Authors: Melissa Luznicky Garrett
Meg got
out next and stretched her arms over her head, opening her mouth with a
jaw-cracking yawn. She looked around, squinting against the sun like a mole
just out of hiding. “Where are we?”
Adrian
touched my arm. “I’m gonna get a drink. Want anything?”
Anxiety
had turned my tongue to sandpaper. “Water would be great.”
He pinched
my arm affectionately. “Be right back.”
Leaning
against the car, I fished my cell from my pocket, desperate to hear Priscilla’s
voice. Upon closer inspection, I realized the battery icon showed zero signs of
life. Completely drained. Of course.
Meg and
David had finally graduated to the 21st century and bought me a cell phone for
my birthday, but half the time I forgot to charge it. And what good was a dead
cell phone? Come to think of it, I’d forgotten to pack the charger. It was
still plugged into the outlet by my desk. I shoved the phone back in my pocket,
fuming on the inside.
“Everything
okay?” Meg leaned against the car next to me, wincing as the heat of the exposed
metal seeped through the thin material of her shirt. “You seem a little edgy.”
I dug
my heel in the gravel, sending up little motes of dust. “I’m fine, Meg. Everything’s
just freakin’ dandy.”
She
threw her arm around my shoulder. “You know, it’s not like we’re delivering you
to your execution. You’re stressing out for nothing. This is all just a
formality. Besides, you’ll have the five of us there with you.”
My
bottom lip trembled and I looked quickly away. Meg always had a knack for
getting to the heart of what was bothering me.
“What
if I refuse to go?” I said.
Meg laughed
as she swept her hand out in front of us, indicating the desolate landscape of
this little in-between town.
“Do you
plan on pitching a tent and camping out in this lovely parking lot? At least
you’d have a bathroom, and all the hot dogs and Big Gulps you could stomach.”
Adrian
slid in on the other side and pressed a cold bottle against my arm, making me flinch.
“Did I hear something about going camping?”
I
unscrewed the cap and gulped a mouthful of water, wiping away the excess from
my lips with the back of my hand. “If only we were so lucky.”
TWO
Dense
growths of Sugar Maples and Balsam Firs stretched to the sky on either side of
the road, making me feel even more claustrophobic. But every so often there was
enough break in the trees through which to see the sun glinting off the surface
of Blue Mountain Lake.
It
reminded me of the way the sun rippled and danced on the creek back home, and
all the alone time Adrian and I had been spending there lately, getting to know
each other. A
lot
better . . .
An
oncoming sign interrupted my daydream: “KATORI INDIAN RESERVATION—5 MILES.”
My
palms immediately sprang a leak, and I wiped them against my shorts, which only
made the problem worse.
Adrian
nudged my shoulder, his brow knotted with concern as he edged away from me. “You
look like you’re gonna hurl. Have some water.”
I
rolled the window all the way down and inhaled the fresh mountain air. “I’m not
going to hurl,” I yelled over the rushing wind. “I just need some air. I’ll be
fine.”
Without
warning, a shock of electricity zipped like lightning from my toes to
fingertips. My scalp tingled, and I ran a hand over my head, half expecting my
hair to be standing on end. “What was that?”
Adrian
grinned. “You felt that?”
I
opened and closed my hands repeatedly and shook them to make the tingling
sensation stop. “Yeah. You felt it, too?”
“It’s
the protective enchantment Katori placed around the boundaries of the
reservation,” Shyla said casually from the front seat. “Didn’t Meg tell you
about it?
None who mean harm to the tribe can breach its barrier
. . .
or some nonsense like that.”
I
rolled up the window. “Meg told me. I guess I didn’t believe her.” And why not,
I thought? Every other unbelievable thing my aunt had said turned out to be
true.
What I
didn’t add was that I’d been wondering all along how my father, in wolf form,
had been able to breach the boundary line more than seventeen years ago.
“How do
you feel now?” Adrian asked.
