The NOVA Trilogy Boxed Set

by Jayce, Aven

  I walk around the back and see her car still sitting in the lot. Wherever she went, she’s on foot, most likely to my place. She’s probably waiting for me there, with my father, Cove, and Leondra. I hope this isn’t a set up for Cove. He’s smarter than that. He’d know when the time was right to meet his mother. He must be okay. Maybe I’m the one being set up. I look up at Mera’s windows again, trying to see any sort of shadow movement from within her place. Nothing.

  The gate to her lot is open and I walk in, taking the back courtyard elevator up to her floor. I expect to see Trey when the door opens, but the hallway is quiet and empty. I place my ear up against her door and listen for people inside. There’s nothing, only silence. Where the fuck is she? I look at the bottom of the door for any source of light, but see only darkness. I wish she were here. My heart races in fear of traveling to my building. I press my hands against her door and put my head between them as I lean in, needing her support.

  “Mera, where are you?” I whisper, her door escaping my hands, opening a slight crack in front of me. Surprised, I step back, tightening my fists in case it’s my father. It’s still quiet, and I see no figure in the open space of the doorframe. I place one hand onto the door and push it slowly open, not seeing anyone inside. I walk in, turn on the light switch to my right, and illuminate the entry and the kitchen.

  “Mera?” I call out. “You home?” knowing she’s not. Everything in the kitchen and living room appears normal, nothing moved, no sign that anyone else besides her has been here. I walk into her bedroom and turn on a light to see that I’m horribly wrong. The mannequin head we set up in the bed is uncovered and thrown to the floor. Mera’s closet door is open, and her clothes have been tossed around the room. I see one of her smaller suitcases out, but her two larger ones are missing. Her dresser drawers are open and emptied. Some of her clothing is on the floor and bed, and other items of hers are completely missing. Half of her shoes are gone, her underwear and bras, all gone. Empty hangers line the closet bars or lay tumbled onto the floor. Her bathroom cabinet drawers are opened and emptied, and her countertop is cleared of makeup and personal items. Fuck.

  My face burns with heat, my heart pounds out of my chest, and my legs are weak as I fall into a full-blown panic attack. I can’t catch my breath and my head spins. She would’ve left me a note. This isn’t by choice. Where is she?

  I force my legs to move, rushing back out into the cold. My feet pound on the sidewalk, as I push past a group of people and fly into the lobby of my building. I hit the elevator button practically prying the doors open with my fingers to get inside. I turn my key and pace, catching my breath as the elevator rises upward. When the doors open I bound into my hallway, no longer worried about my father. I only hope that he hasn’t done what I think he’s done. I open my door and rush through each room looking for her. She’s not here and the place hasn’t been touched. I run up my stairs and see that all of my belongings are still in place. I note that the suitcase I had packed for Mera’s has been returned and is sitting on my bed. There’s a note on top of it that I’m terrified to read. I approach it, knowing the words I’m about to see are going to break my heart. My hands shake as I see my father’s handwriting in front of me.

  You and I both win, kiddo. You can have what you want, but I’m taking something that I need, and that’s the end to it all.

  I place my hand over my mouth and drop the paper, watching it soar down to the floor. I float down with it, in slow motion and disbelief that my father would take away the one person in my life that I love with all of my heart. My best friend, someone so dear to me who has become my family and my support, is gone. I sob and hide his writing under my free hand, trying to make it disappear. He’s doing this because of me, and because of Cove? Can someone be this evil?

  “Cove,” I cry out, realizing that he may be gone as well. “Cove,” I yell again, heading down the stairs toward his place. And where’s Lewis? Where is my beautiful little fuzz ball?

  I pound on his door, but there’s no answer. “Cove, please tell me you’re in there,” I whimper, falling to the floor in tears at the foot of his door. I place my hands over my face, unable to bear the fact that the people I care most about are gone, taken from me as a form of punishment. I’m alone.

