Last Petal on the Rose and Other Stories

by Stephanie Rabig

  Letters had always seemed quaint and sweet to Makana. Something xe immediately associated with xyr mother, who'd insisted on sending a handwritten thank-you note for every birthday and Christmas present she received. And when Haunani's hands had come to resemble claws and it was too painful to hold a pen and write, Aunt Linh had written them out for her.

  Seeing words on paper was so much more potent than reading a line of text on xyr laptop.

  Another point where movies would be preferable, xe thought, xyr gaze inexorably drawn back to the trio of yellow envelopes in Patrick's hands. That CSI team would find out those envelopes could only be purchased in one particular store in the entire country, there'd be a stakeout, and the whole thing would be over.

  "Any suspicions about who's been sending these?"

  "No idea," Makana said, heading out of the office. Maybe he wanted to stand in one place all day, but xe needed to move.

  "What about that bodyguard you fired?"

  Makana shook xyr head. "He passed away a few years back."

  "Any doubts about your manager or publicist? Anyone else you work with?"

  "No, no." Xe hated this, hated the idea of having to look at people xe knew with suspicion. Xe just wanted to shove this letter into the filing cabinet with the others and ignore it. Wished xe'd never read it to begin with.

  "How's your relationship with your family?" At the look xe gave him, he held up his hands. "Sometimes relatives get weird when fame's involved."

  "Well, all my relatives are dead, so you don't have to worry about that."

  "Sorry." He looked like he wanted to ask something else, but his expression was uncomfortable, and xe realized he was probably debating on whether or not he could afford to let this wait until later.

  "Go ahead. I'll try not to tear your head off any more." Xe sat down on the couch, only to get right back up again. It didn't feel right to sit.

  "Don't promise anything yet," he said. "You have an ex?"

  Xe sighed, pinching the bridge of xyr nose. "Got several. One was serious. We were together for about a year. Never married. I thought we'd reached an understanding and all, but then there was a big fight. Told me the novelty was cute, but that it got old fast, and asked when I was going to decide once and for all whether I was a boy or a girl and get a new gimmick."

  "What an asshole."

  It was nothing xe hadn't thought a hundred times xyrself, but xe hadn't been expecting him to flat-out say it, and it startled a short laugh out of xyr. "Yeah. But don't put Alex on the list. We haven't talked in almost two decades."

  "That P.O. Box is listed on fansites?"

  Xe nodded, walking into the kitchen. "Anyone who wants to send me something gets directed there. I still can't believe we're talking seriously about all this. I mean, some of my old friends would get terrifying things in the mail. Mine are just a couple of cranky letters." Xe forced a laugh. "Pretty tame, huh?"

  "Not if they've scared you."

  "I'm not..." Xe looked away. "Hell. I like to think I'm not that obvious."

  "The security system seems to be working fine, but if you like, I can stay with you until we get this sorted out."

  "Oh, no, don't worry about it."

  "I'm not asking as a friend," he said gently. "This is part of my job. Would you feel safer with someone else here?"

  Xe thought it over for a moment, and then shook xyr head. "I'm fine. Really. The letters make me a little nervous, but it's most likely some kid ten states away playing a prank."

  "Anyone else you can call to stay with you?"

  Makana shook xyr head. There were people xe was certain would come by if xe needed them: Alyce; xyr publicist; Carlie, one of the backup dancers from xyr new music video; xyr old manager, who'd retired six years ago but still loved hearing from xyr...but xe saw no need to bother them over a few disgusting letters.

  "Subject change," xe said, heading into the second spare bedroom, which actually had a bed in it. Xe used it as storage for costumes for music videos or concerts and outfits for premieres or other public appearances. "These just got delivered yesterday evening."

  "So which one are you going to wear?" he asked, peering at the two outfits xe had hanging from hooks on the wall. One was a glittering yellow sheath dress, and the other was a simple suit with a yellow embroidered vest.

  "Don't know yet," xe said. "Depends on what I feel like that morning."

  "Then this is what you do for every show?" he asked. "Have different sets of clothes picked out in advance?"

