Everyone at school thought she was weird, and he knew that she was, but he also knew that she was weird in an entirely different way than his classmates suspected.
He couldn’t shake the image of her at the cemetery from his mind. Sometimes he went an entire day without sighting her, and he felt like a fool for being depressed about it. He figured out where her classes were, and found himself lurking around like some stupid girl, trying to come up with a reason to talk to her.
It must be the challenge, he thought.
Now that his brother was home, the party was back on, and there were always plenty of willing girls around to distract him. His older brother’s dealings with shady characters brought them lots of money all of a sudden, and crowds of friends to go along with it.
Jarod rode with a gang of bikers, and after what had happened at the cemetery, Cal did his best to stay out of their business. They all treated him like he was their kid brother, warning him about the dangers of drug use while constantly smoking pot around him. “Stay in school man,” they’d say, “You don’t wanna end up like us.”
Somehow, he didn’t really think they meant it.
It didn’t matter anyway, he thought. He had it made; Jarod didn’t give a damn what he did, supplied him with all the money he needed, and never tried to boss him around like his Dad used to. Sometimes he thought he should drop out to get a job and a place of his own, but he promised Jarod that he’d graduate, and the truth was, the craziness was starting to seem normal. He didn’t really have any plans that went further out than the next weekend.
One particularly rowdy Saturday night the police showed up, responding to a noise complaint. Jarod was drunk and belligerent, and he argued with the cops, ignoring his girlfriend when she tried to calm him down. He pushed her aside blindly, knocking her to the ground, and the cops decided to take him into custody for being drunk and disorderly. She stood wailing as he was handcuffed.
Cal came out of his room to see his brother bent over a police cruiser again, wondering how on earth he was going to post bail this time. Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, Rufus broke free and bit one of the cops on the leg. Cal managed to pull the dog back before they could shoot him, but it was too late. Animal control arrived on the scene, and before he knew it Rufus was strangling on the end of a catch pole, loaded into a kennel and whisked away to a certain death.
Everyone scattered, and the harsh light of morning found Cal alone, feeling completely helpless; out of control as usual. He made himself breakfast, put in a call to the bail bondsman, and collapsed on the couch, deflated. There was nothing more depressing than a party house after the party was over.
On Monday, Cal went to school, but he didn’t go to his classes. He followed her, keeping his distance. He watched her pick up her lunch in the cafeteria, slipping some extra fruit into her bag when she thought no-one was looking. She slunk around the corners like a spy, looking over her shoulder and making her way to the most remote spot in the school.
He peeked around the corner of a storage shed, watching in amazement as she took out her lunch and was immediately joined by a chattering pair of blue jays. They perched on her book bag patiently as she lined up some crumbs for them, talking to them in a soft voice. The birds settled down and preened their feathers, completely relaxed around her.
She settled down too, getting a book out of her beat-up bag and leaning back against the wall. He watched her reading, noticing how she kept tucking stray curls back into her loose braid, trying unsuccessfully to keep her hair under control.
He knew it was crazy, but he wanted her to see him, to talk to him. He wanted to look into her eyes again, and see them looking back into his. He didn’t know what he wanted. She looked up with a start, and his heart sank.
When he stepped out from around the corner he fully expected her to take off like the two birds just did. Instead, she looked him over, her brows knitting together with concern.
“What’s wrong?” she asked him. “What happened?”
When he looked into her eyes he saw complete understanding; there was no need to keep up the pretense of control. He wanted to cry, and it was shocking, because he hadn’t allowed himself to feel sad for a very, very, long time. He swallowed the lump in his throat.
“My brother’s in jail, and they’re gonna kill Rufus.”
She frowned, “Why would they punish Rufus?”
He came closer to her, leaning against the same wall she did. “He bit a cop.”
“But he’s a dog,” she said, indignant. “He doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong.”
He nodded, unable to take his eyes away from her face, “They have him at the pound… They’re holding him so they can test him for rabies before they do it.”
“How long does he have?” she asked.
“They’re gonna do it tomorrow.” He slid down the wall, still staring at her.
“You have to get him out of there tonight,” she said quietly.
He sighed with resignation, “I tried to break in last night, but when you get near the place the dogs all go nuts barking, and the security guard comes running.”
She looked down, biting her lip. He watched her profile, and he got the impression she was struggling with something. She finally looked back up, her eyes serious.
“I can help with that.”
~
Cal waited out front that night, full of nervous anticipation. He didn’t know whether he was more excited at the prospect of seeing her, or about what they planned to do. He looked down the street anxiously, afraid she might not show up. When he saw her slim figure approaching he actually felt his heart pounding.
He called out when she drew near, “Hey Cali.”
“Hello Calvin,” she replied.
“That’s not fair,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Because I haven’t guessed your name yet.”
He could see the corner of her lips twitch up, and he realized that he’d never seen her smile. “It’s not Rumplestiltskin,” she said.
“Huh?”
“Nothing,” she looked down, serious again. “Where is this place?”
