For the previous Twirl, go here and to the Neverending stories tab at the top of the page.

For my new Invisible Friends, Twirl is the story of a feisty, sassy ballerina named Vivi and her handsome cowboy named Wade. After falling in love swaying on the dance floor to the sound of a fiddle and steel guitar, the couple have stumbled onto a old Texas legend that might possibly lead to riches! On top of everything, Vivi is fighting her controlling father and over involved dance teacher, who are trying to trap her into a life she may not want. Add in a mysterious secret with her mother, a scheming evil boy in her dance class and regular teen angst and you’ve got DRAMA!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

“It’s Margaret!” Vivi hissed, hiding behind Wade’s chest.  Even from here, she could practically smell the woman’s rotten breath curling from her blackened teeth.  “She’s followed us!  You think she knows we found the box at your grandmother’s house?”

Wade’s jaw tightened.  “I don’t know,” he muttered, sneaking a grin at her.  Margaret grinned and wiggled her bony fingers, her silver rings clanking together.  The tinny of cheap metal scraping together set Vivi’s teeth on edge.

“We’ve got to talk to her,” Wade said resolutely.  “It’s better to know what she knows–and wants–then to run out of here.  Considering how she treated my grandma, I don’t think she’d have any scruples about harassing two kids.”

“I just don’t get why she can’t find another mystery,” Vivi grumbled.  “Can’t she study old arrowheads or something?  Translate a buffalo skin?”

Wade leaned back against the soda machine, pulling Vivi close.  Leaning his head down so his breath tickled her ear, he whispered, “There’s something going on, Vivi.  I saw a news van outside earlier.  And my grandfather said someone kept calling the house and hanging up.  I think a lot more people know about this than the Sheriff let on.  Plus, I’ve got a feeling Margaret has been chasing this treasure for decades.  She’s so pompous that she’s not going to let a couple kids strip her of academic glory.”

“How far do you think she’d go to stop us?” Vivi asked.

Wade shook his head.  “If she was breaking into houses more than ten years ago, there’s no telling what she’d do now.  Did you hide those letters I gave you?”

“Yea, but I’ll move them now.” Vivi shuddered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.  She had enough things to worry about between her father’s rages and Mrs. Angelson’s blackmail attempts.  Damien and Margaret were two inconveniences she didn’t need.

Suddenly, Vivi gasped.  “Damien,” she murmured.  Gritting her teeth, she poked Wade in the chest to get his attention.

“Wade, Damien was talking to me at dance,” she whispered.  “He wanted to split the profits with us, kept pushing me to let him go search with us.  He said he had the best contacts and people.  Do you think he talked to Margaret?”

Wade’s head swiveled around.  Margaret’s greasy silver head was bent over a menu, her thin black clad arm waving frantically for a waitress.

“There’s only one way to find out.”  Vivi had never heard him sound so grim.  Taking her by the hand, he marched over to Margaret’s table.  “Miss Margaret.”

The woman raised her black eyes, narrowing them on Vivi’s pale face.  Cackling, she leaned back in the booth. “Children.  Did you find anything interesting in the letter I translated for you?”

“It depends what you think is interesting,” Wade replied, keeping his voice low but light.  “After all, not everyone likes Texas history.”

Margaret leaned forward. “Your grandmother had a keen interest, as I recall.  Perhaps it’s hereditary?”

“Perhaps.”  Wade’s lips pulled apart, but Vivi knew he wasn’t smiling.  She kept her teeth locked together, scared of what might spill out if she dared open them.

“There are rumors floating around,” Margaret cooed, her black eyes locking on Wade.  “Rumors that someone is trying to find Bullet Bill’s treasure again.”

“I’m sure lots of people want to find it,” Wade replied.  “Treasure does that to folks.”

“Wouldn’t you want to find it?” Margaret’s thin eyebrows danced as she leered at the couple.  “Instant fame, wealth…think of how many IPods you could buy.  Think of your ranch, Wade.  You could save it and go to school, just as you dreamed.”

“How did you”– Wade placed his hand on Vivi’s arm and she forced herself to stop.

“I understand,” Margaret drawled, her rotten teeth glinting in the yellowed light.  “I’m sure your grandfather told you terrible things about me.  We old people do tend to remember the past as we like it best.  And I know it’s hard, but I do have your best interests at heart I want to help.”

“How?”  Vivi demanded, leaning forward.  She couldn’t stand these games. ”How do you want to help?  What do you want from us?  Why are you here?”

“There are things about the treasure you don’t know,” Margaret drawled, her rings clicking as she waggled her fingers.  “Things that you can’t read about in books or learn from letters.  Things only a trained expert who has been studying this case for years–like me–would know.”

“And why should we trust you?” Vivi snarled.

“The question is, why shouldn’t you?” Margaret countered.  “I don’t believe you can afford not to.  If you don’t trust me, I’ll assume you’re against me.  And that’s not in a very good position to be in.”

“Why not?” Vivi questioned, her face inches from the old woman’s.  She held her breath, fighting the urge to pinch her nose and gag.

“I’ve been around a long time,” Margaret drawled.  “I know a lot of people and a lot of secrets.  And I know that nothing or no one will stop me from finding Bullet Bill’s treasure.  I’ve worked too long and too hard to let a couple of love-crazed teenagers cheat me out of the biggest glory of our century.  So you’ve got two options: work with me, or against me.  The choice is yours.”

With that, she swept out of the booth.

“And before you decide,” she hissed, her eyes locked on Wade, “You might want to see what really happened to your grandfather.”  The black orbs shifted to Vivi.  “And you might want to brush up on your father. After all, hidden secrets always come out.  Always.”

Leaving an odor of rot and musk behind her, Margaret slithered out of the bar.

Vivi and Wade looked at each other.

“Now what?” Vivi asked.

To be continued….

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  This weekend, we’ve got our new featured Creative Woman of the Pond–Jaime from sophistimom.com!

Do you know someone who should be our featured creative blogger?  Would you like to be featured in the Pond?  Then shoot me an e-mail through the contact form!  And stay tuned for more recipes, crafts and of course, whimsical tales!

Want to subscribe?  Look me up on feedburner or click the RSS tab at the bottom of my site!