by Claire Fogel
I’d slept well for the past few weeks without any disturbing dreams. But my subconscious was overactive that night. In my dream I saw a huge SUV barreling toward me, smashing into my car again. I heard the awful sound of metal crashing against metal, screaming sirens, and felt pressure against my face, taking my breath away.
I must have actually called out because I woke up to find Ralph licking my face and whining. “It’s okay, Ralphie. I just had a bad dream.”
Amy came over Saturday morning after we’d had breakfast. All she wanted was black coffee. She looked miserable.
After Gavin went out on the back porch to do some drawing, my father left for his camp, and Mom left to open the bookstore. Amy and I had the kitchen to ourselves.
After staring into her coffee for a few minutes, she looked at me and said, “I can’t get any real communication out of Kevin. He keeps saying he’s busy, he’s got a ton of studying to do, he’s working on his video game, yada, yada, you know? I don’t know how he feels about us, or if he feels anything at all. I took your suggestion and wrote him a long email.” She sighed. “He never answered it.”
“Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away. Has he said whether he’s coming home?”
“No. I can’t get him to commit to anything. I don’t know where I stand. I don’t know what else to do.” She sounded so hurt. I hated seeing Amy like this. She’d always been so upbeat, so positive about everything.
“Amy, do you want me to talk to him? Frankly, I’m ready to read him the riot act. I can’t believe he’s treating you this way.”
“Please, Cara. Maybe he’ll talk to you. Maybe you can find out what’s going on with him. If it’s time for me to move on, I want to know.”
“Okay. I’ll call him as soon as possible.”
She nodded, finished her coffee and looked out the kitchen window. “Hey! Who’s that on your porch?”
“Uh, that’s Gavin. Remember him? He’s attending Barrett too. I never knew that he’s into Art, but he’s very talented. We’ve been commuting together.”
She looked genuinely surprised. “Didn’t you say your father sent him to work with Conor in the forest after his mom died?”
“Yes. He loves working with Conor, but he also has a lot of artistic talent. My dad is sending him to Barrett too.”
Amy looked suspicious. “And when did all this happen? You never said a word about Gavin being at school with you.”
I took a deep breath. There had never been any way to keep anything from Amy. “Gavin’s only been at school with me this past week. My father sent him after the driver who hit me suddenly disappeared. The Chief and my dad suspect the accident was set up to hurt me so that I couldn’t testify against Romanov.”
Her eyes got big. “They think you’re still in danger?”
“Well, they think it’s possible so they don’t want me out of town alone.”
“Well, crap, Cara! So Gavin is actually your bodyguard, right?”
“Yes. But he’s also a talented artist. He’s really enjoying our classes. Outside of class, though, he sticks to me like glue.” I giggled. “One of my friends at school is finding that extremely frustrating. She invited Gavin to a party, but he had to turn her down. She has no idea why, of course. They were also surprised to learn that he’s living with me!”
Her mouth dropped open. “Living with you? In that one-bedroom apartment?”
“Relax, Amy. We introduced Gavin as my cousin. He has a nice warm sleeping bag. He unrolls it in front of the apartment door every night.”
“Well,” she whispered, “he is awfully nice to look at. I kind of envy you.”
I whispered back, “If he could hear you, he’d be blushing like mad. It’s one of his charms. Lily really has the hots for him.”
At least I’d given Amy something else to think about besides Kevin. She talked about the bakery, and the few catering jobs she’d already received. Apparently, Thornewood was delighted to have the Strauss bakery open again. They were doing record business. And my cousin Jason was once again a regular customer for the doughnuts Mrs. Strauss made every day.
She looked at her watch and groaned. “I’ve got to get back, Cara. Cakes to bake, etc. Just let me know if you’re able to talk to Kevin.” She got up from the table, hugged me, and left for the bakery.
As I was washing our cups and cleaning off the table, Gavin came back in. “I thought you and Amy would appreciate some privacy. She looked upset. Is she okay?”
