by Sara Schoen
“That’s what I thought when I broke the bed post when I fell off the bed.” I rubbed the back of my neck as an awkward laugh escaped my lips. That hadn’t been a shining moment in my childhood.
“Yeah...she could hear it snap in half. Saying ‘nothing’ when she asked what happened probably didn’t help. She’s not stupid.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t think she was. I just didn’t want to get busted for jumping on the bed and then breaking something. It would be worse than having Dad on my ass for something.”
“Oh, you mean like when we used to go to the house up the mountain? He’d lose his temper if we messed with any of his stuff. I’m kind of glad we stopped going up there. It’s less stressful.”
“I don’t know. I miss the house, the area, and the entire time before Dad officially took over as Mayor from Grandpa. I wish we still had time to go up there as a family. I miss the ski trips, the carefree attitude, and the family time. It’s something we don’t get a lot of anymore. We were forced to grow up when he took over and now look where we are!”
“Sitting here, waiting for them to get back, and trying to figure out things about your new girlfriend. Good luck telling them you don’t know anything about her, and what you do know, you won’t share.”
I glanced up to see a genuine sparkle in her green eyes that showed that she cared, even if it was just a tiny bit.
“Maybe you’ll get lucky and the conversation won’t end up on your EMT job like it did last time or about how you were discharged and can’t enlist again. I’d rather talk about Mia than hear that conversation for the four hundredth time.”
“I can’t control what isn’t my fault, Kayla.” I twisted in my chair to crack my back on each side. “Mom came around fairly quickly, it’s Dad who hasn’t. If he has a problem with Mia then I’m walking out. I’m not going to sit here to be scolded like a child. There’s a reason I’m not bringing Mia around and it’s because of how she’d be interrogated. She’s slow to open up. I can’t force her to talk and I know she won’t want to answer all of Dad’s questions about whether or not she’s with me for the wrong reasons. I’d like to get to know her first, ya know?”
She nodded, shifting in her seat to try to get a look out the front window to see if their car had pulled up yet. As if on cue, I saw the car beams hit the wall behind her, telling me they were home and it was time to get ready for the barrage of questions about to come. “He’s always been kind of slow to accept change. Take your time, get to know her, and do what you have to do. It’s your life, and you can tell anyone who tells you how to live it to fuck off; Mom and Dad included.”
I smiled, appreciating her true thoughts on the matter, rather than what she would say when Mom and Dad were around. “Thanks, Kayla.”
She nodded, her blonde bangs falling into her eyes momentarily before she swiped them back into place. She didn’t say anything else as the front door opened and Mom called to say hello to us. She got up to meet them and I took a deep breath to prepare for the conversation to come. I knew it would start with Mia, but when I didn’t give them information on her, it would quickly turn to me again. I couldn’t wait until the day came when I no longer had to deal with this…
Chapter 10
The wildlife center was filled with people who wanted to attend our programs for the day. We were releasing some animals that had been brought to us injured, including fish that had been hand raised during research, and a doing a feeding frenzy where we feed the animals in the aquarium. Girls from the wellness camp were here to see the releases, high schoolers were present for the feeding frenzy, and a few people were on dates. David spent the day running around trying to hold it all together like usual. I shook my head as I watched him race from room to room, gathering supplies. Usually he gave that job to me, but sometimes he wanted to do it himself and it could be hectic while he got everything under control.
I turned away from watching him panic to find Emmy. She was leading a cave tour today with some of the girls from the wellness camp. Her backpack was loaded with everything she needed, though the trip to the vapor caves and Azul Gem cave wouldn’t be difficult. Those ones were steady and hadn’t caved in for the last ten years or more according to Emmy, but she liked to be prepared. I couldn’t blame her. At least I knew the kids were in good hands.
“How long will the hike take?” I asked, as I shifted the plates of food in my hands to prepare for the feeding frenzy.
“Maybe an hour, then we’ll be in the caves for another hour or so before we make our return. It depends on the group of girls honestly.” She shrugged and turned her two-toned gaze to the crowd in Lakefront.
I honestly hadn’t seen Lakefront this busy until today. I don’t know what brought in the crowd, but I couldn’t be more thankful. I loved being busy while Gage was on a shift. He wouldn’t be off for another few hours, which gave me enough time to settle in for the night before he came to my house for movie night.
“Looks like you’ll have your hands full. Do yourself a favor and watch out for the teenage boys. I know you’ve been here a while now, but that one likes to cause trouble and bully that one.” She pointed out two boys who I had seen in here before, Caden and Chase. I had noticed they didn’t like each other, but Chase’s sister, Skye, seemed to keep him out of trouble as best as she could whenever she was around.
“Thanks for the update, I’ll try to keep that in mind.” I nudged her lightly as I walked past toward the back of the aquarium. “Have a good hike!” I didn’t hear her response as the door to the back slammed shut. I was left alone to work with the tanks and when it was time, I’d pop up at the top of the tanks and give a talk about each tank, what was in them, why we cared, and the whole shebang. The feeding frenzies weren’t a problem; I actually enjoyed them the most out of some of the jobs at the wildlife center. All the jobs were needed, but some were less glamorous and not as fun as others.
