by Gloria Craw
It was a good point.
I watched out the window for a sign that Ian coming and noticed the foot traffic was heavy. People on both sides of the road waved at each other and yelled things that brought smiles to the others’ faces.
“How many people live in this town?” I asked.
“About a thousand. There are others in the outlying areas, and of course those living on the mountain.”
His tone was warm, almost affectionate. “You like it here,” I said. “You just don’t like being told you can’t leave.”
“I have a lot of good memories from my time in Greenvale. I used to spend summers here with my grandparents. It was always a relief to get away from the disappointment in my mother’s eyes when she looked at me.”
He unwrapped his silverware, spun his fork a couple of times, and took his jacket off. Nearly blinded, I put my hands up to shield my eyes.
“Uh, that shirt,” I said.
Looking down at himself, he asked, “What do you have against my clothes?”
“All your shirts are flannel and checked. Today’s choice is green and yellow. The contrast is burning my eyes. Add some suspenders, and you could double for the Brawny paper towel guy…on drugs.”
He pulled a face at me as our waitress sauntered up with cups of ice in hand and a welcome-to-Betsy’s smile. She had bright red hair and big brown eyes. “Hey, gorgeous,” she said, tapping Theron on the shoulder.
“Hey, Livy,” he responded. “Do you like my shirt?”
She shuddered. “I’ll take the fifth on that.” She put a cup in front of each of us. “I thought you’d be gone by now, Theron. You never stay this far into the winter. It’s always back to the city and your classes before the first snow flies.”
“I’m taking a break from the world for a while. I’m wintering over.”
“Since when have you ever wanted a break from anything?” she commented. “You’re never still long enough to take one.”
He shrugged, probably because he couldn’t dispute what she said.
“If you’re staying, be sure to check in here every now and again. You could die on that mountain and no one would find you until spring.”
“Don’t worry about me, Livy. I can take care of myself. How are things with Skip?”
“Good.” Her eyes lit up. “He’s on a long haul right now, but if the weather holds, he’ll be home for Thanksgiving.”
“Skip is Livy’s husband,” Theron explained to me. “We were all friends growing up. Skip drives a supply truck for a lumber company.”
Livy gave me a good once-over. “Is this your new girl, Theron? She’s pretty.”
My eyes widened. “No,” I said firmly. “I’m not his girl. I’m his cousin.”
“Interesting, his aura is a dark green. Yours is a light blue. Cousins usually have differing shades of the same color.”
“Livy is a spiritualist,” Theron clarified.
“When people hear spiritualist they automatically think I’m nuts,” she said, shaking her head. “But I see what I see, and I don’t apologize for it.”
After patting Theron’s shoulder again, she walked away with a sway of her hips. Judging by the glances she got from the old men drinking coffee at the bar, she was going to make very good tips that morning.
“Is she for real?” I asked. “Does she see energy?”
“I think so. How she interprets what she sees is up for debate.”
“Even we don’t see our energy.”
Theron cleared his throat and got very interested in his fingernails. “We see it under certain circumstances,” he said.
Remembering the intense energy I experienced the two times Ian had joined his mind to mine, I got his drift. There were occasions when “seeing fireworks” was more than an expression.
I felt Ian coming and turned to the door.
“The Golden One arrives,” Theron muttered.
“How do you know that nickname?” I asked.
“I heard Brandy call him that a few times.”
The moment Ian’s fingers touched the door, I was on my feet and running. Throwing my arms around him, I hid my face against his neck and breathed him in. His chest rumbled as he laughed.
“I guess I don’t have to ask if you missed me,” he said.
Pulling back enough to see my face, he ran his finger along my cheek. “You look so different. Still beautiful, but different.” Then whispered in my ear, “Why is Theron here?”
“He needs to get some stuff from Stacy,” I whispered back.
He didn’t look very pleased about it, but he took my hand and headed to our table anyway.
“Hey,” he said to Theron, sliding into the corner of the bench and putting his arm over my shoulders. “How’s it going? Are you bored to death?”
With an edge to his voice, Theron responded, “That’s exactly what your dad wants, right?”
The two of them locked eyes, and I could almost feel Theron’s resentment and anger in the air.
“Alison warned me you were pissed,” Ian said.
“I am,” Theron replied. “Considering how I’ve helped your dad in the past, he could have kept his mouth shut when I messed up. He owed me that.”
“He owes you on a personal level,” Ian admitted, “but he couldn’t turn a blind eye to the position you put the rest of us in. What you did was years ahead of the system-hacking humans can do. If you’d gotten caught, you would have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.”
“There was a point-zero-zero-one percent chance I’d get caught.”
Ian was starting to tense up, too. I put my hand on his knee to remind him where we were. He sat back in the bench and looked steadily at Theron with an expression I’d seen on Katherine’s face. He’d learned something about the importance of diplomacy from her. Just one of many reasons he was going to make an amazing clan chief.
“I’m not saying I would have done the same thing,” he said calmly. “But my dad did what he thought was right for the clans. And believe it or not, he cares about you.”
