Wanderlove

by Malory, Belle

  It might have been the nicest house I’d ever seen. Lina had danced for an Arabic prince once before and everyone in the troupe had been able to visit the prince’s palace for the event. As extravagant as his home had been, I actually preferred this house to that palace.

  We made our way into the courtyard, which the house wrapped around on three sides. There were several guests in this area, most likely because there were buffet tables and bars scattered about in different sections. Dakota and I decided to help ourselves to a plate of hors d’oeuvres while we looked around.

  “This is crazy,” I said to Dakota, still awestruck. Curiously, I asked, “Hey, where is Miriam?”

  After popping a stuffed mushroom in her mouth, Dakota said between mouthfuls, “I think she went into town to run some errands. She usually only attends the formal dance.”

  “Huh. I’m surprised,” I said. “You would think this kind of thing would be right up her alley.”

  “If you think this is good, wait until you see it tonight. Their firework show is spectacular.”

  We left the courtyard to go out into the backyard, where the carnival rides were located. A small petting zoo was set up there, along with bounce houses, game booths, performers, magicians, jugglers, and the list went on and on. I think my jaw stayed in its dropped position the entire time I was there.

  Dakota eventually found some of her old high school friends and introduced me to all of them. While she was caught up in the rapture of conversation, I continued to look around quietly.

  It took me by surprise when I felt a pair of hands cover my eyes. In a whisper near my ear, I heard, “Guess who, fellow abandoner?”

  I smiled as I turned out of his grasp. “Cam,” I replied, laughing. Once facing him, I said, “So I had no idea you lived like such a commoner. Really, your house was much smaller on the inside than I imagined.”

  Cam chuckled. “What? It’s not up to your usual RV accommodations?”

  “Mmm. . .not quite.” I smiled.

  “Have you seen the pool?” he asked.

  I shook my head in the negative.

  “Come on, I’ll show you it then. Maybe it will change your mind.”

  I motioned to Dakota, who had just caught my eye, that I would be right back. Then I followed Cam towards the pool. He led me to a bright blue oval, where a rocky, man-made waterfall overflowed into the sparkling water.

  “Would you like something to drink?” Cam asked politely. A server passed by with refreshments, who Cam signaled over to us.

  “Sure,” I said, looking up at the tray. “Water is fine.”

  The server handed me a bottle and Cam tipped the man before he ambled away.

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem,” he replied. “So, have you seen anyone from school yet?” he asked, attempting to start conversation.

  “No, not yet. Did you?”

  “I only ran into a few Frightwell students. But I’m sure more will turn up tonight.”

  I cracked open my bottle of water as he spoke.

  “Are you coming tonight?” he asked me.

  I nodded, gulping the water. “Dakota bought me a dress so I kinda have to.”

  He raised a brow before I realized my blunder. “Not that I wouldn’t want to, anyway-- of course! I hear your family throws one heck of a party.”

  Cam laughed quietly. “It’s okay. I’m not usually one for formals, either. And to be honest, Molly does all of the party planning. She’s the one who has the talent for it. ” He gestured outwardly now. “All of this was because of her.”

  “Wow,” I said. “And to think she is only a senior in high school.”

  “Impressive, right? I told her by her twentieth birthday, she’ll probably be planning presidential inaugurations and the Academy Awards. Hey, have you met Molly yet?”

  “No, I haven’t had the chance.”

  “That’s her over there.” He pointed to the small, wiry girl I recognized from school. “Come on, I’ll introduce you. She gets along with your cousins really well, so I’m sure she has been dying to meet you, too.”

  I quietly groaned as Cam pulled me alongside him towards his sister. Molly was standing a few yards away, holding a small, bichon frise puppy in her hands as she spoke to the group of people surrounding her.

  “Hey, Moll,” Cam called to her. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  Molly politely pardoned herself from her guests. She was very pretty in a delicate sort of way. Petite, blonde and fair. A classic beauty. I noticed she resembled Cam more closely than she did Gabe.

  I almost kicked myself. I couldn’t go an entire day without thinking of him. Although, I suppose I could excuse myself for today since I was attending his family’s party. Thoughts of Gabe were bound to enter my mind sooner or later.

  “This is Lola, Miriam’s granddaughter. You may have seen her at school.”

  Molly moved the puppy to one arm and extended her other hand to me. “Delighted to meet you, Lola.”

  I shook her hand hesitantly. I couldn’t explain why, but her overtly saccharine smile seemed insincere.

  I tried to brush it off. I was probably making much ado over nothing, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that this girl secretly despised me.

  “Cute dog,” I commented, trying to ease whatever tension I was feeling.

  “Thank you,” she replied sweetly. “She is my new puppy. I’ve named her Pooky. It’s silly, but it fits, don’t you think?”

  “Sure,” I said, nodding. “She looks like a Pooky, I guess.”

  Molly eyed me up and down. Or did I just imagine that?

  I fidgeted nervously and pushed my lenses closer to my eyes.

