Life, Liberty, and Pursuit

by Susan Kaye Quinn

  She grimaced as she walked Lily over to him. His face lit up in a smile that was all charisma and friendliness. His eyes raked over her and seemed to be studying the Faerie book that she clutched like a defensive weapon in front of her.

  Before she had a chance to chastise him, he said, “I missed you in the car line yesterday.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, not sure what to say. I was trying to avoid you didn’t seem like the right thing to say in front of Lily.

  “Well, we switch jobs a lot around here.”

  “I’m glad I caught you, then.” He gave her a saccharine smile. “I’m taking Lily out for ice cream, and I thought you might like to join us.” Eliza’s mouth hung open for a second, long enough for Lily to understand what her brother had said and start jumping up and down.

  “Oh, ice cream! Please, Miss Eliza! Please come with us!” Her tiny hands clutched at Eliza’s arm. Eliza clamped her mouth shut and flat out glared at Carter. How dare he put her in the position of having to turn Lily down!

  Eliza was furious, and at the same time, she felt trapped. Carter’s eyes danced as he watched Lily plead, and he raised his eyebrows at her. She relented, trying to contain the anger she felt welling up in her. She didn’t want to hurt Lily, in spite of what her brother had done.

  “Okay.” Eliza bent down to Lily. “I can come get ice cream with you.” She straightened up and glared at Carter. “Just this once.”

  “Yes!” Lily jumped up and started doing a small fairy dance. Carter smiled at her exuberance, clearly pleased that he had trapped her into this. She was mystified. What on earth did he want? She couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Eliza shuffled back to the pickup area to tell Addison what she was doing, as if she had any clue. Addison looked at Eliza like she was insane, which she probably was. Eliza hastily promised to call Addison as soon as she got home. Addison just frowned.

  They drove in Carter’s ridiculous red car to the Dairy Queen, Lily thankfully chattering away from the back seat, recounting line and verse of their day in camp. Carter was probably getting the full report every day, including the parts where they had special moments reading and crafting and lunching. Carter kept looking over at her, trying to make eye contact; she steadfastly examined the road. She didn’t know what his purpose was in this, but hers was only to keep Lily happy.

  Ice cream actually sounded good as they escaped the Albuquerque heat into the artificially chilly Dairy Queen. Lily ordered a swirl cone with bubble gum dip, which made Eliza smile because it was silly and fit her perfectly. Eliza ordered a small vanilla cone, and Carter asked for the same. They sat, a stack of napkins between them, and Lily was silent as she dived into her frosty pink treat.

  “Eliza.” Carter’s neglected cone started melting as he tried to capture her attention. Eliza kept face carefully neutral. “Eliza, I’m really sorry, about what happened before …” Her anger flashed again.

  “We really don’t need to talk about it.” Eliza looked pointedly at Lily, who had worked her way through the pink dip and was smearing ice cream on her face. He looked abashed, and rightfully so.

  “Did you read my note?” he asked.

  “Note?” Then she realized the note in the Faerie book must have been from him—she had assumed it was a thank you note from Lily’s mother. “Um, no.”

  “Oh.” He paused to think about that. “Well, when you do, I hope that, maybe, we can talk again?” His face was soft, questioning, almost nervous. She was utterly confused and completely taken aback. What did this note say? “In any event, I want you to know that I am truly sorry.”

  “What are you sorry for, Ce-ce?” Lily piped up, obviously paying attention now. Eliza restrained a smile at her pet name for him. She guessed he was only Carter to his grown up friends.

  He smiled broadly at Eliza and then turned to Lily. “I’m sorry I didn’t pick you up in the car line today, like I was supposed to.” He looked back at Eliza. “I promise I’ll do that from now on.”

  “Oh, okay,” said Lily, returning to her ice cream. He held Eliza’s eyes for a long moment, and she felt that was a promise to leave her alone, if that was what she wanted. She relaxed a little. Maybe this would turn out all right after all. She smiled at Lily and wiped off the extravagant amount of ice cream on her face and nose.

  “Are you going to eat that or wear it?” Eliza was rewarded with a giggle. Without further grown-up conversation, Carter drove her home.

  “Bye, Miss Eliza!” Lily called from the back seat, as Eliza climbed out of the tiny red car.

  “See you tomorrow, Lily.”

  “Good night, Eliza.” His voice was soft, the one that she remembered and used to think was sweet and kind. She didn’t say anything, gently closing the door of the car and going into her house.

  Chapter 12

  Letters

  Sweaty, exhausted, and aching in joints he didn’t know he had, David stumbled back to his rack, leaning his head against the empty top bunk. Chief McMillan’s idea of sufficient PT felt like it would kill him. He wondered where his bunkmate was, thinking he would likely be in worse shape than David, but he hadn’t seen him since the chief dressed him down this morning before breakfast.

  “Ten minutes to shower up!” RDC McMillan shouted as he walked down their ship. Recruits scrambled to the showers, and he willed his body to follow them. Rest would come soon, plus the added bonus of nighttime: his Eliza time.

