Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily)

by Karen Amanda Hooper

I was pulled under until I drowned in an endless ocean of multicolored light.

  ∞

  My eyes were still swollen and itchy from crying the night before, so when I woke up and saw green and blue glitter swirling around our bed, I had to question it.

  “Kris, is there sparkly dust floating above you?”

  When she didn’t answer, I rolled over to nudge her awake, but her side of the bed was empty. I looked up, but the shimmery cloud had disappeared. The swaying peacock feathers of the dream catcher combined with the sunlight pouring through the windows must have created an optical illusion. I threw on Mikey’s hat before making my way to the kitchen.

  Louise and Krista sat at the counter looking at a book together.

  “Good morning, Maryah,” Louise said. “How’d you sleep?”

  “Fine.”

  “How’s your arm?”

  I twisted my elbow around to look at my burn, but it looked almost normal. “All good.”

  “That aloe must have done wonders,” Louise said to Krista.

  “Nah, Maryah’s always been a fast healer.” Krista shimmied her eyebrows at me then pointed toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. “See that huge red rock formation in the distance? It’s Cathedral Rock, one of the major vortexes.”

  “Vortexes?”

  “Yes,” Louise answered. “Sedona is home to four major sacrosanct funnels.”

  “Sacro what?”

  Krista stuck her nose back in the book, but Louise smiled. “Sacred centers of omnipotent energy.”

  No clue what she was talking about, but the view was epic. Like the Lunas carved their house into the side of a cliff so they could gaze down at the colorful earth. Why in the world did my parents ever leave Sedona? “It’s some view.”

  “The original owner thought so too,” Louise said. “That’s why she built the house here.” She gazed out the window and thumbed her necklace. “Would you like some breakfast?”

  “I’ll make myself some cereal if that’s okay.”

  “You don’t have to ask permission. Help yourself to whatever you like. Cereal is in the pantry.”

  I grabbed two boxes and poured milk onto my sweet and healthy combo. Louise eyed my bowl. “I see you like to mix your flavors.”

  “One flavor is too boring.”

  “Interesting, Nathaniel does the same thing.”

  This guy sure did come up a lot. Maybe he was Louise’s favorite. Mothers aren’t supposed to have a favorite child, but regardless of the unwritten rule, they usually did. (Mine definitely did.) Or maybe it was because Nathaniel left for college a couple days ago and Louise missed having him around.

  The side door to the kitchen flew open and a blur of white and pink barreled into me. I almost fell over, but the girl held me in place with a bear hug.

  “It’s so good to see you again!” she squealed.

  Louise closed her book. “Maryah, Krista, meet Faith.”

  The girl pulled back to look at me, but kept her grip on my arms. “We’ve missed you so much! Tell me everything! What adventures have you had? What was Maryland like? I’m loving your straight hair!”

  I stared at her in shock. She was a little shorter than me, but her energy made her seem ten feet tall. Her hair was white as snow with random pieces dyed bright pink. Silver sunglasses with rhinestones sparkled on her head like a tiara. Iridescent shades of pink shadowed her aquamarine eyes, accented by a diamond brow ring. Her tan skin even shimmered because her face powder had glitter in it.

  “What do you mean it’s good to see me again?”

  “Technically the last time I saw you was—”

  “Faith,” Louise interrupted. “Let’s keep the explanations to recent interactions.”

  “Sorry, Louise, ancient habits die hard.” Faith looked me up and down with a big grin. “For now, let’s stick to the basics. We met when we were younger and got along famously, but you wouldn’t remember that.” She squeezed my arms. “I’m so glad you’re back!”

  She turned to Krista and let out an ear-piercing shriek then hugged her too. Krista played along, rocking her side to side like they’d known each other forever.

  Faith looked the same age as us, so how could she remember meeting me as a baby? I couldn’t remember anyone from my childhood before like, age five, four at the most. Either this girl had a remarkable brain as a baby or she had mental issues.

  Heavy footsteps out on the deck got progressively louder. Then, a girl with the exact same face as Faith’s—in a much darker package—stepped through the kitchen door.

