Aftermath

by Jenna-Lynne Duncan

  “Pirate Alley.”

  I followed her as she started walking out of the courtyard to the alley. Nothing looked familiar.

  “This isn’t—“ but then I looked to my right and saw St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson square. “That’s impossible. There was a book store just over there.”

  She started walking towards Chartres Street and my curiosity caused me to continue to follow her.

  “Whoa!” It was when an old Model T car sputtered by that I realized we were not just in a different place, but a different time.

  “I suppose we should start with the back-story.”

  I unintentionally hid behind her as a group of men and women passed by. I was still barefoot in pajama bottoms and a tank top, feeling grossly out of character among the tailored suits the men wore and the beautiful dresses and hats the women sported.

  “Don’t worry,” Christine said, “they can’t see you.”

  Because it was a dream. “Right.”

  “So let’s start at the beginning, shall we?” The laughter of the group faded as Christine swung her hand again, and I found myself a few blocks away on a bank by the Mississippi. I swayed, feeling disoriented from the abrupt change in scenery. Cool, wet mud squished between my toes as Christine began talking. “Night seemed to bring out all walks of life. On the Vieux Carre, it mattered not if you came from old money or came to the city from the Bayou. Here, you did what you wanted and wore what you wanted.” She paused and suddenly we were next to the street car tracks, with no wave of her hand as a warning. The sand from the tracks stuck to the mud on my feet and everything began to feel entirely too real. “The warm weather allowed many nice girls to try out shorter hemlines and haircuts.” We were whisked away to port side, where dozens of ships were docked. I realized by then that she was showing me New Orleans through her eyes. “By day, the Quarta’ was filled with the working class, artists and grocers alike. The smell from the docks overpowered fresh baked bread on any good morning but at night everything was glamorous. Even the wealthy came down from upriver to partake in what it had to offer. Speakeasies were common enough and no one seemed to be bothered by them.” When we suddenly showed back at Pirate Alley, I, used to her mode of transportation, hardly blinked an eye. “New Orleans had money;” she said as we walked down Chartres Street, “it was the richest in the South. No one troubled themselves with Big Dreams about New York City when you had New Orleans, and with better weather too. It was 1927 when a grand theatre opened up, as did the dreams of many young girls in New Orleans. But only one girl was able to land the lead role in the opening play that year.” We had crossed St. Peter’s Street when she stopped in front of a building. “And that girl was me.”

  The sound of an alarm going off startled me. “What is that?” The noise got louder. “What is going on?”

  “We are out of time.” She looked sad. Her red lips curled down.

  “Ana…”

  I could hear someone calling my name but couldn’t figure out where it came from.

  “What does this all mean?” I hastily asked her. “What is going to happen? Tell me!”

  “We’ll see each other again in—“ and then I was pulled away from New Orleans in the 1920s, pulled away from smells and the neglected building, pulled away from finding out what would happen in the future. If I saw the future in my dreams, why had I dreamt of the past?

  My eyes adjusted to the bright light of morning. Someone had opened the curtains in my room and I groaned. I always kept them closed—I loved having it dark in my room. The alarm I heard in my dream was still going off and I looked toward my nightstand through fuzzy vision, realizing that it was my alarm clock.

  “Ana. Ana, wake up.”

  Hayden.

  I propped myself on my elbows and tried to clear my vision by blinking. I saw Hayden at my bedside, looking at me with worry.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “It’s time to leave for school. Your alarm clock has been going off for twenty –five minutes. You wouldn’t wake up.”

  “Oh,” I said remembering my dream and how real it seemed. I felt as if I was actually there in 1927, seeing New Orleans how Christine had seen it. And I could tell she loved New Orleans then, just as much as I did today. I felt a little smug knowing what I had experienced. I was worried, though, about romanticizing it. She did say she was dead, and she did say there was a murder. “Okay, I’ll hurry up and get ready.” I nodded, having no real intention of hurrying.

