Natalie Locke & the Sundancer

Natalie Locke learned her lessons about texting while driving the hard way when an eighteen-wheeler crossed her path and she nearly lost her life. Thanks to her accident, she met her new mentor, Lone Eagle, a Native American Shaman who is destined to teach her about the healing powers in the rocks and stones she sells in her shop. Can Lone Eagle teach her enough to mend her broken bones and dance at her high school prom?

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author‘s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Copyright © 2011 Leah Leonard ISBN: 978-1-55487-975-5 Cover art by Martine Jardin All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Published by Devine Destinies An imprint of eXtasy Books Look for us online at: www.devinedestinies.com

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Natalie Locke Shapeshifter Two

By Leah Leonard

For Dad. To Sandy Londos, thanks for the encouragement. I’d also like to thank the following people: Dad, Mom and Mark, Lauren Broussard, Cindy Kennedy, Keith Sniadach, Jim Merideth, Kym Roberts, Sheniqua Waters, Pat Moon, Paula Wagner, Tammy Ledbetter, Brenda Griffey, Karen Wood, Sandi Horton and Lin Davis . Thank you all so much. And special thanks as always to my team at Devine Destinies – Editor-in-Chief Jay, Editor Kay and my publisher Tina whose enthusiasm for this project made it happen. Thank you.

From the Author Dear Readers, This story picks up right where the first book in the series, Natalie Locke and the Shapeshifter, left off. Natalie was doing something she shouldn‘t have—texting her friend Tracy while driving on icy roads. Because of this, she got into a horrible car accident and spent two months in a coma where she got to know Lone Eagle, a customer who visited her store, Locke‘s Rocks, on the day she had the accident. Now Lone Eagle has proven himself a friend. Natalie has a long road to recovery ahead of her before she will be well enough to get to the prom. She faces bullies, broken bones and a few misunderstandings along the way. Will she dance at her prom with Cody, or not? Read on to find out and enjoy. Leah

Glossary Adobe – a house constructed with mud Kachina – sacred Native American doll Loco – Spanish word for crazy Lower World – place where you go to meet power animals Medicine – anything you most need to heal your body mind or spirit. Middle World - space in non-ordinary reality most like the real world. Ojos – colorful crosses made by wrapping yarn around Popsicle sticks Pinon Tree – special kind of southwestern pine tree Que Pasa – Spanish term meaning, ―How‘s it going?‖ Sopapilla – puffed fried bread served in Mexican restaurants Upper World – place where ancestors and the dead dwell. Heaven Washisho – slang for white person

Lone Eagle’s Top Ten Healing Stones Fluorite – helps user gain clarity and insight. Helps improve memory and concentration, opens you to new information Rose Quartz – opens the heart to give and receive love. Removes wrinkles and aids weight loss. Amethyst – If you‘re stuck in old ways, amethyst helps you let go of the old to bring in the new. Eases addictions and unwanted behavior patterns. Opens intuition and brings mental and physical energy back to those who are ill or exhausted. Hematite – used for protection. When someone else is trying to send you negativity, the stone will absorb it and often crack in half. It takes on the unwanted energy so you don‘t have to. Lapis Lazuli – opens you up to higher realms, spiritual development. Aids migraines and acid reflux. Sodalite – helps you sleep, relax. Balances the thyroid and assists metabolism of sugars in the diet. Citrine – put it in the cash register of your store to bring in money. Put it in your purse or wallet with the same result. Aventurine – brings wealth and prosperity Serpentine – relieves aches and pains from broken bones or arthritis Bloodstone – all around healer. Good for physical, mental and spiritual healing.

Chapter One

Bump in the Road

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ixteen-year-old Natalie Locke and her best friend, Tracy, stood by the door in the living room of her friend‘s house. Lone Eagle lived in an adobe, which was a mudwalled house, on the west side of the San Felipe Pueblo north of Albuquerque. Earlier, Natalie had discovered her parents were gunned down in the family‘s rock shop in Albuquerque when she was a baby. She was surprised enough to learn about the shooting, but when she also found out Lone Eagle‘s dad was in the store and tried to save them, she realized they shared a complicated history. They were destined to be friends forever. Natalie was worried about her friend. For days Lone Eagle thought his father was responsible for killing her parents. She was here to set the record straight. Lone Eagle‘s father, Chief Looking Elk, tried to stop the killer who robbed the family store, but couldn‘t save her parents. Still, he tried, which was the important thing. ―Your father was a hero.‖ She grabbed his shoulder, shook him a bit. ―Awesome, huh?‖ Lone Eagle sighed. ―Say something, will you?‖ Lone Eagle stood up from his couch. A metal spring showed through torn olive green burlap. He walked a few steps into his kitchen and returned a second later. ―Here. 1

Leah Leonard You forgot this. I found it on the road after you left last time.‖ The crutch. Although Natalie needed it, she didn‘t want it. She wanted her legs to be mended, but healing took time. ―Thanks, but that wasn‘t what I meant.‖ Tracy ignored them both and grabbed the dented crutch, tucking it under Natalie‘s good arm. ―Thanks. We wondered about this.‖ Lone Eagle‘s gaze fell to the floor. ―You better go. It‘s late.‖ ―Yes, but are you okay?‖ Natalie stepped closer and put her hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to look up at her. She wanted to make sure he was okay, but then again, Native Americans rarely made eye contact. He shrugged. ―Fine.‖ Lone Eagle was always hard for her to read. He was a man of great depth but showed few emotions. Natalie worried the news she brought him wasn‘t enough to lift him from his dour mood. ―You‘re sure? Why don‘t I believe you?‖ Ignoring her, he kept his eyes glued to the torn up rug in the middle of his living room. ―Yep.‖ ―Everything‘s going to be okay now,‖ she reassured him. ―You know I‘m right.‖ He nodded, brushed past the girls and opened the door. ―See you soon.‖ Tracy didn‘t hesitate to step out to the porch, but Natalie didn‘t budge. She stared at her friend wondering if he would be all right after they left. It must be lonely living in a place like this, Natalie thought. Judging from Lone Eagle‘s grumpy sister, it didn‘t look like he had the kind of loving and supportive family she did. Although her parents were long gone, Natalie had her grandmother, who she called Gran. Gran would do anything in the world for her. 2

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Everyone should be so lucky. ―Time for you to fly, Little Bird.‖ He gestured again to the open door and the cool springtime night. ―Alright, but you promised you‘d stay in touch.‖ ―I did.‖ ―And to teach me more about the stones.‖ ―Yes.‖ ―And to take Gran up on her offer of dinner.‖ ―I know.‖ ―She wants to thank you for everything you‘ve done for us, and all your dad did for us.‖ He nodded and pulled the door open. Natalie limped to the doorway and turned around again. ―If you don‘t come see me soon, I‘ll drive out here myself next time.‖ He chuckled and glanced down at her legs which were both immobilized by Velcro braces. ―I‘ll bet you will.‖ Natalie hobbled down the hill in front of Lone Eagle‘s house and climbed into Tracy‘s car with greater ease than she had in months. Although she was still recovering from two broken legs, a shattered elbow and several other minor injuries, she was doing better than anyone imagined, especially after being pinned in her truck by a semi last December. Tracy helped her into the car. ―Here you go.‖ She buckled Natalie in and slammed the door. ―Thanks.‖ Natalie hated being so helpless, but at this point, she had no choice. She appreciated Tracy‘s help and vowed to repay her one day. They rattled down the gravel hill in Tracy‘s mom‘s car when they both heard a loud thump. Both girls turned to each other. ―What was that?‖ Tracy checked the rearview mirror. Natalie shook her head. ―I don‘t know, but it didn‘t sound 3

Leah Leonard good.‖ Tracy kept driving. ―Probably just a rock. No biggie.‖ Natalie hoped she was right. The last thing they needed tonight was car trouble. Tracy already had to call home once to let her mom know they were going to be late. Oh well. Tracy’s right. It’s nothing. She stared out the window as they traveled down the hill. Off in the distance, the bright lights of the casino on the San Felipe Pueblo filled the night sky. ―Nat? Whatcha thinking about?‖ Tracy whipped her blonde haired head around, both hands still on the wheel. Natalie sighed. ―A lot.‖ She was busy remembering the night she‘d been on her way to a ski weekend in Taos with Tracy and her family. Her beloved purple pickup careened out of control, then she lived in a coma for two months. Ever since she woke up, life was hard. Her body was broken and bruised, and the healing process was slow. Now to complicate matters, she learned the truth about her parent‘s death. On the one hand, she felt relieved to know what happened to her mom and dad since Gran never talked about her parents‘ murder much. But in another way, it was hard to believe, a lot to take in all at once. ―Yeah, I figured. Wanna talk about it?‖ ―No.‖ Truth be told, Natalie was still in shock. She‘d talk to Tracy later but not yet. Her whole world turned upside down ever since the two of them drove to San Felipe Pueblo earlier that afternoon. At the time, Natalie wanted to see Lone Eagle and find out why he had been avoiding her. She thought he was mad at her or tired of her taking so long to do things since her casts and crutches slowed her down more than she wanted. She had no idea he would drop such a bomb on her by telling her his father killed her parents. She never raced out of any place so fast, and on two broken legs, even. Then she and Tracy went to see her Gran who 4

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer explained Lone Eagle‘s dad saved her life when she was just a tiny baby. Natalie knew they had to come back out here so Lone Eagle wouldn‘t be stuck thinking his dad was a bad man. She hadn‘t realized until now they shared a common past. While she slept in the hospital, she saw Lone Eagle in her dreams. Before tonight, she assumed everything that happened so far was all coincidence, but now she knew that wasn‘t true. There was a lot more to it than that. She should be happy. She was in some ways, but in the deeper recesses of her mind, the new information wasn‘t settling right with her. ―I can‘t believe my parents were murdered in our rock shop. I don‘t understand why Gran never said a word all these years.‖ Tracy made a right turn to head down the main road in the pueblo toward the highway. ―She told you she wanted you to feel safe.‖ Natalie disagreed. Safety was one thing, but this was strange. ―Yeah but would you keep a business in the same location where your only son was murdered? I wouldn‘t. I‘d sell it. I‘d want to leave the place and never go back.‖ ―Maybe she didn‘t know what else to do. Your grandpa was retired by then, right?‖ ―Yeah, but—‖ ―It would‘ve been creepy to stay in the place if you knew what had gone on there. Maybe this was for the best.‖ Tracy always saw the practical side of things. ―Easy for you to say. It‘s still creepy, if you ask me.‖ Natalie imagined her poor parents gunned down behind the counter near the cash register where she spent so much of her time since childhood. ―Hey, I‘ve spent a lot of my time there too, you know. You haven‘t exactly been by yourself there.‖ Tracy was Natalie‘s best friend. They grew up together and were more like sisters than friends. The bond they shared had grown 5

Leah Leonard deeper than the one their mother‘s had before they were born. There would be no life without Tracy and Natalie knew it. ―I know, but still.‖ Natalie spent her afternoons after school and summers helping her grandmother in the family shop. Tracy helped out during the summer break, too, and she was right. The situation affected them all. ―My mom knows all about it, don‘t you think?‖ Tracy pulled a stick of gum out of a sleeve and popped it into her mouth, chomping loudly. ―Yeah. She knows everything about the family.‖ ―So see? That‘s what I mean. We‘re all in this together. I know you‘re shocked, but when you think about it, the whole thing makes sense.‖ Natalie wrinkled her nose. ―How do you suppose?‖ ―All these years you had my mom and Gran to take care of you. Gran gets some money from insurance and social security after your grandpa died, but otherwise, she must feel obligated to keep the business and make a little money. It‘s the only thing she has left of your dad.‖ Natalie already realized that long ago. Gran mentioned her father many times and his love of gemstones, a love Natalie had herself. She didn‘t have any other kids besides him, so now she was all Gran had. Plus, Gran was always so sentimental about things. There would be no way she could sell the store her only son had loved so much. But still, to think they were killed there turned Natalie‘s stomach. ―Nat?‖ Tracy glanced at her. ―Want some gum?‖ ―No thanks.‖ ―You‘ll feel better by tomorrow, I‘m sure. At least now you know Lone Eagle is a true friend.‖ That he was. Natalie couldn‘t wait to learn more from him. She glanced out the window at the I-25 overpass where she had her accident last December. She felt good about 6

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer coming out here today without anything weird happening. Tracy accelerated to pull onto the highway when the car veered into the ditch and came to a screeching stop. ―Agh,‖ Tracy shouted. Terror gripped Natalie‘s heart. She pressed her eyelids shut, cupped her hands over her eyes, hoping when she opened them again she would still be among the world of the living and not floating out in some otherworldly cloud. Once the car came to a full stop, she peeked out from her fingers. From the looks of it, they were still alive. She could see the Casino off to her left and cars whizzing by in both directions. ―Tracy, are you okay?‖ ―Yeah. Are you? You didn‘t hurt your legs or anything, did you?‖ ―I‘m fine.‖ The front of the car teetered off the side of the road. ―What happened?‖ ―I don‘t know, but I think we have a flat tire.‖ Oh great. Just what they needed.

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Leah Leonard

Chapter Two

Sigh of Relief

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one Eagle watched Natalie and Tracy drive down the dusty road in front of his house. He didn‘t mean to be rude, but he didn‘t know what to say. Little Bird, the nickname he gave her, had given him much new information to digest. His soul felt relieved. When his father Chief Looking Elk forced him to teach the tribal ways to Natalie just prior to his death, Lone Eagle never understood the request. After digging around, he discovered disturbing information making him believe his father was responsible for her parent‘s deaths, but now Little Bird told him the opposite had been true. His father helped save them on the day a lone gunman came into their Albuquerque rock shop. Was this true? He hoped so. Things around his home had been tragic enough these past few months. A little good news was needed. He closed the front door and sat in the old recliner in the living room of his tiny adobe house, rerunning the entire conversation over and over again in his mind. His head spun. This was so much to take in. He felt better on the one hand, but there were still many unanswered questions. He sighed. None of this made any sense. He met Natalie when his father sent him to her shop to claim his sacred bear fetish. 8

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Why wouldn‘t Looking Elk have gone back to Locke‘s Rocks in Albuquerque years ago to try and get his prized possession back? Without it, his life was unbearable, especially toward the end. The lung cancer he suffered with had become more painful in his final days than anyone should have to endure. His people believed the carvings they carried held special powers, and without the sacred bear, Looking Elk was reduced to a fraction of his former self. Lone Eagle pulled the turquoise carving from his front pocket, traced his fingers over the intricate inlaid stone design, resting the tip of his index finger on the green gaspeite heart on the bear‘s belly. ―I don‘t understand you, Pop. I wish I did.‖ Before he could finish the thought, the front door burst open. He tossed the bear in the air, catching it clumsily and popping it back into his pocket before his sister, Lupe, barreled into the room. ―Who was that I saw going down the road, bro?‖ She pointed toward the long gravel drive leading down to the interstate and the casino where he worked most days. ―Dunno.‖ He lowered his eyes to the stack of newspapers on the floor near his feet, picked up the sports page, pretended to check the UNM Lobo‘s basketball score. ―You do, too, know.‖ Lupe batted his paper with her meaty fist, tearing a long streak down the center of the photo of the player‘s jersey. ―Tell me.‖ ―Or what?‖ He never looked up, pretended like her interruption was unnoticed. She thrived on drama and loved to be a disruption. Not tonight. He wouldn‘t have it. ―Nobody comes up here this late at night unless it‘s a tribal emergency, so you tell me who it was and why they were here.‖ Lone Eagle flipped the page, kept reading about the recent basketball victory at the local high school. 9

Leah Leonard Lupe grabbed the paper in both hands, crumpled it beyond recognition and spit on the carpet. ―Hey.‖ ―Hey yourself. I told you to knock off your spitting. I‘m sick of it. You want to pay to have our place cleaned or what? ― She cackled when she laughed. ―This place clean? Come on, bro. What a joke.‖ ―And what about my paper?‖ He picked up the pieces, threw them in the trash. ―I don‘t destroy your property.‖ ―No, you‘re right. You don‘t. You just give it away to strangers.‖ He clenched his teeth, picked up the next section off the floor and started reading again. ―Hey, I know those two white girls were here to see you. I recognize the car, so don‘t you try and play games with me. They came by the convenience store asking for you so are you gonna tell me what‘s up or will I have to go hunting them down?‖ Aside from her underutilized intuitive talents, Lupe was street smart, too. Rarely did she let anything go past her when it came to the comings and goings of people on the Pueblo. She watched the place like a hawk, almost like a man would, only she was at least twice the size of many of the men in the tribe and could be a lot more threatening when she wanted to be. ―They had the wrong person, that‘s all.‖ Lone Eagle stood and passed her, went into the kitchen and poured a glass of water from the tap. ―Oh? Then why were they here?‖ He ignored her. ―You think I‘m buying that one, huh, bro? You think I don‘t recognize the little Washisho from before? She‘s the kid who we visited on the mountaintop the other night. The one in the rich house who you gave all our money to? Why‘d 10

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer you do it? Those two have a lot more bank than either of us will ever have. They bribing you or something, Chief?‖ She spoke his title with ever increasing sarcasm that grew worse with each passing day. She wanted to be leader of the tribe and would likely resent him for the rest of their lives, even though he had nothing to do with the decision himself. These things were decided long ago by their parents and the tribal elders. Lone Eagle thought about the other night when he unburied the family‘s stash of cash and left it for Natalie and her grandmother. At the time, he thought his father killed her parents sixteen years ago. Now he knew that wasn‘t true, but he still had no regrets about giving them the money. Natalie‘s family suffered after her car accident. They had hospital bills to pay, he was sure of it. Besides, he and Lupe could always make more money. He could never admit to his sister what he‘d done with the money. Lupe would hate knowing that money was helping the girl their father spoke about on his death bed. Lupe was jealous and unreasonable, and he feared she might hurt Natalie more than she already had been. For now, avoidance would be the best way to deal with his nosy sibling. ―None of your business.‖ His cell phone rang. He glanced at it. Natalie. Not now Little Bird. Taking her call would make matters worse. He turned off the phone, rose and walked down the hall, slamming the door to his room.

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Chapter Three

Flat Worried

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atalie hung up the cell phone with a sigh. ―What‘s wrong?‖ ―The phone‘s ringing, but he won‘t answer.‖ ―Maybe he‘s busy,‖ Tracy offered. No, not busy. Lone Eagle might not want to talk to her. Too bad she needed him right now. ―Now what are we gonna do?‖ Tracy tapped her nails on the steering wheel. ―I don‘t know. Do you know how to change a flat?‖ Something about the way she spoke made Natalie burst into laughter. ―Are you kidding? Yeah right. I‘m a lot of help.‖ Tracy giggled. ―I know you can‘t help, but I was asking if you know how to help…big difference.‖ ―Uh no…sorry. Can you?‖ Tracy shook her head. ―No, not really. Try Lone Eagle again. See if he answers.‖ Natalie pushed redial and hung up. ―Ugh.‖ ―What?‖ ―He turned the phone off. See? He doesn‘t want to talk to me.‖ ―I‘m sure that‘s not true.‖ ―It is. So now what? Should we call your mom?‖ 12

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Tracy had a grave look on her face. ―I don‘t want to. Do you?‖ ―No.‖ Natalie loved Mary, but she could be a very strict disciplinarian when she wanted to be. ―The last thing she needs to know is how we‘re out here in her car without permission.‖ ―I know. That‘s what I‘m afraid of.‖ Tracy sighed and stared out the front window. ―Hey, open the glove box, will ya?‖ Natalie wished she could, but she was buckled in her seat and couldn‘t move. Her shoulder was stiff and awkward from her cast and sling. ―Sorry, but I am no help.‖ Tracy reached over her, popped the button and started digging through the papers inside. ―Ah ha. Here it is.‖ She pulled a book out. ―What is it?‖ ―The user‘s manual for this car.‖ She flipped through the pages. ―According to the book, the spare is in the trunk.‖ ―Can you do it? I‘d help you, but…‖ ―Here. Take this.‖ Tracy handed her the manual. ―Can you at least read this and walk me though it?‖ ―Yes, my brain still works fine, but that‘s about it,‖ Natalie teased. ―Very funny, but right now I‘ll take your brain if that‘s all I can get.‖ She started to open the door. ―Wait,‖ Natalie shouted. ―I‘m afraid if we move much the car might tip into this ditch. Can you back up first?‖ ―Good idea.‖ Tracy started the engine again and backed up until all four tires were on flat ground again. ―Way to watch it, Nat.‖ ―Thanks, but just make sure you‘re off the road far enough to work on the car. I don‘t want you to get hit.‖ ―First I better check the tires and see which one we‘re dealing with. Back in a sec.‖ Tracy opened the door and 13

Leah Leonard walked around the car, glancing at the tires. She opened the car door again. ―It‘s the one on the front passenger‘s side. The others look okay.‖ ―Okay, so now you go open the trunk, peel back the panel on the bottom of the trunk, and you should find the tire unless your mom took it out or something.‖ ―Thanks.‖ Tracy walked to the back of the car and had the spare out in moments. She talked to Natalie through the open trunk. ―Hey, there‘re tools in here. I wonder if I can do this.‖ Before Natalie could answer, the roadway was filled with bright red, blue and white lights. Uh oh. A police officer stepped out of the car and approached Tracy. ―Need a hand with that?‖ ―Uh, okay.‖ Tracy glanced at Natalie with a shrug. ―Why don‘t you wait inside the car with your friend? I can do this. It‘s safer.‖ ―Shouldn‘t I try and learn how to do this?‖ Tracy raised her eyebrows. ―You should, but now‘s not the time. This is a dangerous intersection. A lot of drunks are always coming in and out of the casino. I‘d prefer if you let me handle this.‖ ―Okay, thanks officer.‖ Tracy walked around to the driver‘s side of the car and climbed in. She whispered to Natalie, ―This is our lucky day.‖ ―Yeah no kidding. We‘d be late if you had to do this yourself.‖ Ten minutes later, the girls were on their way home. Natalie‘s stomach churned from the moment she and Tracy left the San Felipe Pueblo all the way down I-25 toward Albuquerque. She was worried enough about Lone Eagle, and the flat tire didn‘t help any either. Since they were already over an hour late getting home, they were bound to be in big trouble. Tracy‘s mom wasn‘t very flexible about 14

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer bending rules. They called her once earlier in the evening to say they‘d be delayed. She hoped Mary wouldn‘t be too upset. They did call, after all. ―Man we got lucky.‖ Tracy sighed. ―Yeah no kidding. The officer came along just in time.‖ ―Yeah, he did, right? He sure knew how to change a tire.‖ This made Natalie‘s stomach even more upset. ―How will we explain the spare tire on the car and the other in your mom‘s trunk?‖ ―We‘ll tell the truth – we got a flat and an officer helped us out. No big deal.‖ ―Yeah but she‘s gonna want all the details, you know?‖ Tracy sighed again. ―I know.‖ Natalie and Tracy were both raised to be honest, and this situation was going to push them to the limit. Natalie felt ill. This was all her fault. And she was also anxious about Lone Eagle. He was so upset when they left him. She wanted to talk to him again, but apparently he wasn‘t interested and turned off his phone. She tried to push him and his attitude out of her mind, knowing the mess with the car was a far bigger deal, but the situation with Lone Eagle bugged her. While they drove, Natalie tried his number again a couple of times, but there was no answer. ―Still not answering?‖ ―Nope.‖ ―Think his phone is off?‖ ―Yep.‖ ―Don‘t worry about it. He‘s probably asleep or something. Try again tomorrow.‖ Natalie knew she was right, but the whole thing bugged her more than she wanted to admit. ―What am I gonna do, Trace? He must feel horrible. I don‘t want him killing himself or something.‖ Tracy laughed. ―Native Americans don‘t believe in 15

Leah Leonard suicide, so I‘m sure he‘ll be okay. You‘ll reach him when you‘re supposed to, besides, we just left him. You told him everything.‖ She wasn‘t comforted. She pressed redial again. ―Yes, but did you see the look on his face? I don‘t think he believed me. He wouldn‘t speak to us. I hope he‘s okay, that‘s all.‖ Tracy kept her hands on the wheel, eyes glued to the road. She weaved in and out of several cars until they broke free. ―I wouldn‘t know. He‘s your friend, not mine. Besides, the one person who might kill someone tonight is my mom when she finds out about the car.‖ Natalie was not comforted by the humor. She dialed again. No answer. She needed to stop. She hung up and stared out the window at the lights in the foothills of the Bernalillo Valley. She looked up at the Sandia Mountains and thought about the flights she and Lone Eagle had taken. He taught her how to transform herself into a hummingbird while she slept, and the process helped her heal from the accident. He also showed her the energy from the stones in her rock shop and how they could be used to help her heal. She was grateful for the knowledge but needed to know more. First, though, she wanted to make sure he was okay. She had to get a hold of him, talk to him more about what happened and reiterate things. She dialed again. One more time, then she would stop. This time the phone rang and rang. No voicemail. Figures. Lone Eagle was not like other people she knew. He was timeless, not interested in modern technology. Besides, in the few months she knew him, she discovered words never worked with him. There was one way to reach Lone Eagle and make him understand and not by phone. She would need to reach him in her dreams tonight. Then again, she remembered how difficult he could be in the dream world. Sometimes he shouted at her, turned her 16

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer away. She hoped he wouldn‘t this time, but she would have to journey there to find out. If he refused to meet her in the other worlds, Tracy would have to drive her out to the reservation again later in the week. In the meantime, she would try and talk to him tonight.

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Chapter Four

Facing Mary

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atalie and Tracy were relieved there wasn‘t much traffic. They reached Albuquerque around ten in the evening. Tracy drove through the desert to the east side of the city and back to her house in the Sandia Mountain foothills. They wound up a long gravel road to the top of the mountain to Tracy‘s driveway. Tracy parked the car in front of the garage. ―Yay, we‘re here. Now let‘s hope mom doesn‘t pitch a fit. Cross your fingers. Oh yeah, I guess you can‘t, right?‖ She giggled. ―Very funny. I hope she doesn‘t, but then again, it‘s all my fault if she does.‖ Natalie tried wiggling her fingers in the cast, but they didn‘t budge. ―No, we‘re in this together, remember?‖ Before getting an answer, Tracy slammed her door and walked around to help Natalie out of the car. She unclipped the seat belt over Natalie‘s bad shoulder and handed her the dented crutch. ―Here ya go.‖ Natalie didn‘t want her help, but her broken right shoulder ached and her legs couldn‘t carry her. She propped herself up with the crutch and struggled toward the door. ―Thanks, Trace.‖ ―For what?‖ ―For being here tonight and going with me.‖ Natalie recruited Tracy to go meet with Lone Eagle and for the most 18

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer part she was happy she did, but learning this new knowledge about her family killed something within her. Innocence was gone. Her parent‘s murder was far scarier than she ever realized before and now she understood why her grandmother and Mary, Tracy‘s mom, had been so protective of her over the years. Tracy chuckled. ―You‘re welcome, but you‘d help me, right?‖ ―Yep. So what‘s our story gonna be?‖ Tracy bit her lip. ―I don‘t know yet. I don‘t want to have to tell her anything.‖ ―But what about the tire?‖ Tracy shrugged. ―Maybe she‘ll be in a better mood in the morning? I don‘t know. I‘m tired and I know you must be exhausted. Maybe we‘ll tell her about this on the way to school tomorrow, okay?‖ Natalie didn‘t like it, but then again, the conversation wouldn‘t be easy tonight and Tracy was boss in this situation. ―Okay fine. I‘ll follow your lead.‖ ―Sounds good.‖ When Tracy held the front door open for Natalie, the light was on in the living room. ―Darn, she‘s awake,‖ she whispered to Natalie. Natalie gritted her teeth. Too bad. Mary stood and put her copy of People magazine on the coffee table and came over to greet them with a worried look on her face. ―What happened to your crutch?‖ ―Long story.‖ Natalie wasn‘t about to tell Tracy‘s mom her expensive crutch had been battered on the road on an Indian Reservation. The truth was, the crutch was the very least of their concerns. Natalie had to bite her tongue to resist the urge to spill everything, but she promised Tracy she wouldn‘t. She turned to her instead and waited to see what she would tell her mom. Careful not to tell a lie, Tracy said, ―She dropped it…‖ 19

Leah Leonard Mary seemed distracted and didn‘t ask for any further explanation. One good thing was she didn‘t seem to notice the clock. What a relief. ―Natalie, your Gran called.‖ Natalie couldn‘t help sighing. She wanted to go to bed. This was the last conversation she wanted to have so late at night. Mary met Lone Eagle once when he came over to show her how to heal her broken bones and she didn‘t approve. Gran probably told her Tracy and her had borrowed the car to go see him at the reservation. Despite their best efforts to keep things calm, they were sure to be in big trouble. ―Oh?‖ Mary put an arm around her good shoulder. ―Come and sit you two. It‘s time we had a talk.‖ She invited them to the living room couch, where they took a seat. Tracy glanced at Natalie, putting a finger over her lips. She knew Natalie well enough by now to know how much she wanted to tell Mary everything. Not tonight, Tracy mouthed. Natalie tried taking a few deep breaths. Mary went to the kitchen and returned a minute later with two glasses of milk. She handed one to each of them and sat between the girls on the overstuffed brown cushions. She sighed. ―I don‘t know where to start.‖ ―How about the beginning?‖ Mary folded her hands on the table and stared at her new press on fingernails. ―Well, it‘s a long story, but I think you know your mom and I were best friends in high school.‖ ―Yes.‖ Mary pulled some tissue from a box on the coffee table and knotted the sheets in her hand. She sighed again. ―When she was killed, I decided to help raise you and keep you safe. I‘d like to think JoAnne would have done the same for Tracy if roles were reversed.‖ Natalie gulped her milk down and went to return the 20

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer empty glass to the coffee table. ―Uh huh.‖ Mary took her glass. ―Your gran was so upset when she called here tonight.‖ She wiped tears from her cheeks. ―I didn‘t know how to help her. The two of us decided when you were both babies to keep the murder from you, not to hide things from you two, but because we wanted you to have a chance at life and not grow up being afraid of everything.‖ ―Yeah, we know. That‘s what Gran told us earlier.‖ Tracy sipped her milk and the three of them sat in silence. ―My friend Lone Eagle…if not for his dad, I might be dead right now.‖ ―Listen here, young lady,‖ Mary snapped. ―I understand he helped you long ago, but he still has no excuse to teach you things you ought not know about. My opinion still stands.‖ She turned to Tracy. ―And as for you, lying to me about where you went means you‘re grounded for a month with no car privileges.‖ Tracy‘s eyes widened. ―You mean you…‖ ―I know you two went to the reservation, yes, and I want to be clear you are grounded, not because you went there, but because you lied to me. You should never lie about anything, okay?‖ The girls glanced at each other. ―I‘m so sorry,‖ Natalie started to cry. ―This is my fault.‖ ―No.‖ Mary gave Tracy the evil eye. ―You‘re both to blame.‖ ―I‘m sorry too, mom.‖ Tracy blinked her eyes. ―So can I be forgiven and not grounded?‖ ―Nice try, but no.‖ ―Aw mom,‖ Tracy complained. Natalie was relieved her punishment wasn‘t worse, but knew it would be far greater if they didn‘t come clean about the car. She had to try and help Tracy again. ―You shouldn‘t 21

