The Secret of Zormna Clendar by Julie Steimle (best ereader for pdf TXT) 📕

down from the bleachers, Jeff going right after him.

“What is it?” Brian followed the Streigle brothers. “What happened?”

Alex turned back five steps and said with a shrug, “We forgot, it’s…uh, it’s our aunt’s birthday today. We didn’t tell her we were going to the dance tonight. We have to go.”

He didn’t give Brian or the others time to respond. Both boys dashed out of the hall towards the main door, leaving their friends to wonder on their own.

So hasty. So strange.

And Jennifer was sure it had nothing to do with some forgotten birthday. Deciding to find out for herself, Jennifer hurried down the bleacher steps and rushed to the girls’ bathroom to check in on Zormna.

The next heat started up immediately. The whistle blew.

Zormna’s teammates lingered near the bathroom entrance. Jennifer had to push through to get in, including shove pass Mrs. Ryant and the school nurse. Both adults looked worried. Obviously they had questions about the mark on Zormna’s shoulder also.

“Zormna?” Jennifer searched around the room, peeking into the one side then the other for an occupied stall.

“I said I’m fine!” Zormna shrieked back.

Jennifer leaned against the stall door. “You know, I had heard you always changed in the stall. I never knew why until now. Everybody thought you were just really…” Jennifer went speechless, trying to find the word without ruining their relationship further.

 “What? Prude? Paranoid? Weird?” Zormna would not let her finish anyway. The door opened, causing Jennifer to stagger upright.

Zormna was dressed and mostly dry, yet still barefoot. With a huff that contained a pretended look of unconcern, Zormna nudged Jennifer aside. “I just don’t like people staring at me when all I have on are those flimsy undergarments. Those things should be outlawed.”

“Right….” Jennifer followed Zormna to her shoes. She whispered, “Tell the truth. You didn’t want anyone to see that mark on your arm, did you?”

Zormna stiffened. Her breath went shallow.

“It’s what you showed that lawyer on the first day,” Jennifer guessed. “Am I right?”

Stiffly, Zormna nodded.

“What is it?” Jennifer asked.

“Proof of who I am,” Zormna said, but low like it was the deadliest secret.

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “It was the same mark on—”

Zormna slapped a hand over Jennifer’s mouth, staring fiercely into her face. “Don’t talk about it.”

Then she let go. She scooped up her shoes, padding barefoot to the exit.

“Why not?” Jennifer gasped. “What’s the big deal? Dad’s got a tattoo. I’m sure he’d show it to you.”

Zormna stiffened in the doorway. Turning slowly, she said, “Don’t you tell him especially, or your mother. They might be nice people right now—but if they knew, I’d be a dead woman.”

And she went out.

A dead woman? Jennifer rolled her eyes. Zormna had to be exaggerating.

*

A lot was on Todd’s mind when he headed home from the Olympics. He had to wash up, change for the dance, and sneak a little something to eat. Mostly he wanted to be at the dance early to help set up. He had taken his cue from Jeff and Alex’s early departure, which seemed a good idea to a great many people at the time.

When he arrived home through the side door, Todd found his parents standing in the kitchen, talking intimately over a plate of sandwiches.

“This has got to be one of the best days of the year.” Todd marched inside in the highest of spirits.

His parents grinned at him, patiently listening. Todd proceeded to give them a rundown of the day, while digging through the cupboards for a snack. They didn’t say much. They just let him talk. He even furnished the details about the wrestling match between Jeff and Zormna.

“…You should have been there to see it.” Todd grabbed a handful of Oreos, then thought better of it and snatched up a banana also. He stuffed the cookies into his pocket. “And then she just walks off with mud covering half her head. I don’t know any girl like that.”

They chuckled, nodding. Though, Todd noticed his father roll his eyes with his usual degree of amused annoyance. Todd even recounted how well Jennifer did in the games.

“Fourth in javelin for her grade,” he said. “Promise me never to give that girl a spear.”

They laughed.

“Of course Zormna placed first,” Todd added, shaking his head at the memory. He took out a carton of milk. “But I’m sure you guys know what an athletic super-girl she is. ‘Irish ninja’ Jennifer calls her. Did you know she won the hundred-yard dash and the hurdles? And she placed second in the mile. And that was against some of the boys in the track team. But best of all was watching her swimming.”

Todd was about to drink out of the carton, but with a peek towards his mother he grabbed a glass instead.

His parents shared knowing smiles.

Pouring the milk, Todd continued. “She looked real hot in that bathing suit, by the way. She finally consented to swimming with a shirt off. I thought half the school was going to die from it.” Seeing his mother’s disapproving looks Todd cleared his throat and said, “But anyway, no one would have known she couldn’t swim a week ago with the way she went. She flew so fast in the water it was too bad she only placed third in her heat. Give her a month, and I’m sure she would have come in first.”

He took a gulp of milk then wiped his mouth, thinking more on that.

His parents were sighing again in that infuriating ‘We know a lot more about her than you do son’ way that they had adopted whenever he shared something new about their houseguest.

Which put him to mind to ask, “Did you know that Zormna has a funny round mark on her right shoulder? Like she was branded?”

They blinked at him at first, not quite sure they heard him right. His father looked at his mother. And she glanced back to her husband, sharing incomprehensive looks. But their expressions quickly turned dark. They both narrowed their eyes. With decided frowns, practically grinding their teeth, they said, “Say that again?”

Todd pulled back. “What?”