  “You okay?” Hayden looked at me from the doorway as he started to leave so I could get ready.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I am,” I nodded and stood to a wobbly stand. “For now.”

  “Coffee?”

  I smiled, he read my mind exactly.

  Thirty minutes and two cups of coffee later, we arrived at school. I was yawning and it wasn’t even first period. It felt like I hadn’t even slept that night. It felt as if I'd spent the entire night awake. I wished I would only have those kinds of dreams when I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn for school the next morning. To top it off, I had to work after school. Thanks, Dad. That meant I would have to put off deciphering my dream. Until later.

  Chapter Six

  After a very long and tiresome day at school I prepared myself for an even longer night at work. Hayden pulled up in front of Taylor Diving for my first day at my dad’s job. “You should just get a job here since you insist on driving me,” I joked with him.

  “Mmm, I would love to but they would find it suspicious if I was diving without gear.”

  My eyes widened. “Really? You can do that?”

  He laughed. “I can but I won’t.”

  “But how? That’s not humanly possible.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Oh, right. You’re not human.”

  He nodded once.

  “That means you don’t have to breathe?” I turned toward him, putting the pieces together.

  “Ana…”

  I threw my head back, my throat exposed. “You always do this. Why won’t you just tell me about being a Hunter?”

  “Because it doesn’t matter.”

  “It does matter, whether you like it or not, it is a part of who you are. And I want to know you. Every part of you.” I had changed my mind about knowing all I needed to know about him. I knew what was important, but would my curiosity let that be enough?

  “It’s not who I am, Ana.” His voice softened as he looked at me. “But I get why you feel so inclined to know who I am. You were betrayed by people you didn't know. You have a guard up and it’s important to you to know someone really well before you let them in, even a little. You don’t know your mom and when you thought you knew who your dad was, he abandoned you. I am just thrilled that you chose to trust me, to let me in.”

  I felt my jaw drop open a little. “Do not psychoanalyze me, Hayden. How could you make this about me? We were talking about you, don’t change the subject.” My breathing increased in response to my rising anger. He was talking about me, and he nailed it. I didn’t like to hear the truth, or so my dad told me on more than one occasion. Still, we were talking about him, and I would think if I was going to be with him forever, that I’d have a right to know just what I was getting into. Why did he keep closing down every time I asked about Hunters? I learned more about it from Luke; he was always open with me, he practically flaunted it. Then it hit me. Pride. “You’re ashamed,” I exhaled in realization.

  He closed his eyes briefly and his jaw muscle twitched. “Of course I’m ashamed. I know I can’t be who you need me to be.”

  “You are everything I need you to be.” Little did he know that I was afraid I couldn’t be who he needed me to be. Could I be like Hayden’s mom, Elizabeth? Could I be immortal? I shook my head to clear those negative thoughts. “I love you.” I said my last thought out loud then turned to open the car door.

  I could hear Hayden sigh from inside. “Do you want to know who I am?” he asked before I
could shut the car door. “I am not really living. Everything about me is an illusion. I eat, but I don’t have to. I breathe, but I don’t have to. I sleep, but I don’t need to. Everything about me is an act to make me appear human. For you. Even my heartbeat. The same heartbeat that you love to listen to while lying on my chest at night, the heart beat that puts you to sleep. The only reason I keep it beating is because of you. Is that what you wanted to hear? Have a good day at work, Ana.”

  The door slipped out from my fingers and shut as the car sped off. I stared at the car in shock as it disappeared into the distance. What, had I hoped that Hayden would sit in the car and wait until I had finished work? I certainly had a lot to think about; Hayden was pissed and revealed more about himself than he ever had before. The things that I loved about him were illusions? No, I didn’t believe it. I loved Hayden for who he was, not his body. If I was upset about it, that would make me shallow. I laughed awkwardly to myself; yes liking someone because of their human traits is shallow. Nevertheless, I couldn’t deny that it bothered me. Hayden made me feel whole, he made me feel normal. That wasn’t an illusion, was it?

