by Alex Hayes
I hook an arm around my brother’s shoulders with a sigh. It’s going to take hours to get him calmed down enough to sleep. “Come on, Tiger. Bedtime. Let’s go.”
21
Cadi
I follow Idris outside and close the front door behind us. The porch lights turn on automatically, so we wander past the recently filled firewood store to the end of the veranda.
Gently, he presses me into the railing, his fingers curling around mine. “So how come you’re not wearing your ring?” Irritation ripples from his crystal into mine.
My heart rate kicks up a few beats. “I am. It’s around my neck.”
His lips press together, and he strokes a finger across my chest, making my skin tingle, and finds the ring. “Hidden,” he murmurs.
I look down at his hand and try to contain my rising jumble of nerves. “Only because I haven’t told Mama and Papa. We should do that together, don’t you think?”
An eyebrow lifts. He is so not believing a word I’m saying right now. “Yeah. Let’s do it at the barbecue tomorrow, then you’ll have nothing to hide. Right?”
“Right,” I agree, too quickly.
He drops his hands to my waist. “Cadi, what’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Another too-quick answer.
“Then why’re you so uptight?”
There’s no point denying it. “Because this is so awkward,” I answer, exasperated.
His eyes narrow. “You mean, my being here?” A tiny ball of anger spins up inside him.
“Not you. Dean!”
Idris shrugs. “So, make him leave.”
“I can’t. Papa invited him here and wants his help. Besides, Dean already said he’s not going.” I recollect what else Dean said and feel awful, all over again.
“Do you still like him?”
“Huh?” I pull back and look up at Idris. “Like Dean?”
“Yeah.”
I scramble for a clear thought. “You mean like-like?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.” His voice is gruff, edging on impatient.
With slow, deliberate motions, I shake my head. “No, I don’t. Seeing him again mostly makes me mad. Like he symbolizes the mess I thought I’d left behind me.”
Idris nods. “Okay, I get it.” His head dips close and his lips brush mine. With relief, I kiss him back, deeper and deeper, until my whole body is humming.
“Wanna head to the Thorny Rose?” he whispers.
I groan. “Yes, but I’m working tomorrow and your dad has his book signing. Manny asked me to do the setup, which means going in early. And being alert.”
Idris slides a finger under my chin. “I’ll be there, so I can help.”
“Then we’ll be able to hang out at the sidelines together.” I snuggle closer to him.
“Yeah,” he murmurs, and kisses my forehead.
I’m Winnie the Pooh and a squadron of bees is chasing me through the forest. Their determined buzzing finally breaks me free from my coma of sleep.
My phone hums angrily on the bedside table.
Who is calling me in the middle of the night? Surely not Idris.
Sleep-muddled, I focus on the screen. Mr. Scrim. At three in the morning?
“Hello?” My voice crackles.
“Cadi?” He sounds like he’s talking down a plastic drain pipe.
I tuck the phone closer. “Yes. What’s up?”
“Cadi. I need you to go to the crystal tree. Take some vinegar. Two cups should do it.”
“Huh? When?” I mumble.
“Now. I’m sorry, Cadi.” His voice is strained. “This is urgent.”
Clarity sharpens and I sit up. “Mr. Scrim? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ve had a long day, and then the ar’n bala messaged me.”
“Messaged you?” I’m baffled.
“The cutting bonded with my crystal when it leapt on me. That connection is like the one you and Idris share, but the crystal communicates its needs, rather than feelings. Similar to a child crying for food. And the infant tree needs more acid.”
“Got it!” I roll out of bed. “So tell me what to do with the vinegar when I get there?”
“Spread it out along the wall. Not all the way around. Pour it on the side where the crystal tree isn’t growing.”
“How’s that gonna help?” I struggle with my jeans, one-handed.
“The vapor. It needs the vapor, but not directly beneath the branches. Slow and steady absorption. Are you clear on what you need to do?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Call me if you have any other questions.”