  He felt slightly more human coming back from the shower. It was mail call, so he would have a few minutes of peace until lights out. He contemplated lying down now, sure he could sleep with the lights on and the noise of a thousand recruits shuffling and shouting. Then a recruit he didn’t know walked up to his bunk.

  He was tall and lean, looking like he had weathered the full day of extra PT without breaking a sweat. With a big grin, he extended his hand. “Hey! I’m your new bunkmate—name’s Clayton Lane.” He sounded like he had just come up from the Deep South, maybe Mississippi. David glanced at the neatly made top bunk and realized his first bunkmate had washed out. He never did get his name.

  David took Clayton’s hand. “David Marek. Nice to meet you.” Clayton gave him a strange look, as if he was trying to figure out something that puzzled him.

  David gave him a quizzical look in return. “You don’t look like a new recruit.” Clayton’s dirty blond hair had grown out long enough to be messy.

  Clayton’s pale blue eyes danced as he grinned. “I’m not. You’ve got the best bunk in the place, Marek, and seeing how your bunkmate is no longer among us, I asked if I could have it.” He said this as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

  “You what?” David had yet to see anyone ask for a special favor here without sorely regretting it. He narrowed his eyes. “And why do I have the best bunk?” Either the PT was going to his head or this boy was making no sense.

  Clayton pointed to the ceiling high above his bunk, at a vent directly above them. “See that? That’s air conditioning, son, and you’re right underneath it. Trust me, you’re going to want more of that once we get into August.” His easy grin had returned, and David had to laugh as he shook his head.

  “I don’t understand,” David said. “How did you get the chief to agree to let you switch bunks?” He couldn’t picture asking, must less receiving permission to do so.

  “Well, see, the chief isn’t in charge of bunk assignments. That would be Petty Officer Reynolds.” His grin grew wider, and he leaned his lanky body against the top bunk, making himself at home as he told his tale. “I just explained, real nice like, that I got really hot in the summer time, and it would be just a lot more comfortable if I had something to cool me down.” He gave a look of pure innocence now, and David could picture Petty Officer Reynolds melting under that steamy blue stare.

  “You said what?” he choked out. “And that worked?
” He smiled in disbelief. Clayton Lane either had supernatural powers of persuasion, or he was pulling David’s leg—possibly both.

  Clayton’s grin stretched across his face. “It’s all in the asking, friend.” Then “tattoo” started playing over the com, signaling they had about five minutes to lights out. They both climbed into their racks, not wanting the chief to call them out as he made his rounds. David’s body felt like it was ascending a fifty story elevator as he sank into the thin cot and his muscles began to relax.

  “Hey, Davy!” called Clayton in a whisper voice, hanging his head over the side of his rack.

  David looked askance at him. No one called him Davy, not even his mom. “David.”

  “Okay, David.” He grinned that infectious smile again. “Just hang in there, son. The worst is over. You’ve got me for a bunkmate, now. Your life just took a turn for the better!”

  David snorted as Clayton rolled back up to lay flat in his rack as the chief walked by. Was his gloom that obvious? Or was Clayton simply rolling out the southern charm, like he did with Petty Officer Reynolds to work his way to a better bunk?

  The lights blinked out, and the noise settled a little. In the dark, illuminated only by the harsh yellow lights from the grounds outside their ship, he finally had time to think about Eliza: the feel of her soft, deep brown hair; the way she liked to touch his face. Sleep crept over him, his exhausted body pulling him down into his own personal darkness. He imagined Eliza nestled in his arms as they floated in a boat somewhere on stilled waters …

  * * *

  Eliza closed the door behind her. The house was empty—Mia and Johnny had left a few days ago for Phoenix. Johnny had a gig there, then a string of shows through New Mexico and Arizona. Her head reeled from her encounter with Carter, trying to make sense of it. She stumbled into the kitchen and made a bowl of cereal, glad that her mom wasn’t there to chastise her for it.

  She stared at her cereal bowl, wondering what the food was like in Basic Training. Better or worse than cereal for dinner? Probably worse. She usually missed David because she wanted to be with him—touching him, kissing him, talking with him. Now, she wished he was here for a different reason—she wished he could hold her, calm her fears and anger. She remembered the soft, loving feeling she had every time he held her, like being enveloped in a cloud of comfort and safety.

  Instead, she sat alone, staring at the Faerie book. She finished her cereal, snagged Carter’s note from the book, and brought it to the living room. Settling into the couch, she decided she had better read it before she called Addison, or she would force Eliza to open it over the phone.

  Eliza,

  You have every right to be mad at me. I was a jerk the last time I saw you, and I’m really sorry for that. I wish I could take it back, but I can’t. When I saw you at Lily’s camp, I thought that maybe I could make it up to you. I really have changed since last fall, and I hope you’ll give me a chance to show you. If you’re still angry and don’t want anything to do with me, I’ll understand. I just wanted to make sure you knew how sorry I was.

  I’ll drop by at pickup. If you would like, maybe you could join Lily and me for ice cream after camp?