  “Cove,” I say again, placing my forehead against his door while closing my eyes. I feel a light push against my leg and open an eye to see Lewis. “Oh baby boy, you’re here.” I pick him up, noticing that he has a lion haircut, and smells like strawberries. “Lewis?” He’s been to a groomer and is also wearing a black bowtie. “Oh little boy, what happened to you? You look beautiful. Do you know where everyone is?”

  “Sophia,” Leondra says in a soft voice, gently touching my arm. “I’m so glad you’re alright. Please come with me into my place where we can wait for Cove. He’ll be relieved to know that you’re here and in one piece.”

  I place Lewis on the floor and watch as he runs down the hallway toward Leondra’s apartment. Her tattoo-covered leg at eye level as I sit on the floor looking straight ahead at all of her inking. I’m overjoyed to hear her words. “Cove’s still here? He’s okay?” I ask, peering up.

  She helps me to my feet, engulfing my body in a warm hug. “He’s fine, my dear. I had to talk to him about a few things, but when he returned to the hotel you were gone, so he’s been out trying to find you. Why don’t you have your phone on you?”

  “I do,” I say, taking it out of my pocket, noticing that the screen is black. “My battery must be dead.”

  “We’ve both been trying to call you,” she says, leading me toward her door, wearing her usual gold robe and slippers. “Let’s get inside so I can let him know you’re safe.”

  She opens her door to an impatient Lewis, who runs inside as if this is his new home.

  I follow him and immediately see why. Where my loft is rustic southwest, and Cove’s is contemporary and elegant, Leondra has color, and lots of it. Her floors are acid-washed concrete with swirls of auburn gold and terra cotta. Her foyer walls are light blue and red, with bright abstract paintings hung from floor to ceiling. A life size fiberglass horse is used as a coat rack, and Leondra takes my wool coat, adding it to the pile. She picks up her phone to call Cove, smiling and giving me a wink. I’m still upset about Mera, but relieved that my father hasn’t hurt the Evertons.

  “She’s here and she’s okay. Yes. Be safe,” she says to him, hanging up with a sigh of relief. “He’s just a block away, and he wants to make sure you don’t go anywhere.”

  I smile, feeling anxious to have him here.

  “Would you like a cup of tea? I have peppermint, jasmine, and green, all decaf.”

  “Jasmine sounds wonderful, thank you. Do you mind if I use your restroom?”

  “Of course not, my dear. It’s to your left. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  Leondra’s front foyer bathroom is in the same spot as mine and I’m immediately comfortable with the familiar layout of her loft.

  I relieve myself and wash my hands, seeing my reflection for the first time since I got out of the shower this morning. My hair is a mess and I try to smooth it out with my fingers, adding a few light touches of water to help hold it in place. I splash some water on my face and towel off, looking a bit better after tearing up in the hallway a few moments earlier. I wish I was prettier.

  “You’re gorgeous,” Cove’s voice echoes out of nowhere.

  He leans in the doorway, staring at me with a worried look on his face. “I thought your father had taken you away from me,” he says, with a sigh of relief.

  “I was thinking the same thing about you, and if I wasn’t so happy to see you, I’d give you shit for walking in on me while I’m in the bathroom.” I hurry over to the door and we embrace. He places his arms over my shoulders and kisses the side of my head. I hear a phone sound behind us from a distant room, but it stops after the first ring. Leondra must have picked it up. I hope it’s not my father.

  “I’m
sorry about Mera,” he says.

  “Where do you think she is? What did he do with her?”

  “I would say that she’s with him in a hotel. He’s going to take her with him to Vegas later tonight, or in the morning. She’s gold to him right now.”

  “T-That’s what I was afraid of,” I say, mangling my words as I begin to cry.

  “Shh. Sophia, it’s okay. She’s going to be alright. Please don’t cry.” He holds me tighter and kisses my head down to my ear, then across my cheek to my mouth. I allow him to press hard against my lips, as he tries to extinguish my tears. “It’s alright, we can fix this.”

  “How?”

  “Shh,” he whispers again, taking my mouth back into his. He stops and places his forehead on mine, looking into my eyes. “I can fix this. I’ll get her back for you.”

  “Cove, darling,” Leondra’s voice cuts in, “Sweethearts, please come all the way inside so that we can talk.”

