by Melissa Haag
Dressing in a nicer pair of jeans and an old video game t-shirt, I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. A few of the shorter strands of hair around my face refused to comply, so I left them to hang in a light wave. Mom watched me from the doorway of the bathroom and promised the wisps looked cute even though I thought they made me look slightly deranged.
Just before I left the house, Mom snapped a picture of me and made me promise to let her take an “after” picture when I got home. She had a small scrapbook of pictures from my big moments and wanted to add both photos to it. While I didn’t understand why she needed an after picture, I was willing to humor her.
I called out a quick goodbye and rushed out the door.
Since it was still snow-free, I’d worn my sneakers. I knew they’d be far more comfortable than borrowing a pair of boots. However, by the time I reached the coffee shop, the tips of my fingers and toes stung with cold. Any hope I had of warming up with a cup of coffee died when I glanced through the shop’s windows and saw that more than half of the tables were already occupied.
Busy was good, though. It meant more tips. My toes and fingers would warm as I worked.
I pushed open the door and inhaled the welcoming scent of roasted coffee.
From behind the counter, Mona greeted me with a smile and nodded toward the closed door behind her, labeled with an “employees only” sign. I started to pull off my mittens as I weaved my way around the tables.
“There’s a place to hang up your things back there,” she said when I neared. “I’ll join you in a minute.” She didn’t pause in her task of making a coffee for the man who waited.
Following her instructions, I stepped around the end of the counter and opened the door that led to a spacious hallway. Just inside the employee entrance, Mona had several coat hooks and a rubber mat just below it. Boots rested on it, which meant I’d be able to wear boots to work and have somewhere to keep them after I changed to sneakers.
I hung my things on an available hook then looked around. The first door to the left was a small bathroom for employees. Further down the hall, also on the left, a supply room door stood open. Peeking inside, I saw storage racks and a counter and prep sink on the adjoining wall. The doors to the right led to a utility room and an office.
Mona stepped into the hall a minute later.
“There’s a steady stream of customers who come in throughout the day. For now, I could use your help prepping for the sandwiches I offer.” She pointed to the supply room with the sink. “This is where I do the prep work. The actual assembly I do out front.” She quickly went over what needed to be sliced or diced and how to store it. Then, she told me to get her when I finished.
After she left, I doubtfully looked at what she’d set out. There were five tomatoes and a head of lettuce to dice thinly, an avocado to cut into wedges, and sprouts to wash. I hoped she had more work than that. Fifteen minutes of pay wouldn’t go very far. I washed everything, set it aside to drain, then fetched the clear containers she used for her under-the-counter refrigerators out front. Her knives were much better than ours at home and cut through everything with ease. I carefully avoided my fingers.
When I had one large container and two small ones filled with produce and covered with plastic wrap, I washed my hands and ventured out to the counter.
Mona seemed surprised to see me so soon but directed me where to place everything and then told me to watch her for a while. She certainly had a rhythm for what she did. No move was wasted.
Most of the customers ordered some variety of coffee. I tried to memorize the different ingredients and, within an hour, felt I understood the basics. Every now and again, someone ordered a sandwich from Mona’s limited menu. Each sandwich sounded great. The turkey avocado one made my stomach growl, and she grinned at me.
By lunch, I no longer just watched but helpfully passed her cups and kept pace with her. She took a quick break to eat at a table with a friend while I manned the machines. The register took some getting used to, but it appeared simple enough with a cheat sheet next to it, indicating which buttons to push.
Mona flipped the sign from “open” to “closed” at ten after one as the last customer climbed into his grey car parked on the street outside the picture window.
“You did great,” she said with a huge smile. She moved behind the counter and started putting together a sandwich. Turkey Avocado.
Although she’d given me an opportunity for a break, I’d only used it to go to the bathroom. I hadn’t brought money to eat because I figured I’d eat when I got home.
“So what do you think?” she asked while she worked. “Want to give the Sunday crowd a try?”
I didn’t think I’d been overly useful but agreed since she invited me back. I moved behind the counter and grabbed a washcloth and the cleaning spray to wipe down the tables like I’d done periodically throughout the day when I could.
“You are a gem, Tessa,” she said, walking around the counter with the plated sandwich in one hand and the tip jar in the other. “Most of the time, you’re doing stuff before I even tell you to do it. You read minds?”
I contained my startled laugh. Barely.
“No. I guess you can thank my great-grandmother. We make dinner together every night. So I’m used to the prep, serve, and cleanup process.”
“Leave the rest of those tables for me, and come sit.” She set the sandwich on the table I had just finished wiping down. “This is for you. Let me know what you think.”
She sat in the chair across from me, dumped the contents of the tip jar on the table, and started counting. I joined her, too hungry to decline, and took a bite of the sandwich. She smiled at my expression as I savored the delicious flavors.
While I ate, I watched her count.
“I have to admit this is more than usual. Don’t get your hopes up that it’ll be this much tomorrow. Someone tossed in a five.” She handed me nineteen dollars and some change. Half of the tip jar for doing less than half of the work.
