by Mac Flynn
"I'm quite comfortable," he countered. He pressed me harder against his firm chest and my ketchup highlight was nearly out-redded by my blushing.
"But I'm filthy and so you are, so let's stop this teenager stuff and wash up," I insisted.
Will sighed. "Very well." He released me and we walked away from the gawkers down to the edge of the lake.
The empty long dock and boat launch were on our left. The fisherman had reeled in their lines and pulled out their boats for the day. In front of us was the cordoned-off swimming area where several families with their young children played and splashed around one last time before the sun set. I turned and led Will to the right away from the noise and bustle of the other residents to the very end of the cordoned-off zone. The waters there were calmer, and I knelt down and looked at my reflection in the water. It was a good thing I wasn't afraid of clowns or my face would have scared me back to my cabin. I quickly drenched my face and washed away the evidence of our fun. Will did the same with his makeup.
"Do you have any family?" Will spoke up.
I glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "Parents," I replied.
"No siblings?" he wondered.
"No, why?"
"Have you a great attachment to your parents?" he asked me, ignoring my question.
I shrugged and turned back to the water. It was cool and clear, and I could see a few shells laying among the pebbles and sand. I picked one up and picked at it. "They're okay, but we don't really talk, not since I moved out a few years ago," I revealed. I snorted, but it wasn't really from humor. "I guess long-distance relationships don't really work for them. They live clear across the country and didn't really like it when I decided to move so far away. I think maybe they thought I was running away from them."
"Were you?" he mused.
"Maybe. I was at that trying age where the world was against me and any sort of authority that didn't pay me was using me," I commented.
"I can't imagine you as a rebel," he replied.
I fell back onto the sand just above the wave line and toyed with the shell in my hand. "I thought I was, but thinking back I guess I just wanted a life a little more exciting than the one my parents had."
"What do they do?" he asked me.
I snorted and smiled. "My dad's a teacher and my mom's into helping the community. You know, one of those busy-bodies who knows everything about everyone," I told him.
"So you're from a small town?" he guessed.
"Born and bred," I replied.
"You seem to have matured quite quickly in just a few years," he commented.
I tossed aside the shell and turned to him with a teasing smile. "That was out of necessity. People really weren't going to pay me to scowl at them all day, so I learned to smile. That got a lot of jobs as secretaries, and I climbed the big, old corporate ladder to end up as Mr. Trimble's secretary."
"And the tale ends with you happily ever after, or does it?" he wondered.
"Well, it doesn't end with me out on the streets living in a cardboard box that I share with a couple of alley cats, a mangy dog, and a toad that just happened to hop in," I countered.
"But what if that toad happened to be a prince?" he teased.
I snorted and looked out on the shimmering lake. "Then I chose the wrong path and need to invest in cardboard box realty," I joked.
"But what if your prince came hopping by without the need for you in a cardboard box?" he persisted.
I frowned and turned to him with a confused expression. "I'd say I wouldn't see him coming and accidentally run him over with my car."
Will choked out a laugh and fell back onto the sand with a grin on his face. "That would be a rather unlucky prince," he mused.
"Yes, a messy end to a short courtship," I agreed. I lay down on my stomach beside him and looked over his smooth, youngish face. "So what about you?"
"What about me?" he returned.
"You have an immaculate conception or did you sprout from a cabbage patch?" I asked him.
"Neither. I had a set of very nice parents, but they passed away a few years ago. Heart and blood illnesses runs deep in both sides of my family," he replied.
"And no siblings?" I wondered.
"None."
"No girlfriends? No close friends?"
"I trust no one but Vuk and-" He paused and looked away.
"And who?" I persisted.
"Darlings!" a voice rang out behind us.
Chapter 9
I turned and sighed. It was Olivia who interrupted our little chat, and this time with company in the form of a middle-aged couple. The wife wore a simple ensemble shorts and a white shirt, though around her neck was an extravagant diamond necklace. The man was in the same sort of attire, and in one hand he held a short leash attached to which was a large black labrador. The dog wagged its tail at me and drooled. We hastily stood and each of us slapped a smile on our faces.
