Mengliad (The Mengliad Series Book 1)

by Jana Janeway

  “On whether or not we should tell Marcy about what happened.” She smiled when he shook his head emphatically.

  “Hell no! She would bitch at us up one side and down the other for sure!”

  “So, we’re in agreement?” Bibi looked to Jessica, requesting her vote.

  “Yeah, we’re in agreement.”

  “Good.” Craddock gave a single, pointed nod, like a deal had just been struck. “Now, who’s driving?”

  “I wanna drive!” Josiah whined, as if the job he loved was being threatened.

  Craddock hid a smirk, barely. “I wasn’t trying to take it away from you, Joe. I was just asking.”

  “Shotgun!” Bibi pointed at the car she assumed was theirs, essentially asking if it was. When Craddock nodded, she headed towards it.

  “You guys can make out in the back.” Josiah winked at Craddock before he too started for the shiny new SUV.

  “Sounds like a good plan.” He quirked an eyebrow at Jessica, suggestively, laughing when she slapped him playfully.

  “Guys! S’go!” Josiah waved them over, his head just above the roof of the vehicle as he stood on the runner boards below the driver’s side door.

  Throwing an upnod in Josiah’s general direction, Craddock then took Jessica’s hand, leading her to the car. “Ready to lose that stupid belly?”

  “Beyond ready,” she answered, surprised when he tugged her, stopping her from climbing into the backseat.

  Turning her to face him, he discreetly started hiking up the back of her dress, slipping his hands underneath the cotton material to feel around for the Velcro straps that fastened it to her. The cheeky grin he wore was the only thing that implied anything inappropriate, his hands completely dedicated to the task. Once loosened, the prosthesis fell to the ground, but they both ignored the padded thud as they continued to stare back at one another.

  Josiah huffed dramatically. “Sometime today would be good!”

  Jessica laughed when Craddock rolled his eyes, as he took her elbow and helped her into the car. He then snatched the foam belly off the ground and threw it in the far back behind the seats before climbing in after her.

  “So,” Craddock dropped into the seat next to Jessica, directing his question at Bibi, “where we goin’?”

  With a slowly forming smirk, she looked up from the paper she had pulled out of the glovebox. “Abdonville.”

  When the others burst into laughter, Jessica realized she was the only one to whom the word meant nothing. “What’s so funny?”

  “Well,” Craddock explained, catching his breath, “it’s an edit of two words that, roughly translated, in Menglianese, means abandoned town.”

  She could sort of see the humor, but not to the extent of their reaction. “And that’s funny, why?”

  “This particular way of phrasing it is slang,” amusement was still in his voice, “and would basically be the equivalent of saying, in English, BFE.”

  “BFE, as in Bumfuck, Egypt?” A smile inched across her face when he nodded, and when they all started laughing once again. “Okay,” she teased, “you do realize, don’t you, that this is not that funny?”

  “Maybe not,” he shrugged, “but it sure feels good to really laugh.”

  It was a welcomed respite, but like all good things, it eventually had to come to an end.

  “We should get going.” Bibi was serious now, scowling as she read through the directions she still held in her hand. “We’re pretty far behind the schedule they wanted us to keep to.”

  Leaning across the center console, Josiah began to read along with her, only scanning to get the gist. “Are they expecting us there at a certain time or something?”

  Bibi said something in response, but as they continued to confer and debate, Jessica tuned them out, snuggling her way back into Craddock’s arms.

  “Can you teach me that?”

  Even though her whispered request was vague, he sensed what she was referring to. “Teach you Menglianese?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sure.”

  To anyone else, he might have seemed indifferent, but Jessica knew better. She could feel his excitement, his desire to be her teacher, and not just in regard to her learning Menglianese.

  His thoughts had become so intimate in nature, a noticeable physical reaction soon followed. Aware of his predicament, Jessica draped her legs across his lap, shielding his condition from potential exposure.

  And she did so just in time. Seconds later, as Josiah started the car and pulled out of the parking spot, Bibi turned in her seat, facing them.

