky ketchup packet from her skirt.  Then, she lifted up her eyes to face Amanda directly.

Amanda chuckled.  “Well, look at you,” she said.  “What are you gonna do, witch girl, curse us or something?”

“No,” Nisha answered quietly, “just you.” 

Nisha knew Amanda was the leader, and though she hadn’t planned exactly what she would say; her intention was to frighten Amanda Whitehead into backing down.  She could tell by the hush that had fallen over the alley that it was working already.

“Yeah right,” the tall girl ventured, but no one else chimed in.

Nisha said nothing, but continue to stare directly at Amanda.

“Are you threatening me?” said Amanda loudly.  Nisha could smell the fear coming off her skin. 

“Yes,” Nisha answered, forcing herself to step forward.

“You can’t do anything to me,” said Amanda, trying to keep her voice steady.

“Are you sure about that?” asked Nisha, stepping forward again, never taking her eyes off Amanda.  If only I could do something that would really scare her.  Suddenly, there was a sharp cracking noise above them. Then, as if she’d planned it, one of the huge icicles from the fire escape came crashing down. Amanda jumped back just in time, and the icicle smashed on the ground between their feet.

They all just stared at the shattered ice until Nisha spoke. “I’ve asked you to leave me alone and I suggest you do,” she said, glancing from Amanda’s face to the broken icicle on the ground, as if she had somehow commanded it to fall.  She looked around at the other girls.  “I suggest you all do.”

The girls were genuinely frightened now. The tang of fear was potent in the cold air.  Amanda turned to the others and said, “Let’s go. She’s seriously creeping me out.”

After that day, things improved for Nisha.  Sure, the kids still taunted her as they passed in the halls and certainly no one would even consider befriending her, but if she kept to herself, and out of their way, she could go about her life without incident.