by C. L. Stone
“The ranks?” I asked.
“They don’t usually watch football. They’re not very much into sports. They enjoy the rivalry though.”
I shook my head, looking at the homes they’d disappeared into. It was odd to have been thinking such dark thoughts about Luke, and then to see him now, enjoying the Thanksgiving events with everyone else. That didn’t seem like a Volto who was so worried about me being with someone else.
Still, the circumstances…
Dr. Green urged me to collect some of the smaller pumpkins. The others were setting up tables in rows spaced evenly apart, guided by Mr. Blackbourne.
Dr. Green and I placed tablecloths on each unfolded table, and a pumpkin in the center of each one to ensure the tablecloth stayed put in the breeze until it was time to set food down on them.
The two buffet tables were placed away from the others, and Dr. Green directed me to begin loading it with the supplies that were still in the back of the BMW.
“I’m glad we’re doing it buffet style this time,” he said. “North figured out a way to handle cleanup much faster this year, so no one is stuck with too much work after eating.”
It was interesting to hear the ‘this year’ part. So they did Thanksgiving in this neighborhood every year?
If I were still with them next year, perhaps it would mean I would join them again. It changed my perspective of this a little to know I wasn’t just going to be here for the day and disappear. I peeked at faces of the others around when they didn’t seem to be paying attention. They seemed nice, but what did they think about me joining in?
After the tables were set and the chairs were unfolded and placed around the tables, I looked up to see Victor’s BMW rolling down the street. It was a relief to see it. Not that Dr. Green or Mr. Blackbourne weren’t great company, but they were often busy talking to the neighbors, and if I had nothing left to do, or had a question, I had to approach the group.
Victor parked his car behind a carport in a different driveway. Just as Kota, Nathan and Victor were getting out of the car, North arrived with Silas in a black truck. Had I seen this one before? North had so many black vehicles, that they all looked alike to me.
North drove the truck all the way to the end of the cul-de-sac, stopping short of the tables at the end. Then he pulled around, so the rear of the truck was facing the tables.
He hopped out, wearing the same black ensemble as he’d been in at the diner, except half of the buttons down the shirt were undone, revealing the black tank shirt underneath. It was a striking look, showing of his chest and the muscles in his shoulders. It was also nicer than his usual black T-shirt and jeans.
Silas was wearing tan slacks and a dark blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up beyond his elbows. Despite his more formal attire, Silas couldn’t hide his bulky, muscular body. His dark hair was combed neatly and the blue in his shirt complemented his olive complexion.
I wanted to say hello, but North had the truck door open and directed the attention of Mr. Blackbourne quickly. “I’m running late. The game will be over soon. There’s only thirty minutes left.”
“There will be plenty of time-outs and commercial breaks before then,” Mr. Blackbourne said.
Like they’d orchestrated it, they suddenly fell into line, carrying boxes and containers out of the truck. It became a process of unloading the small turkeys, hams and side dishes, and arranging them into two rows down the buffet tables. The far end was loaded with pumpkin pies and a couple of chocolate cakes that Nathan said Luke had added to the collection. “Borrowed from Uncle’s freezer,” he said with a wink.
I helped where I could, but even then, it became impossible to follow after a while. They moved so fast, that I was left to watch, dazzled by the cheerful and cooperative way they worked together.
In the end, it was a spread to feed a small army.
Eventually, Victor pulled away from the others as they were sorting dishes, and I moved around to join him. The red tie he wore was flipped over and I watched as he smoothed his hand down to fix it. His fire eyes lifted and met with mine as I approached; and a spark started, low at first but lit up to a gentle crackle when I reached him.
He waited until I was close until he spoke. “I don’t think I’ve had a chance to tell you I like the gray skirt with the pink blouse. I like those colors together.”
I blushed. “Thank you.”
A small smile formed on his lips. “You don’t have to thank me for a compliment.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I changed the subject. “It’s been a really busy day so far,” I said.