  Louise spooned cookie dough onto a baking sheet. “And this is Faith’s twin sister, Harmony.”

  “Did she return mentally challenged and you have to explain we’re twins?” Harmony snarled.

  “I won’t dignify your childish question with an answer.” Louise casually slid a pan of cookies into the oven and winked at me. “I’m sure you’ve guessed which one is the evil twin.”

  Harmony was the complete opposite of her sister, with the exception of the identical facial structure and similar hairstyle. Where Faith’s hair was white, Harmony’s was jet black, and her colored sections were deep purple. Nothing sparkled on this girl. She had the same facial piercing as Faith, but instead of a diamond, her stone looked like obsidian and was located above the opposite eye. She wore head to toe black, including combat boots.

  She removed her sleek sunglasses and wrapped them around her neck like a choker. Her charcoal eyes glanced to the left and right of me—back and forth, never making contact with mine. After a minute of optical ping-pong, she plopped down on a kitchen stool. “I don’t see what all the fuss is about.”

  The good twin’s chipper voice eased my discomfort. “Harmony’s in a bad mood. Don’t take anything she says personally, Maryah.”

  Faith stood in perfect posture, her feet turned out like a ballerina, her shoulders pulled back elegantly. It caused me to involuntarily stand up straight. “Louise, is it okay if I take Maryah and Krista to Tlaquepaque with me? I want to show them around town.”

  I answered Faith’s question before Louise could. “No thanks. I need to talk to Louise and Anthony about my guardianship thing today.”

  Faith scrunched her face up like she smelled something bad. “Before or after they repair the fire damage in your room?”

  My eyes opened so wide a pain shot through my head. How did she know about the fire?

  “She has a point,” Krista said. “Louise, would you rather us get lost for a while?”

  “Heavens, no. I love having both of you around. However, Maryah, I do think you should see more than just our house before you decide whether or not to live here.”

  “Krista, how long are you here?” Faith asked.

  “Our flight home is booked for tomorrow night.”

  “Then we’re definitely spending the day together. No debating.”

  Krista shoved Evil Twin’s shoulder and I worried she was about to get punched. “Are you going?”

  Much to my relief, Harmony didn’t shove her back. She didn’t even look up from her purple fingernails. “No, I’m meeting Carson here. We need to talk to Louise and Anthony about Carson’s birthday present.”

  “I thought his birthday wasn’t for another couple months?” Krista asked.

  How the heck did she know that?

  “Right,” Harmony agreed. “But he can’t wait that long. He needs his Mustang now.”

  I must’ve made my What-the-Fudge face because Louise glanced at me and elaborated. “All of the men in this family have Mustangs. Dylan and Nathaniel both received theirs on their sixteenth birthday. It’s tradition.”

  I couldn’t imagine anyone giving me a car. I couldn’t even imagine owning a car. As bratty as Carson was, it hardly seemed fair. But nothing about life seemed fair anymore.

  Faith grabbed a handful of cookies before heading for the foyer. “I’ll wait for you two out front!”

  The front door slammed shut. Louise and Harmony’s tense sil
ence was my and Krista’s cue to exit and we happily took it.

  As we got ready in the guest room, I kept thinking about the ominous vibe Harmony gave off. I’d seen and met Goth kids that put effort into looking scary, but Harmony didn’t wear pale powder or dark lipstick, or draw dramatic lines around her eyes. She didn’t need to. “Something about Harmony is genuinely shuddersome.”

  Krista tied her hair into a loose bun. “You think so? I like her.”

  “Like her? She barely said two sentences, and she looked like she wanted to kill someone.”

  “Maybe she’s had a rough life.”

  “How rough could it be? Her sister is like a real-life Tinkerbell—a vividly colorful version. How’d she end up so happy, and Harmony end up so…not?”

  Krista waited by the door. “People walk different paths, even when they’re family.”

  I pulled on Mikey’s Ravens hat. “Can you believe she has the audacity to think she can talk Louise and Anthony into giving Carson his car early?”

