by M. K. Easley
“What else?” Evander demanded. “That's not what you're not saying.”
“Ember,” Tristan said admonishingly. “Give her a minute, will you?”
“You never block me,” Evander ignored Tristan, speaking to Olivia. He looked hurt, his tone bewildered.
“I can't,” Olivia said, covering her face with her hands.
“Let me see,” Evander said, his voice gentling. “I'll say it. Just let me see.”
Olivia uncovered her face, looking at Evander. He focused on her for a moment and then, paling, looked at Tristan.
“What?” Tristan asked apprehensively.
“There are…” Evander faltered, cleared his throat, started again. “There are rumors that they brought Orion back because the community has gotten too progressive for some of the Elders, so they want to review the newer laws that have been passed and see if they can revert any of them back to original law.”
Tristan felt faint.
“But that means…”
Evander and Olivia nodded. Olivia was still crying, and Evander looked nauseated. That meant that the law that had been passed saying it would no longer be a requirement for new adults to join the community would be under review. Under the review of one of the most feared and unforgiving Elders the community had ever seen. Under the review of the man who'd had his own daughter publicly executed for trying to reject the community.
Tristan sank down onto the grass, and her siblings joined her. That law would probably be at the top of the list, so her choices would be to be forced into a life she did not want, to marry a man she did not want and have children she was not ready for, or to be brutally executed in front of the entire community and everyone who loved her.
“Trinity? Oceana? Ember?” Umbris called from the back door, making them all jump. “What are you doing out there?”
“Just hanging out! We're fine!” Evander called back, his voice remarkably steady.
“Can you come hang out in here please? It's getting pitch black out there.”
Evander flicked his wrist and the fire pit sprang to life, illuminating the yard.
“Good enough.” Umbris went back inside after a beat, closing the door.
“They're going to be listening now,” Evander said.
Silence once again descended upon the trio. Olivia stood, making a sweeping motion over their heads, as though she was drawing a rainbow.
“That should hold them off for a few minutes,” Olivia said, sitting back down. She looked at Tristan, speaking urgently. “Look Trinity, I know you haven't come right out and said it, but Ember and I, and I think even Mom, know you're not going to join the community when you graduate. At least we know that's what you're planning. But if Orion is going to overturn the law making it optional, you have to join. You have to.”
“I can't talk about this right now,” Tristan said numbly. “I need to do some research. I need to talk to Celes; I know he knows the laws inside out and backwards. There has to be a loophole, or something.”
“If he gets wind of what you're thinking, you know he'll dime you out in a heartbeat.”
“He won't. I don't owe him any explanations about why I'm asking, and if I'm sealed he won't be able to read me.”
“It's risky,” Olivia said, shaking her head. “I really don't think it's a good idea to involve him in this.”
“It'll be OK,” Evander spoke up, nodding assuredly at his sisters. “Trinity is smart, and she knows what she's doing. Even if he gets suspicious, she'll keep her cool.”
“Trinity,” Olivia looked at her, her gray eyes full of worry. “How serious are you about not joining the community?”
“Serious enough that I don't know what I'll have to do to get away, even if one option means dying,” Tristan replied, after a few beats.
Olivia covered her face again, resting her head on her knees, and Evander put his arm around her, looking at Tristan sadly.
“I wish it could be different,” Tristan whispered, her own eyes filling with tears. “It's just not.”
***
Olivia slept in Tristan's room with her that night, claiming she was too freaked out to sleep alone. Tristan didn't mind, was even secretly glad for her company, since she was feeling the same way.
Tristan laid awake long after Olivia had begun snoring softly beside her. There had to be something in the laws to prevent Orion from undoing the progress the community had made. There had to be someone who would dissent, or who could stop him. Just because some of the Elders didn't like the new laws didn't mean all of them felt that way, right? And Hydran had even said these were rumors he'd heard, so maybe it was all just speculation.