  “Damn,” Cam suddenly said. “I forgot the band is supposed to arrive now. It’s time to start setting up in the ballroom and I’m supposed to go meet with them. Moll, can you take care of Lola? Show her around and stuff?”

  “Of course, I can,” Molly assured him. “Go on. I want tonight’s party to go off without a hitch.”

  Cam gave me an apologetic smile before rushing off. I watched as he ran back to the house, wishing I could have gone with him.

  “So do you like animals, Lola?”

  I turned back to Molly now, a little unsettled at the prospect of being left alone with her. I would have rather been simply left alone.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “We practically have a whole zoo full of them here today. My favorites are the little billy goats.” She pointed towards a fenced off area where children were being allowed to pet and feed different farm animals. “They’re cute, aren’t they?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, they’re real cute.”

  “So what’s your favorite animal?” she asked me. The conversation seemed a little immature, though I answered her, anyway.

  “Um, I never really thought about it before. But if I had to choose a favorite-- I guess maybe the panda bear.”

  Molly opened her mouth and then covered it with her hand. “That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed, with a newly developed enthusiasm. “We had a panda shipped in for this year’s festival!”

  “Really?” I asked, actually surprised. I was almost positive even the Tampa Zoo didn’t have pandas on display.

  “Yeah, we really do!” She pointed towards the backside of the house. “It’s just through that gate over there. You should definitely go check him out. He is totally adorable!”

  “I will,” I said. Her excitement was beginning to rub off on me. “I’ll go right now. Thanks for telling me.”

  “No problem.” She laid her big smile on thick again. I was starting to feel a little ashamed for judging her. Maybe she was only trying to be nice. Besides, if Dakota and Annika were friends with her, than Molly was probably all right.

  I walked quickly to where she had directed me, almost in anticipation. I really did adore panda bears. They were sort of cuddly and I liked watching them eat their bamboo.

  The gate I walked through shut behind me
with a resounding click. Jolted by the noise, I turned, realizing it couldn’t be re-opened. I wondered why they would put one of the animals on display here, where you couldn’t re-enter the backyard.

  It didn’t take me long before I realized I had been tricked. I looked around the side of the house, my mouth parting from the shock of it.

  There was no panda. There was nothing but a few patches of grass and some scattered palm trees.

  “What a little beast,” I muttered to no one in particular while I turned about, searching for another entrance. But there wasn’t another way in. I’d have to go all the way to the front of the house and back through the main entrance again.

  I started walking, simply because I had no other choice. I was practically stomping as I walked; the whole time wondering what I had done to gain the only female Constantin’s hatred. I had never even spoken to the girl before today, let alone had the opportunity to piss her off. Even though Gabe was frequently rude to me, he’d still had the decency to show me a little kindness. And I was pretty sure he would never do anything so low as this.

  I didn’t get it. All I knew was if I came face to face with Molly Constantin, I might have to smack her stupid smile right off of her face.

  TWELVE

  Instead of going back to the party, I decided to go home and defuse my temper by taking a nice, long bubble bath. I picked out chamomile aromatherapy oil that said it was meant to ‘de-stress and calm.’ I poured the entire bottle in the bathtub, just for good measure.

  Later, just as I was getting out of the tub and had tied my robe on, Dakota came bustling into the room.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  I considered telling her the truth, really wanting her opinion about why Molly would want me to leave the party. But I decided against it. I had only just calmed down and I didn’t want to relive my anger.

  “I’m sorry,” I finally said. “I wasn’t feeling well.”

  The lie didn’t feel right on my lips and it was obvious Dakota doubted me from the look of her skeptical expression.

  “It’s fine,” she said. “But you’re coming to the party tonight. And this time you’re staying for more than five minutes.”

  I gave her a little salute. “I’ll be there.”

  She smiled and then breathed in through her nose. “It smells good in here, by the way. Like chamomile.”

  ~ ~

  When it was nearing evening, the whole house seemed to be full of curlers, makeup, hairspray, perfume and other girly things. I felt like we were all getting ready for a grand ball in some kind of fairy tale.

  Dakota offered to do my hair for me, but I refused. I couldn’t take the risk of her touching me again. I tried to do it myself, but because it was so long and thick, my handiwork ended up looking like a catastrophe. Thankfully, Miriam walked in on me, mid-catastrophe, and clicked her tongue. “Oh no, little girl. Here, give me the brush.”

  Miriam chose to pull my hair back and then she pinned it up into a fancy bun. I smiled, impressed.

  “Thanks, Grams.”

  It was nice, the aura of femininity. I never had much experience with it while traveling with my father. Now that I thought about it, I wondered how Lina always managed to look so gorgeous on stage. My Auntie Zetta would often help by sewing Lina’s costumes, but apart from that, Lina did everything else on her own without any female guidance.

  Since I was ready and dressed before anyone else, I decided to put on a pot of coffee. Afterwards, I peeked into Miriam’s room and I saw her sitting at her vanity, curlers in her hair.

  “Come in,” she called out.

  “I just wanted to know if you cared for some coffee.” I slowly walked into her bedroom. She glanced up at my reflection through her mirror.