I
wiggled my toes and shook my hands again. “Fine, I guess. It was just, you
know, shocking. My fingers are still tingly.”
“It’s
annoying, but it goes away after a few minutes,” Adrian said with confidence. I
nodded, taking his word for it.
Peering
ahead, I kept my attention fixed on the taillights of David’s car in front of
us. They flashed red as the car slowed to a crawl, and I got that
roller-coaster feeling in the pit of my stomach, when you feel like you’re
going to throw up just before taking that first big plunge. Gripping the door
handle with my right hand and clutching Adrian’s arm with my left, I knew this
was it. The moment of truth.
David turned
into the driveway of a gray-shingled house, and Shyla pulled in behind him and
killed the engine. “Ready?” she asked, turning around in her seat to peer at me.
Adrian
patted my knee and gave me a reassuring look, but I saw the excitement in his
eyes. He wasn’t nervous at all. I opened my own door but didn’t move, even
after he’d already gotten out.
“Adrian!
What took you so long, man?” I heard someone yell as the front door of the
house swung open.
Adrian loped
up the front walkway and did some complicated hand greeting with the guy. “Long
time no see, Caleb. What’s up?”
“You
know, same old stuff,” I heard him say. “Working on cars. Getting in trouble
with the chicks.”
Chicks
? Ugh.
I didn’t like him already.
Caleb
wore faded jeans and a black muscle-shirt with the words “BABE MAGNET”
emblazoned on front in half-peeling gold metallic paint. His hair stood up in a
faux-hawk, the tips dyed a bright blue. I thought I saw the glint of a small gold
hoop in his left eyebrow. His mother must be so proud.
Caleb
tore his attention away from Adrian and fixed it on Shyla next. They didn’t say
anything at first; only stood staring at each other with a sort of detached
interest. Or maybe not so detached after all, I thought, craning my head to get
a better look.
“You’ve
changed,” Caleb said appreciatively, looking her up and down. He wore a slight
smirk on his face.
Shyla
took a step closer and crossed her slender arms over her chest, thrusting up her
chin to make up for the difference in height. “And you haven’t,” she stated. I
thought I saw her lips tremble as she tried not to smile.
A slow
grin broke out on Caleb’s face and he whooped with laughter, making everyone jump
in surprise. He grabbed Shyla in a fierce hug and spun her around so that she
screamed through her laughter and pounded his back to be put down.
“Man, I’ve
missed you.” He set her on her feet and held her at arm’s length. “I can’t
believe you’re actually here. It’s so good to see you again.”
“Dude, that’s
my sister you’re talking about,” Adrian said, not even bothering to hide his disgust.
“What the heck?”
I wasn’t
the only one wondering
what the heck?
Adrian and Caleb might be best
friends, but apparently Shyla and Caleb had something going on, too. Still, it
had been six years since they’d last seen each other. What had their relationship
been like all those years ago, and why hadn’t she ever said anything about it
to me?
“The
last time I saw you,” Imogene said as she swayed from side to side up the walk,
“you were still sucking your thumb and wetting your pants.”
Shyla
put a hand to her face. “Oh, God. Seriously, Gran?”
But Caleb
was laughing, too. “I’m happy to report I’m fully toilet trained and finally
gave up on the thumb.”
I
rolled my eyes, but Imogene returned the laughter. “Well, it’s nice to see you
again. And you’re just so handsome.” She pinched his cheek, giving him an odd
look. “It’s funny, but you remind me of someone.”
Shyla
grabbed her grandmother’s arm and hissed at her, “You’re embarrassing him.”
Imogene
glared at Shyla. “No, I’m not. I’m—”
“This
is Meg and David Redbird,” Adrian said, quickly diverting attention away from Imogene
lest she say something to further embarrass any of them.
“Nice
to meet you.” Caleb’s manner became more subdued, as though he had just
remembered the reason why we were there in the first place. He then looked in the
direction of the car, where I was still hiding out. Our eyes met. He didn’t
smile or wave or acknowledge my presence in any way—he just stared.
