by Mia Taylor
Vivian scoffed.
“Yes, I suppose that is the only reason that someone would attempt to sever ties with this lovely family—alcoholism.”
She silently mused that it was amazing that she had not fallen into a pit of drug-induced fantasy considering her upbringing.
“Vivian, you’ve only just arrived. Why don’t you tone down the drama, all right? It was a simple question, one which I must say you’re handling with a lot of defensiveness for someone who has nothing to hide.”
I haven’t even been here three fucking minutes and they’re starting with me. What the hell was I thinking coming back here? Anywhere would be better than this; a box, a shelter—even Leon’s place. He probably would have taken me back if I begged hard enough—or told him I was planning to come home.
“Oh dear, now I’ve upset you,” Theo continued, almost as if he was surprised by the realization.
Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, a voice in her head chanted. You’re broke. You have nowhere to go…
“Thank you for your concern, Father. I appreciate you worrying about me.”
He nodded placatingly and smiled.
“You have changed! Five years ago you would have picked a fight but now you can see that I only have your best interest at heart.”
Five years ago I wasn’t broken! Vivian wanted to scream as the reality of his words struck. Five years ago I thought I had a future.
Theo chucked his daughter under the chin and smiled.
“Cheer up, honey,” he told her condescendingly. “You’re home now.”
Dread and bile filled her gut at the reminder and Vivian shifted her eyes away, her gaze falling on her brother, Justin, who stood a few feet away, leering at her. At his side, his cardboard cut-out wife stood, not a hair out of place, a genial smile on her full, rosy mouth. He made no move toward her and Vivian was grateful.
His disdain for her was no secret. After all, he was a successful attorney in Richmond, married with a fifty-thousand-square-foot home. She was a divorced, unemployed renegade who had done nothing but disgrace the Bentleys’ good name.
Welcome home, indeed, she thought, gulping back her misgivings. Ain’t no place like it.
Chapter Two
Long Time Running
“Mornin’, Van!” Jesse hollered as Vaughan entered the store. “Ain’t seen y’around much lately.”
Typically, the lumbering bear of a man would have dismissed the old timer’s comment but it caused him to bristle somewhat. If Jesse noticed he hadn’t been coming around, who else might notice?
The only people who might notice are people who might be watching you, he reminded himself. Keep it together.
“I’ve been sick,” Vaughan lied, coughing for effect. “Didn’t want to get you guys sick too.”
“Well, that’s terrible. Y’all should go see Doc Collins on—”
“No. I’m fine now,” Vaughan interjected. “Thanks.”
He turned away and sauntered toward the back of the general store but he could feel Jesse’s eyes on him. How he loathed his biweekly trips to the general store, even after all these years. It was one of the few pitfalls of living on the mountain—the trips to town meant that people eventually got to know who he was, despite his best efforts to remain anonymous. On the up side, the old man who ran the location still didn’t know his real name. He called Vaughan “Van” due to a hearing defect and the younger man never bothered to correct him.
If Vaughan even is my real name, Vaughan thought bitterly. He’d considered changing it many times after he’d fled his childhood home but that cost money and money was a luxury which Vaughan simply did not have.
He steeled his mind from venturing into the abyss where it wanted to take him. He had to focus on what he’d come for and get back to his sanctuary, nestled on Mount Rogers.
Vaughan turned toward the freezer section, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the freshly cleaned refrigerator doors.
God, you look like hell, Vaughan.
Even in the distorted, half-clear vision before him, it was clear to see that there was no resemblance to the fresh-faced kid who had ventured into the quiet of the southern Virginia mountains for peace and solitude all those years ago.
In the boy’s place was a rugged, massive man with a shock of black hair and a full but trim beard, one which didn’t hide the perpetual lock of his jaw. The lighting in the store managed to catch the amber glow of his hazel eyes, sparking back toward him in a golden halo, but even they showed none of the innocence once held by the captain of the high school football team.
That kid died. I’m here now and even if we have the same name, we’re not the same person.
Sometimes Vaughan told himself that he had embraced his inner freak, but in his heart, he knew that wasn’t true. The same, sweet kid who had bought a corsage for his girlfriend was buried deep inside his heavy chest.
And that’s the best place for him.
“Need some help, stranger? Or are you just admiring your pretty face?”
Cora appeared at his side and Vaughan started at the sound of her voice. He hadn’t seen her come out of the stock room but she had a knack for sneaking up on people, one which did nothing to help his mounting paranoia.
Vaughan shot her a scowl and shook his head. He wondered why Cora always asked the same question every time he went in there.
Sometimes he likened her to an AI, programmed with only a handful of phrases.
“I think by now I know where everything is,” he retorted, turning away from her, slightly embarrassed that he’d been caught looking at himself in the glass.
“Where you’ve been?” the owner’s daughter asked, following him through the aisle. “I ain’t seen much of you in the past month.”
He didn’t reply, unsure if she was being serious or passive/aggressive. After all, she was the reason he had been avoiding the general store for the past month, but it was hard to know if Cora had figured that out.
