“She’s a special girl,” Joad had said.
“I could sense that the day I met her. Before …”
Aurora broke off and smiled silently, while rubbing a small white scar on her arm. Joad nodded and Aurora could tell he was aware of her promise to Doc.
“You’ve grown close to Laura,” Aurora observed.
“I’ve only known her a few days.”
“And think about how much has happened in that short time.”
Joad tried to wave it off. “Life-and-death scrapes have a way of throwing people together unexpectedly.”
“It’s something more,” said Aurora. “And I think you know that.”
Joad looked toward the window. Aurora presumed that he was thinking about where he was heading. “Becky and I talked a lot about the future before I left. We hoped for something exactly like her.” He turned back to Aurora. “Maybe there’s still a chance.”
“You deserve that more than anyone I ever met.”
“You hardly know me.”
Aurora smiled. “My mother said I had great first instincts.”
The door opened and Laura walked in with Doc. Their laughter filled the room and Aurora’s heart with a long-missing joy. Fixer followed them in, carrying three putters and different-colored golf balls. He cast an accusatory finger at Laura.
“I think Doc raised a sandbagger here.”
“What’s that?” asked Laura.
“A person who says they’ve never played golf and then proceeds to clean my clock.”
“Maybe you’re just not very good,” Laura said, giggling.
Fixer mock-clutched his chest, as if he’d been speared straight through it. Everyone laughed, then listened as Laura regaled them with her triumphs on the mini-golf course. Aurora noticed the three grown men were putty in the girl’s hand—it gave her hope for a future beyond the Strangers, particularly with young people like Laura leading the way.
As evening fell, Joad made rumblings about moving on. Aurora wouldn’t hear of it and said there was plenty of room in the castle. She imagined it had been ages since they’d spent a night in real beds, and told them they were welcome to stay as long as they wanted.
“I suppose one night wouldn’t hurt,” Joad said.
Aurora knew it took a lot for the man to accept the offer. She presumed the battles with the brothers, and the tolls those took on him, were the only reason he acquiesced so easily. Fixer seemed overjoyed, and Doc expressed profound appreciation.
But it was Laura who surprised Aurora most, later, up in the tower. Aurora had shown her the tiny room with the window overlooking Funland. Laura had leapt at the chance for her own private sleeping space on a genuine mattress with an actual pillow and blanket. Aurora was about to start downstairs when the young girl spoke up.
“Do you think you could stay with me a while? Until I fall asleep, maybe?”
Aurora’s heart practically broke in half. She realized the last time Laura had been put to bed by a woman must have been the night before The Seventh Day, when her mother was still alive. Aurora knew she could never understand how traumatic the years since had been for the child; she fought back tears as she sat on the bed beside Laura.
“Of course, sweetheart.”
The girl pelted Aurora with questions, many of them childhood versions of those Joad had asked. Aurora answered truthfully, only hedging when the conversation inevitably found its way to The Seventh Day.
“Did you know my mom?”
“No, honey. I really didn’t. We talked on the phone a few times, planning your birthday party. But that was pretty much it. I saw her for a few minutes that day, but she was busy making sure you and your friends had a great time. She seemed awfully nice.”
Laura nodded while staring intently at Aurora.
“I wish I remembered you.”
Aurora reached out and traced a finger across the girl’s forehead.
“You were very little, Laura. I’d be surprised if you remembered anything; especially someone like me that you met once.”
“But you’re so beautiful. You’d think I wouldn’t forget that.”
Aurora actually blushed. “That’s so sweet of you to say.”
“I keep thinking of stuff I thought happened, but then I lose it. It’s like I have this idea—and it just fades away.”
Aurora pulled the blanket up and tucked the girl in. “You’re better off forgetting anything that happened that day.”
“Like my mother.”
Aurora stiffened but didn’t respond.
“Do you know what happened to her?” Laura asked.
