Engravings of Wraith

by Kiera Dellacroix

  “Nothing,” Bailey said, shaking her head and putting a smile on her face.

  “You don’t fool me,” Piper said as they entered the barn. “You can tell me, you know.”

  Bailey just nodded noncommittally and Piper opened her mouth to speak but closed it as Corey called out.

  “Bailey, come over here and take a look at this,” he yelled from the far end of the barn.

  “Let’s go see what he wants,” Bailey said brightly with the hope of squashing any inquiry, tugging Piper in Corey’s direction before she could protest.

  They rounded what Bailey guessed used to be horse stall to find Corey covered in grease to his elbows.

  “This is my toy,” he said proudly, gesturing to the primer covered Challenger.

  Bailey let go of Piper and examined the car with interest as she circled around it slowly.

  “1970?”

  “Yep,” Corey said with a smile

  She leaned over the engine compartment. “440?”

  “Yes again,” Corey said impressed. “You know your cars.”

  “Just old hotrods,” Bailey clarified. “Start it up for me.”

  Corey smiled again and walked over to put an arm through the driver’s side window. “Ready?”

  Bailey nodded and cocked an ear to listen as the engine attempted to turn over. “That’s good,” she said and Corey pulled his arm back through the window.

  “What do ya think?”

  “I dunno,” Bailey admitted. “Sounds like it’s not getting gas.”

  “That’s what I thought, but I’ve checked the fuel system from end to end,” Corey explained.

  “New engine rebuild?”

  “Less than a month old,” Corey said. “Carburetor too.”

  “Do you have an engine manual?”

  “Yeah, it’s over there on the bench,” he pointed.

  “Can I read it?”

  “Help yourself,” he smiled.

  Bailey went over to get the manual and Piper turned to Corey. “Dinner’s almost ready, you’d better go clean up,” she said. “Where’s Dad?”

  “He went over to the house and Mom sent him to the store for something, he should be back any minute.”

  “Oh,” Piper said. “You’re filthy,” she added with a look of disgust.

  “Gee, thanks,” he said dryly.

  “Anytime,” Piper said brightly.

  “I’m gonna go on in. I’ll leave you two alone if you…uhm…wanna…” he trailed off, waggling his eyebrows at her as he passed.

  “Out of my sight,” Piper said with a swat to the back of his head.

  “Oww,” he said cheerfully as he continued on his way.

  Bailey appeared at her side as Piper watched her brother exit the barn with a smile. “Where’s your father?”

  “Mom sent him to the store,” Piper said taking her hand and noticing she had the thick, dirty manual in the other hand. “What are you going to do with that?”

  “Read it.”

  “I see, wanna go for a roll in the hay?” Piper asked conversationally.

  Bailey smiled. “Can I take raincheck?”

  “Nope, one time offer,” Piper said with a flip of her hair.

  “Have you brushed your teeth today?” she asked seriously.

  “Twice,” Piper said readily.

  “Hmmm,” Bailey said making a show of pretending to think. “Do we have time before dinner?”

  “If we can speed along negotiations,” Piper said amused.

  “Oh, alright,” Bailey said dramatically and laughed when Piper did a little hop and hurriedly led her by the hand to the stairs.

  “Piper,” Corey yelled from outside the barn. “Dad’s back.”

  “Grrr,” Piper growled. “I guess we don’t have time,” she said with a pout. “Can I get that raincheck?”

  “Sure, Esmeralda,” Bailey said and chuckled when Piper’s pout turned to a scowl.

  “I should never have told you,” Piper said regretfully.

  “Too late now,” Bailey teased and Piper reluctantly smiled.

  “You woke up in a good mood,” Piper said shrugging off her annoyance. “Come on let’s go, goofy,” she added leading her out of the barn.

  ———

  Bailey squirmed nervously in her chair but subsided with a gentle nudge from Piper under the table. She felt like every eye at the table was directed at her and she became extremely uncomfortable as she waited anxiously for Piper’s mother to sit down and officially start dinner. She almost sighed with relief when Liz finally stopped putting food on the table and took a seat.