"There you two are! I was afraid after all that commotion that you'd run away before the fireworks and disappointed me!" she scolded us.
"We wouldn't think of it, Olivia," Will replied.
"Good! Now William, Grace, I would like to introduce you to some of my oldest and dearest friends, the Dodson's, Nicholas and Priscilla," she told us, gesturing to the older couple. "Nick, Priscilla, this is William Campbell and Grace Stevens."
"A pleasure, I'm sure," Mrs. Dodson greeted us as we daintily shook hands.
Mr. Dodson wrinkled his manicured mustache. "Campbell, eh?" the boisterous Nick Dodson mused. "Not the family that owns the old cabin across the lake?"
"The one and only," Will replied. Will leaned forward to shake the man's hand, but the labrador intervened. Actually, to put it truthfully and scientifically the beast went ballistic.
The lab lunged at Will, who was saved from a nasty bite on the hand by the dog's short leash. Olivia screamed and jumped into Priscilla's arms as Nick pulled with both hands on the leash and dragged the fierce beast back. It bared its teeth and snarled at Will. For his part he had a firm, stoic expression on his face and wasn't at all bothered by the dog's violent outburst.
"I'm so sorry, old chap! He's never acted like this before. Heel! Heel, Hercules!" Mr. Dodson ordered him. The dog sat at his master's side, but continued to bare his fangs at Will. Dodson frowned at his rude pet, and his eyes flickered between Will and the dog. "That's strange. He's usually so friendly toward people," he commented.
"I must smell like a cat," Will joked. The couple and Olivia laughed, but I was disturbed by the dog. Its eyes were narrowed and it watched Will like an enemy. Will gently tugged on my arm and broke my thoughts. "What do you say to some dessert before the fireworks?" he suggested. By this time the glow of the setting sun on the horizon was faint and people started lighting lanterns to keep away the encroaching darkness. The dark surface of the lake was like a forbidden mirror. Look long enough and it would drag you into its depths.
I smiled, more to hide my unease than because I felt happy. "That'd be great," I agreed.
"If you'll excuse us," Will told our fellow cabin folk.
Olivia stepped away from her friend and unruffled her feathers. "Oh, yes, of course, but don't leave until the fireworks are finished," she reminded us.
"We won't," Will agreed. He led us away to the table loaded with desserts, but neither of us had any appetite so we stood a few yards off close to a thick tree. When Will spoke his voice was low, but relaxed. "You're bothered by the dog," he commented.
"That dog looked like he wanted to rip you to shreds," I whispered in return.
"I'm afraid I have that effect on most animals," he revealed.
"Have you tried changing cologne? Something not quite as eau de threatening?" I teased.
He chuckled. "Would you care to go shopping with me for my personal articles?" he wondered.
"No. You shop for your own underwear," I replied.
Our little back-and-forth was again interrupted by Olivia, but not directly. While we talked m
en had prepared the fireworks display by setting out long, wide pieces of ply board on the beach and erected small, angles chutes made of plastic piping. The boxes of fireworks were places behind them and the men produced lighters. Olivia stepped onto a pile of the fireworks boxes and waved her hands over her head.
"Attention! Attention, everyone!" she bellowed over the crowd. The cabin folk ceased their conversations and turned to her. "We are ready for the fireworks, so if you would please seat yourselves on the grass we can begin!" The crowds meandered their way to the edge of the sand, and sat down on the grass and blankets.
"Shall we?" Will invited. I turned to him and the smile died on my lips. Even in the weak light of the propane lanterns I could see his face was ghastly pale and there was a hint of sweat on the surface.
"Are you all right?" I asked him.
"Quite all right," he assured me.
I looked over his tense facial muscles and wide, dilated eyes, and thought I'd never seen such a bad liar. "You don't look all right," I insisted.
