by Davis Ashura
William, Jake, and Jason hunkered alone in a quiet, dead-end alley that opened onto the Village Green and the hundreds of people overflowing its confines in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Those who didn’t want to deal with the hassle of the horde up on Clifftop held celebrations in their homes. Those parties could be every bit as raucous as the one up here.
Electricity coursed through the throng, and William imagined this might be how Times Square felt and looked on New Year’s Eve . . . if Times Square had glorious waterfalls, majestic, awe-inspiring statues of magi from history, and a massive escarpment that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. Nevertheless, while the crowd’s energy could be intoxicating, the tumult, along with the music blaring from the gazebo, made it hard to think. As a result he, Jake, and Jason had retreated to this out-of-the-way alley, each of them withdrawn into their own thoughts.
William studied the others and for the first time noticed the faintest hint of crow’s feet at the corners of the other boys’ eyes. He wondered if he had the same set of wrinkles. The three of them were only twenty-two, and a few years ago all their faces had been smooth and innocent, but time and dangerous living had aged them. Their lives had changed so dramatically since their senior year of high school and those alterations had marked them in ways other than the age lines on their faces. Jake was no longer the brash, smug, cocky football player he had once been, and Jason had traded smooth confidence and self-assuredness for doubt and uncertainty.
As for himself . . . William sighed in disappointment at the direction his life had taken. Dedication and focus. Work and train. That’s all he ever thought about, and he wondered if the pressure would ever let up.
Why didn’t I ask Serena to the Chinese New Year’s festival? She would have said ‘yes.’ At least, I think she would have. Instead here he moped, alone and unnoticed in an alley, separate from the excitement, while the rest of the village celebrated.
“Where’s Daniella?” Jason asked Jake. “Didn’t you say you were interested in her?”
Jake’s shoulders hunched. “I’m working on it.”
“I thought Serena was going to talk to Lien about her,” Jason said.
“I told her not to bother,” Jake answered. “Like I said, I’m working on it.”
Jason snorted. “By working on it, you really mean you’re delaying?”
“Says the guy who also doesn’t have a date,” Jake countered.
Jason held up his hands in surrender. “I know I sound like a hypocrite, but believe it or not I’ve got a date lined up for next week.”
William’s head shot around. “Since when did you start dating?”
Jake followed up. “Yeah, with who?”
Jason smiled smugly. “You’ll find out.”
Jake viewed Jason in study. “I don’t believe you,” he eventually said.
“And I don’t care,” Jason replied in a haughty tone.
“Then who is it?” Jake asked.
“None of your business,” Jason said.
“Then why didn’t you ask her out to New Years?” Jake asked.
“Because she already had plans.” Jason scowled. “Leave it alone, all right?”
William looked from Jake to Jason and considered their shared situations. “We’re a trio of losers,” he decided.
The other two stared at him, brows lifted in either offense or annoyance.
“We are,” William said. “All of us keep putting off asking out girls we like because of all the crap we’ve been through.”
Jake nodded agreement. “We suck. I mean, look at us. Hiding in an alley like this.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jason said. “I plan on living again.” His eyes drifted over the crowd and he pointed. “Look. It’s Lien and Daniel.”
William searched for where Jason indicated. Lien and Daniel danced close, swaying slowly in time to the music. He smiled as he watched them move. “They look good together.”
“Check out Jean-Paul and Thu,” Jake said with a chuckle.
Jason laughed, too. “Is Jean-Paul having a seizure?”
William shook his head, amazed and appalled at the herky-jerky nature of the Frenchman’s movements, especially compared to the gracefulness of his Vietnamese husband. “I think that’s just how he dances.”
They watched a few minutes more until the song ended.
“Lien and Daniel are coming over,” Jason said, and they waited in silence for the couple’s arrival.
“What are you guys doing here all alone?” Lien asked.
“Nothing,” William answered. “Talking about people who shouldn't be dancing in public.”
