Lotus and Haileigh were arm and arm seated on the rim of their shallow rectangular pool. It was spring time in that picture. Lilies were pushed to the far end of the water by a gentle breeze. In the back ground, Lotus could make out the familiar image of the cement angel with a trumpet to its lips guarding the small iron fence. That fence lead to several- what the kids called- rooms in the Stelter garden. But the angel was what triggered the painful memories. That’s where she had been standing when she heard the explosion…
Before the flames, there was a reason for her father to come home. There was a reason for her mother to leave work early. They would have vacations on the weekends and invite family friends over and Haileigh would run around through their family’s garden with these people as Lambert watched from the side…
Lotus was across the room now digging through the mountains of lavender pillows. There it was, looking exactly as she left it. But there wasn’t much to collect, after all, the fire had ruined all of their pictures and Lotus had to get most of the images off the internet and the birth certificates from her mother’s computer back when she was modeling.
But Lotus didn’t even glance at the pictures she had already memorized. She was ready to find the real Haileigh. The scrapbook slid into the granny tote and once more Lotus was stepping across her bedroom. This time, as her hand touched the doorknob, she was ready to leave the penthouse.
~It was like the morning after the Krome party. Lee felt awful, but this time around, it was a different kind of awful. Her lips felt swollen like a balloon about to pop and her arms steamed as if they had been microwaved. “Uggh…” she muttered sitting up in bed.
“What is it, Lee?” came Ace’s voice in the dark of the morning. From the other bed, Lee heard the sheets ruffle as he too sat up and leaned over to flick on the light.
The first thing Lee saw was her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Before she even registered what she was looking at, a shriek of surprise escaped her mouth. “I look like a lobster!!” she exclaimed pulling the sheets up to cover her sunburnt skin. As the blanket slid up her arms, it scratched her tender flesh. “Oww…”
She made eyes with Ace who had now tossed his legs over the side of the bed. A hand covered his agape mouth as his eyes raised up on surprise. “You are so red.” He finally stated. “Oh my… Lee…”
“You’re scaring me Ace.” She said franticly, “I’ve never been sunburnt before. Is this bad?”
Ace didn’t need time to think about it and he nodded without changing his expression.
Lee let the blanket slide off her shoulders and sat there cross legged as she examined what skin her pajama top reveled.
Her arms had taken the worst from the sun. There was literally a line around her biceps from where her shirt had spared her shoulders. From there down to the elbows and even the skin over her knuckles was beet red. Aside from her arms, her face got the second to worst blow. Even the skin on her lips was scarlet and swollen to the point that Lee mostly had to mutter her words because it hurt to open her mouth. She wasn’t sure if her eyes could be sunburnt, but for some reason they felt hot and swollen just like her arms.
“Oh my gosh…” she muttered sliding out of bed and hurrying over to the bathroom mirror. She stared at herself bewildered for a long moment, trying to take in what she was seeing. “Do you think I’ll get a tan out of this?”
Ace couldn’t help but to laugh at the hopefulness in her tone. He tossed the bed sheets aside before joining her by the mirror. “I don’t know, Lee. This looks really, really bad.” As he traced his fingers along her arm, his hand felt like it was hovering over a stove. “Does it hurt?”
Lee tried not to frown. Even when she spoke the skin on her lips felt tight. “Yeah, but I’m not like, gunna die am I?” her eyes went to the perfect crimson line at her neck where the collar of her shirt had offered protection. There was even a faint pink V where the chain of her necklace had rested. “Why aren’t you burnt?”
For the first time that morning Ace glanced at himself in the mirror. Where his baseball T had been, his skin was still its natural golden tan. Aside from that, his forearms and face melted into a beautiful brown making his blue eyes seem even more brilliant.
“Well, I think of this mishap as an excuse to finally check out one of those ABC Stores.” Remarked Lee. “I’m sure they would have something for this, right?”
“I guess. I’ve never been in one. But I see them everywhere.” Ace replied just as a knock came upon their door.