I gave the feeding frenzy without issues, even though David had been a little late to arrive with some of the food and the Tupperware container that we used to give our octopus a challenge when getting her food. Despite the minor hiccups, it went well and the kids were active in asking questions, which made it all the more enjoyable. Even when I came out from the back a few continued to ask questions. It was easy to see which kids took an interest in the research center. It was the excited spark in their eyes that drove me. I enjoyed educating them and allowing them to explore the field I had fallen in love with.
“Mia,” David called from behind me. “Great talks today. Thank you for taking over. I’m about to release the trout into the lake. Do you want to come? Say your goodbyes?” He lifted a plastic container filled with the fish who had survived our experiment with UV-light. I was honestly sad to see them go, but they had an okay chance of survival in the wild and we had already done our work. It’s best to release them.
“No, I’ll stay here and keep an eye over everything. Emmy let me know we have some troublemakers in our midst.” I gave Caden a quick glance before then directing my gaze to Chase. David followed my stare and seemed to understand.
“Yeah, keep an eye on those two. Especially Caden. I’ve had to talk to him more than once today and I told him the next time I have to say anything to him he’s getting kicked out. I’m not putting up with it today.” He shook his index finger at me as if to make a point. “If you have any trouble, call me. I’ll come in here and show him who’s boss.” He smiled before he walked off with a group of kids following him to watch the release.
I wanted nothing more than to go up to the second floor and look at the results from our current research, but now I was the only employee at Lakefront now. Someone had to keep an eye on things and make sure no one tampered with any of our equipment. Why couldn’t we trust people not to mess with anything if we weren’t around? What happened to respect for other’s property? Was that not a part of this generation? I glanced around, taking in everyone who was there. Most of the high schoolers had left wit
h David, but a few people were still wandering around looking at the tanks.
I noticed Caroline leaning against the back wall. I had only met her once before. Gage had introduced us after he took me out to dinner in Peak View. That was also the first time he spent the night with me at the cabin. I smiled at the thought. It had been surprisingly easy to be with him. While I had put a stop to things before he crossed the line between making out and something more intimate, it hadn’t discouraged him. He stayed and slept with me, allowing me to feel protected and truly safe for the first time since Wes came into my life. Gage really is different and I felt myself falling for him more each day.
It had been a great night even though Caroline had seemed irritated when I first met her. Gage had said that that was just how she is, which explained why she still seemed pissed now. Her eyes were squinted into tight slits, her lips pressed into a thin line, and her body was tense. I waved to break the ice, but she didn’t wave back. She just turned and went into one of the side rooms; ignoring me completely.
“Okay then,” I muttered to myself before I turned to look at the tanks. There were a few tanks with fish from other aquariums, two tanks with local fish, and one for the octopus, Lucy. Everything looked good. I won’t have to clean the glass today at least. I followed the line of tanks until I was led out to the observation deck. A few teens were using the scopes to look at birds and other various things around the lake. I felt the need to look over their shoulders just in case they were looking at something other than the wildlife. Thankfully, no one seemed to be turning their scope toward the lake or any swimmers this time. Some of the teen guys enjoyed looking at girls in bikinis rather than the wildlife.
I flipped through one of the flashcard bird tests I had made this summer before putting it back on the table for the kids to flip through. Approaching the wall of windows, my breath was taken away by how beautiful Escape was. Every time I looked at it, I couldn’t help but feel happiness and hope burst inside me. From the observation deck I could see everything. The town above us on the mountain, my cabin across the glistening lake, and even some of the regular townspeople taking walks around the lake and surrounding area. It wasn’t until that moment I realized just how fast this place had become home. Everything here had become familiar, expected, and all I’d ever wanted. The town claimed it could heal any illness, I just never expected it to heal both my depression—a broken soul, as Mom would say—and my broken heart. All that was missing from my new home were my parents, but hopefully one day I could introduce them to all that Escape had to offer.
This town is the best thing to ever happen to me, I thought. I had come across this place by accident, and now I couldn’t ever imagine leaving. Mom was so pleased to hear I was moving on and feeling better. I think it was a greater relief to her to know that not only had I made friends, but I had also finally given in to my feelings for Gage. She’d talked to him on the phone a few times and said he sounded respectable and nice. That was her way of saying she liked him, but I knew she ‘liked them all’ no matter what. At one point, she had even claimed to like Wes…though I don’t think she ever really liked him. Knowing her, she had probably said it so I wouldn’t rebel and stay with him to spite her, but I had always respected her opinion. Maybe it would have saved me from this horrible fate.
The crowd around me started to thin out as the sun began to set. David should be back any moment, I thought as I leaned forward slightly to catch a glimpse of him talking to the patrons who had gone out with him. Make that twenty minutes. I respected and liked David, but the man could talk for hours and at the speed of a cheetah. It was as if he thought that if he didn’t talk fast then he’d forget what he wanted to say. Even though it had only been three months, it felt like I had known him for three years. I ran through the list of things I had to do to close the wildlife center for the day when the voice that haunted my nightmares caught my attention.