  Xe nodded. "Have you watched my first YouTube video?"

  "No."

  "For shame."

  "Actually, I have to admit I haven't seen any of your videos yet, though..."

  "If you say your parents used to listen to my music, I'm going to feel even more ancient than I already do."

  "You're not ancient," he said. He hated that xe put xyrself down like that sometimes. Xe was attractive—downright sexy, really—what with xyr smile and oddly perfect fashion sense and the way xe'd stare off into space when xe was trying to come up with new song lyrics and...

  And he was getting off-topic.

  "Anyway, I recorded half of a duet on one of my more feminine days," Makana said, "and the other half about a week later, wearing this steampunked-out vest and top hat. Then I spliced them together and uploaded it for a lark and everybody went nuts." Xe rubbed the back of xyr neck. "I never really know where I'm gonna be from one day to the next gender-wise, and I can't exactly wait to shop for a set of costumes for a big concert on the day of that concert." Xe looked across the room at the calendar. "I can't believe this is in five days."

  "You nervous?"

  "Always," xe said. "Especially since I've only done small venues off and on for the past fifteen years. I haven't been in front of a crowd this big since Vegas back in '88."

  "I'm sure you'll be fantastic."

  "Bold statement coming from someone who hasn't seen my stuff," xe teased.

  "You're my boss," he said with a grin. "Everything you do is fantastic."

  *~*~*

  Xe wondered if he felt the same way now that xe'd gotten them thrown out of a celebrity bash.

  When xe glanced over at him, he gave xyr a wink and a grin, so maybe he did. Then security led them outside.

  The front door of the enormous mansion shut, and Patrick laughed. "I'd heard you could be a handful, but I never expected you to say that to Amelia Blaine."

  Makana shrugged, but xe had to admit that xe was feeling quite proud of xyrself.

  Xe'd never met Amelia Blaine before, but since xe'd done part of the soundtrack for the current It Girl's new movie, xe'd been invited to the premiere and then to the after-party.

  The premiere had gone as well as could be expected. Most reporters were more interested in Ms. Blaine than in xyr, so the endless litany of 'You've got such a smooth face! You have to be a girl.', 'No girl swaggers like that when she walks.', and 'You wear heels way too well to be a man.' had been less frequent tonight. At this point xe was certain they could look up xyr birth certificate, but it was like a badge of honor to many of them now to be the first to get xyr to 'admit it'.

  Amelia Blaine had clearly taken a page from those reporters' books. The first thing she'd asked after introducing herself was, "So, is it he or she?" She'd winked. "I promise not to tell anyone else."

  "I prefer xe, actually."

  Her perfectly-glossed lips formed into a pout. "Oh. Well, I'm just gonna go with 'he' for tonight, okay? It's a lot easier to remember."

  "No problem!" Makana had said sweetly and the tone must have alerted Patrick, because he'd grabbed xyr arm. Poor man had probably been certain xe was about to deck the starlet. "And I'm just gonna call you 'shitheel'. That's easy to remember, too."

  Things had progressed predictably from there.

  Now they stood on the expansive lawn, grinning at each other as they waited for the valet to bring the car around

  "Sorry for getting you kicked out
of your first Hollywood party," Makana said, though xe didn't look sorry at all.

  "I think it was worth it. Do you get a lot of people doing that?"

  "Most of the time, no," xe said, climbing into the passenger seat of the car as the valet got out. "People are more apt to just give me weird looks than actually ask. Except during interviews," xe said. "There's always a few brave souls there."

  "Well. Since I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go..."

  "I am sorry about that. The tux rental wasn't too pricey, was it? I'll pay you back."

  "Don't worry about it," he said, driving away from Amelia Blaine's house. "What I was going to say was, how about we head back to your place, get some takeout, and watch Sharknado 2?"

  "And watch what?" xe asked, feeling like xe'd covered the true reason for xyr shock quite well. It sounded very much like he was asking xyr for a dinner-and-a-movie date.

  But he hasn't asked that, and this isn't a date, xe thought. Just two people finding something to do because the original plans for the evening fell through. Besides, things were much more casual and open nowadays than they had been when xe'd been really interested in dating. This was probably what friends did; no sense in reading more into it.