Leah Leonard blame her. It‘s all my fault. I begged her to take me up to the casino today to see Lone Eagle. It‘s me who needs to be punished.‖ Mary‘s expression reeked of disappointment. Nothing ever felt worse than that. ―That‘s not for me to decide, but maybe you‘ll think twice next time before asking your friend to lie for you. Tracy, I‘m adding a month to your grounding for giving in to peer pressure.‖ Tracy sunk in the sofa. A look of despair blanketed her slender face. ―But mom, I have prom coming up. I need to go get a dress.‖ ―If you‘re good and don‘t cause any more problems, I can drive you both to the mall when the time comes.‖ Natalie‘s stomach twisted in a knot. She glanced over at Tracy, widening her eyes in hopes she might be able to read her mind. Tell her tonight. Tracy wouldn‘t make eye contact with her. She was determined to wait until tomorrow, and by then, Mary was sure to be furious with them both. Natalie had caused her entire family so much trouble by getting into the accident last December. She hated the financial strain it put on her grandmother, not to mention the fact her prized purple pickup truck had been totaled. Plus her grandmother was worn out lately. Natalie hadn‘t been able to work at all since she was in a two month long coma. Worse, Tracy thought she was nuts and now the whole thing led to the realization the store where she spent much of her childhood was the place where her parents were gunned down. The entire situation was a mess she couldn‘t get away from. If she‘d been more responsible on the highway. If she hadn’t been texting in the car… Now Tracy was about to be grounded for the rest of her life and might have to miss prom altogether thanks to her. What if Natalie 22

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer healed and went to the dance, but Tracy was still grounded? She hoped that scenario wouldn‘t happen. Mary sighed again and put her arms around the girl‘s shoulders. ―Don‘t look so down you two. You know I‘ll take you. I still blame myself for all of this.‖ She glanced at Natalie‘s legs which were covered in Velcro braces, then up at her right arm which had a shoulder to wrist cast and a sling in place. ―I‘m just happy you‘re getting around better now, Natalie.‖ ―Me too.‖ Natalie gritted her teeth. Nobody knew how much pain she was in. She refused to tell anyone. It was bad enough she looked like a complete fool at school and in front of everyone she knew. She couldn‘t walk up the stairs by herself. If it weren‘t for her night flights over the Bernalillo valley when she transformed herself into the Hummingbird, she would go out of her mind being trapped in the leg braces and casts she had to wear for who-knew-how-long. Somehow the arm would need to heal and her legs would have to do better so she could get the stupid looking braces off before too much longer. How it would happen, she had no clue, but she prayed every night before bed. She had to go to the prom. Otherwise her life would be over. Mary clapped her hands and headed toward the kitchen, taking a foil covered casserole dish out of the refrigerator. ―You two hungry? Want something to eat? We have plenty left over from dinner.‖ The girls looked at each other and burst into a fit of laughter while saying, ―No.‖ They already ate two full meals earlier tonight—one at the casino, the other downtown, topped off with a plate of Natalie‘s Gran‘s super chewy chocolate chip cookies. At this rate they wouldn‘t need food again until next month. Mary shrugged and put the dish back in the fridge. ―Okay then. Suit yourselves.‖ 23

Leah Leonard

Chapter Five

The Runaway Chief

L

one Eagle turned on his cell for a split second and noticed Natalie tried to call him. Why did she insist on bothering him? He had much to think about, and Lupe hadn‘t helped any. He shut the phone off again, lay down and stared at his bedroom ceiling. His head spun out of control. He tried to remember when his father was still alive, how secure he felt, and thought back to even earlier times when he and Lupe shared this tiny room and his parents were in the other. Life blew by like the smoke in a pipe and innocence faded even faster. He fought sleep, but knew it would claim him. He needed help escaping from this place that caused him so much pain, sorrow and misery. Tomorrow he could decide what to do and if he wanted to stay here at all. He pulled out his favorite pieces of Lapis and Sodalite, placed them on his chest. Hey lay still and allowed the stones to work their magic, relaxing him, helping him surrender and release. Months of ceremonies and celebrations passed since Looking Elk‘s death and Lone Eagle assumed leadership of the San Felipe tribe in early spring. In addition to his job responsibilities at the casino, he attended tribal meetings on a weekly basis, became more involved in all aspects of society, and prepared for his official ceremonial rites later in 24

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer the year which would make him the Chief of the tribe. He should be pleased with his progress. He missed his father at times, but overall, his life was good, and now he knew the truth about his old man, he should be pleased about his family legacy and the future awaiting him. The news from Natalie didn‘t help. Several times today he considered leaving, running away like Lupe always did. He never thought things like this before. He wished he could disappear to someplace far away. He had no idea where he would go, but any number of other tribes might be willing to take him in. No one would need to know he was a runaway Chief. With him gone, Lupe could have her wish at last. She could forfeit her role as Medicine Woman and become Chief of San Felipe Pueblo. If Lupe could be chief, his current issues over how to lead his people would be solved, but the fact of the matter was he was given the responsibility not her. He had to face this head on. Besides, with her lack of people skills, Lupe could never be chief. Still, he wanted to leave, if even for a few days. The more the idea spun around in his mind, the more it made sense. He would go on his spiritual journey tonight in the worlds of non-ordinary reality, ask for guidance, and in the morning, he would drive far away, away from the past haunting his every waking moment this side of the grave. The only unsettling part was the fact he knew he would have to return. Fine. With any luck, he would feel different after returning and could get on to the work of helping his people. Right now he was no help to himself or his people. He couldn‘t even manage his own life. Tomorrow then. He closed his eyes, a smile stretched across his lips. His spirit guides would show him the details, but the more he considered this idea, the more he knew it was the right thing to do for everyone. 25

Leah Leonard

Chapter Six

Sleeping Giant

N

atalie sat alone in the darkness of her bedroom. She still used the wheelchair Tracy‘s parents bought her, even though she hated it. She moved the lever and rolled herself toward the balcony and stared out her bedroom window into the valley below. The lights of Albuquerque dimmed. The city prepared for sleep. Sleep sounded good right about now, but Natalie couldn‘t get enough these days. Maneuvering her broken body was a chore, and even though she recovered to some extent, life was challenging. Somehow she knew she could overcome this though, but she needed Lone Eagle‘s help to do so. He helped her come this far. Nobody expected her to walk at all, or even to be able to sit on her own so soon. His animal medicine progressed her healing in miraculous ways. Her night flights with him helped, too. She had to keep faith and move forward. Somehow. She listened to the rustling sounds outside her bedroom door while the family brushed their teeth, said goodnight to each other. Lights clicked off and the yellow glow under her closed door went out. Then she waited. Her mind spun with activity from all the goings on of the past few days. Her legs ached underneath the new Velcro braces she wore to protect them, and her shoulder was tender from the slightest 26

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer movement. Natalie was not a complainer though. She felt bad everyone around her had to wait on her hand and foot. She didn‘t want to add to the difficulty by telling everyone what a hard time she was having. The day the doctor announced her shoulder and legs looked better, Gran and Mary looked so excited. How could she take hope away from them by complaining? She knew she would keep getting better, but at times like these, alone in the dark, she wondered. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She sniffled and wiped her tears on the sleeve of her oversized flannel shirt—one of several Mary bought for her to wear since no normal clothes would fit. She yawned. Time for bed. Getting into her bed was tough. She rolled over to the right edge of the bed closest to the door, stood on the rubber soles of her braces and tipped the left side of her body over so she fell on top of the mattress and didn‘t hurt her injured shoulder. Mary and Tracy always offered to help her with this process, but Natalie refused after her first two weeks here. No need to trouble them any more than she already had. Besides, tonight was an exception. Natalie had already returned to her own house with her Gran. The reason she stayed over at Tracy‘s house tonight was so they could stay out later than they were supposed to. Tomorrow she would be back at home. Her grandmother wouldn‘t know how much pain she was still in. Gran had enough on her mind. She prayed tonight she would meet Lone Eagle in the skies and would be even better tomorrow than she was today. Natalie scooted her body to the center of the bed, turning herself to her left side. She breathed slow and steady until she started to relax. She learned by breathing she could relax her muscles and her pain would go away, at least for the most part. After a few minutes, she closed her eyes and prepared to travel wherever she needed to find Lone Eagle. 27

Leah Leonard She needed to tell him everything was okay. Natalie recalled the places she visited when she was asleep for two months. During her coma, she saw her parents for the first time. They were nice people, but there was one minor problem—they were dead. Once she closed her eyes, sleep came faster than expected. She floated up on a cloud, a little trick she learned in the hospital when she was in a coma. She was surprised how easy she accessed the places at will. Sometimes she wondered if she controlled this or was being led. Either way, she had no clue how to go anywhere else, so she relaxed and allowed herself to float higher. She reached a space where she noticed herself floating over her street, then her school. She flew over some mountains she assumed were the Sandias, and felt confirmed when she floated above what looked like Tracy‘s parent‘s deck. Moving quicker, she passed over the desert, always with the mountain range to her right, which meant she was heading north toward the San Felipe Pueblo. Down below, she noticed the Hollywood Casino. Then she floated up over the interstate, up the hill and saw the roof of what she thought must be Lone Eagle‘s house. From this vantage point she could see the entire collection of homes in the Pueblo. They were mud constructed adobes. All were ancient, many, but not all, were reinforced with corrugated tin roofs. He‘d been right. His home, although small, was the biggest in this whole area. In her next vision, she floated over someone sleeping in a small bed. She moved closer and soon recognized the black hair and the closed eyes of her friend, who was asleep in his bed. She listened to him snore and watched while he tossed and turned in his sleep. She imagined she could reach down and touch him, poke him, and awaken him, but he never 28

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer moved a muscle. Instead, he snorted, rolled to his side facing the bedroom wall and began snoring louder than before. ―Lone Eagle. Wake up. I need to tell you something important.‖ She nudged the sleeping giant, but he never moved. She wished she could go inside his mind to try and find him, but so far she had no luck.

29

Leah Leonard

Chapter Seven

Looking Elk’s Promise

L

one Eagle traveled down the thirty ancient stone steps into the Lower World he constructed many moons ago. In this place, he met his spirit animal and would begin his many journeys into non-ordinary reality. He rarely spent much, if any, time here in the lower world. The steps led down to a well groomed dirt path. One leg of the path stretched out in front of his eyes , the other went to his left and right, also into infinite space. One day soon, he would need to wander these paths and see what the Great Spirit brought in terms of messages and lessons for his life. Tonight wasn‘t the night though. Now he needed answers, the kind of answers he could only get in one of the upper worlds. He expected Wolf waiting for him at the foot of the steps like normal, but he was not to be found. His heart clenched with disappointment. He did not want to be alone tonight. Not now. The moment he thought about his loneliness, the normal walkways disintegrated and a stone cave appeared. He never experienced this cave in all his wanderings here. Was this Wolf‘s dwelling place? The moment he considered the question, his heart told him this was true. He would go inside, try to find his companion. He had to bend down in 30

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer order to fit through the rounded opening of the cave, but once inside, after stooping down for about fifty feet, he was able to stand. An orange glow illuminated what should have been a darkened passage. Up ahead, he noticed the construction became more modern. The path led straight ahead and appeared more like a home than a mere cave. He felt comfortable here, so he continued pressing onward. He walked through the dark stony corridors, down long hallways which changed appearance every few hundred feet. Sometimes they were rudimentary cave like places, other times they appeared like architectural wonders. The longer he walked, he arrived at a place where the floors were all dirt and the walls were constructed like the homes on the Pueblo. He started running now, racing through the earthen tunnels, calling out to Wolf, but never finding him. The longer he searched, the angrier he became. Why was this happening? He didn‘t want to be here. He needed answers and they weren‘t coming fast enough. He was about to turn around and try to navigate his way back through the labyrinth of tunnels when a man with a long woolen cape and shaded eyes appeared at the end of the corridor. Lone Eagle saw this figure one other time before—right before the death of his mother. That one time was the only dark encounter he‘d ever had in the Lower World, but then the presence appeared at the fork in the road, never deep within such a cavernous structure. His previous feeling of calm turned to trepidation. ―Who are you? What do you want?‖ The specter stood speechless. He reached out and showed him what he held—a bloody quartz crystal. He gestured Lone Eagle to follow him. This was Death, and Lone Eagle wanted no part of Him. ―Go away,‖ Lone Eagle shouted. ―Leave me in peace.‖ The phantom laughed, and the more Lone Eagle shouted, 31

Leah Leonard the louder the laughter became until Lone Eagle‘s anger overtook him. He reached out for Death, wanting to strangle his neck. Before his hands could reach him, the woolen cape fell away and Looking Elk stood before him. Ironically, the image infuriated him all the more. ―Stop, my son.‖ ―No. Why should I? You let me believe you murdered those innocent people. How could you? Do you have any idea how much suffering you‘ve caused by not telling me about this sooner?‖ Looking Elk remained calm. His woolen cape and plain clothes fell away and he transformed into the Chief, decorated with full headdress and ceremonial beads. ―You know not of what you speak.‖ ―How dare you wear the headdress of our tribe? You do not deserve any of this. You never did.‖ Lone Eagle could not believe he was addressing his father with such disrespect. He would never have done such a thing when Looking Elk was alive, but then again, he never knew the depth of the secrets his father kept from their family before. He did not feel sorry for his outburst. He had to be true to himself, and right now, his father infuriated him beyond words. Looking Elk remained calm, his arms crossed in front of him, he waited for Lone Eagle to stop yelling. Then, he reached his hand out and said, ―Come with me son. Allow me to take you on a journey.‖ Lone Eagle backed against the earthen wall, smearing mud on his white shirt in the process. ―No. I refuse to go anywhere with you. You are a murderer, and I am not. I don‘t want anything to do with you or your legacy. Ever.‖ His father beckoned him with his hand. ―You must come. Trust me.‖ 32

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―I do not trust you, Father. Never.‖ The words pained him more than he cared to admit, but Lone Eagle had no faith his father could tell him the truth about anything anymore. ―Will you allow me to show you what happened way back when? Please…‖ Lone Eagle turned around and looked for Wolf, half hoping his animal guide could growl at his father and send him far away from here. Wolf was still nowhere to be found. Somehow his father‘s sorcery must have sent Wolf into hiding. ―If I go with you, I will see what you want me to see, but if I do not approve of what you show me, I will ask you to go away, ascend into spirit and to never bother my dream space again in all eternity. If you can agree to this, I will follow you tonight.‖ ―Yes. Agreed.‖ Lone Eagle reached out and grabbed Looking Elk‘s hand. Together, they floated up into the clouds and out over the familiar desert landscape of Albuquerque. The landscape appeared different than in his other flying journeys—more barren. There were less houses, less developed areas. Something wasn‘t right. ―Where are we going, father?‖ ―Into the past, to 1993…‖ That explained it. Albuquerque had grown over the past few years. Lone Eagle always journeyed from the present day, never from the past. ―Where are you taking me?‖ His father ignored him. They floated above a scene on Central Avenue. The fairgrounds were still there, and the turquoise blue colored pickup Looking Elk used to drive pulled up in a gravel lot next to a building. The sign on the building read Locke’s Rocks. Even though he was in the dream state, Lone Eagle‘s heartbeat quickened and terror shot through his veins. ―Father, I am not sure I want to see this.‖ 33

Leah Leonard Looking Elk refused to listen, gripping his hand tighter so he couldn‘t free himself. ―Please, son. You must.‖ They floated over a young and vibrant Chief Looking Elk, wearing his best jeans and most colorful stone bolo tie. He walked into the front of the shop. A young dark haired couple worked behind the far counter, and an older lady stood on the showroom floor wiping the display cases with a cloth. She stopped what she was doing, put her cleaner and cloth down and approached. ―Welcome to Locke‘s Rocks. Let me know if I can help you find something.‖ The younger Looking Elk mumbled something and kept on looking. Lone Eagle recognized the woman who greeted his father—a younger Gertrude Locke, Natalie’s grandmother. His father wandered around the shop while Gertrude continued her cleaning, and the couple stood behind the counter talking about something in a whisper. A moment passed, and he heard the sound of a baby crying from somewhere in the back. All eyes turned to the open doorway centered behind the cash register. Black rubber strips stapled to the ceiling provided a barrier between the front of the shop and the back. ―Hey Mom, can you go check on Natalie?‖ ―Sure, sweetheart.‖ The older lady Gertrude stopped and put her supplies down again and walked behind the glass case and the register. Pushing past the couple, she disappeared through the doorway into the back. Lone Eagle was growing impatient. ―What‘s the point, pop? Natalie already told me you knew her family. I don‘t need to know the details.‖ ―Yes, you do.‖ ―I don‘t, pop.‖ ―Wait son. Just another moment.‖ Looking Elk floated in front of his son and pointed down to the younger version of 34

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer himself. ―Everything is about to change.‖ Sure enough, moments later, the peaceful scene turned into chaos when a man in a black ski mask burst through the door. He held a gun and shouted, ―On the floor. Give me all your money, or else.‖ Looking Elk was not in the gunman‘s original line of sight. He was up in the front of the store looking through some containers. He sunk down behind the glass case in the front corner of the room and laid down flat on the floor. Something fell from his pocket. Lone Eagle floated closer, just above the younger version of his father. The bear fetish. The young lady behind the register began shaking and crying, blubbering something unintelligible. Her husband reached a hand out to calm her, keeping his eyes glued to the gunman. Despite the dire circumstances, he sounded calm. ―Please, don‘t hurt us. You can have whatever you want, okay?‖ He took his keys out, unlocked the register, and took the cash out. ―Please, help yourself. Go ahead.‖ ―Thank you.‖ Before the young man could respond, the gunman shot him in the head. The young woman screamed. Her body went limp and she draped herself across the counter. ―No. Please…‖ Looking Elk reached behind him to a pile of stones in the same area where Lone Eagle purchased stones from the store last year. Looking Elk grabbed the largest piece of quartz in the batch and snuck around to the back of the man. He drew his arm back and hit the robber over the head. The killer cried out in pain, wobbled backward before regaining his composure. Rather than turn to Looking Elk though, the robber kept his eyes glued on the woman. Looking Elk took the opportunity and hit him again, this 35

Leah Leonard time harder, still hoping to knock him out. He swayed forward toward the counter, his hand still clutching the gun which he managed to fire straight into the young woman‘s torso. She fell forward, dead. Her eyes were still open and blood pooled from the corners of her mouth. Looking Elk hit him again and almost knocked him out. He held the bloody quartz up in the air while the gunman fell to the floor. Lone Eagle took a good look at the piece. They still kept this crystal in the family’s living room. ―Pop, why do you still keep the stone? It‘s cursed.‖ ―Shhhh. Watch.‖ Looking Elk pointed to the scene below. Down below them, the younger Looking Elk ran to the farthest end of the shop, leapt behind the counter, careful to keep his head down and away from the gunman and the line of sight of the front door. He crawled behind the glass display cases to try and find the phone. He heard the sound of struggle and the tinkling of the bell on the front door and stood up, just in time to see the robber staggering out the front door to freedom. Lone Eagle experienced the rage and disappointment his father felt at knowing the killer was getting away, and yet, there was no time to waste. The young Looking Elk had to help the family, if he could. Just inside the door, Lone Eagle noticed something shiny fall from the robber‘s black hooded jacket, roll and land under one of the display cases. Curious, he tried to float inside the event, close enough to see it. From his limited view he saw a coin of some kind. A gold coin. He squinted, tried to catch the details from far away. Then, his consciousness jerked back to the main showroom where he saw his father struggling to help the downed couple. Looking Elk checked the woman to make sure she was dead. He tried her pulse, but found none, then went to the 36

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer man who was laying flat on his back behind the counter. He too was long gone. He grabbed the phone, called 911. Lone Eagle‘s heart pounded. His poor father. Those poor people. He could hear everything, even the sound of the emergency operator on the other end of the line. A 911 operator answered. ―What‘s your emergency?‖ Looking Elk reported, ―There‘s been a shooting on Central Avenue. Locke‘s Rocks.‖ He gave the address, hung up and ran through the black rubber slats into the back of the shop. Boxes piled floor to ceiling blocked the walkways. He wandered through the open path to a closed door with a RESTROOM sign on the door and knocked. ―Hello? Are you okay?‖ Nobody answered. He knew they were in there though or at least Lone Eagle did. They floated above the scene and could see inside every room. The older woman clutched a baby in her arms and sat hunched on the floor in the corner by the toilet. She held her breath, tried not to breathe, not knowing who was trying to find them. ―Hello?‖ the younger Looking Elk called again. ―Please. I am a customer in your shop. I want to help you.‖ Still no answer. He tried the door, jiggled the knob. Locked. He rummaged around the supply room until he found a screwdriver and went to the door again, tried to pry it open. ―Please,‖ he called out again. ―The others are injured. Please come out and help us.‖ Lone Eagle watched while the distraught woman picked herself up off the floor. She tucked the baby behind a stack of boxes, hidden out of view and cracked the door, relieved when she saw Looking Elk. ―What‘s gone on out there?‖ ―Are you alright? You and the baby?‖ He glanced over her shoulder to the resting spot where the tiny child was 37

Leah Leonard wrapped in a pink blanket. He looked straight into her pretty face and dark eyes. She was calm and peaceful, unaware of what was going on around her, thanks to her grandmother‘s protective presence. The younger Gertrude reached down, picked up the baby and held her close. ―Tell me what‘s gone on out there.‖ She tried to press past the door. Looking Elk held up a hand and tried to stop her. ―You better wait. Police are on the way.‖ ―No, I can‘t.‖ She pushed past him, rushing through the storeroom and through the doorway. A shrill scream filled the otherwise silent space and the cries from the baby jerked Looking Elk and Lone Eagle back into the clouds where they floated in a sea of fluffy white. The events of 1993 were far away now. Stillness and silence remained. Lone Eagle was speechless. His mind raced. Looking Elk gazed deep into his son‘s eyes. ―I realized I was connected to this family and baby. None would have survived if I had not been there, and my guide, Bear, told me I must teach her our ways.‖ ―I see…‖ Lone Eagle knew he should have a more caring response, but he was tired. He wanted to leave this place. He was running out of energy to give to his father. Looking Elk should have been gone long ago. His body died months earlier, and yet his spirit still remained, tormenting Lone Eagle and leaving him in a state of uneasiness. Looking Elk read his mind. He grabbed Lone Eagle by the sleeves and began trying to defend himself. ―I did not know my life would end so soon. I meant to fulfill my pledge, but I waited too long. Now I ask you to help me rest in peace by fulfilling my promise. Please, my son. You must help me find peace in the hereafter.‖ Not knowing what to think or believe, Lone Eagle‘s 38

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer frustration rose up inside him. His pulse quickened and pounded inside his head. ―How do I know this is truth and not what you would like me to believe?‖ Before his father could answer, a jerking sensation tugged at him, and he heard someone calling his name. ―Lone Eagle. Lone Eagle. You have to wake up and talk to me. There‘s been a horrible misunderstanding.‖ Lone Eagle woke up after he noticed in his dream Natalie‘s apparition standing in his room. How did she do that? He wasn‘t even sure he could create such vivid projections of himself without the help of his spirit guide, Eagle, and even then, he would have to take Eagle‘s form. He could not project his own image anywhere. This girl had incredible natural abilities he could not understand. ―Lone Eagle, wake up,‖ she shouted again. Natalie Locke managed to invade his dreamscape yet again. Would he ever find peace? With each passing day, he was starting to believe peace would never reach him again in this lifetime.

39

Leah Leonard

Chapter Eight

Clarification

N

atalie placed her translucent hands on the sleeping man, and he opened his eyes. ―Lone Eagle. Wake up.‖ He opened his eyes, sat up, but didn‘t look very happy about it. ―Natalie? How did you get in my room? I thought I told you never to bother me again unless I invite you.‖ ―I had to come tell you, Lone Eagle. I spoke to my Gran today. Your dad is a hero who saved our lives. Please believe me. We wouldn‘t be alive right now if not for him and his bravery.‖ Lone Eagle rolled on his side and sounded groggy. ―I know.‖ She wrinkled her nose. ―How do you know?‖ ―My father came to me in a dream, showed me everything, besides, you were here earlier, remember?‖ ―Yes, but you looked so upset when I left. I wanted to make sure you understand everything is okay now. I thought a visit would help.‖ ―I don‘t need your help.‖ Natalie knew otherwise. ―I‘m going to call you tomorrow on the phone, and you better answer this time. I tried calling several times tonight, but you never picked up. I had no choice but to come. I‘ll come again tomorrow if you don‘t return my calls.‖ 40

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―Okay. Now will you go on and let me sleep in peace, please?‖ Before she could answer, Natalie gasped and opened her eyes. A loud pounding yanked her from the dream. ―Natalie?‖ Tracy‘s mom called her name through the door and knocked louder. ―Natalie? You up? Time to get ready for school.‖ Wide awake now, Natalie stared at her ceiling. ―Yeah, I‘m awake.‖ ―Come get some cereal. We have to leave here in about twenty minutes.‖ ―Okay.‖ Natalie listened to the sound of Mary‘s heels clicking on the brick floors. She was relieved she reached Lone Eagle, or at least she thought she reached him. Time would tell. She would call today, see if he answered. Mornings were always tough, especially when you were pretending to be normal, which at this point in her life Natalie was anything but. She rolled out of bed the exact opposite way by rolling further to her left side until the weight of her Velcro and cast propelled her on to the floor. ―Ouch.‖ Today she missed, landing on her side, rather than her feet. Tracy appeared in the door. ―You okay? I heard—‖ Her friend jumped across the room when she saw Natalie‘s predicament. ―Here.‖ She held out a hand. ―Hang on, and I‘ll try and pull you up.‖ Natalie rolled to her side, reaching out with her good arm while Tracy braced her side with one arm and leaned backward until Natalie teetered to her feet. ―Thanks.‖ ―No worries. You should ask us for help if you need it, you know.‖ Natalie sighed. ―Yeah, I know. I‘m getting the hang of these things, though, believe me.‖ Tracy giggled. ―Yeah I can see that.‖ She went to the 41

Leah Leonard closet and pulled out two of the shirts they kept there for her. ―Which one? Pink or yellow?‖ Who cared? Both choices were ten times too big for her. They had to be, at least until her cast came off. ―Toss a coin.‖ ―Come on, Nat. Decide.‖ ―I did. You toss a coin for me. Heads yellow, tails pink.‖ Tracy ignored her and threw the yellow shirt back on the rack. ―This one then. I‘m deciding for you.‖ ―You‘re tempting fate, you know.‖ ―Whatever.‖ Tracy found Natalie‘s jeans, also a gargantuan size with slits up both legs and handed them to her. ―Here ya go. I‘ll go tell mom you‘re almost ready, okay?‖ ―Thanks.‖ Natalie‘s smile faded when she remembered the car, the flat and the fact they would have to face Mary in a little while. Things were going to get ugly. Tracy was almost out the door when Natalie called to her. ―Hey, wait.‖ She turned around. ―Yeah?‖ ―What about your mom? What are we gonna say?‖ Tracy rolled her eyes. ―Nothing. Not unless she notices.‖ She‘ll notice, alright. Nothing ever slipped past Mary. Before Natalie could say a word, Tracy disappeared. She dressed, sat in her chair and wheeled herself out to the breakfast table. Tracy‘s house was pleasant in the morning. Outside, birds and squirrels always came up to feed, and the view of the valley was stunning. She rolled her chair out the open door, sat on the deck, sipped her orange juice and ate a bowl of Cheerios. Mary appeared in the doorway with a plate of homemade cinnamon buns, her specialty. ―Good morning, Natalie. Sleep good?‖ Here they go, about to disappoint her again. 42

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Mary went out of her way to make a special breakfast, and the two of them were about to ruin her day. ―Natalie? Are you awake over there?‖ ―Uh huh.‖ ―Well, did you sleep good?‖ She glanced at Tracy, hoping she wouldn‘t tell her mom she was lying on the floor this morning. ―Yeah, thanks.‖ ―How about you, Tracy?‖ ―Good, mom.‖ Tracy pulled a bun from the plate and unrolled the dough to a thin cinnamon covered strip. She pushed the plate toward Natalie. ―Want one?‖ ―Thanks.‖ Natalie couldn‘t unravel hers, but it tasted just as good either way. She couldn‘t believe how relaxed Tracy acted. The whole mess tied her stomach into a knot. She would be relieved once Mary saw the mess and yelled at them.. Until the situation was out in the open, Natalie would remain on edge. There was an uneasy silence at the breakfast table, not that Natalie and Tracy ever had much to say to each other at such an early hour anyway, but the stress of knowing they were both about to be in big trouble hung over the room like a thick fog. The first moment of truth came when Mary walked into the driveway to get into the car. Natalie held her breath and watched her walk up to the front of the car. The woman went straight to open her car door without ever seeing the donut tire on the front passenger‘s side. Whew. Natalie glanced over at Tracy who bugged her eyes out with the silent sentiment to keep quiet. But how could they? What if the car didn‘t drive right? Did the police officer even put the tire on right? What if he didn‘t and they had another accident? Natalie had enough accidents to last a lifetime. Tracy helped Natalie out to the car, carried her backpack 43

Leah Leonard and opened the front door, waiting for her to get into the car. ―Here ya go.‖ Natalie held her breath. The car ride to school was void of conversation. Strangely so. The girls normally talked a mile a minute and by not doing so today, they surely raised suspicions. Mary peeked at Tracy in her rearview mirror. ―You two sure are quiet. Everything okay?‖ ―Just tired.‖ ―I guess your big night on the town wore you two out, huh?‖ ―You‘re not kidding.‖ Natalie rolled her eyes. ―Well, if you‘re upset about being grounded, don‘t be. I‘ll give you points for good behavior.‖ Natalie cringed at the thought. If they didn‘t come clean about the car soon, Tracy would be grounded until next school year.

