Sid thought about everything Theo taught him over the last week. “My parents told me if I don’t get, and keep, a job, they will take away my car.”
“Humph,” she said, smiling. “What do you know about coffee?”
“Absolutely nothing except that it has a distinct odor.” She scowled at him and turned around again, wiping the counter. “But I’m an extremely fast learner. In one week I’ve learned how to use a computer, television, iPhone, Facebook, and Twitter.”
“And why didn’t you bother learning about those things before last week?”
“Because I didn’t have them before last week.”
She grinned, and Sid could tell she was about to give in.
“Where did you say you moved from?”
“I didn’t.”
She shook her head. “Never mind. I suppose we can try this for a week and see how you do. My summer help has all gone home, and Aspen isn’t back from Hawaii yet.” She handed him a piece of paper. “Call me Ella. Here’s a list of all the drinks we serve and their ingredients. Have it memorized by tomorrow morning and wear sneakers. The floor has a tendency to get slick. Any questions?”
“Yeah. The name ‘The Purple Dragon,’ where did it come from?”
“Aspen,” she said, pointing at a small picture next to the register. “She took that picture.”
“Who took this picture?” Sid asked, walking toward it. In a crooked blue frame, the tips of pine trees lined the bottom of the picture and white clouds hung in the corners. Filling the middle of the picture was a violet dragon, Jolantha. Sid’s mother’s best friend.
“Aspen. Have you been paying attention to me?”
Sid looked at her. “What, oh yeah, but how’d she get it? Most people are terrified of dragons.”
“Aspen is not most people”
“Can I meet her?” Sid asked, wondering if she could possibly be the girl he saw on the mountain in the park. Humans detested dragons. For there to be more than one person in the area who didn’t run from them would be too much to ask. Plus, he hoped she was the same girl. He wanted to see her again.
“Yeah, she works here, but she won’t be back in town until Saturday. She’ll probably come to the party here Saturday night. Will you be going to the high school?”
“Yes. I’ll be a senior.”
“You should come. Most of the juniors and seniors will be here. I can introduce you.”
He leaned closer to the picture. “Amazing. Does she take photos of dragons often?”
Ella cackled. “You’re fighting a losing battle.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I can already tell. You’ll like her, but she won’t like you.”
“Why would she dislike me?” Sid asked, shocked.
“Oh, Aspen hates all the pretty boys. And you, my friend, are the very definition of a pretty boy. You look like you just pranced off the cover of GQ with your long black hair and smoldering eyes.” She smirked at him, and he stood there, embarrassed for the first time in his life.
Aspen’s nightmare walked through the door of the Purple Dragon. It’d been three years since she saw the face that haunted her dreams. Marc should’ve never found her, yet there he stood, seemingly unsure of where to go. Stubble peppered his jaw, and thick eyebrows came together as he scanned the room. Bitterness crawled across her tongue.
The burgundy mug slipped from her hand and shattered; hot coffee seeped into her sandals. She ripped her eyes away from Marc. Dark brown liquid carved a path through the crevices and slid into the cracks of the faded wood floor. Breathe, she reminded herself. The smell of coffee beans and chocolate chip cookies filled her nostrils.
Brad glared at her from behind the espresso bar and reached for the broom and dustpan. Everything moved in slow motion. She looked toward the door, ready to face him again, but Marc was gone. Time sped up. She spun in circles, searching for him, praying he wasn’t behind her. He had disappeared.
Was he really here? For a while his face had been a regular participant in that time between semi-consciousness and sleep. On those days, she pictured him everywhere. Except for the dream just before she left for Hawaii, she hadn’t thought of him in nearly six months. She wondered if she saw him because of the dream.
She hated the fear consuming her. Aspen was the queen of everything dangerous. She played with bears, jumped out of airplanes, and chased after dragons. In third grade a boy at school dared her to jump off the top of the school—she broke her leg but won the dare. Nothing scared her, ever.
Except him.
