by Sarah Davis
“Oh, I love a good growth of stubble on a man. Rugged handsomeness and all that,” Rita said, wiggling her eyebrows at Army.
“What’s this?” he asked as he rubbed his whiskers.
“Just chatting about facial hair, whether we girls fancy such things or not,” Rita replied.
Sporting a pair of wild floral swim trunks and work boots, Army’s appearance offered an opportunity to take the conversation in a different direction.
“Army, those boots look like they might take on water,” said Penny.
“No worries, Penny. The trunks are more for show.” He smiled warmly at her. “Great to see you here, by the way. Vale will be thrilled to see her rocking guitar teacher here.”
“Hey, what am I then?” interrupted Noah, trying to look offended since he was her first guitar teacher.
“You’re her cousin. Totally not very hip, you know. Or something,” offered Rita.
Penny smiled.
“Penny, Penny, Penny! Looking awesome!” Harry said as he slid up next to her. He threw his arm around her shoulders as he continued. “I would have come to get you, if I had a vehicle. My brother has all the fun.” Penny’s eyes flicked toward Noah who winked at her. “You know, this is a pool party. You will need a swimsuit to get in. They don’t allow shirts and shorts.”
“Uh, yeah, I’m wearing a suit underneath.” Penny clenched the bottom of her shirt.
“Great, can’t wait to see it,” he whispered in her ear.
She shrugged out of his embrace as politely as possible and stepped away.
Over by the tables, Tiki started throwing a tantrum. Her mother, Rose, looked harassed. As Penny watched, Tiki threw her bottle on the ground. When Sam picked it up and handed it to her, she screamed loudly and batted her hands at him. Rose lifted her up and walked her away from the group sitting at the table.
Army struck up a conversation with Harry, allowing Penny to make an escape. She walked the length of the pool to a chair on the far side where she could leave her towel and bag. Here, she was on the opposite side of everyone else in the shallow end. She sat down and drew her long hair up back into a fishtail braid. Then, wrapping her arms around herself, she regarded the water filled with splashing children feeling more than a little out of place. The family talked and joked with each other, and she very much wanted to go home.
A few moments later, Noah sat down next to her on the lounge chair and bumped her with his elbow.
“Penny for your thoughts?” His friendly smile had a warming effect on her mood. He sat close enough the heat rolling off his body radiated between them. Black tribal tattoos covered his usually covered arms. They traveled up his right arm all the way to his shoulder and ended at the elbow on his left.
“My thoughts are certainly worth more than mere pennies. And you would be disappointed to find that they focus on water, drowning, and such.”
“Such dark thoughts on a bright fun-planned day. No premonitions?”
She shook her head.
“Not a swimmer?”
She shook her head again with a dry smile.
“Is that why you look so uncomfortable?” Noah possessed the gentleness of a concerned friend.
She sighed with the next shake of her head. “I had to borrow a suit from my mother.”
Noah laughed a bit. “I will never borrow any of Army’s trunks. Ever. Flowers are not my thing.” His swim trunks accentuated his lean, ribbed abdomen. “Due to my considerable charm and ability to lift heavy objects, I am charged with staying in the shallow area to care for the little kids. Would you care to assist me in this daring endeavor? Never fear, I would never let you drown.”
“I would be more than happy to help, as best I can. But you shouldn’t use the absolute word ‘never.’ You won’t always be close enough to rescue me.”
“Ah, but didn’t you just use the absolute ‘always,’ therefore nullifying your request to discontinue my use of ‘never’?”
Penny smiled as she shook her head with downcast eyes. “Whatever. I just am not looking forward to being in the water.”
Harry approached them, saying, “Come on guys. It’s a pool party. Time to get wet!”
Penny muttered to Noah under her breath, “He has no idea how stupid he sounds, does he?”
“No. That’s what makes him so much fun. He has an incredibly high IQ, but he adamantly refuses to let people know. Goes very far out of his way, I think.” Noah grinned as he stood and walked off. Unsuccessful in her attempt to not watch him go, she glanced at his bare back multiple times.
