“Bye.” I glance at Emilian. He continues to stare at the floor, a distance building in his eyes.
“Are you okay?” Fonso asks, as we get into the car.
“I’m still processing.”
“This is not how I expected my day to go. To think I just got a fucking job.” Fonso bangs on the steering wheel a few times. “I hate moving. I hate starting over. I’m getting sick of this.”
“Did those stones really scare you?”
“When I was younger, Ma told me the stones were a bad omen. It meant death was coming and the only way to escape death was to move. If you didn’t keep moving, it would catch up to you and take you. Then she’d tell me scary stories about people disappearing and all that other nonsense.”
“You didn’t believe her?”
“It’s not that. It’s that she was always so serious when she told her stories. She believed them.”
“Are you happy Aunt Simza is going?”
“I hope she does. Hopefully, whatever feud they had, this will end it. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise...a change that will bring us all back together again.” His lips curve downward.
“Is that what you want?”
“I don’t know.”
“I forgot I have to work tonight.” I stare out the window.
“Why bother? You’ll just be leaving tomorrow.”
“Might as well go. It’s not like I have much to pack, plus we can always use the money.” I’m filled with an overwhelming dread. I was sent to this place to find Aunt Simza, but I’m still nowhere closer to discovering the whereabouts of Dad. Now, I’m running again from another potential threat.
“I’ll take you to work and pick you up, if you’d like.” Fonso parks in front of the cabin.
“Thanks, but I’ll be okay. I’ll take the bus. I want to clear my head before my shift.”
A slow drizzle starts.
“Okay, but if it keeps raining, I’ll take you if you want.”
“Thank you.”
Fonso goes inside. I sit on the porch and watch the slow fall of raindrops. I think of Dad and the water thickens. Some darker clouds move in. Colin pops into my head and thunder rolls. I stand. Pointing my hands toward the clouds, I send as much anger and negative thoughts as I can fathom. The woman who tried to grab me in New Orleans pops into my head. A bolt of lightning dashes between gray masses in the sky. I do it again, thinking of Kayla attacking me, the rage, resentment, and jealousy I felt. I wave my hand across the other direction and a bright white flash mimics me in the darkness.
Changing tactics, I remember the stargazing and the beauty of the planets through the telescope. I wipe the dirty clouds away, clearing the way for a brighter afternoon. The rain stops.
Deena comes out of the campground office. She waves when she sees me. I wave back.
Although emotions aren’t always easy to control, at this moment, I discover thoughts carry more consistency. It’s the simple remembrance of actions that allows me to change the weather in an instant.
“Hey.” Fonso sticks his head out of the door. “Are you coming in?”
“Yeah. It’s time to go to work, anyway.”
“Say hello to Mr. Dreamy, and give him a kiss goodbye while you’re at it.” Fonso blows a kiss into the air.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’ll happen.” I give him a lopsided grin. “See you later.” I grab my bag and head to the bus stop.
The bus driver smiles at me as I climb the steps. “I haven’t picked anyone up here in a long time.”
My thoughts are jumbled on the ride to town. Events replay in my mind and I practice controlling my emotions to downplay them so the weather doesn’t act up.
The bus stops at the place I first talked to Colin. I thank the driver and exit. Walking through town, I remember this morning and how Colin avoided looking at me. Was it possible he was ashamed of what he was doing? How can he be so awful to other people and be so good to me? He fixed a picnic lunch for me, for heaven’s sake.
A gray cloud rolls in and I push it away, thinking about the bird pooping on Colin’s head at the beach. That was unforgettable.
The diner’s quiet as I enter.
“Hey stranger.” Roger smiles at me.
“Hey.”
“We’ve sure missed you the last two days.” Roger nudges Abby. “Didn’t we, hun?”
“Oh, yeah. It was pure hell here without you.” Abby kicks Roger in the shin.
I laugh.
“Well, see you all later.” Roger grabs Abby’s hand and they leave. Outside, I see Roger bend down on the sidewalk and kiss Abby, and she smiles. It’s the first time I’ve seen her smile.
“Hey.” Kyle touches my shoulder and kisses me on the cheek. “How are you?”
“Good, and you?” I grab my pad. “Did you have a good day off?”
“It was uneventful.” He shrugs. “What about you?”
“The same.” I can’t tell him I’m leaving. It dawns on me I don’t want to leave. I only arrived days ago and I was just getting settled.
Kyle opens his mouth to say something, but the door dings as a couple of customers walk in. He rolls his eyes and goes to the kitchen.
Hours pass and the sprint of dinner customers dies down. It’s only Kyle and me in the restaurant as I finish clearing and cleaning the last few tables. I pass the last of the dirty dishes through the window.
“Have you ever seen someone juggle kitchen utensils?” Kyle says as he grabs a spatula, a large spoon, and tongs, and attempts to juggle.
It ends horribly, but makes me laugh. “You’ve never tried out for the circus? Perhaps a clown school will take you.”
“Hey, I think I’d look good in a bushy wig and red nose.” Kyle crosses his eyes.
My smile doesn’t leave for the rest of the night.
Roger walks in at eleven with one lagging customer at a table.