  “Bailey, would you like to lead us in grace tonight?” Piper’s father asked from across the table and she tensed.

  “I’m afraid it’s been a long time since I’ve been at a table that practiced grace,” she admitted reluctantly.

  “You’ve no judges here, do your best,” Jack said pleasantly.

  Bailey nervously wracked her brain, struggling to recall the last meal prayer she had heard as Piper took one of her hands and squeezed it gently and Corey took her other hand.

  “Bless us, O Lord…” she began uncertainly, “…and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

  “Amen,” those gathered said in unison.

  “Very good,” Jack said in approval and Piper beamed a huge smile at her.

  The dishes were passed around until everyone had what they wanted and Bailey began to relax a little as the attention moved from her to the food on their plates.

  “Bailey, you have a very strong accent,” Jennifer said conversationally. “Where are you from in Ireland?”

  “Belfast,” she answered beginning to tense again.

  “How long did you live there?” Jennifer asked.

  “Sixteen years,” she answered.

  “Where’s your family at now, Bailey?” Liz asked and got a sharp look from Piper.

  Bailey took a deep breath. “My father and oldest brother are dead. I have a mother and a younger brother but I haven’t seen or spoken to them in fifteen years.”

  “I’m sorry, dear,” Liz said apologetically. “I didn’t know.”

  “It’s alright,” Bailey said quietly and Piper took her hand under the table.

  “Did they pass over while you were young?” Liz asked compassionately.

  “Yes, they were killed in Belfast,” Bailey said uncomfortably.

  “Killed?” Jack said. “How?”

  “Northern Ireland is occupied territory, Mr. Tate,” Bailey said tonelessly. “A British officer saw fit to order his men to fire into a crowd in the attempt to stop two fleeing Irish dissenters. A crowd that, in addition to several men, women, and children, included my entire family,” she finished with a touch of malice.

  “I’m very sorry for your loss,” Jack said sympathetically.

  “Me too,” Bailey said quietly but Piper could see her eyes flashing.

  “Bailey, I’m sorry,” Liz spoke up. “It was not my intention to start dinner on an unhappy note. We’re very glad to have you here for the holiday and I apologize for bringing up such an unpleasant topic for you.”

  “It’s alright,” Bailey said sincerely. “It’s not a topic I that I like to discuss.”

  “That’s perfectly understandable,” Liz said.

  Bailey poked at her food uncomfortably and was relieved when Corey started up with a story about one his cousins. She looked up at Piper in time to see her shoot a grateful look at her brother and see the responding wink she got in return. She found herself feeling grateful too as she realized that he took the spotlight from her and placed it on himself because he knew that she was uncomfortable. She analyzed that critically and it occurred to her that it was done out of a sense of protectiveness. It was not something she would have expected from someone she only met earlier in the day, and for the first time in her adult life she felt a sense of belonging. She risked another glance at Piper and found her smiling slyly
at her with a knowing look on her face. She smiled in return and bashfully returned her attention back to the food on her plate.

  “Would you like to join us, Bailey?” Jack asked.

  Bailey heard her name and surfaced quickly from her thoughts. “I’m sorry?”

  “Jack, I’m sure she doesn’t want to play guns with you and the boys,” Liz said and Bailey’s eyebrows knitted.

  Jack ignored his wife. “We have a marksmen’s contest every year on Thanksgiving Day. I asked if you would like to join us?”

  “Oh yes, Piper mentioned something about that,” Bailey said coming up to speed. “What would I win?”

  “Someone’s pretty cocky,” Corey said amused.

  “Yes, what is the big prize you guys compete for every year?” Piper asked.

  Jack looked uncomfortable. “Everyone puts in a hundred dollars and Uncle Marlon judges and declares a winner,” he said reluctantly.

  Liz perked up. “You guys go out there and gamble,” she said annoyed. “I can’t believe you’ve kept that a secret all these years.”