“You mean, like you and Serena?” Lien asked with an arch of her eyebrows. “You really should have asked her out.”
William grimaced. Lien always gave him a hard time. “Yeah, well some of us are born dumb.”
“You should find her and at least ask her for a dance,” Daniel said, giving William a nudge and a wink.
William feigned cool unconcern.
“Just do it,” Lien said, giving him a shove toward the crowd. “Don’t be a dumb-Shet.”
William dug in his heels, preventing Lien from pushing him forward. “A what?”
“A dumb-Shet,” Lien said. “You know what I mean. Now, get going.” She gave him another shove toward the Village Green.
William kept his feet dug in.
“Even Rukh and Jessira took the day off to celebrate,” Lien said, pointing out the strange couple.
William watched them. Lien was right. They were having a good time, although both had seemed morose a few days ago when they’d come back from Meldencreche.
His gaze wandered then, but it locked in place when he saw Serena. He couldn’t look away. She wore a sleeveless dress, sunshine-yellow, that hugged her form and swirled about her long legs as she eased through the crowd. She gracefully twisted to avoid those dancing, smiling or laughing every now and then, her expression open and warm. William swallowed heavily.
“Go dance with her,” Lien urged. “We all know you want to.”
William blinked, awareness of his surroundings returning.
Daniel laughed. “I think our friend here wants to dance with Serena, but he doesn’t know how to ask her.” He wore a knowing leer. “Or maybe he’s thinking about doing the horizontal bop.”
“Gross!” Lien exclaimed at Daniel, her face pinched in disapproval.
Daniel spent the next seconds apologizing profusely to Lien, but William had stopped paying them any attention. His focus remained on Serena, and he found himself moving toward her like iron to a lodestone. Shet could wait. Danger could wait. The world could wait. Right now, he wanted to dance with Serena.
“I’ll see y’all later,” William called over his shoulder.
He strode toward Serena, and she turned on the moment of his arrival, somehow sensing his approach. She broke into a smile, the secret smile of amusement that set his heart to beating faster. He didn’t have to say anything. Serena held out her hands, and he took her in his arms. They swirled into unison, flowing like they’d danced together a thousand times.
Serena laughed, and William wondered what her lips tasted like. He’d once felt them pressed against his own, but he wanted to know it again.
The music slowed, and Serena rested her head against his shoulder. They swayed in time to the rhythm, and through the fabric of her dress and his button-up shirt, he felt her heartbeat. It raced faster than it should have. He thought she trembled, and he wondered at it.
She pushed off his chest when the song ended and smiled at him. Not the secret one he loved to see. This one was the smile of a friend, and somehow also sad.
“Thank you for the dance,” Serena said before disappearing into the crowd.
ADVANCING ELEMENTS
March 1990
* * *
“Why are we here?” Serena asked Lien.
The two of them stood in the early morning sunlight outside of an abandoned townhouse on Cliff Fire.
The two-story structure clung to the very edge of Terrace Ten on a long, narrow lot, and the structure could have easily fit in amongst the rundown tenements of Over-the-Rhine, the ghetto Serena remembered from her time in Cincinnati. Despite the shadows cast by the looming cliff toward the rear, the townhouse had the same slumped, disheveled disrepair apparent in most buildings in that Cincinnati neighborhood. In addition, similar to Over-the-Rhine, a hint of something beautiful lay hidden beneath the grime and grit. Deeply hidden.
Serena ran her eyes over the boarded windows, the rotted door, and the sagging porch with columns ruined to little more than sawdust by wood ants or termites.
At least someone had made an attempt to maintain the grounds. They’d trimmed the weeds and kept them at a manageable ankle-high level rather than allowing them to grow to a person’s waist.
Lien threw her arms wide as if to embrace the slouched structure. “This is my home,” she declared in answer to Serena’s question.
Serena lifted her eyebrows in disbelief. “This place?” It had to be a joke. Why would Lien want to live in such a broken-down hovel?