44

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer

Chapter Nine

Trip to the Chapel

L

one Eagle woke up earlier than normal, packed a small duffle bag with a few of his personal belongings—two pairs of jeans, three shirts and a jacket—and slipped outside to his truck the following morning. He had to get out of here, the sooner the better. Outside the morning air was cool and crisp. Dew covered the windshield of his beloved turquoise blue pickup truck. He wiped off the window with his sleeve. He opened the creaky door, slid across the cold vinyl seats and started the engine, hoping he would not make too much noise and wake his sister Lupe who had been snoring in the room next to his a few minutes ago. He didn‘t want to be stopped, and if Lupe caught him, there was no telling what she would do. He didn‘t leave her a note. Once he was far enough away, he would call her. For now, he needed to put distance between him and his place. He turned the key in the ignition and the truck rumbled to a start. He glanced out the rearview mirror, watched the smoke bellow from the tailpipe and pulled down the rocky road to the main thoroughfare and headed left, down the road toward the highway. The sun lit up the valley with pink and gold. The weather was beautiful, and his eye happened to glance off the side of 45

Leah Leonard the road and up the nearby mountain. At the very top stood the tiny Catholic Chapel, his family church since he was born. He caught his breath, and a lump formed in the back of his throat. He hadn‘t paid a single visit to his family church since the day Looking Elk died. For some reason, like an unseen hand pulled him, he made a sharp left hand turn and headed up the hill toward the chapel. He would go there, pray, then be on his way. He wouldn‘t be long. He parked out front, noticing no other cars and walked to the door, pleased to find the sanctuary open. Nobody ever locked the place. There were too many people on the reservation who needed to visit at odd hours during the day and night. Inside, the décor was plain and simple. Old wooden floors creaked under his feet. He walked through the pews toward the altar, pausing at each station of the cross to contemplate along the way. At the front, three simple steps led to the podium where the family priest gave his Mass every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. Lone Eagle was sorry to say he hadn‘t been here much the past few months. Ever since Looking Elk passed last December, he had wandered away, and yet his heart always brought him back. He dropped a donation into a wooden box, grabbed a white candle, lit it, placing it alongside several hundred others and took a seat in the front row, pausing before falling to his knees and closing his eyes for prayer. This kind of peace was different than his evening journeys, and more needed than the other. Lone Eagle‘s family remembered the past and the ways of their ancestors, and yet at times like these, only Christ could provide the kind of comfort he needed to get through his situation and find resolution. Eyes pressed shut, Lone Eagle prayed first for Natalie Locke. He prayed she would heal from her terrible accident. 46

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Next he prayed for her grandmother, her pesky blonde friend and the family who lived in the rich house at the top of the Sandia Mountains. He prayed for Looking Elk, hoping his spirit would rest now. Then, he thought about his sister and her tortured soul and prayed she would find peace in her life and in her path and accept her destiny. He opened his eyes, feeling lighter than before and started to get up when he paused again, fell to his knees once more and closed his eyes. He then prayed for he could also find peace and come to accept things, lead his tribe until someone more worthy showed themselves and took his place. He prayed his urge to run away to be lifted from him and the stability, the kind of grounded attitude he had all his life, would return to him so he could find peace once more. In his mind, a vision of Natalie without her casts and braces appeared. She looked healthier, happier than since he‘d known her. Next, he saw Lupe ministering to the people. Last, he saw his brothers in ceremonial attire at a Sundance. He recognized the place. His father took him there once while he danced. The event would take place in summer, not now. He had the overwhelming feeling now was not the time to go, but soon. He stayed still, basking in the quiet peacefulness until it could fill his heart and after some time, after every single muscle released and relaxed, he opened his eyes again. His heart felt light and the weight of the world seemed far away. He stood up, walked out to his truck and started it. Soon he would begin his journey, but until then, there were people in his life who needed him right now.

47

Leah Leonard

Chapter Ten

Date After School

M

ary pulled up to the traffic circle in front of Albuquerque High School and parked so the girls could get out. ―There you go. You two have a good day, okay?‖ ―Thanks for the ride, mom,‖ Tracy called from the backseat. ―Yeah thanks, Mary,‖ Natalie echoed. Before she could finish any more thoughts, Tracy had already hopped from the backseat to the curb and opened her door for her. ―Madame Natalie…‖ She held out her hand. The first few days back at school, Natalie was too selfconscious to take help from anyone, which caused her more suffering in the long run. She was slow, plain and simple. Better to acknowledge her weakness and suck it up, get the help rather than doing what she used to doing—crawl up the steps to the front door of the building. She took Tracy‘s hand. ―Thanks.‖ Tracy propped Natalie‘s crutch under her shoulder and moved out of her way so she could hop up to the curb. ―Bye, mom.‖ She slammed Mary‘s car door. Mary rolled down her window. ―Natalie, your Gran‘s working again today so you two call me if you need me to 48

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer come early, otherwise I‘ll be here at the normal time.‖ ―Thanks, Mom.‖ ―Wait,‖ Natalie shouted. Mary stopped the car, stared at her. ―What is it?‖ ―Tracy, didn‘t you forget something?‖ Natalie moved her eyes so only Tracy could see them and rolled them toward the car. ―No.‖ ―Are you sure?‖ Mary gave her the look. ―I‘m fine, mom. Natalie‘s losing it, I guess.‖ Natalie watched Mary pull away, wishing she could wave, but couldn‘t in her present condition. Instead, she tried being patient, waited for Tracy to get closer before hobbling up the steps. ―You look like you‘re getting along better today,‖ Tracy observed. ―Yeah, I guess.‖ For now, this would have to do. Once she reached the front door, she turned to Tracy. ―Do you think we should talk to your mom about the flat tire?‖ ―No.‖ ―Why not? It‘s not right to let her drive off like that.‖ ―She‘ll be fine, don‘t worry.‖ ―I don‘t like it. I wish we could get her back here and come clean.‖ Natalie tried to pull her backpack from Tracy‘s hands. ―Give me that.‖ Tracy held the pack over her head. ―Why? So you can call her?‖ ―Yes.‖ ―No. We can‘t.‖ ―But we have to. She‘s gonna find out sooner or later. The bad tire is in her trunk. What do you think she‘s gonna say when she goes to buy groceries or something and sees that mess? She‘s gonna kill us.‖ ―Not us, me,‖ Tracy insisted. 49

Leah Leonard ―Then why not lessen the blow by telling her now?‖ ―Because I have a plan.‖ She grinned mischievously. ―I don‘t like it.‖ Tracy scowled. ―You haven‘t even heard it. Have faith. I‘ve got it all worked out. I have a friend, Dan, whose dad is a mechanic. We‘ll get him to fix it and my mom will never have to know.‖ ―You aren‘t making any sense. First off, where do you think we‘ll get the money?‖ ―I have some saved up.‖ ―Uh huh, and what about your mom? How do you plan to steal a car and get it fixed without her noticing?‖ ―We‘ll borrow the car today and take it by after school.‖ ―But what if she finds it before then?‖ ―She buys groceries tomorrow, not today. If we get it fixed before then, it‘ll be fine.‖ Natalie still felt one-hundred-percent responsible for the whole mess. She would‘ve come clean with Mary if not for her loyalty to her friend. She remembered the sack of cash Lone Eagle left for her family and although she wanted to pay him back, she needed the cash to fix Mary‘s car. ―I have an idea, too.‖ ―What?‖ ―I will pay for this using the money Gran and I found.‖ ―No, you don‘t have to.‖ ―You don‘t have enough, and besides, it‘s my fault we were there in the first place, remember?‖ Tracy shrugged. ―I guess so.‖ ―So find your friend Dan, see what we need to do and then I‘ll get some money out and we can pay him.‖ ―Sounds like a plan to me.‖ ―Then I want to tell your mom about how Lone Eagle‘s dad tried to save my parents.‖ Tracy shook her head. ―You better not. She‘ll get all 50

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer emotional and sometimes that‘s not a good thing.‖ Natalie frowned. ―You don‘t think she‘d want to know?‖ Tracy shrugged. ―Maybe later. I wouldn‘t tell her now. It‘s bad enough the anniversary date is coming up in a week. If…or I should say when…we get the car fixed, we‘ll be lucky enough if she doesn‘t kill us. I don‘t want to press it.‖ ―What anniversary?‖ Tracy gave her the stupidity look. ―Duh…‖ ―What?‖ Hands on hips, Tracy now provided the silent stupidity look which was far worse than the original. ―What?‖ Natalie repeated at the risk of being considered a complete idiot. ―The anniversary of the shooting, silly.‖ Natalie never gave the date much thought over the years like her Gran and Mary did. The event seemed to sneak up on her every single time, especially this year. Maybe this was what happened to a person who slept for two months out of the last twelve. She wasn‘t sure. ―It is?‖ ―Yep. Mom mentioned it twice in the past few days.‖ ―Great, I guess last night didn‘t help her any then, huh?‖ ―Nope. Sure didn‘t. I was just happy to see her baking today. She stops cooking dinner at all this time of year. My dad has to take us out or bring pizza.‖ Natalie shrugged. ―I guess I should‘ve remembered.‖ ―Well, believe me, my mom remembers enough for us all.‖ ―Yeah, Gran‘s gotten better over the years. Still cries a little, but not too much anymore.‖ ―The point is, now‘s not the best time to elaborate on anything. Mom said what she needed to, now we should drop it.‖ ―I thought telling her about Looking Elk would help her understand why Lone Eagle‘s been hanging around and 51

Leah Leonard teaching me about the stones. It‘s like we have a destiny together.‖ ―Maybe, but I‘m telling you now is not the time!‖ Natalie wished she could, but it was tough. She would have to find a way to work this out in her mind. Still, she should have more reverence for her parents and grandmother by remembering the date. She had so much on her mind these days, she hadn‘t remembered, but it was true, April nineteenth would mark the seventeenth anniversary of her parents‘ murder. Strangely, this incident happened six months to the day of Natalie‘s birth. Tracy‘s mom was still upset about it. She and Natalie‘s mom were the kind of friends she and Tracy were, and it was always tough on Mary. She never found anyone to replace Natalie‘s mom, JoAnne. ―Oh yeah, okay. Maybe later we can talk to her about it.‖ Tracy curled her bottom lip, shook her head no. She grabbed her books from her locker. The first period bell rang. ―I gotta go.‖ She started down the hall, then spun around again. ―Hey. Did you get a hold of Lone Eagle last night to tell him what you found out?‖ Tracy probably assumed such things would be done by cell phone, or text, like any normal kid would do them. Tracy assumed Natalie continued to phone her friend deep into the night, but she nodded anyway. ―Yeah, I did. Everything‘s okay now.‖ Natalie still wasn‘t sure what Tracy thought of her new inner life, and she didn‘t want to upset her in any way. Tracy flung her backpack over her shoulder. ―Good.‖ ―Yeah, I thought so.‖ ―Okay, see ya at lunch then, okay?‖ Tracy turned and started down the hall. ―See ya then.‖ Natalie turned the other direction toward her Algebra class and started hobbling down the hall when 52

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer she happened to see the object of her affection and future prom date, Cody Wagner. He looked hot. His wavy brown hair was combed perfectly, and the school jersey he wore fit him just right. Cody stood by his locker and turned around when she passed by. ―Hey Natalie, want me to get that?‖ Natalie handed her backpack over without arguing. She was exhausted and always wanted an excuse to talk to him. ―Sure, but I‘m getting stronger now, you know? My casts are coming off soon.‖ I hope so, anyhow. ―I guess you won‘t need my help anymore then, huh?‖ he teased. She blinked her eyelashes at him. ―I‘ll take what I can get.‖ They both laughed. Cody walked slower than normal down the hall so she could keep up. He held the door, helped her get situated in her new seat at the table in front of the class. He put her books down in front of her and even opened her book and notebook to the page they would be reviewing today in class. He started to turn around and then stopped, staring down at her. ―Hey, I was just thinking.‖ Natalie giggled. ―Thinking is good.‖ Cody laughed. ―Nice. Anyhow, I was wondering. Do you wanna come watch my baseball game this afternoon? We‘re playing a really good team.‖ Cody invited her to the prom, but never to any of his other activities. Natalie sighed. She wanted to go more than anything, but now thanks to the car mess, she wouldn‘t be able to go. Plus, school was tiring. Even if she was free, she would still have to hope she had enough energy to get there. ―When?‖ ―After school today. I‘m the pitcher.‖ Cody pushed his shoulders back and beamed, his bright white teeth showed a next to perfect smile. ―Ugh.‖ 53

Leah Leonard ―What‘s wrong?‖ ―I have to help Tracy this afternoon. Darn. I really wish I could go.‖ ―How about tomorrow?‖ Natalie‘s heart raced a little. She raised her eyebrows though, not wanting to seem too eager. ―I would love to. I‘ll ask Tracy in person at lunch and see if we do or don‘t have other plans. Could you give me a ride home?‖ ―For sure. Tracy can come, too, if you want. I could even take her home, too, if you want me to.‖ ―Okay, thanks. I‘ll ask her.‖ ―I‘ll assume you‘re coming if I don‘t hear from you, okay? But I‘ll see you in class before then anyway.‖ ―Sounds great.‖ Natalie hoped her arms and legs would carry her there and Mary‘s car was back to normal by then. Until the car was back to normal, Natalie would not be able to relax about anything. With any kind of luck, things would all work out.

54

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer

Chapter Eleven

Coming Clean

L

one Eagle returned from the chapel and rushed into the house, hoping to make it back inside before Lupe discovered him. He left his duffle bag in the truck. He could always get that later, but he didn‘t want her to see it. That would only stir up things. With any luck, he would be home before she woke up and could have his morning coffee in peace. He parked on the road in front of their house, right where he had the truck before. Now he knew why he never left the note. Great Spirit had other plans for him. Lupe‘s beat up old Chevy was across the road and down a ways. It was a wonder the old clunker still ran at all. He climbed the grassy hill to the house and went to the kitchen to make coffee, hoping to continue his quiet morning, but Lupe was already awake and standing there, and she didn‘t look happy. He glanced from her eyes to her hands and his heart fell into his stomach. ―What is this junk, Bro?‖ She craned her neck. He stared at the antler box and wished he would have remembered to put it away. The box contained secrets Lupe didn‘t need to know. ―Nothing. None of your business.‖ ―Oh? And you think it‘s yours, huh?‖ ―Yes.‖ 55

Leah Leonard ―How am I supposed to keep out of your business when you leave this sitting in the middle of the living room?‖ He didn‘t have anything to say, so he kept quiet. ―This is a sacred item, bro. You can‘t just leave this lying around like a piece of trash.‖ She kicked one of her empty soda cans across the living room. ―What you thinkin‘?‖ Apparently he wasn‘t according to her standards. The stress from worrying about whether or not Looking Elk was a killer made him forget and leave things in the living room he never intended for his sister to see. He didn‘t know what to say without making things worse, so he pushed past her and went to make his coffee. Lupe plopped the antler box in the middle of the kitchen table, balanced atop the piles of mail Lone Eagle still needed to sort. She unclipped the brass clasp and started pulling the tattered old newspaper articles out. Lone Eagle clutched his empty coffee cup, dreading this. These were the articles he found about the Locke family murders and because he wasn‘t thinking straight last night, he left them right where his nosy sister was sure to find them. Dear God. He needed more prayer than he ever imagined to get through this moment. He wished he would‘ve kept on driving far away from here after all. He took a deep breath and reminded himself—Not now, but soon… Lupe unfolded the yellowed newspaper and opened each clipping up and spread them all over the kitchen table. She squinted through her thick folds of skin, studying the photos, reading the captions, skimming over each one. Fortunately, Lupe wasn‘t the best student in the world. She never bothered to finish school, but although her reading was slow, she was not illiterate by any stretch and was one of the smarter people Lone Eagle knew. Nothing ever got past her. Ever. She read several things, then turned to him 56

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer and spoke. ―Don‘t tell me you think our daddy did this.‖ When he failed to answer, she stood right in his face. ―You don‘t, do you?‖ He still didn‘t say anything. Instead, he scooped the coffee into the filter, poured the water, flipped the switch, prayed harder. ―Rafael?‖ Lupe never used his real name unless she was furious or wanted a favor. ―Talk to me, Rafael. Please don‘t tell me that‘s what you thought.‖ He turned around, his still empty mug in his hand. ―Please, Lupe. My head is killing me today. He is innocent, okay? That‘s all you need to know.‖ Lupe made the annoying clicking noise with her tongue like she always did. Like a parent scolding a naughty child she waved her meaty index finger in front of his nose. ―No, Rafael. That‘s not what I asked. Answer me now.‖ She never used his name this many times in any conversation he could recall. She must be furious. He sighed. He never wanted to lie to her, but wished she would stop asking so many questions he didn‘t feel like answering. ―I did, but I don‘t anymore, okay?‖ ―What are you thinking?‖ Lupe picked up another empty soda can and threw it against the kitchen wall. In the past, he would‘ve shouted back at her for tossing her trash around their place like it was a dumping ground rather than their home, but today he didn‘t have the energy for it. Lupe exasperated him to the limit. She was so close he felt her breath on his skin. She puffed out her chest to make herself bigger, which was the last thing Lupe needed to do. ―So I was right before, huh? Is this what happened to our money, Bro? You gave it to her, didn‘t you? You gave it to the little Washisho.‖ God how he dreaded this moment. His sister made his life unbearable at times. She might beat him to a pulp, and she 57

Leah Leonard could. She was at least twice his size, maybe more. He backed away and stood frozen, his gaze downturned toward the kitchen sink, and still refused to answer her. Lupe puffed out her chest and came toward him again, this time pushing his shoulder with the tip of her finger. ―How could you do something so stupid? What are you, crazy?‖ Lone Eagle stood solid. He pulled the pot off the burner and away from the coffee maker and held his cup under the spout so the dark liquid trickled into his cup. He couldn‘t wait to get his morning caffeine and get out of here. ―What are you, loco?‖ She poked him again. ―Hey, you. I‘m talking to you. Listen up.‖ ―Stop, Lupe.‖ He took his half cup of coffee and walked past her, never making eye contact. She shouted after him. ―I‘m gonna get my money back.‖ Lone Eagle stopped in the middle of the living room, sat his cup next to the lamp and spun around, going back into the kitchen. He walked right up to his sister, stood about an inch away from her face, and whispered. ―You will not do any such thing. Stay out of this. I am directed by our ancestors. If you want to continue to have this roof over your head, you will respect me.‖ ―You don‘t know what you‘re doing and somebody‘s gonna answer for this.‖ She grabbed her keys, yanking them off the hook near the refrigerator and headed out the door, calling out one last time, ―I‘m working a double today and won‘t be home until late. Don‘t wait up for me either.‖ She slammed the door behind her. Believe me, I won’t. Lone Eagle sighed and leaned back against the wall, pressing his palm into his forehead. Dear God, he hoped things would settle down around here. He couldn‘t take much more. He caught his breath, went back to the living room and sipped his coffee. Stone cold already. 58

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Figures. He went to the kitchen, dumped it out and went into his room to go back to bed. He had an important meeting this afternoon with the tribal elders and governors, the first of many meetings he would have to attend in the future. It was very important, but with everything happening around here, he considered skipping it. He tried to imagine what might happen if he failed to show up. It would be a literal slap in the face to his tribe and a tremendous sign of disrespect. Lupe might even get her wish to take over for him as Chief. Maybe then she would be happy. Then again, he knew better. Lupe was never happy long. Besides, judging from her latest behavior, he knew Great Spirit would never allow somebody like her to lead the tribe. The more he thought about it, Lone Eagle realized he had an obligation to his people he would keep whether he liked it or not. ―God, please help me.‖ He raised his hands toward the ceiling. The feelings he was having these days were so unlike him. He was so level headed, always the one to keep the peace, most of the time anyway. Somehow he had to get these unconstructive thoughts and feelings out of his head so he could get back to the business of becoming chief and helping his tribe. First, he needed to heal the relationships in his own home. He prayed he could. He lay down and prepared to sleep until time to go to work. Once he woke, his head would be clear, and things would seem better than they were right now.

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Leah Leonard

Chapter Twelve

Making Plans

A

fter her first two classes, Natalie stood in the hall next to her locker, turned on her cell and tried to call Lone Eagle. The phone rang several times but he never answered. She hung up. Times like this made her wonder if the experiences she had in her dreams were real or not. Lone Eagle promised he would answer the phone, so where was he? He had a cell phone. How hard could it be? Watching while kids hurried off to their next class, she stopped and took a seat on an empty bench in the middle of one of the main hallways at the school. She checked the clock on the wall. Ten more minutes until the bell. Even though she would love to go to the cafeteria and get a snack, her back ached from the weight of her cast, and she just couldn‘t make it. She had to get to the game today and wondered how she would have the energy. Lone Eagle. She wasn‘t cured yet, by any stretch, but she believed the ideas about working with him and the animal spirits helped her get this far. His assistance would be the only way for her to get to prom this year and the game after school today with Cody. Attending the prom was the one event in her young life she looked forward to for ages. She didn‘t have a sweet 60

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer sixteen. There weren‘t many other milestone events to participate in around these parts. People probably thought she was going overboard with her excitement about the dance and dinner. They probably thought she whined and complained too much about her injuries hindering her, but she didn‘t care. A girl dreaming about prom was like a young girl imagining her wedding and Prince Charming. She didn‘t want to miss out on this particular teenage rite of passage. She picked up her cell, dialed again. ―Come on, Lone Eagle. Please pick up, will ya?‖ The phone rang off the hook yet again. Natalie sighed and almost hung up when she heard the ringing stop. ―Hello?‖ ―Lone Eagle?‖ ―Yes.‖ Oh good. ―Natalie here.‖ She waited for him to acknowledge her, but when she didn‘t, she continued. ―Uh, you know, Natalie? Natalie Locke?‖ He chuckled. ―Yes, I know.‖ ―Remember I was going to call?‖ ―Kind of. What‘s up, Little Bird?‖ She had to know if he saw her or not. He always acted so mysterious. ―Did you see me standing next to your bed last night or not?‖ ―Yes.‖ ―Okay then. Fine. I‘m calling because I need your help. I‘m…‖ Her eyes started to well with tears of frustration. She wanted to ask him why he never answered the phone last night so she could tell him about the flat tire, but decided against it. That was over now. The most important thing was getting more lessons and healing her body. This healing process was so darned tough. She cleared her throat and kept going, ―I want to keep learning more from you. I think 61

Leah Leonard the flying lessons helped, but…‖ She tried not to cry. She didn‘t want the kids at school to see her so she lowered her head, her bangs fell over her face. She stared at her ugly Velcro leg braces. ―I still need help, you know, and I want to learn anything you‘re willing to show me. You promised you‘d teach me more about how to use the stones in the shop…remember?‖ He didn‘t say anything. ―Are you still there?‖ She worried he might not want to help her anymore. He had no obligations to do anything more than what he had. ―Hello?‖ ―Yes. I‘m here.‖ ―Good, so…‖ She cleared her throat again to fight the urge to bawl. ―When are my lessons gonna continue?‖ He was quiet for a few moments and sounded kind of sleepy still, even though it was already after noon. ―Um, how about Tuesday? That‘s my day off… If your family won‘t object.‖ Despite the progress they made, she was sure he was referring to the cold reception Tracy‘s mom gave him the one time he visited the house. Mary hadn‘t understood their friendship, and still didn‘t, but everything changed since then. Everybody in the family knew his father tried to help her parents out, so now things were different, better. ―Everyone‘s fine with you now, you know,‖ she reminded him. ―Okay, good. So Tuesday after school then?‖ ―Yeah. Tuesday would work for me, and I‘m sure Gran will be happy about it. I‘ll speak to her later and let you know for sure tomorrow, okay? I‘ll call you.‖ ―Okay.‖ ―Promise to pick up when I call you, okay? So I don‘t have to come track you down at night?‖ ―I‘ve been meaning to say something to you.‖ She could 62

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer tell by the deepening and quiet of his voice, he was not pleased. ―Yeah?‖ She blinked, trying to pretend not to know what he was about to say. ―You‘re bothering me at night in my private space. My journeys are my own, Little Bird, not for sharing, okay?‖ ―Sorry. Just promise to answer your phone next time, then I won‘t have to find you.‖ ―I will.‖ ―Good, then I‘ll see you Tuesday.‖ ―Tuesday,‖ he echoed. ―Bye.‖ Natalie hung up the phone wondering why he still sounded so upset even though she did her best to make sure everything was cleared up now. Oh well. She would see him soon enough and could find out then. The only trouble was Mary‘s car. She worried her lessons would be cancelled for good if they were in trouble. She couldn‘t take it anymore. She scrolled through her contacts, found Tracy‘s home number and dialed. ―Hey, whatcha doing?‖ Natalie looked up and Tracy was standing next to the bench. Her heart almost burst from anxiety and she pressed the end button on the phone. ―Uh…just the person I wanted to see.‖ ―Oh?‖ ―Yeah, I saw Cody this morning—‖ Tracy raised her eyebrows and gave Natalie a look. ―Really? What did he say?‖ ―Yeah, really. He invited us to his game this afternoon.‖ ―Us or you?‖ ―Us. You don‘t think I‘d go without you, do you?‖ Tracy giggled and glanced down at Natalie‘s legs. ―You couldn’t go without me is more like it.‖ ―Yeah right, but I told him we were busy so he invited us 63

Leah Leonard tomorrow, if you want. So do you want to go?‖ ―I‘d have to see if my mom can pick us up later. I‘m not sure what she has going on then.‖ At this point, Natalie wasn‘t sure what she and Tracy would have going on if the car wasn‘t fixed. ―That‘s just it, Cody will take us both home.‖ ―Nice. I‘m sure my mom would love to have a day off of driving duty.‖ ―Yeah, I‘ll bet. So what do you say?‖ Before she answered, Tracy already started dialing. ―Hey mom? Yeah, it‘s me. Natalie wants to go to a game today after school, so is there any way we could borrow the car?‖ She listened for a moment. ―We‘re going tomorrow, too, but one of our friends can take us then. We‘ll drop you off at home like we did yesterday. Okay?‖ She listened for a second. ―I know. Yes, I will get my homework done. No…‖ She covered the phone with her hand. ―When is it over?‖ Natalie shrugged. She couldn‘t believe Tracy was telling her mom a bold faced lie. ―We don‘t know, but we‘ll be a couple hours late getting home. Uh huh. Okay, thanks mom.‖ Tracy hung up. ―She said okay.‖ ―Tracy, are you nuts?‖ ―What?‖ ―You lied to your mom about the game.‖ ―Yeah, but how else do you want us to get the car to the shop? This game is a perfect excuse.‖ Natalie didn‘t like this at all. ―What if she sees the tire before then?‖ ―We‘re gonna have to hope she doesn‘t.‖ ―How are we going to get this fixed, anyhow? Where will we take it?‖ Tracy clapped her hands. ―That‘s just it. You‘ll never guess what happened.‖ 64

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―What?‖ ―I saw Dan in the hall this morning, and he called his dad. He can change the tire for us right after school today. He‘ll only charge us for the tire itself. Isn‘t that great?‖ ―Yeah, I guess.‖ Natalie was still wondering how she was going to get the money to pay for this without her Gran noticing. ―And…‖ Tracy beamed. ―Dan asked me to prom.‖ ―Nice…Can he keep a secret?‖ ―Of course.‖ Natalie hoped so. This situation was getting messier by the second. **** Lone Eagle hung up the phone. He was quite surprised Little Bird called him. This would please his father and fulfill his obligations. He felt glad about that. This morning he felt particularly troubled by the vision his father showed him in the Upper World. He couldn‘t get Locke‘s Rocks out of his mind and the robber who killed Natalie‘s family. He recalled the gold coin he saw in his vision. Was that coin still around there? If it was, he needed to find it. That one object might hold a clue about who killed the Locke‘s, and for some strange reason, Lone Eagle knew the clue was important, otherwise his father wouldn‘t have shown him those things. Time would tell, but on Tuesday, or whenever he could get back into the store, he wanted to look for the coin. He would have to be discreet about it though. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to upset Natalie or her grandmother any more than he already had. Something urged him to check into it, so he would keep it in mind for the right moment. He was also upset about Lupe. She could be so mean sometimes, so vengeful. He did the best he could. The 65

Leah Leonard money was gone now, and regardless of whether his father killed that family or not, he still felt like he owed them something. It was a feeling he did not comprehend, but he gave the money away because he was guided to do so. Lupe of all people should understand, if she were any kind of Medicine Woman like she should be. He wanted to go in early but couldn‘t. The meeting with the tribe took precedent over his regular job. He hoped it wouldn‘t last more than an hour, and once he was finished, he would go to work and stay until close, just like he had almost every night since he drove the sack of cash to Albuquerque. Tomorrow he would get to work, then go see Natalie and try to make it back in the evening so he could close again. He would work every available time slot. He would earn the money back. No problem. The tribe also paid a small salary to him as chief to compensate him for days like today. He figured at this rate, it shouldn‘t take more than six months to a year to make it up, if he worked hard and saved. He would not allow Lupe to make him feel bad about the gift. Those people needed the money. He knew it. He glanced at the clock. It was after noon, and he had to be in town by one. Even though she annoyed him, he realized if Natalie hadn‘t called, he might have been late. Good thing she did. He shaved, combed his hair back into a ponytail, tying it off with one of his father‘s favorite old leather cords. The three turquoise beads at the end of the tie dangled past his shoulders. He put on his father‘s favorite ring and belt buckle, wore his old bolo tie. Today he would get back to honoring his father‘s memory. Beyond that, he would take things one day at a time.