  “Where do you think you got your living room set last year for Christmas?” he defended.

  “You said you saved for it, you jerk,” Liz said huffily and Piper and Corey laughed.

  “How many people enter?” Bailey asked when the laughter subsided.

  “Between twenty and thirty,” Jack said, trying to ignore the glare from his wife.

  “Okay,” Bailey said with a shrug.

  “Great,” Corey said happily.

  “Starts around ten. Piper can show you the way,” Jack said.

  “Alright,” Bailey said agreeably.

  Piper looked at Bailey carefully and smiled to herself. She suspected that her relatives would never know what hit them and almost laughed at the imagined reactions.

  “Bailey, you didn’t try any of the potato salad,” Liz pointed out.

  “I’m allergic to mayonnaise,” Bailey said casually.

  “Oh, I’m glad you told me that,” Liz said. “Is there anything else you can’t eat?”

  “No, just nothing with mayonnaise.”

  “She eats her salad dry and likes Pepsi,” Piper provided. “She told me that Coke sucks,” she added and got a snicker from everyone but her father who grinned.

  “Be quiet,” Bailey said to Piper with a blush.

  “If Piper gets too uppity, dear,” Liz said happily. “I have some pictures you haven’t seen yet and several stories I’m sure she would be mortified for you to hear.”

  “Mother,” Piper growled. “Did you embarrass Corey when he brought Jennifer home?”

  “Oh yeah,” Corey said with a nod and Jennifer chuckled. “I tried to leave two days early, but Dad hid my keys.”

  “Gee, that’s great news,” Piper said sarcastically. “Maybe we should’ve rented a car.”

  “Fortunately, you’re at my mercy until Sunday,” Liz said smugly. “By the way, what time do we need to have you back at the airport?”

  “Around 1:00pm,” Bailey said.

  “How did you like flying in a helicopter, Piper?” Corey asked.

  “I had some problems on take off, but it was fun when we got going,” Piper admitted. “I fell asleep for a bit.”

  “Where did you take off from?” Corey asked.

  “From the roof of C-Corp,” Piper said.

  “Really?” Corey asked. “What does the ‘C’ stand for?”

  “Cameron,” Bailey said.

  “Oh, I guess that should have been pretty obvious,” Corey admitted.

  “Duh,” Piper provided helpfully and Corey laughed.

  “Would anyone like any desert?” Liz asked and received several affirmative responses.

  Bailey finished her dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching Piper’s family interact with wonder and fascination.

  ———

  “I can’t believe you’re reading that dirty old thing in bed,” Piper said sulkily, referring to the engine manual that Bailey had been reading for the last hour.

  “Hush,” Bailey said dismissively and Piper rolled over in a huff.

  Bailey had returned to the bedroom in her usual black shirt and shorts with her long hair hanging loose about her shoulders. Piper had been dismayed to see her take a seat against the headboard and begin to study the greasy manual.

  Piper turned an annoyed glare on the wall across the room. She couldn’t believe she was sharing a bed with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen and all Bailey wanted to do was read a dumb engine manual. If it weren’t so frustrating she would have found it amusing. Bailey looked like the last person on Earth that would choose to spend her time reading about car engines. She turned over warily when she felt Bailey get up from the bed but was distressed to see her dig in her bag and produce her laptop.

  “Is there a phone line in here?”

  “Behind the dresser,” Piper said tonelessly. “What are you doing now?”

  “Gonna see if there’s an online update or FAQ to the manual,” Bailey said stringing the telephone cord back to the bed and resituating herself.

  Piper put the pillow over her face and sighed. “Would you like to see me naked?” she asked suddenly throwing the pillow aside.

  “I love to see you naked,” Bailey said, not looking up from her laptop. “I think you’re beautiful, but we’re in your parent’s house. I would be uncomfortable.”

  Piper sighed. “What did you think of the movie, did you see anything you would like to try?”

  Bailey blushed. “Honestly, Piper. That movie scared me the first time I watched it.”

