The Joining Tree

by Claire Fogel

  That did sound weird. “What do you and the Chief think happened to him?”

  “The police can’t prove it, of course, but the Chief guesses the driver was paid to cause your accident, and decided it would be healthier for him to leave town once he’d completed that job. We don’t believe he has stuck around to cause any more trouble for you.”

  “Cara, I think all I can do is have police patrol your neighborhood. I think you’re safe at school. The man who hit you is middle-aged. He’d really stand out on campus.”

  I poured a cup of tea for each of us. My tension level had risen a bit, and my head was beginning to ache. I needed to relax.

  When we’d finished our tea, the Lieutenant stood up. “There will be a patrol car in this neighborhood at night, and it would be a good idea to avoid going out alone. You’ll always be safer with your friends. These are just sensible precautions.”

  I followed him to the door. “I’ll be in touch, Cara.” He smiled down at me. “Stop frowning. We don’t want those creases on your pretty face. Have a little faith in the Syracuse police, okay?”

  I tried to smile. “Okay.”

  I watched him dash down the steps to his car and drive away. Then I realized it would probably be a good idea to shut the door instead of standing there like a target.

  After all the stress from last year, I really thought I could handle anything.

  I might have been wrong.

  The next morning as I was getting ready to leave the apartment for my first class, there was a knock at my door. Ralph sat in front of the door, whining but not barking.

  When I opened the door, my mouth fell open. Standing there with a huge duffle bag over his shoulder was a very tall, slim young man with pale blond hair, blue eyes, and a shy smile. He didn’t look as though he was too sure of his welcome.

  “Good morning, Princess.”

  “Gavin!”

  “Cara, your father sent me. He believes you need a bodyguard.” His face became serious, all traces of a smile gone.

  I shook my head, groaning on the inside. “Please come in, Gavin. I wasn’t expecting anyone from home, that’s all.”

  I would need to have a few more words with my father about the bodyguard issue.

  “I’m here to provide more protection for you. And I’ll be in class with you too.”

  I was about to ask how that could be arranged with the Barrett Institute, when he smiled. “Your father spent most of last night on the phone with Chief O’Donnell, Lieutenant Fox, and Mrs. Barrett. Everyone knows about the other driver who has disappeared, and everything has been arranged. You’ll just have to tell your landlady why I’m staying here with you.”

  My mouth fell open again. “You’re staying here . . . with me?”

  “Of course, Princess. Where else?”

  “Um, there’s only one bed. I can sleep on the couch; I don’t take up as much room as you do.” My mind was whirling, worrying about sheets, towels, groceries, and only one bathroom. I was also beginning to get irritated. Why was my father doing this to me?

  “I don’t need a bed, Princess. I brought an excellent sleeping bag.” He smiled. “Conor donated it. It’s by far the thickest sleeping bag I’ve ever seen. I’ll be quite comfortable.”

  My brains still felt a little scrambled when there was another knock on my door. Ralph stopped licking Gavin’s hand long enough to return to the door, whining again. He obviously knew who was out there.

  Just as I reached for the doorknob, Gavin immediately inserted himself between me and the door. I opened the door, peeking around Gavin to see Miss Williams, who looked surprised at the sight of the tall young man, but smiled anyway.

  “Good morning, you two,” she said. “Cara, your mother called me late last night to explain about your roommate, who seems to be very protective.” She smiled up at Gavin.

  “I’m Cara’s landlady, Laurie Williams, and you must be Gavin, Cara’s cousin. Welcome.”

  My mother had definitely filled her in regarding my “cousin’s” presence.

  He bowed to her. “Thank you, Miss Williams. I promise not to cause any problems for you while I’m here. Cara can tell you that I’m generally very quiet.”

  He was indeed. Gavin had never been what anyone would call talkative.

  She smiled. “No worries. We all want to keep Cara safe. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  She left for her apartment upstairs, and I gathered up my messenger bag.