“It’s on the other side of town,” he said. “We can take my bike.”
She stood her ground, “I’d rather walk.”
“It’s too far to walk,” he countered.
“You’d be surprised at how far I can walk,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.
He threw up his hands, “It’s gotta be ten miles!”
She didn’t move, and he started to question the wisdom of involving the strange girl.
“C’mon,” he said, walking over to where his bike was parked, “Look– I got a helmet and jacket for you to wear, and I promise I’ll be careful.” He held the gear out to her.
She edged closer tentatively, swallowing hard. The last time she’d been on a bike, it was with her dad. Tears sprang into her eyes, and she was glad it was too dark for him to see.
“For Rufus?” he added, cocking his head as charmingly as possible.
“What about you?” she asked, “Where’s your helmet?”
“Don’t worry about me… The skull is nature’s helmet.”
She almost smiled at his joke, pressing her lips together and taking the jacket. She slipped it on, noticing how it smelled like him. She reached for the helmet and he stood grinning at her.
“What?” she asked.
“It looks good on you,” he said, climbing on the bike and starting it up.
She took a deep breath in, exhaling slowly. “For Rufus,” she said, slipping on the helmet and climbing up behind him.
“Hold onto me,” he told her.
She took him by the waist gingerly, keeping some space between their bodies. She could feel his lean torso tense up under her hands, and for some reason it unnerved her. She closed her eyes and tried not to think of her parent’s accident.
True to his word, he was careful to go slow, and w
ithin a few minutes they pulled up into a dark alley, parked the bike and walked out onto the sidewalk. The pound was across the street, and he showed her the fence they needed to scale. They waited in the shadows until the security guard was clearly visible in the office window.
“Wait a sec… You do know that this is illegal… right?” he asked.
Her mother had always said that legal and right were two different things. Besides, Cal had read Machiavelli. She rolled her colorful eyes at him, “Lead the way.”
He reached the fence first, turning around like he expected her to need help. She scrambled up faster than he could, climbing with effortless grace and jumping down to land as light as a feather. He went after her and hit the ground with a thud, sending a lone dog barking with alarm. They both froze, waiting a few minutes until the noise trailed off and stopped.
He took her hand in his, and with a redundant finger to his lips he led her around a corner to a door standing ajar. There was no need to lock this room, because it was lined with securely padlocked kennels housing the dogs deemed vicious. This was where the death-row inmates were caged, and the room was filled with battle scarred pit bulls and mangy looking mixes, with a few wild eyed Rottweilers thrown in.
They were trapped, frightened, and ready to start barking on a hair trigger.
The place smelled awful, but far worse than the odor was the terrible despair that permeated the atmosphere. It was a place of great sorrow, and goose-bumps rose on Cal’s arm. Her heart went out to the poor animals, and she walked in ahead of Calvin, sending a soothing blast of lavender pink out ahead of her. She moved down the row of kennels, and he watched in amazement as the dogs all lay down in her wake.
They rested their heads on their paws with audible sighs, a peaceful feeling washing over them that many hadn’t experienced since they were puppies. She reached the end of the walkway and turned back, her face wet with tears. Cal stood at the other end of the room with his mouth hanging open.
She dropped her face into her hands, drained. He rushed up to her, worried, and she raised her head, wiping her eyes with determination. “Find him,” she whispered. “I can’t look anymore.”
He nodded, speechless, peering into the rows of kennels and finally stopping at one. She joined him, waiting as he climbed over the wire to get inside the enclosure. Rufus sat up, wagging his tail, and Cal heaved him up and over the fencing to her. She caught him, staggering and falling to the cold cement floor with Rufus licking her face happily.
Cal jumped back over and helped her up, “Are you okay?” he whispered, brushing off her back awkwardly. Again, he wanted to give her a hug, but she was already turning away, sending the pathetic dogs one last blast of peace and drowsiness that she hoped would last them all night.
She hurried out of the building, climbing the fence numbly and waiting on the other side to catch Rufus. This time she managed to keep on her feet, waiting for Cal to jump down and take the squirming dog from her. He took Rufus under one arm, and grabbed her hand with the other, hustling the three of them into the alley and onto the waiting bike.
It was awkward, but they managed to climb on with a peacefully sedated Rufus sandwiched between them. She held the calm dog securely, holding firmly onto Cal this time. He liked the way her hands felt on him, and the hair on his scalp started tingling.
He pulled up to his dark empty house and parked. They got off the bike and stood while Rufus wandered the yard happily, sniffing the ground and lifting his leg to re-mark his favorite spots.
“That was a trip,” Calvin said.
She handed him back his helmet and jacket in silence, remembering the shocked look on his handsome face. “Please… Please don’t say anything … Please don’t tell anyone…”
“I won’t,” he said, and he meant it. He knew he had just witnessed something profound, and he wasn’t about to ruin it by telling Jarod or one of the silly girls at school. They watched Rufus silently for a while.
“I should put him in the house before someone sees him,” Cal said, looking at her hopefully. “Do you want to come in?”
