The Perfect Outcast

by Melissa O. Hansen

  “I was drinking that, you know,” she said, laughing.

  He dropped his jaw and reddened. “What? I thought you don’t eat or drink!”

  “I don’t have to. But I like to sometimes.”

  “Oh wow, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve had really bad manners.” He stood up. “I’d better go now, please excuse me. My mom needs my help this afternoon. But, Alina, come hang out with me anytime you get tired of those back-biting girls or tongue-tied boys. I’m over on Wheaton Drive, third house on the left. It’s blue. Or come here. I’m here just as often, it seems.” His eyes lingered on her for a moment before he turned and headed for the door.

  Jade watched him go, then gave Alina a knowing smile. “There! You’ve got a friend!”

  Alina beamed. She had a friend. He was fun and easy-going and made her feel normal. She didn’t care if it seemed forward. She’d call on him as soon as she could.

  The next morning Alina waited impatiently for the sun to rise. She enjoyed the night outdoors, relaxing on the back deck and completing the farm chores, but went inside at the first sign of dawn. She changed into simple clothes, hoping to downplay her beauty, but it was no use. Even jeans and a t-shirt flattered her. She never needed to brush her hair or put on makeup and wondered why so many in Pria used it. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, then looked in the mirror and sighed. She wanted to fit in but looked far from normal.

  She went downstairs and found Jade in her farm clothes, eating breakfast. “Did you leave any chores for me?” Jade asked.

  “Yes, the eggs. I know how much you like the chickens.”

  “Thanks! Where are you going?”

  “To Oliver’s, of course.”

  Jade broke into a grin. “Have a good time and don’t fall in love,” she teased. Alina rolled her eyes as she went out the door.

  The morning was calm. Maxwell’s neighbors were outside tending animals, and Alina smiled and greeted them, even the girls who pretended not to see her. The sun appeared close in the sky, and she suspected the day would be hot, though she couldn’t feel it.

  She found Wheaton Drive and the blue house but hesitated, rubbing the back of her neck. She looked so eager, calling this early in the morning, which likely broke some social rule. But her time in Millflower had been unbearable, and there was no more time to waste. She skipped up the porch steps and rang the bell.

  After a few minutes Oliver opened the door. He was bare-chested, wearing only plaid flannel pants. His eyes widened and he shoved a hand through his tousled hair.

  “Alina!” he exclaimed. “I just woke up—uh—will you give me a minute? Come in.” She went pink, wishing she’d been more patient that morning. But he smiled at her as she stepped inside.

  She stood in the entryway as he ran up the stairs. His shoulders flexed as he gripped the handrail, skipping two steps at a time. Alina stared after him for a moment then looked away. She didn’t want to like him like that. She only wanted a friend.

  After a few minutes she heard a door open and close. A pretty woman with Oliver’s same dark hair stepped into the hallway from the kitchen. She smiled warmly at Alina.

  “Alina, how nice to meet you!”

  “Thank you,” she answered. “You must be Mrs. Brook.”

  “You can call me Linsie. I hoped you might stay with us, but having a teenage son, it wasn’t permitted. I suppose that’s wise. Ollie told me he met you yesterday and you might get together. I’m glad he has someone to keep him out of trouble.”

  Alina smiled. “Well, I’ll do my best. I’m glad to have a friend.”

  Linsie’s face softened. “He told me how the girls have treated you. It’s awful. How interesting; you are the most popular girl in town and yet no one will be your friend. Give them time and I bet they will change.”

  “I hope so, but I don’t have much time left. There are many kind people, though. Max and Christine are wonderful.”

  “They are, I know. Christine and I are dear friends.”

  Oliver pounded down the stairs and gave his mom a kiss. “I see you met Alina.”

  “I did. She’s charming.”

  Alina blushed. “Thank you.”

  Oliver beamed at her. In the short time upstairs, he showered, combed his hair, and changed into jeans and a snug t-shirt. Oh no. He smells and looks really good. Alina swallowed. Maybe this isn’t the best idea. I’m sure to do something wrong.

