The Family (8 page)

What she did see fascinated her—things she had heard about and imagined but never encountered firsthand: Makeup painted garishly over faces, tight clothing, and high-heeled shoes. Jeans and comfortable-looking sweatshirts with hoods. Black hair bleached blond. Elegant-looking women with big, shiny purses and tights tucked into riding boots, sunglasses pushed on top of their heads. Old men with beautiful sweaters, tan slacks, and shiny loafer shoes. Some people’s clothes looked new, and some looked old and tattered. Some people looked clean and well cared-for and others heartbreakingly neglected. Twig forgot about her cast and her pain. Her fear soon turned to something else: Curiosity. Fascination. She wished Ryan were here to see this with her.

“Okay, you pick the song.”

“Katy Perry, ‘California Gurls.’”

Twig looked up in the direction of the voices. A guy and a girl were standing a stone’s throw from her down the hallway. They seemed to be about Twig’s age and both had the same warm, light brown skin and dark brown curly hair flecked with amber. Their eyes were a beautiful shade of green. Most of the people in the hospital seemed to be Latino, but these two looked as if they were a mix of black and white.

“Sister, surely you jest.”

“Brother, I do not. It’s catchy. Either you can dance or you can’t.”

They looked like biological sister and brother, but everyone in the Family called one another “brother” and “sister,” too, so Twig couldn’t be sure. The boy was on crutches, a cast covering one of his feet. He was gorgeous.

“Cute,” Marianna whispered in Twig’s ear, stopping the chair to let Twig watch for a moment. Did Marianna know she had never been off the compound? No, she couldn’t know that. But it seemed like Dr. Young and Marianna were conspiring to give Twig a chance to look around the hospital. Maybe that was crazy.

“All right, Hazel. You’re killing me, but all right. You know I like a challenge. Got your iPod synched?” The boy was playful. Twig had no idea what he was talking about, but she liked listening to him talk to his sister. It was like they were playing catch with their words.

“Synched. Do you mind if I film this? On crutches and grooving to Katy Perry? This goes right to Facebook.”

Without looking up, the boy answered, “Negative.”

“Please?” the girl asked.

“Deal’s off if you mention Facebook again.”

Twig watched as the two of them stuck tiny white globes in their ears and clipped whisper-thin silver machines, smaller than matchboxes, onto the pockets of their shorts.

The girl had on cut-off jean shorts, and her legs were muscular and thin. Her hair was pulled back from her face with barrettes. Her eyes glittered green. The two looked so much alike that they could have been twins. And they looked healthy. Really healthy. These did not look like people who were infected with a virus. These two looked nothing like Anna had that night. In fact, so far she hadn’t seen anyone who looked like Anna had when Doc brought her in. Twig continued to watch as the boy started to push his chin out and move his rib cage and shoulders from side to side. Twig heard Marianna giggle beside her. Twig looked up at her, and Marianna gave her a sweet smile and gently stroked her cheek.

Twig gathered that the pair was listening to music, but she had never seen anything like the small devices they used. The boy began to put on a real show. He stuck his crutches out in front of him and used them as extended hands, pushing them back and forth, moving up and down. It was so rhythmic that Twig could almost hear the music. The girl watched, her arms crossed with mock disdain, bopping her head smartly, shoulders dipping and rising.

The boy
was
cute. Marianna was right. Twig studied him as he danced. They hadn’t noticed her sitting there, so she could just look. He was muscular, like the girl, but taller. His smile was infectious. Twig loved watching him. He was dressed in khaki shorts and a bright orange T-shirt with a white logo that looked like a record album. That was how the Family listened to music at home—record players. Not often, though, and nothing that would make someone move like that.

The girl started to sing the words to the song: “California gurls, we’re unforgettable…”

“Oh…here comes Snoop,” the boy said. He started to raise his crutch again, but he slipped. The crutch escaped his grasp and went clattering toward Twig. It landed at her feet.

“Oh!” Marianna giggled. She took a step back away from Twig.

The boy began to hop toward his crutch. The girl took the globes out of her ears and went to help him, but when he noticed Twig, he put his hand up to stop the girl.

“I got this, Haze,” he said, smiling up at Twig, who was trying to lean down to help him retrieve his crutch. He spoke a little too loudly because the globes were still in his ears.