“Well, not really. She and Kevin are having some problems. They’re my best friends. I don’t like seeing either one of them unhappy.”
“Amy and Kevin are together, like girlfriend-boyfriend?”
“Yeah. Kevin’s away at college now. It sounds like he’s lost interest in his relationship with Amy. She’s miserable.”
He looked shocked. “How could anyone lose interest in that lively, beautiful girl? When I was your bodyguard last year, she was always joking and laughing with Neal. I thought he was really lucky he got to spend so much time with her.”
I nodded. “Well, it’s Neal’s loss. His parents didn’t approve of him spending time with a human girl. That was before we found out that Amy’s a Halfling. Her mother had never told her.”
His eyebrows hit his hairline. “She’s a Halfling too?” He thought about that for a few seconds, then said, “Cara, if she and Kevin break up, please let her know that I’d welcome a chance to get to know her better.”
“Okay. I’m sure that will cheer her up immensely.” I grinned at him, and he blushed, naturally.
Before we went to bed that night, Gavin came out on the back porch with me. He’d heard the other Elves talk about Rowenna, and he wanted to meet her.
“I never dreamed dragons were real, Cara. I think it’s wonderful that you and she have become friends.”
“I think so too. She’s already saved my mother’s life and mine too when Gaynes snatched me last year.”
“Yes, I heard about that.” His voice changed to a harsher tone. “I think it’s a shame you didn’t kill him. He doesn’t deserve to live.”
Since Gaynes had killed Gavin’s mother, I understood how he felt. I even agreed with him.
I began singing what I’d always called the Dragon’s Song. It wasn’t long before I heard her large wings above us, and felt her magic surrounding us like a soft blanket.
She landed in the backyard. In the dark, all we could see were her golden eyes, and the glitter of her scales in the moonlight.
Good evening Cara. You have a new friend for me to meet. Hmm. He’s a very handsome young man with his pale hair. I can read his heart, you know. He would give his life for you if it ever became necessary. A good friend to have.
I didn’t think Gavin was telepathic, so I spoke out loud.
“Hi, Rowenna. I’d like you to meet Gavin, a good friend and at present, my bodyguard as well.”
Why do you need a bodyguard now?
“My father and our Police Chief both believe my auto accident was deliberate. The other driver has disappeared. They’re afraid I may be at risk.”
I’m sorry I can’t help you when you’re at school, my friend. But I am glad you won’t be alone. If you need my help at any time, please call me.
“Thank you, Rowenna. I value your friendship.”
She chuckled. You have many friends, Cara.
I could barely see her as she rose into the night sky, her huge wings moving the air with such strength. Her magic swirled around us for a few seconds more and then left us.
Gavin promptly sat down hard in one of the deck chairs.
“That was amazing,” he said. “By the way, I could hear what she was saying to you. Her voice is distinctive, rough like gravel. She loves you as one of her own.”
I sat down next to him. “You’re telepathic? I didn’t know that.”
He laughed. “I didn’t either. This was the first time I heard another’s voice in my head. It was a very strange sensation.”
/>
The next morning we were all downstairs in the kitchen very early, which was my father’s idea.
“Cara, we feel it would be a good idea to vary your schedule, leave for school a lot earlier one week and later the next. Just in case you’re being watched. Your mother has agreed to make breakfast early this week so you and Gavin can eat before you have to leave.”
Mom was already at the stove, scrambling eggs and frying ham. She turned to say, “I think your father’s right. Sorry we had to wake you so early, but this way you can leave by nine o’clock and return to school before noon.”
We’d been up late last night so I was still tired, but my parents’ plan was a good one. “You’re probably right. I may have to do the same thing in Syracuse; leave for classes either earlier or later.”
After we’d had breakfast, I hugged Mom and Dad. “I’ll keep in touch by phone.”
Mom added, “And I’ll be in touch with Lieutenant Fox as well.”
It wasn’t even nine o’clock when we left Thornewood, our clean laundry safely tucked into the trunk.