I wanted to protest, but I needed the money. I knew my future. I’d be alone, raising kids in just a few short years. Well, not alone. I’d have my mom just like my mom had Gran. So, I nodded my thanks to Mona and pocketed the money. Then, I finished my sandwich.
When I stepped outside, the wind buffeted me. Despite the cold, I looked up at the overcast sky, hoping for snow. A Christmas without snow just didn’t feel like Christmas. The money in my pocket called to me wistfully. It’d be nice to earn enough to buy everyone real presents, but we had a standing rule in our house. No purchased gifts. Everything had to be homemade.
Lost in thought, I didn’t hear someone calling my name at first. The second time it rang out, it registered, and I turned around. I spotted Clavin’s car parked a few feet behind me.
Clavin opened the driver’s side door and struggled to get out. He looked pale and unhappy as he limped toward me and wordlessly handed me a note. As soon as his hands were empty, he shoved them into his pockets and ducked his head in an attempt to keep his ears warm.
Curious, I scanned the words.
Go to her. She’s at the Coffee Shop. She will help you get the rest you need.
Say what? I read it again then looked up at Clavin and studied his face. The sunken, dark flesh around his eyes, the hollowness of his cheeks. He didn’t look well.
“Are you having problems sleeping?”
When he next spoke, I had to strain to hear his words.
“Every time I close my eyes, I see its eyes...its horns...” His voice quavered.
So he dreamt of Morik. But why would Morik send him to me? I thought Morik didn’t like Clavin. Wasn’t the idea to prevent me from picking a boy? Although I’d forgiven Clavin, there was still no way I would ever choose him. Maybe Morik knew that. But it didn’t explain why he had sent Clavin to me. Did Morik really care that the guy wasn’t getting any sleep? My eyes flicked to Clavin’s cast. Maybe he felt guilty for walking Clavin in front of a car.
&nbs
p; While I debated, Clavin started to shiver.
“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “Give me the keys, and I’ll drive us to my house.” He handed them over willingly. I hadn’t thought he would. “You really look like crap.”
Taking pity on him, I helped him to the passenger door.
“I’ll let you sleep at my house for a while, but I’m kicking you out in an hour. Got it?”
He nodded, his relief plain on his face.
I parked in front of the house a few minutes later and listened to Clavin’s hobble as he followed me to the door. I dreaded what Gran would say. Yet, when I opened the door, silence greeted me, and Danielle’s chair sat empty.
I called out a hello as we removed our jackets, but no one answered. At first, I thought they’d gone to visit the widower Gran had mentioned. However, a note from Mom and Aunt Grace waited on the table. It said they’d gone shopping and would be home before dark. I shook my head at the last part. Of course, they would. Mom had also asked me to take a picture of myself. The camera lay on the table. I ignored it.
After hanging Clavin’s coat over mine, I led him to my room and waved him toward my bed. I stayed far away while he wearily lay back. A boy in my bed. I couldn’t quite process the thought. A boy I didn’t really care for. I still questioned why he was even here.
I watched him pull a quilt over himself, and trying to stay in a charitable mindset, I didn’t think about how I would need to wash my bedding quickly before dark. Well, I didn’t think about it much.
Clavin had barely closed his eyes when his breathing deepened. Tired from work, I turned to leave the room and relax on the couch.
Morik’s voice stopped me.
“I trust you don’t mind if I use Clavin?”
I spun around and stared as Clavin sat up. It was one thing for me to talk to Morik at school. Talking to him here, in my room, made my heart jump in fear. I’d brought this unknown creature into my house. I backed toward the door and was suddenly very glad no one else was home.
“How did you know where I was? Where I would be?” My voice remained steadier than my pulse.
“Since I found you, I’ve never lost track of you.” He stood and walked toward me.
I backed through the doorway, pivoted, and quickly went to the living room. Although I wanted to run, I didn’t. He’d had plenty of opportunities to hurt me before if that had been his intent. It just felt so violating that he knew where I lived now…that he’d never lost track of me.
In the living room, I paused for a moment. I could hear him stop walking behind me, too. What did he expect me to do now? I took a deep breath to calm down and decided to try treating him as a guest, without getting too close. Guests needed beverages.
“How did you find me the first time?” I asked as I nervously got us each a glass of water.
When I turned, he already sat at the table and waited for me expectantly. Hesitantly, I joined him and passed him his drink. Just like at school. A conversation across the table.
“I felt you the moment he bruised you. Your pain was my beacon.” He took a drink of water. “I feel every birth and death in Belinda’s line, but those are weak signals compared to when one of you is hurt. It’s because of those faint signals that I lost track of Belinda’s descendants at times.”
I tried to piece together what purpose there might be to him feeling our pain, birth, or death, but couldn’t think of any.
“Why do you feel us?”
“How else would I keep track of all of you throughout the years? Especially when you move around so much? It also helps me know how many of you are approaching your seventeenth birthday.”
I thought of the family tree in the back of Belinda’s book. Perhaps the dead branches weren’t dead after all but branches that had moved away for safety. They could have made a copy of the book to pass down through the daughters of their branch.
