Authors: Candace Knoebel
“Hopefully we’ll never see him again,” Fenn said curtly. He slowly let go of me, moving to stack the rest of the chairs.
“Hopefully?” I asked severely. “Fenn, you just ruined any chance we had at finding out exactly what
we
are. You know, since you conveniently forgot to clue me in on the energy you feel flowing through you,” I said in a disparaging tone. I wanted him to hear the hurt in my voice.
He stiffened, keeping his back to me as he spoke through a low voice. “You don’t know what you’re talking about and neither did he.” He turned to face me. “I don’t feel anything,” he finished with heavy emphasis.
But he didn’t look at me when he said it, something he only does when he’s lying.
I felt my face go hot with fury. He still chooses to lie to me? My palms tingled with an urge to slap him.
“Well, whether you lie to me and yourself or not, it’s real, and it was right there, in our faces, and you ruined it.” I looked away, deliberately.
“No, Rory, you’re wrong. I saved us,” he said firmly, his eyes blazing. “We don’t even know who that lunatic is. I mean, if you want to believe him so bad, then did you ever consider that he could be from the wrong side of wherever we’re from? He could’ve killed you.” He slammed the chairs as he stacked them, struggling to control his anger.
“Well, I guess we’ll never find out now, will we? Thanks for that,” I threw back at him sarcastically.
“You’re welcome,” he replied bitterly, untying his apron and throwing it in a bundle on the ground. He stormed off towards the kitchen, probably to clock us out.
I watched him through a haze, seeing him but not really watching him as my mind began to tumble in what had just happened.
I inhaled, dragging in a deep breath, pulling the air through my body as if it would wash away the fear and uncertainty of the situation. It felt good, that deep breath, but it didn’t change anything.
I knew Fenn didn’t want to take any serious thought to that guy’s words, but something in me couldn’t ignore them. They related to all the other crazy things that had happened to me. And the magic that guy used was undeniable.
I repeated what he had said over and over inside my head, trying to sear it deep into my memory. The word, dragon, sent a jolt through me. He said I needed to find the keys in order to return home. I wouldn’t even know where to begin without his help.
With more questions than answers, I picked up Fenn’s apron and counted my tips, separating out the house money. Fenn returned moments later and flipped the lights off. He broke the silence by saying, “I don’t want to argue with you. Let’s go home.” He sounded sincere.
I rolled my eyes as an answer and followed suit as he threw his arm over my shoulder. Chapter 4
The Truth Will Set You Free
ON THE BUS, I YAWNED as the streetlights lit up the empty vessel, small blips of light peeking in and out as we rumbled down the quiet streets. The driver’s usual arrogance was gone, maybe with the late hour. Does he ever take a break from driving? The thought came and went. I didn’t care, I was tired and just wanted to be home.
Fenn pulled out one of my earphones and whispered, “Tomorrow will be a better day, I promise.” Then he gently leaned his head against mine.
“Yeah,” I replied monotonously.
The screeching of the obnoxious brakes told us that we had made our destination. I took Fenn’s offered hand and pulled my aching body out of the seat.
A lit sign announced M tel 6 right above a man dressed in rags holding onto a rusted shopping cart full of knotted plastic bags. I looked up to the second floor of the motel where our room was.
Yep, this is my life
, I thought with a sigh as we walked across the desolate, fissured parking lot.
I trudged up the stairs, anxious to be in the comfort of my home. Fenn and I shared a cheap room with a queen-sized mattress on the floor in the middle of the room. A TV rested on a cheap old end table we found at a yard sale. In the far corner was our tiny, run-down bathroom, the chipped tile and rotting paint still waiting for the manager to fix. The kitchen consisted of a stove, a refrigerator, and a sink along the back wall. A couch, doubling as Fenn’s bed, sat along the front window next to a dresser that we shared.
The pink and green striped wallpaper peeled off in various places revealing the cold, hard concrete walls. I was tempted to rip all the wallpaper away and be done with it. At one time, I’m certain the wallpaper meshed with the hunter green carpet.
I quickly changed and got situated before letting the bed engulf me. Falling onto my bed after a long day was a feeling that I always looked forward to.
Fenn pulled out the couch. I watched him through dreary eyes as he put his sheet on and threw his pillows to the end. My comforter did its intended job of being very comforting, like a mother’s love. In my case, it was Mily, my foster mother’s smiling face that had always comforted me.