  “Who are we to judge?”

  “You act like everyone here is perfect, even when they act weird or mean. Seriously, what’s going on with you?”

  She looked away and dug through her purse. After several seconds I realized she wasn’t going to answer me.

  My breath caught in my throat.

  How could I have been so blind? Krista wanted me to move to Sedona. That’s why she kept acting like these people could do no wrong.

  I clenched my jaw and forced my eyes to stay dry. I’d been so caught up in my own misery that I didn’t think about what others were going through. I was an uninvited dark presence in Krista’s previously happy home. I’d be a constant reminder to my uncle that his only sister was gone forever. I probably brought everyone down. No one deserved that.

  “You ready?” Krista asked.

  I didn’t want to ruin Krista’s perfect life. Or be a burden to my aunt and uncle. If I really loved my family, I’d move to Sedona so they could get on with their lives. “Sorry I took so long, but yes, I’m ready.”

  SEEING ISN’T ALWAYS BELIEVING

  Maryah

  Faith sat behind the wheel of a white Toyota Prius. Krista climbed in the back, so I sat in the passenger seat.

  Faith said goodbye to someone then snapped her phone shut. “Where are your sunglasses?”

  “Um, my hat will block the sun.”

  “No way. No friend of mine is traveling around town without sunglasses. An outfit is never complete without a pair of great shades. They are essential to your wellbeing.” She reached into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a Japanese fan, but then pulled a pair of glasses out of the fan—carrying case—and handed them to me.

  “Thanks,” I muttered, sliding them on.

  “Wow, those are fabulous,” Krista said.

  We all sat in silence until I noticed Faith still staring at me. “What?”

  “I hand you a pair of newly released, spun silk, jade-embellished, handcrafted sunglasses by one of the most elite fashion designers in the world, eyewear that according to Chinese tradition will bring you love and prosperity, and you flop them onto your face like they’re a pair of dollar store knockoffs!” She didn’t take a breath throughout her entire speech. “You’re not the least bit excited. Frankly, I’m insulted.”

  Of course Faith would be passionate about sunglasses. She seemed like she’d be passionate about everything. I took the glasses off, examining them closely. She had a point; they were beautifully detailed. I felt guilty for being unappreciative.

  “Sorry. They’re exquisite, but Jinx is my middle name these days. You should take them back so nothing bad happens.”

  After a few seconds of staring at me, she giggled. “Harmony’s right, you are mentally challenged. Nothing bad will happen because you’re wearing them. They’re yours now.” She waved her hand dismissively. “You can thank me someday when you appreciate how fabulous they are.”

  I glanced behind me to confirm Krista also thought Faith was crazy, but Krista’s attention was locked on the scenery outside of her window. Good thing she was wearing sunglasses, or she would have probably got lectured, too.

  ∞

  Talakee-wherever-we-were wasn’t a mall like I’d pictured. It was an outdoor Spanish-style shopping area. Apparently there were no large malls in Sedona, so we strolled along the cobblestone streets while Faith told us facts about every fountain, sculpture, and piece of artwork we passed.

  “You should be a tour guide,” I said. “Are you a history buff or something?”

  “I had this friend who taught me that the best parts of a story are the history and secrets buried inside.” She sipped her smoothie while kicking a stone along our path.

  “You said ‘had’. What happened to her?”

  “She just sort of disappeared. No one really knows why.” Faith sat by a fountain and patted the concrete beside her. Krista and I sat on either side of her.

  “Losing someone like that takes its toll,” Krista said.

  “It’s been extremely hard on all of us.” Faith ran her hand through the fountain. Water dripped from her sparkly painted fingernails. “But I have faith she’ll be back one day.”

  “Faith has faith,” I joked.

  “I do.” She raised her sunglasses and leaned close to me. “But ultimately she has to make the decision to come back. And when she does, I’ll do everything I can to help her.”