The plea in Laura’s eyes almost got Aurora to speak the truth. But then, she remembered her promise to Doc and realized she had to lie to this angel, as much as it killed her to do so.
“I wish I did. But it was so crazy. One moment there were tons of kids and families enjoying an afternoon at Funland. The next thing I knew, it was just me …”
Aurora let her voice trail off, hoping the falseness would travel along with it. She wasn’t sure Laura was buying it, but was thankful to see sleepiness start to overtake the young girl.
“One thing I can definitely say is that I’m glad to see you again, Laura.”
It felt good to utter an actual truth.
“Me too,” Laura mumbled, succumbing to Mr. Sandman’s pull. She reached for Aurora’s hand. Laura didn’t let go—even after she fell fast asleep.
Only then did Aurora allow herself to sob quietly, knowing full well she would never forget a single minute of The Seventh Day for as long as she lived.
Eventually she made her way downstairs and found Doc sitting by the fire. Joad and Fixer were outside tending to the horses. She settled next to the physician and motioned upstairs.
“That’s some girl you raised.”
“Don’t give me any credit. It all comes from her mother.”
Aurora stared at the flames, wondering how to broach the subject she knew Sayers didn’t want to discuss. Finally, she just decided to come out and say it.
“She wants to know what happened here, Doc.”
Sayers whipped his head around. “You didn’t tell her anything.”
“Of course not. I promised you I wouldn’t.”
“It would traumatize her beyond belief.”
“I think she can handle it.”
Sayers leapt to his feet. “You think so? How ’bout the fact she didn’t utter a word; not one word for close to a year after we left here? She walked around like she was catatonic. I actually thought she might never talk again.”
“Obviously that wasn’t the case. What changed?”
“I don’t have a fucking clue. One day we were sitting in a trailer and she asked me for another carrot. Not one damned word for fourteen months and suddenly she starts speaking. This was when she was too young to comprehend what happened to Naomi. Now you want me to tell her, explain to her, what I actually did?” Sayers shook his head. “No, thank you. I’ll be spared having to pick up those pieces.”
He excused himself, and said he was going to bed. Aurora remained by the fire, feeling awful for Doc, who she could tell was a good but tortured man. To be tethered to a mute child he barely knew, a little girl who was a mini-version of the woman he had loved and blamed himself for losing. It must have been hell on an altered Earth.
Aurora was thankful when Joad and Fixer returned. It gave her something to do. She showed them to a small room, where they were happy to bunk on twin beds she’d salvaged from a ravaged mattress store a few years before.
Now, sitting by the fire, she hardly felt like the Queen of the Castle. More like a mouse on a wheel, caught in a loop she couldn’t escape.
Mercifully, sleep finally overtook her.
Aurora wasn’t sure what woke her up.
She thought it was the horrible dream. Sleep had not been a welcome respite as she had relived every second of The Seventh Day—from the moment the birthday party began, until Doc’s arrival way af
ter the fact.
But it was Laura’s screaming that actually made her bolt off the couch.
The girl was racing down the stairs away from her stepfather.
“Laura! Come back here right now!”
Laura turned and shoved him in the chest. Doc slipped on the steps and tumbled to the landing.
“How could you? How could you do that to her!” she yelled.
Joad and Fixer, half-awake, were coming down the stairs as well.
“What’s going on?” yelled Fixer.
Laura raced for the front door, where Aurora met her. “Honey, what’s the matter?”
Laura whirled and pushed Aurora away as well. “You lied to me! You said you didn’t know.”
“What are you talking about?” Aurora tried to grab her, but Laura slipped away.
“I want to see her!”
Laura raced outside. Doc had regained his balance and reached Aurora. “How could you tell her? After I begged you not to?”
“I didn’t. I swear!” Aurora protested.
“Well, she obviously knows.”
Doc was out the door before Aurora could talk some sense into him. She turned toward Joad, who had come up behind her.
“I didn’t tell her anything,” she implored. “I wanted to but I couldn’t, wouldn’t do that to Doc. Even though I’ve been dreaming about it all night …”
Joad put a hand on her shoulder.
