Avalon Expandable Heart: The Wild Heart Series

by Shantelle McKinnon

  I look up and find her astride the checkout now, going back and forth as the belt moves and she steps to compensate. Jordan, one of her brothers.

  “Hello,” I answer just in case it’s important or he knows what the hell I should do.

  “Who is this?” he asks.

  “Avalon’s friend,” I reply. There is silence.

  “Is that my sister singing? Shithouse sound system,” I shake my head watching Av getting into the song.

  “She’s on a checkout conveyor belt in a supermarket singing on their microphone,” I say deadpan, then sigh rubbing my hand through my hair. “I’m not sure what to do.”

  WELL THEY SAY IM TOO LOUD FOR THIS TOWN

  SO I LIT A MATCH AND BURNED IT DOWN

  Shit, she sounds so wound up.

  “Ah Noah, right? What type of place?”

  “A supermarket, a food place,” I try to be patient when all I want is to know what to do here.

  “Ah. Mum affects Av pretty badly, just let her sing it out and get her home to her horse,” his voice sounds resigned like he’s been through this before, I feel somewhat relieved. “My other brother and Pop will be there soon, and it’ll be alright. They’ll handle everything.”

  “So, is it true?” I ask wanting the truth from someone lucid. “Did your mum try to kill her?”

  MY HANDS ARE DIRTY AND MY HEART IS COLD

  “Whoa, can’t believe she told you that. She must have had a bloody rough time, or... or trusts you.” Although it was a statement, it came across as a question. “It’s matter of conjecture. It’s all based on the stuff Nat found in the car and well, the circumstances. My dad and oldest brother don’t think so, but my other brother, Av and Pop do. I trust my sister and my brother with my life, not so much my mother.”

  “Av’s pretty stuffed up about it,” I growl watching her defiant face as she belts out this song. People are watching her, some are clapping along, some look at her like she’s drunk, which is lucky they are more likely to let her go.

  “Normally, she’s not,” he sounds unperturbed. “Av’s tough but it’s the first time she’s dealt with this alone. Our Nan always said there’s gonna be a time when we resemble a fish out of water, floppin’ around, makin’ a racket like we’re dyin’ but every time that happens it takes more and more to get us out of the pond again. And let’s face it, Av is in a whole other pond... with a shark or two intent on her misery. Let her flop and whatever, just stand by her and make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone, Av is strong but always looks out for everyone else but forgets herself until it creeps up.”

  “Hurt anyone?” I repeat thinking Av at this moment is more likely to hurt herself right now.

  I GOT A MOUTH TO PUT YOU IN YOUR PLACE, AND THEY, THEY SAID ILL NEVER BE THE POSTER TYPE, BUT THEY DONT MAKE POSTERS OF MY KIND OF LIFE

  “I don’t know about girls too much, I’m better with machines than people, but I doubt many are as dangerous as my sister. Don’t be freaked out, if she likes you, she’ll never hurt you.” I stareup at the angel cutting loose on the counter not in the least worried.

  “I’m not,” I reply simply. At that moment, I let my eyes move to someone that has just walked into the shop, maybe it’s because he baulks at the automatic doors glaring at them with mistrust that I watch him, maybe it’s the clothes that resemble Av’s normal attire.

  Maybe it’s the sheer size of him. Or maybe it’s the way that his cold, piercing blue eyes assess the store and are the exact same shade as Avalon’s, only to warm up when his eyes land on her and chill when he looks away. If looks could kill, everyone in this shop, except Avalon, would be writhing on the ground in the clutches of a horrible and excruciating death.

  “I gotta go,” Jordan says in between swearing. “Look after her or Nathan will kill you. Catch ya, man.”

  My gaze is tenacious in its study of him. My body at war, the way he looks at Av is not the way I do, but there is no doubt that if someone meant her harm right now, he’d become their worst nightmare. That he’d stop at nothing to protect her. I have never fought someone that has the aura he gives off, the coldness that lives inside me reacts to the mega-freeze his whole being gives off. Like me, it’s clear that only one person means anything to him.