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Natalie Locke & the Sundancer

Chapter Thirteen

Natalie’s Confession

N

atalie couldn‘t shake the bad feelings she was having about lying to Mary. The truth was, even if Dan‘s dad could fix the car, too many things had to happen between now and then, and if any one of them went wrong, her and Tracy would be grounded until next December. After school, Natalie tried walking out to the traffic circle where Mary always waited for her and Tracy, but today her hands were trembling so bad from stress, she couldn‘t maneuver her crutch. Tracy was already waiting by the car, and when she saw Natalie struggling, she rushed up to help her, taking her backpack out of her hand. ―You okay? Are you worn out today or what?‖ Natalie was worn out all right, but for once it was more than just physical. ―Just tired, I guess.‖ They walked to the car and Tracy held the door for her while Natalie slipped into the passenger‘s seat. Mary smiled and seemed to be in a decent mood. ―Hi, Natalie. You sure you‘re up to the game today? You seem a little shaky.‖ Natalie sighed. She hated lying, and she decided right there and then she couldn‘t do it another second. ―No, I‘m not up to it.‖ She glanced into the rearview mirror just in 67

Leah Leonard time to see the stunned expression on Tracy‘s face. ―I have a confession to make.‖ ―Wait,‖ Tracy shouted and pushed her face between the seats. ―I know you‘re exhausted, Nat, but come on. This is your boyfriend we‘re talking about. Cody will be so disappointed in you if you can‘t come today, and besides, I can help you get around.‖ Mary turned around and scowled. ―Tracy, if she‘s tired, she‘s tired. It must be hard to walk around campus all day with your legs and arm in casts.‖ She turned back to Natalie. ―Honey, if you want, I can take you home. Just let me know where you want to go, okay?‖ Natalie sighed again. She had a real decision to make here. She could keep her mouth shut, hope to get the money and get to the garage to have the car fixed and stay loyal to her friend, or she could come clean and tell Mary the whole story. She sucked in a deep breath and decided she would try and do both. ―You don‘t understand, Mary. I did something you need to know about. I did it, not Tracy, and because she‘s such a good friend, she didn‘t want to tell you.‖ Mary turned off the ignition and turned to her. ―What did you do, Natalie?‖ Natalie held up her dented crutch. ―Remember you asked about this? You wanted to know what happened to it?‖ ―Yes.‖ ―Well, I talked Tracy into taking me up to San Felipe Pueblo last night to see Lone Eagle and set the record straight about his connection to my family…‖ Mary clenched her lips together. ―Yes, Gran told me, which is why I am punishing Tracy.‖ ―Well, while I was there, I dropped my crutch on the dirt road. I‘m not sure if this is what caused it, but I think we might have run it over with the car and what happened is 68

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer we got a flat tire on the way down the hill toward the highway and a police officer had to come and change it. The spare is still on the front end on my side.‖ Natalie didn‘t wait for Mary to respond but instead burst into tears. ―I‘m so sorry, Mary. Tracy is trying to protect me, but I can‘t let her do it anymore.‖ Silence filled the car. Mary didn‘t say a word at first which made Natalie fear her all the more. ―Natalie, I am proud of you.‖ Natalie uncovered her eyes, sniffled and turned to her. ―What? Why?‖ Mary grinned. ―I already know about the car, girls.‖ ―You do?‖ ―Of course. I noticed it last night when you pulled into the driveway.‖ ―But you were inside the house. It was dark. You were sitting on the couch.‖ ―Don‘t you think I was watching out the window for you two? From the second you called to tell me you were going to be late, I was running back and forth between the window and the sofa. Your father told me I was silly and went to bed, but I couldn‘t help it. I worry about you two girls.‖ Natalie should have said something sooner. ―I‘m sorry.‖ ―You should both be sorry.‖ Mary gave her daughter a knowing look. ―I ought to ground you both for this, but I have to admit when I was your age, I totaled my father‘s car.‖ ―You did?‖ ―Yes, I did, so it‘s hard for me to hold you to a standard I couldn‘t keep myself, but…‖ She turned around, looked Tracy in the eye. ―You promised to be honest with me, Tracy, and I am very disappointed with you today. Very.‖ Tracy started to cry. ―Sorry, mom, I was scared.‖ ―Lying is not acceptable under any circumstances. You 69

Leah Leonard two are young. You‘re going to make mistakes. Fine, but you need to tell me and your Gran about what is going on so we can help you. Lying will get you in trouble. No matter how bad you are or what you do, if you tell the truth, things will always work out okay. Understand?‖ Both girls echoed, ―Yes.‖ ―Fine, now where were you taking the car today?‖ Natalie held her breath. ―What makes you think we were taking it anywhere other than to the game?‖ Mary laughed. ―I assume you were going to have it fixed before I noticed, right?‖ ―Yes.‖ ―Tracy?‖ Mary gave her the look. Tracy‘s gaze fell to the floor. ―Yes, mom.‖ ―So? Where are we taking it?‖ ―To Dan‘s dad‘s shop,‖ Tracy said. ―Yeah, but first we have to go get some money from my house,‖ Natalie offered. She still wanted to pay for it, no matter the cost. ―I‘ll tell you what…‖ Mary tapped the tip of her finger on her chin. ―What?‖ ―I‘ll pay this time, but only if you two promise me you‘ve learned something about lying. Have you?‖ ―Yes,‖ they both shouted. Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. She learned her lesson today. No more lying and sneaking around, not ever.

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Natalie Locke & the Sundancer

Chapter Fourteen

Sundancer

L

one Eagle continued to think about leaving on a trip. Then he remembered there was an important event coming up which would serve two purposes—getting him out of town to refresh his spirit and providing him an important and necessary rite of passage which would increase the overall respect he received from his tribe. Lone Eagle decided he would definitely travel north to attend a Sundance with other tribal chiefs in the summer, after the Corn Festival. This was an important rite of passage for him, not necessary, but powerful. He owed his people to take the time to make the journey so when he returned, he would be stronger, more capable of leading. This idea occurred to him during his nap that afternoon, and he felt good about it. Soon he would begin contacting the people he knew in other tribes and making necessary preparations. Before leaving for his governor‘s meeting that afternoon, he looked in the closet in his father‘s old bedroom, pulled out all of the ceremonial attire he‘d seen Looking Elk wear over the years, and moved it up to a more prominent place in the front of the closet where he could begin to mentally prepare for the ceremonies where he would officially be named chief. At the casino there was always a lot of down time. Lone 71

Leah Leonard Eagle touched his father‘s robes, gathering the energy of the garment so while he was at work today, during slow times, he could close his eyes, think about the garments and ask Great Spirit to begin preparing him to be worthy of wearing these robes and assuming the leadership role over so many people. Despite his decision to stay in New Mexico a while longer, his soul called him to head north. He wasn‘t sure when the event would be held, but knew it would be soon. He glanced at his watch and realized he still had a few minutes until he had to leave, so he reached into the floorboard, and pulled out the jewelry stashed there. The rings and beads represented his father‘s prized possessions and Lone Eagle remembered him wearing these, too, years ago. He ran his fingers over each piece, remembering several things from his childhood. Good memories. He laid the ornaments in the far corner of his room on an end table he‘d cleared for this purpose. Then he lit a stick of sage, cleansing the pieces and chanting, ―Oh aye ye, aye, ah…‖ He cleansed his closet and room with sage. All the while, he imagined the bad feelings he felt toward his father, and the misunderstandings, were swept up in the smoke. Next he rattled with the tortoise shell rattle, pulled an old rawhide drum from the back of Looking Elk‘s closet, sat on the floor in his room on his father‘s favorite rug, closed his eyes and drummed. The deep rhythm of his father‘s drum began sending his spirit far away from here. He floated into a cloud, over the mesas and highways of America, and found himself on the Lakota Reservation. Sundancers from all around gathered to participate in the grueling ceremonies, sensory deprivation, little food or water. The ceremony would help those who were called to leadership positions to separate their physical selves from 72

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer the spiritual and create a higher connection to the Great Spirit. Lone Eagle could sense how difficult this journey would be, but in the midst of great physical pain, he felt his spirit soar. This would be his destiny. His time would come soon. He was ready. He soared over the Black Hills of South Dakota, home of the great Chief Crazy Horse. Lone Eagle had friends in those hills, and he couldn‘t wait to go explore there. His hand intuitively began to slow down, the beat of the drum grew quieter and stopped. He opened his eyes. Back in his room now, he knew what had to be done. He would need to finish his business with Natalie and prepare to head to South Dakota. He stood, brushed off his pants, pressing the wrinkles out, put the drum back into the closet, closing the door and the door to his room behind him. He hoped Lupe had enough respect not to violate his private area. She had run of the rest of the house and so his father‘s old room now provided his only sanctuary from the rest of the world. He grabbed his keys, closed the front door and headed to town with a new lightness in his heart, knowing his spirit would soon be free of this place for a while.

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Leah Leonard

Chapter Fifteen

Meeting the Mechanic

M

ary was nice enough to drive the girls straight over to Dan‘s father‘s shop. She told them she took her car elsewhere, but since Tracy made the commitment to be there, she wanted to honor that. To their surprise, Dan greeted them at the counter when they went to check the car in. ―Hi Tracy.‖ Dan was a tall dark haired boy with big green eyes and a nice smile. He wore a mechanics jumpsuit with the logo of the shop over his heart. ―Hey, Dan. Remember my friend Natalie?‖ Natalie wished she hadn‘t pointed her out. She was still busy struggling to get her leg braces up and over the metal lip inside the front door. ―Hi, Dan.‖ She waved with her good hand. ―Hey Natalie, sure, I remember.‖ Just then, Dan‘s dad appeared from the glass door leading into the shop. ―How are you doing? You must be Tracy.‖ Tracy stepped forward, extended her hand. ―Yes, thanks for getting the car in today. We appreciate it.‖ ―Yes we do…‖ Mary said. ―The girls ran into a little trouble on the road last night. Thanks for all your help.‖ ―Not a problem. I‘ll have the car out in no time.‖ Natalie sat in an uncomfortable chair in the corner of the 74

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer dusty shop reading a People Magazine while Tracy and Dan flirted for the next forty five minutes. Mary read the latest Nora Roberts novel she borrowed from Gran. To Natalie‘s surprise, Mary wound up replacing all four tires on her car. On the way home, she decided to apologize again since she felt bad about the money Mary had to spend. ―Sorry again.‖ Mary pulled out of the shop‘s driveway. ―You know what, Natalie? I needed new tires anyway, so it‘s a good thing. I don‘t want you two borrowing the car unless it‘s in perfect shape, and today I had Dan‘s dad check everything over, put the new tires on, so the car‘s like new.‖ Tracy was still beaming from her chat with Dan. She leaned through the seats. ―You mean we can borrow the car again?‖ ―Not any time soon. You‘re grounded, remember?‖ Tracy frowned. ―Yeah, I know.‖ Natalie was still upset about the possibility of Tracy missing the prom. ―But what about the—‖ Mary snickered. ―Yes, I know Natalie. Tracy can still go to prom if you two behave between now and then. Dan seems like a nice young man, and his father is a good person. He gave me a discount on the tires today.‖ ―Great.‖ Things were working out okay in spite of everything. ―Just remember,‖ Mary added. ―I‘m keeping my eye on you two.‖ Natalie realized she wouldn‘t forget any time soon. With her legs bound in casts, she couldn‘t imagine getting into any more trouble than she already had.

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Leah Leonard

Chapter Sixteen

Sticking to Tradition

L

one Eagle stood by the door of the tribal council conference room wearing his only black blazer over his only white button down shirt, jeans held up with his best leather belt and turquoise belt buckle and his favorite pair of snake skin boots. His shirt pinched together with one of Looking Elk‘s favorite bolo ties, and on the ring finger of his right hand, he wore his father‘s ring. He hated getting dressed up for things like this, but now he had dealings with the tribal Governor, he had to look the part of a leader. He would never want to have the job of Governor or Lieutenant Governor of the tribe. Those people had real responsibility. In the old days, the War Chief handled more than presiding over festivals and keeping old traditions alive. A hundred years ago, Lone Eagle would be responsible for all aspects of government, but no longer. Now he could be a figurehead, more than anything. The tribe wanted to keep the office of Chief to preserve heritage, but other than a one out of four vote, he had very little say over the goings on and daily business of the people. He remembered how his father handled the duty. Most of the time, Looking Elk would sit outside on the porch talking to some elders. Other times, he spent long hours at the roadside coffee shop discussing issues and listening to 76

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer people‘s problems, more psychiatrist than Chief. The governors were typically very good men, who wanted the best for the people and believed Lone Eagle should carry on his father‘s tradition and involvement, and welcomed his input at their weekly meetings. The front door to the center opened, and Jerry Montoya walked in, removed his sunglasses. ―Lone Eagle. Que pasa?‖ Lone Eagle took his hand. ―Doing good, my brother, and you?‖ ―Couldn‘t be better. Come on in.‖ Governor Montoya was middle aged, several years older than Lone Eagle, married with a wife and three kids. He lived on the east side of the Pueblo, closer to the casino. He sat at the head of the table, Lone Eagle at the other end, while his two Lieutenant Governors, Pepe Standing Crow and Jose Gonzales, sat on either side. Toward the end of the business meeting, Jerry scowled. ―Corn Festival is coming up and I thought we should talk about it today. Now that your dad has passed, can we still have the same old site near your house?‖ There was an old ceremonial kiva caddy corner to the property where Looking Elk and Lone Eagle‘s home stood. The kiva dated back to the mid 1700‘s, close to when the Pueblo was first established. ―Of course. The kiva is not mine, it belongs to the people.‖ ―Good. I know your father talked about moving the festival to accommodate more people. I wasn‘t sure if he told you or not…‖ Jerry said. Lone Eagle shook his head. ―Not to me, he didn‘t. He didn‘t say much those past few months.‖ ―I think it was a good idea he had, bringing the festival out to the casino parking lot so we might attract tourists. We could have vendors and make some bank on the people driving to Santa Fe,‖ Standing Crow offered. 77

Leah Leonard ―Yeah, your dad was a wise old man,‖ Jose agreed. Once again, Lone Eagle found himself in a spiritual dilemma. He wanted to honor his father and stay true to the tribe. Did Looking Elk want the festival to be moved away from their home and separated from the sacred places? If so, how could he honor him? He should have told him in life about these things. Maybe he did, but Lone Eagle hadn‘t been ready to hear them. He wasn‘t ready for his father to leave this Earth so soon. Although Looking Elk had been ill and on oxygen for years prior to his death, denial kept Lone Eagle from taking the necessary steps to prepare for replacing his father as chief. Ultimately, he would play a major role in making decisions like these, but he must work with the tribe and the governors, not against them. ―Could we do both?‖ Jerry looked up from his agenda. ―What are you thinking?‖ ―I feel obligated to honor my father‘s wishes, but I also want to preserve our customs. I do not believe the kiva area should be opened to the public at all, but perhaps there could be private tribal ceremonies still going on near our house, while we offer a second whole set of events at the casino opened to the public. This should bring money into the Pueblo, don‘t you think?‖ Jerry agreed. ―I do, but I don‘t want to give up the old traditions.‖ Lone Eagle frowned. ―That wasn‘t what my father meant. I‘m certain he wanted to bring new revenue to the tribe.‖ Jerry shrugged and glanced at the others. ―That‘s what I thought he wanted. Didn‘t you?‖ Standing Crow nodded. ―He was sick of the noise and having so many people in his space.‖ This was perplexing. His father wouldn‘t complain unless he was completely out of his mind. ―Are you kidding?‖ Jose shook his head. ―Nope. That‘s what he told us a 78

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer couple months ago.‖ Lone Eagle shook his head. Perhaps the man he‘d known his whole life was someone he didn‘t know at all. He couldn‘t imagine Looking Elk saying something so irreverent. ―Well…regardless of what my father may or may not have said—‖ ―Are you calling me a liar?‖ Standing Crow puffed his chest back. This reaction took Lone Eagle by surprise. ―Well no, but— ‖ ―Good because we‘re telling you, man, your father was sick of the people.‖ Standing Crow looked like he enjoyed giving such upsetting news. He snickered. ―The old goat needed to go, if you ask me.‖ Without thinking, Lone Eagle burst from his chair and towered over Standing Crow with a balled fist. ―You will not dishonor my father, do you understand?‖ Montoya leapt up and grabbed Lone Eagle by the arms, pulling him back. ―That‘s enough, Raphael. I‘m sure Pepe didn‘t mean it.‖ All eyes turned to Standing Crow, who sat with a smirk on his face. Lone eagle took a deep breath and sat down again. ―As I was about to say, whatever was decided in the past about the festival being moved, I disagree. I believe we need a celebration in both places. One for the tribe in the sacred areas, the other at the casino. This will accomplish two things—one, to bring much needed revenue for our people and more important, our traditions will be kept intact.‖ ―Good news.‖ Montoya clapped his hands. ―If we are all in favor, do I have a motion?‖ ―I make a motion,‖ Jose raised his hand. ―All in favor?‖ Jerry glanced around the table. Three hands went up at once, everyone but Standing Crow. ―Pepe? 79

Leah Leonard Do you have any better ideas?‖ Standing Crow shrugged. ―No, I guess not.‖ Montoya raised his eyebrows to ask for his support. ―Well?‖ Standing Crow raised his hand. ―Fine, if he‘s in charge of all the work this is gonna take.‖ He glanced over at Lone Eagle. ―I‘ll do what I can to help. I‘m sure we all will.‖ Governor Montoya looked relieved. ―Good, motion carries.‖ He slammed his gavel down before any other objections could arise. ―Thank you gentlemen. That‘s all for today.‖ The room was filled with an awkward silence once the meeting adjourned. The last thing Lone Eagle needed or wanted was trouble with the Governors. This entire situation was nothing short of a nightmare. He stood up and walked back outside, loosened his bolo tie, threw his father‘s rings in the ashtray in his truck. He still didn‘t believe the rumors about his father, but then again, more than one of them confirmed it. Perhaps Lone Eagle was too blinded to see the real character of Looking Elk, even in death. What would possess him to tell the Governors he was sick of the tribe? Nothing made sense. If this was how his father acted, he had too many secrets, and worse, he realized he never knew his father at all. He was not the man he imagined him to be. Lone Eagle did not want to be part of his energy and the objects still carrying his father‘s spirit on them. He would bury the things in the yard tonight. The last time he tried, Lupe caught him and made him put Looking Elk‘s things away. She would not catch him this time. He would make sure to do this when she was at work. More than anything, the family needed new energy. Looking Elk had been far too present in his life these past few months for someone who was no longer amongst the living. Something had to be done 80

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer and fast. ―Tonight, Pop,‖ Lone Eagle spoke aloud while he drove. ―You will find peace at long last.‖

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Leah Leonard

Chapter Seventeen

Home At Last

B

y the time Natalie returned home from the mechanic‘s shop, she was worn thin. It was later than normal and her Gran was already home waiting for her. ―How was school today?‖ Natalie didn‘t know where to begin. She didn‘t want to get into the flat tire with Gran, because the subject would bring up bad memories from her accident, and Gran didn‘t need anything else to worry about. She had enough to do with running the rock shop and keeping food on the table. ―Fine. How was the shop?‖ ―Slower than mud.‖ Gran walked to the couch, took a seat and tapped the cushion. ―Why don‘t you come and rest?‖ Natalie hobbled to the living room and sat down on the couch while Gran turned on the TV. The moment she sat still, she realized just how tired she was from both last night, and this afternoon. Her mind wouldn‘t stop spinning with all the thoughts about her family and Lone Eagle, her parents and the trouble with Mary. One thing was for sure, she would sleep good tonight. Gran raced out of the room, returning a moment later with a glass of Kool-Aid, but before Natalie could say a word to her besides thanks, Gran already left to go get her a blanket. 82

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Natalie was anxious to talk to her Gran about Lone Eagle and check her mood. From the looks of things, Gran seemed to be in good spirits considering all they talked about concerning her parents last night. Tonight‘s dinner consisted of frozen fish sticks and a can of kernel corn. Natalie dipped the sticks into her ketchup. Mouth half full, she chewed her food three times and swallowed before answering. ―My friend Lone Eagle would like to give me lessons on Tuesdays after school, Gran.‖ Gran‘s eyebrows raised and she pushed her glasses higher on her nose. ―You mean Rafael? Looking Elk‘s son?‖ ―Yes.‖ ―What kind of lessons?‖ Natalie sighed. ―I know Tracy‘s mom doesn‘t approve, but this is something his father wanted him to do for me before he died. He wants Lone Eagle to show me some of the Native…customs.‖ That sounded better than, he wants to wave rocks over me and help me mend my arm and legs. ―Sounds fine by me. I‘d like to see him again. Is he comin‘ right after school?‖ ―Yeah. I know I work on Tuesdays.‖ Gran laughed. ―You used to work Tuesdays. I don‘t think you‘ve been doin‘ too awful lot since your accident, but it won‘t take long, and you‘ll be back to work. Doc called today while I was at the shop and says he wants to see you back next Friday afternoon.‖ ―How come?‖ ―To take your casts off…‖ ―Really?‖ ―Yep.‖ ―Wow. This is great news.‖ ―That‘s assummin‘ you‘re still making the same kind of progress you were before.‖ Natalie would discuss her condition with Lone Eagle on 83

Leah Leonard Tuesday and make sure by next Friday her progress was more than adequate. He would know what to do to help her. She wanted out of these casts more than anything in the world. ―I am, Gran.‖ Gran walked over and gave her a gentle squeeze on her good shoulder. ―I‘m sure you are, sweetie.‖

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Chapter Eighteen

Confrontation at the Diner

L

one Eagle grabbed a bite to eat at the local diner he frequented before reporting to work. He ate his usual plate of runny eggs, hash browns and sausage and sat at his normal table in the far back corner so he could see the door. He ate one big meal a day, and learned long ago he needed to eat hearty if he was going to have enough energy to work late. Once he finished his meal, he walked in the men‘s room to wash his hands before reporting to work. ―Hey, Lone Eagle.‖ Lone Eagle glanced over at the door where the very last person he wanted to see appeared from one of the stalls. ―Hey.‖ Standing Crow moved down two sinks, trying to get in his space. ―How you doing?‖ Pressure built up in his right temple. A sign trouble was brewing. He took a deep, calming breath and tried to get himself under control. He‘d seen Standing Crow torment people through the years they‘d known each other. He never did understand why the people elected him, of all people, to be one of their governors, but then again, people were strange sometimes. You never could understand their motives. ―Been better.‖ He kept his eyes glued to the sink, washing his hands, hoping to avoid trouble. 85

Leah Leonard Standing Crow laughed out loud. ―Yeah, I‘ll bet. You sure made a fool of yourself today.‖ Lone Eagle fought the urge to flatten him on the tile with his fist. He kept quiet, kept running water on his hands, hoping the bully would leave. Instead, Standing Crow scooted within an inch of his face and pretended to bump his arm while reaching for soap. ―You do know you looked like a fool today, don‘t you?‖ Lone Eagle gritted his teeth, kept his mouth shut. ―You should‘ve heard what Governor Montoya told us about you after you left. He said, I hope Raphael is up to the job. Hope he’s not a nut like his old man.‖ Even though Lone Eagle realized this energy stealer was trying to move into his space, he knew better than to do anything about it. He should keep his mouth shut and wait for Pepe to back down. He held his breath. ―Yep, crazy old Looking Elk…man, what a nut he was.‖ Hating what he was about to do, Lone Eagle lost control. He shoved Standing Crow hard against the ceramic tile wall, leaned into his face and glared in his eyes. ―Listen. I don‘t know what you want with me, but you better stay away. I will respect your position of Lieutenant Governor until your term is up, but you need to show some respect for the dead and mind your energy.‖ For a moment, Standing Crow appeared unnerved. He brushed himself off and whined. ―Sorry. I didn‘t know.‖ Then he broke out into a fit of annoying laughter. He sounded more like a hyena than a man. Infuriated by his lack of respect, Lone Eagle shoved him again, pressing his forearm against Standing Crow‘s collarbone. He hissed, ―Yes, you know. I also know you try to take energy from people, but you won‘t do it to me.‖ Lone Eagle gave him one last shove before releasing him, saying, ―Stay away.‖ 86

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Standing Crow held his hands up and backed toward the stalls and the restroom door. ―Okay, okay.‖ Lone Eagle sucked in air to calm himself down, his cheeks reddened with fury. By the time he reached for a paper towel, Standing Crow was gone. Lone Eagle hated losing his temper. He shouldn‘t have, but since it happened, he hoped his threats would work and he wouldn‘t live to regret it. He regretted his actions when he heard shouting from outside the door. ―Your brother is insane.‖ Oh great. Lone Eagle opened the door. Lupe stood right outside the men‘s room door with her arms crossed. ―What-choo think you‘re doing now, Bro?‖ Lone Eagle spoke under his breath and tried to push around her. ―He crossed the line one time too many. I warned him, that‘s all.‖ Lupe grabbed his sleeve and held him in place. ―Well, he‘s goin‘ around making a big scene now and for what?‖ ―He disrespected our father,‖ Lone Eagle told her. Lupe clicked her tongue. ―So what? You know better.‖ For once, he knew she was right, but it was too little too late. ―What‘s done is done.‖ ―Where‘s your medicine?‖ Lone Eagle whispered and turned so nobody in the main dining area could see his face. ―Now is not the time for this. Besides, I‘m going to be late to work. We can talk about this when I get home.‖ ―What‘s wrong? You gave all your medicine to the big bully and didn‘t keep any for yourself, huh? Tough break.‖ Lone Eagle sighed. Lupe bullied him his whole life, not to mention everyone she came in contact with. She was one to talk. He didn‘t want to say anything though. He‘d seen enough trouble today from not keeping his mouth shut. He pushed past Lupe and all the other people in the restaurant who were now whispering about him. He went outside, 87

Leah Leonard walked across the parking lot to let off some steam on his way to work. This will pass.

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Chapter Nineteen

Baseball Nightmare

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he following day after school, Natalie and Tracy went to see Cody‘s baseball game. The baseball field was on the far end of the parking lot, a long way for Natalie to walk. ―Are you sure you can make it over there?‖ ―Of course I can. I may be bulky, but I have super human strength.‖ Natalie giggled and clomped across the parking lot. ―See?‖ Bad legs or not, she wanted to go and wanted more than anything to see Cody play. ―Very funny. Hand me your pack at least.‖ Tracy held out her hands. ―Why? Am I walking too slow for you?‖ ―No, of course not, but you look like you‘re struggling a little.‖ She held out a hand. ―Let me carry your bag.‖ Natalie stopped to catch her breath. ―Okay. Take it. I sure hope I get back in shape for prom in a few weeks.‖ ―You will. Those things…‖ Tracy pointed to the Velcro braces. ―… must weigh a ton. You‘ll need super human strength after you get out of those. It‘s like carrying big weights on your legs, I‘ll bet.‖ If she only knew. ―Yeah, something like that.‖ After a slow but solid fifteen minutes, the girls arrived at the baseball field. The stands were close to empty so they walked through the metal chain link fence and took a seat 89

Leah Leonard closest to the exit, near the dugout. ―Hey, this is neat.‖ Tracy turned back to glance at the empty seats behind them. ―I‘ve never got to sit this close before.‖ Natalie eased herself on to the metal bench and tried to catch her breath. ―Me neither.‖ ―Hey, I see Cody over there.‖ Tracy pointed to the field. Natalie hoped she could situate herself before he saw her. She tugged at the back of her dress length shirt which was tangled underneath her. The more she tried to free herself, the more she tangled herself in the material. ―Want help?‘ Tracy reached out to her. ―Nope. I‘ve got it, thanks.‖ Natalie continued to twist around, working herself into a frenzy. I have to hurry. He’s gonna be here any second. Tracy reached over and tugged the fabric, freeing her. ―There ya go. Better?‖ Natalie knew she shouldn‘t have come here today. She was too worn out to straighten her shirt, let alone sit up straight. How embarrassing. She hoped to pull her act together before Cody showed up. ―Thanks, Trace.‖ Right then, the announcer introduced the home team. Twenty uniformed players with Albuquerque High jerseys ran out into center field before taking their place in the dugout right near where the girls were sitting. Natalie and Tracy tried waving at Cody, but he didn‘t see them. He was looking around for someone, but must have expected to see them further down the bleachers. The opposing team ran out next. Everyone booed except for the twenty or so kids on the other side of the field. Cody stepped out of the dugout and practiced pitching to one of the guys. Natalie beamed when she saw him. ―He looks really cute.‖ ―Yeah, and guess who‘s prom date he is?‖ Tracy 90

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer giggled. ―Good for you.‖ Natalie hoped she could be a proper prom date. She needed a miracle at this point. ―You‘ll get a nice date, too, I‘m sure.‖ Tracy beamed and her face reddened. ―Guess what?‖ ―What?‖ ―I forgot to tell you about Dan.‖ Tracy‘s eyelashes fluttered. Natalie grinned. ―Oh yeah. What about him? ― Tracy grinned. ―He‘s nice, huh?‖ ―He is, I mean who else would have helped us with the car like he did?‖ ―Exactly…‖ ―So? What else aren‘t you telling me?‖ ―He asked me to prom.‖ She jumped and clapped her hands. ―That‘s great.‖ ―So see? Maybe the car thing happened for a reason.‖ ―Yeah, maybe…‖ Natalie wished it hadn‘t, but at least something good came out of the mess. ―So now we‘re both set for the big prom day.‖ Tracy was, anyway. She hoped she would be cast-free soon. ―Yeah, we could double date.‖ ―Yeah, I hope so.‖ ―Don‘t worry. You‘ll make the prom. I have faith.‖ ―Glad one of us does.‖ While they watched the multi-talented Cody throwing pitches, out of the blue, a tall slinky blonde started bee lining her way over to him on the field. Bothering the team was against the rules, but Janis May didn‘t care. With her straight blonde hair, phony suntan, big boobs and short shorts, she always seemed to get away with whatever she wanted. Cody almost dropped the ball when he saw her. His mouth gaped open. 91

Leah Leonard Janis flipped her hair in a flirtatious way. Tracy cupped a hand over her mouth. ―Can you believe her? Some nerve. The game‘s gonna start in two minutes.‖ Natalie‘s eyes were glued on Cody. For someone who didn‘t like big boobs or blonde hair, Cody couldn‘t wipe the smile off his face. ―Cody doesn‘t like girls like her,‖ Natalie tried to convince herself. ―Yeah, right.‖ Tracy rolled her eyes. ―He hates it. You can tell.‖ They watched Janis follow Cody toward the dugout and were well within hearing range of the conversation. Janis puffed out her chest. ―So, Cody, prom‘s in a couple weeks, and I wondered if you were taking anyone.‖ She twirled her hair around an index finger, batted the eyelashes she must have bought at the drug store. ―Oh, sorry Janis,‖ Cody tried to be polite. ―I‘m already going with someone else.‖ Janis‘s big mouth turned south. ―Really? Who?‖ ―Natalie Locke.‖ Janis burst out laughing, slapping her hands on her bare legs so hard she turned them red. She turned her head, pointed toward Natalie and Tracy. ―You mean her? Her? She looks like the football team ran her down with a lawnmower.‖ Tracy turned toward Natalie who held her breath, trying not to let the hurtful words penetrate her heart. Tears welled behind Natalie‘s eyes, and she gripped her neck so the lump in her throat wouldn‘t make any sound. She had to pretend she didn‘t care. Natalie had never been popular, but nor had she ever been victim of a bully before. She watched enough of them in action though to know what they want is to get a reaction out of someone. Natalie refused to give Janis any satisfaction. She knew Cody liked her. She would do her best to 92

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer pretend she hadn‘t seen him smiling at her. He did defend her, after all. And he was nice. He didn‘t know how to be rude to anyone, even good looking big boobed girls who happened to be mean. ―Don‘t worry about it, Trace. It‘s not worth it.‖ Tracy looked more upset than Natalie. She was a mild mannered girl most of the time, unless somebody crossed her the wrong way. Her face turned three shades of red, she leapt up from the bleachers. ―I‘m not gonna let that bimbo get away with this.‖ Natalie tried to reach her, but Tracy was sitting on the side of her bad arm and she couldn‘t leap to her feet in time to stop her. ―No, Tracy, it‘s not a big deal.‖ ―It is to me. Nobody messes around with my best friend.‖ The last thing Natalie wanted was for either of them to get into trouble over something so stupid. Kids were expelled for stuff like this and Natalie had caused enough problems for her and Tracy‘s families over the past few months to last a lifetime. ―Stop it, Tracy, please. I‘m serious. I‘m okay.‖ Tracy rushed to the edge of the dugout, cupping her hands over her mouth. ―Hey, Cody.‖ She shouted so loud, Cody and the bimbo both turned to see, and so did all the other players and one of the coaches. Nothing good could come from this. Natalie tried to hide by putting her face in her one cast-free palm. She wished she could beam up into a cloud, or turn into a hummingbird and poke Janis‘ eyes out with her tiny beak. Before any more words passed between them, Cody backed away from Janis. ―I gotta run. See you later.‖ He turned and started walking toward Tracy and Natalie. Janis wasn‘t about to let up. She laughed and pointed. ―Look at her, Cody. You‘d take her over me? Please.‖ She turned to walk off, shaking her backside so her micro 93

Leah Leonard miniskirt threatened to fall off. Cody stopped what he was doing and ran up to Janis, pushing her in the arm. ―Hey, I won‘t have you talking about my friend. It‘s mean. Natalie‘s been through a lot and you should keep your big mouth shut.‖ Janis shoved him back. ―You better stop it, Cody Wagner, or else.‖ Before anything else could go on, one of the coaches who happened to overhear the whole thing ran up and pulled Cody by the arm. ―We don‘t act out, young man, not if we want to stay on the team.‖ ―But Coach,‖ Cody protested. The coach wasn‘t going to hear any of it. ―Go to the dugout. You‘re benched for the rest of the day.‖ He turned to Janis. ―And you, young lady, better go on home before I write you up.‖ ―You can‘t,‖ Janis complained. ―You don‘t even know my name.‖ ―I know your father. He‘s my banker and believe me, I won‘t hesitate to give him a call this evening if you don‘t get on outta here.‖ The coach pointed to the gate. ―Go on. Now.‖ Janis flung back her hair and stormed off in a puff. ―You haven‘t heard the last of me.‖ Cody bypassed the bench and ran over to Natalie and Tracy. ―Natalie. I didn‘t see you there. I‘m so sorry. Janis is a jerk.‖ Head in her hands, Natalie glanced up and saw Cody, Tracy and the entire baseball team staring at her like she was a freak in a circus. She wanted to leave and started to get dizzy. ―Cody Wagner,‖ she heard the coach yell. ―On the bench, now.‖ Those were the last words Natalie heard before her eyes 94

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer glazed over and she fell over sideways. ―Natalie?‖ Tracy shouted and rushed to try and catch her. ―Oh no. I think she passed out.‖

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Leah Leonard

Chapter Twenty

A Quick Errand

A

fter reporting to work early the next morning, Lone Eagle worked half a day and decided to go home to take a break. Many afternoons he went to the diner to eat, but ever since yesterday, he had something he needed to do and the longer he waited, the more upset he became. He climbed in his truck and drove past the convenience store near the gas station. Lupe‘s beat up car was parked right out front in one of the prime customer slots. Good. This meant he would have just enough time to run his quick errand and get back to work in time for the evening shift. Lone Eagle stepped on the gas and raced up the hill toward his house. He had a thirty minute break today. The casino was anticipating a crowded evening with several tour operators bringing busses of gamblers to the facility. He parked out front in his normal spot and walked out to the yard and went over to the area by the old wooden cellar where he dug a large hole a few months back. To his relief, Lupe hadn‘t covered it over yet. Of course Lupe was so physically lazy, only a miracle would cause her to do something he wanted. But still, this was the one thing that went right for him all day. Next, he ran back into the house, opened the door of his closet and began pulling out the boxes Lupe persuaded him 96

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer to keep. One by one, he carried them out to the yard and placed them deep in the earth. When all the boxes were removed, he went into the living room and looked at the wall hangings, pictures and ceremonial items still hung around the living area. He thought about pulling those down and burying them, too, but if he did, Lupe would know something was up, for sure. For now, he hoped removing the other items would be enough. If nothing else, he hoped to release some of Looking Elk‘s hold on the physical and send his spirit to the great beyond, once and for all. Shoveling dirt into the hole brought back all the painful memories of both his father and mother‘s funerals. When the hole was all covered, he waved his sage wand over the area, cleansing it, then cleansed the entire house with sage while chanting, ―Aye-oh-ee-ay.‖ Within thirty minutes, he was finished. He washed his hands, brushed himself off and went to work, praying when he returned home later things would be more peaceful and these problems would be in the past where they belonged.