“It isn’t the end for us yet,” he said. He nodded toward the tables. “This is our noon shift.”
My eyes widened. “Oh? What happens after?”
His eyes blazed with amusement. He reached out to rub the center of my back gently, smoothing the material of the jacket. “It gets easier,” he said. “It’s just more to do. Some of us have to go back for our own family things.”
So they did do something with their own families. “I had assumed that would be all we’d be doing today,” I said. “I had expected to have dinner with Nathan, unless he went to Kota’s. I was trying to figure out where I was going to go.”
“You can go wherever you’d like,” he said quickly, and then his smile faltered. “Well, I’d invite you to my house...except my parents will be there.”
I kept the smile, sympathizing with him. He didn’t have to say so, but I already knew his parents, Jasmine and George would be at his family Thanksgiving. George was someone I hoped to avoid as I’d found him to be very crude. Jasmine, I was unsure of; she’d seemed curious about me before, though sad her son wouldn’t allow her to talk to me. I trusted there was a reason Victor avoided having me around when they were home.
“In a few years, I won’t have to go, either,” he said with a smile. “Once I turn eighteen, I hope to be conveniently busy with life.” The palm of his hand smoothed down over my back again. “It’ll all be different.”
I got what he was hinting at, and yet, I still couldn’t picture our future. I didn’t think any of us knew for sure what it might look like. Truthfully, I had a hard enough time picturing next week.
Finally the food was ready.
“Let’s eat,” the woman with the yellow bandana said. “Why do we have to wait on those watching the game?”
“We wait because we should,” someone else said. “It’s Thanksgiving.”
“Not fair,” the woman said. “I’m pretty sure I saw Hugh stealing a bite already.”
They all laughed, but no one sat down, remaining patient as they chatted and waited for the others.
A few minutes later, person after person spilled out of the two homes, each of them wearing team colors and all of them headed toward the tables. Younger kids with some older adults and teenagers came out of a third house up the street and headed our way.
My insides trembled, and I backed up out of reflex, wanting to get out of the way. As more people emerged from the houses, I felt even smaller. So many people lived on this block?
Victor pressed his hand to my back, but stepped beside me, smiling. “It’s okay,” he said. “I know it looks like a stampede.”
I was grateful for his presence and leaned into him, using his body for support. He stayed with me, watching as peopled passed us.
“I get nervous, too,” he said quietly. He leaned in closer, whispering to me. “Just stay near me, sweetheart.” He kissed my ear, and then began greeting people as they passed.
Gabriel and Luke trailed behind at the end of the group. Gabriel had removed his sweater, wearing only the orange T-shirt. He wiped at his forehead, brushing back the locks of blond and mixing it with the russet. “Whew,” he said. “Fuck a duck. It was roasting in that room. Two televisions and everyone crowded in that space.”
“Yours was hot? I think the heater is broken where I was.” Luke said. His fists were clenched at his sides and then he crossed
his arms over his lean chest, shivering. “I was hoping it would be warmer out here.” He opened his arms up and went toward Victor, hugging him around the waste. “Vic…I’m so cold.”
“Luke!” Victor cried out, pulling away from me for a moment to grab Luke’s elbows and try to push him away. “Stop it.”
“Freezing,” Luke said, his lips in a pout, but his eyes betrayed his amusement. He held on tighter, nuzzled at his shoulder. “Fix that house.”
“If you’re talking about Marge’s house, she doesn’t like wasting electricity when you could be wearing a sweater,” Victor said, still pushing Luke away, and stepped around me, putting me in the middle.
Luke released Victor and then went for me, arms wide, and pulled me into him, holding close. He turned me so he could look back at the house he’d come from. “Oh, wait, is that Marge’s? Or is it Frank’s?”
This started a debate among them, as they pointed and worked out who lived in which house. I got lost after the first few, and didn’t know who was Marge or Frank or anyone else. Luke eventually let go, the teasing done. I stood beside them watching while the others were forming two lines around the buffet table.