  I’m wondering if it’s Angus or Nathan because while I can tell Av loves them both she always grumbles about Angus and gets excited talking about Nathan. I shake my head, thinking of whom I’m dealing with. It’s gotta be Nathan because if she loves this guy that blares he’s the worst news in the world, it explains why she likes me.

  And he’s here now. Well, he was, he’s stalking back out of the store now after a producing a grin that is a twin to Av’s evil one. Glancing at Av, I notice she mustn’t have seen him. Maybe he wasn’t who I thought. I’m half glad because if he thinks he can take off with Av or distance me from her we’ll be going head to head. Ahomana looks like a walk in the park against him and Av wouldn’t have my back in this one. But still.

  Watching Av sing, I can see it’s working, she’s winding down, her words aren’t so vehement now. She tiring and losing steam. I’ll take her back to Harry’s and stay with her. Hearing an ear-splitting scream, I spin only to see the biggest bloody animal I’ve ever encountered storming in through the glass doors, miraculously squeezing through without shattering them. It hits the stack of Coke can boxes with its back legs, angered it turns and butts the display causing the boxes to explode cans and liquid over the floor, one can is skewered on the bull’s horn, the brown fluid washing over his face making him toss and throw his huge head around in agitation.

  He lowers his head at the flower counter, huge legs pawing the slippery surface but stops dead at Avalon’s voice, a quiver runs through its massive bulk as he raises his head to search, Nathan - I’m sure it must be - stalks back in with Harry and another older guy; both don’t look happy. The bull bellows and Av falls silent. No wonder Av is not fearful of anyone or anything with that thing on her side. Fricking hell.

  She turns slowly on the belt and laughs nervously, “God, I am losing it, people. I’m hallucinating that I see my best friend here. Right here in this supermarket - which incidentally sells too many imported goods to individually name- in the middle of the city in New South Wales. It can’t be, but I wish it were so badly right now. So bad.” Her voice catches.

  My body wills me to move forward, but people start freaking out, scattering a safe distance away as the bull’s baulk shivers, eyes intent on one person alone. I flick a glance toward the entry to find Nathan is smiling widely with his arms crossed; eyes still warm only when they are on Av, bone-chilling when they stray away. She gets down almost falling and I notice how stiff she is moving, the way she grips her side. Nathan is no longer smiling, his eyes are narrowed as he watches her. Stress causing his face to harden. And his large hands to come up as if to steady her from afar.

  Her hand reaches out like she seriously believes the beast is a mirage. But when she touches him, realises she can feel him, she throws her arms around him and tears cascade down her face. She sobs as her hands bury themselves in the bull’s fur. And the bull drops his giant head to nuzzle her gently, his tongue licking her face making her giggle. People have stopped screaming and running like maniacs and are filming this exchange between this wild angel and her bull. One lady starts to cry. Nathan is fidgeting, moving from one foot to another, the older man lays a quietening hand on his arm.

  Av talks to the bull softly for a while, not for one second not touching him before suddenly looking up, her eyes searching now, to fall on the three men. They all grin as she finds them, bolts toward them and launches into Nathan’s arms. The grin on his face soon dies when the bull turns and paws the ground again, tossing those horns with aggression. It bellows sending shoppers into the throws of fear once more.

  Av gets down quickly and soothes the bull, walking him outside like he’s a frolicking puppy. He keeps bucking and jumping about like a cat after a butterfly. Nathan turns but then halts an
d lets his hard gaze fall on those around the store. There’s nothing but pure dislike and warning in that cold blue gaze. Our eyes meet and there is a flicker of recognition there, not to who I am to Av but to what I am. What I have inside me. He studies me for a minute longer as I hold his gaze then turns to leave as Av’s voice sounds out. Harry and the older guy walk in my direction.

  “G’day, son,” The older guy offers his hand. “I’m Orb, Av’s pop. Hear you’ve been letting our little tyrant boss you around. I warn you she takes after her Nan. Dangerous that breed.” He tilts his head on the side, a move so Avalon I almost chuckle. “But I see that warning may have been delivered a little late.”

  “Probably,” I say liking the crinkles around his eyes and the instant acceptance there.

  Harry turns around, “I’ll be betting those sirens are for the bull in the china shop.”