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Chapter Twenty-one

You’re Out.

“N

atalie? Natalie, wake up.‖ Natalie heard the sound of voices and opened her eyes to see Tracy staring right at her. ―What happened?‖ ―Out of the way, everybody get out of the way.‖ A man‘s voice boomed in her ears. Natalie expanded her vision and saw herself surrounded by the entire boy‘s baseball team. How embarrassing. The coach who punished Cody pushed his way through the whispering crowd until he reached her. ―You okay?‖ He placed a hand on her good arm, but didn‘t try and move her. ―Yes, I…‖ Natalie still wasn‘t sure what happened. All she knew was she wanted everyone to turn around. Her embarrassment was what caused her to blank out in the first place. The coach reached behind him, grabbed a cloth from one of the other coaches. ―Here you go.‖ He wiped off her forehead. ―I‘ll do that,‖ Tracy volunteered. The coach backed off. ―We called the paramedics. They should be here in a second.‖ Paramedics? ―No,‖ Natalie shouted and tried to lift herself up but couldn‘t thanks to the fact she landed on her cast. ―Please. I‘m fine, see?‖ She turned to Tracy. ―Help me 98

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer up, will you?‖ Tracy cradled Natalie in her arms and teetered her back to an upright position. ―There you go. You okay?‖ Natalie grabbed the wet cloth from her and threw it on the ground. If everyone would stop staring she‘d be fine. ―Yeah.‖ ―Are you still dizzy?‖ The coach glanced at her over Tracy‘s shoulder. ―No, not at all.‖ Natalie was fine now, couldn‘t they see that? She was tired, nothing more. ―You sure?‖ the coach asked. ―Yes. Let‘s go home, Tracy.‖ Natalie tried to get up, but before she could, two white shirted paramedics raced through the gate carrying a stretcher. Natalie panicked. They must have thought she was in bad shape. ―I don‘t need that.‖ ―You might.‖ ―No, I don‘t. I wasn‘t out more than a second. I tipped over, that‘s all.‖ ―You were out at least two minutes or more,‖ Tracy corrected her. Oh geez. Natalie closed her eyes and pretended to be somewhere else when someone grabbed her arm. ―Miss?‖ Someone shook her. ―Miss? Are you alright?‖ She opened her eyes and stared into the face of a super cute paramedic. ―I‘m fine, promise. I don‘t need this. Please. Tell these people to stop staring.‖ The coach heard her and reprimanded his team. ―Go back to work, boys.‖ Once the other boys were out of the way, Cody managed to push through the crowd. ―Natalie, are you okay?‖ ―Back to your bench, Wagner.‖ The coach pointed to his seat. ―You‘ll sit until we‘re done and then you can see your friend.‖ 99

Leah Leonard Cody looked defeated, but retreated to his bench. The paramedics checked Natalie‘s vitals. ―You seem fine now.‖ ―What do you think caused this?‖ Tracy did a good job of playing surrogate parent. The paramedic shrugged. ―Heat, exhaustion, overexertion…any number of things.‖ ―I‘m fine,‖ Natalie insisted. ―Please go back to wherever you came from before my life is ruined forever.‖ Ignoring her, one of the paramedics handed Tracy a card. ―Are you taking care of her today?‖ ―Yes.‖ Tracy stuffed the card in the pocket of her jeans. ―Good. Let us know if you need anything else, okay?‖ Tracy beamed and blinked her eyes at him. ―Sure. Thank you.‖ They watched while the two put up their equipment and disappeared through the gate. Tracy was tracing the raised letters on the paramedic‘s card. ―I did not black out,‖ Natalie reiterated. ―I was embarrassed and overheated. There‘s a big difference.‖ She wanted to close her eyes and hide from mean-hearted Janis, but when she did, she tipped over. Not a big deal, until everyone started pouring cold water on her. Now her clothes were drenched, her braces ruined and her pride and life destroyed. If her life wasn‘t over before, it certainly was now. ―You did, so deal with it.‖ Tracy slipped the card in the back pocket of her jeans. ―You wore yourself out, not a big deal.‖ Over her shoulder, Natalie could still hear Janis and her friends standing outside the gates laughing themselves silly. This was all Janis‘ fault. No, on second thought, she was to blame. If she hadn‘t overreacted to Janis‘ antics, none of this would have happened. Janis was mean, but she could‘ve 100

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer done a better job dealing with it. Now, thanks to her, Cody was punished by his coach and forced to forfeit his position as lead pitcher and spend the rest of the game in the dugout. This really sucked, big time. The fact Janis wouldn‘t stop her heckling made things even worse. Tracy looked over her shoulder, gave Janis an evil eye. ―Ignore her.‖ ―Shouldn‘t I be telling you that? You‘re the one who riled her up earlier…‖ ―I was only trying to defend you.‖ ―Thanks, but I can take care of myself.‖ ―Oh yeah?‖ Tracy couldn‘t help giggling, looking at Natalie and her casts. ―You look like you could take her down, actually.‖ Despite it all, Natalie burst out laughing for the first time all afternoon. ―Yeah, she better watch out or I‘ll knock her out cold with this plastered elbow.‖ ―Hey, Natalie.‖ Cody stood at the end of the bleachers. ―Doing better, I see.‖ Natalie‘s face turned purple. Despite Tracy‘s awesome sense of humor, she was still completely mortified about what happened this afternoon. ―Yeah, I‘m fine now.‖ ―Come on. Coach said I can go now. I‘ll take you two home.‖ ―No,‖ Natalie insisted. ―We‘ll get Tracy‘s mom to come.‖ Tracy gave Natalie a dirty look and started to say something, ―Uh…‖ My mom won’t be able to come get us today, you know that. Fortunately for Natalie, Tracy didn‘t finish the rest of the sentence. She stared at Tracy with wide eyes. Tracy didn‘t say a word. ―No, Natalie. I will take you home. I want to. It‘s the least I can do. This is all my fault.‖ ―No, it isn‘t. It‘s mine.‖ ―No,‖ Tracy chimed in. ―It‘s hers.‖ She cast a knowing 101

Leah Leonard glance in Janis‘ direction. Cody started to turn around. ―Don‘t look.‖ Natalie wished she could grab him, but she couldn‘t move very fast. ―Don‘t give her any more attention. That‘s what she wants, you know.‖ ―She‘s right. We‘ll get going now then.‖ Cody helped her up and carried her bags while they walked to his car. Natalie appreciated how he stood up for her today. He was a good friend, and an even better person. Natalie was quiet on the ride home. She was still busy working through her feelings of embarrassment. They dropped Tracy off first. Tracy kept things moving. She talked the whole time, which was a good distraction, but on the way back to Natalie‘s house, the car grew almost too quiet. ―Are you sure you‘re okay, Natalie?‖ Cody asked. ―Uh huh. Just humiliated, but I think I‘ll survive.‖ ―Janis is a jerk.‖ Cody sighed. ―Yeah, and what does she want with you? I thought she was dating Zack. They were homecoming king and queen last year, right?‖ From what she could remember, Janis and her former beau were both Cody‘s age, a year older than Natalie. Cody made a left turn on to Natalie‘s street. ―Yeah, I don‘t know what happened there. Every guy at school knows Janis is easy. She throws herself at everyone, not just me.‖ Nice. Natalie didn‘t want to hear this right now. ―The thing is, I want to take you to prom, Natalie. We will have fun whether you can dance or not.‖ ―Listen, I will dance at prom. I will get this mess off my body one of these days soon, and I will dance with you.‖ ―I believe you will.‖ Cody pulled into Natalie‘s driveway, turned off the car and ―I can‘t wait.‖ ―Me neither,‖ Natalie beamed. With any kind of luck, she 102

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer would be up and around by then and nobody, not even Janis, would make fun of her. Natalie never felt more relieved than when Cody pulled out of her driveway and she watched his car disappear around the corner. She had more embarrassment today than she‘d had her whole life and she was looking forward to watching some TV and waiting for her Gran to get home. Her legs ached more than she wanted to admit. She put the key in the lock and opened the door. ―Well it‘s about time.‖ To her dismay, Gran was already waiting in the foyer for her. ―Gran. Where‘s your car?‖ Natalie referred to Gran‘s prized possession—her pearl colored Cadillac. Normally, it was parked in the driveway, but not today. ―I thought you had to work late tonight.‖ ―Well, I did.‖ Gran ruffled her hair and pushed her glasses further up on her nose. ―That is until Tracy‘s mom called and said you might need a little help today.‖ Oh geez. With all the confusion, Natalie forgot about her soaking wet clothes and leg braces. ―Oh?‖ She tried to pretend there was nothing wrong. ―Don‘t try and pretend with me, young lady. According to Mary, you were out cold.‖ Natalie glanced toward the floor and happened to catch a glimpse of Gran‘s new tennis shoes. She learned her lesson about lying the hard way, so the only thing to do now was hope to distract Gran. ―Nice shoes, by the way.‖ Gran took a step forward, her rubber soles squeaking on the tile. ―Don‘t you go changin‘ the subject, young lady.‖ She pressed the back of her hand on Natalie‘s forehead. ―Are you runnin‘ a fever?‖ ―No.‖ ―I‘ll be the judge, not you.‖ She pressed the back of her palm on Natalie‘s forehead and waited silently for a second. 103

Leah Leonard ―Maybe a little one. You give me your backpack and let‘s get you settled into the chair.‖ She tried putting her arm around Natalie to help brace her. ―I don‘t need help, Gran. I told you, I‘m fine.‖ ―Paramedics don‘t visit folks who are fine, girl. You know better than that. I already called the doc. I‘m trying to get you in tomorrow morning.‖ ―But…‖ Natalie protested. ―But nothing.‖ ―But what about my algebra test?‖ ―I already called the school. Your teacher will test you day after tomorrow.‖ ―Ugh.‖ Natalie rolled her eyes. ―I don‘t want to. This is so embarrassing. I want this to go away.‖ ―No sense in fighting me, girl. I‘m the boss, remember?‖ ―Yeah, but Lone Eagle‘s coming tomorrow, remember?‖ Before Gran could answer the phone rang. ―Wait here. Let me get that.‖ She crossed the kitchen, picked up the receiver. ―Hello? Yes, hi doc. Uh huh. Out cold, yep…Oh, okay. Well, if you‘re sure about that. Okay sure will. Bye.‖ Natalie held her breath. ―Well?‖ ―He‘ll see us now. Get yourself some dry clothes and a snack if you need one. I‘ll go pull the car out of the garage.‖ The doctor shined a blinding light in Natalie‘s right eye. ―Look to the left and hold it.‖ He switched eyes. ―Now do the same here.‖ Natalie didn‘t want to be here, but at least she didn‘t have to miss school tomorrow. ―I‘m fine,‖ she insisted. The doctor clicked off the light and pressed his hands on her temples. ―I think you‘re right, but just in case, I needed to check. So tell me, do you have a headache now?‖ ―No.‖ He looked skeptical. ―Are you sure? You didn‘t have one 104

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer earlier, did you?‖ Natalie sighed. This was such a drag. ―Natalie…‖ Gran scolded. ―You tell the doc what he wants to know.‖ ―I was humiliated and tired. A girl at school was bullying me and I feel like a fool in these casts, okay? That‘s all. An accident. I think I held my breath too long or something. Not a big deal.‖ The doctor put his stethoscope on her back, checked her breathing, then turned to Gran. ―She looks okay.‖ Gran stared over the rim of her glasses at him. ―You sure? It‘s serious when someone passes out, right?‖ ―I‘m happy you brought her in, Gertrude. When somebody suffers any kind of head trauma or brain injury like she has, we want to say on top of it, but from what I can tell, Natalie had a case of nerves caused from being a teenager. That‘s all.‖ Gran still didn‘t seem satisfied. ―You sure? She was out for a few minutes.‖ ―They lied. It was only a second,‖ Natalie interjected. ―How do you know? You were the one passed out,‖ Gran reminded her. Gran had a point. ―I promise I‘m fine, now can we please just go home?‖ The doctor looked her straight in the eye. ―Promise me if you feel dizzy or if this happens again you tell your grandmother, okay? You seem fine to me now, but I have to make sure. You promise?‖ ―Promise.‖ Natalie would ensure this never happened to her again. Not ever.

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Chapter Twenty-two

Back at Locke’s Rocks

“Y

ou sure you want to do this? I don‘t mind takin‘ you back home right now.‖ ―No, Gran. I want to get out of the house. I can‘t watch any more Incredible Hulk reruns on television, and Tracy‘s going off with her parents this weekend to see some relatives.‖ Gran pulled the Cadillac right up to the curb by the front door of the shop, parked and ran around the car to open Natalie‘s door. By the time she reached the passenger‘s side, Natalie already had both feet on the sidewalk. ―It‘s okay, Gran. I can do it.‖ Gran held out a hand. ―You might need a pull, Sweetie. The curb‘s awful steep.‖ Natalie had to do this on her own if she was going to prove to the doctor she deserved to be cast free. Prom was in two weeks. She had to be. ―No, Gran. I‘ve got it.‖ Traffic on Central was light on a Saturday morning before nine. Still, Natalie knew they couldn‘t be lollygagging around for too long. She rocked herself toward the sidewalk, trying to free herself from Gran‘s prized possession, but she could not get herself out of the car. ―Let me help you, hon.‖ 106

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Natalie let Gran take her left hand and pull her up. She wobbled for a second, then stood strong. ―Okay, see?‖ ―Gosh, I‘m sorry. I didn‘t know this curb could be so stubborn. Next time I‘ll pull up to the side door. I just though the steps might be tough.‖ ―Don‘t worry about it. This will all be a thing of the past very soon.‖ They unlocked the front door and Gran clicked on the light by the window and turned the sign to open. ―Here we are, ready for another day.‖ Natalie stood in the entrance of her family shop and took a look around. The store was a special place. The musty smell took her back to childhood and made her feel like she was being wrapped up in a blanket. ―It‘s good to be back.‖ Gran paused behind the register. ―So you remember this place now?‖ ―Yep.‖ ―You sure? Last time you thought we were workin‘ in a superstore or some such nonsense.‖ Natalie laughed. ―No, Gran. My memory‘s better now. I remember everything about this place.‖ She turned to look in the corner where the stacks of cardboard trays with junk stones were piled six feet high. They were gone now. ―Were these the ones Lone…I mean Rafael… bought from us?‖ ―Sure were. He took the whole kit-and-caboodle.‖ ―Wow, that‘s a relief, huh?‖ ―Yeah, wasn‘t much to that old stuff, I don‘t think.‖ ―I wonder what he did with it all. What kinds of stones were in that mess?‖ ―Oh you know, the regular stuff—rose quartz, hematite, amethyst. Nothin‘ too spectacular.‖ Natalie had an idea she knew what he did with it all, and she couldn‘t wait to learn more about it. She kept her special pieces under her covers at home. Gran hadn‘t had time to 107

Leah Leonard wash her sheets, but when she did, Natalie would hide them under her bed for safekeeping. She wondered if these were more special now Lone Eagle worked with them or if all stones had special abilities. ―Sweetheart, you wanna come sit?‖ Gran pointed to the old stool where she did a lot of homework over the years. ―I don‘t know if I can reach up that high. Can I just sit here in the corner?‖ ―Oh my, I didn‘t think of that. Let me fetch a chair from the back. You wait right here.‖ Gran disappeared and emerged in seconds with a black metal folding chair which she sat up next to the front window where the stacks of stones had been. ―Thanks.‖ ―You need a little TV tray so you can write?‖ ―Sure.‖ A small folding tray appeared and Natalie pulled out her Algebra book and spiral binder and started in on her least favorite subject. She always liked to go from bad to good, and from the looks of things that‘s how her life was going. The entire day went by with Natalie and Gran chitchatting, eating their homemade sandwiches, and enjoying each other‘s company like the good ol‘ days last year. Natalie forgot how much she missed talking to her, and Gran enjoyed it, too. Only one thing would have made the great day perfect— customers. Not one soul except the UPS man stopped in all day long. Natalie wondered if this was something new or a trend. By four in the afternoon, she said, ―Gran? Is it always like this on a Saturday?‖ ―Lately, yes.‖ ―But it didn‘t used to be like this.‖ She sighed. ―I know. I don‘t understand it, myself. Never‘s been like this in all the years we‘ve had the place.‖ 108

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Natalie was more grateful than ever about Lone Eagle‘s gift to her family, but she knew he gave it for all the wrong reasons, probably out of guilt, and they needed to give it back, or earn enough to pay him back. Unless the shop business picked up, though, she and Gran needed money right now. Among other things, she would talk to Lone Eagle on Tuesday and see if he knew something to help bring in more business.

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Chapter Twenty-three

Lessons in Rocks

O

n Tuesday afternoon, Lone Eagle pulled up to the white stucco home on Valencia Drive, surprised to see Natalie and her grandmother both waiting for him on the curb. He pulled the pickup over to the mailbox and leaned over to roll the window down. ―Everything okay?‖ Gertrude Locke walked up and smiled. ―So good to see you again, Rafael.‖ ―Is this still a good day?‖ ―Yes, it is, I just wondered if you and Natalie might do me a favor?‖ ―Sure, what?‖ Natalie came up behind her. She looked better today, but still had her crutches. ―Gran needs us to watch the store while she runs some errands.‖ Gertrude apologized. ―Sorry to do this to you, but I haven‘t had a lick of time to get much of anything done with Natalie so sick. I need to go to the store, get a few things.‖ ―Of course. We can talk there. Do you want a ride?‖ ―Sure,‖ Natalie said. I have the keys to the shop in my pack. Gran can come get me later, if you want.‖ ―No, I can bring you back. Not a problem.‖ ―You‘re welcome to come for dinner, Rafael,‖ Gertrude said. 110

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer He thought about how wonderful a real home cooked meal sounded right about now. It had been years. He shook his head. ―Not today, but thanks. I got called in to work tonight. One day I will though.‖ ―I‘ll hold you to it.‖ Gertrude opened the door to his truck and helped Natalie climb inside. ―Thanks for the help, Gran. See you after a while.‖ Gran stood on the curb and waved. ―Thank you two so much.‖ Within a couple minutes, they pulled in to the gravel lot on the side of the building. Lone Eagle walked around to the passenger‘s side of the car and helped Natalie get out. ―Your legs look better.‖ Natalie propped her crutch under her arm. ―They are, thanks to you. I hope you can show me more.‖ She led him to the side of the building and unlocked the side door. ―Thanks for coming here.‖ He noticed how well she seemed to be getting around as he followed her inside. The lights were still on, the Open sign still showing to people from the street. All of a sudden it hit him. The visions of the spiritual journey he shared with his father came rushing back to him. All the incidents from sixteen years earlier when the robbers gunned Natalie‘s parents down were as fresh in his mind as if they had happened to him, not his father. He paused in the door, took in every detail of the shop, every corner, every stain in the carpet, every display. So much history here between him and the Locke family. It was hard not to feel emotional. Natalie was struggling to make her way toward the register in the back, so she didn‘t notice him looking around at first. He thought of something—the gold coin. He recalled the robber running through the center aisle of the shop, which from the looks of things hadn‘t changed a lot through the 111

Leah Leonard years. The coin should be right under… He fell to his knees and began searching. ―What are you doing over there?‖ Natalie asked. ―Did you drop something?‖ Lone Eagle didn‘t want to upset her, since things were going so well. ―Maybe. I‘m not sure. I‘m just looking around a bit.‖ Natalie moved back toward the front of the shop and stood next to him, staring at the carpet where he knelt. ―What is it?‖ Should he tell her? Maybe. What if she knew something about the coin, or what if they had it on display just like they kept his father‘s bear carving all these years? It was worth a shot. Something told him the coin was important, otherwise it would not have been so prominent in his mind. ―A coin.‖ Natalie pointed off in another direction. ―There‘s a dime right over there.‖ He couldn‘t help but chuckle. ―No Little Bird, not that kind of coin.‖ He could see she wasn‘t able to bend down and get it so he stood up, and took it for her. ―That belongs to you and your grandmother. The coin I‘m talking about is gold. It has a strange symbol on it.‖ He waited to see if she said anything about it, and when she didn‘t, he added, ―It might be something you put into a display case to sell, that is if you found it at all.‖ Natalie wasn‘t stupid. He knew that. She had a look on her face that told him she knew he wasn‘t telling her everything. ―What is the coin? Is it yours or your dad‘s?‖ His eyes fell to the floor. ―Neither.‖ Natalie looked confused. ―I don‘t get it.‖ ―I saw a coin in my vision the other day. I think it‘s important. I just wondered if you had it here. In the vision, it fell right under this display case.‖ That was enough explanation for now. If the coin turned up and if there really 112

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer was anything significant about it, then he would tell her, otherwise, there was no need to upset her today. The poor girl had been through enough. ―Do you know of anything like that? It may not be anything. It might be a symbol rather than an actual coin…I don‘t know yet.‖ ―Symbol? What kind of symbol?‖ ―Spirit guides often communicate in symbols, or visual pictures, rather than in words. The coin may represent something I need to discover for myself. Sometimes that‘s how my visions go, but in this case, it seemed so real and it fell right here, so I had to see if it really exists or not. If not, it‘s no big deal, but if it does…well, it might mean something.‖ Natalie wandered to the back corner of the shop and rotated the displays under the glass. ―The only coins we have are these. Come and look if you‘d like.‖ He walked over to Natalie and studied each and every coin they had in the collection. From what he could tell, the coin from the vision wasn‘t there. ―Any luck?‖ ―No. I don‘t see it.‖ ―Too bad. I hope you find what you‘re looking for.‖ ―Me, too.‖ ―And thanks again for coming to see me. I appreciate it ―My pleasure. I‘m happy your grandmother needed us to come here rather than staying at your house. We can talk about the stones today, if you want. It will make things easier.‖ ―Yes. I want to learn all I can. This weekend I am going to come into work with Gran, and I hoped you could teach me more before then. She also told me all the stuff you bought from us. Thank you.‖ ―I put it to good use.‖ Natalie had a strange look on her face. 113

Leah Leonard ―What‘s wrong, Little Bird?‖ **** Natalie wasn‘t sure she should bring it up, but if they were going to be friends, real friends, she knew she had no choice. ―I want to talk to you about something first.‖ He frowned. ―What is it?‖ She may as well spit it out. ―It‘s about the sack of money you left on our porch.‖ He sighed and looked at the dirty carpet. ―What are you talking about?‖ ―You must know I know it was you, Lone Eagle. I also know you gave it because you thought your dad killed my parents. We both know now it isn‘t true, and it‘s not like you owed us anything anyway, but I can‘t be your friend knowing we have all your money, your life‘s savings. We will give it back.‖ He wouldn‘t make eye contact, shook his head. ―No, Little Bird.‖ ―Why not? Things changed, you know.‖ ―I am an Indian, not an Indian giver.‖ Natalie that wrinkled her nose. ―What do you mean?‖ ―Haven‘t you ever heard the expression?‖ ―No.‖ ―It‘s someone who gives a gift, then takes it back. When I give I do not take it back.‖ Natalie knew he was the one who left the sack of cash on the doorstep of the rock shop earlier in the year, but now she had proof. ―So you admit it was you?‖ ―I never said that, but if I had given it, I would not want it back.‖ On one hand, Natalie had to respect him for not wanting her to know, but it still didn‘t settle the score in her mind. ―If 114

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer you did give it to us, and I am saying if, I would want to repay you or even more, give the money back to you. The problem is right now, we don‘t have any income coming in to this store. Saturday is normally our busiest day of the week, and for the first time I can ever remember since being a kid, not one living soul came in to the store. Not to mention whether or not they bought. Sometimes people come in and don‘t buy, but to not have anyone in here? It was a mess. I want to give the money back right now, but we‘re using it to buy food and pay the bills. It couldn‘t have come at a better time.‖ ―This is good.‖ ―No, it isn‘t. I still want to give it back, and I promise I will. I wondered if you have any stones to help us with our money problems?‖ Lone Eagle laughed. ―I don‘t have any stones, but you do. Look around. Every kind of medicine you need is right here. I can show you.‖ Natalie started thinking about the humiliation she experienced the other day. Lone Eagle scowled. ―What is it?‖ ―Oh nothing.‖ She wished she could find a stone to make her invisible during embarrassing times, but there probably wasn‘t such a thing. ―What‘s wrong, Little Bird? Something is troubling you, so tell me.‖ She sighed. ―Oh, I‘m just thinking about the other day at school. A bully picked on me, made a fool out of me in front of a bunch of people. It was terrible. I wish there was a stone for that.‖ To her surprise, Lone Eagle laughed harder than she‘d ever seen him laugh before. Natalie wasn‘t sure if she should be insulted or happy. ―What?‖ 115

Leah Leonard ―I‘m sorry, Little Bird, it‘s just you and I must be connected.‖ ―Why do you say that?‖ ―Because the very same thing happened to me the other day. It was terrible.‖ Natalie wrinkled her nose. ―Really? You mean a bully picked on you? But you‘re an adult.‖ ―Yes, I am.‖ ―So how is it a bully could do such a thing to you?‖ ―Well, bullies are all around. They are all ages, too.‖ ―How did you handle it?‖ Natalie wondered. ―I passed out.‖ Lone Eagle chuckled. ―That was a good response. I‘m afraid it sounds like you handled things a lot better than I did.‖ ―Why?‖ He signed. ―I shoved the guy and—‖ ―Sounds great.‖ ―No, it wasn‘t. You should back away when you can.‖ ―I tried, but she kept on laughing at me. If I could‘ve shoved her, that would‘ve been great, but these…‖ She gestured to her legs. ―Kept me from it, and besides, Janis is a lot bigger than me.‖ ―I‘m sure. But believe me, Natalie, you‘re better off not fighting back. Ignoring people who act that way is the best thing to do.‖ ―Do you have a stone for bullies, too?‖ ―You do, yes.‖ She handed him the keys. ―Here, you need something from one of the cases. The numbers on the keys match the locks in the back.‖ ―Let me take a look.‖ Natalie watched him move from case to case, collecting different things in the plastic trays they kept near the door 116

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer for customers to use for shopping baskets. To think each one of these stones could help her with something filled Natalie with excitement and hope.