“Are there others then? Other descendants of Belinda?”
He shook his head sadly.
“The four of you in this house are the last of her line. You are the only one of age.”
“Five, you mean.”
He canted his head to the side.
“No. Four. I am not mistaken.”
The certainty of his tone had me frowning. Playing with my half-empty glass, I stared at the clear water, deep in thought. Without a doubt, there were five of us in this house or my mind wasn’t the only one in question. Maybe, somehow, we’d managed to hide one of us from him.
The obvious answer was Gran and Aunt Danielle. Twins. He’d probably only sensed a single birth since they’d been born so close together.
I glanced back up at him. He watched me closely, and I tried to keep my expression blank. They were both gone, but for how long? I wanted to get answers, but his presence could jeopardize their secret. However, given their age, did their secret even matter?
The biggest question still remained. Did Morik pose a threat to us? That clearly wasn’t a question I could just ask him. After all, he’d walked Clavin into traffic.
While Morik had made it clear the act had been because Clavin had hurt me, his reason didn’t make Morik less dangerous. What would Morik do to Brian if he knew about Brian’s involvement? I hoped he would do nothing.
Since hurting Clavin, Morik hadn’t done anything more than possess people to talk to me. And even then, when I’d pointed out he was upsetting the people he possessed, he’d found a way around that by using Clavin in a way that Clavin wouldn’t question. After all, it was easy to lose track of time when napping. I sighed. Why couldn’t I detect lies instead of seeing the future?
“Why do I see my future when I touch a boy? Where does that come into all this?”
When he replied, he seemed a bit sad.
“Once Belinda’s father made the deal, she chose a suitor. That had been a disappointment, but she bore a daughter. It gave me hope that maybe her daughter wouldn’t be so opposed to the idea since she would be raised knowing I waited to meet her.
“But Belinda sought to make a different deal with another of my kind. She wanted her deal with me removed. Ahgred’s price was too high—her life to spare her daughter from the choices she faced. Since my deal with Belinda was complete, I couldn’t interfere. However, I was near and listened to the bargain she made. I will never understand why she agreed.
“As a wedding gift, Belinda’s father had given the couple the money he had obtained through his deal with me. A lazy man, her new husband lavishly spent the money and did nothing to earn more. She quickly grew to despise him. Because of her mistake in choosing him, she asked Ahgred that her daughter be granted a glimpse of what her life would be like if she were to choose the man she touched. Ahgred was a fair broker, but such a gift, used repeatedly, required a high price.”
I leaned forward in my chair, caught up in his retelling. I could easily imagine a young woman dressed in a fine dress, angry at the world.
Morik took a sip of water, his gaze never leaving my face.
“The man chosen by the use of that gift would have a short life. Belinda agreed then asked for more. She knew I sensed her best at night. So she asked for a way to hide her daughter from me during that time. Ahgred taught her a simple chant that would force sleep through a touch. The price for Belinda was easily paid. She surrendered what money remained of the gift given to her by her father and relished telling her husband of the loss.”
I pictured Belinda gloating while she held her baby as everything of value disappeared from her house. I wondered how long it took Belinda to realize her situation. I’d been poor my whole life, and it wasn’t a fun thing.
“Her father heard what she had done and grieved over his misjudgment. His bargain with me, made in an effort to ease her life, had only caused her hardship. He called me once more and asked that I take his life and break our deal. Since he did not value his life, I could not either; I cannot make a deal without a payment. He died a few days later in his sleep, brokenhearted. Belinda’s husban
d, hopeful of a small inheritance, hung himself when the news reached him that her father had nothing left. Belinda, penniless and without a husband, suffered a hard life of her own making.”
Stunned, I leaned back and took a small sip of now tepid water. How had Belinda not recognized her mistakes? She had condemned her daughter to an even worse fate by making the second deal.
“I just don’t understand,” I said. “Why was she so afraid of you?”
Morik laughed. The sound of it startled me.
“That you asked means you do not view my existence as she did. She feared the concept of me. In her mind, a creature so unlike herself could only be the work of evil. Her view never angered me. I tried to speak to her, but she saw the practice of using someone else’s body, as I am doing now, as proof of evil.”
“Well, it’s not nice,” I agreed.
“As you’ve mentioned before.” He gave me a level look, and I decided it would be wise to refrain from repeating my opinions. “I don’t like occupying others, but it’s my best chance to speak with you.”
I studied him and wondered why a companion was so important to him. But I didn’t ask. He had been annoyed when I mentioned the possession. A show of annoyance meant he could be angered as well. Though he seemed fine answering questions about my history, I didn’t want to push too far and find out the full extent of his capabilities. Besides, I needed time to think about what I’d already learned.
Noting the dark circles that underscored Clavin’s eyes, I said, “Clavin really doesn’t look good. Would you mind letting him sleep now? There’s not much time left before I have to boot him out.”
Morik agreed and walked back to my bedroom. Within seconds, Clavin slept peacefully while I wondered where Morik went when he left a body.
Chapter Six
The next day, Morik’s story twisted and turned in my mind as I walked around with the coffee pots to offer refills.