If that was the case though, Tristan's mind niggled, why had she dreamt of Adara? It had seemed pretty clear that it hadn't been a dream as much as a memory, a warning, and nothing Tristan told herself could change that.
Her stomach hurting, Tristan curled into a ball, rolling onto her side. She was scared, genuinely scared, and dreading next weekend's gathering.
Saturday dawned gray and rainy. Thunder was what woke Tristan, who found that Olivia was no longer in her room with her. She crept down the hall and peeked into Olivia's room, finding her sprawled out in her own bed. Relieved, Tristan went back to her bedroom, opening her window and letting the sounds and the smell of the storm fill the space. She took several deep breaths, but still her nerves rattled. Deciding yoga might help, she rolled out her mat and turned on her TV, finding a program to follow along with.
An hour later, Tristan was sweaty and her muscles were relaxed, but her mind was still buzzing. She jumped in the shower and then went downstairs, pouring herself a bowl of cereal and wondering where her parents were. She wandered into the living room, finding a note on the coffee table -- her parents had gone to spend the day in New Orleans; Umbris had business there, and they'd be meeting Dune and Thera Crenshaw for lunch.
Evander and Olivia were still asleep when Tristan left for work, so she put Sol’s note on the kitchen table and wrote one of her own, letting her siblings know she'd be home around four-thirty that afternoon.
***
Beckett woke up on Saturday morning from yet another dream about Tristan. He laid in bed, replaying the bizarre memory. The details were quickly going fuzzy, but they'd been in the woods, he was pretty sure, and Tristan had been looking at him in an absolute panic. Beckett couldn't remember why, or who else had been there, or really anything but Tristan's expression and the fact that they were definitely a couple, in his dream. The whole thing was unnerving, but the couple part had been nice.
With a melancholy he'd never admit aloud to feeling, Beckett thought about how his dream scenarios were probably the only way he and Tristan would ever be together. She had finally agreed to something resembling friendship, but even that had basically been akin to Beckett knocking down one wall just to find five more behind it. The most frustrating part was that he got the feeling that she was into him, too, that she was lonely, too, and that they had a lot more in common than either of them realized. Beckett thought back to Thanksgiving, watching Tristan smile and laugh with the diners at the food kitchen. She'd been a sight to behold, more comfortable there than she ever seemed at school. Beckett could have easily spent the entire day with her, would gladly spend any day with her if she'd let him, which he knew she wouldn't.
He sighed, rolling onto his side and looking out of his bedroom window at the pouring rain. He told himself to stop thinking about Tristan, but she'd made herself a home in his thoughts. His mind wandered, wondering what it would be like to kiss her, to hold her body against his, to bring her up here to his bedroom and shut out the world with her. He wanted to find out so badly it was borderline desperate. He didn't understand the pull he felt towards her, how she held him so captive with so little effort and in spite of how little he knew about her, and part of him worried he was setting himself up for a bad burn at her hands. That same part urged him to move on, to find someone else to crush on or even date -- he'd noticed Eva R
evet, the new girl, giving him looks lately -- but how could he when Tristan occupied so much space in his head?
Feeling unsettled, Beckett got up and got a shower, annoyed that the rain was keeping him from getting in some roof time. When he'd finished, he opened the bathroom door to the sounds of his parents fighting, again. It wasn't even ten A.M. Shaking his head in disgust, Beckett got dressed and grabbed his backpack, leaving the house. He had homework to do, but there was no way he'd be able to concentrate while the third world war waged one floor below him. He briefly entertained the thought of going to Rise and Grind, but decided against it when he imagined Tristan, if she was there, asking him why he'd come there to do his homework. His parental situation was one he was unprepared and unwilling to talk about, so the fewer questions he had to field, the better.
Beckett headed to Lavelle’s public library instead -- an ancient, tiny building that he was pretty sure was haunted. Still better than his house. He set himself up at a table near a window and pulled out his books, getting started on his physics homework. His friend group was going to the movies tonight to see a re-release of The Shining, and while Beckett hadn't yet decided whether or not he was going to join them, he wanted to finish up his schoolwork just in case.
