“Is it possible he knows about you and Lincoln and that’s why he’s like this?”
“Like I said, he’s been this way for months, so no. I have my suspicions on what it is.”
I waited for her to finish but she went mute. “Like what?” I asked.
“It’s his arms.”
“His arms?”
“I’ve noticed these little indents on the pit of his arm. You can’t really see it unless you’re taking a close look, but… they look like track marks. Like he’s been shooting up heroine or something.”
“Shit. Are you sure?”
“I don’t know what else they could be, and it would explain some of his behavior and why he’s been looking really thin and pale lately.”
“This is not good at all, Brinly.”
“Please, you can’t tell anyone about it.”
“So, basically, what you’re saying is, Paul is a potential drug addict who treats you like garbage, yet you’re willing to protect him because…?”
“Because you don’t give up on people just because they’re going through something terrible. You’re with Max, you should understand.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not even the same. Max was bitten, he didn’t choose any of this. Paul is choosing to treat you like dirt. If he has a drug addiction, then, yes, he needs help, but you staying with him while cheating on him isn’t doing him any favors. If anything it’s going to make it worse.”
“You don’t get it. We’re supposed to be together.”
“And I’m supposed to be ten pounds lighter. Shit happens. Life happens. Just because you thought this was a good idea, however many years ago, doesn’t mean you’re forced to stick to it now.”
“Our union keeps the pure bloodlines going. This is bigger than just me.”
“So, what, you’re just going to stay with him? Get married? Have kids? Spend the rest of your life thinking about what could have been?” I waited for some kind of response, but she turned a cheek to me in the most ashamed way. “Brinly, we get one life and that’s it. Why would you live it for someone else? You know what happened when my mom found out I wanted to be a photographer? She cried. She said I’d be some homeless artist eating ramen noodles for dinner every night, but I did it anyway, and I don’t regret it. Sure I’d be in a better place financially if I had gone to medical school or law school, but I wouldn’t be truly happy.”
“You, in law school?” she dejectedly laughed while wiping away a tear. “Now, that would be a sight.”
“I’m not bad at debating, once the shakes and sweating stop,” I joked. I could tell she needed it because she smiled.
Very seriously, I said, “I can help you get away from him if you’re scared.”
Her eyes went dark. “You don’t even know if you’re getting out of here.”
“If I do, I can help you.”
“No offense, but if Lincoln is no match for Paul then you’re…”
“Hardly any help,” I finished. “Yeah, I got that.”
She slipped her hand out of my grasp and then set it on my arm. “I’m just being a worst case scenario thinker. I’ll be fine. I’ve made it this far, haven’t I?”
I knew she was downplaying it, so I’d stop talking about it, but the damage had already been done. She was afraid to leave Paul because someone was going to get hurt. How could I forget something like that?
“I don’t want to upset you,” I said, “but I’m not going to brush this under the rug.”
“But could you? For tonight? I’m stressed out enough over this as it is.”
I exhaled a very defeated breath, closed my eyes, and then gave in. “Fine. Only because it’s upsetting you.”
“Thank you.”
“But I’m not forgetting this, and we’re going to talk about this again.”
She was silent, and I felt like a parent giving the I’ll talk to you later speech to one of their kids when they had broken a rule. I didn’t want her to feel that way, but being entrusted with her insecurities like this gave me a feeling of responsibility. If something terrible happened to Brinly and I kept my mouth shut, how could I ever look myself in the mirror again?
But being her parent wasn’t my job tonight. My job was to relieve some of her stress and be a good friend, so that’s what I did.
***
Brinly, Melanie and I all crammed into my Bug and headed to Nancy’s pub and each ordered a mug of beer.
“You’re getting beer?” Brinly asked in shock.
“I’ve got to learn to love it, right?” I responded with a shrug. It still tasted like burning water going down my throat, but after a few gulps I adjusted.
“So, Cora, you and Max bang yet?” Melanie crudely asked.
“You’re just gonna bring it up, just like that, huh?”
“How else am I gonna bring it up?” She put on a dainty voice and asked, “Have you and Max declared your love with your bodies yet?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no.”
“How am I related to such a square?”
“Oh, leave her alone,” Brinly said. “When it’s the right guy, you don’t want to rush it.”
“Plus, it doesn’t exactly feel appropriate to be sleeping with someone while captive,” I said and raised my glass.
“You’re hardly a captive. You’re drinking beer for Christ’s sake.”
“Yeah, but I don’t like beer.”
“And who ordered it?”
“Peer pressure.”
“I’m gonna pressure your head right into that mug in a second,” Brinly joked and then took a sip. She slipped her hand into her pocket and a panicked look came over her face. “Dammit, my phone. I must have left it in your car.”
“By the way, when the hell are we going to get our phones back?” Melanie asked her. “Your old man has them hidden inside a safe or something?”
“I’m just happy to have my car back,” I said.
“You know why he has them,” Brinly told her. “He thinks you’ll phone the police.”