The other girl nodded, though. “It’s actually mine and Daniel’s. He proposed to me last night.” She displayed a gold band with a small diamond encircling her ring finger and nearly squealed in delight, a strange sound from the normally blunt and razor-tongued girl.
Serena smiled at Lien, amused by her friend’s reaction but mostly glad for her. “Congratulations,” she said. “Have you set a date?”
“Next spring,” Lien answered. “We’re hoping to move into the house right after the wedding.”
Serena opened her mouth to reply but caught sight of two girls heading their way. She recognized both of them—Karla and Daniella Logan—native-born sisters a year apart in age who could have almost passed for identical twins.
Karla, the taller and older of the sisters, had native-born dusky skin, but rather than dark hair, hers was a sandy-brown and clipped short at the nape of her neck. In addition, she had startling, bright blue eyes rather than dark-colored ones. They were somewhat hidden by the round glasses that fit her face. She wore jeans and a T-shirt with the logo of the Episcopal Church. Her grandfather had been a rector.
Serena had gotten to know Karla pretty well during the times they played enrune and had immediately been struck by her bubbly personality and generous manner.
Daniella, on the other hand, was more reserved. She left her hair longer, letting it drape around her lean, pretty features. Maybe she wanted to hide her face, but nothing could mask her blue eyes, every bit as vibrant and startling as her sister’s. Daniella also wore clothing similar to Karla’s, but for some reason she had a lantern in her hand. She smiled shyly.
Serena smiled in reply and realized an opportunity had presented itself. Jake couldn’t seem to muster up the courage to talk to Daniella, and here she was. Maybe Serena could push the issue for him. He’d likely resent her intrusiveness, but if all went well, then all would also be forgiven. She’d have to find a subtle means of broaching the topic,
“Hi,” Karla said in her open, forthright manner as she directed her attention to Lien. “You wanted some help cleaning up your new homestead?” She shoved Daniella forward. “I nominate my little sister to clear the cobwebs.”
Daniella offered Karla an amused smile. “And I nominate my much older sister to clear out the mice droppings.”
“Gross,” Karla said.
Serena chuckled. “Is that why you invited me up here?” she asked Lien.
“You don’t mind?” Lien asked.
“Of course not. What do you want to do first?”
Lien wore an unaccountably uncertain expression. “I’m not sure. I’ve never fixed up a house before. What did you start with when you repaired your cottage?”
Daniella addressed Serena. “By the way, your cottage is an absolute gem,” she said. “When you had us over a few months ago, I couldn’t believe it was the same place I remembered from before. I always knew it as that ugly dump by the lagoon.”
“I especially liked the gardens,” Karla said.
Serena’s feelings toward the Logans warmed. “Thank you,” she said. “It took a lot of work getting it to look like it does.”
“Do you think we can do the same thing for my house?” Lien asked.
Serena shrugged. “Hard work can fix nearly anything. Let’s go inside and take an inventory of what needs repairing.”
They climbed the short flight of steps to the front porch and entered the house. Serena rocked back at the stench, a nostril-burning stink of mouse-droppings and bat guano, and the fetid rankness of mold mixed with the reek of stale air. In addition, with all the windows boarded up she had trouble seeing anything.
“Here,” Daniella said. She held up the lantern she brought.
Serena silently applauded the other woman’s foresight when bright, white light chased away the darkness. It also disturbed the bats roosting in the chimney. They chirped and fluttered, disturbed in their sleep as other vermin scuttled across the floor, seeking shelter from the sudden illumination.
Lien held a handkerchief to her mouth and nose. “What’s that smell?” she asked, her voice muffled by the fabric.
“Bat guano and mouse droppings,” Serena answered. “Amongst other things.”
Daniella snickered at Karla. “Cleaning that stuff is your job.”
“No, thanks,” Karla quickly said. “I think Serena and Lien can handle that part, right?”