“You dreamt about it? The Seventh Day and what happened to her mother?”
Aurora nodded. “Wouldn’t you? After all this time, seeing everyone again and—”
Joad cut her off with a shake of the head.
“That’s how Laura found out. She knows what happened because you dreamt it.”
LAURA
“Laura, sweetheart? Are you awake?”
Mommy’s voice accompanied the knock at the door.
Awake? Was she kidding? Laura had been up since four, itching to get the day started. But she knew she was supposed to stay in bed until at least six thirty; seven on the weekends. Mommy didn’t like her banging around the house before Doc was up; especially on days when he didn’t start work early. But she couldn’t help it. She was just a kid, for cryin’ out loud. Five—no, make that six—six years old today!
Today was the day! Her birthday party! Funland! Mini-golf and presents galore for sure!
Laura gleefully hopped out of bed, rushed to the door, and threw it open. Her mom was still in her pink terrycloth robe, the one that felt so good for Laura to rub her face up against whenever she fell asleep in Mommy’s arms. Her mom had a huge smile on her face and one arm behind her back. She used the other to pull her daughter in for a big hug and a kiss.
“Mmmmm. I guess that would be a Big Fat Yes!” said Mommy, laughing while clutching Laura tight.
“What’s that?” asked Laura.
“What’s what?” Mommy asked back, the grin getting even bigger.
“What’s behind your back? Is it for me?”
“Maaaayyybeee …”
Laura giggled as they broke into a game of keep-away-and-come-and-get-it, rolling around on the floor as Laura tried to grab a box wrapped in oh-so-many-bright-and-beautiful colors. Her mom finally lay back on the floor and let the laughing Laura sit on top of her stomach. Laura ripped off the wrapping paper to reveal the Nicki American Girl doll (a genuine cowgirl, yay!) she’d been thinking about ever since seeing it at the store two months earlier. Laura showered her mother with kisses and thank you-thank you-thank yous.
“You like it, then?” teased Mommy.
“It’s exactly what I wanted!”
“You knew you were getting it.”
“Did not,” replied Laura. “But I hoped. Can I bring it to the party?”
“Of course! It wouldn’t be polite to leave Nicki all alone right after bringing her home.”
“I agree!”
Laura hugged Mommy and then gave Nicki an equally super-sized embrace.
“Anyone here interested in birthday chocolate-chip pancakes?”
Laura looked down the hallway. Doc stood just outside the kitchen, holding the pancake flipper. The birthday girl immediately raised her hand.
“Me! Me! Me!”
He motioned with the flipper. “Breakfast is served.”
The pancakes were kind of burnt, but when Doc asked what she thought, her mom said “Yummy” and nodded up and down like a bobblehead. Laura took her cue and echoed the sentiment.
“Yummy, yummy!”
“You sure you don’t mind that I’m not coming to your party?” Doc asked as he cleared away the plate.
Laura started to say she’d like him to be there, but her mom jumped in and answered instead.
“I think it’s okay if Doc goes to the baseball game, don’t you, Laura?”
Laura nodded. “You’d be the only boy. Well, except for Joey.”
“Joey?” asked Doc. “Is that your boyfriend?”
Laura giggled. “Noooo. He’s two. Lizzie’s mommy brings him everywhere they go.”
“Make sure you save me some cake and ice cream,” Doc said.
“You can’t save ice cream! It’ll melt!”
“Cake, then.”
“If I don’t eat it all.” Laura reconsidered and held her stomach. “But that might make my tummy hurt.”
Everyone laughed, and then Mommy told Laura to go get ready.
Before long, they were on their way. Laura wore the bright yellow party dress she’d been saving for the occasion, placed a seatbelt around her new Nicki doll, and they listened to Radio Disney all the way out to Funland.