  I walked across the docks absentmindedly until I got to the warehouse that contained the dive shop. My dad picked a great day for me to start working. My dream, my sort-of fight with Hayden, it would all have to wait. And I would have to endure the next few hours agonizing over it, dissecting our conversation, deciphering the dream.

  “Hello?” I regretted the nervousness in my voice as I called out into the empty warehouse.

  “In here,” a small voice answered. I followed the sound as I stepped into a makeshift office.

  “Mr. Christian,” I felt my relief as he came over to give me a hug.

  “Hey, Adriana. How you been, sweetheart?”

  “Oh, you know…” I stated ambiguously, not sure what kind of information my dad gave up to my uncle-like friend.

  “Well I appreciate you comin’. Lord knows we’ve had a lot to do since 'It' hit us.”

  “My dad didn’t tell me what exactly you need me for.”

  “Here, have a seat.” Christian cleared papers and dusted off a small folding chair, then went around to sit on the other side of the desk. “Besides the usual inspections, there is salvaging and cutting down wood pilings.”

  “Okay, so what do you need me to do? Answer phones?”

  “A true comedian, Ana. You know your father didn’t answer no phones. Plus you have more experience than most of the new temporary guys we got.”

  I groaned quietly. If I was going to be scuba diving, that would make for a long day. “Whatever you need, Mr. Christian. Just remember, I have school in the morning.”

  “That’s my girl.” He smiled. “Come on. I’ll show you ‘round the shop.” I followed him as he led me out into the small warehouse that shelved equipment, hoses, air compressors and jet pumps.

  “Your dad’s dive hat is in the locker. Everyone is responsible for their own, so make sure you check it before going out. I’ll put you in boat inspections since that is least time-consuming, as you’d put it.” He winked at me.

  “Boat inspections? Why would I need gear for that?” Christian would have to know that I didn’t know as much as my dad probably let on when he convinced him to hire me.

  He laughed, drawing his smile up so much his eyes were only slits. “You have to go underwater to do the inspection. It’s cheaper to hire a diver than to dry dock the boat. That’s where we come in.”

  Metal clanked together in the distance followed by the sound of muffled curses.

  I looked at Christian alarmed. “What was that?” Mysteries were no longer my thing.

  “Zack, get in here!” Christian called to the other side of the warehouse.

  A boy jogged over and slowed as he reached us. “Yeah, dad?” He was annoyed, clutching his right hand in pain.

  “Dropped a compressor again? Where are you manners? You remember Adriana, right?”

  Zack was in the same grade as I was but he looked younger. Maybe I just felt older. I had seen him a few times at random get-togethers with family. Zack gave me a once-over. “No, sorry don’t think I do.” He had a boyish, all-American look though his mouth was anything but.

  “Oh stop. Y’all used to love to play together when you were younger. I remember when…”

  “Dad,” Zack whined.

  “Okay. But really, she’ll be taking over some of her dad’s shifts. Why don’t you show her around and then Adriana, get suited. You have to be out on the docks by 1600.”

  1600? What time was that again? I swallowed and managed to nod as I took in the array of new information. This is not what I agreed to, Dad played in my mind.

  “That’s five o’clock.” Zack said to me as Christian walked back toward the office. “You should have what you need in your dad’s locker. Umbilicals are over there.” His hand dropped before I could see the direction he pointed in. “See ya.” Zack walked back to where he came from. Something told me he either wasn’t too happy to see me or wasn’t too happy to be interrupted.

  “Oh and Annie?”

  “It’s Ana…”

  “We go by military time here so you better learn it.”

  “Thanks for the advice!” I yelled back. Geez, what was I, a magnet for jerks? Typical teenage boy. And he was always so nice around my family. Although I'd hoped for a little more direction on what to do, I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to train me. I knew exactly what it felt like to have to work for your father. In his case he was really working for his father, I was just working in place of my father.

