“Oh, I’ve met plenty of boys just like you. Desperately wants to sleep with his mommy, but she refuses him so he finds as many girls as possible. None of them quite measure up though, do they?”
Then I sent him the smell of pine and an image of death. Suddenly tears were streaming down his face.
The girl wiped away at one of his tears. “You okay?”
The boy sniffled. “Yeah, I’m fine, must be allergies or something.”
But another boy wasn’t having it. “Look at that, the new girl made Spencer cry. Poor baby.”
“Shut it,” said Spencer.
The other boy stood up. “Oh yeah, make me.”
Oops, time for me to skedaddle. I left my lunch tray at the table.
I heard the principal yelling at the boys when they started to throw punches. Naomi met me by the door.
“Good job,” she said. “Now maybe Jordan will get off my back about training you.”
She may not have realized it, but that was the first time she’d paid me a compliment like that. Maybe I wouldn’t be sent away after all.
Naomi
Roses are a bit finicky to grow. The roses I grow in the garden in Vegas are very different from the one I grow in Arkansas, because of the different plant zones. But just about everywhere in the world people can grow some kind of rose. Except maybe Antarctica.
THREE HOURS BEFORE SUNDAY’S plane was scheduled to leave, she was hiding in her room. I knew she didn’t really want to go. Aside from a few awkward moments with Jordan, she’d been an angel over the last several days. Which was not normal behavior for her.
I grinned. I missed her troublemaking.
I knocked on the door and she called, “Come in.”
She was sprawled out on the floor with colored pencils everywhere. She’d been sketching a deep green cactus with bright pink flowers. Lincoln left the pencil he was batting on the floor and rubbed up against my legs, so I picked him up.
“We are leaving in an hour, I just came to make sure you were all packed and to give you last minute instructions.” I looked around the room. “Where’s your suitcase?”
“Under my bed.”
I squeezed Lincoln a little too hard and he meowed. I took a deep breath and tried to be rational. “Completely packed, I hope.”
Sunday’s face colored. “No, I didn’t think I was actually going.”
“Dig out your suitcase. I’ll be right back.”
I put the cat down and went to find Ginny. She was in her room.
“Sunday’s not packed. I need your help.”
Ginny laughed. “She’d been far too good. Something like this was bound to happen.”
Wasn’t I just thinking I missed her troublemaking? Ginny and I rushed down the hall to Sunday’s room.
Sunday was still on the floor, surrounded by her pencils. Ginny squatted down in front of her.
“Why on earth haven’t you packed? We leave in an hour.”
Sunday didn’t respond for a few seconds. She shoved her pencils into their box and I watched a few leads break with the force. Her hands shook. Without warning, she burst into tears.
Ginny put her hand Sunday’s shoulder. “What’s the matter?”
“I don’t want to go.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. “I was so good. I played with little Ale, wore the clothes you wanted me to, stayed away from the boys, except Jordan, and did all my lessons. I thought you’d changed your mind.”
Ah, that explained the good behavior. She thought we were sending her away. Ginny gathered her in a hug. “You don’t have to go. I thought you wanted to get out of Vegas for a little while.”
Oh crap. This wasn’t good. I was counting on Sunday to help me out. After my visits with Jason and Neal, I needed more information.
“Ginny, I need to override this one. Sunday, come with me for a few minutes. Ginny, her suitcase is under the bed. Can you start packing for her? If she still doesn’t want to go after I talk to her, then she can stay. But let me talk to her first.”
Ginny nodded and I pulled Sunday into Puck’s room. He usually stayed in my room, but this was officially his room. I waved towards the bed and Sunday sat down. Her eyes were still red from crying. She sniffed.
I sat next to her and grabbed her hands. “I didn’t realize you thought we were sending you away. I actually need you to do some reconnaissance for me. I thought you understood that.”
She shook her head.
“Can I show you something?”
“Sure,” she said, shrugging. She followed me into Puck’s closet. It was the size of my bedroom back in Arkansas.
I flipped a switch and all of his clothes disappeared behind false walls. The new walls that came up all glowed green and blue. It was an enlarged world map. If you touched a city or town, the computer would give you the names of the Guardian leaders and any well-known Destroyers in that area.
Sunday’s eyes went wide.
“Does my closet do that?” she asked.
“No, Puck had this installed after he became the Master Guardian. I think Alejandro’s closet does it too, but the computer in there doesn’t work anymore.”
Sunday studied it for a full minute. She didn’t touch anything, which surprised me.
“What happens if I touch a green area?”
“Try it,” I said, and pointed to Donald County in Arkansas.
She lightly brushed her finger along the screen. The area of the map around Donald County disappeared and was replaced with text and pictures. My dad was there, and so was Jason. A few more names were listed, but that was it.
“Can I play with it?” she asked.
“No, we don’t have time. I’m sorry. Maybe when you get back. Now, tell me if you notice anything peculiar.”
She touched a white spot on the map. Nothing happened.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“A deadzone. No Guardians or Destroyers live in those areas.”
“How is that possible?” she asked.
“I don’t know. That’s what I want you to investigate.”
“Why Tombstone? Why not this area near Reno? It’s closer.”