He had just moved onto his open-book sociology quiz when he noticed the librarian struggling to carry a large cardboard box from the front desk to a door against the far wall. Beckett jumped up to help, and the librarian, Margeaux Simeon, gratefully handed the box off to him.
“Thank you. We're doing a bunch of reorganizing right now and we're light on staff as it is, and having to move these boxes myself is killing me.”
“I'm happy to help,” Beckett replied. “Anything else you need moved?”
“There are two more boxes up front if you don't mind.”
“Not at all.”
“Hey, any chance you're available for hire?” Margeaux asked, looking him over once he'd carried the other boxes with ease, and Beckett looked back at her, surprised.
“Uh, well, I'm in school during the week but I can be available weeknights and weekends.”
“If you don't mind doing the grunt work while we restructure, you're hired. I'll be paying you under the table, and not much, but it's better than nothing, right?”
“Right, absolutely. I'm Beckett Benson, by the way.” Beckett introduced himself, giving Margeaux an amused grin as he shook her hand.
“I know who you are; I've only worked this job for thirty years. You don't come here much, but I think I gave you your first library card.”
Beckett smiled, nodding. “You did.”
“Alright, so I'll let you get back to your work, but if you could come back tomorrow for a few hours, say around noon, we can get started.”
“I'll be here. Thanks, Ms. Simeon.”
“No, thank you, Beckett.”
Beckett went back to his table, pleasantly surprised at what had just gone down. His parents did not require him to work while still in high school, and Beckett had some money thanks to the small, unexpected inheritance he'd received from his Paw-Paw when he'd passed, but Beckett often picked up odd jobs around town for extra money anyway; it made him feel better to be doing something to earn any kind of keep for himself.
Beckett finished his homework within the hour, packing up his bag and promising Margeaux he’d come back the next day. He left the library and drove around aimlessly, not ready to go home, not sure where else to go. He ended up driving out to the main road into Lavelle, traveling down a ways until he spotted a small dirt road to his right. He steered the car down the unpaved surface, bumping along slowly, until he got to an equally small parking lot. The rain had finally stopped, so Beckett got out of the car and began walking through the woods to the river. When he got there, he took off his gray hooded sweatshirt and folded it, placing it on a rock before sitting down.
For a long time, he watched the water rush by, thinking about what direction his life was taking. Graduation was still six months away, but at the same time, it was only six months away. Every day spent in his house felt like it lasted twice as long as every day spent out. Every interaction with his friends made him feel like he belonged somewhere, but made him wonder if it was with them. Beckett recalled what Tristan had said about seeming like a good person in spite of the company he kept, a smile tugging at his lips. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, blame her for how she saw his friends, as they’d never given her any reason to feel otherwise. His smile faded. He’d also never given her any reason to believe he was any better than them, yet she seemed to have at least a tenuous bit of faith in him.
Beckett finally went home late in the afternoon. His Dad was gone, as usual, and his Mom was holed up in the downstairs den, as usual. He went up to his bedroom and flopped back down on his bed. He wasn’t in the mood for a horror movie, but he couldn’t keep moping around all day, either. His friends were flawed, everyone was flawed, but they were still his friends, and they were still able to lift his spirits in a way he needed at this juncture in his life, so he’d go to the movies tonight and hopefully forget for a while about his own personal turmoil.
Chapter 12
Hours later, Beckett left the house again, driving into town just in case the rain picked back up. He met his group of friends out front, noticing they had invited Eva Revet to join them.
“Beckett, hi!” Emmeline greeted, all pearly white teeth and perfectly curled hair.
“Emmeline,” Beckett greeted with a nod, before stepping around her to go and greet Jason, Henry, Wade Leveau, and Charlie Melancon.
Beckett looked over at Tyler, who was chatting with Olivia Wallace, no surprise there. She noticed him looking and smiled a greeting, and he smiled back at her, waving.