Instead of throwing himself into his own bed of comfort, Fenn walked over to me and said, “Can we talk for a sec?”
“Sure,” I replied, scooting over so he had room to sit.
The nervousness that lingered in the air reminded me of standing on Mily’s doorstep at the age of ten, unsure of where I was or how I’d gotten there. When she opened the door, Fenn was standing behind her, and somehow by seeing him, well, I just knew that I’d be okay.
“I want to talk to you about something.” He spoke softly and stared at the floor, his shoulders slouched over, both hands gripping the bed. Whatever it was, it was serious.
“Okay,” I eased.
“What that man said was true…I have felt something inside me before. But never like how you’ve described it. And I’ve never actually
done
anything, like with fire or whatever. I’ve just always felt…different.” He didn’t look at me, which was what he often did when he was uncomfortable.
I felt a rush of excitement as I asked, “But different how?”
He shifted and said, “Like whenever you seem in danger or something, this rush of strength surges through me. I can lift things that are at least four times my weight. And I heal quickly. Any cut that I’ve ever had has always healed hours after.” He finally looked at me, his eyes full of uncertainty.
I laid my hand on his back. “It’s okay, Fenn. Maybe this is why we don’t remember our childhood. You don’t have to be scared,” I said, trying to help him along.
“I’m not scared,” he said defensively. “I’ve just never said anything because there was already so much going on with you. I didn’t want you to worry.” He paused a moment, as if deliberating, and then finished, “I think I just didn’t want to come to terms with it. I just want to be normal.” He leaned into me, resting his head against mine like he always does when needing relief.
“Well, it seems like we don’t have much of a choice. We are what we are,” I said softly.
“We
do
have a choice, Rory.” He sat up. “Avoid it and continue living normally. Just the little bit that we’ve experienced so far has been too dangerous for you, and I can’t let anything happen to you. You have to trust me,” he urged.
I felt the threat of a smile and tried to tuck it away. “That sounds a lot like what Mr. Creepy said. You’re my protector, remember? And you’re not fighting that instinct,” I teased.
There was an immediate awareness in his eyes as my words hit home. He knew I was right.
“I do trust you, Fenn and I’m really glad you decided to tell me the truth. Let’s just take it one day at a time. See what happens, okay?”
He nodded and kissed my forehead.
A soft, very faint melody sounded in my mind as the kiss to my head lingered on a moment longer. It was the oddest, most hauntingly beautiful sound I’d ever heard. A tingly feeling awoke in the pit of my stomach from the warmth of his breath against my face.
My cheeks were instantly red. “Good night,” I said with as much indifference as I could muster, turning away from him.
I slumped back into my bed where I could hopefully rest for the night, pulling the sheet up to cover my nose. I rolled over and shut my eyes as tight as they would go.
Something happened when he kissed me so softly, something I wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
Ignore it
, I thought as the soft whirl of the fan pushed me into sleep.
I woke only a few hours later from the confusion of a dream and found myself curled into Fenn. My hand was resting across his chest, as if we’d slept this way a thousand times.
When the haze of sleep wore off, it hit me. I slowly eased myself off of him and onto my side hoping that he wouldn’t wake to find me there. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. We were just friends…right?
Get up
, I told myself.
Just get up and go back to your own bed.
But I didn’t want to. It felt right to be next to him. “At four o’clock in the morning?” I whispered as I glanced at the clock. What was I thinking?
"Alright," I mouthed to myself, and slowly tried to ease up on one arm. But just as I pushed up, his arms locked around me, and he said, “Stay just a little while longer.” He gently pulled me back to his chest.
I lay there wide-eyed and caught.
“Huh?” I asked, holding my breath as I waited to see if he was actually awake. But he wasn’t.
I wonder if he was thinking of me when he said that. Maybe I should just stay. No, that would be stupid. He would get the wrong idea.
He began to say something else so I leaned in to listen, not following my own advice. “No, the bumblebees are coming,” he muttered. His words were so jumbled, it was almost impossible to make them out.
I silently laughed, letting the moment pass, and eased out of his bed, heading back to my own. Huffing at my insanity, I pulled the blankets up over my head. This is ridiculous. Every night I wish for peaceful sleep, and every night I’m still lying here, waiting for sleep to come.