“Alejandro’s parents live in Tombstone. It makes a good cover. Plus it’s one of the largest geographical areas that doesn’t have a Guardian leader. There are places with small populations that don’t have a Guardian presence, but they still have a leader who visits from time to time or sends a Minor Guardian to make sure Destroyers haven’t taken over. But these white spots have no leaders to manage them.”
“So why do you want me to go down there?”
“I have a theory.”
“What’s that?”
“Guardians and Destroyers have known that women can have power but somehow kept it a secret for years. How is it that only a handful of us have turned up? Puck has never had another case besides you and me, and Jason says he never hears of it either.”
“But that doesn’t match up with what we know. Like when we went to the mall, we could sense them everywhere.”
Good, she was catching on.
“Exactly. What if these white zones are really hotbeds for female Shades?”
She thought for a minute.
“What does Puck think?”
“He says it’s nothing.” He was obnoxious about it too. As much as I pushed for more information, he refused to tell me anything about it and basically said it was none of my business. That just led me to think there was something more going on.
“Did he show you the map?”
I shook my head. “I flipped the switch one time when I was looking for something.”
Sunday stood up and crossed her arms. “Why don’t you go down there yourself?”
“Because Puck would get suspicious. And because you are better at this kind of thing than I am.”
“Better at what?” she asked with her eyebrows creased.
“Snooping.”
She sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
“I was still figuring it out myself. Are you willing to be my eyes and ears down there?”
Sunday looked back over the map. When she turned to face me, she met my eyes. “Okay, I’ll go.”
I let out a breath. “Then let’s get you packed.”
Sunday
Even if a cacti is tall, its roots are very shallow. But they reach out wide, looking for water. I spread my roots out wide, hoping I can plant myself in one place. But I’m not searching for water, I’m searching for love.
JORDAN AND PUCK HAD GONE out for the day so I didn’t even get to say goodbye. I tried texting Jordan but he didn’t respond. I managed to hold it together until I got on the plane, then I let myself cry. I really wanted to do this job for Naomi, but I still felt like I was being sent away. In spite of Naomi saying that I had a choice, she made it very clear that if I wanted any leadership responsibilities at all, I had to go. I checked my phone one more time before the flight attendant made me turn it off. Jordan never texted me back.
When I landed, I was tired, sleepy, and angry with the whole lot of them. I didn’t bother to turn my phone back on. Naomi had given me Nan and Esteban’s numbers but told me that Esteban would be waiting at the airport with a sign. I figured I’d let them all sweat it out if they didn’t hear from me. Why the hell did they have to send me away?
Alejandro’s dad was holding a sign with my name on it. He smiled wide and his wrinkled skin gathered around his eyes. He’d obviously spent a lot of time out in the sun. He gathered me into a big hug. It took me by surprise, but it was nice all the same.
“I’m Esteban. We are so glad you are here. How many bags do you have?”
“Just one. I’m a light packer. Plus this guy.” I held out my cat’s cage.
Esteban took it from me and looked inside. Lincoln meowed at him.
“You must be Lincoln. Naomi said you are quite the character.” Esteban looked at me. “You sure this is it? I expected more bags.”
I cocked my head at him.
“When Ginny and Alejandro came to visit before they were married, she brought eight suitcases with her. And she was only here for a week.”
I laughed. “Sounds like Ginny.”
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Esteban seemed like a good guy. But I already missed Jordan. My heart tightened at the thought of him. Why had he ignored my calls and texts? Esteban gathered my suitcase and threw it in the back of a beat up pickup truck. We put Lincoln’s crate in the back and I brought the cat into the cab with me. He spent a lot of time sniffing around and finally curled up next to Esteban. Lincoln approved.
The drive to Tombstone was long.
“What do you do?” I asked Esteban, to make conversation.
“I work with the department of conservation to protect the saguaro cacti.”
My ears perked up at that. “You get to work with cacti all day? That is so cool. I have one at home. A barrel, I think but I don’t know that much about them. I tried to google it, but they all look the same in pictures.”
“You can come to work with me sometime. I love imparting my wisdom to young cacti lovers.”
He jabbered on about cacti and the land almost the whole way to his house. Some would be bored by it, but I was fascinated. I showed him a picture of my cactus at home and he told me it was a golden barrel cactus. The stars were amazing too. There were so many of them. I hadn’t seen stars like that since I left home. After a while I found myself thinking about Arkansas. There were more trees back at home, and just the same lack of civilization. Home. The place that held my worst nightmares.
I wondered briefly what my dad was up to these days. I hoped he hadn’t remarried. He gave my mom and I a miserable enough life, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else.
By the time we got to Esteban’s house, I was depressed with memories.
Esteban got my suitcase out and we entered a sprawling ranch. The entire place was dark. Not a single light had been left on. “Nan must’ve gone to bed. Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”
I followed him. My room was small, with a twin bed. Sheets had been left on the bed, but it was not made up.
“Bathroom is down the hall. I’m going to bed. Can I get you anything before I crash?”
I shook my head and dropped my backpack.
“Okay then, I hope you sleep well. Good night.”