  “Have you eaten breakfast?” he asked.

  She smiled. “No.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s right! Have some with me anyway, will you?” He led her into the kitchen. Linsie put fruit and a tray of muffins on the table, then took her mug outside to the porch.

  “Thanks, Mom. You can stay with us if you like,” Oliver called. She laughed lightly as the screen door banged shut behind her.

  Oliver rolled his eyes. “She thinks we want to be alone.”

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  Oliver bit a muffin, then chewed for a moment before answering. “No. Just Mom and me. My dad died when I was ten.”

  “Oh—I’m sorry.”

  He didn’t offer any more information, and an awkward pause followed. She hunted for something to say. “What’s life like here? Do you go to school?”

  Oliver straightened his back and swallowed his food. “Yes, but we’re off for the summer and part of the fall, until the harvest is over. Everyone in town helps with that. It’s not bad here—I have a lot of good friends—but we have to get creative to have fun. Millflower is a small town after all.”

  Oliver chatted about the things they did to stave off boredom—cow tipping, childish pranks, and sneaking into the granary to play games without getting caught. In earlier days, he and the other boys amused themselves by trapping animals and sticking the carcasses to the windows of girls’ bedrooms, but he had matured since then. Or so he claimed.

  Alina sat back in her chair and listened, enjoying the enthusiasm in his gestures and his animated blue eyes. It seemed everything in life, no matter how dull, became fascinating when spoken from his lips.

  The hours raced by, and as lunchtime grew near, he asked if she’d like to go into town with him. She hated to leave the comfort of his kitchen, but he persisted until she agreed.

  “I have to work in a couple of hours, but we could get some lunch. Or I could, I should say, and you can sit and watch me eat,” he said.

  She laughed. “I’ll eat lunch with you; that would be nice. But I’ve taken your whole morning. Do you have chores to do?” Linsie had long since left for work.

  He waved a dismissive hand. “I can do them when I get back. Today’s been worth it.”

  “Can I help you with your work later?”

  He stared at her for a moment. She realized how bold she sounded and reddened.

  “Yes. I’d love for you to come over later. But I have a lot to do. You might have to stay a while.” He grinned.

  They walked into town, where he showed her all the places she hadn’t yet seen. Whispers followed them wherever they went, and both the girls and boys smoldered with rage, except for Oliver’s friends who flashed him a thumb’s up when they thought Alina wasn’t looking. Oliver seemed to enjoy every minute of it.

  They talked for another hour over lunch, and though their conversation never reached great depths, his stories amused her. When the time came for him to go to work, she offered to walk him there. She wanted to see the small cafe again because as the spot where they first met, it was now her favorite place in town. But she’d never tell him that.

  “You know, Alina,” he said, putting his arm over her shoulder as they walked, “I think I’ve found my new best friend. You’re more fun than any of my buddies, and way more relaxed than any of the girls.” She pretended to look shocked, and he laughed. “Yes, I see you know what I mean. Who’d want to cuddle with those prickly things? But you—you’re like one of the guys!”

  She wasn’t sure she liked his compliment but felt relieved he w
anted only friendship from her. “I’ve had a great time too, more than you know,” she responded. “Thanks for helping me feel at home for the first time since I’ve been here.”

  He licked his lips and squeezed her close to him. As he pulled away, his hand grazed her arm down to her fingertips, then grabbed them briefly. Her eyes followed him to the cafe door where he turned and flashed a tiny smile, as if he knew she noticed his touch, and he wanted it that way.

  Over the next two weeks, Alina and Oliver spent almost every minute together when he was off work, and often when he wasn’t. She’d sit at the corner table of the cafe and watch him serve customers and laugh at the theatrics he’d sneak in for her amusement. He loved to make her laugh, and since his humor matched hers, he excelled at it. Her presence became such a distraction that his boss allowed her to stay long enough to eat a meal, then ordered her out. So, every day she ate a meal at the cafe to be with him.