They both exchanged glances before Ace tossed his eyes to the clock. “Oh, it’s just the guy with the morning paper.” He said. “He comes around seven and just leaves it by the door. It’s some complementary hotel thing.”
Lee nodded then turned back to her reflection as Ace wandered to the door. “Does my hair look lighter to you?” she asked as Ace unlocked the door.
The boy opened it halfway before glancing back at Lee. “Huh, yeah, it kind of does.”
Lee chuckled to herself as she wrapped her hair around her chin so that her face looked like a tomato encased in snow. “Hey, Ace.” She called as the boy snatched up the Avon ad.
“Yeah?”
“Look, my hair is white, my face is red. I look like the Japanese flag.”
Ace tossed his head back with laughter as he threw the newspaper on the couch. He was still laughing as he made his way back behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I love you Lee.” He said with a grin before pressing his lips gingerly to her head.
Lee let go of her hair only so that she could put her arms over his and gaze at their reflection. “I love you too.” She smiled. “Don’t you think we look adorable together? There’s so much contrast, I love it.”
“Oh yeah,” Ace agreed and with slight sarcasm said, “Especially since the red ties it all together.”
Lee giggled and turned so that she could present him with a light peck on the cheek. “Oww…” she muttered pulling away.
Ace let her slide from his grasp as she made her way to her stash of clothes. “Let’s make it a priority to get something for that sunburn first.” He said as she rummaged around for her pale yellow jacket. It was the only thing she had with sleeves to keep more sun from touching her.
“Okay, but do you think we could grab something to eat first?” Lee asked as her stiff arms moved gingerly. “The fruit salad is amazing.”
~In all honesty, Lotus didn’t know what she was doing on Waikiki Beach. The newspaper had said ‘Lotus’ was spotted on Sunset Beach. Common sense would have told her to start there, or at least aim for a hotel in that general direction. But after her short drive through Heleow’s underwater tunnel, Lotus and her simple Toyota were spat out in Honolulu.
For some reason, starting out in Honolulu made more sense to her. It was the capital of the island, that’s where the international airport resided… everything, just seemed to click if she stared in Honolulu. But she wasn’t finding anything.
Of course she had just started her hunt, but living in the world’s most expensive and revolutionary penthouse made her spoiled when it came to time. She was one of the most impatient people she knew because normally, things went her way whenever she wanted them to. Right at that moment as she past a flock of seagulls fighting over for a cracker, she felt more impatient than ever. Listening to the rhythmic screeching of the fighting birds and the rambunctious giggling of the few beach-playing children made Lotus want to take a baseball bat to a glass museum.
She wanted to dig through her massive tote and call up Kasper, but that would have been pointless since he was probably boarding his jet now. With an aggravated huff, Lotus spun on the spot and marched up shore. In no time at all she was she was walking through the strip of sandy asphalt sandwiched by Honolulu hotels.
In a few short strides, Lotus had reached her Toyota parked under a tree full of pooping birds. She sank in her seat and rolled her head up to gaze at the grey fabric plastered above her. Who was she kidding? What we
re the odds that Lotus was going to find her sister that day? It would take weeks, if not months- that is if Haileigh were even in Hawaii. What if it was the paparazzi that faked the front of the newspaper? Doubts spun through her mind like clothes in a washing machine and she closed her eyes to keep her head from throbbing.
She wanted to see her sister so badly every cell in her body was cringing. This was her baby sister. Even though they were five years apart, age didn’t matter. Haileigh brought out the youth in Lotus while Lotus taught her how to be a big girl. There were giggles and late summer nights in the back patio with Lambert and none of them would sleep but instead be mesmerized by the random streaks of light cast by fireflies. They even had their own corner in the living room where they would drape sheets over the furniture and read books with flashlights. Lotus, at the time did the reading, Haileigh made up stories based off the pictures and Lambert followed their father around like a shadow.