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Chapter Twenty-four

Rocks with Purpose

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atalie propped herself up against the glass display and watched with anticipation while Lone Eagle filled his shopping tray. Once he was finished, he came and sat down on the floor next to her chair, meticulously laying the stones out on the floor where she could see. ―Are you ready to learn, Little Bird?‖ ―Yes.‖ Lone Eagle pulled out the yellow citrine. ―If money is your problem and you have a store like this, you need to keep this one in your cash drawer.‖ ―What is it?‖ ―Citrine, the merchant‘s stone. This medicine will help your till grow and you will become prosperous.‖ He reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellow stone. ―See? I take this with me to work so I make more money.‖ ―Should we put them in the register now?‖ ―Wait until the lesson‘s done, then you can, okay?‖ He pulled out a deep green stone. ―Aventurine brings wealth. Carry this one in your pocket, put a few outside in the grooves on the sidewalk close to the window to attract people to your store.‖ Natalie set the citrine aside, picked up the aventurine. 118

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―This is great. How did you learn about all this?‖ ―My grandmother knew stones best. She had many talents, kind of like yours. She was a good woman who believed in the old ways and was also a devout Catholic. She kept her rosary near her always and wore a gold cross around her neck.‖ Lone Eagle pulled his own cross up from under his shirt. ―But she also respected nature and believed God brought us things in the natural world to help us get through our lives. She believed in the medicine of plants and herbs and also in the energy in stones.‖ ―Are you going to teach me about plants, too?‖ Natalie wanted to learn every possible thing he could teach. Lone Eagle shook his head. ―That‘s my sister‘s department. She is the tribal medicine woman, not me.‖ ―I thought you were the same.‖ ―I have some knowledge of the old ways from watching my father and grandmother, but for Lupe, this is her gift. She has many talents…amazing abilities I do not. Grandmother showed her many things I have no idea about.‖ Natalie couldn‘t imagine Lupe being the bearer of such wisdom. She twisted her face in a knot. ―Her? Really?‖ Lone Eagle laughed. ―Lupe is quite gifted. With any luck I will talk her into showing you some of her medicine one day.‖ ―That would be great.‖ ―But for now, the medicine I have to show deals with the stones and also in the shapeshifting and flying I taught you already.‖ Natalie missed their nighttime journeys. ―Is there more to teach me about flying?‖ ―You will learn much on your own, Little Bird. You learn each time you go out to those places in your mind. That‘s how I learned so much through the years. I know you have a 119

Leah Leonard powerful spirit, so keep trying and going places and see what the Great Spirit brings.‖ He paused a moment. ―So tell me what other situations in your life need healing and I will see if I can recommend a stone for you.‖ Other than her physical condition, one other problem weighed heavy on her mind at the moment. ―What about for bullies?‖ ―Ah yes, you could use several…‖ He walked around the shop, came back with two stones, a silver one and a black one. ―Here.‖ Natalie took the stones in her hand. ―Hematite?‖ She held the silver one up for him to see. ―Yes. Hematite will protect you against unwanted energy. In fact, I should carry one myself these days so I won‘t get into trouble with people on my reservation.‖ ―How can this…‖ She held the stone between her thumb and index finger. ―Help protect people?‖ ―The stone will absorb the energy so you will not be affected by people. The stone will break in two if people are bothering you.‖ Natalie wrinkled her nose. ―Really?‖ Lone Eagle nodded. ―Yes. It‘s true. You‘ll see. Bring one to school and you will notice how well this works.‖ ―What about this one?‖ Natalie held the tourmaline in her palm. ―Black tourmaline is a powerful protector. It puts a wall up around you and those you wish to stay away from.‖ ―Unbelievable. How do I use it?‖ ―Just carry it in your pocket.‖ ―Will it break too?‖ He shook his head. ―No, but it will keep your energy strong.‖ He glanced off into space. ―What‘s wrong?‖ ―I should follow my own advice, that‘s all.‖ He chuckled 120

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer again. ―So, what else do you need in your medicine bag, Little Bird?‖ ―The word medicine reminds me. I forgot to tell you the doctor says I might get my braces off this Friday. I have to make sure it happens this time because I have prom in two weeks, and I need my dancing legs back. Do you have anything for that?‖ Lone Eagle picked two stones up from the floor. ―Now I know why I chose these…serpentine helps healing and pain, and bloodstone.‖ ―How do they work?‖ ―Serpentine is good for healing your bones. You need to sleep with this every night until you go to the doctor. Once piece for each leg, another for your arm. You may want to put them inside your braces so the stone can touch the skin. That is best.‖ Natalie picked up the other stone. ―What‘s the bloodstone used for?‖ ―Bloodstone is sacred.‖ Lone Eagle held the stone up to the window. ―See the dark green and the tiny red flecks?‖ She squinted and could barely see red spots in the dark green stone. ―Yes.‖ ―These red flecks represent the blood of Christ. Some believe this is the stone under Christ when He was on the cross. It is a very special stone, Little Bird. This stone will heal things miraculously. Sometimes the stone allows you to take this red medicine into your body, and it will disappear from the stone.‖ ―No way.‖ ―Yes. It is true. You must keep this close by, even at school. Put it in a pocket and wait and see. Miracles can happen with this. I have seen it many times.‖ ―Even protection against bullies?‖ ―I never thought of that, but yes, because bloodstone is 121

Leah Leonard sacred, it will help with that, too, I suppose.‖ ―Do I have to do anything with them or just keep them near?‖ Lone Eagle wasn‘t paying attention. He was busy waving his arm over the stone, chanting quietly. ―Aye-eee-ah-oh…‖ ―What are you doing?‖ Lone Eagle finished his chant and placed the rocks in a line on top of the counter. ―I am working with the stones here, asking them to assist you. This is something you will learn to do yourself one day.‖ He shrugged. ―Actually, Lupe should show you this, not me. But for now, since you only have a few days, keep these near you. We will see if it is your destiny to be freed of your braces in time for your dance or not. In the end, you have to have faith, Little Bird. Only the Great Spirit can decide for sure.‖ ―Is the Great Spirit like God?‖ ―Yes. It is the same idea, only we believe God is in every living thing put on Earth.‖ Natalie nodded. ―Okay, I‘ll try it. Any others?‖ Lone Eagle laughed. ―Little Bird, you are so eager to rush through your life. All these stones, every single one in this store has power. Each has a different medicine to give. This will be what you will learn about over time.‖ ―But I want to know about them all now. I need help. I have to get to my prom, you know.‖ ―Everything in time, Little One. I promise. Life is short. You can‘t see that now, but you will one day.‖ Natalie looked disappointed. ―Okay. So what should I do with them for now?‖ ―Get up. First, put the stones I told you into the register.‖ He handed her the keys and followed her to the space behind the counter. She opened the drawer. ―In here?‖ He nodded. 122

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―Where?‖ ―Where do you think?‖ She started to put a green stone in the back compartment of the register tray. ―Okay. Done.‖ ―No. Wait. What stone is that?‖ ―Oh. This isn‘t the right one, huh? I need this one,‖ she said, holding up the yellow one. ―What is it called?‖ ―Citrine.‖ He nodded. ―This is good you already know the name.‖ ―Does it really make a difference to use the citrine rather than aventurine?‖ ―What do you think?‖ ―Probably. So what now?‖ ―Put it where you think it will do the most good.‖ ―How will I know?‖ ―You will feel it and know.‖ Natalie picked the compartment in the far right corner instead. ―Okay.‖ ―Good, now go outside.‖ They went outside and stood on the sidewalk. Cars buzzed by and the wind and sun felt good on her skin. ―Now what?‖ ―Were you listening?‖ ―You want me to put aventurine along the windows to bring prosperity into the store.‖ He folded his arms and nodded, watching her work. She knew he would not tell her where or how to do it, so she began with the space to the left of the front door, putting small tumbled pieces of aventurine every foot or so in the dirt gap between the sidewalk and the brick of their building. Once she passed the door and placed stones along the wall to the right of the door, she stopped to check her work. ―This doesn‘t look like enough.‖ 123

Leah Leonard He shrugged. ―Then go get more, if that‘s what you think you should do.‖ Natalie went back into the shop, grabbed several more pieces and placed them by the door. ―There. That‘s better.‖ ―What else do you need to do, Little Bird?‖ ―Uh…‖ Natalie glanced around the perimeter of the building. ―Ah ha. I need to take some out to the parking lot and put some around the corner, too.‖ ―Then do it.‖ He leaned his back against the building and watched her work. She actually appreciated the gesture. With everyone bending over backwards for her lately and waiting on her hand and foot, she valued the fact he wanted her to do something on her own for once. Her braces were cumbersome, but she still managed to place ten more pieces, roughly every two feet, along the side entrance to the shop, and scattered several more in random places in the gravel parking lot. When she was done, she looked up at Lone Eagle and smiled. ―There. That should do it.‖ They walked back inside. Lone Eagle began putting the other stones in his tray back where they came from. Natalie‘s heart sank. ―Wait. Aren‘t you going to tell me what all those do, too?‖ ―No.‖ ―Why not? ―Because you don‘t need these today. Start with the others.‖ ―But I need them all now.‖ ―No. There is plenty of time for that. You received the medicine you needed for now. You must first learn to heal yourself before you can help others. The money situation is at top of your list for your store, and your own physical healing is important, too. That is plenty to work on, Little Bird.‖ 124

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―But I want to know what I can do with all of these. I know they will help me so much with my life. I just have a feeling about it.‖ ―One day you will understand these things, and the stones will speak to you. When that happens, you will give stones to people as medicine. The same as the white doctor gives pills, you will give stones. People will come from all around to see you. It is your destiny.‖ ―I don‘t know about that…‖ ―Trust me, Little Bird. You will see. When is your next doctor visit?‖ ―Tomorrow.‖ He nodded. ―Do you think I will be better by then?‖ Natalie asked hopefully. He nodded. ―I do, but it doesn‘t matter what I think. What do you think?‖ In her heart of hearts, Natalie wanted to believe this one lesson would help her, but deep down she wasn‘t sure. ―I hope so.‖ ―Know so, Little Bird. You will see. I have faith in you.‖ ―Thanks, Lone Eagle. I will.‖

125

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Chapter Twenty-five

Strange Feeling

L

one Eagle drove Natalie back to her grandmother‘s house, then headed toward the reservation where he needed to report to work. He was happy to see how well Natalie caught on to working with the stones. It was strange, but she seemed to have even more aptitude for it than he did when he was a child. Looking Elk spent countless hours teaching Lone Eagle about the stones when he was a small boy, and although he always resonated with their energy, he never seemed to have the same rapport with them as Natalie did after just one lesson. While he was standing in her shop this afternoon, a vision of her washed through his mind. He saw her helping hundreds of people with the stones. He saw them literally lining up to come to her shop and watch her work her magic by recommending different stones to them. He wasn‘t sure he should have mentioned it to her today, and he could tell by her reaction she didn‘t believe him, but he saw it, and his visions were never, ever wrong. He might misinterpret things coming to him in spiritual ways, but that was his fault. The visions never lied. What he saw in his mind today, and in watching Natalie work her wonders to generate prosperity around her shop, was not open to interpretation. 126

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer One day Natalie would be far greater than he was in working with the stones. The discussions his father had with him before his death and in the spirit world were accurate— Natalie Locke was indeed the keeper of the stones. The idea excited him for the first time. He was anxious to teach her more, especially once he returned from Sundance. He would talk to Lupe, if and when he ever found her in a decent mood, and see if she would help Little Bird while he was on his trip this summer. Lupe could benefit Natalie in ways nobody else could. Their father would be proud, too, which might keep him tucked away in the afterlife and not bothering the living anymore. Lone Eagle pulled on to I-25 from Central Avenue and headed north toward the pueblo. Traffic was light, but soon, rush hour would hit. He needed to report to work by six, and with any luck, he would make it on time. He thought about the burial ritual he performed on Looking Elk‘s things the other day and was happy he did it. The whole house felt clearer, and since then, Looking Elk had not appeared in his visions. He prayed his father had found peace in the hereafter. Only one thing bothered him—the gold coin. Going to the shop again, seeing the same exact cases in there where those poor people were brutally murdered brought many unwanted feelings to Lone Eagle. Something bad still lingered there, although he could not quite figure out what. Again, he was not sure he should bring up any bad memories to Natalie today, not yet anyhow. He did not want to do anything to upset her any more than he already had, and he prayed daily for her to recover and get her life back on track. There was a deep feeling within his soul though that this issue with the murder was not over yet. Why? He kept on asking himself that question again and again, but he could 127

Leah Leonard not come up with an answer. Perhaps this was not the season for answers, but eventually, like tides on a shore, answers would find him. That coin was around someplace. He could feel it. If he could ever get his hands on that coin, if he could ever identify it, the act alone would bring great healing and closure to the family—to both families. He drove through Albuquerque and exited the highway by the casino, pulling past the gas station. Lupe‘s car sat out in front as always. If she was in a good mood and if he thought about it sometime, he would ask her to use her visionary gifts to see what she could about the gold coin. In the meantime, he would pray for resolution. He parked his car, wrapped his bolo tie around his neck, checked his hair in the mirror and went into the casino to report for work.

128

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Chapter Twenty-six

Castoff

T

hat night, after Lone Eagle left, Natalie felt more hopeful than she‘d had since her accident. The pain she‘d been feeling only days earlier was starting to die down, particularly when she held some of the aventurine stones in her hands. Lone Eagle was right. They worked or at least something did. Maybe it was his prayers or her intentions to get better. Maybe it was all of the above. Either way, she felt better already and could only imagine by the time she went to the doctor tomorrow morning that her healing would be greatly improved. She kept her stones with her, placing them on her body, every few inches. With some difficulty, she tucked a few pieces down in her shoulder cast and placed several others inside the folds of her Velcro braces. To her surprise, the moment she lay down after putting them all in place, she could feel a buzzing sensation. The stones were starting to work. And just like what happened earlier in the afternoon at the shop, the stones made her relax and let go of wandering thoughts. She drifted into a deep and dreamless, restful sleep. The last thought she had was that by tomorrow, she would be better. The following afternoon after school, Natalie, Tracy and Gran went back to the doctor for her scheduled checkup. To 129

Leah Leonard her amazement, the doctor‘s news was better than she imagined. The doctor scratched his head. ―This is the darndest thing I‘ve ever seen.‖ ―Why? What‘s wrong, doc?‖ Gran and Natalie looked at the x-rays. ―Nothing‘s wrong at all, Mrs. Locke. That‘s just it. Everything‘s right. So right, I have to admit I‘ve never seen anything like it.‖ Natalie kept her mouth shut, but inside, she was jumping for joy. Ever since her discussion with Lone Eagle, she followed his directions and did what he told her. In addition to the aventurine she tucked in her casts, she also slept with the bloodstones on her stomach. He was definitely right about those. When she woke up in the morning she noticed they turned a different color overnight. They were dark green in the evening, but by morning, they were white. And now, judging from what her doctor told her, they‘d helped. She also used the serpentine. Since she didn‘t want to tuck too many stones into her casts, she placed the serpentine on her collarbone, which had been aching from all the added weight of her cast. This morning, they turned from the bright green color to a darker color, as if they had pulled her pain out of her body. Also, she found her overall pain was better. The aching feelings she had when she lay down at night to go to sleep went away, or at least she thought they did. The truth was she couldn‘t tell for sure because she was so relaxed, she slept sounder than she had since her accident. Natalie, kept the other stones Lone Eagle gave her in her bed and planned to place them near her skin every night from here on out. ―See this here?‖ The doctor pointed to the x-ray. ―It‘s amazing.‖ Gran took a step closer to the backlit lamp. ―How so, 130

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Doc?‖ ―Look. See this mark here on this shoulder?‖ A red dot from the doctor‘s laser pointer moved over the x-ray. Natalie leaned forward and squinted. The image didn‘t look like much of a shoulder to her, but then again, she‘d never seen any x-rays in her life before her accident. ―What about it?‖ The doctor glanced at them both, then back at the x-ray of the arm. ―There are the pins, here‘s where the fractures were. Natalie had multiple fractures all along here and here.‖ He pointed each one out with a pin light. ―We took these photos just a few weeks ago. Now look at this newer picture. See the difference?‖ He pointed to the old one and Natalie could see several dark lines in the first, but not in the second. ―See? Over here on this new x-ray…nothing. No signs of fracture whatsoever, despite the surgery. All evidence of the breaks seem to have disappeared as if they‘d never been there at all, with the exception of this one little line. I‘ve never seen anything like it in all my years.‖ ―That‘s a good thing, right?‖ Natalie beamed. ―Well yes, young lady, I‘d say it is. What‘s even better is this. Her legs seem to be completely healed.‖ He pointed to the leg x- rays. ―It looks like you‘re well and we can take those leg braces away.‖ ―Yay.‖ Natalie turned and looked at Tracy. She came along with them today for support, but she didn‘t look excited at all. ―How did you do it?‖ she whispered. ―Do what?‖ ―You know what,‖ Tracy whispered. ―This.‖ She pointed up to the x-rays. ―I don‘t care what your doctor says, that isn‘t possible. It‘s spooky, if you ask me.‖ Natalie grinned when she thought of how well things were turning out. ―Yesterday Lone Eagle taught me some 131

Leah Leonard stuff to help.‖ ―Yesterday? You‘re kidding.‖ Natalie shook her head and beamed excitement. ―Nope. It‘s true. I can show you sometime if you want.‖ Tracy bit the side of her lip and shook her head. ―No, I‘d rather not know, if that‘s okay.‖ Natalie scowled. ―Why not? There are all kinds of stones in our shop and what I learned is they all do something different. You might even find some to help you with something. Who knows.‖ ―I told you I don‘t want to hear it,‖ Tracy snapped. Gran turned around. ―Everything okay?‖ Natalie grinned to try and hide the tension. ―Fine.‖ Tracy remained silent. Once they were finished talking over the miraculous xrays, the doctor took off her braces, but before Natalie could revel in her newfound freedom, he took out several ace bandages. ―I know you‘re better, but I want you to keep on taking it easy for at least another month, and I want you to wear these.‖ ―Aw, do I have to?‖ Natalie whined when she saw them. Her pain lessened so much since using the stones, she knew it was nothing short of miraculous. Having to wear more leg restraints felt like a step backward in many ways. Gran didn‘t hesitate to get her two cents in. ―Yes, hon, if doc says so, you do what he tells you.‖ Natalie rolled her eyes. ―Prom is in three weeks.‖ ―Fine,‖ the doctor said. ―You can skip it for your prom, but I highly suggest you continue to build up to this and wear these for support.‖ ―But it‘s already healed.‖ Natalie complained. ―Yes, and you still have to be careful on it,‖ Gran scolded. ―Don‘t worry, I‘ll see to it she follows orders.‖ ―It won‘t kill you to wear those, Natalie. Nobody will see 132

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer them.‖ ―True. They‘re a definite improvement,‖ Natalie said. ―And speaking of walking…‖ The doctor folded his arms over his chest. Natalie didn‘t like his tone. It always meant more bad news. ―Yeah, what about it?‖ Gran‘s relieved look melted away. ―Natalie needs to go to physical therapy for the next few months. I have an opening on Monday, if you like.‖ Physical therapy? Agh. Sounds painful and boring. Before she allowed the doctor to explain what would be involved, Natalie lurched forward on the exam table and shouted. ―No way. I‘m not going.‖ ―Natalie.‖ Gran glanced at her from over the top of her glasses which slid half way down her nose. ―Listen up, girl. We need to see what the doc says about this before you go deciding this isn‘t for you, okay?‖ Natalie sulked. ―Alright.‖ ―You will need to learn to walk again,‖ the doctor explained. ―But I know how to walk. What do you think I‘ve been doing all this time?‖ ―On crutches and with casts and braces, yes, but I think you‘ll find walking without those things is more difficult than it looks.‖ ―I‘ve walked my whole life. How hard could it be?‖ ―You can see for yourself.‖ The doctor removed both her Velcro leg braces and reached out for her hand. ―Careful stepping down.‖ For the first time in months, Natalie stepped on the cold tile floor of the doctor‘s office. Happy to be upright, Natalie was relieved to feel the cold on the bottom of her feet. ―See? I can do this. No problem.‖ The doctor stood with arms crossed over his chest. ―That 133

Leah Leonard looks good, Natalie. Now why don‘t you try and take a few steps? Without your crutch, of course.‖ The smirk on his face made Natalie even more determined to show him a thing or two. ―Fine.‖ Natalie stood still, trying to will her leg up off of the floor even a few millimeters so she could move forward, but to her shock, she didn‘t budge at all. She laughed from frustration and tried again. ―Just a minute everyone. I‘m…Agh!‖ She cowered in agony. Her leg was still terribly sore and inflexible. ―Careful, sweetie,‖ Gran held her arms out to try and catch her if she fell. ―Ouch. ―See? Walking is going to be more challenging than you think, at least for a while.‖ ―Yeah, I know, you told me so, right?‖ This was worse than she ever imagined. Somehow she needed to get these legs moving or there would be no dancing at prom, let alone walking. The doctor put a reassuring arm around her shoulder. ―Don‘t let it get you down, Natalie. You‘ve made great progress so far so there‘s no reason to think that won‘t continue. We have some talented therapists here who will help you get movement back faster than what you can do on your own, okay?‖ Natalie nodded. ―I guess so.‖ ―Physical therapy it is,‖ the doctor said. ―So will you start Monday then?‖ There was only one other thing on her mind. She couldn‘t lift both her hands to Cody‘s shoulder with her stupid cast still on. ―What about my arm?‖ ―We‘re not ready to do anything just yet. We need to take special care with the shoulder to make sure you don‘t have any troubles down the road,‖ the doctor said. None of this made any sense to Natalie. She‘d already had 134

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer major surgery on it, pins installed. ―Why not? You just finished saying my x-rays were good.‖ The doctor nodded. ―Right now we‘ve got it immobilized inside the cast to make sure the pins stay put and things heal up properly. It looks good on the x-rays, but there are still breakage points there. You need to heal much more before I can remove your cast. You need to keep on what you‘re doing. Avoid any heavy lifting, keep moving your other arm, but don‘t put any strain on your shoulder at all, okay?‖ ―Agh.‖ Natalie sighed aloud in frustration. This was the very last thing she wanted to hear. Gran did her best to calm her down. ―Believe me, when you get to be my age, everything starts to hurt. You need to let the doc fix you up right.‖ ―You might get them off by the prom, if you continue to heal like you have been.‖ ―I think you can do it, Nat,‖ Tracy reassured her. Despite the fact she‘d have to go to physical therapy and she realized her legs were immobile and her arm was still under wraps, Natalie had a good feeling if she kept on making the kind of progress she‘d made, Lone Eagle and the stones could help her get to prom in one piece. She looked at her Gran, Tracy and the doctor and announced, ―I will be well before prom. I guarantee it.‖ The doctor laughed. ―If you say so.‖ ―I‘ll be back to normal again, I promise.‖ Natalie attributed her lack of progress to be based on the fact she had been too tired to work with her Hummingbird spirit guide and fly with her wings. When she had been doing it, she made marked improvement. Tonight she would transform herself into Hummingbird and work to heal her arm so by the next time she came to see her doctor or physical therapist, she would be ready for action. 135

Leah Leonard

Chapter Twenty-seven

Meeting in the Canyon

A

fter an uneventful night at the casino, Lone Eagle came home and was happy to find Lupe was already sound asleep in her room. Her snoring rattled the pictures on the walls in the tiny hall separating their sleeping areas. He went to his own room, kicked off his boots and climbed into bed, back against the wall, sitting in a lotus position so he could go on a journey. He hoped to learn more about the coin tonight. For some reason, he thought about the coin all night at work. He also hoped for more clarity about his upcoming journey north to the Sundance. Closing his eyes, he was surprised to find he did not go to the Lower World at all. Even though he concentrated and tried, his mind would not take him there. Instead, he found himself out on the desert in front of the ceremonial kiva in the Middle World. He stepped over the cacti and brushy tumbleweeds toward the entrance, and before he reached it, his Wolf appeared, sitting by the covered entryway. ―Hello old friend,‖ Lone Eagle petted Wolf‘s ears. Wolf rubbed up against his legs and yelped. Lone Eagle began to move past Wolf toward the entrance of the kiva when Wolf growled and nudged him forcefully away. He backed up, put both hands in the air in surrender. ―Okay, fine boy. We don‘t have to go there tonight. You tell 136

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer me. Where to?‖ The desert disappeared and he and Wolf were floating in the skies of the Upper World. Soaring ever faster, they soon sailed over the field of red earth table mesas. Lone Eagle loved this journey. He had not been to this place in quite some time, not since he first met Natalie Locke when she was still in her comatose state. Wolf sailed ahead of Lone Eagle. He took in the beautiful vistas of the flat topped mountains so reminiscent of his desert home. These journeys uplifted his spirit and came to him during difficult times or occasions when his physical body needed rejuvenation. He had to admit, he had been exhausted. Seeing this place already made him feel more energized. The mesas went on for what seemed like forever. After some time, Lone Eagle was tempted to ask his Wolf again where they were going, but something told him not to. No. He must be patient and accept the journey he received. He prayed for very specific things in this spiritual trip, and he would discover them if he remained open minded and patient. Once he released his attachment to any particular outcome, the mesas disappeared and he found himself floating over a forest with dark gray colored rolling hills and mountains unlike any he had ever seen. Although he had no idea where he was, his soul knew. These were the Black Hills of South Dakota, the location for the upcoming dance. The energy of these mountains held their sacredness in his spirit, and now more than ever, he couldn‘t wait until he could come in person and receive their many gifts. Wolf led him down toward the land, and they floated over a ceremony. Dozens of men danced in circles and prayed to the god of the Sun. This is what his upcoming ceremony would feel like. He couldn‘t wait to experience this. 137

Leah Leonard Wolf and he were jerked up into the clouds once again. This time they floated over the forest toward a barren space on the side of one of the mountains where all the trees were removed. The ground was tilled and he saw the black color and a sign with letters burned on a wooden board read, Black Hills Gold. The image of the gold coin from Locke‘s Rocks flashed in his mind again, leaving him with the same unsettling feeling. What did this mean? Could these events be related? He and Wolf popped out of the images of South Dakota and were back, floating over their beautiful expanse of table mesas. On the one hand, Lone Eagle flowed free here, but now, with this new vision, he also felt troubled. Off in the distance, he saw something floating toward him and Wolf. He knew what, or who, this was. Natalie Locke‘s long dark hair blew in all directions, her green eyes flashed recognition once she saw him. ―Hey. Lone Eagle. I‘m so glad I found you out here.‖ Lone Eagle couldn‘t help but feel perturbed by her intrusion in his space at first, but when he reconsidered, he realized he needed clarity about the image from her shop, so if this is how Great Spirit wanted him to have the experience, then so be it. Still, he couldn‘t help but believe she came here to disturb him on purpose, and once she opened her mouth again, he confirmed it. ―I was trying to find you,‖ Natalie explained. ―Look what I can do.‖ She turned herself into the tiniest bright green and red Hummingbird he had ever seen. And with a twirl, she doubled her size again and again until she was the largest Hummingbird he had ever seen in any world. With one final tumble, she transformed back into her old self. ―How do you like that?‖ ―Good, Little Bird. Is this why you‘re here?‖ 138

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―I came to practice my flying today. I have to get my cast off my shoulder.‖ ―I see…‖ Knowing this was her purpose for disturbing him was troubling. The girl had too much talent for her own good. ―I got my braces off my legs today though, thanks to you showing me about the stones, so thanks.‖ She twisted and turned back into the little Hummingbird. ―No problem. I‘m happy to help.‖ He started to nudge Wolf to fly him out of here and away from her when something strange happened. A gold coin fell out of Natalie‘s hair and hung mid air between them. ―Ouch.‖ She rubbed her hand on her head and glanced at the sky. ―Something hit me in the head.‖ Lone Eagle grabbed the coin with his left hand. ―No, something fell out of your head. Big difference.‖ ―What is it?‖ She floated closer to have a look. ―This.‖ He pressed the coin between his index finger and thumb and for the first time, he was able to get a close look at the markings. No doubt this was the coin from the store and the shooting. Now he knew Natalie either had access to the coin she was not telling him about, or she would have access to the information in the future, and there was something important about it. ―Do you recognize this?‖ She shook her head. ―Are you sure? Look again.‖ She seemed distracted by her new bird body and buzzed around so fast, there would be no possibility of her seeing the details of the coin ―Little Bird,‖ he snapped. ―Stop and listen. We are out here in spirit world for a reason. This image is here for a reason. Please help me find out why. This is important to us both.‖ Natalie transformed back into her girl self. Tears bubbled 139

Leah Leonard up in her eyes and she started to cry. ―Don‘t yell at me.‖ ―Sorry.‖ ―Why is this so important?‖ ―I don‘t know. Please.‖ He held the coin closer to her eyes. ―Look again.‖ Natalie took the coin from him. ―I have seen this before…‖ ―Where?‖ She shook her head. ―I‘m not sure. I will think about it.‖ ―In a dream?‖ ―No.‖ Lone Eagle thought about her grandmother, Gertrude Locke. ―What about your Gran?‖ Before Natalie could answer, a loud buzz jerked Lone Eagle back into his bedroom. His alarm was screaming at him. Morning was here, the following day. ―Where did last night go?‖ He glanced around his room, noticed his corner light was still on and he was dressed, hunched over in his bed. He shook the sleep off of his body and mind, stood up and stared at himself in the mirror, reflecting on all he had seen last night. This journey was important to his future…but why?

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Chapter Twenty-eight

Busy Day in the Store

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he following Saturday, customers were lined up outside the rock shop at quarter ‗til nine when Natalie and Gran showed up. ―What in the world‘s goin‘ on ‗round here?‖ Gran pulled the car into the one free space left in their parking lot. Natalie‘s mind went back to the lesson Lone Eagle taught her and all the stones she placed around the store. They worked better than she would have imagined. ―Looks like we‘re going to be busy today, Gran.‖ Gran turned off the ignition. ―You‘re telling me. If I take you through the back, think you can open the front while I get the register drawer out?‖ ―Sure.‖ Without her braces, for the first time, Natalie could walk quickly and get a job done the way any other person would. She went inside, flipped the sign to open, and unbolted the front door while Gran counted the cash in the register. ―Hi. Welcome to Locke‘s Rocks.‖ She had to watch herself so the dozen tiny Cub Scouts didn‘t knock her over trying to get inside the store. Their troop leader shouted, ―Boys. No running. No pushing.‖ ―Good morning,‖ Gran called from the back. The scout master wrangled the boys into order. ―Sorry we 141

Leah Leonard got here early. We‘re having a discovery day and need to find several kinds of stones for one of the badges we‘re working on.‖ ―Natalie? You want to help them with that?‖ Gran called out from the back. ―Yes, Gran.‖ Natalie went to the other corner of the shop where more stacks of cardboard flats were filled with more of the common stones like rose quartz, fluorite and amethyst. ―Would these do? They‘re not very expensive and…‖ ―Sure, if you can tell me what they are.‖ Natalie smiled. ―I can do better than that.‖ Thirty minutes later, Natalie finished up her brief but thorough explanation of the stones to the little boys who sat mesmerized at her feet. When she was finished, the scout master led everyone in a round of applause. ―What do we say to Miss Natalie, boys?‖ ―Thank you Miss Natalie.‖ The Scout master paid Gran, while a new wave of customers came in looking for fine cut amethyst pieces. Natalie rushed over to help them and after telling them about the mystical properties of amethyst, and how amethyst helped users let go of the old. She sold five pieces, four more than what they came in to get in the first place. Gran sat in the back and rang up one sale after another until the last minute of the day. When she told Natalie to lock the front door, she looked at her in amazement. ―Girl, where‘d you learn all those little stories about the rocks? You been readin‘ books I haven‘t seen, or what?‖ ―Lone Eagle taught me.‖ ―In just one lesson?‖ ―Yep.‖ Natalie was amazed with such little effort how everything was turning around for her overnight. 142

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Gran smiled. ―Well, you just keep on learnin‘ then. We made over a thousand dollars today.‖ Oh good. Natalie smiled. Now she could begin to repay her friend.