He reached Aunt Dolores and took a quieted Tiki from her grasp. As the two approached the side of the pool, Tiki fretted. Penny took the moment of distraction to remove her rash guard and board shorts. As she approached, Noah and Tiki remained sitting on the side. As Tiki held tight to Noah’s neck, Penny sat down on Tiki’s side, the cold, hard cement biting at her bottom and the tepid water inciting goose bumps. She asked Tiki what the matter was.
Tiki lifted her head from Noah’s shoulder and peered at Penny, her eyes rimmed with tears.
“No, Pen. No get in.”
Penny held her hands out for Tiki, and the little girl practically leapt from Noah to Penny’s embrace. Grabbing on tightly around Penny’s neck, Tiki continued to sob. Penny shushed the girl as Noah entered the water. Without loosening her grip with one arm, Tiki started sucking on her thumb.
Penny said in a reasonable voice, “You know, Tiki. Penny is very afraid of the water, too. But you know what? The water is warm, like a bath…” one you are ready to get out of “…and there are a lot of other kids who really want you to come in to play with them. I will make a deal with you. If you get in, I will get in, too, okay?”
Tiki minutely let loose her death grip on Penny’s neck. Looking into her eyes, she said sadly, “Pen’s scared, too?”
“Mm-hmm.” Penny brushed the child’s hair away from her face, wiping away her tears in the process.
“And if you will try to get in with Uncle Noah, I will too. How does that sound?”
The little girl released her grip around Penny’s neck. She placed a little hand on either side of Penny’s face and whispered, “Okay, Pen. Okay.”
Tiki turned around and held her hands out to Noah, her bottom lip sticking out. Noah lifted the girl up high, swinging her down gently next to him and into the pool. With his encouragement, she started splashing with him as they moved away. Penny took a deep breath and slowly lowered herself in the water.
Crap, this is not warm, she thought.
Take a deep breath. Release it. Continue. You will be fine. Don’t even need to get your hair wet, Lucy responded.
Just then, a chubby boy cannonballed into the pool beside them, soaking Penny, Noah and Tiki in the process. Tiki laughed. Penny forced herself to relax.
If she can do it, so can I. For a little bit, anyway.
Penny soon found herself enjoying the time in the pool. Vale bobbed up to her in the water and gave her an enthusiastic hug while Tiki giggled. Vale then swam off to hang out with her friends in the deeper water.
Little kids swarmed, hung off her, and asked her to catch them as they jumped into the pool. Several even asked to touch her back. She acquiesced, and their curious fingers stroked the feathers of the large wing tattoo. One asked her if she was an angel.
Just then, Rose called to everyone that it was time for cake and ice cream. Noah collected Tiki and set her poolside. As soon as her pudgy little feet hit the concrete, she ran to her mother, her pool diaper hanging precariously low. Noah winked at Penny and drew himself up out of the pool, water splashing down around him. Penny tried not to stare outright but was rewarded with another good backside look as he walked over to his brother.
Penny moved through the water and exited closer to her pool chair where she retrieved her towel and wrapped it around herself.
Vertigo hit her as she straightened up, so she quickly sat on the chair and rubbed her temples. Behind her closed eyes
, an image of a shadowy figure appeared backlit by a bright light. And there was a polar bear, blood dripping from its open mouth. Three black scars marred its left cheek. She sucked in an unsteady breath.
It took several long moments for the vision to fade and for Penny to find her calm center once again. She pulled on a pair of board shorts and a sweatshirt, even though it was rather stifling. As she turned around to stuff her things into her bag, she caught a glimpse of Harry, Noah and Sam looking in her direction. Noah smiled, while Harry and Sam stared. She looked quickly away and rewrapped her towel protectively around her waist for added coverage and grabbed her bag before she walked over to the cake line.
“Now why did you go and mark yourself up like that,” drawled Sam who stood beside her. “Your skin’s beauty is smothered beneath such dark ink.”