He always wanted to be a business man just like Edrick. Lotus always wanted to be a singer and Haileigh just wanted to be happy. She was so happy it made everyone around her adore her that much more. That was probably why Haileigh had so many friends as a child…
Lotus’s eyes flickered open. Haileigh had friends… it seemed like Lotus was friends with them too, then why couldn’t she remember? She would have snatched up her scrapbook to see if perhaps she had missed a face. But she knew the images far too well.
But she could have sworn there were more faces… there was more to her childhood… but nothing came to mind. It was like hitting a brick wall, almost as if there were gaps in her memory ripped out by some supernatural force. In her recollection, there were pits of endless blackness when everything else seemed so clear… Perhaps Hialeigh knew what Lotus was missing- if she were missing anything at all.
Once more her head was beginning to throb and she rested it against the steering wheel. What was she doing in Honolulu? The wiser thing would have been to go to Sunset Beach. But that was a forty-five minute drive, not to mention the drive back. In the scheme of things, if forty-five minutes was all it took to find her sister, than Lotus would have driven a million of them.
She sat up and readjusted the knitted flower hat before starting the ignition. As Lotus glanced in the side mirror for clear traffic, her eyes caught sight of something peculiar. Across the bustling avenue and several blocks back, there almost seemed to be a swarm of paparazzi following a teenage couple walking casually on the street. The celebrity spun around for a better look. Her eyes instantly shot through the back window and glued on to the shorter of the pair- a girl, Lotus concluded since she was wrapped up in a pale yellow jacket, but from the distance her lack of curves could have fooled anyone. A pair of big sunglasses pressed to up her nose and covered her sun-fried face. Lotus had thought she was wearing lipstick, but before she could get a closer look, the couple disappeared in an ABC store with the crowd right behind them.
The sight reminded Lotus of herself. Several years ago, she had tried to disguise herself by wandering the streets in a hoodie almost that exact same color and intentionally painting her skin red- like a sunburn. But the world had noticed her instantly, and that was the last time she ever tried an easy disguise.
Then it hit her.
Lotus couldn’t get out of the car fast enough.
~“Ouch…” Lee whimpered as she reached for the hotel door. She didn’t mean to complain, but with every movement, the burning red skin over her arms stretched to the point of tearing.
Ace grabbed the door for her instead and held it wide enough for them to slip through. As they headed into mid-morning Honolulu, he couldn’t help but to hurt along with her. She was so incinerated that even as he strolled beside her, Ace could feel the heat through the sleeves of her thin jacket.
As they walked down the practically empty sidewalk, Lee could feel the sun burning the top of her head. The skin there too had been toasted and she reached to put her hood on. Ace caught her movement and tossed on the hood for her.
“Thank you.” She said.
Ace frowned. How could she be thankful when he was the reason she was burnt so badly? “I’m so sorry, Lee.” He finally confessed as they stepped around a native pushing a fruit stand.
Lee glanced up at him. Her lips were so red it gave the appearance of wearing lipstick. “Normally after someone says thank you, the polite response is your welcome.” She remarked with a grin.
“No, Lee you know what I mean.” He wanted to snatch up her hand and land several apologetic kisses upon her. The only thing holding him back was knowing that touching her caused more pain than curing.
“It’s fine Ace.” She assured. “I’m just happy I didn’t wear shorts.”
They walked in silence for a moment toward the intersection. A line of tour busses whizzed past and Ace got a fair share of gasoline smoke in his mouth. He hardly tasted it though, or acknowledged the calm, slightly humid breeze. He couldn’t even enjoy the contrast over the city’s low skyline of the lush green mountains against the pale blue sky. All he could think about was Lee.
“Do you think maybe today we could hit up Heleow?” she asked, “We’ve got to start somewhere haven’t we?”
“I don’t know Lee,” he began scratching the back of his head. “If that’s what you want and only if you’re up for it.”
“I am. We came here for you remember?” She piped. They continued to stroll until they came to a stop at the corner. “Oh, Ace, I’m fine. It’s just a sunburn.” She said noting the slight frown that seemed to be permanently stained upon his face.