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Chapter Twenty-nine

Another Lesson

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he following Tuesday afternoon could not come soon enough. Tracy‘s mom dropped Natalie off in front of her house, and they were gone before Lone Eagle pulled up out front in his truck. Natalie looked out the window and watched him walk to the door. She laughed. Most kids were busy taking piano lessons, playing sports after school, but not her. She learned something far more interesting, and she imagined far more important to the overall plan for her life. She swung the door open before he could knock. ―Hey. I‘ve been looking forward to this all day.‖ He still didn‘t make eye contact with her unless necessary. ―Hi Little Bird.‖ ―Come in. Gran says you can stay for dinner if you want to.‖ He shook his head. ―Oh no, I have to get back to the Pueblo.‖ ―Are you sure? She‘s not the best cook. She tends to overcook the meat sometimes, but…‖ He chuckled. ―I‘m sure her food is fine. I have to work again tonight.‖ ―Okay. Come in.‖ She led him to the living room. ―Is this okay?‖ 144

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―Yes.‖ She took her normal seat, propped her legs up on the coffee table. ―Hey. Guess what? I got my braces off the other day like you predicted, and now all I have to do is keep these bandages on and keep them elevated for a while longer.‖ ―Ah, the Little Bird will soon be flying again.‖ ―Yes, I can‘t wait.‖ She looked at him and realized he wasn‘t quite himself. ―What‘s wrong?‖ ―Do you remember seeing me the other night?‖ Natalie had almost forgot. ―Oh yeah, you mean when I was flying around like the bird in the desert?‖ ―Yes.‖ ―I do.‖ Her smile faded when she looked into his eyes. ―Oh…I‘m sorry. I remember you told me to stop finding you out in the other worlds. I promise I won‘t do it again…it‘s just I get so excited about learning all this stuff, I can‘t help myself.‖ He shook his head. ―It‘s okay.‖ ―I really am sorry.‖ ―Do you remember anything else about the other night?‖ She didn‘t. She was too busy thinking about prom. ―No.‖ ―What about the gold coin that fell out of your hair? Do you remember that?‖ She wrinkled her nose in her customary way. ―No. What coin?‖ ―Nothing. I might have imagined it. Anyhow, what would you like to learn today?‖ ―I am working on mending my shoulder so I can dance at the prom.‖ ―This is a good place to start our lesson today. And while we‘re still discussing the journey from the other night, I want to tell you more about the three worlds.‖ Natalie remembered they were supposed to do this long 145

Leah Leonard ago. ―Okay. What about them?‖ ―Remember last time I was here I told you there is great power in death and rebirth and how you have now done both? Many Native people I know would be envious of this gift.‖ As she looked at her banged up body, Natalie knew there were gifts in the experience despite the pain she endured. ―Really?‖ ―There is no way to train someone for such gifts, although you have seen through the veil, this is easy.‖ ―You mean the afterlife?‖ ―Yes. The other worlds, but for those who must stay bound to their body, the three worlds of non-ordinary reality are how we travel and gather wisdom. There is the Upper World, the Middle World and the Lower World.‖ ―Is the Lower World like Hell?‖ He chuckled again. ―No, Little Bird. This is a misunderstanding the white man has. The Lower World refers to the reality closest to the Earth Mother, a powerful place where our spirit animals reside and wait to offer their guidance.‖ ―Is there a Hell?‖ ―The Underworld.‖ He lowered his eyes. ―Not a subject you and I need to discuss, Little Bird. You are an angel. You do not need to concern yourself with anything else.‖ ―My aunt Mary, Tracy‘s mom, thinks you believe in the devil.‖ ―No, San Felipe Pueblo Indians attend Catholic Church. Saint Philip is our patron saint, see?‖ He pulled a gold crucifix from under his shirt. ―We attend Mass on Sundays, just like all other good Catholics.‖ ―I remember you saying you were Catholic, but I wasn‘t sure you went to Mass.‖ ―Yep. Every week.‖ 146

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Natalie‘s eyebrows rose. ―Really? Mary will be happy about that.‖ ―We need to keep going or we will run out of time.‖ ―Sorry, I was just…‖ ―The Lower World is where our power animals stay. When we identify them, we ask for their guidance in our lives, to watch out over our spirits, assist us with our lives and offer direction and guidance. If we have time, I will show you how to find your power animal, if not today, next week.‖ ―Oh, I want to find out. But isn‘t mine Hummingbird?‖ He shook his head. ―My name, Lone Eagle, was given to me because at the time of my birth, my mother and father looked to Mother Earth and noticed the first thing they saw in the natural world after I was born. My father described my mother lying in her bed, covered in sweat and blankets. She looked out the window, held me in her arms, and a single golden eagle flew in front of her window. She named me Lone Eagle. My power animal is different.‖ ―What‘s your power animal, then?‖ He shook his head. ―It is not polite to ever ask someone what their power animal is. Some are guides, others are given in secret and teach you which clan you belong to. Some have three animals—the one you are named for, the guide, and the clan, others have two animals and for some, they work with one animal.‖ ―How many animals do you work with? You don‘t have to tell me which ones they are, but I‘m curious.‖ ―Two, and my guess is you have at least two, maybe three. Hummingbird, or Little Bird were your given names, given to you by me, because they were the first of mother nature‘s creatures to appear when we worked together in the Sandias.‖ ―Okay. I hope I can find the others today.‖ 147

Leah Leonard ―They find you, not the other way around. The next world is the Middle World, a non-real representation of the place where you and I now live. An example would be if I wanted to go to Albuquerque today, but only went there in my mind.‖ ―Like when you visited me in Presbyterian Hospital?‖ ―Yes. The Middle World shows this current reality so we can be anywhere we want to be on Earth in a second by thinking.‖ Natalie stared at the blank TV screen. ―Understanding it?‖ ―Uh huh.‖ ―Okay. The last of the three worlds is the Upper World. You are most familiar with this place where we first met.‖ ―No, we met in the shop.‖ ―Okay, but you know what I mean. You saw me there on the mesa, and you floated in the clouds…‖ ―I saw my parents there, too.‖ ―The ancestors, those who passed on before us are there, and we connect to the Great Spirit from the Upper World.‖ ―Yes, I remember.‖ Natalie thought about the day when Lone Eagle wouldn‘t see her. ―Another time I saw a cellar door, and you wouldn‘t let me come in.‖ ―That was the Middle World, a real place on our Earth, in my back yard.‖ ―That‘s where you got the money you gave us.‖ ―How do you know that?‖ ―Oh, by the way, the store was swamped on Saturday. So busy, Gran and I had to eat our lunches standing up.‖ ―That‘s good. See how medicine can work for you?‖ ―I don‘t know if I‘ve been to the Lower World yet.‖ ―You will. I want you to understand you have an ability to travel in these worlds. Anyone can go there, but you go there easier and more often than other people because of 148

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer your accident. I believe you can go there at will, with very little effort.‖ ―Can we go find my animal now?‖ ―So impatient, Little Bird. You must be patient in your life. What is meant for you is coming. Nothing you can say or do can keep your destiny away, but neither can you rush and decide for yourself. The animal appears at the appropriate time.‖ Natalie grinned. ―Okay, I just thought I‘d ask.‖ ―We will go there today, because I believe your animal wishes to help you with the final chapter in your healing. Are you sure you want to do this?‖ ―Uh huh.‖ ―Because once we go there, you will be required to take care of your animal. You will care for him, tend to him, feed him…‖ ―Feed him?‖

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Chapter Thirty

Sharing the Wolf

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one Eagle laughed. Little Bird was so naïve in her ways. ―Feeding your animal is not like feeding your own face. You feed your power animal by visiting him, checking in on him, honoring where he wants to take you and paying attention to the things he wants to show you. ―I get it. But how?‖ ―You visit your parents in the Upper World, right?‖ ―Uh huh.‖ ―You figured out you can still go to certain places in the clouds and find them waiting there for you, right?‖ ―Uh huh.‖ ―Power animals are kind of the same, but they live in the Lower World. Once you find your animal, or your animal finds you, you will visit it. Power Animals live in the place you create for them in your own private version of the Lower World. You must go there from time to time, check on things, see if your animal needs anything.‖ ―Kind of like checking my voicemail…‖ He chuckled. ―Kind of, yes.‖ ―How often do you check him?‖ ―Every single day.‖ ―But what if I don‘t have time?‖ ―Time is not real, Little Bird. You always have time. 150

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Besides, I know my life is better when I tend to and care for my animal. Yours will be the same, too, I believe.‖ ―Do you go other places or just to see your animal?‖ ―I go with my animal, and together we check on things in the other two worlds. My animal is my assistant, my helper, who allows me to see more than if I were to go alone.‖ ―Like an imaginary friend?‖ ―I do not know about imaginary friends. The animals are powerful, Little Bird.‖ ―I can‘t wait. How do we go there?‖ Lone Eagle checked the clock on the wall over the television. They still had time to do this, if the girl was willing and if her animal was ready to show himself. ―I cannot guarantee this will happen today. Animals appear in their time and bring blessings when they decide to work with you. I have to be at work so I would be able to take you on a shorter journey today. I am not sure the animal would appear or not, but we could try if you want to.‖ ―I still want to try.‖ ―We have tools to assist our journey.‖ He pulled out a turtle shell with fur and leather strips wrapped around a wooden handle. ―We use drums sometimes. Today we use this rattle.‖ ―How? What are you gonna do with that?‖ ―Close your eyes, Little Bird. Allow your mind to be free like your dreams…‖ Lone Eagle began shaking the rattle and chanting, ―Aye-yee-ya-oh-wee…‖ He shook the rattle for her and hoped she would begin to remember the coin. Perhaps finding her power animal would help her and heal all at the same time. **** Natalie‘s back melted into Gran‘s old chair, and the sound of 151

Leah Leonard Lone Eagle‘s voice was like a lullaby. The rattle relaxed her even more, sending her into a space far from here. ―Now, Natalie…‖ The rattle continued its rhythmic beat. ―You will imagine yourself going down into the Earth, maybe on a staircase, an elevator, you might walk down a hill…go on and go inside Mother Earth. I will not say more until you go there. Take your time, let me know when you are there.‖ Natalie stood on a flat piece of ground when the rattling began. She couldn‘t differentiate this place between inside or outside, hot or cold. As the rattle continued to mesmerize her, she began walking forward, through a doorway and down a set of thick grey stone steps. After wandering for what seemed like forever down the winding staircase, she stood at the very bottom of the cold stone building. Walkways spanned off in either direction. There was not another soul in sight. Only pitch black darkness. ―I‘m here.‖ Lone Eagle stopped his chanting and whispered, ―What do you see?‖ ―Grey cold stone building. I hear water nearby, like a stream, but I can‘t see it. I‘m alone.‖ ―You are in my place again, Little Bird. Very good. Now imagine your power animal is walking up to you from either direction and tell me what you see.‖ Natalie saw something light colored walking on all fours toward her. When it came closer, she recognized the animal. ―It looks silver from far away, but up close, he‘s a black, grey and white wolf. He‘s coming at me from the left and is here now.‖ The rattling stopped and Lone Eagle shouted. ―Stop it. Come back now at once.‖ Natalie opened her eyes. ―What did I do wrong?‖ 152

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer **** Lone Eagle couldn‘t believe how well this untrained girl could tap into the most private parts of his mind. He‘d had an outburst and trying to explain what was wrong with her little journey would give away his secrets, and the identity of his main power and clan animal. He had to watch his words. ―This is not your animal. I‘ve been told you are mind reading another in my tribe and picking up on his thoughts and visions rather than having your own. Or you are just remembering my animal because you keep showing up in my visions, even though I‘ve told you to stop doing it.‖ Natalie shook her head and seemed upset. ―I‘m not a mind reader. What are you talking about? How can you sit there and accuse me? The silver and white wolf is my animal, Lone Eagle. I don‘t get what the big deal is.‖ ―Enough.‖ he shouted, unable to control himself for a moment. ―There is no way you can share an animal with someone else. Impossible.‖ ―Why do you think I‘m stealing? I‘m not. Who would I steal from, anyway?‖ ―Because Wolf belongs to me.‖ He wished he‘d kept quiet. Now even more of his secrets would belong to the girl who had already turned his life upside down. ―Your power animal is the Wolf? The big giant white, black and grey streaked one?‖ He didn‘t look at her, didn‘t show acknowledgement of any kind. ―That makes sense. I‘ve seen this same wolf plenty of times before, only he‘s always standing with you on the mesa in my vision.‖ ―See? Not yours, mine.‖ ―Yeah, I get that. It‘s not a big deal though, if you ask me. I never knew he belonged to anyone in particular. I just 153

Leah Leonard considered him part of my own imagination.‖ Lone Eagle stood up and walked toward the door. ―Next time, Little Bird, we will try to find your animal. For now, I have to go to work, but before I go, did you happen to see anything else during the vision today?‖ She shook her head. ―Nothing about a coin?‖ ―Nope.‖ ―Fine. Then I have to go to work. See you next week and please, do not visit me anymore in the other worlds. If you want to fly, fine, but on your own.‖

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Chapter Thirty-one

Guardian Angels

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atalie didn‘t understand why Lone Eagle acted so jumpy about the wolf. After spending so much time asleep, she tapped into his animal, not hers. How could she have known? She saw a lot of him and the wolf out on the mesas of her mind. Gran came home late from the store. ―Sorry I‘m late. We were packed with customers all day long. I swear I‘ve never seen so many before.‖ ―That‘s great, Gran.‖ ―Did I miss our friend?‖ She leaned down to kiss Natalie on the cheek. ―Yep. He had to work again today, but maybe next time he can stay for dinner.‖ ―Next time?‖ ―Yeah, every Tuesday after school, remember?‖ Gran looked like she was busy searching her memory bank. ―Oh, yeah. I remember.‖ ―Act like I‘m taking piano lessons or some other boring thing.‖ ―Okay, so‘d ya learn anything neat today?‖ ―I learned the San Felipe Indians believe in St. Philip…‖ ―Yes, I know. They‘re wonderful people.‖ ―How come you didn‘t tell me before?‖ 155

Leah Leonard Gran laughed. ―You never asked.‖ ―How come Mary is so against me learning from him then?‖ Gran sighed. ―Mary‘s doing her best to look out for you on a count of your mom.‖ Natalie realized she forgot the anniversary of her parent‘s death. ―Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.‖ Every year was the same. Tracy‘s mom and Gran were sullen around this time of the year like clockwork, only this year, the anniversary fell on the weekend, Natalie hadn‘t noticed. ―No wonder Mary didn‘t say much today on the way to or from school. How come you never told me the other day?‖ ―We‘ve had so much bad news. I didn‘t want to spoil our super day in the shop. Yeah, we still miss ‗em, never goes away. Mary and I are just both so happy you‘re okay and doin‘ so much better now, we‘re tickled pink.‖ ―Maybe mom and dad are looking out for us and the store.‖ ―They must be. Someone sure is.‖

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Chapter Thirty-two

Fuming Mad

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till fuming about how Natalie Locke managed to invade his inner mind, the blood vessels in Lone Eagle‘s neck tightened while he raced back to the Pueblo, changed into his uniform in the truck and went inside the Casino. Lupe Running Wolf stood near the entrance. ―Where you been? You‘re late.‖ He shook his head and tried to walk back to his table. ―Not now.‖ ―Now sounds good to me, Chief.‖ ―I told you not now.‖ ―And I told you a long time ago not to let people mess with you, Bro.‖ ―What are you talking about?‖ he whispered. ―Today, Standing Crow. Don‘t you know he‘s messing with you You‘re being messed with, you know that, right?‖ He shook his head. ―You know Standing Crow is a magician, don‘t you?‖ ―No.‖ ―A dark one, too. He always messed with Pop. Spreading all kinds of nasty rumors when he was Chief, turning himself into predators and going after Pop in the other worlds. Things were bad for a while, but I have a handle on him.‖ ―How?‖ 157

Leah Leonard ―By praying to St. Philip for protection. Works like a charm.‖ ―So you‘re saying…‖ ―You should know your own father by now and you should know what kind of man Pop was in life. He believed in tradition. The rumors were started by Standing Crow.‖ ―But Jerry …‖ ―Doesn‘t matter. Standing Crow is a good manipulator. He could make Jerry think he heard Pop say something he did not say.‖ ―But…‖ ―Shame on you, Bro. You of all people should have more sense if you‘re going to be my Chief.‖ Lone Eagle folded his arms and sighed. ―I came home to tell you this because you are going to get a lot of people who are jealous of you now. Even me, I was jealous, too, for a while, but I understand this is yours to do. Fine. But if you‘re going to do this job, you have to learn to protect yourself against your enemies. Keep them close. Watch them. Don‘t take everything at face value. Listen to your inner world. You know this. I am reminding you, so watch your back.‖ Too late. Lone Eagle looked right into the face of his pit boss. ―You‘re two minutes late, and your sister here tells me you‘re moonlighting on us.‖ Lone Eagle drew a long breath to keep himself cool. ―I should remind you, I wasn‘t scheduled to work today. I‘m doing a favor for Pedro. If I‘m two minutes late, I‘m sorry, and I will work an extra fifteen for free. What I do or do not do on my own watch is none of your business. Now if you‘ll excuse me, I need to tend to my customers.‖ Lupe called out after him, ―Here‘s what I think of your little white girl stealing our ancestors knowledge.‖ She spit on the floor and walked away. 158

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer

Chapter Thirty-three

Healed Wings

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fter school the following Friday, Gran came to pick Natalie and Tracy up. ―I hope we‘re not goin‘ back to the doc too soon, Natalie.‖ ―No, I promise. My arm is going to be healed and all well this time, you‘ll see.‖ ―You sure of yourself, aren‘t you?‖ ―Uh huh.‖ She turned around to look at Tracy, who was riding in the backseat of the Cadillac. ―Thanks for going with me to the doctor again, Trace. This is the last time.‖ ―Where else would I be? I want to see the Bride of Frankenstein transformed into the former Sleeping Beauty.‖ They both laughed. ―Settle down you two. I‘m tryin to concentrate on my drivin‘.‖ ―Yes Gran…‖ ―You best watch yourself, girl. You‘re still immobilized and you never know what an old lady can do when she puts her mind to it.‖ They pulled into the traffic circle at Presbyterian and an orderly approached her with a wheel chair. ―Need a ride?‖ Natalie looked at Tracy and shrugged. ―Oh, I don‘t know…‖ ―Go on, Nat. Soon you‘ll have to get around like the rest 159

Leah Leonard of us.‖ She sat in the chair, waited on Gran, and the three went inside to the second floor medical suite. Natalie felt a bit anxious about the visit. In her heart, she felt she‘d healed herself, but she still wondered. Did the bird medicine help? Had flying around town strengthened her wings? Did the special stones Lone Eagle showed her work, or did the grey and silver wolf that wasn‘t hers help her overcome the dark chapter in her life? She wasn‘t sure which healed her. Maybe a little bit of all of them. She had a feeling deep inside she was all well. She hoped so. The doctor‘s office was almost empty today, and they called her in right away. ―Want us to come?‖ Gran stood up. ―Yeah.‖ After a routine weigh in of several pounds of plaster, Velcro and braces she still carried around, Natalie underwent a barrage of x-rays on her arms, legs and ribs to see how everything healed. She asked the doctor why she needed so many x-rays if her legs were healed up last time. He told her he wanted to err on the side of caution. Apparently. he still didn‘t believe what he saw on those last set of films. She sat in a chair in the exam room with Tracy and Gran, waiting for the results, resting her eyes on a table when the doctor knocked on the door. Everyone sat right up, all on pins and needles to see if what Natalie believed happened. The doctor had a serious look on his face at first, then broke into the biggest smile she‘d ever seen on his face yet. ―Natalie, I have some good news. Looks like we‘re gonna get you out of this mess today.‖ ―Oh good. I‘ll be free.‖ ―Well, not completely. You‘ll still have to use the Ace bandages I gave you last time for both legs, at least for a 160

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer little while longer, but your arm will get to come out of your cast, and we‘ll do a simple Velcro brace, which won‘t be so cumbersome.‖ Gran clapped her hands. ―Wonderful, Doc. How‘s that messy elbow doin‘?‖ ―It‘s doing well, even better since last week. In fact, I‘m amazed. I went ahead and redid the x-rays on both legs, just to make sure, but everything looks great.‖ ―I want to be done with wrapping now. How am I supposed to go to prom all bandaged up?‖ ―You can take them off by then, I‘m sure. When is the prom?‖ ―May eighth.‖ ―Yes, things should be doing much better by then. That‘s still two weeks away.‖ ―When will I get the pins out?‖ ―Pins don‘t come out unless they have to be repaired.‖ ―Oh.‖ Tracy laughed. ―Hey. Now you can still be the Bride of Frankenstein.‖ Natalie gave her the look. Gran looked worried. ―But you‘re sayin‘ it‘s better?‖ ―Much.‖ Natalie wasn‘t shocked at all. She was excited her new lessons must be working, but they weren‘t working good enough. ―I have to get out of this mess before prom.‖ ―You will, hon,‖ Gran told her. Within the hour, she was refitted with visible smaller apparatus for the upper part of her arm and elbow, a thousand times better than the bulky casts she‘d been wearing so long. ―These are so much lighter. Now all I have to do is get ready for prom so I won‘t even need any of this by then.‖ ―You can do it,‖ Tracy insisted. ―I have faith.‖ 161

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Chapter Thirty-four

Ceremonial Invitation

L

one Eagle arrived the following Tuesday on time. He was shocked to see Natalie walking like a normal girl, her arm out of her casts. The difference in a week was nothing short of miraculous. ―Hey, Little Bird. I see your wings are almost back to normal.‖ ―Yes. I‘m gonna go to prom soon.‖ ―Oh? When?‖ ―It‘s the second Saturday in May.‖ The date popped out of her mouth without hesitation. Her prom had been a near obsession with her and the fact that Lone Eagle had helped her heal made it all the more special. ―Mmm.‖ ―Why?‖ ―I wanted to know if you would like to go with me to our official festival the first weekend in May? It‘s the most important spiritual event all year for our people.‖ Natalie‘s eyes grew wide. ―Really? What is it?‖ ―The Corn Festival.‖ Natalie giggled. ―What? Corn?‖ ―Corn is important to our people and for our ancestors eons ago. We must thank the Great Spirit for all our blessings and ensure crops and business is good for the coming year.‖ 162

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―Sounds neat. I‘d love to go.‖ ―Good. I will come and get you in the morning. It‘s on a Saturday and I would have to pick you up before dawn. Ask your grandmother if it is okay, and if so, I will take you. If you think you are up to such an outing.‖ ―Of course I am.‖ ―Okay.‖ ―So what‘s our lesson for today?‖ ―I would like you to find your own power animal today, Little Bird. Not mine this time, but your own.‖ ―Okay, let‘s get going then.‖ Natalie still kept her legs propped up on Gran‘s coffee table, since they were less than half the weight. She already felt light as a feather before she ever closed her eyes. Her arm was another matter. Losing the weight of her cast and brace was wonderful compared to the last time they tried this. ―I hope I can do better today, Lone Eagle. I feel better now, that‘s for sure.‖ ―You seem better now, Little Bird. Maybe your animal will show himself to you today.‖ Natalie closed her eyes, sinking her back into the squishy soft fabric of Gran‘s old chair. Lone Eagle whispered. ―Now Little Bird, I want you to go into the Lower World. Imagine the doorway to the Lower World opening. Step inside and journey down to the place where your animal is waiting for you.‖ Natalie walked down the same dark stone stairs. This time she could see more about the place, which looked like a castle from a medieval movie. The stairwell looked darker than last time, and there were at least twice the number of stairs to go down. ―Are you there yet?‖ ―Not yet.‖ She continued all the way down those stairs. A stone sidewalk wrapped around a winding body of water. ―I 163

Leah Leonard think I‘m there. This place doesn‘t look quite the same.‖ ―Oh good. Do you see anything else?‖ ―There is no animal here yet.‖ ―Go ahead and call it. Ask your animal to come forward.‖ ―Out loud?‖ ―No, only in your mind, in the space you created there.‖ Natalie walked down the winding path to her left and walked along the water. Nobody was in sight, not even when she looked over her shoulder. After making a few twists and turns on the path, she came to a straightaway where she could see quite a ways away. The river widened and way off in the distance, she saw something. ―Wait. I see something.‖ ―Where?‖ ―Still too far away to tell.‖ ―Invite the animal to come closer.‖ ―I don‘t know.‖ ―Do not be afraid. Ask if it‘s of the light.‖ ―To myself?‖ ―Yes.‖ She heard an immediate yes. ―It says yes.‖ ―Good, then ask it to come closer. You may approach or wait for it to come.‖ Natalie walked closer. The two beings closed the gap between them, and Natalie recognized the animal approaching. She didn‘t want to tell Lone Eagle though, in case he would get mad at her again. ―Well? What do you see?‖ ―You won‘t believe me if I tell you.‖ ―Try me.‖ ―Wait a little longer.‖ She watched the giant silver wolf shimmer out of the distance and got closer, until he was inches away from her. This time she got a far better look at him. He was an amazing animal. His multiple colored black, 164

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer grey and white hair was unlike any other wolf she‘d ever seen. His eyes flashed bright blue. ―Do you see now?‖ ―Yes.‖ ―What is it?‖ Natalie took a big sigh. ―He says to call him Wolf. That‘s his name, nothing more. Not the wolf, it‘s Wolf.‖ ―This can‘t be.‖ ―I promise, Lone Eagle. Wolf is with me. I know you think I‘m lying, but I‘m not.‖ ―Okay, look at his neck. Is he wearing a collar of any kind?‖ Natalie never noticed his neck before under his thick fur and folds of skin. ―Yes, I see one.‖ ―What is it?‖ ―Well, he‘s wearing a piece of art. Like a diamond made of wool yarn.‖ ―What colors?‖ ―Black in the middle, yellow around the middle edge, red around the far edge. Like one of those things kids used to make at school from balls of yarn, only I can‘t remember what they are.‖ ―Ojo.‖ ―Yeah. A black, yellow and red ojo.‖ **** Lone Eagle was stunned. He and Little Bird could not share the exact same totem. Not possible. This must be a sister wolf. ―Tell me about her eyes.‖ ―He, not she.‖ Natalie corrected. ―Turquoise blue, flashing bright. He says he knows you, Lone Eagle.‖ ―This cannot be.‖ ―He says yes, and you will know why later.‖ 165

Leah Leonard ―I don‘t believe you.‖ Natalie opened her eyes. ―Fine, but I‘m telling the truth.‖ ―You are reading my mind. There‘s no other explanation.‖ ―If you say so, all I know is what I see.‖ Lone Eagle stood up to go. ―You will have to find your own power animal, Natalie. I cannot help you anymore. Maybe someday, if you are supposed to work with animal medicine, you will find your own animal. Until then, I‘d suggest sticking with the stones. I will see you Saturday at five in the morning. Goodbye.‖ **** Natalie knew what she saw. She knew Wolf was her guide, and she would work with him alone, if she had to. Lone Eagle overreacted. They ought to be able to share.

