Helios Beginnings (The Helios Chronicles #0.5) (12 page)

~*~

“Are you hungry?” Olivia asked, glancing over at him.

Andrew shrugged. “I’m good, thanks.”

“I’ve got a roast slow cooking but if you want something now we can stop somewhere.”

He shook his head. “It’s alright. I’m fine.”

Andrew turned his head towards the window, watching as Los Angeles passed him by. He still wasn’t sure about moving to Bakersfield but his aunt insisted and he had nowhere else to go. Thankfully for the rest of the two hour drive both his Aunt and her husband remained quiet. He just hoped and prayed that staying with them was a good decision. Something had to go right in his life.

Andrew sat up completely when they exited the freeway. He scanned everything. He couldn’t help it. His long life on the streets told him to always be aware of his surroundings. Old habits die hard. They passed a sign that read ‘Happy Trails’ mobile home park. They passed several trailer homes, some looked the part but many others looked like houses and Andrew wondered why they were there as well.

“We’re home,” Olivia said happily.

Andrew looked at the home as he stepped out. “Is this a trailer?”

“It’s actually called a modular home,” Aaron answered.

Andrew wasn’t sure what the difference was, but he didn’t care. It was a roof over his head. Aaron and Olivia walked hand in hand into the house with Andrew following behind them, carrying his box that contained primarily his sketch books. The minute they entered the home the smell of roast beef permeated his senses. Andrew didn’t remember the last time he had a home cooked meal.

“That smells delicious, honey,” Aaron said kissing her cheek.

She smiled at him and motioned her head towards Andrew. Aaron turned to him with a smile.

“Come, I’ll show you your room.”

Andrew followed him down the hallway to a door at the very end. It was a small room with only a double bed and a dresser. But what Andrew spotted immediately was the window. He stepped inside the room and set his box on the bed and then dropped down on it himself. It felt ten times better than what he was used to.

“It’s not much, but we figured we’d let you decide what you wanted in here.” He grinned. “It’s a fresh slate.”

“It’s fine thank you.”

“Well,” Aaron placed his hands in his pocket and rocked slightly. “I’ll give you a moment to yourself. Dinner will be ready soon, but in the meantime, the bathroom is down the hall and you are welcome to watch whatever you like on the television.”

Andrew nodded and Aaron stepped out of the room. Andrew quickly walked to the window and opened it, letting the breeze in. It was pretty hot outside, but he didn’t care. After six years in prison, he wanted as much fresh air as he could possibly get.

IV

Bakersfield, California

“I’ll just wait out here, Andrew,” Aaron said as Andrew stared at the office building.

Andrew absently nodded and stepped out of the car heading towards the building. He stopped at the door that read
Department of Corrections, Office of Parole
. Letting out a sigh, he opened the door, hoping this would not be as bad as he imagined it to be. The room was pretty plain and unassuming. There were a few seats against the wall with a table between them and outdated magazines lying on the scratched, wooden top. Andrew glanced around. He didn’t see a secretary or anyone to check in with. His brows furrowed, wondering how his probation officer would know he was there. He glanced at the clock, noting that he was early and that at least he wouldn’t get in trouble for being late. He took a seat in one of the uncomfortable chairs and leaned his head against the wall. His eyes closed as he took some steadying breaths, trying to calm down.

“Harrison!” A deep, booming voice echoed in the room and immediately caused Andrew to shoot up from his chair.

Andrew blinked his eyes a couple of times as he stood before one of the largest black men he had ever seen. He was about his own height but was huge. Andrew didn’t even think his hands could wrap around the girth of the man’s neck, not that he would ever test that theory. The man was wearing a pair of black pants and a white shirt with black boots on. He resembled one of the guards at county, one of the tough ones that would beat you within an inch of your life if you dared to look at them sideways.

“Are you Harrison?” the man asked, tapping a folder against his hand.

Andrew’s thoughts automatically went back to all the guards at county that used to do that very same thing only they did it with their nightsticks. It was their way of making sure that the prisoners knew exactly who was in charge. Andrew decided at that moment that this guy before him had definitely worked in a prison before or maybe he was ex-military or something like that. He carried himself like a man used to being in charge and someone that would not take non-compliance lightly.

“Yeah, I’m Harrison,” he said firmly, trying not to piss him off but at the same time, not wanting him to think he could bully him.

The man motioned to an office and waited until Andrew walked passed him before he started to follow. When they entered the room he motioned for Andrew to sit down in the chair in front of the desk as he walked around it, never taking his eyes off of his new charge. He sat down loudly and dropped the file on his desk. He looked up at the man before him and then down at his desk, flipping the file open.