We were only about ten miles outside of town when Gavin said, “I think we’re being followed. The same gray car has been behind us since we got on the highway. I’m keeping an eye on him through your side-view mirror.”
I glanced in my rear-view mirror. I could see the gray car two cars behind us.
I sped up and the gray car sped up. I slowed down, pulling into the right hand lane, and the gray car slowed and followed us.
“I think you’re right. Use my cell phone and just press “5”. I’ve got Lieutenant Fox on speed dial.”
He got the Lieutenant on the phone and put the phone on speaker. I heard the Lieutenant’s voice. “What’s up, Cara?”
“We’re on our way back to Syracuse. We’re on Route 9 and I think we’re being followed. There’s a gray sedan behind us, speeding up and slowing down when we do. We just passed the Foster’s Mill exit.”
I heard some garbled conversation on the phone, then the Lieutenant said, “I’ve notified the Highway Patrol, Cara. They’ll put two cars on the road in your vicinity to keep an eye on your car and the gray sedan. I’ll be in constant touch with them. Call me back if there’s any change.”
I glanced over at Gavin. “Well, I feel better now.”
“I hope the Syracuse Police will pick up where the Highway Patrol leaves off. I’d like to know who’s driving that gray sedan,” Gavin said.
The rest of the drive was more relaxed. I could still see the gray sedan behind us, but two Highway Patrol cars were behind us as well. We left the highway at the second Syracuse exit, but the gray sedan kept on going, Highway Patrol still behind it.
My cell phone rang. Gavin put it on speaker again. “Cara, where are you now?” the Lieutenant asked.
“We just got off Route 9 headed for Barrett.”
His voice sounded a little sharp. “We?”
“I have Gavin with me. He works for my father who decided I needed a bodyguard.”
I heard the Lieutenant chuckle. “Can’t say I disagree, Cara. That gray car didn’t follow you off the highway, did it?”
“No. But I’d still like to know who was driving that car. It stayed too close to us all the way to Syracuse.”
“I know. Highway Patrol will pull it over at the next rest stop. We’ll find out who the driver is and check him out. But I still don’t want you and your bodyguard to take any chances. Stay indoors as much as possible. By the way, your mother called me. She wants you to vary your schedule every day, which is a good idea.”
“I know. We will. I just pulled up in front of our house.”
“Okay, I’ll stop by later. I want to meet your bodyguard and give him some instructions. Is he armed?”
“Only with knives, Lieutenant.”
“Oh. Not as effective as a gun would be. Well, I hope he’s at least bigger than you.”
Gavin and I both laughed. “Yeah, he’s bigger than me. Much bigger.”
“Good. I’ll see you later, Cara.”
Gavin got out of the car first, telling me to wait. He walked to the driver’s door and let me out, staying close behind me as I unhooked Ralph from his seat belt and then pulled our bags of clean laundry out of the trunk.
I think we were both a little tense until we were inside my apartment.
“I’m making a pot of coffee.”“Good idea, Cara. I’ll take Ralph’s harness off so he can go out in the backyard. He really enjoys car rides, doesn’t he?”
I smiled. “Yeah, he loves going anywhere with me. He’s just not fond of being left at home. But he has the doggy door so he can run around in the backyard whenever he wants.”
We were sitting in the kitchen over coffee when there was a knock at the front door.
“That’s probably the Lieutenant,” I said as I got up and headed for the door.
“Wait, Cara. Let me answer the door.” Gavin put his hand on my shoulder to keep me in my seat and went to the front door. He returned a minute later, followed by the shorter Lieutenant Fox.
The Lieutenant sat down with us and I poured him a cup of coffee. “Lieutenant, this is my cousin, Gavin Blackthorne. Well, he’s my cousin as long as he’s here at Barrett with me. Gavin, Lieutenant Fox.”
They were trying to be subtle as they checked each other out, but I thought they were fairly obvious.
The Lieutenant said to Gavin, “Cara says you’re armed with knives. May I?” He reached out one hand. Gavin pulled two knives out from his waistband and handed them over.