  “You’ll have to unpack when we get back, Gavin. My first class is in fifteen minutes.”

  He nodded, following me out the door, a large manila envelope under his arm.

  I pointed to the manila envelope. “What’s that?”

  He blushed. “It’s some of my artwork. I’ll show you when we get to your class.”

  His artwork? “I didn’t know you were interested in art, Gavin. What do you like to draw?”

  “Uh, well, plants, flowers, herbs, birds, the small things in the forest that some people never see. Not the big, showy stuff like trees, roses, lilies. I like to draw the lesser-known plants. They have their own beauty.”

  “I can’t wait to see what you’ve done. I had no idea there was another artist in Blackthorne Forest.”

  He smiled shyly. “Actually, there are a few others as well.”

  This was news to me. No one had ever shared his or her work with me, other than Francis Sullivan, of course. I felt immediately guilty. I’d make it a point to meet all the other artists in Elvenwood as soon as possible. Why had no one told me before?

  As we walked across campus to my Drawing class, we attracted quite a bit of attention. Actually, Gavin attracted all the attention. He was a very good-looking young man with his pale blond hair and dreamy blue eyes. Being at least six feet four didn’t hurt either.

  Lily’s eyes almost popped out of her head when she spotted us, and her arm started waving like mad immediately. “Cara, wait up.” She ran over to us, stopped short in front of Gavin and said, “Who’s your friend?” Nothing shy about Lily.

  Naturally, Gavin immediately turned pink as he looked down at the tiny blonde. Lily was one of the few people smaller than me.

  I introduced him, saying, “Gavin’s my cousin, and he’ll be studying Art here with me.”

  Even though Lily and my other new friends knew about my accident, they didn’t know the other driver had disappeared. I didn’t think sharing that information was necessary, and I didn’t tell her that Gavin was sent as my bodyguard. It was better if everyone just considered him another art student.

  She actually got Gavin talking, which never happened with strangers, and they chatted right up until we reached my Drawing class.

  “My class is in the next building so I’ll see you both later,” she said, grinning. She was going to be late for her class, but she seemed to feel it had been worth it.

  We walked into my Drawing class and the instructor obviously expected Gavin. He directed him to another easel set up next to mine. When we got to our work space, I pointed to his manila envelope and he opened it, setting a group of drawings up on his easel. They were really good, like illustrations from a botany textbook. Every detail was perfect.

  Our instructor, Mr. Russell, came over to take a look at Gavin’s drawings. “You’re an excellent draftsman, Gavin. I’d like to see you turn these into much larger drawings, into real art, so they don’t look like illustrations.”

  He said, “These small plants have their own beauty, you know, but they’ll have a great deal more impact once they’ve been blown up. Let’s see what you can do with them.”

  Gavin nodded, looking eager. He immediately went to the supply table for a larger piece of art paper and fastened it to his easel. Looking over at me, he grinned. “I’m going to enjoy this class.”

  The same thing happened in my other classes as well. The instructors all seemed to be expecting Gavin and they were all complimentary about his drawings. He would be learning to recreat
e them in both watercolors and oils. I wondered if he’d have the same problem I was having with oil paints.

  As we walked between classes, Gavin’s eyes scanned the groups of students carefully. He seemed to be looking for anyone that didn’t “belong.” He was so tall, his visibility was far better than mine, and I was suddenly glad he was with me.

  I remembered how good he was with bow and arrow. I wondered if he was equally as skilled with a knife. Maybe my father’s decision to send Gavin to stay with me wasn’t such a bad idea.

  We went back to my apartment for lunch. Gavin played with Ralph while I made sandwiches. He assured me he was accustomed to preparing his own meals, so we agreed to take turns. I would supply the groceries.

  Since Gavin was a Halfling, like me, he was familiar with grocery stores. He’d grown up in Elvenwood, but had spent weekends in Thornewood with his mother until her untimely death. Gavin was much more accustomed to life in the human world than most Elves were, which made life simpler.

