But Isis had saved his neck... Whatever her reasons were, she didn't seem like a bad person. And usually Evan got bad vibes about most people. For him to get this feeling about her...
He decided to keep her secret. Out of respect for her.
"Evan?" Professor Lemmings was studying him. "Something wrong with Isis coming?"
"Oh no, sir. That's fine." He busied himself by pretending to admire a book cover.
"Really, man," Oliver said. "You and your shyness!"
"What? No, that's got nothing to do with ―"
"It's great she's coming," Samantha said. "The more girls, the merrier!" She elbowed Joby, shooting him a dry smirk.
Everyone with their own hidden reasons, Evan thought to himself. The art of internal dialogue.
"So, all of you are coming then?" the professor asked.
"Yeperoo!" Joby said. "At least, I am!"
"Me too," Samantha said.
"Me three!" Oliver said.
"And so will I." Evan gave his roommates a disapproving scowl. Did he have to correct someone's grammar every single day...?
"It's settled then! Pack your bags, because we leave tomorrow!" The professor shot a hand up in excitement, accidentally hitting a book and causing an avalanche. "Oops!"
"You're doing what?" Beatrice threw her hands to her hips. "Oliver, enough is enough!"
"But Bee-Bee, I'll only be gone for a week or so..."
Evan tapped Samantha's arm and mouthed to her, One week theory confirmed.
She brushed him off, shaking her head.
"That's not the point!" Beatrice paused, taking unsteady breaths. Once she managed to calm herself, she continued. "If you keep doing stupid things, you're going to end up hurt. I won't allow it."
"I won't get hurt!" Oliver shook his hands. "We're all going together! And with our moonstones―"
"Oliver, listen to me!" She grabbed his shoulders, staring him in the eyes. "When you aren't yapping about your stupid fire stone, you're going on about Tranludes! Just forget it! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Don't you believe in me?"
"You aren't superman! You're just...a foolish psych major!" Beatrice threw her arms up. "Every time something happens and you're gone, I worry! And I'm getting tired of all this...stuff always going on!"
"Hey, Bee-Bee," Samantha said. "You don't have to worry. You could tag along too. That is...if you...want...to." She trailed off at the look on the other girl's face.
"Sam, darling, don't take this personally. But ever since you found that rock, things have been crazy. Right now, I'm wishing you'd just let it go when you had the chance."
Samantha cringed. "Okay, never mind then..."
Beatrice turned back to her boyfriend. "Oliver, if you're just out to self-destruct, then I'm not sure if I want this..."
"I'm not out to do anything! Please, Bee-Bee, try to calm down..."
"No! Because if I don't say it now, I might not get another chance!" She stared him intently in the eyes. "Oliver, if you're going to play the hero, you're doing it alone. I'm not going to sit here and play the mourning widow."
"Bee-Bee! What are you saying?"
"I'm saying this," she yanked at her pink bond band, "is coming off."
Evan, Samantha, and Joby all watched Oliver.
When a bond band was removed, that signaled the end of a romantic relationship. It had to be done special at a jeweler's, and the band was physically destroyed in the process, never to be mended.
In Areth, relationships weren't taken lightly.
Oliver gasped. "Are you... You're kidding! Over this?"
She nodded once.
"Gah..." Oliver rubbed at his head. "I can't believe this..."
"I thought you were a smart, sensible guy, Oliver. You were. The Oliver I used to know..." She stared down into the grass, at a single yellow flower. "That's who I love. Not this danger-seeking hero wannabe."
Oliver clenched his jaw.
Evan waited for his friend's response.
And then, Oliver loosened with a sigh. "Fine, Bee-Bee. You win. I'll...stop acting like this."
Evan couldn't believe it. Was the guy going to let her run his own life?
Beatrice studied Oliver, as if waiting for a catch. When it didn't come, she finally smiled. "I hope you understand. If I don't save you from yourself, who else will?"
"Nm." Oliver stared down, avoiding everyone.