“Aspen!” A squeal erupted in her ear. Tori hugged her from behind, and Aspen stiffened, still fearing what she couldn’t see. Then Tori dragged her over to a table, and Aspen sat down, looking everywhere for Marc.
“Oh my gosh, I’ve missed you so much. At least you made it back in time for the party. It was so not cool that you disappeared on us for the last three weeks of summer. How was Hawaii? Lots of hot guys?” Her voiced squeaked a little, like it always did, sounding as if she were getting over a cold.
Tori paused for a moment, reached across the table, and grabbed Aspen’s purse. She plucked out the Guava Lip Smackers. “Coty went home yesterday. I cried all night, and you were on a stinkin’ airplane. I think I’m in love with him, but how can I love him in California? He promised to call and text and e-mail every day, but I bet one of those beach sluts takes advantage of him.”
Coty showed up at the beginning of the summer. Tori knew he was only a summer fling. He probably already had a girlfriend in Cali, but it was Aspen’s duty as BFF not to mention that. Besides, she felt woozy. Could she even stand?
Tori pulled out a box of mints and looked up at Aspen. “Are you feeling okay? You don’t look so hot.”
Duh. Of course she didn’t look good. Control was her thing—nothing rattled her—this was a fluke. Aspen wondered if Tori could see her shaking. Tori put on Aspen’s lip gloss and then tossed it into her own bag. If Aspen had been feeling normal, she would’ve been annoyed. Tori always took her things. Over the course of the last several months, she also changed her appearance so she looked more and more like Aspen. Her short red curls had morphed into straight blonde hair, except not as long as Aspen’s. As it was, tonight, Aspen didn’t care. This was one party she needed to ditch.
“Jet lag, I think.”
“You need something to drink. But first, tell me about Hawaii. I heard you missed your flight.”
“Who told you that?”
“Rowan. Normally I ignore his texts, but since you never had your phone on, he was the only way I had to keep tabs on you.”
Aspen’s brother and his big mouth. He’d say anything to impress Tori.
“Well, he exaggerated. We didn’t miss our flight to Hawaii. Just the one out of Idaho Falls. We caught the next flight and still managed to make the connecting plane.”
“How was it? What’d you do?”
“I got pictures of a fire dragon. Do you want to see them?” The red dragon hadn’t gotten close to her like the black one, but Aspen still got good pictures.
Tori’s face scrunched up, and she shivered. “No. And don’t talk about them. They’re creepy.”
“Then don’t ask,” Aspen snapped.
Tori pouted, and Aspen backtracked. “Tori, I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well. I think I should go home.”
“But you just got here. Let’s get something to drink, and you’ll feel better.” Tori gathered up her things, looped Aspen’s purse over her shoulder, and pulled her off the stool. Aspen looked toward the door, just to double check Marc wasn’t standing there anymore. Tori stopped, and Aspen ran into her.
“What are you doing?”
She grinned and pointed. “I think I found Coty’s replacement.”
Marc stood in the doorway by the stairs, next to the espresso bar. He turned his head, and for a moment, stared straight into Aspen’s eyes. He gave her a crooked grin, and the acidic taste of bile rushed up her throat. She turne
d and threw up all over the floor.
“Eww. Oh eww.” Tori’s feet pranced on the ground. Louder footsteps approached, and a paper towel appeared in front of Aspen’s face.
“Thanks,” she mumbled.
Aspen held the paper towel over her mouth and stumbled toward the bathroom, Tori following. She sat on the counter while Aspen washed her face.
“You are sick,” Tori said as they walked into the crowd. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. Will you be able to make it home okay?”
“Yeah, of course.” The crowd had gotten bigger, and the walls seemed closer together. The people pressed in on all sides, either ignoring Aspen or welcoming her back from Hawaii. She smiled, nodded, and forced her way to the front door, fighting both nausea and dizziness.
Seconds before she pushed the screen open, a hand grabbed her shoulder. She froze, unsure of what to do. Everything was so loud, the voices, the chairs scraping the floor, the bass of the music beating along with her heart. Aspen turned slowly and came face-to-face with her deepest fear.