  He smiles and takes both my hands, giving them a good squeeze before turning toward his mother. We follow her into the living room that has a placement of four couches in a square formation with one giant circular coffee table in the middle. Each couch is a different shade of blue, and the table in the middle is a complimentary warm orange-yellow color. The furniture rests on a creamy white, shag rug, which Lewis is rolling around on as if it’s made of catnip. He has a six-story cat condo next to the large windows, and as we enter the room he bounds for his pile of new toys, making sure that I see his gifts.

  “Wow, you did all this for Lewis in one day?”

  “My mother loves animals,” Cove says.

  “I do. And I hope you don’t mind, Sophia. I couldn’t sleep last night knowing he was alone in your place, so I brought him over to stay with me. We keep one another company.”

  “That’s fine. I’ve never seen him so happy, so I guess he’s okay with it too.”

  “Please sit down,” she says, showing me to the side dining area. I sit at a large wooden table, next to a painting that’s around ten feet in length and height, and admire the thick paint and the subject matter; an aerial view of a beach. The water is packed with people, painted using loose brushwork, slightly abstract, but precise enough to distinguish between the men and women. Some of the bodies are nude while others are wearing swimsuits. It’s colorful and alive, complimenting the rest of her space. For a woman who enjoys wearing drab clothing, and who has so many tough looking tattoos, her house is quite the opposite. But it does reflect the warmth of her heart and the personality that I have come to know.

  “Sophia, I need to speak with Cove in private. Here’s your tea,” she says setting it on the table. “We’ll be back to join you in just a moment.”

  The white jasmine pearl helps to soothe my heart that feels frozen in the winter snow. It beats in my chest, but is cold, hardened, and in seclusion from the rest of my body. The warmth I felt a moment ago from seeing Cove is gone, as I focus again on Mera. Turning my head, I can see mother and son talking to one another across the room. Cove has one hand on the back of a sofa, and leans against it with his head down, listening to his mother’s whispering words. He shakes his head no and she places a hand on his arm, rubbing gently to comfort whatever pain he feels. I stand and begin to walk toward them, needing to know what’s going on. Leondra holds up her hand, halting me from taking another step their way. She raises a finger, silently requesting one more minute with him. I keep my distance, respecting her time with her son. He has his back to me. I watch as he runs his fingers through his dark hair, and looks at his mother. I see a resemblance in the two of them that I hadn’t noticed earlier. They are both tall, with thick dark hair, and a strong posture. Her eyes have the same warmth and kindness as his, and they both have deep dimples when they smile. She looks up at her son and her brow furrows as she reaches to wipe his cheek. She’s definitely saddened by the bruising on his face, but it’s more than that. I think he’s crying. What is wrong?

  “What’s wrong?” I say out loud, stepping forward. “Is it Mera?”

  Cove turns to see me approach the two of them.

  “No, everything’s fine. Come on, let’s sit down with my mother.”

  “Actually, I need a few minutes to myself, please excuse me,” Leondra says as I’m upon them, seeing the devastation that’s now on her face as well.

  “Mother, take all the time you need. We’ll be here waiting for you.” Cove leans in and kisses her cheek before she disappears into the first floor bedroom. I hear a door close and he throws me a fake smile.

  “You don’t have to fake anything with me,” I say.

  “I know,” he replies, in a crushed voice. “Please sit back down at the table. I don’t think I can stand and talk about this.” As we sit, I can see the redness in his watery eyes. He’s holding back, not wanting to break down in front of me.

  “It’s your father, isn’t it?” I ask in a soft tone, remembering the text from earlier. “What happened? What did my father do?”

  Cove shakes his head no. I reach out my hand and touch his arm. He backs away, something I didn’t think he’d ever do again. “Cove, please don’t shut me out. Talk to me.”

  He shakes his head and looks up, exhaling a deep breath of air. “My father’s in the prison infirmary. It’s not the first time either, but we can’t prove your father had anything to do with it. Inmates don’t have respect for anyone in there for certain things; like any sort of abuse of a child, especially sexual abuse.” He takes a moment before continuing on. “He was jumped, beaten, has a broken nose and ribs, a ruptured spleen, and was sodomized, among other things. He’s not in the best shape right now,” his voice cracks as his eyes pool with water.