I hang up and finish feeding my legs into my jeans, then grab a sweatshirt and slip out of my room.
Silence.
Mama keeps the vinegar in the pantry. Three types. Red wine. Apple cider. And white. Does red wine contain alcohol? Will the crystal tree care? I go for the pint bottle of apple cider, rather than the gallon jug of white.
I glance over my shoulder as I pull the back door slider, then step outside. There’s a chill to the air, and a touch of fear that tickles the back of my neck.
Crud. I should’ve called Idris. He didn’t want me out at night on my own, but this can’t wait.
I text him. Scrim says 2 go 2 crystal cave. Urgent. Will be careful. Promise. Love you.
22
Dean
A sound wakes me. I sit up in bed, alert.
Pepper must want to go out.
Squinting, I make out his body curled in a ball on the floor beside Ty’s bed.
Something else then. Cadi heading out on one of her early morning hikes? I tap my phone. At three a.m.? It can’t be her.
Someone might be inside the house. The Jacobsens don’t have alarms or security cameras.
I twist out of bed and grab pants off the side chair. Once my jeans are on, I stuff my feet into sneakers.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I hear a soft whoosh and a click. Someone closing the back door. There’s no one around by the time I reach it. I pull the door open, slow enough to remain silent.
A shadowy figure steps from the stone stairs off the back porch, passes between the swimming pool and storage shed, and scampers down the slope, carrying something.
A thief? Doubtful, but I follow, just in case.
The gray silhouette disappears among the trees, taking the path Cadi did. Has to be her. What the hell is she up to at this hour?
I wish I had Pepper now, but maybe it’s just as well I don’t. He’d catch up to her and then she’d know I wasn’t far behind. If I’m going to find out what she’s doing out here, so secretively, I’ve got to stay out of sight.
A flash catches my attention. A silver glow ripples, then disappears. I blink a few times and hurry on.
Thank god for that gibbous moon. Its light filters through the trees, making the worn trail visible as I squint through the darkness. Cadi moves with surprising speed, considering she’s relying on the moonlight to guide her too.
I’m disoriented, immediately, but guess she’s following the trail I found her on before. She leads me to a cliff face well lit by the moon. Her figure climbs a narrow ledge and stops before a rocky outcrop.
Rumbling erupts from the cliffside. I dive for the cover of a pine, fearing the cliff is about to come tumbling down, but only one rock moves, rotating like a misshapen wheel, leaving behind a black scar in the stone wall.
I’ve no doubt that person is Cadi now because only she could move a rock as big as a tractor.
Her figure crosses the moonlight, revealing a light-colored hoodie, then disappears into the dark slash.
With the promise of finally finding out what she’s up to, I sneak after her. I’m almost at the opening, when a figure emerges and rams into me.
In the light of the moon, I see the person’s face and my heart runs cold. It’s not human.
Rocks slip under my feet as I stagger backward. The ground disappears, and I tumble and roll, landing at the bottom of a s
teep incline.
Pain erupts from my tailbone.
Above me, the rocky cover rumbles back into place across the opening, raining stones and dust on top of me. I shy from the onslaught, shielding my face with an arm.
The pepper of rocks subsides, and whoever I ran into races down the cliff path and disappears into the forest.
Who the hell was that?
Someone playing tricks. I shake my head, anger stabbing me as much as the pain in my lower back. Must have been Cadi. She heard me coming and covered her face with a mask. That’s the only explanation.
I struggle to my knees. Or try to. Gasping with pain, I topple onto one side. I pull in a breath and steady myself. It’s only a bruise, I tell myself, and clamber to my feet.
My journey back turns into a nightmare of confusion. Even with my phone lighting the way, I get lost. And then I hear a howl.
Jesus! A wolf?
God, why didn’t I bring Pepper? He could’ve led me back. But would he have stood a chance against a wild dog?