“I should have known I’d find you in a little town like this,” a dark, yet pleased voice whispered in my ear. I could feel his hot breath on my neck, but my blood instantly ran cold, leaving a trail of goosebumps on my arms and legs. “What were you thinking, Mia?”
My breathing stopped as I turned around and came face to face with my past; Wes.
“I told you that you wouldn’t get away from me that easily.”
Chapter 11
“What are you doing tonight? I’m heading to Outsiders to have a couple of beers with Deacon and Liam. Do you want to come?” Justin pulled his EMT bag out of the back of the ambulance and walked it over to the bunk room. He left his bag here, claiming that if it was here then he wouldn’t forget for a call. Frankly, it’s important. It has all our stuff in it along with some backup equipment. He shouldn’t forget it in the first place, but it wasn’t worth the argument. He’d only end up doing what he wanted anyway.
“No, but thanks for offering. I’m heading over to Mia’s for the night.”
Justin scoffed. “When are you going to move in with her? You’ve been over there every night for the last two weeks. Might as well make it official.” He chuckled to himself as he came to sit next to me and go through my stuff. He pulled the bottle of wine out of my bag with a smile, as if I had gotten if for him. “Oh, and when you guys get married I want my invitation to have a ribbon and a wax seal with the Greystone family crest on it. I’ll ride in on a horse with bagpipes and wear a kilt for shits and giggles.”
“And no one would be shocked by it if they knew you. They might actually think you didn’t do enough.” I took the bottle of wine from his hand and placed it beside me and away from him. He’d down it in a minute if he had the chance. “Besides, you’re thinking too far ahead. So before you start a Greystone fight by telling Kayla I’m getting married, give me another couple of months.”
Justin nodded and I took it as an end to the conversation, but as I got up to leave he just had to have the final word. “I’ll give it two months, if that. Everyone knows it’s coming, and we’re starting a pool as to when. If you don’t mind, could you give me a heads up when it’s time? I want to win the pot. It’s now at about two hundred dollars and I can only see it going up as people get anxious for you two to get together.” He waggled his eyes brows and a goofy grin curved his lips upwards as he added, “Fuck her hard tonight for all the fuckers that don’t have girls.”
I fought the urge to chuck something at him and waved goodbye before turning around and walking toward Mia’s cabin. The bottle of wine was grasped tightly in one hand and the strap of my EMT bag was in the other. I walked the same path I always did to go home, but this time something was different. I couldn’t place it, but each step I took something felt off. Training had taught me to trust my gut, but I couldn’t see anything around me. Escape still seemed as peaceful as always. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, but I knew it didn’t have to for something to be wrong.
I picked up the pace so I could get past the hospital and then cut behind the rental cabins to make a beeline for Mia’s. I knew I’d feel better once I saw her and knew that I was worrying for no reason.
“Gage!” I turned immediately at the female voice, praying for it to be Mia. I couldn’t have prepared myself for the crushing disappointment when I saw Caroline running toward me instead. Because of her treatment plan, she had special permission to live behind the hospital in her trailer rather than in the trailer park with the others. I didn’t want to be rude because I knew her infatuation was part of her problem, but I didn’t have time to deal with her. I had to get to Mia.
“Hey Caroline. I would stay to talk, but I don’t have time right now. I’m on my way to see Mia.” I waved at her to be polite and carried on as fast as I could. I can make it to Mia’s house in less than two minutes if I run. It will hurt my foot, but it has to be done.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. She’s in trouble!”
I stopped mid stride. My grip loosened, causing the wine bottle to drop from my hand and crash at my feet. T
he blood red wine seeped out of the broken bottle as my mind spun with worry. Those were the exact words I didn’t want to hear. It’s what I feared most since she told me about Wes. He found her. He found her and would do anything to bring her back. “What happened?” Anger resonated in my voice, shocking Caroline as I turned to face her.
Her eyebrows shot up and she took a step away from me, something she’d never done before. She always wanted to be closer to me, follow me, or just be around me, but now, she looked like she wanted to be as far away from me as possible.
“I-I don’t know for sure,” she stuttered, stepping away from me again. “I was at the wildlife center and she ran into the back. I saw some guy, average height and build, watching her leave. I wouldn’t have thought anything of him, except he had this smile.” She shuddered visibly. She was obviously freaked out by the memory. “It was mean, twisted, and dark. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“Did you talk to him? Did you follow him or Mia?” I stepped forward, towering over her. Caroline loved to be in everyone’s business. If she failed me this time, I would never forgive her. She wanted to be on the cutting edge of all the news. If she didn’t give me some useful information then she’d need to be living in the hospital again for her own protection.
“She ran into the back and David came out a few moments later, but when I tried to tell him what I saw the guy was gone. I couldn’t follow him and with Mia in the back I couldn’t check on her.”
I grit my teeth in frustration. This was getting me nowhere. She lost track of Wes and Mia, which meant I had no idea where to go to find them.
“I told David what I saw and he said he’d contact Harrison because Mia was ‘shaken up’ and refused to come back out. I didn’t have my cell phone or I would have called immediately.”