“I’ll close up and finish the last table, Alice. You two have a good night.”
Kyle rushes out of the kitchen and heads for the door. Beating me to it, he holds it open for me. “Good night Roger.”
“Good night Roger,” I mimic in a deep voice.
“Good night you two. See you tomorrow.” Roger chuckles.
It hits me I may not be here tomorrow and I’d be leaving him without coverage.
“What’s wrong?” Kyle asks. “Smiling one minute and frowning another?”
“It’s nothing.” I fake a smile.
“Need a ride home?”
“Yes, please.” I climb into his Jeep, thinking about the gun in the glove box. Is it still there?
“I was wondering if you’d like to go stargazing again tomorrow night? Supposed to be good weather.” Kyle turns down my street.
“I, umm...” I hesitate.
“You don’t want to?” The disappointment in his voice breaks me.
“I’d love to. I was trying to think if I promised anything to Fonso or not.” I lie.
“Great. Can’t wait.” He beams.
Kyle drops me off in front of the cabin. He doesn’t attempt to kiss me. I’m a bit relieved, yet disappointed.
“How did your night go?” Fonso asks. His pile of clothes is neatly stacked in a bag next to the couch. “I packed up your stuff, too. I left you out an outfit for tomorrow. I didn’t have much else to do tonight.”
It’s time to tempt fate. I make a crucial decision, one Fonso may not like. “You can run with your family, but I’m not going. I’m tired of running.” I sit on the couch, placing my legs up on the coffee table. “I’m staying right here and facing whatever it is that is coming for us...for me.”
Chapter 17
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Fonso asks. “You’d be willing to stay on your own while we all pack up and leave?”
“You said the stones were a warning, right?”
“Yes.” His expression hardens. “They want us gone.”
“Why warn us then? Why not come and fight us and kill us if they are able
to?”
“They have in the past. They took your dad, didn’t they?”
“Yeah, and if they want to take me, too, then let them try.” I cross my arms and rest my head back on the couch. “It won’t be easy for them. I won’t make it easy.”
“You’re either the bravest or stupidest Rom of all time.” Fonso exhales.
“Stupidest? Is that even a word?” I laugh.
He shrugs. “Now, how are we not going to make this easy on ‘them’?”
“We?” I ask.
“I’m not allowing you to stay by yourself to face whatever demons come. I can be as stubborn as you, too.” He smiles. “Besides, I’ve been practicing.”
“Your telekinesis?”
The refrigerator opens. A can of coke shoots through the air. Fonso catches it. “A little. It brings a whole new level to the term laziness.”
We laugh.
“You can throw soda cans at them through the air. That’ll be a big help.”
“Whoever they are.” Fonso’s expression dulls. “You’re sure about this?”
“Fonso, you don’t have to stay with me because you feel like a protective big cousin. If you want to go with your family, I completely understand. I’m a big girl. Besides, I want to know what happened to Dad. I have a feeling I need to stay to figure it out.”
“Maybe your gift is being stubborn.”
I laugh again. “Maybe.”
Someone knocks on the door.
Fonso lifts his eyebrows. His eyes grow as wide as beach balls. “I don’t think it’s for me.”
“Elysia?” Colin’s voice penetrates the wooden structure.
I stiffen when I hear the familiar voice. The voice that told me kind words, and the one I heard growl to protect me. I ease off the couch. I was still angry at what I learned earlier today about his extortion business. With more curiosity then reluctance, I open the door and glare at him. “What do you want?” He’s shirtless, his chest glistens with a thin layer of sweat.
He looks around me into the cabin, sees Fonso and glances at his packed bag. His eyes find mine. “You’re mad at me.” His voice is low and cautious.
I step from inside the cabin and invade his personal space, causing him to back up as I close the door behind me. Ignoring the electricity between us, I stand firm and lower my voice. “I saw you today. I saw you and you looked away from me, ashamed, and you should be. How can you do that to people?”
“Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do.” His eyes have a sadness in them I wasn’t expecting.
He leans toward me. My heart rate quickens and my anger subsides, as it did at the beach or anytime he’s near me. No matter the level of anger surging through me, he calms me. “You don’t have to do the wrong thing, Colin. No matter what you feel you need to do. It’s not right extorting innocent people.”
He bends down and his lips touch mine. The urge to resist disappears and my mouth opens. He grabs me, pulling me to him. The kiss ignites a fire within me, as electricity pulses through my body. My hands slide down his tightening back muscles. The urge to throw him on the ground and ravage him scares me.
I push him away. “Stop.”
“I’m sorry. I had to.” He caresses my face with his fingers. “I had to kiss you once more.”
He runs into the forest before I can say or do anything.
My knees weaken. I sit in the rocking chair.
Fonso peeks out the door. “He’s not good for you, you know.”
“Yes, I know. Don’t you think I know that?” My heartbeat slows. “Every time I’m near him it becomes more and more difficult to tell him no.”
“And Kyle?” He sits on the top step. “When you’re around him, you don’t feel that attraction?”
“It’s different. Kyle is sweet, caring, and funny. Colin excites and scares me at the same time.”