  “Guys? This is, like, a two hour drive, and we haven’t eaten in forever. Maybe we should stop?”

  “Yes!” Josiah, while always ready to eat, was especially feeling the need to, since their last meal had been over twelve hours ago.

  “I guess we can stop.” Craddock agreed, even though he was somewhat reluctant to. More than anything, he just wanted to gain distance from the nightmare they had been living through.

  “You don’t sound so sure,” Bibi surmised by his tone, questioning him with an odd look.

  “I’m just anxious to leave it all behind, ya’know? All the chaos, and running, and drama. But if everyone wants to, then we can stop.”

  “Maybe we should just pull off after we get moving in the right direction?” Jessica suggested, trying to find a compromise that everyone could be happy with.

  “Fine by me.” Josiah seemed amiable, but his inflection didn’t match his words. Then he scowled at the road ahead of him. “Where the hell is the damn freeway?”

  Craddock snorted a laugh, in sympathy and in amusement. “I know, man, this town is crazy confusing! They’ve got businesses, airports, residential housing, and goat dairies, all in the same city block!”

  “And apparently,” Jessica smirked, “you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting several McDonald’s.”

  Everyone laughed, including Bibi, even though she had been, to some extent, offended by the joke when Craddock had made it while still on the plane.

  ****

  The chirping sound from the leftover crickets in the ‘to go’ container nearby had a lulling effect that was hard to fight against. Jessica had already drifted off, and Craddock was on the brink, until Bibi’s quietly spoken words caught his attention.

  “They look cute together, don’t they?”

  Craddock’s ears perked when he realized she was talking about him and Jessica, though outwardly, he didn’t react. Knowing it was wrong to, he feigned sleep so that he could listen in on the private conversation.

  “Yeah, they do.” Josiah threw a sympathetic half smile in her direction. “How’ya doin’?”

  Sighing, she whispered with a sad lilt, “There are times, when I look at him, and it literally feels like my heart is breaking. Then, other times, I just feel. . . I don’t know. Okay. Happy. Happy he’s still in my life after what I did. Happy that he’s found someone who will make him happy. It’s those times,” her tone changed, becoming a little less sad, “when I know that eventually, I will get over it. And be okay.”

  “I hope the ‘eventually’ is really, really soon,” he said supportively, smiling back at her when she reached over and ruffled his hair as a thank you. “I know it’s not exactly the same, but he does love you. And so do I.”

  “I love you guys, too.”

  The choke in her voice alerted Craddock to the fact that she was crying.

  A part of him wanted to speak up and offer her some kind of comfort, his heart hurting at the thought and at the sound of her pain, but he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, and he had absolutely no idea what he would even say. Opting to remain silent, he forced his body to relax. The topic had caused him to tense, which in turn caused Jessica to stir. Tightening his arms around her, he allowed the closeness to ease his guilt.

  It was only a few seconds later, the timing perfect, when the cell phone in his pocket began ringing, causing him to jump. Jessica startled as well, almost
at the same moment, but it was more due to Craddock’s reaction than because of the polyphonic musical tone.

  “Probably Marcy,” Craddock muttered, as if just waking up, kissing Jessica’s hair affectionately as he struggled to remove the phone from his pocket. Checking the caller ID first, he nodded when he confirmed he was right, hitting the button quickly before the call dropped as unanswered. “Hey, Marcy.”

  “It’s Jeramey, actually,” came the whispered response. “Marcy is. . . busy. . . at the moment.”

  The quiet, halting way in which he spoke set alarm bells off inside Craddock’s brain. “Is something wrong?” he asked, releasing his hold on Jessica when she moved to leave his arms. She sat upright and stared back at him with a worried expression on her face.

  “Just the opposite.” It was then that Craddock could hear the smile in his voice. “Is Jessica there?”

  Craddock arched an eyebrow curiously. “Yeah, we’re still in the car, on the way to the house.”

  “Put her on,” Jeramey demanded, though his tone remained light.

  Looking thoroughly confused, the expression mirrored back at him, Craddock extended the phone towards Jessica, shrugging. “Jeramey wants to talk to you.”