  I nervously went through all the inspections on my equipment before putting on my wet suit. It felt like years since I'd last dived, not months. I hoped I wouldn’t screw up too badly. After I was suited, I stood around looking like an idiot until Zack came and got me and dragged me out into the chilly Mississippi. I didn’t know what he expected me to do, and I was ready to tell Mr. Christian that I couldn’t do this and my dad would have to find someone else. That was until my head submerged underwater as I lowered myself deeper into the river. I had almost forgotten the serene feeling of being weightless underwater and it was exactly what I needed right then. I was lost in thought with nothing but the sound of my breathing and the vision of cloudy water when Zack tapped me out of my reverie. I tried to read his eyes but they showed neither disappointment nor annoyance as he signaled me to follow him and watch what he was doing. My fears of screwing up were eased by the time we had finished. It wasn’t as hard as I'd thought and if this was all I had to do then I was in luck. The boat we were working on was huge and definitely a two diver job. We had to have our dive hats on for this one, and Mr. Christian was up top monitoring our surface air. I cleared my mind and tried to pay attention as much as I could, knowing on the smaller boats I would be diving by myself. And I realized I really didn’t want to let Mr. Christian down. This was his livelihood, and if I didn’t know what I was doing now, I’d better learn fast. When Zack and I had surfaced, he confirmed that he just let me watch this one but the next time he would actually expect me to work. I shrugged, past caring, and feeling relaxed after being in the water.

  It wasn’t until I saw Hayden’s car pull up that I realized for the past few hours I had forgotten all my problems. Having time to step back and look at our little disagreement, I saw it for what it was; inconsequential. And maybe I had overreacted from the combination of stress and lack of sleep. When his car finally stopped, I almost ran into it to apologize. I gripped him into a hug and exhaled the day away.

  “Long day?” He laughed, obviously already past our earlier conversation, and seemed to enjoy my possessive hold on him. “Who’s that?” he asked when I finally let go.

  “Who?” I turned my head out the window to see who he referred to. Zack stood outside the warehouse, smoking a cigarette of all things, glaring at us. I drew my lips up as I was reminded of how he treated me after the dive. “Oh. That’s Zack, Mr. Christian’s son. I had a r
eally long day. I just want to forget about it right now.”

  He leaned in and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips, then shifted gear. Soon work was long behind me, both literally and figuratively.

  “You don’t have to work, you know. You don’t have to want anything ever again.” I knew where he was going with this and noticed he deliberately left out any mention of money. I knew he had money, but it didn’t matter how much; I refused to live off of him.

  “It’s not even about that. I’m not just working to make money; I’m working to help out my dad and Mr. Christian. They are so busy as it is and I don’t blame him for not trusting the expensive temps.”

  “You always worry about other people. When are you going to do what’s best for you? You are already volunteering and going to school full time. And let’s not forget you have premonitions you have to deal with. You’ve been picking up your dad's slack for too long.”

  “I know you’re just trying to protect me, but it’s not even about my dad anymore. After seeing Mr. Christian today, well, he is like family. He took care of me when I was just a baby and now I am old enough to help and he needs it. I want to be there for him.”

  “I love your heart, you know that?”

  “I love yours.” I smiled back at him and tried not to show the frown that threatened when I remembered what he had told me about his heartbeat.

  “Let’s just relax at home tonight,” he sighed. “I’ll even cook.” He laughed sweetly.

  “You always know how to make me feel better, do you know that? How about this: I’ll go home and start making my grandma's red beans and rice that you love so much and you can go get us a movie. Deal?”

  He gave me a brilliant, boyish smile. “How can I say no?”

  Chapter Seven

  Hayden dropped me off at home so I could get started on dinner. I was still smiling as I took my shoes off in the mud room. The thought of Hayden picking out a movie was amusing. It was something so normal. I thought about how easily he could pull off both worlds. Like he fit perfectly into both while I, on the other hand, didn’t fit into either.