If she’s a machine, she probably doesn’t understand emotion, he reasoned and instantly chided himself for being a silent jerk. He was hardly in a position to judge anyone.
“Are y’all still mad at me because of those government agents?” she demanded, her eyes wide with surprise. “It ain’t my fault that they came poking around here.”
“I’m not mad about anything,” Vaughan replied coldly. “I’m just trying to get my shopping done and get home, all right?”
Cora’s mouth parted slightly, a dark shadow crossing over her face, but she seemed to change her mind about speaking and nodded curtly instead.
“All right. If you say so.”
Vaughan turned his back fully, giving her a silent dismissal, and to his relief, she wandered away, muttering something under her breath that he wasn’t meant to hear but did anyway.
“Goddamn mountain men. Weirdoes, all of them.”
The words didn’t bother Vaughan in the least—it was what he had striven for, after all, being left alone, even ignored. He knew he was a freak. What bothered him was that Cora and her father, Jesse, knew enough about him to send people to his location when they came knocking.
Not that they were looking for me specifically this time, but next time they could be and now I know that the locals would sell me out in a heartbeat.
The truth was, Vaughan had no idea why the agents from the FBI had come to talk to him. Their questions had been vague and they didn’t appear to be interested in him. If anything, they seemed more concerned with the terrain and layout of Mount Rogers.
“I’m not sure I can give you much more information than any map,” Vaughan had told them bluntly. “And I still don’t understand what this is about.”
“We’re talking to anyone in the area, Mr. March,” Agent Blessin reassured him. “It has nothing to do with you specifically.”
By the time the pair had left, Vaughan had been left with a vaguely acrid taste in his mouth like there was something happening under his nose that he had y
et to understand. And no matter what they said and how indifferently they acted, Vaughan could not help but feel that the FBI had been there for him.
Ridiculous. My parents would not send the FBI looking for me, years later. I’m not a child and the FBI doesn’t do that. This is about something else. Stop being paranoid.
But that was easier said than done and as Vaughan spent more time alone in the backwoods with only his dogs and his thoughts to keep him sane, he was beginning to wonder if that was enough. He questioned if the lack of regular human contact was affecting his brain chemistry but when he thought of what could happen if he allowed someone in…
He shuddered and decided that being insane was definitely the better option.
When Vaughan had learned that Cora had been the one to send the agents to him, he had been furious.
“Why would you send them to me?” he hissed at her. “I have nothing to tell them!”
Cora had been stunned at his tone. No one had heard much more than the occasional grunt from Vaughan since knowing him. They certainly had not realized he had a ferocious temper, one which was rearing its ugly head at the idea that his privacy had been invaded.
“They asked for anyone in the area!” Cora protested. “You ain’t the only one I told them about. I sent them to the Brenners and old Joe Colville. Hell, I even sent them to that kid’s camp at the base of the mountain. They ain’t ask for you in particular and I didn’t think you had anythin’ to hide, Vaughan.”
How could he explain it to her without making it seem like he did have something to hide? He decided not to say anything at all. Instead of returning to Blacksburg for his supplies as he had since building the cabin in the woods, he started going to Kingsport. The selection had not been as good and Vaughan, who had become a creature of habit, soon found himself missing his regular brands.
That day was his first time returning to the general store and he was already regretting his choice.
I should have let more time pass but it’s too late for regrets now. You’re here. Just get your stuff and get out. Buy enough for three weeks this time so you won’t have to endure this again anytime soon.
He knew he would be stretching his budget but they were all going to be items which would keep and he would be saving himself the agony of having to see Cora again soon.
“My daughter likes you,” Jesse informed him bluntly when he dropped his purchases on the counter, pulling a small cart behind him. “Y’all should cut her some slack. She ain’t mean to do anything to upset ya.”
Vaughan gritted his teeth, not wanting to snap at the old timer, but Jesse was staring at him pointedly, clearly waiting for a response.
“I prefer my privacy,” Vaughan muttered. “I thought I’d made that clear after all these years. I didn’t expect that I would have to tell you that if people come by here, you shouldn’t send them up to my cabin.”
“That’s the problem, son,” Jesse sighed. “Ain’t nobody knows nothin’ about you.”
Vaughan raised his head and met the rheumy red eyes of the ancient store owner.
Is he purposely being dense?
“That’s the way I prefer it,” he growled. “How much?”
Jesse’s mouth became a clamped line and he continued to ring up Vaughan’s purchases.
They didn’t exchange another word and in minutes, Vaughan was standing by his beat-up truck, loading his groceries into the bed. The morning had started off fresh and warm but an unexpected plunge in temperature made him wish he’d thought to bring a jacket. There was no telling exactly what the autumn was going to do in these parts and he knew better than to leave the cabin unprepared. The snow could start flying at the drop of a hat and no weather network could accurately tell what was going to happen in the mountains. That climate beat to the march of its own drum.
You’re distracted and that’s not good.