  Hesitantly, still staring at Craddock, Jessica removed the phone from his hand and slowly brought it to her ear. “Um, hello?”

  When she burst into tears a second later, Craddock’s concern skyrocketed. Shifting uneasily to the edge of his seat, he requested an explanation with his eyes alone.

  “Shea,” Jessica whispered, a slight smile growing on her face, and Craddock instantly relaxed, realizing then that her tears were not from bad news, but from good.

  “Not anymore,” Shea laughed. “Apparently, I look like a David to these people! Do you see me as a David?”

  She couldn’t remember a time she’d heard him sounding so happy. “Yeah, you can pull off David. They named me Alyssa.”

  “Pretty! Allie for short?”

  “That’s what Craddock calls me.” Her smile grew wider as she looked over at him.

  “They kept his name Craddock?” Shea asked.

  “Well, no, they changed his name to Alexander. I just haven’t really been calling him that. Yet.”

  “Alexander?” There was the slightest hint of laughter in his voice. “As in Alexander the Great?”

  “Seems fitting, since he’s a pretty great guy.”

  “He is,” Shea agreed. Then he shifted into big brother mode. “Is he treating you okay?”

  “Yes, Shea,” she said with a roll of her eyes, “he is.”

  “Good!” His duty to inquire done with, he was back to happy. “This is pretty wild, isn’t it? I mean, I don’t exactly feel any different, yet I do, ya’know?”

  “Yeah, I do know. How’s Stacy?”

  “She’s great!” His enthusiasm leveled off a little. “I mean, she didn’t convert, but she’s okay with that. Boy, I sure did, though!” He laughed, keying up again. “And with a vengeance! Everyone’s amazed at how fast I converted! They think you would have, too, if it hadn’t been for the muddy part at first.

  “And, man,” he continued, “these people sure are interested in all this later conversion stuff! I’ve had people in and out of the house all day, wanting to meet with me! I swear, I feel like a celebrity! I think part of it is because I’m a scientist, which gives me a unique perspective.”

  She shook her head at his cheerful ramblings. “That’s great, Shea. I’m glad things are working out for you.”

  Catching the odd tone of her voice, Shea became concerned. “Are things not working out for you?”

  “Well, no, it’s not that.” She wanted to bring up their parents’ death, but knew if she did so, it would ruin Shea’s good spirits. Instead, she opted for a half truth. “It’s just. . . been a long trip, and we’re not even to the house yet.”

  “We will be soon,” Craddock told her.

  Shea was just able to make out his comment through the phone. “Is that Craddock?” He didn’t bother waiting for her reply. “Tell him I said hi.”

  “I will,” she promised. “Is Stacy there? Can I talk to her?”

  “Sure!”

  Jessica could hear him call to her, sounding a bit more distant as he presumably took the phone away from his face.

  “Jess?”

  New tears fell when she heard her friend’s voice. “Yeah, Stace, it’s me.”

  “Oh my God, Jess, this has been the craziest day of my life!” She sounded every bit as happy as Shea did. “People in and out, questions, and welcoming committees with house warming presents. . . And oh my God, you should see our house! It’s amazing! And the neighborhood is so beautiful! Totally a place where you could raise a family!”

  Jessica smiled wider with every announcement her friend made. “That’s awesome, Stace.”

  “Actually, it’s not Stacy anymore. It’s Jennifer! Shea—I mean David—has been calling me Jenn! I think that suits me better than Jenny, don’t you?”

  “Definitely,” Jessica agreed, playfully asking, “Guess what my name is!”

  “Well, I heard Shea—shit, I mean David, say Allie for short, so, Alison?”

  “Close.” She paused for a second, like it was a dramatic reveal. “Alyssa.”

  “Hey, that’s pretty! It suits you!”

  “Yeah, I like it. . .” Jessica, realizing Stacy was talking to someone else in the room with her, fell silent and waited.

  “Jess? I mean, shit, Allie? I gotta go now. The next wave of visitors just arrived, and I have to go play hostess.”