I knew
I’d have to get out of the car sooner or later, but I couldn’t find the motivation
to move. Instead, I pulled the door shut and locked it. Only with it being so
hot, sweat began rolling down my temples within seconds. I wouldn’t be able to hide
in there forever.
David walked
over to the car and pointed to the lock.
Don’t make a scene
, he mouthed.
Gritting
my teeth, I unlocked the door and kicked it open, forcing David to jump out of
the way. He raised his brows in a silent warning and thumbed for me to get out.
“I
guess you’re the one everyone’s been talking about,” Caleb said to me as I
approached.
Adrian put
his arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “This is Sarah. My girlfriend.”
“Your
girlfriend
.”
Caleb’s answering laugh rumbled deep in his chest, and the corner of his mouth
pulled up as he stared at me. His eyes darted back to Adrian. “I think someone
else might have an opinion about that.”
Adrian
opened his mouth to say something but Imogene cut in. “Is your mother home?
She’s expecting us.” She pulled at the front of her shirt and waved a hand in
front of her face. “I’d love to get out of this heat. I’m cooked!”
Caleb,
still smiling, tore his eyes away from Adrian and me. “She’ll be back in a few
minutes. She’s just running an errand with my sister Jasmine.”
He
motioned for us to follow him inside the house and then led us through a tiny
kitchen and out to the back deck, thankfully shaded under the massive branches
of an old maple tree. I sat quietly on the edge of my chair, in no way relaxed
enough to manage even one sip of the lemonade he’d offered.
A slightly
younger girl bounded around the corner of the house a few minutes later, appearing
as though out of thin air and taking me completely by surprise. She was slender
in the face and very pretty, with glossy black hair and heavily lashed brown
eyes.
I knew
who she was as soon as I saw her, and I realized then that I’d been waiting for
her—just one more reason for the prickly anxiety I was feeling.
Jasmine.
THREE
Charley
Moon appeared mere seconds after her daughter, looming in the open doorway larger
than life. She regarded us with a sort of cool contempt, her mouth drawn tight as
one thin black brow arched higher than the other. Jasmine sprang up the deck steps
like a gazelle and edged her way over to Charley, linking her arm in the crook
of her mother’s elbow.
Charley’s
eyes found David and Meg, her laser-like gaze direct and cutting. The corner of
her mouth lifted, but she didn’t actually smile. “Well, look at you two. All
grown up now.”
Meg
rose from her chair. Her hand shook as she placed her drink on the table, but she
hid it by linking her fingers behind her back. I wasn’t sure if she was truly scared
of Charley or just nervous, but her voice was cool and even when she spoke.
“It’s
been a long time, Charley. You look well, and you have a very lovely home and
family. You must be so proud.”
Meg wasn’t
scared or nervous at all, I realized. An underlying current of hostility passed
between them and I knew thoughts of my mother, and all that she had lost and
would never have or experience herself, were flitting through my aunt’s mind. Something
flashed in Charley’s eyes, too, but I didn’t think it was remorse for my
mother, despite the fact they’d once been best friends.
Meg and
Charley studied each other only briefly, and yet an entire conversation seemed
to pass between them—I half expected sparks of tension to ignite in the
surrounding air and set the trees on fire. But Charley turned aside, and the
moment passed almost as quickly as it came. She caught sight of Adrian next and
her expression changed abruptly. She threw her willowy arms open wide, nearly
knocking Jasmine over in the process.
“Adrian!
Come here and give me a hug. It’s been too long. How is it possible that you’ve
grown even more gorgeous since the last time I saw you?”
Caleb snorted.
“Ease up, Mom. I’m choking over here.”
A blush
crept into Adrian’s cheeks, turning his normal brown-sugar complexion a deep
russet. He bowed his head in a futile attempt to hide his smile, but otherwise did
as Charley said. He wrapped his arms around her, and Shyla sniffed with
contempt.