  Pop lets out a deep breath, “Bloody Nathan, you’re in for a crazy week, Harry. I wish someone could have warned you that those two together are like those raptors from that dinosaur movie my granddaughter in law watches. Welcome to Nightmare city. Be prepared to age forty years this week.”

  So, it is Nathan. Good guess.

  “We better hit the road, Noah,” Harry smiles at me. “We’ll see you tomorrow for the hearing.”

  Surprise warms me. “Thank you,” I mumble. I never knew Harry was coming, Av, of course, but not Harry. My heart feels strange.

  “Nathan... is... just be wary.” Pop touches my shoulder before he leaves and I feel no dislike flare up. Unlike the feeling I get when I think of another member of Avalon’s family. I know that I can trust that she will be looked after while I pay a visit to her mother.

  my brother knows me all too well

  Avalon

  I somehow find myself in that weird, suspended reality where you are asleep but slightly aware.

  The part of me that would tense and freak out that I wasn’t near anyone I trust is relaxed... content. My senses paddle around searching while trying to wake up some more, seeking the source of reassurance to double check it. Finding it and recognising it instantly, stretched right along my body, the vibrations from his breathing calming to the point I lose consciousness again.

  I drift back into that void although I’m somewhat more lucid this time. I can hear and feel Nathan talking. His body in the same position it was before. Not one millimetre is different.

  Slowly his words swim into focus. “...It’s either me, a ton of angry bull or a highly irritated chestnut mare. I mean, Avalon says Frank’s gorgeous but I’m pretty sure I’d win the most adorable hands down. I’d take the positive.”

  Mentally and physically... I’m lost, Harry wouldn’t care if Nathan was next to me. Other sounds started to filter through my mental fog. Clanging, beeps and staccato footsteps. A peculiar smell too.

  Nathan’s weight moves but never leaves my side, a crackling female voice fills the room.

  “How can I be of assistance?”

  “I have an emergency, I’m literally being bored to death. Send the whole ER team. I’m dead serious.” Nathan drawls.

  Another younger voice trills in anger. “How dare you! You... you reprobate! Put that down! Now!”

  “Make me,” Nathan replies in a voice that tells me he is obviously enjoying this. “Just a tip, you need more back up then just a bloody badge with your name printed on it.”

  “What? I’m a nurse. I don’t need anything extra than that plus... I’ll... I’ll get security,” the young voice threatens. A nurse? “You can’t be in here. I mean it. Wait in the waiting room.” Her voice turns slightly harder. Nat half snorts.

  “Get ‘em, I’ll wait right here.” I feel the bed move and I picture Nat shrugging. “I’m not moving from this bed until my sister wakes up and even then, I still probably won’t. And you do need back up, just saying.”

  “She’ll survive without you,” her exasperated voice tries again. I don’t feel any fear, I know that Nathan will fight Satan to stay with me, and if he did miraculously get booted, he’d let Frank find me.

  “She’ll survive but this place may not, this sweet looking, little thing is probably the most tyrannical patient you’ve ever had the pleasure of tending,” Nat moves so that my head rests on his bent arm. I hear him yawn dramatically. “You’d think nagging people to death would be against the law in hospitals.”

  Hospitals? Oh shit. My heart starts to beat in a way that I can feel it pounding in my chest. I wish my eyes would open or my hands would move.

  “She needs rest,” she switches tack. Always a good call when dealing with Nathan. Nice read.

  Why the hell was I in hospital? I feel fine, in fact, better than I have for a few days. I have no pain at all. I don’t feel much of anything really.

  “I’m the one laying here quietly perusing riveting magazine stories about women’s birthday terrors, who knew so much could go wrong on a lady’s fifty-sixth birthday. You’re the one who can’t stop yabbering on, hell that woman next to us died three minutes ago and you’ve bought her back from the dead with your stream of crap,” Nathan puts on his hard done by voice. The victim.

  The resulting gasp of pure indignation almost shocks me enough to allow my eyes to open. “You can’t say things like that here! You’re dead set crazy.”

  I know exactly what would be happening on Nat’s face right now. Coldness would be spreading over it like a lake in a time-lapse. He hates being called crazy, insane… anything along those lines.