Since the arrival of the agents, Vaughan had been contemplating moving. He couldn’t say why the seemingly innocuous visit had stirred him so much or why he was still harboring the feeling a month later, particularly when they had not returned. But the fact remained that his sixth sense was screaming at him that something was amiss.
The problem was, Vaughan was consciously aware of the fact that he might be taking leave of his senses up in the solitude of the mountains and he didn’t trust himself anymore.
You’re not alone, he reminded himself, glancing at the glowing green numbers on his dashboard. You have the kids, too.
He had to get back to the cabin where they were waiting for him.
~ ~ ~
Vaughan barely managed to get the purchases into the house and throw the cold items into the fridge and freezer before he heard the familiar ding of his computer.
He rushed to the laptop and plopped down, signing online. At his feet, his two German Shepherds, Murphy and Chase, sniffed at the reusable bags still strewn in the entranceway of the cabin.
“Hello, Mr. Vaughan!” Suki chirped. “Are you ready for today?”
He grinned at the girl, his previous anxieties dissolving as he nodded at the ten-year-old through the app.
“I’m ready if you are,” he replied.
“What we work on today?”
“What about verbs?” Vaughan suggested and she nodded, glancing over her shoulder to her mother who stood by, bobbing her head happily. They made a quick exchange in Japanese and Suki turned her attention back toward Vaughan.
“My mother say you teach her next,” Suki told him. “I tell her not until I learn all the English.”
“I would be honored,” Vaughan chuckled, waving at her mother. The older woman beamed almost flirtatiously and waved back before excusing herself and leaving them to their English classes.
Student and teacher got busy with their lessons and Vaughan was forced to concentrate on his students for the rest of the day. After his forty-five-minute lesson with Suki, there was an hour with Sun in South Korea. He took a quick break and then he did one final exam with Sanjay in India before signing off for the day.
The dogs barked at him in unison, inherently knowing when he had finished his work for the day and Vaughan rose from the chair to let them out while he finished putting away his groceries.
He knew how lucky he was to have found online teaching, even though the process to get certified had taken him much longer than he would have liked. He’d skimped and starved some days to get the certification but it had been worth it to ensure that he was able to work from home as much as he wanted.
If he wanted to work eight hours a day, he could have cleared some very good money but Vaughan was happy to live comfortably without being chained to his laptop all day.
What’s the purpose of living in such a beautiful place if I can’t enjoy it? he mused. He divided his day between his classes and roaming around the rugged mountainside with his dogs, exploring the caves and waterfalls along the trails. Vaughan felt like he’d come to know every single crevice on Mt. Rogers in the decade he’d been there.
Before becoming an ESL instructor, he had worked a handful of menial jobs, stretching out his pennies, sacrificing food for rent more times than he could count.
He had been twenty and living in Richmond, far away from his childhood home in Louisville, when he had learned about the mountain men.
Until that moment, Vaughan had always believed that it was an urban legend, that people didn’t really retreat into the mountains to live and even if they did, how could they possibly survive?
It took him less than six months to figure it out and make the move, leaving behind the urban jungle and trading in his life for a much simpler one.
He’d been living such a meager existence in the city, terrified that at any moment, his secret would be exposed and he would be locked up or worse—killed.
The boy had slowly learned to control the beast which seemed to surface when he was under severe stress… or during full moons. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel like a sitting duck living a
mong people where anyone might discover the truth about him any time.
But not up here. Not away from prying eyes and nosy folks—well most of the nosy folks. You can’t completely fall off the face of the earth.
He shoved the bulk of toilet paper into the pantry and suppressed the image of Agent Blessin and his partner from his mind.
You have nothing to worry about, he told himself placatingly. Whatever they want has nothing to do with you or the monster you’ve become.
As if on cue, Murphy and Chase began to howl outside, mocking his inner thoughts.
Even the dogs knew something was wrong.
Chapter Three
Planning a Way Out
“Where are you going?”
Vivian paused and gritted her teeth together, wondering why she had to answer for her every move.
“I’m going for a drive,” she replied evenly, turning to face her mother who eyed her suspiciously. “Is that a problem?”
“Where are you driving? Are you going to meet with that laborer?”
Even though Leon had not been a model husband by any stretch of the imagination, Vivian took grave offense at the way her parents looked down on him, simply because of his profession.
Hate him because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. Hate him because he was a terrible husband but don’t hate him because he worked with his hands for a living! she wanted to scream at them. But then, what would be the point? She would be looked at as the neurotic one—again.
“If you mean my ex-husband, Leon, the answer is no.”
Celia continued to stare at her, unconvinced, and Vivian felt a familiar anger spurting through her.
“Mom, I’m going for a drive. Leon is still in New York last I heard and I am not driving to New York.”
And I have no interest in seeing his cheating ass again, anyway.
She didn’t bother to add that, the details of her divorce still unclear to her family, just as Vivian had intended. A small part of her wondered if it gave her some warped sense of power, withholding the reason for the divorce, but the truth was, she knew it would just give her family more ammunition to use against her.