“Hi Beckett,” Eva said from behind him, and Beckett turned, grinning at her.
“Hi Eva. Didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”
“Henry invited me,” Eva replied, sweeping her long, dark hair behind her shoulders. Then, quickly, “Not as a date.”
Beckett nodded, glancing at Henry, who winked at him smoothly before resuming his conversation with Jason.
“It’s nice you could make it.”
“The Shining is one of my favorite movies,” Eva told him, her blue eyes sparkling excitedly. “Have you ever seen it?”
Beckett nodded.
“I have. I can’t say I’m much of a fan of the bathtub scene, but the rest is OK.”
Eva laughed, and Beckett smiled. Olivia, who was still talking to Tyler, shifted so she could keep Beckett and Eva in her line of vision. She didn’t know much about Eva Revet -- pronounced Reh-vay, she’d be sure to tell you -- the girl having transferred to Jamestown Academy at the start of the year, and the reading Olivia was getting on her was worryingly murky, but that could have been because she was trying to read Eva while also trying to focus on Tyler.
Olivia knew Tristan wasn’t ready to admit that she had a crush on Beckett, at least not out loud anyway, but she didn’t need her sister to own up to anything in order to know the real deal. It was for this reason that Olivia was keeping an eye on Beckett and Eva -- Olivia had never known Tristan to be interested in anyone, and, as far as Olivia could tell, Beckett was a good egg. In fact, whenever Beckett was near her sister, Olivia got a vibe she was unfamiliar with, almost a familiarity between him and Tristan that went beyond whatever surface relationship they were very slowly building. It was something she kept meaning to explore, but there was never enough time, as either Beckett or Tristan was always coming or going when she approached them.
“Olivia, no Evander tonight?” Hattie asked her, and Olivia frowned in her direction.
“No Evander until the new year, remember?” Olivia corrected. “Grounded for breaking Theo’s nose.”
“But wasn’t it an accident?” Hattie asked innocently, and Olivia looked at her for a moment, never able to tell when she was being genuine and when she wasn’t. It was the very reason she steered as clear of Hattie as she did Em
meline.
“From what I’ve heard.” Olivia coolly flicked her eyes over Hattie, who turned away to talk to Emmeline and Bailey.
“You’re gonna sit next to me, right?” Tyler asked, and Olivia pretended to look confused.
“I don’t know, I hadn’t really thought about it. Why?”
“I’m gonna need someone to hold me when I get scared.” Tyler gave her a cheeky smile, his dimples on full display, and Olivia laughed.
“I thought that’s what you have Jason and Beckett for.”
“We better go in,” Emmeline said, and the group made their way inside the theatre.
Olivia casually maneuvered herself until she was behind Beckett, who was behind Eva.
“How’s it going, Beckett?” Olivia asked, and Beckett twisted around, looking surprised that she was speaking to him.
“It’s going,” Beckett replied, nodding his head. “How’s it going with you?”
“Well. Can’t say the same for my brother.”
Beckett laughed.
“I heard he’s grounded until the new year.”
“At least.” Olivia shook her head. “Tristan and I tried to plead his case, but it didn’t do much. Saved him from a lecture maybe, but not from a pretty harsh punishment. Being suspended from the games has been the biggest hit he’s taken, though.”
“I can imagine. It would be for me, too.”
“What games?” Eva asked, not bothering to pretend like she hadn’t been listening, and Olivia just looked at her.
“Football,” Beckett replied, turning away from Olivia.
“You play football?”
“Yes,” Beckett said slowly, laughing.
“I’ve never been to a game,” Eva explained. She paused, then gave Beckett a sly look. “Maybe I’ll come to the next one.”
“You should,” Beckett bobbed his head. “They’re usually a good time.”
“Where did you move here from?” Olivia asked Eva. “Not somewhere local?”
“No, not somewhere local,” Eva confirmed with a smile, tilting her head just slightly. “We moved here from Virginia. Deltaville, specifically.”