  His face lit up. "You haven't heard of the Sharknado movies?"

  "No, I have; I'm just wondering why you think we should actually watch one."

  "Just trust me."

  Even once they were back at Makana's house, each sitting on the couch holding a takeout container of Chinese food with the movie queued up to play, xe still felt skeptical.

  "What do you have against classic cinema?" he teased.

  "Classic cinema requires a coherent script, and...is that Wil Wheaton?"

  "Indeed, it is."

  No sooner had Patrick said that, than his character abruptly died. "Well, that didn't last long."

  Though xe gave him plenty of 'how did I let you talk me into this' looks throughout the film, xe also laughed, and as the credits played xe smiled and asked, "So there are more of these kind of movies?"

  "If I start singing A Whole New World, how likely are you to hit me?"

  "Very, very likely."

  "Well. Just pretend I did, then," he said, grabbing the remote. "You're gonna love this one."

  *~*~*

  Makana turned off the alarm on xyr cell phone and then sat up in bed to scroll through xyr news feed, groaning when xe saw a picture of xyrself and Patrick at the premiere. Someone had titled it "Fairy Tale or Femme Fatale? Snow White Seen Out on the Town with Much-Younger Suitor".

  Wonderful. Hopefully, that kind of speculation wouldn't make him uncomfortable.

  He'd left at around one in the morning, promising that they'd watch something called Sabretooth soon.

  Makana got up and stumbled into the kitchen and flipped the button on xyr electric kettle to get the water heated for a cup of tea, vowing that xe was going to buy a print copy of that paper solely so xe could have the pleasure of burning it.

  Remembering Aunt Linh's constant complaints about how xe didn't eat enough, xe decided to have more than peppermint tea for breakfast today. Maybe a bowl of cereal. Frowning, xe peered into the fridge, looking for milk. Xe was out, and the fridge didn't hold much else. Condiments, orange juice that was about three weeks past its expiration date, some strawberry jam, and a carton of eggs. They'd finished the takeout last night. Xe poured the hot water over the teabag in xyr mug, debating about what else to have.

  Well, an apple would count as breakfast, right?

  Makana turned to the table to fetch one from the center bowl, and then went outside to check xyr mailbox.

  Xe pulled out the mail, and xyr mouth went dry. Amongst the junk mail and charity requests was a yellow envelope.

  And xe knew, just knew, that whoever had left the letter was standing right behind xyr, waiting for xyr to run, and for several seconds, xe couldn't even breathe.

  Then xyr lungs began to ache and xe sucked in a sharp breath, breaking xyr paralysis. Makana scurried back into the house, locking the front door behind xyr and arming the new security system. Then xe darted for xyr bedroom, where xe'd left xyr cell phone, and slammed the door behind xyr. Realizing that xyr bedroom door had no lock on it, xe ran into the adjoining bathroom, quickly locking the door behind xyr and then hitting Patrick's number.

  "Morning. What's—"

  "He was at the house. Whoever did this was at the house. There was an envelope in my mailbox, and I don't know if he's still here or not, but..."

  "Where are you?"

  "In my bathroom. The door's locked."

  "Stay right there and call 911. Pick up the tank cover of the toilet; if he breaks in, hit him. I'm on my way."

  Makana nodded, then realized he couldn't hear that through the phone. "Okay," xe said, and pressed 'End'. Though xe knew xe had to get off the phone with him to call the police, xe still keenly felt the absence of his voice. Just hearing him had helped xyr feel safer; now, there was just the businesslike tone of the dispatcher asking xyr to describe the emergency. Xe spoke softly, expecting to hear the shattering of glass and the wail of the alarm any second.

  *~*~*

  Patrick pressed 'End' on the call and ran to his car, hoping that the police would get there quickly. He'd be able to get there in twenty minutes, which normally seemed like a nice short drive.

  But a lot could happen in twenty minutes.

  Trying to shove thoughts of what might be happening out of his mind, he sped to Makana's house, nearly coming up over the curb as he turned into the driveway. The mail, including the yellow envelope, was scattered all over the porch where xe must have dropped it.