They reached the crutch at the same time, and their hands touched. Twig felt a bolt of electricity go through her. His skin was so soft. She removed her hand immediately, embarrassed. What was she doing? What if Marianna and Dr. Young were wrong or deceiving her? She hadn’t thought about it; she had just reached out on instinct.

She noticed the boy’s cheeks turn a slight pink. He placed his crutch under his arm, righted himself, and extended his hand again.

“Uh… I’m Leo,” he said.

Twig paused for a moment. Corruption. Evil. The words slammed into her brain, but they slipped away just as quickly. She didn’t feel anything but good coming from this boy.

You’ve been lied to
. She heard Dr. Young’s words echoing in her head.

She stuck her hand out. “Twig,” she offered.

“Twig,” Leo repeated. “I like that. It’s different. Hey, sorry for almost knocking you out with my crutch. We were just messing around,” he said.

Twig smiled awkwardly. “That’s okay. It wouldn’t have been the first time.” Twig touched her forehead with her long fingers.

“Ouch,” he said. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I was dancing to Katy Perry on top of my horse, and I got bucked off.”

What was that?
It just came out. Twig began to turn red.

Leo looked at Twig quizzically, his eyebrows knitted, his perfect lips pushed out while he considered what she had just said. Then he grinned.

“You are
so
messing with me.”

“I am.” Twig smiled back. This was fun!

“I like that,” Leo said quietly. “But what really happened? And, you don’t
really
listen to Katy Perry, do you?”

“I don’t even know who she is,” Twig admitted in a more tentative voice.

That was an understatement
, Twig thought to herself. Sometimes Adam played classical music for them or strummed some songs on a guitar. There were the few records, classical and folk, for special occasions like weddings. But that was it. Anything else rotted the mind.

Leo suddenly noticed Marianna. “I’m so sorry,” he said. He looked up at Marianna and stuck his hand out. “Leo,” he said with a smile. “Forgive my rudeness.” Marianna stepped forward to shake his hand.

“
Mucho gusto
.
Yo comprendo
. I understand,” she said, smiling and glancing down at Twig.

“So, what really happened to you?”

“I really did fall off my horse.” Twig admitted, frowning slightly.

“Ouch,” Leo said, wincing.

“Ahem.” The girl cleared her throat behind Leo.

“Oh!” Leo stepped aside to introduce her. “Twig, this is my sister, Hazel. Hazel, this is Twig, horsewoman extraordinaire.”

Hazel offered a warm smile, extending her hand to Twig. Twig reached forward in her chair, and Hazel came closer. They shook hands.

Hazel held Twig’s hand for a moment. “You’re a pretty little thing,” she said.

“Me?” Twig answered, feeling disheveled after her ordeal and awkward in her hospital gown and papery robe. Hazel looked so grown-up and polished. “You are gorgeous! Both of you.”

The flush returned to Leo’s cheeks. Hazel looked at her brother.

“Leo, you’re a mess. Thank you, Twig. Lee, I’m going to go find Mom and Dad. I want to get out of here. Twig, it was lovely meeting you.”

Hazel mouthed something to Leo and then sashayed down the hallway away from them. Leo nodded after her, a slight smile playing on his lips.

With Hazel gone, Twig’s stomach had become a swarm of fluttering butterflies. Leo didn’t have just one color. He was a rainbow. She didn’t know what to say. She expected Marianna to whisk her away at any minute.

“Can I ask you a question?” she finally forced the words out of her mouth.

“Yeah,” Leo said sweetly. He leaned toward her.

“What is that?” Twig pointed to the small silver machine.

“This?” Leo looked surprised.

“Yes.”

Twig winced a little, she was sure she had just confirmed herself as a space alien in his eyes. Leo noticed her embarrassment.

“It’s an called an iPod Nano. It plays music.”

“It’s so little.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised you haven’t seen one. Want to try it?”

Twig shook her head. “No, no. That’s okay, really. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Please,” Leo said gently. “Give it a try. If you’d like to.”

Twig looked up at Marianna. Marianna smiled, nodding and urging her on.

“Okay,” Twig said shyly.

Leo hopped to Twig’s side. He began to hand Twig the small globes, which he called earbuds, but the cords got tangled in her cast.

“Let me,” Leo said.