Will wiped the perspiration from his brow and smiled at me. "Perhaps the episode with the dog affected me more than I thought, but I just need to rest a while." He guided me not to the beach, but to the edge of the park closest to our cabins. There we plopped down on the cool grass and waited for the dazzling lights.
I noticed Will fidgeted, and his hand kept diving into a pocket of his jeans. "Are you sure you're all right?" I persisted.
"Yes, quite-" His affirmation was interrupted by the sudden firing of a large, whistling rocket.
It flew into the sky and burst into a thousand tiny sparkles of red and white. The crowd oohed and aahed. The fireworks men, encouraged by the crowd's admiration, went to work blowing up all the cases of fireworks. Six rockets were shot off at once and Roman candles were lit on the beach in front of the cabin folk.
I would have enjoyed the show if I didn't have Will by my side looking worse and worse. He twitched and his breathing changed from even breaths into small gasps. His hand remained in his pocket, and his bright eyes, almost glowing, looked at me with a steady and uncomfortable consistency.
"I'm getting a doctor," I told him. I tried to stand, but he gently grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down.
"I have had these attacks before, and it's nothing a doctor can help with," he told me.
"Do you know what's wrong with you?" I asked him. He looked like he was creeping toward death.
"It is an-an illness that comes over me on some nights. You can consider it an allergy of sorts to the night," he replied.
"Then shouldn't you be in some sort of UV room?" I suggested.
He chuckled and shook his head. "It hasn't worked, I've tried. Besides, I wanted to be out here with you to give you this." His pocketed hand pulled out a small gold locket attached to a golden chain. He took my hand, turned it over and set the locket in my palm. "I would like you to have it as a sign of our-well, our friendship."
"I-I can't accept this," I protested. It was a handsome piece of craftsmanship with a hunting scene etched on the cover. A few precious stones were used to dot the eyes of the horse and the man as they chased some unseen beast.
He pulled back and softly smiled at me. "I would dearly like you to have it," he insisted.
I pursed my lips, but glanced down at the gift. There was a tiny clasp on the side that, when I released it, opened the lid. In contrast to the golden exterior, the interior of the locket was made of silver. There is an emblem of a wolf etched onto the right side with a full moon on the left. I glanced up at Will. "Did you get this after your wolf attack?" I wondered.
"Yes. Vuk found them for me in a market in the Ukraine," he replied.
"You seem to have a lot of attachment to them," I commented.
"Yes, I have a deep relationship with them," he agreed.
"Even though one tried to kill you? With humans that's called Stockholm Syndrome," I pointed out.
Will smiled and took the locket from my open hand. He carefully clasped it shut, took the chain in hand, and lay the locket around my neck. The locket sat perfectly above my breasts and the gold glistened against the flashing fireworks overhead. I pressed my hand softly against the gold cover and looked up at Will.
He looked horrible. The sweat slipped down the side of his face and he clutched at his chest with one hand. His face had gone from pale to ghostly white, and his eyes had a strange yellow tint to them.
I grabbed his shoulders to keep him steady, but he stood and slipped from my grasp. "You need a doctor," I insisted.
"There is-there is some medicine at my cabin. I need only reach that and I will be fine," he told me.
"Then let me get Olivia. She can drive you-"
"No!" His shout startled me, but was low enough and we were far enough from everyone else that no one else heard it. He grasped my hand in his and took a deep, shuddering breath. "I would rather walk. The exercise will help," he explained.
"All right, but I'm coming with you," I persisted.
He smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied.
Chapter 10
It wasn't easy walking Will back to our cabins. His normally strong, confident stride was handicapped by whatever illness had suddenly come over him. We left the laughter and the beautiful fireworks, and slipped onto the dark road that traveled around the lake. The only lights were from the empty cabins near the edge of the water and the stars that flickered through the trees above us. The lights from the cabins cast long shadows across the road, but didn't hide the extreme pallor on Will's face.