“Captives calling the authorities?” Melanie waved her hand dismissively and scoffed. “Poppycock.”
I chuckled. “You said poppy.”
The bartender who had worked here both times I visited approached us from behind the bar. He was a little tubby in the middle and his hair was all silver. “Can I get you ladies a refill?”
“Why yes you can,” I said and read his nametag: Mickey. “Mickey. Sounds like Rickey. Rickey. Mr. Rickey, Mickey Ricardo.”
He looked at me strangely. “Maybe you should be cut off.”
“No, no, this is how she acts sober,” Melanie assured him. “Have her walk a straight line, she’ll only fall over twice.”
“You’re being generous,” I replied.
“Round two for the ladies then,” the bartender noted and then poured our refills.
“Can I have your car keys?” Brinly asked. “I need my phone.”
“You that dependent on your phone?” Melanie asked.
“I need to make sure no one is looking for me.”
“What, your little boyfriend going to be mad you’re out past ten?”
Brinly’s eyes flashed toward mine, wondering if I was going to speak up about the volatile nature of their relationship. I remained mute. For now.
“Why don’t I get your phone?” I offered. “I need to walk off some of this beer, anyway, if I’m driving home.”
“You’re not buzzed, are you?”
“No, but my chest is burning. God, beer is horrendous.”
“Just order a screwdriver.”
“Not a good idea,” Melanie said. “Liquor before beer you’re in the clear. Beer before liquor, never been sicker.”
“Who wrote that, a hammered Dr. Seuss?” I asked.
“You’ve never heard that? It’s common knowledge, Cora.”
“Well, pin a rose on your nose,” I replied and then scooted off the bench and headed outside.
The cool sum
mer night air hit my face and I breathed it in gently. There was nothing like a nice summer night, especially after cooped up in a hot, loud bar with bad music and really loud drunks.
A couple steps forward and I stopped, shocked. “What the fuck!” I involuntarily yelled.
The left headlight of my precious little Bug had been completely smashed in and there was glass scattered all over the pavement. I immediately ran to my vehicle to check if I had been broken into, but all the doors were locked and all the windows still in one piece. It was just this one headlight that had been broken. Like someone walked up to it and kicked it in for no reason.
“Son of a—”
“Cora?” Out of nowhere I heard this dainty, trembling voice call out to me, and while it wasn’t a voice that I necessarily knew by heart, it was one that felt very familiar. I whipped around quickly and saw there, in the shadows, dressed in a hoodie with uncleaned hair, was Dana.
“Dana?” I asked, blown away that of all places I would see her here, right now, when I knew she was a recluse.
“So, it is true,” she said quietly. “I thought I had to be wrong and that you weren’t still here. I thought that you left.”
“I was going to, but—”
“You have to leave,” she urgently warned me, coming out of the shadows, so I could see the desperation in her eyes. She looked terrified. “If you don’t leave, something terrible is going to happen to you.”
“It’s worked out now. They know about me and I’m staying with them.”
“That’s not who I’m talking about.”
My throat went dry and suddenly, it was hard to swallow. “What do you mean?”
“I hear voices, conversations. I hear them from my room and it’s always in the forest near the city. They talk about you and what you being here means. Cora, they mean to harm you.”
I shook my head furiously. “No, Max would have heard something.”
“The voices are quiet, like whispers when I’m in my normal form, and most don’t usually hear it. But I do. I do because I have nothing to drown the noise out. I sit in silence, all alone, every single day. The voices are all I hear.”
“And what are they saying?”
“That they don’t trust you. That you’re going to get them killed.”
“Who is saying this?”
Dana closed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t have a name, but just know that this person is not alone in thinking that. You’re in danger.”
“I can’t leave. They’re not letting me. What… what am I supposed to do?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, eyes wide, brow scrunched. “I shouldn’t even be here.” She backed away quickly, disappearing into the darkness and I heard the pitter patter of her feet as she ran as far and as quickly away from me as possible.
“Wait!” I yelled, but there was no response. She was already gone.
How could she drop this bomb on me? How could she appear out of nowhere, tell me my life was in danger and then take off before I could get any real answers?
Once Dana was gone, I sat outside the pub shaking uncontrollably, my heart beating harder than a drum in a metalcore band, wondering what exactly was said about me that made Dana travel all the way into town just to give me this warning. I kept praying that what she heard was misconstrued and that she only came here as payment for the warning I gave her.
I was no fool; if there was someone out to get me, I knew who it was.
Paul.
CHAPTER TWENTY
First thing in the morning, a note slipped underneath my door with the message:
Lincoln is fixing your car. He should be done by the afternoon.
Meet him in the garage.
—B
I had actually forgotten about the headlight to my car being smashed until I saw the note sitting, nearly lost in the shag of my room’s welcome mat. It was nice knowing it was getting looked at, but the broke bitch part of my brain wondered how much I would have to give him and if my budget could even afford it right now.