I stumble through the night, gasping at the pain pulsing from my tailbone into my hips with each step.
Another howl, closer. I catch myself against a pine trunk and hear a low growl. My senses spin, drawn into a whirlwind of agony and fear.
That creature’s going to tear out my throat. I’ll be shredded, dragged away and eaten.
No. That can’t happen. Who’ll protect Ty if I’m dead?
“Dean?” Hands grip my forearms.
Pain overwhelms me and my vision wavers. I’m slipping. My head slumps forward as the darkness of the forest swallows me.
I wake with a groan and lift a hand to my head. Where am I?
Nightmare images roll through my mind like the preview to a movie I’ve already seen. An endless forest. A lizardy face that belongs in some science fiction saga. Falling. Pain. A growl so menacing my blood curdles.
I sit up with a jerk and whelp. I didn’t dream that agony in my lower back.
Predawn light has turned the sky to a muted blue-gray. I’m on the rear porch of the cabin. How the hell did I get here?
Pain spasms through my coccyx as I twist onto my knees and haul myself to my feet using the porch railing.
The back door is unlocked, just how I left it.
23
Cadi
I lift a box containing twenty-four hardbound copies of Toxic Relationships from the stockroom and groan. My shoulders ache after hauling Dean, who must weigh two of me, back to the trail last night.
Once free of the prickly bushes he’d wandered into, I carried him using telekinesis. Sounds easy, but the heavier the weight, the more effort needed to guide it. And for that long a hike, transporting him was beyond awkward.
The wolf, or whatever that howling creature was, followed at a safe distance. Safe for it, that is, because I felt anything but secure until Idris showed up. His arrival seemed to shift the odds in our favor, and the animal took off into the undergrowth.
I groan quietly to myself as I carry the box of books from one end of the store to the other.
Idris appears from a lane between bookshelves. “Let me take that.” He relieves me of the load. “I should’ve given you a massage last night.”
“I figured the ache would go away when I shifted back.” I follow him. “Over there is good.”
He sets the box on a gray foldout table. “How many more do you need?”
“Three boxes, maybe. With your dad being a local celebrity, Manny’s expecting a good turnout.” I unpack the books into neat piles, while Idris fetches more.
“Morning, Cadi.” Brandon Williams strides down the center aisle, smiling broadly. His confident air and good looks remind me so much of Idris, it’s hard to believe they aren’t biological father and son.
That’s all thanks to the chameleon effect, the shape-shifting ability Livran children have that blends them with their environment until they can shape shift at will.
I smile back. “Hi, Mr. Williams.” For all the trouble Idris has had with his dad, I’ve always found the man personable and friendly. Surprising, given that he knows I’m from another planet. But then, so is his son.
Idris returns carrying all three boxes at once, like they weigh nothing. He sets them down and helps me finish stacking the books.
By nine-thirty, fifty people have gathered in the open area at the back of the store. Mr. Williams stands by the table, chatting to his fans, completely in his element.
I lean toward Idris. “Will he need anything else?”
“A bottle of water, maybe. Talking’s thirsty work.”
Manny keeps a supply of bottled water and glasses in the staff kitchen out back. I grab a bottle and wipe off a glass, then return and set them beside Idris’s dad.
“Howdy, stranger.” Shri waves a hand as I retreat to the stacks.
My cheeks heat at the sight of her and the promise of more awkwardness. “Are you here for the signing?”
“Dean is,” she answers, surveying the crowd.
I blink. Oh, right. He bought a copy of Toxic Relationships the day he came into the store. I glance around. “Where is he?”
“Coming. Slowly.” She catches my questioning frown. “Fell and hurt his back. He’s none too happy, either.”
“Oh my god, I’m not surprised. Is he okay?”
No wonder he passed out when I found him. I’d figured being chased by a wolf after seeing me in Livran form had thrown him over the edge, but he’d hurt himself too.