She glanced sideways at him. “I suppose the same reason anyone else does. They mean something to me.”
“I don’t understand it, I guess. You cause yourself pain. For a pretty picture that will fade and distort with time.”
“Isn’t that life, though? All beauty fades and distorts with time. But the beauty remains.”
“In life? There is much beauty but also a great deal of ugliness.”
“So, more beauty and kindness are important, don’t you think?” she asked, curious as to the depth of the conversation.
Since she entered the line and spoke with Sam, several small children gathered around her cooing at the watercolor dragon tattoo gracefully wrapped around the inside of her left ankle.
Well, my tattoos are a hit with the kiddies, she thought. Looking about she saw that plenty of tattoos were on display, so a novelty she was not.
“Just saying, you are a pretty girl, Penny. No need to adorn your body with such garish displays.”
“I’m smart, too,” she grumbled as he strode off. She reached down for a piece of cake hoping the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce would overpower her irritation.
“Hey, you okay?” Noah said quietly.
“Umhmm, yeah.” She glanced at him briefly, surprised at the concern on his face.
“It looked like you were dizzy back there,” he said.
“It was nothing. Nothing new, anyway. Really.”
He nodded and walked with her to two open seats next to Rita. The children, jacked up on sugar, began to chase each other around the eating area. Rita’s genuine delight at the commotion was infectious and before long Penny’s tension eased. She listened without comment to Rita and Noah’s exchange on the environmental impact of drilling for oil in the arctic waters. Noah was adamant that his position in security didn’t encourage the drilling but ensured the security of the rigs and personnel.
“Yes, yes. But by working there you are in a sense supporting the drilling.”
Noah held his hands up in surrender. “Agree to disagree, Rita. If it wasn’t me, it would be someone else.”
“Fine. Then when are you going to shave the beard, Noah, and show everyone that handsome face? Might be why you are single.” Rita said.
Noah cocked an eyebrow and glanced between Rita and Penny. “I don’t know, winter’s coming.”
“Oh, don’t use the weather as an excuse. It’s always cold up here,” she said, scrunching up her little upturned nose.
Vale and her friends entered the pool, and Penny excused herself, anxious to return home for the day. While Vale’s excitement over Penny’s presence was genuine, her interest in hanging out with her friends prevented her from visiting with her family. Exhaustion clung to Penny, and when Vale pleaded for her to join them later at Army’s to play guitar, Penny declined.
She retreated to the locker rooms to change. Rose was washing a bottle at the sink and barely glanced up, her petite frame hunched and her long, dark hair cascading forward into the sink.
“Hi Rose, how are you?” Penny asked.
Rose leaned on her hands against the sink ledge, her head bowed. When she at last met Penny’s gaze in the mirror, Rose’s eyes were red, and streaks of mascara ran down her cheeks.
“I don’t know what to do. Tiki absolutely will not behave with Sam around. I really like him, Penny. But he can’t even spend time with me and the girls without some major tantrum action.” She wiped at her cheeks and gave a deep sigh.
This was unknown territory for Penny. She barely knew Rose and had little experience with romantic relationships. Aunt Bianca, with her extensive experience with boyfriends and marriages, would have been the more appropriate counselor. Or maybe not.
“Ah, what’s meant to be, will be?” she said, her words hesitant. She was still irritated at Sam’s comments, but withheld any judgement. People would have their own opinions, after all.
Rose laughed wryly. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Just give it time,” Penny suggested.
“Yeah. I’ve been working a lot of overtime at the hospital. Being on call is no fun. And helping Dolores at the restaurant on my days off. I think I am just tired.” She said with a yawn. “Yep, definitely tired.”
“I’m sorry. Need any help? I could babysit for you some nights. Give you a break?”
“Ah, thanks, Penny. You are too kind. I didn’t mean to coerce you into helping me,” Rose said, yawning again.
“No, I mean it. Most likely Noah would help, too.”
“You two are fairly inseparable these days.”
Before Rose could go further, Penny held up her hands. “We are just friends, Rose. Trust me.”