  Jessica nodded, a sudden rush of sadness bringing a scowl to her face. “Okay, sure, but call me later, okay?”

  “Of course I’m going to call you,” she assured her. “You’re my best friend, and my sister-in-law, even though not on paper, since Shh—David is apparently an only child.”

  “Yeah.” Jessica forced the unhappiness she felt about that from leaking into her tone. “Me, too. Have fun, and I’ll talk to you later, ‘kay? And Stace?” she said abruptly, before she could hang up, “I love you both.”

  “We love you, too.” Stacy sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. Confirming the assumption, she whimpered, “Don’t make me cry!”

  “‘Kay, I won’t.” She dug deep within her frayed psyche, finding just enough strength to pull off an upbeat facade. “Talk to you later!”

  Disconnecting the call after saying goodbye, Jessica handed the phone over to Craddock, and then she threw her arms around him as she began to sob.

  “Oh God,” Craddock whispered, holding her to him as tightly as he could. “What’s wrong? It sounded like a good call!”

  “Oh, I’m fine,” she insisted, sounding irritated with herself, “I’m just feeling a million emotions at once, is all.”

  “Well, I think you’re about to feel one more,” Bibi called over her shoulder, “‘cause that last sign said we’re about three miles from our offramp.”

  Out of his arms, turning her gaze out the window, Jessica watched as the scenery passed by, excitement and trepidation assaulting her. Smirking at her sudden enthusiasm for their surroundings, he inched up behind her, kissing her shoulder and peering out the window over it as he showed similar interest.

  “It feels like Christmas,” she whispered. When he laughed, a smile slipped onto her face.

  “I never got residential property for any holiday,” he quipped. “You must have rich friends and relatives.”

  “Not so much,” she muttered sarcastically, only half aware of the quiet instructions Bibi was directing at Josiah. Her attention was more on the gentle way Craddock nuzzled against her. “Is it weird that I’m this nervous?”

  He shook his head in answer. “After everything that’s happened, I would be surprised if you weren’t.”

  “It’s a different kind of nervous, though.” She sighed. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “I know.” He continued his comforting affection. “You don’t h
ave to. I understand perfectly.”

  “Glad one of us does,” she deadpanned, asking rhetorically an instant later, “We really are in the middle of BFE, huh?”

  “Looks like. Don’t worry,” he soothed, picking up on her unease, “once the Registry is comfortable enough to let us, if we don’t like it here, we can move.”

  “We’re definitely a long ways from New York,” Josiah chimed in, “that’s for sure!”

  After nodding in agreement, Bibi brought Josiah’s attention back to the driving directions. “When you get off, turn right. Then we’re driving for a little while before the next turn.”

  “How little?” Craddock inched to the edge of his seat, peeking over Bibi’s shoulder at the paper in her hands.

  “About ten miles, but then it’s only a couple miles further.”

  Confirming what she’d said by reading it, he pushed back into his seat, glancing over at Jessica as she continued to stare out her window.

  “It’s pretty much the same scenery for miles, baby,” he said to her, purposefully casual. “Why don’t you come over and sit with me for now, okay? When we get a little closer, there might be more to see.”

  “That’s optimistic,” she muttered. Moving closer to him, up against him, she snuggled into his side as he slipped his arm around her. “Seems pretty desolate out here.”

  “Hence the name!” He was trying to lighten her mood, but the heaviness shrouding her held firm. “Does it bother you?” he asked. “That we’re so. . . isolated?”

  “Your other right, Joe!”

  Jessica chuckled a little at Bibi’s joking reprimand, and at Josiah’s quick change of lanes. He swerved out of the left turn lane and into the right as he neared the end of the offramp, muttering apologies as he did so.

  “Not exactly,” Jessica answered Craddock’s previous question, her seriousness returning. “It’s just going to be an adjustment. Another in a long line of adjustments.”

  The truth of the matter made responding beyond a simple acknowledgement pointless. “I know,” he whispered, “and I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.” She shrugged, dismissing his guilt as unnecessary.