  She enjoyed their time together but didn’t feel attracted to him like she did Zaiden, which relieved her. She welcomed no romantic confusion in her life. Oliver seemed content with their friendship as well, but he often found a reason to touch her—on her hands, her hair, even her face.

  She further appreciated Oliver’s friendship when it severed all hopes of finding it elsewhere. The girls in Millflower coolly ignored her, yet their furious glares when she was with Oliver indicated they might kill her, if only she could die.

  The boys took it as a personal rejection and became aloof. Even the friendliest of them now avoided her, as if all purpose in becoming acquainted was gone. It seemed choosing Oliver meant spurning everyone else.

  Nicole, who Alina thought couldn’t get any worse, muttered such degrading remarks in Alina’s presence that she feared going home each day. Nicole appeared to take the friendship with Oliver as a personal insult.

  One afternoon, as Jade and Alina sat on the porch, Nicole slammed the front door and passed them in a huff. As she stormed out of the yard, Alina whispered to Jade about her.

  “She seems to hate me more now I’m friends with Oliver—and so does everyone else in town. Did they want me to be miserable and friendless, and this ruined their plans?”

  “I have a different theory,” Jade said quietly. “When you first started hanging out with Oliver, Christine mentioned the girls might never warm up to you now. You’ve nabbed the boy they all wanted.”

  “I haven’t nabbed him,” Alina replied. “We’re just friends.”

  “Right.” Jade’s eyes twinkled.

  “I don’t like him that way. I was worried I might, but there’s still Zaiden—and besides, we’re leaving soon. Maybe then everyone will see there’s nothing going on between us. If I do succeed in freeing Carthem, I’d only be more hated here. I guess I have to fail for anyone to like me.”

  Jade put her hand on Alina’s back. “They aren’t worthy to be your friends. Enjoy your time with Oliver. He’s fun, and handsome. I’m not surprised so many girls like him. Are you sure he thinks of you as a friend, though?”

  “Yes, pretty sure. And if not, we’re leaving anyway.” Alina traced her finger along the wicker of the porch swing. “I’ll miss him, though.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes until Christine poked her head out the door. “Alina, Jade—Baylor wants to speak to both of you right away.”

  Three weeks after the nightstalk attack, Rex and Baylor were healing nicely, though the doctor expected some scarring. In spite of this, Rex looked more like his handsome self, and Baylor removed the patch from his eye.

  “Hi, ladies, please sit down,” Baylor said as they came in. “We have some things to discuss. I spoke with Lance this morning about our trip to Jaden.”

  “How soon will we go?” Alina asked. The idea of leaving Millflower unsettled her. She would be both sorry and relieved.

  “As you can see, Rex and I are doing a lot better. Doc thinks we’ll be recovered in another week or so. But the trip to Jaden concerns us, and we’re unsure of the best way to proceed. Gerard has really thrown a snag in our plans. We never thought he was alive—much less recruiting men and acting as Sampson’s puppet.”

  “He won’t give up, will he?” Alina stated.

  “No, he won’t, and your escape will make him wiser and more cautious. Their number is their advantage—there’s so many of them, and they must have something protecting them. We don’t understand how a group that size could survive in the wild.”

  “Yes!” Alina remembered. “I meant to tell you—they have something from Sampson protecting them.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I heard them discussing it when a man disappeared after leaving the group. Something about the group offering protection, and Sampson was behind it. Gerard got upset when they talked about it. He didn’t want me to hear.”

  “Interesting,” Baylor murmured. “Maybe Lance will have an idea what it is. Our best strategy might be to take it from them; then they’d be dead in a matter of hours.”

  “You’re sure they’ll try to take me again?”

  “I’m sure, and with no such protection, it’s useless to organize a group large enough to match them. They could simply wait for the creatures to reduce our numbers, which would surely happen.”

  “What if we spread out?” asked Jade.