He first strode quickly down the road clutching at his heart, but a quarter of the way back to the cabins he tripped over a rock and stumbled forward. I caught his arm and he caught himself, or he would have dragged me down with him to the ground. He knelt down with me still clinging tightly to his arm with both hands.
"I-I'm fine," he hoarsely whispered.
"Fine is being able to breath without sounding like you want to heave your guts out. What I'm hearing from you is death-bed fine," I retorted.
"I can make it as far as I need to," he insisted.
I shook my head. "Stop being so stubborn and let me go get a car," I argued.
"Just a little farther. He'll come to meet us," Will told me.
I frowned. "Who will come to meet us?" I asked him, but he was already struggling to his feet. Will stood, but his legs buckled underneath him and he fell forward. I slipped in front of him and propped him up with my body. "Will you quit being so stubborn and at least let me help you?" I pleaded.
"All-all right," he reluctantly agreed. Will lay an arm across my shoulders and I raised myself up to stand nearly level with him. He was a head taller than me, and broader in the shoulders. Will was also heavier, and my own legs nearly buckled underneath me as he leaned his body on me.
I grit my teeth and bore him up with more strength and energy than I thought I possessed. "I don't know how far I can drag you, but here goes," I told him.
We took the trip one step at a time. The fireworks exploded overhead and their colors danced across the tunnel-like road. The branches above us swayed in a soft breeze and close by were the sounds of the forest night. Things scampered through the brush and snapped twigs. The dry, dead limbs of the trees rattled against each other like old bones. My stupid mind wandered back to the dead thing in the woods and the cow on the side of the road. Whatever killed them had probably done it at night. I had no idea what beast had slaughtered them, but =mMy imagination filled in the blanks with visions of wolves and rabid moose infesting the forest.
Just when I was about ready to bolt and drag Will's heavy carcass along with me help came in the form of a pair of headlights headed our way. I propped Will against a tree and jumped into the road while wildly waving my arms. The car stopped in front of me and Vuk jumped out. I couldn't figure out how he knew we needed a guardian angel right then, but I wasn't going to look a gift-servant in the mouth.
I rushed up to him and nea
rly flung my arms around him in relief. Instead I half turned so I could keep an eye on Will. "Will's-" Vuk brushed past me and straight to Will's prostrate form in the shadow of the tree.
I don't know how Vuk saw Will seated as he was in the darkness, but the servant knelt down in front of Will, who lifted his head and weakly smiled at him. "None of your scoldings, if you please," Will pleaded.
"Very well, sir. I will save them for later," Vuk replied. He helped Will stand and the pair carefully made their way to the car. "If you would get the passenger door on the driver's side, Miss Grace," Vuk instructed me.
"Oh! Sure!" I agreed. I opened the said door and Vuk pulled Will to the door. He manuevered Will in front of him and helped Will climb into the car.
Will leaned back in the seat and grimaced. Vuk stepped back to shut the door, but Will held out his hand to block him. "Let her inside," he instructed his servant.
"But sir-"
"Let her inside," Will firmly repeated. His eyes glanced past Vuk at me, but not my face. His gaze lay lower, on the locket he'd given me.
Vuk followed his master's gaze and his eyes widened. He pursed his lips and a ghost of a smile slipped across his normally stoic face. Vuk gently placed his hand on my back and gestured to the other side of the car. "If you would seat yourself around the other side, we haven't much time," he told me.
"Much time for-" My question was interrupted by a gasp from Will. I turned to him and saw his eyes were shut and he ground his teeth together in a painful grimace.
"Please hurry," Vuk insisted, and gave me a push toward the rear of the car.
I hurried around and slid into the far-side passenger seat. Vuk took the wheel, and sped forward into the nearest driveway. He reversed us with a force that nearly made me change seats to the front because I wasn't wearing my seatbelt. I quickly put on the belt and gripped the seats. A cold, clammy hand settled on mine, and I glanced down to see Will's hand covering mine.