  The door was locked, the alarm still armed. He used his key and then shut off the alarm; the police were already on their way.

  "You all right?" he called.

  "I'm fine!" xe answered, and he sighed with relief at the sound of xyr voice.

  "Good. Stay where you are; I'm going to check the house."

  He went through room after room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Once he'd verified that the house was secure, he opened the front door and picked up the letter, opening the envelope and reading the message inside. Trying not to snarl, he put the letter on the kitchen table and then went to the front door as the police pulled into the driveway.

  Patrick let them inside, and then went to the bathroom and rapped on the door. "It's me."

  Before, whenever he'd seen Makana, xe'd always been immaculate, wearing a bright white wig that matched whatever type of attire xe'd chosen for that day, clothes fitted and perfect. When he'd come to drive Makana to the premiere yesterday evening and xe'd opened the door, all bright smile and tailored tuxedo, he'd had to catch his breath at the sight of xyr.

  When Makana opened the bathroom door now, it was the first time he'd ever seen xyr when xe wasn't fully ready to be seen. Xyr hair was black and straight, reaching barely past xyr ears, and xe wore a simple tank top and sweatpants. There was something so intimate about it that he had to look away.

  "Until whoever's sending these is caught," Patrick said, "I'm staying with you."

  "Won't argue," Makana said, as they headed out onto the lawn.

  "House is clear," the first officer said as he came out. "Any idea when the envelope was placed?"

  "Didn't it come in this morning's mail?" Makana asked.

  The second officer shook his head. "No address or return address on it, just your name. Someone put it into your mailbox."

  Makana shuddered. The thought of someone knowing where xyr home was, coming up onto the porch, possibly looking into the windows... it made xyr feel sick.

  "Aren't you that singer?" the first officer asked. "Snow White?"

  Makana nodded. "Yeah."

  "My granddaughter listens to you," he said. He didn't sound pleased about that.

  The second officer gave him a derisive look and then moved forward. "Did you notice anything missing, ma'am?"

  "No," Makana said, unab
le to help a wince at the word "ma'am". "But then, I haven't been through the house yet."

  "Well, go ahead and go through while we're here."

  "I'll go with you," Patrick said. "And by the way, Officer, xe's not a girl."

  "Oh," he said, his already-ruddy complexion darkening further. "Sorry about that, sir."

  Patrick opened his mouth to correct him again, but Makana just squeezed his hand and shook xyr head. Maybe the policeman would understand and maybe he wouldn't, but right now xe didn't feel up to trying. Patrick stayed behind xyr as xe moved through the house, looking over xyr possessions and making sure nothing seemed out of place.

  "I don't think anything's missing, no," xe said.

  "All right. Let's go tell the officers."

  All xe wanted to do was sit in peace for a few moments, go to the swing in the backyard and at least try to relax, but xe nodded. After the police had gotten xyr statement, and after xe'd given them this morning's yellow envelope along with its three companions, they finally drove away.

  Xe watched them leave, and then turned to Patrick. "What did the letter say?" Makana asked.

  "Don't worry about it," Patrick said. "Whoever sent it is going to be in jail soon enough." He held out his hand. "You feel up to going back inside?"

  Xe wasn't entirely sure, but nodded anyway. "Sorry, by the way," xe muttered.

  "For what?"

  "For not doing anything to help. I'm an adult, for God's sake, and—"

  "You did exactly what you should have. Going after an attacker only works if you know how to fight. Do you?"

  “...I know you're supposed to keep your thumb outside your fist when you throw a punch."

  "Sounds like The Rock had better watch out."

  Xe laughed, but the sound died quickly. "I really thought the letters were from some jerk hundreds of miles away."

  "We'll take care of it. I promise."

  "What did the note say?"

  "Makana..."

  Maybe it was the adrenalin, but that was the first time he'd said xyr name and it sounded—well, xe didn't know how to describe it. It sounded like late mornings and lazy afternoons. And it had certainly caught all of xyr attention; made xyr want to step closer. It was overwhelming.