Dean appears from an aisle. “Ty’s in the manga section. He should be good for a while,” he says to Shri, then nods at me, barely making eye contact.
“I’ll check on him in a few,” she tells Dean, “if you wanna sit.”
He leans against a stack of shelves. “More comfortable standing, to be honest.”
I swallow my guilt. If I’d known he was hurt, I’d never have hightailed it like I did. “Sorry to hear about your back.”
His gaze flashes my way, eyes narrowed. “It’s fine.”
He’s clearly pissed. At me.
24
Dean
I turn away from Cadi, unsure whether her concern is genuine or not. It had to be her I followed last night.
Shifting rocks and lizard faces?
Maybe I imagined the whole thing. Yet that doesn’t explain the agony in my back or the pine needles I found jammed in the heels of my sneakers.
Shri touches my arm. “Want me to run next door for some painkillers?”
“Nah, I’ll be okay.” Given my mom’s history with self-medication, I’ve developed an aversion to every kind of drug.
“Hi, Shri. Dean.” Idris steps up behind Cadi. “Are you here for the signing?”
We both nod.
“Excellent.” He looks toward Brandon Williams, who nods our way, then nudges Cadi. “That’s your signal. Dad’s ready.”
“Oh, right.” She hurries away and starts hushing the audience.
With a painful twinge, I turn toward Idris. “Your dad?”
He smiles. “Yeah. He’s speaking today. Brandon Williams.”
Shri’s lower jaw drops. “Brandon Williams is your dad?”
Idris seems bewildered this should surprise us. “I figured Cadi would’ve told you.”
“Not so much,” Shri responds, sounding annoyed.
Idris wanders closer to the gathering as Brandon Williams starts his introduction. Yeah, I see the similarity now. Same medium frame, straight nose and level brow. Not to mention, the black hair and dark brown eyes. Definitely father and son.
Cadi returns, holding a copy of Toxic Relationships against her chest. My eyes catch the glimmer of green against the gray and yellow book jacket.
I double take, then say, “Nice ring.” Not a cheap one either, and it’s sitting on the ring finger of her left hand. An engagement ring?
My comment catches Shri’s attention. “Oh my god,” she croaks.
Cadi’s cheeks flush bright red.
“T
oxic relationships can exist in any home, any family, any workplace…” The baritone voice of Brandon Williams fills the space around us, cutting further conversation. “Are you trapped in a toxic relationship?”
I almost sigh, because I really think I am.
25
Cadi
The stacks of books dwindle to a handful as Mr. Williams smiles up at his last fan—a lady with a baby on one hip and a two-year-old running circles around her—and signs two copies.
Idris turns to Dean, who hasn’t moved from his place propped against the bookshelves. “Wanna meet Dad?”
Dean looks hesitant, so Shri answers, “Sure. He’d love to.” The uncertain frown on his face dissolves into willing acquiescence as she hooks his arm.
Manny sticks his head around the nearest stack. “Cadi, can you restock the Toxic Relationships end-of-aisle display?”
“Sure.” I head to the stockroom while Idris leads Dean and Shri to the signing table.
Passing the manga section, I catch sight of the blond head of Dean’s brother. He sits cross-legged with a pile of books at his side. “Hey, Ty. Having fun?”
He looks up and grins. “Idris is still coming to the barbecue, right?”
“Absolutely.” I wave and continue on.
Idris catches up with me as I finish restocking the display. “What time are you off?”
“As soon as everything is put away from the signing. Manny only had me come in for event support.”
“Great. Then we can go to your place together. Dad and Dean might be a while.”
“Really?” I pick up the last couple of books that won’t fit in the display. “Dean has a lot of questions?”
Idris shrugs. “Parent troubles. He’s worried about Ty.”
“Jeez. I didn’t know. That explains why he brought Ty with him.” What could be going on with their parents? Ty seems such a happy kid, but I’ve seen my share of strange family dynamics, and I learned to grin and bear it too.