Lee hadn’t meant to be so loud, yet she managed to grab the attention of all the pedestrians waiting at the crosswalk. As she scooted closer to Ace, she could still feel their eyes glued to her; probably because they were familiar with someone in the past that had dressed similarly... Lee pushed the sunglasses up her nose before speaking in a hushed voice. “We came here for you and I don’t want to be the one to hinder.” Just to prove a point, Lee locked her fingers in his before hurrying across the street.
Ace peered down at her. The touch of her hand was like grasping onto a flame and he let his fingers cling to hers loosely. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Lee said catching the reflection of her red skin in a jewelry store window. “After this I say we go back to the hotel, grab our things, and then head to Heleow. I’m not sure what we would do there though.”
Ace shrugged. Up ahead he could see into the wide open doors of the ABC store. “I guess we could just gab another hotel…” his voice faded. “I hate that we have nothing to go off of. It would at least be nice to have a name or an address to start.”
“Well, lets look at all the information we do have.” Began Lee, “Mirage said Heleow, that’s where we should go. And we’re trying to find answers about the…” her voice too faded and she cast her eyes about in hopes of avoiding eve’s droppers. Good thing she looked around because the small crowd she had waited at the corner with seemed to be annoyingly close. Lee dropped her voice even more and picked up the pace. “About the supernatural… and that involves the gang world. Maybe we should go to Heleow and figure out the underground. That’ll give us a place to start.”
“Problem is,” started Ace, “There aren’t any gangs in Heleow. Arron told me at the wedding.”
“What? But it’s a Stelter city!”
“Yeah, but it’s still growing. Do you really think the Stelters are going to allow gangs to start in that city?”
Lee frowned, “Well it was worth a shot.” She sighed. By now they had reached the store. Lee still had no clue what ABC stood for. All she knew was that these stores seemed to be exclusive to Hawaii and reminded her of a miniature Wal-Mart. The doors were propped open by a rack of tourist T’s and newspapers but the pair brushed past them without a second glance. If they had looked, maybe they would have been given a heads up as to what was about to happen.
“Gangs are the same in Honolulu as they are anywhere else.” Said Ac
e hardly even searching the store. “What if we just stayed here another night and scope out the underground? It would at least give us a name, or something…”
Lee opened her mouth to reply but instead of her voice coming through, the sound of tires screeching to a halt filled the store. Ace spun around to see what the commotion was. He just had enough time to acknowledge that a news van had rolled up to the store before it’s door slid open and several ecstatic news men and camera crew flooded into the store.
Lights flashed from everywhere as if suddenly the store turned into a cage of sparklers. Lee tore her eyes away from the oncoming news people only to see that those people at the intersection had followed them into the store and now had all sorts of cameras out with their fingers angrily clicking away. When her eyes fell back to the news people, a soft microphone had been shoved into her face.
“Lotus!” began the news man.
That was the only word Lee needed to hear before piecing everything together.
She should have been surprised, but what managed to creep upon her face was a laugh. She couldn’t help but to find it funny her resemblance to the billionaire ended up leading to this much hullabaloo. “I’m not Lotus Stelter.” She said into the microphone. She opened her mouth to say more, but the mic suddenly fell away and was replaced with another.
“Lotus!” gasped the reporter, “Does Michael Caster know-?” but that microphone too vanished in the throng.
When Lee glanced up, she noticed that the room was suddenly packed with people. The flashing lights weren’t being reduced, and there were now so many people crammed into the store that Lee was practically shoved up against Ace. A shelf of tissues was knocked to the ground as they backed up into the shelves. “I am not Lotus Stelter!” Lee hollered before yanking off her hood. “See?” She slid her sunglasses to the top of her head. “We have different features.”
She could hardly hear her own voice over the crowd but for some reason, the sight of her silvery hair and deep emerald eyes sent the paparazzi into shock. All at once the lights stopped flashing, and people stopped elbowing each other just to stare. The camera recoiled from Lee’s face as she glanced up at Ace with an expression that read well… this is awkward.
The Stelter City Saga: Ultranatural Page 19
