She could still hear the hum of the music as she pushed the double doors to the school open and sat on the steps, taking a deep breath.
A voice came from behind her, "I've been looking for you."
Valie jumped at the voice and turned around.
It was Carson.
Her jaw dropped.
Carson walked down the steps, came to her side, and sat down. Valie just stared at him, with her jaw hanging open. Carson was in a tux, strapping and handsome.
"Hey..." she finally managed.
He chuckled, "Hey."
"Carson...Carson, what are you doing here?"
"Tonight was my homecoming dance at my school.”
“Why are you here, why didn't you go?”
“I did go,” he replied quickly. “I had a date, picked her up, went to dinner...”
Valie really didn't want to be hearing all that, she could feel jealousy boiling inside of her.
“We got there, danced...and I had to leave.” He looked up at the sky.
“Why?” Valie pressed.
“She wasn't you.”
Valie quickly looked away from him. She tried to refrain from smiling, but it was hard. She wanted to hold him, to hug him and make him promise to keep in touch. She never wanted to become strangers with him. She felt as if she wouldn't be able to handle it if he just disappeared.
"Anyway, I just, I just felt like I was amongst strangers there.”
Valie studied the side of his face, wanting to memorize everything about it. Everything that she had been so mad about seemed to go away once she saw him. She couldn't be mad at him for anything that happened. She was just so happy that he was in front of her.
“I was going through my father's belongings and I found this." Carson pulled a letter from the inside of his jacket and handed it to Valie. She opened it.
The letter was written in perfect cursive writing, it read:
My Dearest Son,
I'm hoping you never find this letter, but if you do, it's to be assumed that I am no longer there to keep a watchful eye on you. I know you must have questions. I know you must be angry and hurt. I am sorry we left you each filled with so much uncertainty and, most likely, fear. Trust that it was the only way. I only want you to know one thing. Everything I've done since I became a father to you and to Asher, has been for my family. I tried with everything in me to be good. I wish I could've been the type of man that was strong enough to support you through your life, but I can admit, with great regret, that I was not strong enough.
I can only hope that you become the man that I was not. I hope that you do not let the bitterness overtake your soul, the soul that was not created by anyone...but you. Don't be afraid to love, son. Do not be afraid of loss. Life is worth nothing if you die alone.
With love, your Father, Ambrose
"Wise words," Valie said, carefully folding the letter.
“He was a wise man...when he allowed himself to be.” Carson stood to face her and held out his hand. "Will you dance with me, Valie?"
There was vulnerability in his eyes and it made her heart flutter.
"One dance?" he asked again.
"One dance," she whispered.
He led her back into the school, holding onto her hand gently, but with enough of a grasp to let her know he didn't want to let go.
They entered back into the gym. As they glided onto the dance floor, Valie felt as if she was in some sort of dream.
Carson put his hands on her waist and pulled her close. Valie gently put her hands on his shoulders and nervously wrapped them around his neck.
Valie looked at him and he looked back at her, and for just a moment, no one else was there. She had never felt anything like it before, but she knew what it was. It was being in the presence of the man that she loved.
Over Carson's shoulder, Trent and Maddy were both obnoxiously giving Valie thumbs up signs.
Valie rested her head on Carson's chest, smelling his light cologne and hoping the moment would somehow last forever.
They danced in a circle. Valie paid attention to the exact way his hands had felt on her waist and how his breath felt on her neck. She felt so happy and overcome with joy, she almost thought she was going to ruin the moment by squealing with delight.
The song eventually ended and an upbeat song blasted over the speakers, trying unsuccessfully to rip her away from the wistful moment. Valie stood there, holding her position, not wanting to let him go.
“I should head back,” he said.
Valie closed her eyes and nodded. It was inevitable.
Carson moved his hand to her chin, tilting it slightly upwards and kissing her softly.
Valie's heart began to beat faster and when he pulled away, she had to fight to catch a breath. He bowed his head and he started towards the door. And then, he turned back and the look on his face was readable. He smiled back at her and then he was gone.
Trent and Maddy shuffled over.
"So...what did Carson want?" Trent asked with a big, stupid grin on his face.
Valie looked at him and laughed, pushing Trent’s head away. “You're the worst,” she teased.
“Bobby Kewitz is over there, in case you’re interested,” Trent laughed, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.
“Let’s just dance!” Valie said with a smile, putting her hands in the air, feeling inside like she wasn’t ready to act so uninhibited, but she did it anyway. She took a note from Jessy, the girl who had given her a ride back in Montana, and she started wiggling around to the music, not caring about anything else. Maddy and Trent joined her and the three of them started to dance in their own little circle.
It had all been such a life-changing experience. Valie wasn't bad off before it all had happened, but she had been sheltered. She didn't really know how to cope with her own life. She was only hurting herself and didn't want to do that anymore. She wanted to feel everything. The pain, the sorrow, the happiness and joy.
As The Wozniak Five, they were given the ability to recover from any injuries sustained to their bodies, but what about the other stuff? What about broken hearts and saddened souls? The stuff you can't be protected from? They had to learn to heal those things on their own, just like everyone else, and they had practice. The first step, Valie knew, was to stand up and face the pain, to hold its hand and decide to work with it instead of trying to skip around it.
The day that Phaedra told them not to forget to be kids, she said it because they'd been through something so life altering, they were shoved into adulthood. Phaedra wanted them to remember their age and remember that while they had grown up a great deal, they could still be young, they could still make their own mistakes. Dancing with Trent and Maddy that night, Valie felt the loss of her uncle, she thought about Sevenly and she thought about the day Evelyn drowned and somehow, for the first time in her life, she felt whole. She felt complete and she felt like they were really going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay because she was facing it. Even if it only lasted that night, they danced to their parents, they danced to their senior year, they danced to being young and being alive.
They just danced.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
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Stephanie Steele, The Pendants and the Mystery of the Wozniak Five Part I
The Pendants and the Mystery of the Wozniak Five Part I Page 24