  After our afternoon classes, we returned to the apartment to take Ralph for a walk. Gavin thought it reckless of me to be walking Ralph by myself. When I thought about it, I had to admit he might be right. I stayed in the apartment while he walked Ralph, who didn’t seem to care who was at the other end of the leash. Since he could no longer run loose in the forest, these daily walks were all-important to Ralph.

  Gavin was accustomed to cooking over a campfire, not a gas stove, so he agreed we should continue to have our dinners at the Café. The first time I joined my usual crew for dinner with Gavin by my side, everyone made him welcome, especially Lily and Freddy, both of whom barely took their eyes off my tall, blond “cousin.”

  Lily immediately made room for Gavin next to her, much to Freddy’s disappointment. I couldn’t help smiling at their reactions, especially since Gavin was obviously aware of Lily’s tactics and was already blushing.

  I introduced Gavin as my cousin who’d been forced to start Barrett late in the term because his family had been traveling and had just arrived home. Naturally, Lily wanted to know where he was living. When he answered, “With Cara,” I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head.

  “You’re living together?” Everyone at the table looked interested in that piece of news.

  Gavin again turned red, and I had to assure the group that Gavin and I were like siblings, nothing more. “Gavin has an extremely comfortable sleeping bag,” I told them. Joel and Tim looked amused, Freddy kept staring at Gavin longingly, Paula and Lily both looked fascinated by the living arrangement I was describing.

  No one said anything until Gavin added, “I can’t afford to live anywhere else. Cara is doing me a big favor.” He looked around the table. “I hope no one misunderstands. That wouldn’t be fair to Cara.”

  Everyone nodded and seemed to relax. Conversation returned to a couple of second year instructors no one liked, and we all enjoyed a Pasta Salad Ginger had put together. It was full of ham, salami, olives, tomatoes, and chunks of cheese with an oil and vinegar dressing. Gavin went back for a second bowl, bowing his thanks to Ginger, who looked as though she’d give him as many bowls as he wanted, no charge.

  Paula nudged me and winked. I smiled, shaking my head. I hoped the interest in Gavin would die down quickly.

  When we returned to my apartment, Gavin unrolled his sleeping bag and placed it directly in front of my door.

  “It’s so early. Are you actually going to bed now?” I asked him.

  He shrugged. “We go to sleep early in the forest, mainly because we’re up at or before dawn. Your schedule is probably quite different,” he said with a smile.

  “Well, yeah. In the evening, I might read one of my Art History books for class, watch TV, or email my friends. I don’t go to bed until around ten o’clock. I’m usually up by seven thirty. Will those hours work for you?”

  “I’ll try to stay awake. I’m sure I’ll get used to your schedule in a few days.” He smiled a little sadly. “I used to enjoy watching television at my mom’s house. Can we watch something now?”

  “Sure.” I handed him the remote. “Go ahead and see what’s on. You can figure out how to use the remote.”

  I curled up at one end of the big couch, and Gavin made himself comfortable in the blue easy chair. He seemed fascinated by all the buttons on the remote, figured out which one turned the TV on, and started smiling as he learned how to use the other buttons.

  He kept the volume low so I was able to write and answer some emails on my laptop.

  I’d received a few emails from Sean, telling me all about Penn State, his classes and, of course, the punishing football practices. He said he missed me and was looking forward to coming home for Thanksgiving. I didn’t mention the current problem, saying I’d see him during Thanksgiving break and told him to take care of himself. After all, I wasn’t even sure it was a problem. I was trying to convince myself that the Chief and my father were simply making mountains out of molehills, one of Mom’s favorite expressions.

  I didn’t like keeping things from Amy and Kevin, but I hoped the current problem—if there was one—would be resolved by Thanksgiving, so I didn’t tell them that I again needed a bodyguard. I kept my emails light and focused on my Art classes, but I did confess I was frustrated with oil painting.