  “Cove, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s my fault, Sophia,” he says, shouting in a tone of disgust and anger. “I should have let you go.”

  His words send shivers down my spine. I can’t believe that he would say such a thing. “You don’t mean that, do you?”

  “Yes. Yes I do,” he says in a cold voice, glaring directly into my eyes. “Paul was completely right. I should’ve kept my dick in my pants, and stayed away from you. That was a threat, and now my father is suffering, and Mera is gone. I’ve hurt you and my mother. I need to leave and apologize in person to your father. It’s the only way to fix everything I’ve done wrong, and to bring Mera back. ”

  “Cove, stop it now,” Leondra’s voice shoots from across the room. “You didn’t do this. You like a lovely woman and you shouldn’t feel guilty about that or believe that any of this is your fault.”

  “Mother, I did this, and I’m going to fix it.”

  “You can’t beat Paul Jameson,” she says moving toward us, her robe flying behind her as she takes the seat across from me. “You know that. You can’t even get to him behind his wall of security.”

  “If he knows I’m coming, he’ll come out from behind his fortressed walls to meet me, especially if I fall down on my knees in front of him.”

  Cove’s serious, and I’m dumbstruck. I blurt out the only thing that I can think of that makes any sense. “I’m calling the cops.”

  “No,” Leondra and Cove both say in unison, turning their heads to look at me as I push my chair back and stand. Leondra reaches across the table and takes my arm, pulling me back down to my seat.

  “I’m sorry sweetie, but I need to protect my husband and my son.”

  “What if I just tell them about Mera. That my father took my friend.”

  “We’re all connected,” Cove says. “Your father will punish anyone you’re associated with if you fuck with him.”

  “But I’m his daughter.”

  “I would say that as his daughter, your father would feel betrayed if you called the police, and after that he’d no longer consider you to be family. And from what I saw at Mera’s apartment, as well as the note he left you at your place, he already feels that way about you.”

  “Fuck you,” I exclaim, aggravated and hurt by the truth.
“So that’s it? Just like that my father is no longer in my life, and my best friend is gone, and even you think we shouldn’t be together? I just lost everyone in my life in a day because I fell in love with you? Devery was right. She said prepare for the worst, and I never even thought twice that I would need to do so. Even my cat has abandoned me,” I raise my voice, and slide my tea away. “Everyone is gone.”

  “Devery?” Cove says in a surprised voice.

  “You love my son?” Leondra chimes in immediately after Cove.

  “Devery who? Devery Rosen?” he asks.

  “Yeah, she’s my shrink. Why?”

  “Cove, let it go,” Leondra says.

  Cove stands and walks out his mother’s door, slamming it hard behind him. Leondra holds onto my arm, not allowing me to follow.

  “Give him some time. He’s always like this after something happens to his father. He blames himself and takes his anger out on everyone around him, then says things he doesn’t mean. He’ll be back.”

  “How does he know Devery?”

  “I’ll let the two of you discuss that. He needs to be the one to speak with you about his life, not me.”

  I look down at her hand latched around me. “You asked me if I loved your son a second ago, and the answer is yes, I think I do, but I’m not sure what that means, or if he loves me in return. What you need to do is let go of my arm,” I say, looking down again at the hand that’s preventing me from leaving. “Let go of me so that I can talk to him. If I love him, and we have any chance of being together, then we need to talk, and you’re keeping me from that.”

  She releases me and I walk out her door, down the hall, and to Cove’s place. I turn the handle, but it’s locked. I knock, but hear nothing.

  “Cove,” I say knocking harder. “Let me in.”

  There’s no answer. I knock one last time. Nothing. I huff down to my door, and bash it shut behind me so he knows that I’m offended. I pull a piece of chocolate cake out of the fridge with my bare hands, and eat it in giant bites. Chocolate calms me down when I’m upset. I hear a knock at my door and ignore it. Yeah, apologize to me from outside that door, you asshole.