  “I’ll look after my sister, just like I always have. Leave.” I wonder if I sound that cold and hard when I’ve had enough of someone.

  A long sniff sounds before sharp but quiet footsteps fade. I relax again and a strange warmth trickles over me.

  “Finally, you’re awake,” I open my eyes with no trouble to find my brother’s blue ones beside me on a starchy white pillow. “We are supposed to be going wild in the city and here you are just lying around like you’ve got nothing else to do in the world. Entertaining me is part of your life’s purpose, you know?”

  My weird blurry memories come flooding back. “Hospital?” I croak.

  Nat turns and pours some water into a cup from a jug, my throat feels parched.

  “Yup, they’ve run a barrage of tests on you and it’s predicted you have about...” he glances at his watch. “eight minutes until you turn into something even I will run screaming from. Dad will go nuts but the money they paid me was worth it,” he doesn’t grin and just pushes the cup into my hands. “I’ll be able to branch out on my own, forge a new path. Thank you for your sacrifice, slug guts.”

  I know he’s joking but Dad’s fear of hospitals seems to make me doubt it.

  “Bull crap, you would never let that happen,” I sip the water, loving the coolness drizzling down my throat. It tastes weird but good.

  “Only because I was worried they may make your personality match your face,” he rolls his eyes and they suddenly narrow. “Teach you though to go and get fricken PREGNANT!”

  I spit water everywhere. “What? I’m not pregnant! I can’t be pregnant!” My mind flashed through my life checking there were no recent blank spaces.

  “Good, just checking,” He ruffles my hair.

  “Bloody hell,” I sigh. “Why the hell am I in here? Does Dad know?”

  “No, I didn’t tell him because... well, you know what he’s like, he’d come down here and test everything they used on you on their own dog or something,” He sits back on the bed as a man comes in. “Or themselves.”

  “Hi, Avalon,” the man says his white lab coat swishing around his legs.

  I smile. “Hi.” I sound wary even to my own ears.

  “You must be feeling so much better now, not too many people could have put up with their kidney in that condition, along with those fractured ribs for too long.”

  Nathan turns to me and I know he’s seen my side. I know he’s fuming about it. I know that I will have to explain that whole thing very, very carefu
lly. He’s not understanding in that way.

  “Those people probably don’t have hospital phobic fathers like we do,” I answer and the Doctor takes a moment to scan Nat and I. Nathan stares back at him.

  He starts to tell me what was wrong with me but my mind wanders, I don’t have a clue about the words apart from lacerated, blocked, broken, clot he’s using I just get the main parts, do not excessively move blah blah, lots of water blah blah. Pain in my nether regions from scoping and … whhhhhat? My mind decides to wander to last night glossing over the dinner party until I get to Noah.

  Noah. The way he cradled me when I lost it. How he didn’t freak when I was over the edge.

  Something plays at the edge of my mind and comes into sharp focus like a freight train in a 3D movie scene.

  “What’s today?” I say interrupting the doctor’s spiel.

  “Tuesday,” he smiles like I’ve asked a good question and should ask another.

  “What time?”

  “About 11.30am,” He smiles again.

  11.30am! Noah’s court hearing is today, soon! I promised I’d be there. Anxiety curls through my stomach. I need to call him, let him know why I’m not there.

  I turn to Nat, “Do you have my phone?”

  He shakes his head, “You didn’t have it on you. Why?”

  I don’t know his number off by heart. Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “I have to go,” I turn to the doctor and pushing the sheets back. “Thanks, mate, for fixing me up and choosing not to test anything iffy on me. I really appreciate it. You did a great job, I’m not sore at all now. Come on Nat, we’ve got places to be.”

  Nathan perks up.

  I move to get up, but the Doctor frowns, shaking his head just as a petite nurse walks in, “Everything went well, but you have to stay in here overnight, Avalon. Just to make sure. Your kidneys are important organs!”

  “No, I’m fine. I honestly feel great. I just need to go,” I swing my legs over the side as Nat’s hand descends and pushes me back down. The nurse gives Nat an evil eye. So, do I.