  “Well, look at you!” she exclaimed, whistling. She turned from her vanity and then looked me over from head to toe.

  “You look beautiful, Lo. That dress is simply stunning.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled. “Dakota bought it for me.”

  Miriam tilted her head. “Well, she always had good taste.” She winked at me. She began to pull the rollers from her hair, one by one, letting the short mahogany curls spring free. “And yeah, I could use a mug of coffee. I’m sure it will be a long night. No sugar and fat free milk.”

  I nodded. “Be right back.”

  While preparing Miriam’s coffee, (which didn’t even look drinkable due to its lack of real cream and sugar), Annika walked into the kitchen.

  “Hey, Anni,” I greeted her.

  “Hello,” she said. She wore a daring black dress, the décolletage practically cut to her stomach.

  “Wow,” I said. “You look amazing.”

  “Thanks,” she replied, drumming her fingers against the counter top.

  “Do you want some coffee?”

  “No.” She moved towards the wine rack. “Coffee just isn’t going to do the trick tonight.” She removed a bottle of merlot from its slot. “This is what I need.”

  She smiled. It was almost a wicked smile, in a way. I wondered if something was wrong with her. The memory of last night flashed through my mind and I remembered she had left the house to speak with Gabe just as I had come inside. I thought maybe their conversation was the cause of her strange mood. It seemed reasonable, considering she hadn’t seen Gabe since their break-up.

  I watched as Annika slowly poured the dark red wine into a glass. She held the glass up, gesturing a toast. “To you,” she said, before taking a drink.

  I tried to laugh, but it came out awkwardly. “Okay, then. Um, cheers to me.”

  She downed the entire glass before refilling it with more wine. I quickly left the kitchen to bring Miriam her coffee, wondering what the deal was with Annika’s bizarre antics.

  By the time Dakota and Miriam were almost ready to leave, I found myself alone with Annika in the kitchen again, waiting.

  She sat there in a daze, circling the top of her wine glass with her fingers. I silently sat across from her on a stool at the island. Every now and then, I caught Annika staring at me. Her gaze seemed. . .almost menacing. I don’t know, maybe I was imagining it. Then again, I had also thought the same thing about Molly- and that suspicion had proven to be right.

  But this was Annika. Sweet, docile Annika. It just wasn’t like her.

  “You know, I had a dream about you,” Annika mentioned.

  “Really?”

  “Well, it was really more of a nightmare, I suppose.”

  I held my breath, waiting for her continue. A lull had grown in the room and Annika seemed to be staring into space, her eyes blank of any emotion. When she didn’t say anything, I impatiently asked, “So, what happened in the dream?”

  She turned her attention back towards me. “You were abducted.” She said the words without any feeling or emotion. Her expression remained blasé even as I let out a little gasp.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “Your true love will search for you. He proclaimed he would not rest until he found you.”

  Startled, I asked, “Anni, is this one of those dreams that comes true? Do you ever just have regular dreams?”

  She stared at me intently for a moment, as if she were looking right through me, lost in her own little world. And then she suddenly came to, smiling widely. “It was just a dream, Lola. Not a premonition.”

  A chilling tremor ran through me, enveloping me in coldness.

  Did she mean what she said?

  I forced myself to brush the terrifying feeling away. She couldn’t possibly mean it. I didn’t even have a true love.

  “Anni, can you start the car up?” Miriam shouted from upstairs. “I don’t care if the Constantins’ house is next door. I’m not walking in heels.”

  “Sure thing,” Annika replied and stood up from her seat. She moved towards the sink. I assumed she was taking her wine glass there to be left for the wash.

  Everything seemed to happen right at once.

  A
nnika suddenly lost her footing and tripped directly in front of me. The contents of her glass flung at my chest, splashing across the front of my silver gown.

  “Oh, my dear,” Annika said. “I’m so sorry.”

  My jaw was left hanging open in shock.

  The stain slowly expanded as it settled into the silky fabric. It was a vibrant contrast against the sliver- a bright crimson red.

  Miriam and Dakota both appeared in the doorway of the kitchen at the same time. Both of their expressions seemed to match my own: completely horrified.

  “What happened?” Miriam asked.

  “I’m afraid I tripped,” Annika said innocently. “It was an accident.” Her voice didn’t seem to hold any real remorse. In fact, she stayed even-toned.

  Dakota’s eyes seemed to sparkle with anger as she glared at her sister. “Her dress is ruined, Anni.”

  As soon as I got a hold of myself, I grabbed a towel to wipe the residue from my chest and face.

  “I said it was an accident, Kota,” Annika snapped back.

  Miriam began to soak a towel in some hot water with soap. She stood before me, lifted my dress and began scrubbing.

  “It’s no use,” I pointed out the obvious. “It’s red wine. I don’t think it will come clean.” Miriam stopped scrubbing and looked up at me. Her brown eyes scanned the length of the stain.

  “You’re right. There’s no way it will lift.”

  I sighed softly. “You all should leave now. You’ll be late for the party. I didn’t really feel like going, anyway.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay with that?” Annika asked.