“I don’t put up with bullshit, Harrison,” he said, glancing up from the file, gaging Andrew’s reaction.

“I won’t be a problem,” Andrew replied, taking a quick breath.

The man grinned and leaned back in his chair.

“This here,” he said tapping the open file, “This here tells me you were in a lot of fights. Who did you claim while you were inside?” he asked, arching his brow.

Andrew shook his head, “No one, I stayed to myself.”

The man grinned once more and it seemed odd on such a hard looking face, “So who were you fucking to stay protected?”

Andrew frowned and narrowed his eyes at him, “NO ONE. That’s why I was in a lot of fights.”

The man, Jamal Lewis, chuckled and stood up. He casually walked around to the front of the desk. He leaned against it and crossed his large arms, starring at Andrew. Andrew inherently shrunk back a little further in his chair and then sat up straight, not wanting to show any fear. Jamal suddenly moved and grabbed Andrew’s hands. It was a move that startled Andrew; he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. His gut said to fight, but his head warned him against it. Jamal started to twist Andrew’s hands so that he could inspect his knuckles, noting that they were hard and calloused much like a boxers.

“So you were some kind of brawler inside?” he asked gripping his hands a bit tighter.

“I only fought when I had to,” Andrew answered, swallowing hard.

Jamal dropped Andrew’s right hand and then twisted his left arm, eyeing the evidence of Andrew’s previous drug use. He looked up at him with a serious expression on his hard face.

“You plan on getting high now that you’re out?”

Andrew glared at him and pulled his arm away, “NO! I have no intentions of getting high.”

“Well, you better not, Harrison.”

Jamal Lewis leaned back again and crossed his massive arms once more, which Andrew honestly thought could probably squeeze the life out of an anaconda. Jamal eyed him speculatively, trying to decide what kind of parolee he would be.

“Like I said, I don’t tolerate bullshit. You fuck up and I am revoking your parole and sending your ass straight back to county. You understand,” he said calmly.

“I understand.”

Jamal watched the indignation in his parolee and laughed. He turned and walked back around his desk, plopping down in his seat once more. He closed the file and moved forward in his chair so that his large body was leaning over the desk. He gave Andrew a wry little smile that caused Andrew to furrow his brows.

“So what the fuck is happening at county now-a-days?”

“What?” Andrew asked in utter confusion.

For the next twenty minutes Jamal asked Andrew several questions about what he did in prison, who he knew, and what guards were still there. Apparently, Jamal knew Guard Reeves, which was probably a good thing considering Reeves was a cool guy that seemed to like Andrew. After Mr. Lewis was done quizzing him about county, he asked him the hard questions. What he was planning to do about life outside of prison and what kind of jobs he will be looking for. Andrew answered as best as he could, but internally he was still fuming at what Jamal had said earlier. When he was finished, he marched out to the car and closed the door; thankful that Aaron didn’t ask him any questions.

“How did it go?” Olivia asked as the two men entered the house.

Andrew ignored her and stormed down the hallway towards his room. Once inside he slammed the door shut. He immediately began pacing the small bedroom, his right hand firmly set on his left forearm, moving over the track marks.

“Fucking Jamal!” Andrew muttered angrily.

He could hear his aunt and her husband mumbling outside his door as she asked him what had happened. Andrew almost groaned when he heard his aunt telling Aaron to talk to him. Andrew let out a loud sigh when the hesitant knock came and the door cracked open, just a tad.

“Andrew, it’s Aaron, may I come in?”

“It’s your house; you can do whatever you want, can’t you?” Andrew asked sarcastically.

“Well, not really. You have a right to privacy just as much as the next man.”

Andrew didn’t mean to but he couldn’t help it, he huffed rather loudly wondering if Aaron really believed that. Aaron walked passed him and took a seat on the bed while Andrew continued his erratic pacing. He couldn’t figure out how he was supposed to start over when everyone kept bringing up his past. Not only was he a convict but he was an addict as well. He felt as if no one would ever give him a chance.

“I take it things didn’t go so well with your probation officer?”

Andrew stopped pacing and glared at him. Aaron didn’t seem to mind and continued talking as if everything was alright.

“You were real quiet on the car ride back here. Would you like to talk about it?”

“Look. I know that my aunt was the only one willing to take me in. I appreciate it, please don’t think that I don’t, but you don’t have to be nice to me,” Andrew said somewhat annoyed at Aaron’s fatherly gestures. “In fact, it would probably be better if I just go to the shelter out in LA. I know she feels guilty and all, but she owes me nothing and neither do you!” Andrew finished with a great deal of anger in his voice. 