“What did you say you saw?” Mr. McLenna asked. There was fury in his eyes, none the like Todd had ever seen before.

“I…” Todd clutched his glass to his chest, retreating a step. “What? I saw a mark on her shoulder. Like she was gang branded or something.”

“Which shoulder?” his father growled out.

“I…the right shoulder. Ok?” Dark chills sank from Todd’s chest down into the pit of his stomach. He put glass down on the counter, retreating another step. “What’s this all about?”

“Tell me exactly what it looked like,” his mother said through clenched teeth.

Both father and mother looked like they had just drunk acid. So much hate that Todd could not describe nor fathom emanated from them.

“I don’t know. It was circular. It looked kinda’ like a lopsided target.”

Mr. McLenna grabbed his son by his arms, and pulled him forward. “Are you sure?

Todd breathed shallowly. Looking to his mom for help, he saw none. He pushed back. “I don’t know. Get off! I saw it from a distance, ok? What’s your problem?”

His father lowered his hands, though he still looked inclined to strangle someone. He looked to Todd’s mother, nodding sharply. “Did she ever say anything about it? To you, or Jennifer?”

Todd shook his head. “First time I knew about it. What gives? You’ve got a tattoo. I’ve seen it.”

Mr. McLenna nodded, drawing in deep breaths. Todd could tell his father was trying to maintain his temper. At what, he didn’t know. Something was wrong about that mark on Zormna’s arm, Todd guessed. Maybe it was an Irish gang thing. Maybe it was linked to some gang in Chicago—as it had kind of upset Jeff also. He knew Jeff was lying about the whole birthday thing. Their aunt had a birthday party three months ago. Todd remembered it because on that same day they were going to go on an overnight campout with Brian’s scout troop and Jeff would not have missed out on that unless he had to.

“It is nothing for you to be concerned about,” his father said. But his expression remained dark. “But that girl will have to have a talking-to.”

Stepping back, Todd felt dread—not for himself, but on behalf of Zormna. A ‘talking-to’ meant she was in deep trouble.

Todd escaped to his upstairs room, happy to get out of his parents’ company.

*

Jennifer could not get Zormna to divulge any more about the mark on her shoulder, so she settled for what they were going to do to celebrate their wins at the dance. Zormna had to wear a dress, Jennifer kept insisting. It was only right.

“No dresses! For the last time,” Zormna protested. Yet she was chuckling.

“Ah, come on!” Jennifer hung her shoulders, begging.

“Nope.” Zormna shook her head.

They were close to home. They could see the house and were about to cross the street when Todd jogged out from the driveway and straight to them. He appeared agitated and breathless. He went directly to Zormna.

“Hey, you two had better sneak in the front door, or through the back,” he said. “Mom and Dad have lost it. I mean in a real bad temper.”

Jennifer froze. Had she not cleaned her room? She mentally tried to list something she might have done wrong.

She did her chores the day before. Check. She had no homework… check. Maybe this was about the phone bill. She had been texting Kevin a lot lately. Or maybe someone saw them making out at….

But Jennifer shook her head. It wasn’t that big of a deal. And that was a while back before all the craziness with the FBI and Zormna.

She looked at Zormna.

Zormna stood pale. Her lips were white, her eyes averting to the ground. She murmured, “Maybe I had better skip the dance and go to my great aunt’s house until they cool off.”

“You think they are mad at you?” Jennifer said.

Todd cringed, nodding. “I’m sorry. I was just talking about the Olympics and they…I had no idea it was a secret from them. I’m so sorry.”

Todd rushed off.

It. What it? Jennifer stared after her brother as he hurried away. But Zormna seemed to know.

“It?” Jennifer asked.

“He told them about the Olympics,” Zormna murmured, walking slowly towards the house. “What he saw.”

Immediately Jennifer knew. It. The mark on her shoulder.

They came up to the kitchen door. Jennifer looked back to Zormna who walked like she was marching to the guillotine.

“Maybe we can sneak in and get some stuff for you,” Jennifer said.

Gazing up weakly in thanks, Zormna nodded.

They pulled open the door.

They stepped inside.

Jennifer’s parents were still in the kitchen, waiting for them.

“Uh, hi,” Jennifer said, glancing from father to mother, taking in their glaring eyes and folded arms.

Zormna pulled back. Clearly what Todd had said was true.

“Zormna, we would like to have a word with you.” Mr. McLenna’s voice was deadly grave.  

“Can’t it wait until later?” Zormna replied so meekly. She attempted, weakly, to slip past the two adults to the stairs.

Both angry adults bore down on her like tigers.

Zormna’s voice shrank to a whisper. “There is this dance we have to attend…”

Their eyes narrowed like knives.

“We need to talk with you now,” Mr. McLenna said frostily.

Zormna shrank back with a step. Her arms pulled in. She clenched them to herself in protection. Desperately, the tiny blonde looked to Jennifer for help. But what could Jennifer do for an Irish-ninja against her own parents? Her parents had never scared her like this. It was like they were different people altogether.

Mr. McLenna grabbed Zormna’s arm, wrenching her towards the stairs. And the little blonde who had just flattened their state champ wrestler only a few hours ago went with him, not even resisting. They marched her all the way up to their bedroom.

And Jennifer tried to follow.

Her mother quickly turned and spoke with such rigidity that Jennifer pulled back. “We want to talk to her alone.”

Jennifer halted at the bottom of the staircase. It was so…holy cow…impossibly,