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Chapter Thirty-five

Destiny Unfolds

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one Eagle drove to the Pueblo. He had a night off, and planned to use this night to get answers. He arrived at his house, grateful to find Lupe still at work. He went into his room, locked the door behind him and lit a candle. He sat on his spot on the floor, closed his eyes. Wolf met him right away. ―What are you doing, Wolf? Why do you allow yourself to appear to the girl?‖ Wolf stood steady but gave no answers. He began to walk and Lone Eagle followed. Together they traveled into the Upper World, through the meadow, back to the place where his father met him before—the Antler Throne Room. Looking Elk sat perched on his throne. He looked serene and at peace. ―Your time with the girl is almost over.‖ ―I know, Father.‖ ―You have trained her well, but for now, you must resume your duties of Chief.‖ ―I am going to Sundance after the Corn Festival.‖ ―Good. Finish your training first, by taking the girl to the Corn Festival.‖ ―Yes. I received guidance in my dream. I already made the plan. This is not necessary.‖ 167

Leah Leonard ―Destiny awaits…a series of events unfolds…you must.‖ Lone Eagle trusted the urgings, even if he didn‘t understand or like them. ―Father, I don‘t understand. The apprenticeship is not over. Understanding our ways would take years. There is so much to know, so little time…‖ ―For now, you have almost completed all for her to know. The journey will unfold in divine time.‖ ―I thought this would be over in a month or two.‖ Looking Elk laughed. ―No, my son. No. You have opened her eyes to the power she has within, but to all those with powerful toys, time is needed to understand their operation.‖ ―What about the Wolf? And the gold coin? What am I supposed to do about that?‖ Looking Elk responded with a laugh. ―I will be leaving soon, Father. Who will help her learn if I don‘t?‖ ―Lupe. Natalie is a medicine woman, Lone Eagle. She has powerful medicine to give through the stones. Lupe must teach her.‖ ―She won‘t.‖ ―I told Lupe to look out for the one chosen to teach. She will heed my warning. I have faith.‖ ―I do not. I know she hates whites.‖ ―Hate is a strong word my son. Lupe must use the white man for her medicine. She must transform the negative energy into something of a higher nature if she is to become all she is meant to be. Lupe doesn‘t hate outside her own self. Natalie will be her apprentice after your departure, and she will become Lupe‘s best medicine.‖ ―Lupe will never agree to this.‖ ―Your sister can be great if she will let go of bitterness. I always believed she would answer a higher calling. Her calling begins with teaching the one you call Little Bird.‖ 168

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer

Chapter Thirty-six

Upset Date

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hursday morning, Cody walked Natalie to algebra. He cradled her books in his arms, held the door for her. She didn‘t need his help anymore, but they‘d grown so used to each other‘s company. She let him carry her books and they talked about homework, school, friends. Once she was seated, he turned to her. ―What are you doing on Saturday? Want to come to another game?‖ Natalie‘s heart skipped a beat. There would be nothing else she‘d rather do than see Cody play baseball, but there was the Corn Festival. She knew she couldn‘t miss it. ―I‘d love to, but I can‘t. I‘ve got plans.‖ ―Oh, working in the store, huh?‖ ―No.‖ ―You can bring Tracy along if you want to.‖ She shook her head. ―Not with Tracy…I‘m going to the Corn Festival at San Felipe Pueblo.‖ Cody scowled. ―Corn Festival? What? You aren‘t going with the weird old guy who was outside your house the other day, are you?‖ ―He‘s not weird. He‘s my friend. He‘s like a brother to me.‖ Cody snorted his disapproval. ―A lot of kids have been talking about you. They think you‘re nuts, or you‘re goin‘ 169

Leah Leonard crazy or something.‖ Cody‘s words stung her, but what he said was true. ―Yeah, whatever.‖ She stood and walked away, left him carrying her books. ―Wait, Natalie. I‘m sorry.‖ She noticed for the first time in almost a year, Cody had to jog to catch up with her. ―Listen Cody. I like you, okay? Nobody else. I have other friends, like Rafael, who were there for me while I was sick. You don‘t have to understand what I‘ve been through, just be there for me like you have been, okay?‖ Cody looked embarrassed. ―I‘m sorry.‖ ―Not a big deal. I wanted to go to prom with you more than anything else in the whole world. I‘ve worked hard to take care of myself these past couple months to get my casts off in time so you and I can dance together. I did it for you, even though I know I shouldn‘t tell you that. I‘m almost healed now, and I wouldn‘t be if Rafael hadn‘t been there for me, so yes. I have plans this Saturday, but I hope we still have plans to go to prom ―I can‘t wait til our first dance together.‖ ―Me neither.‖

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Chapter Thirty-seven

The Corn Festival

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one Eagle pulled up outside Natalie‘s house at five fifteen in the morning. He didn‘t want to ring the bell or knock and didn‘t have to. She came running out to the truck. ―Little Bird. You run so well now.‖ ―Hi. Here, Gran made us some cookies.‖ He bit into a cookie. ―Oatmeal?‖ ―Yeah, she says they‘re healthier.‖ They drove back to Lone Eagle‘s house where he changed into full regalia including face paint and headdress. He looked at himself in the mirror. This was the first time he‘d worn his father‘s headdress. He stepped into the living room. Natalie sat on the couch, her feet propped up on a table, sending text messages with her phone. She looked up. ―Wow. You look incredible. What an awesome outfit.‖ ―This was my father‘s.‖ He handed her a brown gown. ―Here. Go change.‖ ―What is it?‖ ―It belonged to my mother. Her ceremonial gown. I will have to look around some more for her feathers. Now you will fit in.‖ ―Wow, I don‘t know what to say. Thanks.‖ 171

Leah Leonard ―Go.‖ He pointed to the back. Within a moment she reappeared wearing the long brown gown. ―Well? What do you think?‖ Looking at Little Bird in the dress was like seeing a ghost from the deep past. ―Come here.‖ He reached out and smeared white, yellow, and red stripes on her cheeks, hung ceremonial beads around her neck. ―Now you‘re ready. Let‘s go.‖ They walked from Lone Eagle‘s house to an open field nearby where hundreds were gathered. The Corn Festival was one of the most amazing things Natalie had ever seen. ―I can‘t believe I‘ve lived here my whole life, but I‘d never been to this before.‖ ―Not many are allowed here. We have our public ceremonies over by the casino, but this ceremony is for tribe members.‖ Hundreds of Native Americans danced in costume. Long strands of dried colored corn were for sale. Lone Eagle went up to a vendor and bought two. ―Here. Hold this and don‘t let it touch the ground. It is considered sacred offering to the Sky God.‖ They walked around further and he bought her a piece of fry bread which she gobbled up. ―This is yummy.‖ They visited another booth where photos of St. Philip were attached to felt and hung on long silk strings. He bought two, handed her one. ―Wear this for protection.‖ It was an amazing array of Western religion and Native American beliefs. Large incense pots filled with Frankincense and Mir blew in the air next to others who burned traditional sage wands. In the background, the drums accompanied rattles and flutes. Several people were perched atop a large stage. ―I have to go up here, Little Bird. You wait here.‖ 172

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer He handed her the rest of his fry bread, which she ate, and stepped to the stage where throngs of supporters cheered him on. ―Welcome our new Chief, Lone Eagle.‖ He waved to the people and participated in several traditional dances while everyone watched. When the dancing was over, Natalie turned to walk to the staircase Lone Eagle would soon be walking down when someone stopped her. ―Where do you think you‘re goin‘?‖ Natalie looked up into the angry face of Lupe Running Wolf. She hardly recognized her at first in all her feathers and war paint. Her long hair was twisted so tight in a bun and her face looked so mean, she was sure Lupe was a man at first glance. ―I…uh…‖ ―I said whatcha doin‘ here, white girl?‖ She spoke with such a demeaning tone, it made bullies at school like Janis seem nice. Lupe loomed over her. She was one big woman, and with her arms and legs barely out of casts, Natalie took a step back. ―Sorry.‖ ―Listen white girl. You don‘t belong here, you understand? This is sacred and whites are not welcome.‖ Lone Eagle stepped between them, and put a strong arm on his sister‘s shoulder. ―Listen bully. You will step back or you will have to leave.‖ ―I won‘t go anywhere. She needs to go.‖ Natalie turned to Lone Eagle. ―Why does she hate me so much?‖ ―Wait here. I‘ll only be a minute.‖

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Chapter Thirty-eight

Enemies Closer

L

one Eagle grabbed his sister by the forearm, dragging her away from the activities, up the hill, and into their house, so she would not shame them any further. ―Get inside. Now.‖ ―I‘m not gonna teach her a thing when you‘re gone.‖ Lone Eagle watched his sister help herself to the rest of the chips he had in his cupboard. She‘d been a difficult child. He knew that. He wished she would soften a bit, become the woman he knew she could be. Their time together since Lupe moved in made no impact on her behavior whatsoever. He walked to the fridge, pulled out two sodas, handing one to her, and went to sit in his living room. ―You are making a fool of yourself, Lupe.‖ ―No, you are. You‘re the one hanging around the whites, acting like you‘re not one of us anymore.‖ ―That‘s not true, and you know it. You were terrible to her. I won‘t stand for it.‖ ―I‘m not teaching her if that‘s what you want.‖ He stared out the window at the crowd still gathered in the nearby field. Lupe kept digging, ―D‘you hear me? I …‖ ―I heard you.‖ ―Well? Whatcha gonna do about it?‖ She popped open 174

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer the soda, drank nearly half in a single chug. He shook his head. ―I can‘t do anything if you won‘t teach her, Lupe. It‘s up to you, but you know it‘s what Father and the ancestors want you to do. You can choose to live your purpose, pass on what you know, or you can choose to spend eternity in the Underworld. Up to you.‖ Lupe sat in the old threadbare chair, bowing from her weight. ―You ain‘t gonna threaten me with any kind of damnation. I‘m the one who‘s in charge of the spiritual lives of our people, Lone Eagle, not you.‖ ―Poor them.‖ ―Shut up. You high and mighty.‖ ―Think of your mother and father for a moment, Lupe. What would honor them? Would they be glad to know you squander the gifts they gave you? You miss your mother, we all do. She taught you the ways of the herbs and medicines, taught you how to use the gifts of Mother Earth to heal the sick, but do you help anyone? No. You won‘t even help yourself. You have a gift. I think if you would stop to listen to the ancestors, you would realize this girl, this white girl, has been chosen, not by you or me, but by the ancestors. She is part of our tribe, Lupe. I have had all the signs I need to see to know it‘s true. I didn‘t want to help her either when this all began, but the ancestors spoke to me, like I know they are speaking to you. She is our tribe. The color of her skin might not be the same in this lifetime, but I promise you, she is one of us. You attack her, you condemn your whole people. You need to be ministering to our people, not to the bottle after work. We have enough money for you to stay home, open your doors to the ill, but why you won‘t do this is beyond me.‖ ―No, we don‘t have any money left, Bro, you gave it all to her.‖ Lupe shouted at the top of her lungs and pointed outside. 175

Leah Leonard The ceremonial drumming grew so loud he pretended not to hear her. ―If you won‘t do your calling and be part of this tribe, as Chief, when I return from the Sundance, I will have to command you to pass your gift on to…‖ ―I am not going to give our ancestral knowledge away to a Washisho. You are a traitor to your own kind, Rafael. You make me sick.‖ She spit. ―Stop. You sicken me. I treat you with kindness and respect and you treat me with none. Our father commanded me before his death to teach her. He wanted you do the same. There are things a man cannot know. Secrets given only to women. Soon my apprenticeship will come to an end and you will have to take over. Father has spoken. He came to me in the dream world and told me. Natalie is a healer with remarkable gifts, a medicine woman, like you.‖ ―She is no medicine woman. You‘re a liar.‖ ―No, sister. You would be surprised to know the extent of her gifts. You lie to yourself by not acknowledging this. Father spoke to me and told me he has come to you on many occasions to tell you about an apprentice. He says you will not listen and wanted me to intervene. I know he came to you before his death too…‖ Lone Eagle did not know any such thing, but by the look on his sister‘s face, he knew it must be true. ―This knowledge is not meant to go to the grave with any of us or else our ways cannot be preserved.‖ ―There are other members of the tribe to teach.‖ ―True, but you know there isn‘t anyone talented enough or worthy of this knowledge. Again, Father asks us both to look beyond our skin color to what lies beneath. He spent his dying breath speaking of this and you must listen.‖ Lupe‘s face twisted into a red hot knot, her eyes looked like they might pop from the sockets. She squeezed her aluminum can flat with her bare hands and burst into tears. ―Okay. Pop says so.‖ 176

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer Lone Eagle wanted to believe her, but time would tell for sure. Lupe loved drama, and this might be one of her performances bent on manipulating him. **** Natalie waited outside and watched dancing and drumming for what seemed like forever. She hated being the object of so much controversy for Lone Eagle and his sister. ―Hey, Little Bird.‖ She turned around and saw Lone Eagle smiling once again. ―Everything better now?‖ ―Yes. I talked to her and she says she‘s sorry.‖ Natalie gave him the look she reserved for Tracy when they were pulling each other‘s legs. ―Oh?‖ He laughed. ―Well…we‘ll see.‖ ―I meant to ask you about things like this.‖ ―What?‖ ―When someone is mean to you, how do you handle it? I have a nasty girl at school I‘d like to do a number on. Do you have any spells?‖ ―No. We do not believe in this. We believe what you put out you get back threefold.‖ Just then, Natalie noticed a tall lanky man with greasy black hair walked by and looked at Lone Eagle. He didn‘t look happy. ―You mean like him?‖ ―You can feel him, can‘t you?‖ ―Uh huh.‖ ―He is trouble. Stay clear of him.‖ ―What do you do about it?‖ ―You use your medicine to protect yourself and keep the peace. Your main medicines are the rocks in your shop.‖ ―Okay.‖ ―Also you must take your power. Confront with 177

Leah Leonard confidence. Do not be afraid. Watch.‖ Lone Eagle walked over to the grease ball and shook his hand. Natalie scooted down just far enough to eavesdrop on the conversation. ―Hey, I want to tell you I was out of line the other day,‖ Lone Eagle told the man. ―No you weren‘t. I‘ve been throwing some stuff at you. Jealous.‖ ―No need to be.‖ The skinny man looked at the dirt, hands deep in his pockets. ―I know, just a thing, man.‖ ―I want to be allies for our tribe. We don‘t need to fight. I want you to meet me for breakfast next week so we can talk about our future.‖ ―You want to talk to me?‖ ―Yes. I‘m going to Sundance, and I want to have some things to think about on my journey.‖ ―Yes, okay. I‘ll see you at the diner Monday or Tuesday.‖ ―I‘ll be there then and I‘ll buy your breakfast.‖ Natalie watched the scraggly man walk away. She wondered if food would work on bimbos or angry sisters. Maybe, maybe not. Lone Eagle walked up. ―I think things will be better.‖ ―You sure were nice to him.‖ ―You know the saying? Friends close, enemies closer?‖ ―Uh huh.‖ ―It‘s a good one.‖ ―You’re a good one, Lone Eagle.‖

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Chapter Thirty-nine

Dream Date

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atalie stood in her bedroom looking at herself in Gran‘s floor length mirror she dragged in three days earlier. Since then, she practiced trying on her gown at least a dozen times. Today was the day. She wore her long violet satin gown with a halter top. She spun around in front of the mirror. ―Well? What do you think?‖ Tracy smiled. ―You look like the old you. I love it. How do you like mine?‖ Tracy had a shiny gold gown which matched her blonde hair. ―Sparkly. I love it.‖ Tracy looked at her closer. ―What I love is how good you look without your casts. Look at your arm. You can barely tell anything happened.‖ ―I know.‖ ―Yeah, no kidding.‖ Natalie finished curling her hair with the iron. She had Tracy help her weave purple ribbons throughout, twisting some pieces so they fell down her back and shoulders. ―This is a good color for you.‖ Tracy lifted her hair up. ―Matches your eyes and complements your skin.‖ ―Thanks.‖ Gran shouted from outside the bedroom door, ―Natalie. Cody‘s outside. I see him and Dan both comin‘ up the 179

Leah Leonard steps.‖ ―Coming Gran.‖ She applied the one pinch of lipstick her gran would allow, then a second for good measure. This was it. Her dream date. ―You ready to do this, Trace?‖ ―Yep.‖ ―Then let‘s go.‖ Natalie swung open her bedroom door and she and Tracy stepped into the living room. Gran had tears in her eyes when she saw them. ―Oh Natalie, you look so beautiful, and Tracy, you‘re just pretty as a picture.‖ Mary walked over to take a look. She pulled a couple of Gran‘s tissues out and started dabbing her eyes. ―Gosh, Gertrude. I can‘t believe these two, can you? They‘re all grown up. They make me feel so old.‖ ―You don‘t know nothin‘ about old Mary, believe me.‖ ―You two look stunning.‖ Mary‘s eyes filled with tears. Natalie spun around. ―Think Cody will like it?‖ Tracy followed. ―And Dan?‖ Before anyone could answer, Gran ran over and grabbed herself some tissues. ―If he doesn‘t, he‘ll need to have his eyes checked.‖ ―Gran?‖ ―Yes?‖ ―Thanks for getting me this dress. I know money‘s tight right now, and…‖ ―Sweetie, every girl needs a proper dress for her prom,‖ Gran reminded her. The doorbell rang. ―Now you two go and have a good time tonight.‖ Natalie stood frozen at the door. She looked at Tracy. ―What should we do?‖ Tracy shrugged. ―I don‘t know.‖ ―You want me to get it?‖ ―Could you?‖ Natalie grinned ―We can pretend we‘re still getting ready.‖ ―You two learn quick. Go on.‖ Gran waited until they 180

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer were out of sight, then opened the door. Natalie and Tracy giggled while they pinned their ears to the bedroom door. They heard Gran say, ―Cody. Dan. Come on in, they‘re almost ready.‖ ―Hello boys.‖ ―This is Tracy‘s mom, Mary, and I‘m Gertrude.‖ Natalie looked at Tracy. ―Okay, ready to go?‖ ―Ready.‖ Heads high and smiles across both their faces, Natalie and Tracy walked out of the bedroom and into the foyer, beaming like the rays of the sun. ―Hi Cody.‖ Natalie blinked her eyelashes, twisted a piece of her ribboned hair around her index finger. Cody‘s mouth fell open, and he stood and looked at her for a moment too long. ―Natalie. Wow. You look beautiful. Here…‖ He walked up and placed her corsage gently on her left wrist. ―It matches perfect.‖ Natalie reached for the white carnation dipped in violet and pinned it to his tux. ―There you go.‖ ―You have such pretty arms.‖ ―And hands.‖ She giggled. Dan brought Tracy a yellow rose, and she pinned a white carnation on his tux. ―You look gorgeous.‖ ―You look great too. Thanks for the corsage.‖ ―My pleasure.‖ After a few photos, they were ready to go. ―I don‘t wanna be a nag, but you all drive careful tonight, you hear?‖ Gran reminded them. Cody turned to look at her. ―Don‘t worry, Mrs. Locke. I promise to take care of her…and all of them.‖ Gran waved. ―I know you will. You all have fun.‖ The couples walked down the sidewalk, and Cody helped Natalie into the front seat of the Taurus, while Dan helped 181

Leah Leonard Tracy into the back. Natalie beamed. She did it. Her life was her own again, at long last.

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Chapter Forty

Packing to Go

L

one Eagle wrapped his ceremonial attire in a leather wrap his family had for generations. He covered his drum and stuffed it behind the seat of the pickup, gathered his sage, his rattles and all the jewelry and face paint he thought he would need. Last, he packed his regular clothes. Not many. A few pair of pants, five t-shirts, a jacket, for cold weather, which was always possible any time of year that far north, a lumpy pillow, and a sleeping bag for laying out under the stars. He jumped when he heard a knock at his bedroom door. ―Come in.‖ Lupe stood in the hall. She seemed far more relaxed than normal. ―Hey, Bro. Mind if I come in?‖ He mumbled something in the middle of yes and no, but she came in anyway. She moved his folded shirts to the middle of his bed and took a seat. ―When you goin‘?‖ ―Tomorrow afternoon.‖ ―How long will you be gone?‖ He shrugged. ―A month or two, maybe longer. I will know when I get there.‖ ―I would like to go to Sundance one day.‖ ―I‘m sure you will, when it is time for you.‖ 183

Leah Leonard Lupe sighed, and by the sound of it, he worried what she was going to pull this time. ―I‘ve come to make peace before you leave.‖ He stopped what he was doing, dropped the dress shirt he was folding on the back of a chair and turned around. ―Really?‖ ―I have been treating you with disrespect. You were right about everything. Sorry.‖ His sister would never admit she was wrong. He never remembered any time in their lives when she apologized. This was a major deal for her. ―Thank you. Means a lot.‖ ―Yeah. I want to make things right.‖ ―I am coming back, you know.‖ ―Yes, but you never know what the Great Spirit has in mind. I want our last words together to be of peace.‖ ―Me too. I love you, Lupe. I want you to find your way, be happy with your life.‖ ―Me too, Bro. I want this for you also.‖ He laughed. ―You might enjoy having the place to yourself while I‘m gone, you never know.‖ She shook her head. ―No, I enjoy having you around.‖ This was a first. Although he complained about the noise and the constant interruptions, the soda cans and trash, he had to admit once he thought about it, he kind of liked having her around, too. She beat the alternative. The first days home without Looking Elk were hard. At least Lupe provided entertainment, if nothing else. ―You know what, Sis?‖ ―What?‖ ―I like having you around, too.‖ Lupe jiggled from a deep laugh. ―I don‘t believe you.‖ ―It‘s true.‖

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Chapter Forty-one

Compassionate Gesture

W

hen they walked into the prom, Natalie beamed. Heads turned to look at her and Tracy with their dates. She whispered, ―See Trace? I told you we have good taste in dresses.‖ ―And boys.‖ Tracy nudged her. Cody held Natalie‘s hand. ―Want to dance?‖ ―You have no idea how much.‖ They ran out to the dance floor, Tracy and Dan nearby. Natalie was thrilled the first song was a slow one. She wanted to ease into it, so by the end of the night she‘d be back in full swing. Cody held her close but gently. ―Am I hurting you?‖ She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. How good it felt to be free and to feel her skin again. ―No.‖ When the dance was over, another faster song came on. ―Want to keep going?‖ Cody asked. ―Can we slow dance to the fast songs?‖ ―Sure, I like it, actually. You‘re a really good hugger.‖ ―Thanks, so are you.‖ Several more songs played, both fast and slow, but Cody danced with her through them all. ―Ready to sit for a minute?‖ 185

Leah Leonard ―Sure,‖ Natalie said. Tracy and Dan were still out on the dance floor, tearing it up. Cody smiled and held her hand. ―Are you having fun?‖ ―Yes, you?‖ ―Oh yes. Wait here and I‘ll go get us something to drink, okay?‖ While Cody was over at the punch bowl, Natalie took a look around the room. Everyone had nice dresses on, their hair was all done up, and the cafeteria was covered in silver white and red balloons and streamers. Janis stood in a corner alone. That’s strange. She let the thought go. Big read cardboard hearts hung from the ceiling. This was quite a dreamy evening. ―Here you go.‖ Cody handed her a cup of sparkling cider. ―Thanks.‖ She took a sip, hoping it wouldn‘t wipe out her lipstick. ―It tastes great.‖ After sipping on punch, Tracy and Dan came to the table and they all had their official pictures taken under a heartshaped gazebo covered in balloons. On the way back to their table, Natalie noticed bimbo Janis, still standing alone in the corner. She saw her run crying into the bathroom. Natalie said, ―I‘ll be right back.‖ Tracy was holding Dan‘s hand, giggling about something. ―Want me to come with?‖ ―No. I won‘t be long.‖ Natalie listened to the amazing click-click-click sound of her sparkly new shoes as she walked across the tile floor in the bathroom, a welcome sound compared to plaster. She walked into the girl‘s room and saw Janis standing in the far corner, crying and wiping her eyes. ―Janis. What‘s wrong?‖ Janis wouldn‘t have given Natalie the time of day, but tonight she was alone. ―My date ditched me. He didn‘t even show up. Can you believe it? Now everyone‘s laughing at 186

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer me. I feel like a fool.‖ Natalie took a couple steps closer. ―Yeah, I know what a fool feels like, for sure.‖ Janis blew her nose on one of the scratchy paper towels. ―Hey. You‘re that girl Natalie, right?‖ ―Uh huh. You know, Cody‘s date.‖ She nodded. Natalie pulled some softer tissue from a roll in a stall and handed it to her before her nose turned any redder. ―Look, I know you teased me before when I was all in plaster and looking pathetic, but that‘s okay. I forgive you.‖ Janis never apologized or acknowledged in words what happened the day at the baseball game, but she started to cry harder and needed the tissues. ―If you want, you can come hang out at our table. We don‘t care.‖ ―Thanks, Natalie, but it‘s okay. I‘ll go home soon.‖ Natalie thought about Lone Eagle and the scruffy man at the Corn Festival last weekend. ―Okay, well, maybe we can eat lunch together sometime.‖ Janis shrugged. ―Okay, thanks.‖ Natalie held her head high and walked back to her table. Tracy and Dan were still dancing. Cody smiled. ―Ready to dance some more?‖ ―You bet.‖ They took to the floor again, slow swaying to every song. After waiting for this moment for so very long, wondering if she would even be able to stand up or go to prom at all, like all of the sweetest things in life, the night eventually came to an end. The boys took the girls out for an ice cream, and had them home safely by midnight, as promised. Cody walked Natalie to the door. ―I had a great time.‖ Natalie beamed. ―Me too.‖ 187

Leah Leonard ―You are quite a dancer, Natalie.‖ Cody gave her a sweet and tender kiss on the lips.

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Chapter Forty-two

Saying Goodbye

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atalie and Tracy were giggling when they walked into the house and shut the door behind them. ―Have a good time tonight, girls?‖ Mary raised her eyebrows. ―Yeah it was great.‖ Tracy answered immediately. ―What about you, Natalie?‖ Natalie was floating on a cloud, her lips still tingled from Cody‘s kiss. ―Yes. It was a dream.‖ ―Where‘s Gran, Mom?‖ Tracy asked. ―She went on to bed. She‘ll be happy to hear all about it tomorrow, though.‖ Just then, Natalie‘s purse buzzed. She pulled out her phone. ―Hey. A text. She hadn‘t been sending or receiving texts in so long, she forgot all about it. Tracy walked over. ―Really? From who?‖ Natalie scrolled through the message, Leaving tomorrow. Lone Eagle. She frowned. ―That‘s strange.‖ ―What?‖ ―Lone Eagle is leaving.‖ Once Tracy and her mom left to go home, Natalie called Lone Eagle back. This time he answered on the first ring, ―Hello?‖ ―Lone Eagle? What‘s going on? Where are you going?‖ 189

Leah Leonard ―Little Bird. I must go to Sundance. My rite of passage into our tribe.‖ ―Sundance? You never told me this before.‖ ―I know. I keep many things to myself.‖ ―So we aren‘t having a lesson next week?‖ ―No.‖ ―Okay, when will you be back?‖ ―I don‘t know.‖ Natalie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach like she‘d lost something and would never get it back. ―But I don‘t want you to go.‖ He laughed. ―I have to, Little Bird. I am going to be Chief soon.‖ ―But what about me? Who‘s gonna teach me when you‘re gone?‖ ―Lupe.‖ Natalie cringed. ―Lupe hates me, in case you didn‘t notice.‖ ―No, Little Bird, she doesn‘t.‖ The feeling of peace Natalie had earlier, knowing her life was her own again, washed away like rain on a sidewalk. Panic filled every fiber within her. ―But when are you going? What time?‖ ―Once I can get out of here.‖ ―Please wait for me. I have to say goodbye to you.‖ She heard a heavy sigh. ―I don‘t know…‖ ―Please. Promise me you won‘t leave until noon to give me time to get there.‖ ―Okay, but if you‘re not here by noon, I will be heading north.‖ ―Okay. I will be there. I don‘t know how, but I will.‖

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Chapter Forty-three

The Road Ahead

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atalie didn‘t sleep all night. She woke up before dawn, and parked herself in Gran‘s favorite recliner. She needed transportation to get to San Felipe Pueblo. She thought about calling Tracy back last night to see if she would take her. She even thought to ask Gran if she would miss church today to drive her there, too. To transcend all the events of the past several months, she needed to be allowed to drive up there alone. To go along the highway, take the exit near the area that almost claimed her life, would bring her the kind of power Lone Eagle taught her to use. She hoped Gran would agree to it. She took her driving test in the Cadillac, so she knew how to drive it. Her legs and shoulder were strong again. Still, deep within the pit of her soul, lay a tiny speck of cold black fear. Driving would be the only way to overcome it, and the longer she went without getting behind the wheel, the worse her fear would get. How bad could driving be? She walked into the prom and danced all night, didn‘t she? She went up to Janis, and she didn‘t beat her up or laugh at her. Now this would be her final test. Gran wandered into the kitchen at quarter ‗til seven, 191

Leah Leonard groggy and in her bathrobe. Her short hair shot out in a million directions. She jumped out of her house shoes when she saw Natalie sitting in her chair, staring at her. ―Criminy. What in the world are you doin‘ out here, child? You scared me to death.‖ ―Gran. Thank God you‘re awake.‖ ―Why, Sweetie? What‘s wrong?‖ ―I need a favor. Today. It‘s important.‖ ―What is it, honey?‖ ―I have to borrow the car.‖ Natalie put a hand up in case Gran wanted to interrupt her train of thought. ―I know you might not think I know how to drive, you may say I am irresponsible, but how am I going to learn and move forward unless I get behind the wheel and try? I need to go to San Felipe this morning first thing because Lone Eagle is leaving today, and I don‘t know if or when he‘s coming back. Look, I know you‘ll have to miss Mass, and I am sorry, but he‘s been a friend to us, and I don‘t think I can let him go without…‖ Gran handed her the keys. ―You‘ll be more careful this time. I‘m sure of it.‖ ―You mean I can borrow the Cadillac?‖ ―Yep.‖ ―And go all by myself?‖ ―Sure, hon. You could‘ve borrowed the car anytime, but I know you haven‘t been in shape to before now. You go on. I can go to Mass this evening.‖ She turned toward the bedroom. ―Where are you going?‖ ―Back to bed. Thanks to you, I can sleep a few extra hours today, which is fine by me.‖ Natalie reached San Felipe Pueblo right before nine thirty in the morning. Lone Eagle was standing out front packing his truck. 192

Natalie Locke & the Sundancer ―Little Bird. You almost missed me.‖ ―I thought you were going to wait.‖ ―I know, but the Great Spirit is calling. I must go in a few minutes.‖ Natalie looked into the kind dark eyes of the man who helped her more than just about any other human being ever had, with the exception of Tracy, Mary and Gran. Her throat tightened and her chest cramped up. ―I don‘t want to say goodbye.‖ ―It‘s time, Little Bird. You need to fly on your own now.‖ ―But I have so much to learn.‖ ―Lupe will be your teacher, Little Bird. She knows far more than I about these things.‖ ―Lupe won‘t even talk to me, let alone teach me.‖ ―You must take the first steps to her, Little Bird. Lupe and I have discussed this at length. You don‘t realize this yet, but she needs you almost more than you need her. You both have work to do together. I will be back again soon, and we will meet again, but you will not be the same frail little hummingbird who I see now. You have great things to do, Little Bird, so I must set you free for now.‖ Tears fell down her cheeks. ―But will I ever see you again?‖ ―Only the Great Spirit knows. Goodbye, Little Bird. Follow your path. May peace be with you.‖ Natalie wiped her cheeks. ―And also with you.‖ She watched Lone Eagle slip behind the wheel. He rolled down the window. ―Oh, Natalie.‖ ―Yes?‖ He reached into his front pocket. ―I almost forgot. Here. You should have this. My Father would want you to keep it, I‘m sure.‖ Natalie held the turquoise bear in her hands and her eyes welled with tears. ―But you bought it. Here.‖ She tried to 193

Leah Leonard hand it back. He shook his head and rolled up the window, started the engine and the old turquoise truck rattled down the dusty road. Once he was out of sight, she started the Cadillac, made a u-turn, and drove toward the interstate. By the time she reached I-25, the turquoise truck was nowhere in sight. Tears continued to stream down her face while she drove past the southbound entrance ramp and headed over the overpass. She parked in front of the gas station near the Casino. When she looked inside the window, she saw Lupe Running Wolf standing alone at the counter. Natalie‘s stomach tied up in a knot. She tried to imagine what would happen if this woman helped her. She thought about Janis and other mean kids at school she‘d known over the years. None were like Lupe though. ―I‘ve come this far, I might as well see…‖ She pushed the heavy glass door with her right arm, walked inside and went straight up to the counter. Lupe turned and looked straight at her. ―I‘ve been waitin‘ for you, girl.‖ Natalie gulped. ―You scare me.‖ Lupe nodded and laughed heartily, her giant frame giggling under a huge white t-shirt with a silver gray wolf on it. ―Well, that‘s a start.‖ Natalie noticed Wolf. Lone Eagle would say this was a sign. He was gone for now, so she needed to make the best of things. Natalie realized her journey had just begun.

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About the Author Leah Leonard was born in Albuquerque and grew up in the Southwest. She is author of numerous novels and short stories, many of which explore her love of the Southwest, the old west and indigenous cultures. Learn more about the author at: www.leahleonard.com