  It was a very pleasant evening, with Gavin chuckling occasionally as he sat in front of the TV. Ralph was curled up at my feet while I was on my laptop. My apartment no longer felt empty, which was an improvement. I hadn’t really gotten used to living alone.

  The rest of the week was calm. Gavin fit in so comfortably, it was as though he’d always been there. He was the perfect roommate. I refused to think of him as a bodyguard.

  At lunch in the Café every day, he was quiet and polite. Lily constantly tried to engage him in conversation, finally asking him if he’d go to a party with her Saturday night. He thanked her for the invitation but explained that he’d be going home to Thornewood with me for the weekend.

  Clearly disappointed, she muttered, “You two certainly spend a lot of time together.”

  He politely pointed out that his family was in Thornewood too.

  Lily stopped pouting, looking a bit embarrassed. “Of course. I understand.”

  It was a real temptation to tell Lily the truth, but something held me back.

  As soon as classes ended Friday afternoon, Gavin and I packed up and headed for home. Gavin hadn’t ridden with me before and was fascinated with my big car.

  It occurred to me that I didn’t know how Gavin had traveled to Syracuse a few days ago. “How did you get up here? I never asked.”

  “Mr. Callahan was driving to Albany. He made a detour to Syracuse to drop me off. He sent you his regards. I’m sorry. I was nervous and forgot to tell you.”

  “Why were you nervous?”

  He hesitated. “Well, I wasn’t sure you’d like having me dumped on you. You’ve always seemed to value your independence, Cara. I knew your father hadn’t consulted you before he sent me here. I was afraid you’d be angry.”

  “To tell the truth, I’m glad you’re here. Living alone, once I learned that other driver had disappeared, made me a little nervous. I’m more comfortable now.”

  “Ah. That’s a relief.” He smiled. “Being here at school with you has been wonderful! I’m enjoying your classes. I like your friends too.” I heard him chuckle. “Especially Lily. I think she likes me. Under other circumstances, I’d certainly accept her invitation.”

  I had to laugh. “Yeah, she likes you all right. Do you have a girlfriend at home?”

  He shook his head. “No. Most of Elvenwood is friendlier now than they used to be, but no one is that friendly. Boys outnumber girls, so unattached girls are too few and too young. I doubt I’ll find an Elf to mate with. Besides, I’m more comfortable in the human world.”

  This was interesting. Maybe Lily actually had a chance with Gavin. It was too bad that Gavin had to stick so close to me.

 
We arrived in Thornewood two hours later. Seeing the “Entering Thornewood” sign put a smile on my face.

  It was great being at home with Mom and Dad. Gavin had dinner with us before leaving to see Conor in the forest.

  After Gavin’s mother was killed, Conor had sort of adopted Gavin, training him to work in the forest with him. It was a good decision for both of them.

  I called Amy after Gavin left and asked if she’d have time to come over Saturday. She said she’d make time and that she needed to talk to me. She didn’t sound happy.

  My father decided that Gavin should stay with us whenever we were home for the weekend because he didn’t want me going anywhere alone.

  He finally asked, “How are you and Gavin getting along? Do you think he’s an effective bodyguard?”

  “Gavin’s great, Dad. He’s very protective, and a good roommate too. If you had to send anyone, Gavin was a good choice.”

  He nodded, looking pleased. “Well, I know that Gavin’s devoted to you. I trust him to do whatever is necessary to protect you. I’m glad you’re getting along well.”

  There was no sense telling him I didn’t really need a bodyguard. Besides, I kind of liked having Gavin with me.

  I was tired so I went to bed early, after putting a load of laundry in Mom’s washer. I’d have to remember to tell Gavin I’d do his laundry too. Miss Williams had a washer and dryer, but I didn’t want to take advantage of her generosity any more than I already did.

  Climbing under the covers of my own comfy bed felt wonderful. Ralph was curled up at the foot of my bed, snoring softly. I left one of my windows open and I could smell the forest. I’d missed this.