She glanced up at Evan, Samantha, and Joby. "I know I can't tell you what to do, but I think you three should stop this too. Before you get hurt."
"We're fine," Evan said, a bit stiffly.
"Spend your summer doing something else." Her eyes moved to Samantha. "Maybe another camping trip?"
"We're fine," Samantha echoed.
Taking the hint, Beatrice wandered back down the sidewalk from where she had came.
Evan turned to Oliver. "Are you really going to bend every time she tells you to bend?"
"You don't get it, man." Oliver stared after her. "It's not just about me anymore. It's about us." He fingered his red bond band.
"Us? Her is more like it."
Oliver spun to Evan. "You don't get it!"
"She's a control freak."
"She is not! Did you ever think that maybe you are!"
"Guys, don't fight," Samantha said.
"Yeah!" Stepping between them and holding his arms out, Joby said, "Break it up, break it up!"
Oliver turned his back. "I'm not going to fight him."
Evan turned his head. "Me neither. I mean...neither will I."
Samantha let out a big sigh. "Evan..."
"Well, then..." Oliver took a few steps. "See you guys later then." He made a quick retreat behind a nearby shop.
"I don't see why he puts up with her. She's a tyrant."
"He loves her," Samantha said. "And she feels the same way about him. That's why she worries."
"Bah... Give it three years. They'll be sick of each other."
"You're so negative about love."
"Yeah, and what do you know about it? It's just a natural way to get things, life forms, whatever together to create more things, life forms, whatever. There's nothing more to it than that."
Samantha didn't say anything.
"You're wrong," Joby said. "My parents still love each other. I mean, I know they had me kinda early... But that's got nothing to do with it now. They're always laughing together. They're like...best friends."
"Always there for each other?" Samantha asked.
"Yeah." Joby smiled at her. "Something like that."
Evan managed to bite his tongue. He didn't feel like getting into all this right now. Of course Joby, being the artist he was, would see the world in a special, glittery way. Artists always saw things in an idealistic light.
All Evan knew was Beatrice was not only controlling Oliver, but also prying him away from his true friends. The friends who, three years from now, would still be his friends. If Oliver only realized the truth...
Romantic love was a dead-end. True friendship could last for a lifetime.
Or so, this is what Evan thought.
Chapter 20
"Up this way a little more... Have any of you ever seen mountains so close before?"
"No, sir."
Samantha stared up past the shadowy rows of trees, at the incredible peak of earth looming up ahead. It was hard to believe they were still a day off from the mountain itself. It had a hazy majestic quality to it that the photos never seemed to capture.
But the surrounding trees of the forest, and the raggedy, rough incline of the ground? Not so much fun. It was turning out to be a long walk, and one made even longer by the constant breaks everyone kept needing. Not surprisingly, it was the law breaker and the police lady who took it the best. The professor and two students were dying, although Samantha did pride herself on outlasting both Evan and Roger Lemmings. Those two were gasping like fish in a sandy desert. She always knew Evan needed to get off his butt more
often. Her short walks were paying off. She didn't expect to beat Joby and Isis. Games of cat and mouse toughened them.
Around afternoon, the group finally reached a small mountainside town. It consisted of only a few buildings, mostly homes but a few stores and one hotel. It was rather simple with its dirt roads and old wooden signs, but Samantha loved its rustic quality. It seemed more natural and cozy that way.
"Can we stop here?" Evan wiped sweat from his face.
Professor Lemmings eyed the town thoughtfully. "If this is what I think this is... Ah, yes." He motioned at a large welcome sign. "Woodlane. So, we're getting close then!"
"Can we spend the night here?" Samantha asked.
"How did you two even survive the journey of realization? Didn't you have to travel the wilderness for a month or so? Before you could graduate from your high school?"
"It got cut short," Joby said.
"But still!" Professor Lemmings laughed.
"We suffered every day," Evan said. "Sunburn, gnats, mosquitoes, ticks, stench, crappy food... A bear tried to eat us!"
The professor just laughed some more.
"I still think Joby was the worst thing we encountered," Samantha said.