After a moment, Theron’s rigid shoulders relaxed. “You see it that way,” he grumbled, “but I don’t. Because I’m hungry, I’ll let it go.”
Feeling like a storm had passed, I rubbed my hands together. “What’s good to eat here?”
“The steak and eggs,” Theron and Ian said at the same time.
I hummed in delight. “I think Betsy’s might be my personal gateway to heaven.”
Livy came back to take our orders, and seeing Ian, she said, “Hello, stranger. What has it been…ten hours since I saw you last?”
“I can’t take anymore Top Ramen,” Ian said. “I’d starve if it weren’t for this place.”
Livy nodded toward me. “Now this one has a bright aura,” she said. “It’s almost white. I’ve never seen one like it before.”
Ian gave her a sassy smile. “That’s because I’m one of a kind.”
Across the table Theron rolled his eyes. “If you didn’t have some of the best surfing on the Australian coast, I wouldn’t admit that I know you.”
We placed our orders and then got down to discussing business. “Have your parents heard anything more about Nikki?” I asked.
“Nothing so far,” Ian replied.
“No more body parts in the mail?” Theron asked.
“Nope,” he said. “The Dawnings are desperate for news, though. They know you’re here doing what you can. They appreciate that, but they’re suffering.”
“I might learn something soon,” I commented. “There have been some positive developments.”
I caught Ian up on what happed with Phoebe the previous day.
“Phoebe even invited her to a family dinner at the Ledges,” Theron added.
“All the Truss should be there,” I said. “She invited me to stay the night, too.”
Ian didn’t look happy about it.
“I already told her I didn’t think staying overnight was a good idea,” Theron c
ommented. “She said she’s doing it anyway.”
“He threatened to lock me in a closet,” I said.
“Did he threaten to sedate you and your thoughtmaking mind? Because that might actually work,” Ian grumbled.
“I’ll be fine.”
An uncomfortable silence followed.
“Got anything else to talk about?” Theron asked. “Because it’s starting to get awkward around here.”
“Actually, I do.” Ian said, turning to me. “My dad’s cousin moved to Vegas. He and his wife bought a house in your development. He’s a plastic surgeon like your dad and is looking to join a practice. Your dad is looking for a partner, right?”
“Yes,” I replied.
Smiling, he continued, “My parents are working on a long-term type of protection for the McKyes. Victor’s wife likes the gym, and his son is the same age as Alex. They should fit in nicely as friends who share common interests, and they’ll keep a watchful eye on your family. Which hopefully will put your mind at ease, so you can concentrate on other things.”
I was completely, utterly, truly grateful. “It sounds perfect,” I said. “I can’t think of anything better.”
He nodded, clearly happy to have made me happy.
After that, the boys started talking about surfing. I was good at most sports but had no interest in swimming with sharks.
A bit bored, I decided to practice an advanced version of thoughtmaking called cloaking. It was like starting a chain reaction through a group of dewing. All of our minds ran two distinct trains of thought at the same time. Though we weren’t consciously aware of the second one, it flowed among us as a shared consciousness. I was one of the very few who could sense it and manipulate it.
Gathering all of my energy together, I connected to Ian. Finding the shared consciousness deep in his mind, I formed the thought, Put my spoon in my glass. Then I painstakingly wrapped the two thoughts together.
Letting go, I prepared myself for the rebound of energy that would come back at me. When it hit, my ears zinged, my head hurt, my stomach muscles tightened, and it felt like I might puke. But I held it together.
Acting in unison, the boys picked up their spoons and put them in their glasses of water.
Smiling at my success, I interrupted them just long enough to say, “I’m going to try and find a dress now. I’ll meet you back here when I’m done.”
Chapter Seventeen
The clothing store was down the street, and the wind blew snow in my face as I hurried along the sidewalk. I was wiping snowflakes off my eyelashes when I went inside.
A quick glance around told me the selection would be slim. There were as many craft supplies as there were clothes in the place.
Holiday music played loudly over the sound system, while a saleswoman came my way. “Can I help you find something?” she asked.
“I need some kind of evening dress,” I replied, trying to sound hopeful.
She actually laughed at me. “No one has come in asking for an evening dress…ever. The best I can offer is something casual, and we’re down to just a few of those.”
“I’ll look at anything,” I said.
I followed her to a round rack tucked into the back corner of the store where she started going through the dresses. She picked three options and then pointed to the fitting room.
“One of these might work,” she said, handing them over. “They’re going to be shorter on you than they would be on most girls, but give them a try. I’ll let you know what I think.”
I hadn’t asked for her opinion, but she wasn’t trying to be pushy. She was trying to be helpful. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to hear what she thought about the choices.
The first dress was pretty on the top, but the skirt was too short. “Good for a casual party with friends, but shows too much leg for a dinner party,” my helpful sales assistant remarked.
The second dress was too big. She scrunched her nose. “That one is too baggy.”
Trying not to despair, I tried the third. It was a red sleeveless sheath with a sweetheart neckline. When I showed her, she nodded. “It’s nice.”