“There is no need for you to go to the shelter. Your aunt and I want you to stay with us. We are your family and if you give it a chance, you may be able to start over here,” Aaron replied with a gentle voice that Andrew was not accustomed to.

“Yeah, well, Aaron, I’m sorry to burst your utopia bubble here, but ya know, in my world, there are no second chances, there are no happily ever afters, and there are definitely no new beginnings. That’s just the way that it is. So this caring act you got going on is not necessary and honestly, it’s a completely wasted gesture on me.”

Andrew was trying to hold back the venom of his words but couldn’t seem to get a grip on his emotions. Aaron regarded his crossed hands contemplatively and then took a deep breath before looking back up and watching as Andrew continued to pace.

“Andrew, have you ever heard the legend of the Phoenix?”

Andrew stopped pacing and looked at him confused. “Is that that bird that catches on fire?”

“Yes,” he said with a smile. “Legend has it that the Phoenix was the most beautiful bird you could ever see with all these colorful feathers and these piercing eyes that could look straight through you. They say that it was so beautiful that people couldn’t help but admire it; they were unable to look away. Now some legends say that this bird had mystical powers ranging from healing others to making people immortal but the real interesting thing about the Phoenix was that every 1000 years when it was close to death and its life as it knew it was over, it would burst into flames. Some legends even say that it built its own pyre and then would throw itself in the fire.”

He watched Andrew to see if he was making the connection. Andrew stared back at him confused as to how this story pertained to him. Aaron smiled, realizing he needed to clarify his thoughts.

“So the Phoenix basically had to die so that it could be reborn again. It got another chance at life,” he said thoughtfully. “Don’t you see?”

Andrew shook his head.

“You are like that Phoenix. You reached the end of your life as you knew it when you were in prison. At that time you went up flames and this is your opportunity to be reborn, to become more than who you were before. It’s your second chance at life again, but only if you want it, it’s your choice, Andrew, to take or to squander,” he said with more sincerity than Andrew had ever witnessed.

Aaron took a deep breath and stood up. He walked over to Andrew and removed the death grip that he had on his arm. He gently ran his fingers along Andrew’s track marks and took another deep breath. He looked up at him and Andrew was taken aback. The expression on Aaron’s face was the look a loving father might give to his son.

“This is not who you are.” He then took Andrew’s hands in his and ran his thumbs along his calloused knuckles, still looking at him, “This does not define you.”

Andrew could feel that his eyes were beginning to water, which confused him. His heart constricted as he fought back the tears. Aaron squeezed Andrew’s hands and looked him directly in the eyes.

“But you have to believe that,” he said letting go of his hands.

Andrew was breathing hard; his heart was racing. No one had ever talked to him like that. No one had ever believed in him or cared enough about him to give him sound and loving advice. Aaron didn’t know him, yet he saw him, saw something that Andrew couldn’t see. He saw the person he should be, maybe could be, and in that moment there was a glimmer of hope in Andrew’s heart.

“If you want to talk, I’m here for you,” Aaron finished before walking towards the door.

“Thank you,” Andrew mumbled just as he opened the door.

“You’re welcome, Andrew.”

Andrew swallowed as Aaron stepped out and finally sat on the edge of his bed. His hands worked their way through his hair as he contemplated what Aaron had told him. Was it possible for someone like him to get a second chance at life?

~*~

“I think I’ve decided on this one.”

“That’s really good,” Aaron replied, looking at the sketch.

“Oh, Andrew, that is wonderful. You really are quite talented,” his aunt added.

Andrew smiled. After Aaron had talked to him about the legend of the Phoenix he had decided that he wanted to cover up his forearm with it in the hopes that he could indeed rise above his past as Aaron had told him he could. He had sketched several designs but settled on the last one he played with.

“What time is your appointment?”

“In twenty minutes.”

“Well, we better head out then.”

Andrew nodded and followed Aaron to his car. As they drove to the tattoo parlor Andrew noticed the Harley dealership. He had always wanted a motorcycle, but he couldn’t imagine every being able to have one. He did like to dream about it though.

“I was thinking that since you enjoy motorcycles that…”

“What makes you say that,” Andrew interrupted.

Aaron glanced at him and smiled. “Every time we pass one you get a look in your eyes.”

Andrew furrowed his brows angrily. “What are talking about? I don’t get any look.”

“It’s nothing bad, Andrew. But it made me wonder if maybe you would like to learn how to work on them.”

“Oh,” Andrew replied startled. He hadn’t expected that response. “I don’t know Aaron. I’m not that smart.”