"Roar." Joby made biting motions.
"So, are we staying here?" Isis asked.
"That's what I was just thinking about..." Professor Lemmings glanced at his map. "Just up the trail some is an area that also gets a lot of moonstones. Not as much as at the summit, but still enough to be something." He turned back to them. "You four can rest at the hotel. I'll go on ahead and see if the area's worth investigating tomorrow."
"You aren't too tired?" Isis asked.
"I'll be fine. You guys go take the rest of the day off. I'll be back before morning."
The hotel's prices were staggering, but given the lack of competition, they had no choice. To save what money they could, the four got an economy room that consisted of two bunk beds. It didn't even come with a TV.
"For what we paid, they could've given us a HD TV," Evan said.
"Well, the point is to rest," Samantha said. "We don't need to watch movies to do that."
"How are we supposed to rest in an empty room?"
Samantha, Joby, and Isis all exchanged looks with one another.
"Okay, never mind. Just...nothing to do."
"We can play a game!" Joby said. "Like spin the bottle! Oho ho ho!"
Isis grinned. "Or Twister."
"Uh, how about something that won't turn perverted?" Samantha asked. "Like...uh..."
"Truth or dare!" Joby said.
Evan turned to Isis. "How old are you, anyway?"
"Twelve. No really. How old do you think I am?"
"The game of guessing her age!" Joby said.
"The winner can have my scarf!" Isis pulled a white scarf from her bag. "Don't use it much, anyway."
"I suck at guessing ages." Evan scratched at his head. "Can I sit this out?"
"Hm." Joby studied Isis. "I say...twenty-seven!"
Isis snickered, but didn't say anything. She glanced at Samantha.
Staring back at the dark-haired girl, Samantha was again struck by how similar in age they were. They could've been classmates for sure. "I'm going to say...twenty-one?"
Isis raised her eyebrow.
"She's older than that!" Joby argued.
"That's just emotional maturity, you dork," she countered.
Isis laughed. "Well, you're exactly right, Sam. Come February, I'll be twenty-two though." She tossed the scarf to Samantha.
Joby's mouth dangled open for a second. "Ya...don't act like it." He walked over to her, grinning. "And you're a cop already? So I could 'a been a cop by now too?"
"Well, it depends." Isis paused. "I've received training in combat and self-defense. And I receive my paychecks from the law enforcement agency."
"Yeah, yeah."
Although Joby clearly missed it, Isis's answer sounded vague to Samantha.
"And what's your title?" she asked.
"Oh, something special." Isis glanced around the dumpy hotel room. "Does interviewing me count as a game? I'm bored."
"Me too," Joby said. "Let's order a pizza and play truth or dare!"
The afternoon seemed to drag on to Samantha, who found the games kept getting worse as they went on. By the end of the day, the four were all attempting to dress and act like one another, even going so far as to borrow clothes. After Evan was talked into wearing one of her bras, Samantha finally managed to convince everyone that they were getting too loud and needed to stop. She half-expected a neighbor to call the cops for all their hooting and chanting. Isis, the self-proclaimed cop, was one of the louder ones.
Soon the room became more quiet, as they each found ways to pass the time. The waiting line for the shower was a major time-killer in and of itself. When it was Joby's turn, the hotel room finally reached a peaceful stage.
On a whim, Samantha decided to ask Isis to give her a major hair overhaul, as she was tired of all the work it took to manage it. Besides, it always seemed stupid to her that girls should have long hair. It was just another way for girls to waste their day, trying to look beautiful. Samantha didn't have time for all that. Something short seemed more convenient, and also a spit in the face to society and their expectations for women.
She ended up with chin-length, side-parted hair. The stubborn waves persisted, but her newfound lightness was even better than she'd thought it'd be. Why hadn't she done this sooner?
Afterwards, as Evan still had his face stuck in a mystery novel, Samantha again found herself wondering about Isis. Was she a cop or wasn't she? Why the ambiguity? This wasn't a title to take lightly.