She shook her head no, glancing back over her shoulder. “I should go.”
The motorcycle ride, combined with the chamber of horrors she’d just seen at the pound had shaken her to her core. She wanted to curl up in bed and cry. It was late, and Phil was bound to be passed out by now, making it safe to go home.
The truth was, it was all too much, and she needed to be alone with her fresh grief.
Calvin was disappointed; he hated to go into the house when it was empty.
“I’ll walk you,” he said, leaving to put Rufus indoors and rushing to return to her side.
They walked along the road, and he asked her where she moved from.
“I came to stay with my aunt,” was the most he could get out of her.
“I have to find a place for Rufus before they come looking for him,” he said. “Will you help me move him?”
“Okay,” she nodded.
He took out his phone, noticing that he had tons of texts piled up from various girls. “Give me your number and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I don’t have a number,” she said.
“How do you call people?” he laughed.
“I don’t,” she replied.
“Why?” he asked, honestly curious about her.
“There’s no-one to call,” she said.
He didn’t know what to say, realizing that she wasn’t joking. They got to the condo complex and she stopped, indicating he’d come far enough.
“I can check by your house on the way to school tomorrow,” she volunteered.
“Okay,” he nodded eagerly. He wanted to reach out and grab her, wrap his arms around her and kiss the sad look right off her face, but he was afraid of scaring her off for good. “Thanks,” he said awkwardly, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He started to walk away, and she called after him, “Do you give up?”
“Give up what?” he asked.
“Trying to guess my name.”
“You got me,” he said.
“It’s Caledonia,” she told him, turning to walk away.
“Caledonia,” he said out loud, letting the word roll around on his tongue. He couldn’t stop smiling the whole way home.
~
Chapter Six – GRANDPARENTS
~
The next morning, he was waiting out front again, pacing back and forth. He couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d done– it had to be some kind of trick. She was just a dumb girl like any other, he kept telling himself, and not worth getting so worked up about.
He froze when he saw her willowy figure coming towards him, walking tall and holding herself lightly. When she wasn’t on guard she almost seemed to float, moving through space with natural ease and grace. His cocky attitude vaporized, replaced by nerves.
Rufus caught wind of her approach, and sat up with a whimper.
“Good morning,” she nodded.
Up close, her pretty face looked pale, her shoulders weighted down by her heavy book bag, “Did you find a place to take him?”
“My Grandma said she could keep him for a while.”
“Oh!” she looked surprised, “You have a Grandma?”
He laughed, “Doesn’t everybody?”
He regretted saying it the instant it registered on her face. She stooped down to greet Rufus, embarrassed.
He cleared his throat, “Will you help me take him there? On the bike?”
“When?”
“How about right now… They probably already figured out he’s missing, and I bet they come looking here first.”
She looked worried, scanning up and down the street. Her eyes looked amazing in the bright morning light, and he tried not to stare. “What about school?” she asked.
“I thought we could skip it for today.”
“Can I leave my bag here?” she asked, without missing a beat.
~
They left the
city and struck out onto narrow backroads leading into the countryside. The row houses of suburbia gave way to farm fields and ranches, and Cal started to relax when she saw the familiar landscape. Rufus yawned and burrowed his face against Calvin’s back, perfectly content to be wedged between the two of them on the motorcycle.
They turned onto a gravel drive, and finally pulled up in front of a tidy looking house and stopped. There was a small herd of sheep in a fenced pasture on one side, with a little grove of oak trees set in a meadow just beyond it. A pair of Golden retrievers came running, barking out an alarm. Caledonia set Rufus down to meet them, and they stood watching the three dogs frolicking around like old friends. She looked up at Calvin with the tiniest hint of a smile.
The front door opened, and a sturdy looking old woman stepped out on the porch. “Calvin!” she called, coming down the stairs to sweep him up into a warm embrace. “Well, just look at you! Have you grown some since Christmas? Are you getting enough to eat?”
“Yes Grandma… And it’s Cal, alright?”
An old man came out on the porch behind her, looking doubtfully at Rufus and suspiciously at his grandson, “I hear your brother’s in trouble again,” he grumbled, radiating disapproval. “Takes after his father.”
“Thanks for taking Rufus,” Calvin said.
“Seems like he’ll do alright here,” his Grandfather replied gruffly, looking at the three dogs playfully rolling around on a patch of grass alongside the driveway.
Caledonia stood off to the side awkwardly, watching the exchange with big eyes. The old woman smiled at her, asking her grandson, “Who’s your friend?”
“Grandma and Grandpa Costa, this is Caledonia,” Cal said, gesturing to her. “We go to school together.”
His grandfather nodded, but his grandmother came forward to peer closely at her, taking the hand the nervous girl offered into both of hers warmly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Caledonia. My goodness! What a pretty name.”
“Thank you,” she replied shyly, “It’s nice to meet you too.”
“She goes by Cal too,” Calvin added.
The Athena Effect Page 5