He leaned on one of his crutches and gently pushed Twig’s current tangle of blond hair behind her ears. Twig shivered at his touch. She tried to stay still, but she felt as if she were going to fly out of the chair. Leo placed the little buds in Twig’s ears as carefully as if he were handling glass. Suddenly, he took one out and looked at Twig seriously.

“Wait, you just had a head injury, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Twig nodded.

“Okay, I’m going to play something super mellow and super low. Another time I can really show you what this is all about.”

“Okay,” Twig whispered, thinking she especially liked the idea of there being another time.

“Hey, where do you live? I mean, you look American, but if you don’t know what a Nano is…”

Twig thought about how to answer this question. She decided to go with the simplest answer.

“Near Turrialba.”

“No way!” Leo beamed.

That smile.

“We’re staying in Turrialba. I’m from the States, but we’re traveling for a few months before school starts. I deferred until the spring,” Leo explained. He paused for a beat and then went on. “We came here to learn Spanish, take surf trips on the weekends, and just chill.” Leo looked in the direction of his casted foot. “Thus the foot. Surf spill. I’m getting my cast off today.”

Twig had no idea what “deferring until spring” meant or what “surf trips” were (she assumed something to do with the water), but she liked listening to Leo talk, and she was amazed that he was staying in Turrialba. Not that she’d ever been there, but it was close to the Family’s compound. The States certainly were not.

“I hope this doesn’t sound lame, but you’re really cute.” Leo looked bashful as he said this. All of his earlier dancing-bravado had disappeared for the moment.

Twig beamed. She couldn’t help herself. She felt this strange, happy lightness just from being around him.

“Look, do you have an email or a number?” Leo asked.

“What is going on here?”

Adam. He had snuck up from behind them.

Twig had completely forgotten about him. About Avery and Doc. She had been so absorbed in the moment. Twig stared up at Adam; he looked furious.

Adam glared at Leo with quiet venom, waiting for an answer.

“Get out of here. I’ll take her back,” Adam spat at Marianna.

“It’s okay, sir. I will take her.”

“Go,” Adam said, taking a deep breath. He looked like he was about to explode. Twig glanced up at Marianna. She wanted to apologize for Adam. For the first time in her life, she felt embarrassed of him. She had seen him when he punished people, but this was different. All of his vitality and charm was gone as if he had turned them off with a switch.

“Oh, hey, man. I’m Leo. I was just talking to Twig about Turrialba.” Leo stood a good two inches taller than Adam. He leaned carefully on his crutches and offered his hand. Adam looked at it but didn’t take it.

“Son, Twig doesn’t know anything about Turrialba.”

Twig cringed. What would Leo think of her? That she was lying? She had no way to explain. She just sat there, gagged, wishing she could say something. Adam was humiliating her.

Avery and Doc walked up at that moment. Leo softly nodded his head toward Twig. Twig didn’t know what Leo was thinking, but he seemed to get the point that he wasn’t welcome. Twig’s stomach clenched. She so badly wanted to tell him she didn’t feel that way, and he seemed to read her thoughts.

“Nice to meet you, Twig,” Leo winked at her sweetly.

“You, too.” Twig’s voice was barely audible. She knew she shouldn’t say anything, but she couldn’t let him go without saying goodbye. Adam glared at her, and Twig put her head down.

“I’m going to take off, go find my folks and Hazel.”

Leo nodded politely at Avery and Doc. They nodded back at him.

Twig was grateful to them for showing Leo some graciousness. She felt a mixture of fear and anger toward Adam at the moment.

Leo pivoted around on his casted foot and hopped down the hallway in the direction Hazel had gone a few minutes before. Twig watched him go. Before he turned the corner, he looked back at her, his expression conspiratorial. Twig pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.

Adam stared after Leo with disgust. Twig cast her eyes back down to avoid Adam’s gaze.

“Unbelievable. This is exactly how these people are. Taking her out here. Exposing her to this sickness. We need to get her back to the room. Now.”

Adam was glaring at Doc and Avery, as if Twig being out here in the hallway was somehow their fault. He glanced at a watch on his wrist that Twig had never seen before.

“Damn it,” he hissed. Twig flinched. Adam
never
used profanity. That was a sign of infection, but wasn’t he protected from that?