Justin M. Stone - Allie Strom and the Ring of Solomon

To Brendan, Verona, and Ella.

You all inspire me.

A llie Strom stared at the eerie blue glow of a small necklace on the floor of her bedroom closet. She knew that necklace well. Her whole life it had always hung from her moms neck. Yet here it was, while her mom was half-way across the world.

While searching for her favorite pleated skirt, Allie had first noticed the necklace. Starting seventh grade in a new city made her decision about what to wear especially significant.

She shuddered at the memory of sixth grade, when her stupid friend Crystal had betrayed her for the cool kids. All it took was for Allie to tell her she was moving, and maybe it hadnt helped to bring it up during Crystals birthday party. The cake frosting in her hair took forever to get out, but the feeling of betrayal wouldnt leave with a years worth of scraping.

No, this year she was determined to make sure she started off right. She would get in good with a group of friends and form her own crew of soccer girls. For the past few days she had thought of nothing else, aside from the occasional annoyance at her moms absence, once again. Regardless, finding the necklace had thrown Allie off guard.

Even more so now that it looked like the glow was starting to pulsate, a strange magnetism drawing her toward it. She knelt, hand going for it. Her ears rang, a sound like her mothers voice echoing from all around.

A knock on the door startled her, and the effect of the necklace was suddenly gone. Instead, it was simply a stone on a necklace again. Could she have imagined everything? She nudged the necklace into the closet with her toe, alongside the skirt and T-shirt combination she didnt want her dad to see. She paused at the mess, realizing that in spite of having moved here nearly two months ago, her unpacking job of throwing everything in the closet hadnt magically fixed itself.

Honey, can I? her dads deep voice came from the other side of the door, more hoarse than usual this morning.

Um She checked the other clothes on her bed to make sure they were to her dads liking. He was a great dad and meant well, but that didnt mean he would let her wear whatever she wanted to school. He still had the idea that she wasnt independent until she turned eighteen, and even that seemed like a stretch. Now, if her mom were here, that would be a different story. She was the one that had noticed Allie buying the pleated skirt and pretended not to see it. She would probably help Allie pick out an outfit, tell her everything a girl needed to know when going into Junior High, when becoming a young woman. But, like always, her mom was deployed with the Army. Off trying to improve the lives of others instead of focusing on her own daughter like she should have been. No one cared about Allies life. Where was Mom this time, Afghanistan or something? One of the Stans, Allie remembered that much.

Allie turned with a smile as she heard the door open. Yeah?

Her dad stepped in hesitantly. He was the kind of dad that seldom lost his cool and wasnt going away for work all the time. Usually, he was clean-cut and dressed well for his job at Nintendo, testing games or doing computers or something, Allie wasnt sure. But at the moment he sported a thick scruff and the skin beneath his eyes drooped like purple sacks.

All ready for the big day? her dad said with a glance toward her clothes on the bed.

Im not worried. Maybe it wouldve been true if her mom were there to drop her off, or even be there to wish her luck. Allie turned to look out her window at the hint of a rising sun reflecting on the damp asphalt of the apartment complexs parking lot. She had woken up early with a tingling in her stomach.

Its just seventh grade, she said. Not like its the World Cup or something.

Right, he said, his eyes shifting to the floor. Hey, Princess, I

Dad, Im twelve now, okay?

He looked at her like he couldnt believe it, then nodded. Yeah, I know. Hey, grown-up-Princess

She rolled her eyes and smiled.

Thats more like it. He sat on her bed, his butt on the sleeve of one of her sweaters. She cringed, but he didnt notice. His left nostril twitched the way it always did when he was nervous. I wanted to talk to you about somethingand well

Dad?

Yeah?

Can it maybe wait? I mean, I still have a lot to do to get ready and Moms not here to help so...

He looked at her, his eyes lingering. Since her twelfth birthday two months ago, he always stared at her like that, like he would lose her if he looked away. He kept saying how she was growing up so fast. Well, it was about time, in her opinion. A growth spurt before starting at the new school would have been the thing she needed, especially for the soccer team. But alas, she had no such luck.

Her dad sighed and stood. Sure, honey. But after school, we talk?

Yeah, okay.

He attempted to smooth out his wrinkled white-dress shirt, then looked around at her piles of clothes. Maybe I can help?

Of course you can. Why didnt I think of this earlier? She showed him to the door.

How, honey?

Make sure Ian doesnt bother me.

Her dad frowned as the door closed with him on the other side.

She rummaged around in the darkness of her closet and soon her fingers found the necklace by the smooth, cold stone.

She picked it up, nibbling at her lip as she pulled it into the light. The necklace had a blue stone at the end of a silver chain, an upside-down triangle overlaid on a right-side-up triangle of silver in the middle. Her mom had always worn it, as if it grew from her skin. Allie held it in front of the mirror, holding it up to her neck and staring in awe.

The clasp had been broken. She tied the chain in a half-knot and was about to put it on when the doorknob turned again.

Dad, Im not. She paused, seeing it was her older brother, Ian. The light peach fuzz around his mouth stuck straight out and he wore a scarf as if it made him look special.

Its me, puke-breath. He smiled at her in a groggy sort of way. Whats wrong with this family, why are we up so early?

Is it early? she glanced outside as she tucked the necklace under her pillow to hide it. Sure enough, she could still see her reflection in the window. The sky was the dark blue of early morning, with streaks of pink and bright orange highlighting the clouds. This didnt mean it was actually that early, since it was September in Washington State. Still, compared to her friends she had always been an early riser.

Ian leaned against the doorframe and yawned but didnt leave.

What? she said impatiently.

Ian stood in the doorway and smirked. Dad made his favorite, a la surprise for the big day.

Which is?

Yogurt and granola, with his special frozen blueberries, he said with a laugh.

He waved for her to follow and she did, but with a regretful look toward her pillow. She would have to check out the necklace more after breakfast.

Allies mouth watered and she didnt mind that they were eating the same food they ate every morning. Whatever her dad had wanted to say earlier, he must have put it out of his mind for the moment. He laughed and told stories of his first day in seventh grade. Even Ian, often glum and in his own world, told her a story about how he had accidentally walked into the girls bathroom on his first day and been made fun of the whole first month of seventh grade. Stories of humiliation exactly what she needed before the big day.