  “Really?” Piper said. “How come?”

  “Those women were so…exposed,” Bailey said keeping her attention on the screen in front of her.

  “How did that affect you?” Piper asked curiously.

  “It scared me to imagine myself in that manner,” Bailey said honestly.

  “Why?” Piper asked. “You’re gorgeous, Bailey.”

  “It scared me because at the same time it excited me to think of you seeing me that way,” Bailey said. “I don’t think that came out right,” she said after reviewing her words.

  “It came out fine, I understand,” Piper said. “Would you like to see me in that manner?” she added and Bailey blushed powerfully.

  “Yes,” she admitted. “But I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet.”

  “You really are a treasure, Bailey,” Piper said sincerely. “I’m so glad to have found you.”

  Bailey put the laptop on the floor and rolled over to place a kiss on Piper’s cheek. “Let me hold you,” she said quietly and Piper turned into her embrace.

  IV

  You have underestimated my power,

  As you shortly will discover.

  —P. Simon

  “Piper, I don’t know about this,” Bailey said worriedly while she sat cross-legged on the bed and let Piper finish repainting her nails.

  “I told you we would have relatives over today,” Piper said softly.

  “There’s a lot of people moving about downstairs,” Bailey pointed out, having heard them when she returned from the shower.

  “I know,” Piper said. “It means a lot to me to have you here and I know this isn’t easy for you. Just try to relax and be yourself. I won’t let you out of my sight all day.”

  “Okay,” Bailey said with a nervous sigh.

  “Would you let me put a braid in your hair?”

  “I dunno, I’ve never braided my hair,” Bailey said suspiciously.

  “Let me try and if you don’t like it we can take it out,” Piper said with a comforting smile and she nodded. “Turn around.”

  Bailey resituated herself so Piper could play with her hair and fidgeted nervously until she announced that she was finished.

  “Go look in the mirror and tell me what you think,” Piper said and she got up from the bed and hesitantly looked in the mirror attached to the dresser. There was a thick roped braid that wrapped aro
und the bulk of her hair, traveling in a circle from the back of her neck around the top of her head that served to keep her hair away from her face and hold the back freely in a large tail that flowed down her back. She poked the braid curiously and tried to view it from several angles in the mirror until Piper snickered at her.

  “Just tell me what you think, goofy,” she said rolling her eyes.

  “I like it,” Bailey announced. “Will you show me how you did it?”

  “Of course,” Piper said with a grin. “You ready to face the Tate nation?”

  “No,” Bailey said and Piper chuckled.

  “Come on, let’s get it over with,” Piper said getting off the bed and embracing her from behind. “You can’t hide upstairs all day.”

  “Yes, I can,” Bailey said seriously.

  “Quit it,” Piper said tickling her. “You’ve already charmed everyone else.”

  “I have?” Bailey said with a smile as she slapped Piper’s hands away.

  “Yep,” Piper said. “My mother likes you a lot and I think Corey has a crush on you.”

  “Really?” Bailey asked uncertainly.

  “Really, now quit procrastinating,” Piper chided. “Besides, I want to see you show up all the boys today.”

  Bailey tensed slightly. “What makes you think I will?” she asked quietly.

  “Because I don’t think there’s anything you can’t be good at,” Piper explained with a smile.

  Bailey grunted noncommittally.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Piper said gently tugging her toward the door.

  “Wait,” Bailey said letting go of Piper’s hand and picking up Corey’s engine manual. “I need to give this back to your brother,” she said as Piper again took possession of her hand and led her from the room.

  They traveled unmolested to the kitchen where Piper again had to tug on her to get her to enter the room.

  “There they are,” Liz said happily as Piper entered the kitchen. Noting with amusement that her daughter had to pull a little on Bailey’s hand to get her to follow her in.

  “Hi, Mom,” Piper said cheerily. “Hello, everyone,” she added to the several women who were milling about. “This is Bailey Cameron,” she said trying not to wince when the grip on her hand tightened uncomfortably.