All sound died. His lips moved but no words came out. Aspen’s ears were deaf to the music and the screech of the coffee machine. The only thing she heard was the blood rushing in her ears.
Marc had a terrible, frightening, beautiful face. She noticed strange things—his one crooked tooth, the bare spot on his chin with no stubble, and the odd ocean-blue color of his eyes. Her vision blurred, and she swayed. Blue? Marc had brown eyes. His hand gripped her arm. Her eyes moved from his face to his hand that held on so tightly it almost hurt. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and everything went black.
“Aspen, wake up.” Small hands slapped the side of her face.
“That’s not going to work. Here, let me help,” a deeper voice said, still female. Ammonia stung her nostrils, and her eyes opened. Ella’s face hovered over Aspen.
“Good. See, she’s fine.”
Ella offered Aspen a hand, and she took it. Even unsteady on her feet, she surveyed those around her—Ella, Tori, Matt, and a couple of freshman she didn’t know.
“Where’s Marc?” Aspen asked.
“Who’s Marc?” Tori asked.
“Never mind,” Aspen said, grabbing her keys from the floor.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Ella took them from her. “I’m taking you home. You can get your car tomorrow.”
Ella’s Bronco sped down Highway 89. Aspen closed her eyes and let her mind wander. The last time she saw Marc, it was through her own swollen blackened eyes as he ran from her in the forests of Yosemite. She could still smell his sweat and the stink of alcohol on his breath.
People didn’t come to Gardiner by accident, and they didn’t just pass through. The town got enough tourists, but by the end of August most of them had gone home. Plus, they didn’t come to the parties at the Purple Dragon unless someone local invited them. Did he come to find Aspen? She couldn’t remember if she told him where she lived.
The face from the party floated in her head. In spite of what he did to her, she still found him attractive. Especially his eyes. Something about the thrilling deep blue color caused her face to flush.
“We have to go back,” Aspen shouted.
“Calm down. We’re a half-mile from your house. Whatever you forgot we can get tomorrow. You’ve already puked and passed out in my shop tonight, and I’m not taking you back.”
“Please, I have to. I need to know.”
“Know what?”
How could Aspen explain? She never told anyone about Marc, not even her parents. Ella wouldn’t get it. Marc had brown eyes.
Ella explained to Aspen’s parents that she threw up, fainted, and was hallucinating. Although, Aspen wasn’t sure where she got that from. Aspen’s mom, used to her brother’s frequent bouts of anxiety, handed Aspen a bowl of ice cream. She ate it without thinking and realized, too late, that her mom spiked it with Valium. Unaccustomed to the medication, Aspen was out in fifteen minutes and didn’t wake until Monday morning. Just in time to leave for school.
Tori pounced on her as soon as she entered the school.
“Oh my gosh, you missed an amazing party. There’s this new guy. Oh man, so hot. His name is Sid, and he’s going to be my new boyfriend.”
Aspen smiled. “What about Coty?”
Tori gave her a dismissive wave. “Ancient history. He’s in California, and Sid is here, available, and gorgeous.”
Tori chattered on while they walked to homeroom. This was Aspen’s last school year ever. If she passed. She’d rather be in the wild, doing something crazy. For the most part she tried, but only to keep her parents off her back. Somewhere along the line, rule number five came into play: graduate.
She didn’t really see the point. After all, as soon as she was done, she was going to find a film crew that was as crazy as she was and head out in the parks to get close to the dragons. But Aspen wasn’t dumb. She realized the possibility of making cash right away filming the dragons was low, and she needed a place to crash. As long as she kept her parents happy, she’d have a place to sleep. She’d graduate in the spring if it killed her. And it just might.
Mrs. Dufour had been her homeroom, and favorite, teacher for the last three years. They shared the same love of photography. Though Mrs. Dufour preferred to get shots of the wolves in the park instead of the dragons. This morning Mrs. Dufour focused her attention on a frazzled Lila, class president and probable valedictorian. Lila always had something to worry about, and since most of her peers didn’t care, the teachers got to listen.