It was a little chilly, but the sun overhead gave off a gentle warmth. The jacket I wore seemed to be enough for now.
Amid it all, the smell of food was getting to me. I stared at the turkey, potatoes and other sides, and absently started to rub my stomach. It’d been a long day, and breakfast felt like eons ago.
As if reading my mind, Luke grabbed my arm and tugged me toward the lines of people. “Are you hungry yet? I’ve been giving out pumpkin pies all day and I haven’t had anything more than a slice or two.”
“You didn’t steal a pie out of a box, did you?” Victor asked, he and Gabriel following Luke and I.
“Of course not,” he said. “I took from one of the extras in the back.”
“You mean the ones meant for the diner tomorrow when it opens again?” Victor asked with a small smile. “Uncle will notice.”
“And he’ll know it was me,” Luke said. We got into line, and he released me to rub hands together. “Don’t guilt trip me now; I’ve been looking forward to this all week. It’s the one day North doesn’t yell at me about eating too much.”
Once we were in line, it moved really quickly. I was handed a plate, and all I had to do was hold it. Victor stood to my left, Luke to my right, and they took equal turns putting food on my plate. Luke loaded it with extra piles of mashed potatoes meant for him after his plate got too full to hold any more halfway down the line.
“We’ll have to come back for desserts,” Luke said, carefully supporting the bottom of his plate so it wouldn’t collapse under the weight of his food. I couldn’t believe how high he’d piled the turkey, ham, gravy, biscuits and marshmallow-topped sweet potato.
“You can come back for seconds, too, don’t forget,” Victor said with a chuckle. “There’s no need to try to get it all in one go.”
“This is just firsts,” Luke said. “Seconds is coming. I’m not forgetting.”
I couldn’t imagine his stomach holding what was on his plate, let alone any more. Where would it go?
I was thinking at first we would all be sitting together, but the boys spread out among the different tables. I hesitated, unsure who to follow. I tried to follow Luke since I carried his extra food, but he and Gabriel weaved into a spot with two seats open and nothing beside them.
As I hesitated, scanning the tables for a spot, Victor urged me to the opposite side of the table, where there were three empty chairs. I’d be sitting across from Luke, which made sense. Still, I would be sitting beside someone I didn’t know.
I was hesitant, but was at least grateful that Victor would be next to me. He moved ahead of me, put his plate down, and then reached for mine. As his slim fingers covered my hands, he brushed at them gently and held onto his light smile, the spark in his eyes a gentle simmer. He took the plate and placed it down before pulling out the chair for me.
“My, my, what a gentleman you turned out to be,” said a voice behind me. I looked over my shoulder, finding the woman with the yellow bandana in her hair. She placed her plate down and pulled out the empty chair beside mine, sitting heavily into it. She shoved the escaped lock of hair back behind her ear and unfolded a napkin, placing it in her lap. “Victor, you’ve grown up a few inches since last year. Last time I saw you, you were such a cute thing.”
Victor’s eyes flared with amusement, and his cheeks reddened. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
She laughed. “You get to a point in your life, right around thirty, I think, and then you seem to stop growing up, or growing old. You just get through life.” She started spearing her spoon at her food, mixing some gravy into her mashed potatoes. She looked at me. “And who is this girl? No one’s told me her name yet.”
“This is Sang,” Victor said, waving a hand in my direction. “Sang, this is Mackenzie.”
The woman held out a hand. “Call me Mac,” she said.
I held out a timid hand shortly, and instead of shaking, she simply held it in a strong grip, releasing quickly.
I was going over if I should say hello, or what to say, but she tuned into her plate, and then to the people on her other side, still smiling.