“You only carry two knives?”
Gavin smiled and pulled two more from ankle holsters, handing them over too.
Examining them carefully, the Lieutenant nodded and handed them back. “A gun would be more effective, but Chief O’Donnell already asked me to issue Concealed Carry Permits for both of you for your knives.” Looking at Gavin seriously, he said, “I sincerely hope you won’t have to use them.”
Gavin nodded.
“What have you heard from the Highway Patrol, Lieutenant?” I asked.
He smiled. “The driver was a sixty-five year old grandmother on her way to Schenectady to visit her children. There’s no way she’s the person we’re looking for.”
I wasn’t so sure. “She was awfully careful the way she followed us, Lieutenant.”
He grinned. “She thought you were the police—she recognized your car—and decided she’d be perfectly safe if she stayed behind you. When she saw the Highway Patrol, she was sure she was right.”
I was relieved, but I was still worried about the driver who’d gone missing.
The Lieutenant and Gavin discussed police methods for protection, how to vary my schedule to and from school, what to watch for outside the house, etc.
“Do you have an answering device on your phone?” he asked me.
When I said I did, he suggested I let it pick up all my calls. “No sense letting anyone know when you’re home and when you’re not. A legitimate caller will leave a message.”
He finished his coffee and stood. “I think that’s it for now. I’ll be stopping by regularly and there will be more patrol cars in the neighborhood for the time being. Actually, a few days ago, one of my men found a man living in his van, parked a block away. He was told to stay out of this neighborhood. Transients are not welcome here.”
The Lieutenant left, and Gavin and I returned to the kitchen. We were both hungry so he offered to make sandwiches. He grinned. “My turn. Groceries are getting low. We’ll have to go shopping soon. Dinner at the Café tonight?”
“Yeah. But we shouldn’t go at the same time we usually do. We should go earlier, just in case we’re being watched.” He agreed.
To relieve some stress, I went into the back room to do some painting while Gavin turned on the TV and found a football game to watch. I set up my easel for the first time since I’d moved in, unpacked my watercolors and a large sheet of textured paper. After taping the paper to a piece of rigid cardboard, I go
t a tiny cup of water and placed it on the easel’s shelf.
Hoping I’d find something worth painting in the backyard, I raised the window shade and looked out. I reminded myself to speak to Miss Williams about curtains.
There was a lovely small maple tree in the backyard. It was so young, I was sure Miss Williams had planted it herself. The leaves were shades of red and gold, perfect for painting. I began mixing those colors on my palette.
An hour later, Gavin wandered in to see what I was doing. “Those colors are wonderful, Cara. You’ve captured them perfectly.”
Looking at the three windows next to my easel, he said, “You’re awfully exposed with the window shades pulled up, Cara. Curtains would be a better idea.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve been meaning to ask Laurie if she has any I could use.”
He reached up and pulled the shades down. “Sorry, but keep them down for now. I’ll run upstairs and ask your landlady about curtains.”
He rushed out and I heard the apartment door open and close.
Ten minutes later, he was back, with what looked like several pairs of textured beige curtains over his arm. He was grinning. “Miss Williams said these were over the windows before she took them down when the apartment was being painted. The curtain rods are still there. Let’s put them up now.”
Once the curtains were up, the room wasn’t as bright, but I couldn’t be seen from outside either. I simply peeked out at the little maple tree I was painting. It was the next best thing to actually being outside in the yard.
I was beginning to resent the need to “hide,” because that’s exactly what it felt like, but I knew there was always the slight chance that I wasn’t as safe as I’d assumed I was.
However, I hadn’t been having that familiar, creepy feeling of being watched. I wondered why.
One of the first things I had to do that week was call Kevin and find out why he seemed to be avoiding Amy. I tried—unsuccessfully—to reach him on the phone several times. Finally, out of total frustration, I sent him a blistering email, accusing him of dropping both of his best friends as though we were yesterday’s news. He finally called me back late Saturday night while I was at my mother’s house.