  “If we’re close enough to unite to fight Gerard’s gang, then we’re close enough to be hunted by deadly creatures. You saw how many grimalkins came, and there were only four of us. Traveling in a large company wastes lives. Alina can’t defend us all. Gerard has a huge advantage.”

  “What do you think is the best plan?” Rex asked.

  Baylor sighed. “Lance and I discussed many ideas and kept coming back to the same thing. Our best option is to take Millflower’s most reliable vehicle—which isn’t much, mind you—hurry to Jaden with the four of us, and hope we don’t meet Gerard along the way. It’s simple, risky, and the only plan we’ve got.”

  “But we need a defense in case we do meet him,” Alina said.

  “Absolutely. Lance and I discussed that, too. We need to be as prepared as possible.”

  Alina pulled up her knees and hugged them against her chest. She’d told the others how she escaped from Gerard that night in the woods but had left out some important details. It was too uncomfortable to remember, much less speak of, what the men wanted to do with her. But Baylor needed to know.

  “Baylor,” she said, her voice trembling. “I haven’t told you everything Gerard did to me last time.”

  Baylor turned hard eyes on her. His nostrils flared but he spoke in a gentle tone. “I worried you hadn’t. I understand this might be hard to talk about.” He paused. “Did his men take advantage of you?”

  “No,” she answered, and Baylor’s chest relaxed. “But they planned to, all of them in their turn, and they came very close. I overcame the first man who tried because I stretched the rope loose. Then I escaped into the woods.”

  Baylor shot to his feet and paced the room. He cursed Gerard through clenched teeth.

  Alina blinked back tears. “I know I can escape them, but I’m terrified of being taken again.”

  Rex spoke up. “Don’t worry, Alina, we’ll protect you better this time. We’ll have a plan.”

  “Yes,” Baylor agreed. “I’ll consult Lance and see if he knows what might be protecting them.”

  “The way I see it, the longer we stay here, the more time Gerard has to plot against us,” said Rex. “Can we set a date to leave?”

  “That’s a good idea,” Baylor answered. “One week from today, and we go. That’s enough time to prepare and complete our recovery.”

  A knock sounded at the door, and Christine entered. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but your wife is on the phone, Baylor. She says it’s urgent.”

  Baylor pinned his eyebrows as he took the phone. Christine left the room, closing the door behind her.

  “My love, what is it?”

  Baylor’s eyes widened as he listen
ed, then he covered his face with his hands and rubbed his forehead. The others exchanged worried looks.

  “Oh no,” he whispered, and fell into a chair. He continued to rub his face. “Yes, tell Lance to contact me as soon as he has a moment. I understand he must be busy. I will alert everyone here…yes, of course. It will be good for Trinee to tell her.” He glanced at Alina. “Please be careful, Janet.” His face scrunched up. “I love you, too.”

  He handed the phone to Alina. “It’s Trinee.”

  Alina snatched the phone. “Trin? Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, we’re fine, at least for now. But there’s something I need to tell you.” She paused. “Zaiden’s here. In Stormport.”

  Alina almost dropped the phone. By the sound of Trinee’s voice, this wasn’t a good thing. “Zaiden?” she whispered. “Is he insane?”

  “No, you can stop worrying about that,” Trinee rushed.

  Alina closed her eyes and placed her hand over her heart. “But how did he escape?”

  “No one knows yet.” Trinee cleared her throat. “He’s very ill, Alina.”

  “Ill?”

  “Yes. With a virus no one has seen before. The doctors are baffled. They suspect Sampson sent it in.”

  Alina covered her mouth. “Are you certain?”

  “Yes. And it’s spreading like crazy. There’s another man who came with him from Pria, named Crome. He’s infected as well.”

  “Crome!” Alina gasped, and Rex started at the name. Baylor was quietly sharing the news.

  Trinee continued. “Any who have come in contact with them have fallen ill, and it kills fast. Already three nurses have died, and Zaiden and Crome arrived only a few hours ago. Lance is certain this is an attack from Sampson. You know how valuable Stormport is to Carthem. We’ve completely shut down.”

  “How many are sick?”