Rose peered at her as if looking for the answer to an unasked question. “Shall I put in a word for you? Mention something to Noah?”
“Absolutely not. Please. In fact, do something like that, and I will rescind my offer to babysit.”
The comment brought a warm smile to Rose’s face, erasing many of the tired lines and making her seem her youthful self.
“Okay, okay. Settle down. I won’t say anything.” Rose’s smile waned as a piercing beep echoed in the locker room.
Rose sighed. While she checked her cell phone, Penny dressed quickly listening to the short, one-sided conversation. Rose was an emergency medical technician for the local hospital and a primary helivac crewmember. She indicated she would respond immediately.
Penny exited the locker room shortly after Rose and found her deep in discussion with Army, who also received a call. Noah approached with Harry and Sam along with another distant relative of Army’s, whose name eluded Penny. The small group gathered in close.
“Hey, what’s going on, Army?” asked Noah as he moved in to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Penny. Army seemed to have aged ten years in the few minutes since Penny entered the locker room.
“The sheriff called. They found another woman’s body.” Several sharp intakes of breath followed from those gathered nearby listening.
“Is she alive?” asked Sam.
“No,” said Army heavily. “They found evidence that there was a bear. Possibly dogs or wolves. Her body is in bad shape.”
Sam looked angry while the others stood in shocked silence, digesting the news of a third death within a few months’ time.
“Sam, I have to go. I’m sorry, I know, I know. EMTs aren’t needed for the deceased, but the sheriff asked me to oversee the transition to the coroner at the hospital. I’ll get mom to watch the kids,” said Rose before she walked off toward Dolores.
“I’m going to head out with Rose,” Army said, then nodded to Noah and added, “Noah, why don’t you take Penny home when she is ready. Harry, you take your aunt and cousins back to the house. I don’t know how long this will take. We might need to hold off on the evening celebrations until tomorrow.”
“You think this girl is linked with the other two?” Noah asked the question that surely everyone in hearing distance was thinking.
Army sighed heavily. “I don’t know for sure. I hope not. I hope there isn’t a serial killer.”
On the quiet ride back home with Noah, Penny thought back to her episod
e earlier. Had it really been related?
Penny, you okay?
Shocked, I guess. It is alarming to consider, more devastating if there is a link. What can we do?
Do? Be safe, obviously. Stay vigilant. Don’t go out alone.
Alone? Lu, Army will be gone soon for teaching, Noah is going back to Prudhoe. It will be us and mother. How can I check the research station without being alone?
Take Winter and Blue, I guess. They will protect you, right?
“Well, aside from that ending bit, did you enjoy today?” Noah broke the silence of their drive back home.
“I guess so.” She smiled. “Did you?”
“Yes, I love being the shark in the water. Was my favorite game as a kid.”
Penny imagined him as a child. Dark curly hair, pudgy cheeks like his little cousin, Tiki.
“Did you see something earlier? When you said you were dizzy?”
Her nod came slowly. “The shadowed figure,” Penny relented. “And the scarred bear. I have no idea if the two are related, or if I’m going crazy.” Not wanting to linger on that thought, she added, “Do you know where they found the body?” That knowledge would allow her to cross check the area bears, see if the scarred bear was somehow involved.
“I’ll find out. I don’t think we should narrow to just him, though. Can we check on all movement around a specific area?”
Penny nodded. She could check on any of the chipped and collared bears’ movements. But if the body was discovered by a pure bear, as they called the ones without a tracking device, then the information would be useless.
“Wish we could chip the humans. That would help us more if someone killed her.”
“Yeah, that won’t ever happen. Not in our lifetimes,” Noah said. “Would you want the government tracking your every movement?”
That thought sobered her, and she shook her head.
“Penny, what do you think about meditation or some other way to bring on or focus the visions?”
Getting them was bad enough; she didn’t consider forcing more into her mind to be a better situation.
“I mean, it might not work. But if it did, any additional information could help. What do you think?”