I sat down and delicately picked up my fork. Mac kept her conversation about the food in the plates of other people at the table. I kept one hand constantly in my lap, tucking my elbow into my body on her side so I wouldn’t accidentally bump into her. I leaned into Victor a lot. I wanted to relax, but I’d spent all morning with a rush of people—strangers—and had used up a lot of courage and energy to get through it. I wasn’t so sure I could get used to this type of Thanksgiving.
It was a little easier after I’d started to eat. Most everyone else around us focused on their plates, clearly hungry, too. With my mouth full, I wasn’t bothered for conversation.
Shortly after we’d started, Victor looked around and then frowned. “I forgot to grab something to drink,” he said. He wiped at his lips with his napkin and stood up. “Would you like some water?”
I did, but I panicked a little at the thought of him leaving. I nodded, though, knowing he was going anyway.
Once he was gone, I focused on my plate. Luckily Mac was in a heated debate with some of the men near her. There was an awkward feeling of being around friends who all knew each other but being new and not knowing anyone. My head dipped down, and I picked at a piece of turkey.
There was a nudge at my foot, and I slid it back, afraid I’d knocked into the woman next to me. I looked up in a shock to find Luke looking at me, his dark eyes intense and somewhat curious. Quietly we exchanged something of a conversation. He was asking me if I was okay. I nodded slowly, trying to tell him that I’d survive, but was a little uncomfortable.
He kept his foot on top of mine and then reached over, speared a piece of ham from my plate and brought it to his mouth with a grin.
That forced a small smile from me and I was grateful for the distraction.
He moved one hand up where I could see, and he started to sign. “Is the food not good?” he signed.
I cringed. I shook my head and then quickly signed back to him. “The food is great. It’s just a lot of new people. I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Save your energy. We’ve got a long night ahead of us.”
“What will happen later?” I asked.
He smiled wickedly. It was his plotting smirk, the one he’d worn when he wanted to draw over North’s face. Had he planted a trick somewhere here?
My heart raced, but as much as I prodded him through signing to tell me what would happen, he refused to answer, instead busying his hands with his utensils and loading his mouth with food.
Victor returned with a soda for himself and placed a bottle of water in front of me. When I looked back at Luke, he was talking with Gabriel again.
Victor opened my bottle of water for me and then gazed at me, lifting a cur
ious eyebrow. “Something wrong?” he asked.
“No,” I said. With everyone talking around us, I couldn’t really hear what Luke and Gabriel were saying. I assumed that meant neither of them could hear if I talked to Victor. “I think Luke is planning something.”
“He’s always planning something,” Victor said. “Ever since I met him.”
“In elementary school, right?”
“Yup,” he said. He opened his soda and poured it into a plastic cup before taking a sip. “Back when there were only five of us. And no Academy yet.”
I widened my eyes, looking around. Victor said it so openly. Did they all know about the Academy? I turned back to him, wanting to learn more. “What was it like before?”
“What was it like for you before you met us?” he asked. He reached over, covering my hand with his. “Strike that. I was trying to think of a comparison, but it’s not really the same.”
I understood. “So it was normal for you?”
“Just the usual early school life, only we didn’t exactly all have great parents. I think that’s how we became friends initially. We could just look at each other and know something wasn’t right.” He picked at some of his vegetables, scraped them loose from his fork, only to spear them again. “Even back then, we were trying to fix things, in our own way.”
“And Mr. Blackbourne recruited you all?”
He nodded. “He caught us trying to fix a problem. He’d been told we were just causing trouble, but really, we were helping out another student. When he realized what we were up to, he had us all out of school in the next week, and onto something better.” He lifted his head, the fire in his eyes starting to spark with life. “Having that support changes you. Someone believed we were able to do good things, and now we do.”
“What about Luke?” I asked, my voice softer, not wanting to risk him hearing the question. “Did he have a hard time with the change?”
Victor tilted his head an inch. “Luke? Well, maybe. That’s just his personality, though.”
I glanced at Luke and Gabriel again, but they were both in a friendly argument about something with people sitting beside them. They were all smiling, just loud.