Laura had never been before—she’d seen a poster on a bulletin board at the local toy store and told her mom that was where she wanted her sixth birthday party to be. Consequently, the minute she saw the amusement park through the windshield, she thought it the most “fantastical” place she’d ever seen.
“It’s so much bigger than the picture, Mommy!”
And it was. There was a fairy tale castle large enough for Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and a dozen other princesses. She saw a giant windmill and the “biggest clown ever,” with a mouth that kept opening and shutting like that crocodile in Peter Pan. The flowers surrounding the miniature golf course had so many different colors that Laura couldn’t begin to count. And then there was the drawbridge—Funland’s entrance—where more than two dozen girls her age stood holding a banner that read Happy Birthday Laura! Upon seeing the birthday girl, they began jumping up and down; Laura raced up the drawbridge and was immediately swallowed up by the screaming kids.
Then it was time to play. A really nice woman with the darkest hair Laura had ever seen, and a dress covered in colored splotches—like a finger painting left dripping in the sun—helped split her friends into groups of four. Laura had told her mom beforehand she didn’t want to choose teammates because she didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so Mommy made sure Laura played a few holes with each girl. Over the next hour and a half, they giggled, screamed, and shouted their way around the mini golf course. Laura had “the best” time, no more so when she putted a ball between the windmill blades into the cup for a hole-in-one. Her friends let out a cheer she was sure Doc could hear at his baseball game, and then proceeded to sing “Happy Birthday” at the top of their young lungs right there on the spot.
An hour later, after way too many pieces of pizza (“But I have to try one of each, right, Mommy? It is my birthday!”) that already made her tummy feel rumbly, it was time to sing all over again. Mommy brought out a birthday cake shaped like a princess, with seven candles (“One to grow on, sweetheart”) sticking out of a silver tiara. Two other mothers carried big vats of Neapolitan ice cream (Laura’s absolute favorite) and waited for her to blow the candles out.
Laura had just closed her eyes and started to wish when there were cries of “Hey, hey” and “No, no”. She snapped them open and saw that Joey had broken away from his mom to make a beeline for the cake, his cheeks puffed o
ut ready to blow as hard as he could. Laura’s mom gently took hold of him and pulled him back.
“No, Joey. It’s Laura’s birthday. Let her blow out the candles.”
Laura looked up. “That’s okay, Mommy. Joey can blow them out with me.” She looked down at Joey. “You want to, Joey?”
The pudgy tyke nodded, so happy his entire body shook with anticipation and joy. Laura’s mom leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
“That’s really nice of you, sweetheart.”
“Lemme just start my wishes over,” Laura said.
“Wishes, huh?”
“Seven candles. Seven wishes.”
Laura clutched her Nicki doll to her chest, squeezed her eyes shut, and went over her list. Stuff she wanted, a couple of things for Mommy, even something for Doc. Then she opened her eyes and looked at Joey, who was about to burst.
“Ready, Joey?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
“Okay,” said Mommy. “On three!”
Everyone began to count out loud. “One! Two!”
Laura took a deep breath and got ready to blow.
“Three!”
Purple light blasted from the sky.
Her cake was on the ground. Smashed to bits.
Laura had no idea how that happened. Or why she was lying beside it. It was like she’d fallen asleep and suddenly woken up—which didn’t make sense because she was at her birthday party.
Wasn’t she?
She sat up and looked around. All her friends were gone. So was her Nicki doll. She looked around frantically.
And saw that the miniature golf course was completely empty.
She didn’t understand. Where was everybody?
And what was that terrible noise?
It was unbelievably loud. The loudest Laura had ever heard. It seemed to be coming from everywhere—but especially up in the clouds. It sounded familiar.
Like something she heard around the house. Just a whole lot bigger.
Laura looked up at the sky, but her view was suddenly blocked by her mother.
“Mommy!”
Seeing her mom, Laura suddenly recognized the sound.
The vacuum cleaner.
Just like the one Mommy pushed around the house. Except this one was Super Loud.
The Seventh Day Page 25