Waking up in a good mood would be completely out of the question come morning. “Let’s try this again,” I whispered to myself and closed my eyes. Maybe this time the dream gods would leave me alone so I could actually sleep. Chapter 5
The Surprise!
I WOKE THE NEXT MORNING greeting the ceiling with a blank stare. I rolled over and then grimaced at Fenn. His intruding smile illuminated his face.
“Well, good morning to you too, Sunshine,” he taunted as he got up from the couch and headed to the bathroom.
“How long have you been sitting there?” I called out, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“Long enough to hear all your secrets,” he replied with a wry smile before he shut the bathroom door.
I rolled my eyes. Mr. Creepy’s eyes suddenly popped into my head—flashing a white so bright it had burned into my retina. I needed to find him and learn more. But how could I do that with both Fenn and me having the day off?
“You okay?” Fenn asked as he came out of the bathroom. “You have that serious plotting look written all over your face.”
“No, I don’t,” I replied a little too hastily. “Are
you
okay?” I tried to sound inconspicuous.
“Uh, no,” he said as he moved to the couch.
That’s when I noticed my bookbag by the door. I’d put that away on the highest shelf in the closet after graduating, glad to never have to use it again. Why was it out?
I crept over to it and rummaged through its contents. An extra pair of clothes, a sheet, my phone…
“Okay? What’s this?” I asked with a grin.
He was sitting on the couch flipping through channels on the TV, all casual-like.
“What’s what?” he asked innocently. His lips twitched, fighting back a smile.
I sat down next to him and noticed that he smelled like a fresh bar of soap. I looked swiftly away, my face instantly flushed. What is wrong with me? That tingly ache resurfaced over my skin.
I recovered my composure and said, “What do you mean, ‘what’s what?’ You know what I’m talking about. Where are we going?”
“That is for me to know and for you to find out, little lady. A little normalcy for a change might do us some good.” A smug grin stretched across his face.
“Is that what you think?” I retorted, trying to hide my elation.
“Yep, so you need to get ready. We are on
my
time today, which means
on time
, something I know you’re not used to,” he finished with a laugh. He looked satisfied.
“We’re on
my
time,” I mimicked as I headed to the bathroom, blissfully smiling.
I took a quick shower, pulled on a pair of torn jean shorts and a hot pink cami, and threw my damp hair into a sloppy ponytail. I really couldn’t have moved any faster.
Locking up, I rushed to meet Fenn downstairs, my footsteps bouncing with giddiness. Although it was a detour from what I had initially wanted to do, it was something he had planned, exclusively for us, which was not typical for him. Acknowledging that idea awoke many butterflies.
I stopped when I saw what Fenn was standing next to. Mily’s car was parked in the first parking spot. “Pretty courageous,” I commented, impressed.
“She let us borrow her car. She must be losing it.” Fenn smiled.
I hopped in and noticed he had a CD of my choice playing. Indie Rock.
“Awwww,” I stretched out. “I’d be so lost without you.” I quickly looked to the window as crimson once again marked my cheeks. I could have said it before and it wouldn’t have embarrassed me, but now… I let the thought disappear as quickly as it had surfaced.
His hand touched my knee. I jumped. Then his fingers brushed under my chin, turning my face to him. “I feel the same,” he replied, keeping his smoldering eyes locked with mine. My breath caught and then he looked away, easing the intensity of the moment.
For a moment, I couldn’t speak. There was no denying what he meant. The music filled the ticking seconds as I tried to erase the shock from my face.
“So…where to Oh Mysterious One?” I finally managed.
With a secretive smile, he threw the car in drive and peeled out of the parking lot.
“Put this on,” he said, tossing me a bandana.
“For what? And could you please slow down a bit? That was a little dramatic, don’t you think?” I asked, tightening my seatbelt for effect.
“Just put it over your eyes until I tell you to take it off,” he instructed, curbing the lead in his foot.
“Is this some sort of fantasy that you’ve always dreamed about? Having me blindfolded?” I wrapped it tight around my eyes.
“You know it,” he confirmed with a chuckle as I relaxed back into the seat and let the morning glide past. The mid-June breeze drifted through the car, the sweet hint of blossoming fruit mixing with the scent of the ocean. My sense of smell was heightened from my closed eyes. It was a heavenly morning, relaxing my soul.