Serena didn’t answer. She was too busy creating a mental inventory of what needed doing. A thick layer of dust covered moth-eaten or termite-damaged furniture. All of that would have to go. The plaster walls had cracks extending like lightning from the ceiling. Massive chunks were missing. Maybe a water leak upstairs? In addition the flooring sagged, with a pronounced drop-off from the front of the house to the back. Serena bounced experimentally a few times, confirming her suspicions. Some of the floor joists had gone bad.
Serena addressed Lien. “I think we’ll have to take the house down to the studs first. After that, we can figure out what we want to do with it.”
Lien sighed. “It sounds like a lot of work.”
Serena nodded. “Let’s start with the furniture. We need to get rid of all of it.” She looked to Lien. “Do you have any more handkerchiefs? We shouldn’t breathe too much of this stuff.”
Lien pulled three handkerchiefs from her back pocket, and they got started.
“We’ll have to toss the furniture outside,” Serena said.
“I’ve got a better idea,” Karla said. She sourced her lorethasra, and the smell of dandelion briefly washed away the room’s stink. She wove whip-like braids made of Earth and Air and sent them into a sofa. They reached out with grasping, root-like fingers. “Watch.” Wood cracked as the sofa buckled. Legs snapped, the spine broke, and sawdust rose.
Lien sneezed. “Ugh.”
Serena automatically pushed the sawdust away from her face with a weave of Air.
A few minutes later, Karla had torn the furniture into small pieces of kindling. “If we hold the pieces in a mesh of Earth, we should be able burn them to ashes.”
Serena smiled. “Good idea. Let’s get it done.”
They quickly had the rest of the furniture torn down and burned to ash. From there, they moved on to the rest of the filth. Hours later, by common assent, they broke for lunch. All of them were covered with dirt and grime.
“We got a lot done,” Daniella said, sounding proud of herself.
The four of them rested outside on the front porch, enjoying the fresh air.
“We did get a lot done,” Lien agreed. “Breaking down the furniture helped a lot.”
“That was a handy trick,” Daniella said to Karla.
“We still have to tear down the walls and pull up the flooring,” Serena reminded them. “We’ll eventually need help with all that or we’ll be doing demolition until Christmas.”
“What about Daniel?” Ka
rla asked. “What’s he doing?”
Lien scowled. “He has to repair the leylines near Mount Madhava or something like that. Lucky guy.”
Serena swatted at a smear of dirt on her pants. “I can ask William to help.”
Lien smiled knowingly. “I’m sure he’ll do anything for you.”
Karla and Daniella grinned as well.
Serena mentally sighed. After dancing with William at the Chinese New Year’s celebration, their relationship had resumed its normal platonic pattern of friendship and nothing more. “William’s a good friend. That’s it,” she said, knowing her statement sounded weak as soon as the words left her mouth.
Daniella laughed. “I wish I had a good friend like that.”
“Same here,” Karla said. She leaned in for a conspiratorial whisper. “He’s handsome but so intense. I like that.”
Lien nodded vigorously and grinned. “But don’t forget that he’s a dork.”
“Isn’t Daniel the one who memorized the theme song to Star Blazers?” Serena asked. She’d seen the show once in Cincinnati. Daniel had chosen it for movie night. Between the absurd plot, ridiculous bug-eyed women, and silly weapons—A Wave-Motion Cannon. Really?—Lien had no right to mock anyone as being a dork given the man she loved.
Lien only smiled wider. “Daniel’s a dork, but he’s the kind of dork William only wishes he could be. My man is the king of dorks.”
Serena laughed in reply, genuinely amused by Lien’s take on the situation.
“What about Jake?” Daniella asked. “Why’s he such a snob?”
Serena privately thanked whichever god had placed Jake’s name in Daniella’s mind. “He’s not like that at all,” she said. “He’s actually quite kind and generous, but he’s had a hard time coming to grips with everything he’s lost and been through. Give him time, and I think he’ll surprise us all.”
Karla wore a puzzled frown. “That sounded like an oddly ringing endorsement.” Her eyes widened an instant later. “You’re trying to set him up with one of us.”