After asking around a little bit, I was given directions to the garage. It was on the outside of the compound, located closer to the beach, and there were more than a dozen garages neatly compacted together with cars inside each and every one of them, all shiny, black, and like a good buck was spent maintaining their spotless appearances.
I heard Bob Marley’s “One Love” playing from what sounded like a car stereo, and followed the sound until I noticed the yellow rear end of my Bug poking out from a garage’s entrance. Mixed in with the rest of the jet black vehicles, my banana colored Bug really stood out.
I entered the garage and found Lincoln going from one workbench to the next, gloves on hands, music blaring, and sporting a black tank top that showcased his massive, tattoo covered arms. I felt like I stumbled into a Muscle And Fitness photo shoot instead of a garage.
I cleared my throat and he immediately took notice. “You’re early,” he said as he slipped a glove off each hand.
“Did we have an appointment?”
“No, but if we did I’d be getting a tip right about now.” He nodded to the headlight of my car. It was now in perfect condition.
“It’s fixed already? Damn. Maybe I ought to start breaking more of my things while I’m here. I got a hairbrush with a handle that keeps falling off.”
A sweet natured grin popped up on his face. “It wasn’t a big job. It probably took me less than fifteen minutes.”
“Wow, thanks. How much do I owe you?”
“It’s on the house.”
“No, really. I wouldn’t feel right. If I went to someone professionally I’d be paying a couple hundred bucks. I don’t have a lot of cash on me, but I could at least give you fifty and then pay the rest when I get home or to an ATM.”
“I wasn’t saying on the house so you could offer to pay. I really meant it was on the house.”
I had a good idea of the motive behind this; it felt like a bribe for me to keep my mouth shut about what I walked in on. Why else would someone do this for free?
Lincoln leaned against the side of my car and folded his arms, making his muscles inflate like two balloons. Dear Lord, he was ripped. “How’d you break the headlight, anyway?” he inquired.
“Brinly didn’t tell you? I found it like that.”
“Someone just broke your headlight?”
“It looks that way. I don’t have the greatest luck.”
“Probably a couple of punks. I can tell Mickey to keep an ear out.”
“You know the bartender?”
“I know everybody.”
I nodded.
The fact that I knew he was sleeping with Brinly behind Paul’s back was like a dark cloud looming over the conversation, and I felt like I was going to suffocate if someone didn’t bring it up.
“You offering to fix my car up wouldn’t have anything to do with what I saw, would it?”
And just like that I burped it out.
His body tensed and he whipped a handkerchief out from his back pocket and wiped his hands clean. “You going to say something?” he asked, keeping his eyes focused on cleaning his palms.
“I’m just trying to stay out of trouble,” I confessed.
His head was down low, but I saw his brow furrow.
“You almost look disappointed,” I noted.
“No, no, not at all,” he said with a forced chuckle. “It’s good that no one knows. It’s better this way, right?”
“You don’t sound so sure,” I told him. He sounded like someone trying to pitch an idea to himself rather than a man relieved his secret was being kept.
“It’d be a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders if this was all out in the open and we could move on, you know?”
“Move on? With her or from her? Because she’s pretty crazy about you.”
He sighed. “Never from her. Never.”
“I take it you’ve tried to get her to leave him,” I said. I was afraid to even say Paul’s name out
loud in case he was nearby snooping.
“This isn’t the ideal situation, but if this is the only way I can be with her then I’m going to have to suffer through it for a little while.”
“You’re right, that doesn’t sound like an ideal situation.”
“What exactly did she tell you?”
“That you guys have been…together…for a month and that she’d pretty much die if anyone knew about it.”
“Sounds like her tune hasn’t changed much.”
“Why are you doing this, Lincoln? Why throw yourself into this situation?”
“Because I love her. We may have been together physically for only one month, but in my head it’s been more like six. I don’t know if there was ever a moment where I wasn’t head over heels for that girl.”
“Then why not run away together?”
“Brinly has duties to fulfill here and as much as it pisses me off, I understand why she stays. Life isn’t like the movies, Cora, where we get to abandon our responsibilities and run away to live as we please.”
“People write those into the movies because it’s something we all wish we could really do.”
“Wish,” he emphasized.
“What kind of life is this that you’re all living? It’s like you’re all trapped in the past where arranged marriages and lineage mean more than being happy. Your kind is not going to go extinct if one woman chooses to be with someone like you.”
“It’s the mindset they’re concerned about. Once one betrays tradition, they’ll all be doing it.”
“This mindset put onto you guys by Aga?” I asked very slowly, cautious with what I should and shouldn’t be saying. I thought, screw it, and said, “For a man you all boast about so much, he sure does instill some really retched morals.”
“Aga is a good man, but he’s also a traditionalist. His top priority has always been ensuring the purebreds carry over for generations, so that in another hundred years, they’re still thriving. I’m just a mutt in their eyes and there’s nothing honorable about us being together.”
Lunar City Page 23