Aspen headed to her normal desk, back right corner. But sitting in her seat was Marc—or whatever his name was—fiddling with a pencil, his long hair shadowing his face. What the hell was he doing here? This guy was supposed to have been a one-night freak, a friend of someone at the party.
Graduation suddenly seemed so far away. No way would Aspen make it through the year if every time she turned around, he paralyzed her with fear. Time to drop out and tell Ella she wanted full time hours. She’d just have to work around her dream. Aspen spun and hurried out the door. Tori scurried after her.
“Aspen, what are you doing? I want to introduce you to Sid.”
“Who’s Sid?” Aspen asked, her head spinning.
“You know, the hottie from the party at the Purple Dragon. Were you not listening to me this morning? He hung out with us for most of the night. He’s super sweet. You’ll like him.” She grabbed Aspen’s hand and tried to drag her into the room. Aspen pulled away and leaned against the lockers in an effort to keep herself upright.
“What did you say his name was?”
“Sid,” she said, crossing her arms and clicking her heels on the floor.
“Are you sure?”
Tori sighed. “Of course I’m sure. I spent half the night with him. Don’t you think he would’ve told me if I called him the wrong name? Now come on, he wants to meet you.”
Aspen put her hands on her knees, leaned over, and took a couple of deep breaths. His name was Sid, not Marc. He was not the same person who destroyed her. But her throat was closing up, her brain was shutting down, and her mouth went dry.
“Why does he want to meet me?” Aspen whispered.
“He saw that picture in the PD that you took of the dragon. He couldn’t stop talking about it.” Tori grimaced.
No freaking way. Aspen couldn’t even stand to look at him, and he wanted to meet her because of her dragons. How could he have such an effect on her? Aspen tried to remind herself of all the times she should’ve been scared but was not. Nothing came to her. Her head swam. Mr. Long Dark Hair made her feel like she was going to vomit. Fear was for little girls and psychotic brothers. Of which, Aspen was neither. She had to go in there and face him.
She stood upright and moved toward the door. Tori grabbed her arm.
“Listen, I really like this guy. Can you be nice to him?” Aspen nodded. That was one way to make sure he didn’t hang around. Most guys who went out with Tori disappeared when the relatio
nship was over because she was a little obsessive.
They walked in, and Aspen set her stuff on a desk in the front of the room, as far away from Sid as possible, even though that meant she couldn’t hide from Mrs. Dufour. Tori pulled her to his desk.
“Sid, this is Aspen,” she said and hurried across the room to say hi to Dan. This was new. Usually Tori would stay and hover. Aspen only saw her act like this once before, and that was a year ago when a celebrity came to spend a summer here. Aspen couldn’t even remember his name, he wasn’t that famous, but Tori was crushing on him bad. She barely said two words to him, but she talked about him all the freaking time.
“Hey.” Aspen’s voice was too soft, almost inaudible. Sid looked up, and she studied his face. Once again, his eyes captured her. They were the color of bluebirds—unnatural, but familiar somehow. Definitely not Marc’s. Everything else, the long thick lashes, the dark skin, and the strong jaw—looked so similar. They still dug up all those old feelings of shame. Sid smiled. Aspen’s knees buckled, and she sat in the desk in front of him.
Marc—no Sid—leaned across his desk. “How’d you get a picture of a dragon?”
“With a camera and a lot of patience.” It was her standard answer. Most people had never seen a dragon because dragons avoid densely populated areas. They were protected, so people were not allowed to hunt or capture them. Not that it would do any good to try.
The national park system grew up around areas with large concentrations of dragons. Aspen was part of a very small group of people in the world who tried to find them. Most people feared them, though she had no idea why. Whenever she asked anyone, she got lots of “they’re so big,” or “they start forest fires,” and her personal favorite, “I’ve heard they eat people.” No one had ever shown an interest, except Sid—who made goose bumps rise on Aspen’s arms.
He looked perplexed.
“I like dragons. I do a lot of hiking and backcountry camping. My camera is always ready,” she explained.
Obsidian (The Dragon Kings) Page 3