Samantha decided enough was enough. She approached Isis. "Hey...can I ask you something?"
Isis looked up from her bag. "Sure, what?"
"So...are you a cop?"
Ever so slightly, Evan lowered his book.
"Don't believe me?" Isis asked.
"Well, I can't remember you actually saying you were. Just sorta...I don't know, implying it?"
"Gee, first your brother and now you. Do you two have trust issues?"
"Uh..." Samantha glanced across the room at her twin. "You said something to her too?"
He shrugged. "Yeah." He waited on Isis.
"Fine, if you must have the long story..." Isis yanked her bag shut and crossed her legs. "I work with the police, but I'm not officially one of them. I can break the law to support the law. Get what I'm saying?" She grinned.
"So, you're sorta an undercover cop-who-isn't a cop?" Samantha was confusing herself.
"More like," Evan started, "an undercover person pretending to be a cop, who isn't actually a cop, but acts like a cop." He glanced at Isis. "Something like that?"
Samantha ruffled her hair. "Uhhh..."
Isis gave a simple shrug. "Something like that. But you see, the police have to follow the rules. However, it's hard to do this and win when the bad guys have no rules. So I come in. I do a few illegal things to help the truth get out, and the police department turns a blind eye to my law-breakings."
"Illegal...as in what?" Samantha asked.
"Like a search warrant. When you guys were in that warehouse, there was no search warrant. If they said 'Oh, Tranludes were spotting going inside,' that would've been considered prejudice. If Tranludia heard human officials could get away with this, it could be a declaration of war. But instead, you have me. A random individual who so happens to slip inside and see the ugly truth."
"Huh. Makes sense."
"But you couldn't get any human backup," Evan said.
"Yeah, that. That was because they were too busy with other things. But I did get that group of pacifist Tranludes to help. So I now owe them a debt."
Samantha smiled. "You must be pretty brave to do all this."
Isis laughed. "I just always liked the idea of justice. I hate to see criminals get off free, or cops to end up hurt because of the very laws they're trying to enforce."
"How'd the professor find you, anyway?" Evan asked.
"Oh, that. He needed permission. The police department turned him down. I overheard two of them talking about it afterwards and thought it was silly how people weren't allowed in that area, even for research's sake. So I got his number and called him back, claiming they changed their minds and I was his escort." Isis hooted with laughter. "Got them good there!"
Evan rubbed his temples. "It's so easy, it's scary..."
"Hey, don't worry! I'm not out for blood! At least, not yours, anyway." She sighed almost happily. "My ex thought he was so cool the day he decided to join the local gang. But guess what? I'll be laughing when he's behind bars one day."
Samantha forced a laugh at this. She couldn't imagine such hatred towards someone who was once the love of your life, but yet again, she didn't know the ex in question either.
Joby finally came out of the bathroom, being followed by a rush of humidity. His hair was gelled into perfect spikes, and he wore an old t-shirt and jeans covered in paint stains.
"You're awfully done up for bed," Samantha joked.
"Nah, was thinking about going for a walk."
Evan made a face. "You haven't walked enough today?"
"I wanna see the town. Things look a lot different at night." Joby eyed Samantha. "Ya got a haircut?"
"Yeah. Isis did it." She ran a hand through her hair. "It feels a lot better now. Couldn't stand how thick it was before."
He chuckled. "It looks cute on ya. Feel like walking with me?"
"Well..." She glanced at her watch. "I guess I'll go. For a little while."
"The professor should be back soon," Evan said.
"Oh, c'mon!" Joby waved him off. "Ain't like we're kids." He turned to Samantha. "Ready? Might be a li'l chilly out."
"I should be fine." Thinking better of it, she picked up the white scarf from Isis and threw it over her neck. It was surprisingly smooth and soft to the touch, not like the scratchy ones she remembered.
As she and Joby headed out the door, Isis called after them, "Remember: no drugs, kids!"
"And no sex!" Evan added.
Samantha could've died right then and there.
Wish by Moonstone Page 15