  Tires squealing caused all of us to look at the parking lot. A dark gray Jaguar screeched to a halt diagonally, taking up two parking spots. A guy our age climbed out of it. His forearms were covered with black tattoos, and more peeked out from the collar of his t-shirt. His jet-black fauxhawk and leather wristbands matched the interior of his Jaguar. I’d never seen anyone resemble their car, but he definitely did. What kind of jobs did his parents have that made him privileged enough to drive a new Jaguar?

  “Must be nice,” I said to Faith.

  “Ugh.” She lowered her sunglasses and sucked on her straw. By her flaring nostrils, I could tell she wasn’t impressed.

  When I looked up, he was slinking toward us. The guy even moved as sleek as a jaguar.

  “What’s going on, shorty?” he asked Faith.

  “You’re looking at it,” Faith answered in a monotone voice.

  He said hi to Krista then he looked me up and down. “Sorry, didn’t catch your name during Faith’s non-existent intro.”

  “Uh, Maryah,” I muttered pathetically.

  “Okay, Uh Maryah, I’m River.” He smiled, revealing perfect, straight teeth. “You girls coming to my show?”

  I glanced at Faith, but she was ignoring him.

  “Show?” Krista asked.

  “My band, The Rebel Junkies, we’re playing here tonight.”

  “No,” Faith chimed in. “We have other plans.”

  “Too bad. I’m singing a rad new song. Shame you’ll miss it.”

  “Cataclysmic shame.” Faith’s straw made a gurgling sound as she sucked the last bit of smoothie out of her cup. “You should probably go practice.”

  “I don’t practice. Don’t need to.”

  He did have a nice voice, raspy and confident.

  Faith snickered before standing and grabbing my hand. “We were just leaving.”

  “See ya, Krista.” He flashed me another perfect smile. “Bye, Melissa.”

  I didn’t bother correcting him. “Bye.”

  Once we were in the car and out of earshot, I asked Faith about her apparent dislike of River. “What’d he do to get on your bad side?”

  “He’s just full of himself. He’s as shallow as a kiddie pool.”

  With the push of a button, Faith lowered the top of her convertible. She lifted her face to the sky and inhaled. “I love how August sunshine smells!”

  I laughed. “Because July sunshine smells so different?”

  “July is okay. January snow, however, yuck! Smells and tastes like licorice.”

  I looked b
ack at Krista to make sure she didn’t miss the moment of weirdness, but she had her head back and eyes closed like she was enjoying the sunshine just as much as Faith.

  “Months have a smell,” I grumbled. “Interesting.”

  “And taste. So many fantastic details exist in this world that most people never notice.” Faith squeezed my knee. “You should pay more attention.”

  Krista leaned between the seats to turn up the radio. “Ooooh! This is my favorite song.”

  “Yes!” Faith bounced in her seat. “I adore this band.”

  They both sang Déjà vu of You at the top of their lungs while my phone chimed with a text message from my aunt. Hope ur okay. Call if u need us. Love you.

  My heart sank. I missed her and my uncle. I missed all of my family. Part of me felt guilty for not being sad all day. Did that make me a horrible daughter and sister because I hadn’t thought about my parents or Mikey for the past few hours?

  I missed my old life, but there was something peaceful about Sedona. I wasn’t constantly looking over my shoulder for two men the police couldn’t find. For the first time in months, I felt safe, or hopeful, or something besides sad and scared. It was refreshing to be in a town where I wasn’t constantly reminded of everything I had loved and lost.

  NOTHING SHINES FOREVER

  Nathaniel

  Being that it was only eight o’clock, I didn’t want to risk traversing without proper clearance.

  Carson answered his phone on the second ring. “I’m at the house, and no, Maryah isn’t here.”

  “Right. See you in a second.”

  I didn’t focus on a specific room. I focused on reappearing eye to eye with Carson. I traversed and resurfaced standing on the kitchen island—in the dark. Carson’s hands were stretched above his head fiddling with a light fixture.

  “This is a first,” I said.

  Louise stood below us with a flashlight aimed at Carson’s hands. “One of Harmony’s ghosts got angry and blew out all the lights.”

  Carson finished spinning a bulb into place. “Hit the switch, Dakota.”