“You think?” I asked. “It’s freezing, and this dress doesn’t have sleeves.”
She hustled off and came back with a black scarf. It was wide when she opened it and draped it over my shoulders. “Perfect,” she said with another nod.
I left the store half an hour later with a new dress, a scarf, some shoes I could just barely squeeze into, and a nice clutch.
The boys were leaning with their backs on Theron’s Land Rover when I found them. They didn’t seem to mind the icy temperature and the wind like I did.
My feet crunched the snow as I approached.
“Man, that weirds me out,” Theron said glancing at me. “I never know when she’s coming.”
Ian smiled. “I know.” He looked at my bag. “You found something?”
“It’s not great,” I replied, opening the passenger side door to put my things on the front seat, “but it’s more appropriate than anything else I’ve got.”
A purple car turned into the lot and honked. Theron headed straight for it when it parked. A short round woman with hair dyed lavender bounded out and hugged him around the middle.
“Stacy,” he said. “I was just headed over your way.”
“It’s good I saw you here, then.” She giggled. “I have your things in the trunk of my car.”
“I’ll get them,” Theron said.
Stacy put her hands on her rather wide hips. “Introduce me to your friend first.”
“Okay,” he replied. “This is my cousin, Ali.”
Without warning, Stacy embraced me around the middle like she’d done to Theron. Her head hit me right under the chin. No wonder Theron’s expression had been strange when I asked if Stacy had a dress I could borrow. We were definitely not the same size.
“You’re Theron’s cousin and Ian’s girlfriend,” she said, looking up at me. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“I’ve heard great things about you, too,” I replied, surprised Ian told her I was his girlfriend. That wasn’t a part of the backstory we made up.
Theron checked his watch. “I’ve got to get back to the cabin. If you pop the trunk, Stacy, I’ll move my stuff.”
“Sure thing,” she replied.
I needed to keep Ian occupied while he moved his boxes of computer stuff. “Are you going to give me a Stacy hug, too?” I asked.
“How about a nice normal hug,” he replied.
I rested my chin on his shoulder when he put his arms around me.
“You okay?” he asked.
In spite of my determination to do the job ahead of me, I was nervous about staying the night at the Ledges. I figured I’d be fine, but in a way, it would be like sleeping with wolves.
“I’m just tired,” I replied. “Theron gets up early and he makes so much noise I can’t sleep in.”
“Has he been nicer to you?”
“Sort of. I’m coming to understand him better, so he’s easier to tolerate. I still want to go home, though. Four more days and then this will all be over. Then I can get back to being normal. Whatever that is.”
He ran his hand down my back and I closed my eyes. I really was tired. “I shouldn’t be hugging you like this,” I said. “I’m just… I don’t know exactly.”
“Don’t ruin it, Alison. Just let it happen.”
“Do I usually ruin things?”
He smiled and hugged me tighter. “A lot of the time, but I’m willing to work on it with you.”
In that moment, I was super glad he liked a challenge…and that he liked me.
He moved back a little so he could reach into his pocket for something. “This is for you,” he said handing me a small box. “It’s a birthday present.”
Confused, I tried to hand it back. “My birthday is in January.”
“You celebrate your birthday in January because that’s the day social services took you in, but accordin
g to the Laurel book, you were born on November twenty-sixth.”
I had to process that for a moment. “I saw the date written under my name,” I said, “but it didn’t make any sense to me.”
“That’s because you’re practically illiterate when it comes to how we date things. You’re going to ruin this, too, if you don’t stop talking. Just open your present.”
I did as he asked and my breath caught. Inside was a pale blue sapphire suspended from a silver chain.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“I think it’s amazing but I can’t take it.”
He took the necklace out of the box and undid the latch.
“Remember when Brandy teased about leaving me an inheritance?” he asked. “Well, she wasn’t teasing after all. I paid for half of the necklace with her money and half of it with mine. You can think of it as a birthday gift from both of us.”
It was the kind of gesture Brandy would have approved of. “Okay,” I said. “Thank you.”
He kissed me lightly on the nose. “See? You didn’t ruin it this time. Miracles are possible.”
Theron closed Stacy’s trunk with a bang. “We need to take off, Ali,” he said.
“Happy birthday,” Ian whispered in my ear.
On the drive back, Theron pointed to my necklace. “It’s nice,” he said.
“It’s a birthday present. I turn eighteen tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“How do you know?” I asked. “I just found out.”
“I had the Laurel book for years, remember?”
“Oh, right.”
We were quiet for a bit, and then he said, “You know Ian is in love with you, don’t you?”
I let out a long breath. “I wish he wasn’t. Falling in love is a waste of time. You should know that better than anyone.”
“Even a cynic like me knows that love is never a waste of time. Are you in love with him, too?”
“I could be if I let myself.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, if you let yourself?”
“It means I can’t be in love with Ian because he’s going to likeness with someone else and I’ll lose him. I’ve experienced that kind of loss too many times already. I won’t willingly let it happen again. Besides, if it’s Ian I lose, I think it might kill a piece of my soul.”