He closed the door behind him and I sank down to the floor. Lincoln nudged my hand and I rubbed him behind his ears. A litter box had been set up in the corner. What was I going to do here the whole summer? I was virtually in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t know why Naomi was surprised there were no Guardians here. There was no one here. I’d be able to sense the whole town in matter of three days. Maybe she’d let me come home early.
Not that I wanted to go back to Jordan-who-doesn’t-answer-texts-from-his-maybe-girlfriend. Was I his girlfriend? How was I supposed to know, if he didn’t text or call me back? I decided to keep my phone turned off. No need to be disappointed again.
I crept down the hall in search of the bathroom and only had to open three doors before I found the right one. Then I made the bed and fell into a fitful sleep. When I awoke it was still dark. I pulled out my phone and finally turned it on. It was only 2:30 a.m. The phone buzzed as three text messages came through. Two were from Naomi and one was from Ginny. They were asking if I arrived okay. I sent back two quick texts assuring them that I was fine. My eyes burned as I blinked away tears.
Why was Jordan ignoring me? Should I try again or would I come across as needy? I’d never been in a real relationship before. I thought Jordan and I were more than just make-out buddies, but maybe I was wrong. I didn’t know how this was supposed to work, but I did know that in the pit of my stomach I felt the ache of rejection.
I was parched. I remembered passing the kitchen when Esteban and I came in, and ventured back into the hall. It was eerily quiet.
A soft light came from the kitchen and I found an older woman sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee.
“I’m Sunday. Are you Nan?”
She glared at me and nodded. I opened the fridge, looking for bottled water, and then I turned back to her.
“Do you have any water?”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you stupid or something? There’s a faucet over there and glasses in the cupboard above you. Water ain’t in the fridge. That’s wasteful.”
I could feel the color creeping up my neck. I opened the cupboard and found the glasses. I filled one with tepid water and grimaced. Ginny always had filtered and bottled water. This stuff had a metal taste to it. Plus it was warm.
I opened the freezer, looking for ice cubes, but there was nothing even remotely resembling an ice cube tray. I was about to ask Nan but changed my mind under her fierce glare.
I leaned against the counter and drank my warm water, unsure if I could bring it with me into my bedroom.
“What’d you do to your hair?” Nan asked.
“I wanted it to look like a sunrise.”
“Well it looks a paint palette exploded on your head. If you are going to live here, you’ll need to dye it back to normal.”
She spoke like an artist. Never mind that she was being critical.
“Do you paint?” I asked.
“That’s none of your business. Now look, I’m not sure why Ginny sent you here, but I didn’t want you to come. Just stay out of my hair and we’ll get along just fine. I don’t cook, so you are on your own for food. It’s a twenty minute walk to town and you’d do best to spend most of your days there so we don’t have to see each other.”
I didn’t know what to say. Everyone lied to me. I was under the impression that Nan was sweet and loving, but not this woman. I left my glass in the sink and escaped back into my bedroom without saying another word. I created a new box in my head and called it “Nan.” Once again, someone who couldn’t wait to get rid of me. Just once I’d like to meet someone who actually wanted me around. I didn
’t think I was that unlikeable, but maybe I just couldn’t see myself clearly. I shut my eyes and very carefully placed all those hurtful words and feelings into the box. Then I closed the lid.
What was Ginny thinking, sending me here? Unless they really did want to get rid of me and that story Naomi gave me was just a lie to make sure I’d go. It had to be. What Naomi wanted me to do wouldn’t take any time at all, and it definitely wouldn’t take three whole months.
I had a hard time falling back asleep but eventually I did. When Lincoln woke me, it was still dark. I checked my phone—for the time, I swear. Not to see if Jordan finally messaged me.
Five in the morning.
I grabbed a sketchpad and headed out to the front porch, with Lincoln on my heels. The sky was just starting to lighten. I waited another fifteen minutes and began to sketch the sunrise. It looked different here than in Vegas. The sky was so big.
Lincoln went running off into the desert. He’d probably come back with a dead mouse or bird soon. He was an unusual cat, but he still did cat things from time to time.
The front door slammed and I turned, ready to flee back into the house. But it was just Esteban with a cup of coffee.
“Prettiest time of day.”
I nodded. He looked at the sky and then at me. “The sunrise matches your hair.”
“That’s what I was going for. But Nan says I have to dye it back to a normal color.”
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “When did she say that?”
“Last night when I got up to get a drink of water.”
“I’ll talk to her. You don’t have to change your hair. You should show her that.” He pointed at my sketchpad. “She’s an artist too. You could probably learn a thing or two from her.”
“I don’t think she likes me much.”
He sighed. “She just needs some time. She hasn’t been the same since Alejandro died. Come on, we’ll get some breakfast and see what kind of mood she’s in.”
I hesitated. I wasn’t all that thrilled about seeing Nan again. But I followed him because he’d been nice to me. I called for Lincoln. He came running back with his mouth full of something light brown. I screeched when he dropped a dead snake on my feet. I’d only heard about one kind of snake from Arizona, the rattlesnake. I jumped up on the chair; Esteban laughed and knelt down.
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