  See you soon,

  Carter

  The letter was so sweet and earnest, almost pleading—the same Carter that had pursued her for weeks before he talked her into going to the party. He was difficult to refuse, and undeniably attractive and persistent. She wasn’t used to that kind of attention, mostly hanging out with her friends. She couldn’t understand why he was so interested in her. He was popular, and she certainly wasn’t in that crowd. She was vaguely aware that he had a lot of girlfriends—she never kept track of the social drama going on around Albuquerque South High. She had applications to fill out for college, essays to write, and grades to keep up if she was going to make it into Princeton. Then when she had sent off the last of her applications for college and felt like celebrating, Carter asked her to go to Haley’s party. He made some pathetic excuse about not knowing anyone there, and if she would come with him, at least he wouldn’t be lonely. Considering he was one of the most popular boys in school, and she knew Haley thought he was particularly hot, it was laughable … and sweet. When he looked at her through those long blond lashes, she had a hard time finding a reason to say no. That was where she made her mistake.

  Haley’s parents had left for the weekend, and Carter had insisted the party would be spectacular. Nicolas was flat-out angry with her, saying there would probably be drinking and she shouldn’t get caught at a party like that. She knew he was just jealous, and frankly, that was part of why she went. At some point Nicolas had to figure out he wasn’t her boyfriend, even if she wasn’t dating anyone else.

  Kids she didn’t know jammed the hallways and kitchen of Haley’s spacious house, carrying drinks that were probably not the legal kind. Someone had cranked up the sound system in the basement, but all that came through was the dull thumping of the bass. Carter was grinning ear-to-ear. It was hard not to like him when he was so happy to have her with him. He paraded her around, showing her off to his friends. When they had covered the house, they finally settled on a couch in the living room. He left her to go get drinks. People looked out of the corners of their eyes at her, like she was something strange and out of place. She was just starting to feel uncomfortable when Carter returned.

  He handed one cup to her, and she could smell the alcohol in it. She took a small sip to be sure, but there was definitely rum in that Coke. She put it down, telling Carter she didn’t drink. He looked aghast at her—that should have been her first clue. But she was clueless that night. In great gulps, he downed his drink and set his empty cup down. It was impossible to talk normally over the booming noise from the basement, so he leaned in close. “I’m so glad you agreed to come tonight.” She nodded, but was already questioning her decision. If she had listened to her inner voice then, she could have avoided the whole thing.

  Carter seemed agitated, and he left to get another round of drinks. She hoped he would bring back a normal Coke for her, but no luck there. He chugged his second drink, and then hers as well. Carter was quickly getting drunk, and she started to think she had made a big mistake in coming. She was about to ask him to take her home, when he stared at her with a hungry look and leaned in to kiss her. He tasted like rum and sour Coke, but his kiss was sweet and tender.

  He gently stroked her cheek, talking loud in her ear to be heard. “Eliza, I’ve wanted to do that for so long now.”

  She didn’t know what to say. His breath was hot on her ear, and he kissed her neck. She pulled away from him. He was very appealing, with his moppy golden hair and light blue eyes, but right now those eyes were dilated and had a dark, wild look to them that made her stomach clench.

  “Eliza … ” He groaned and then crushed his lips to hers, pressing her back into the couch and grabbing her body in places he had no business touching. She tried to shout and push him back, but her sounds were lost in the muffle of his mouth on hers and the noise of the party.

  When he released her mouth, bending to feast his way down her neck, she gasped for air and shrieked, “Stop!”

  He jerked off her as if he had been shocked.

  Several people stared at them, and Carter’s face was red with rage. He launched himself off the couch and stalked out of the room. She shook with anger and embarrassment. Trying to straighten her clothes, she ignored the amused stares of the other people in the room. When she finally collected her wits, she went to find Carter and insist he take her home. She found him, in the family room by the front door, entwined with Haley on the couch. The other kids were laughing behind their hands and pointing at the horrified look on her face. She felt sick and stumbled her way out the front door, collapsing into a heap on the sidewalk. She pulled out her cell phone and called Nicolas …

  She shuddered as she remember
ed how angry Nicolas had been, how she could barely keep him from hunting down Carter and doing heaven knew what. The stares and behind-the-mouth snickering lasted more than a week at school, making it even harder to restrain Nicolas and his temper. Needless to say, she never spoke to Carter again. And now, for some unearthly reason, he wanted to say he was sorry? She didn’t understand it, but maybe Addison would. She dialed her number, and Addison picked up on the first ring.

  “Eliza, thank God, I’ve been waiting for you to call. Are you all right?” She really sounded worried, and Eliza felt bad for making her anxious.

  “I’m fine, Addy, totally fine. Carter just wanted to apologize.”

  “Well, he’s about nine months too late for that. Seriously, why is he harassing you now?”

  Addison didn’t usually get this upset. Eliza felt even worse.

  “Addison, he’s not harassing me. He bought me ice cream—he’s trying to make up for what happened last fall.” Here she was defending Carter, which was completely upside down.

  Addison was silent for a moment, and Eliza waited. She needed Addison’s calm advice to help her sort this out.

  “Eliza, I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

  “I have no intention of letting him hurt me, Addy.” She would never again let herself get into a situation like the party last fall. With anyone.

  “I think maybe he wants you to go out with him. You know you’re the only girl he never, you know, had that he wanted.”