“You deliberately push Kyle away with trivial things that may not be a big deal, like the gun, but you’re attracted to danger?”
“Not before now.” I rock back and forth. Am I intentionally pushing Kyle away? With Colin, it’s more than an attraction. It’s like he tugs at part of my soul and I can’t deny him.
Fonso stands. “I’m not sure what hold he has over you, but just be careful, okay?” He kisses the top of my head. “I’m going to bed. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
“Good night.” I turn toward the door. “Fonso?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for everything.” I smile at him.
“Good night, Elysia.”
“I’m going to town.” Grabbing my bag from the counter.
Fonso rolls over on the couch. “What time is it?” He moans.
“It’s just after seven.”
“Why so early?”
“I’ve decided to be away from everyone in case they come looking for me. I don’t like confrontations. You can tell them I’m not going.”
“This from the person who’s attracted to danger.”
“Love ya.” I blow kisses at him and leave the cabin.
Aunt Simza’s truck and trailer are gone. Sadness tugs at my heart. The woman wanted nothing to do with me. And, although she didn’t want me around, there must have been a reason I was sent to her. Fonso will be upset she lied to his family and left sometime in the night. Her word meant nothing. I wonder if he’ll change his mind and go with them now.
“You’re not leaving too, are you?” Deena asks from her trailer stoop.
“No, I’m not leaving.” I stop next to her trailer. “Going to town early, and then I have work later, but I’ll be around.”
“I don’t know what I’ll tell Madam Aishe’s customers who come calling. I’m sure there will be lots.” Deena twists her mouth to the side.
“Send them to Cassadaga.”
“Where do you think they come from?” She rolls her eyes.
“I wish I had an answer for you. See you later.” I continue to walk toward the bus stop.
The town is eerily quiet this early in the morning. I thought more people would be at the coffee shop before going to work, but there is only one other person in front of me. Sitting outside, sipping the fresh coffee, I glance around the small town square, it looks so peaceful.
“Not too many people out this morning.” Emilian sits beside me at the table.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be leaving?” I ask.
“Shouldn’t you be?” His forehead furrows.
“I’m not one to follow orders.”
“Seems to be catching, I guess.” He leans back, pulling his chair on two legs. “Ma won’t be too happy this morning when she realizes I’m gone, but she’ll have Nadya and Fonso to keep her company. I was never much use to her anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, Nadya finds things. Fonso is the smart one. I was always the one in trouble.” He shrugs. “Not like they’d miss me much anyway.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask. “Stay around town?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to show up on your doorstep, begging for a place to stay or nothing.” He watches the sun shine through the white clouds. “I have other friends.”
“Like the friends that extort money from the townspeople?” I press my lips. “You’re better than that, aren’t you Emilian?”
“A lecture from you?” He chuckles. “That’s ironic, seeing as you were kissing Colin last night.”
“I—it wasn’t...” My mouth hangs open, but I can’t get a coherent thought out.
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t spying on you.” He gives me a half-smile.
“It was a mistake.”
“Your lips accidentally fell into his?”
“Fine. I don’t have a right to tell you what to do.” I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. “It was wrong to let him kiss me. He’s not the person I thought he was.”
“Did he tell you why he does it?” Emilian asks. “Why he and his
friends take money from the locals?”
“No, he didn’t say. There’s no good reason to do any such thing. Are they so lazy that it’s better to take than to work for the money?”
He ignores my question and stands. “They aren’t as bad as you think they are. You don’t know as much as you think you do.”
A fleeting thought passes through my mind and I grab it before it disappears. “If you weren’t spying on me then what were you doing?”
“I was helping Aunt Simza.”
“You knew she wouldn’t keep to her word, didn’t you?” He shrugs and starts to walks away. “Emilian.”
He stops and faces me.
“Go with your family. They do need you and they love you.” I plead, wondering if he’s even told them he’s not going with them.
“The last time Ma told me she loved me was when I was seven and broke my arm. Instead of taking me to a hospital, she made one of the carnies patch it up. She said, ‘I love you Emilian, but I can’t afford no hospital.’” He bends his arm and the elbow jerks. “It never healed right. That was the last time she said she loved me and it came with a but.”
He stares at me. I nod. My heart aches for him. It’s hard to believe Aunt Mirela would be so callous, but people get wrapped up in themselves, and taking care of others, they forget the truly important things in life. In her own way, I’m sure she loves all her children, but maybe she has difficulty showing it. Not only to Emilian, but also to Fonso and Nadya.
It makes me think about how my grandfather treated his three daughters, including my mother. I wonder how she would have been to me had she lived. Dad was loving and caring, although a bit overbearing and protective.
I walk for hours around town, and I can’t get what Emilian said out of my head. What did he mean by, “They aren’t as bad as you think they are.”
Still coming up with no answers, I visit the small wildlife refuge, and try to clear the confusing thoughts before I head into work.
“You’re early.” Roger smiles when I walk in.
“I didn’t have much else to do.” I wipe down the counter bar area.
“Do you want something to eat?” Roger offers. “It’s on me.”
My stomach growls as if on cue. “Sure.”
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