by RJ Gonzales
“—and that’s why I’m probably going to die.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I said, coming out of my impish thoughts, just catching the end of her sentence.
“I said, ‘I found a letter taped to my front door. She sounded really pissed, and that’s why I’m probably going to die’.”
She had pleaded with me enough to get me to cave in and let her come to her cabin after dinner, on one condition—I had to be near her at all times. The beast I had killed the night before wasn’t alone, and I could smell the foul, musky odor of another male, lurking around nearby. My territorial instincts kicking in.
“No she won’t,” I reassured her again, cringing in pain and biting my finger from having to keep myself from wanting to seduce her right this moment once I saw her remove the towel and put on her bra.
“Oh yeah, read it.” She handed me the torn piece of paper that had been stuck to the front door and watched as my eyes scanned the writing like a typewriter.
Rini, I’m pissed!
Whenever you decide to return, come inside and
give me a reason not to strangle you!
I set the note on the bed and stood, “Well, she seems lovely.” My eyes were on her smooth back, watching her struggle with the clip in the back of her bra. Maybe I could just yank it-
“Oh, shut up!” Rini walked backwards over to me holding the two ends of her bra at her back. “Hook it for me, please,” she said.
“Sure.” I took the end with the hooks and stretched it to the end with the tiny loops. Rini straightened her back as both ends locked.
“Thanks.” She walked to her closet and slid on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt with a singer on it that was a bit oversized and drooped on one shoulder, and began packing a small bag of clothes and a book. “You ready?” she asked responding to a text message more than likely from her friend, Sarah.
“Yup.” Secretly, I wasn’t. I was definitely not ready to meet her cousins. Especially after reading the note.
Rini
21
I opened the back door slowly, trying to survey the area inside Celeste’s house before entering. It was dark and nothing inside dared to make a sound. I turned to Jett and asked him to wait until I called for him.
As I shut the door, as quietly as I could, heavy sets of footsteps sounded from the second floor. They were quick and soon traveled down the stairs and into the kitchen where I sat at the table.
“Where the hell have you been!” Celeste burst, smacking the kitchen doors open as she stormed into the room, already aware of who it was. Her hands were folded and her foot tapped profusely on the tiled floor once she came to a stop at the end of the table. She was dressed in an orange robe with the emblem of a longhorn on it. Figures she would love the Texas Longhorns, she did graduate from the University of Texas at Austin after all. Alongside her was George, dressed in a black shirt and blue pajama pants. He looked tired and somewhat ticked, but not nearly enough as his wife, who might as well of had steam blowing from her ears.
“It got a little late after the date and I slept over at Sarah’s,” I was nonchalant with my lie, saying it as if it were nothing. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys that I wasn’t going to come home, but I didn’t even know I was going to stay over at her house until she offered.”
“Sarah?” George said. “And where is she?”
“She had to leave. Her parents are making her work for the rest of our week off from school.”
Celeste took a seat. “You had me worried all night, and I barely got any sleep! I wish you would of cared enough to at least call or send a message.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“It’s okay.” Celeste stood from the seat and waddled over to give me a hug. “I just love you, that’s all. I’d lose it if I found out something bad happened to you. And Rini, I swear to God if you had sex with the guy and are lying to me now about spending the night at Sarah’s, he better have used a condom.”
“I love you too. And I’m not lying!” Lie.
“Now,” George asked, still at the other end of the table. “—when do we get to meet this Jett? We didn’t realize until after that it was a huge mistake lettin’ you go out before meetin’ the guy. It made Celeste a million times more stressed when you didn’t come home.”
I laughed and stood, walking toward the back door. “Already one step ahead of you.”
I opened the door and found him leaning against the wall. Immediately, an amorous gaze filled his face. “Come on, Romeo,” I waved him in. Once he was in, I put an arm around his waist and walked at his side into the kitchen.
“Guys, this is Jett,” I introduced.
After several hours of interrogation from both Celeste and George, they finally approved of our relationship. Even though I was away from my parents, Celeste and George were here to play the part. And sure, they made one mistake already by not meeting him before the date, but this was a learning experience for them. Practice for their own kid. Jett had gone on about how he loved the Longhorns, which seemed to please them. He had also fabricated stories of where he lived, and how we had met. I was amused as I heard him ramble on about how he had seen me at the mall with Sarah and knew he had to be in my life. Blah, blah, blah.
When they finally retired to their bedroom to get some rest, Jett and I headed back into my cabin and caught the end of a show. I distracted myself by reading a small postcard with a tropical island on the front that Celeste had said came in a few days back but was sitting in the bottom of the mail stack. Finally! I read it and said to Jett, “Can we just spend the night here? I mean, I’ve already upset Celeste about not being here once, and I really don’t want to get her mad and go into forced labor or something.”
“I don’t see a problem with that, as long as I’m near you,” he yawned. “What’s that?” Jett sounded exhausted, the training earlier had taken a lot out of him. Especially since we’d started during the day. I thought of how Mark had said it was like walking up a flight of stairs carrying a weight during the day as Jett yawned again.
“Thank you. And, it’s a postcard from my parents. Apparently they are doing well and bought me some souvenirs from Jamaica.”
“Sounds good,” He said softly.
I watched a few more minutes of the show before clicking the TV off and sliding under the covers next to him. “Hey?” I asked.
“What’s up?” He answered, as if trying to fight away the drowsiness.
“I thought werewolves were supposed to be guys that only turn into wolves. I mean that’s what it says in the books that I’ve read.”
Jett let out a strain of laughter. “You know you read too much books?”
“There is no such thing!” I protested.
“First of all, a guy that turns into a wolf—a werewolf? Since when? What’s scary and menacing about that?” He laughed again. “Psh! Guys that turn into wolves? That really offends me. Those werewolves have nothing on the real thing. Just so you know, the real werewolves were mundahlians, my great grandparents probably. They’d raise hell if they knew what people call werewolves now.” He hugged me close.
I laughed. “What about vampires? I mean, if you exist, then they have to right?
“Vampires? Oh, those bloodsuckers are everywhere.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, except now they go by the name of mosquitos.” He laughed again, but stopped once he saw my expression drop. “Look, I’m not saying that there aren’t other creatures out there, because I’d be lying. There are far more creatures in Mundahlia and other parts of this planet, than just us.”
“What other creatures are in Mundahlia?”
He yawned, “One day babe, when all this nonsense with the King is over, I’ll take you to Mundahlia and show you. Believe it or not, it used to be a beautiful nation. Very tropical and calm. Now, I’d imagine its nearly destroyed and hectic.”
Babe? I had to smile at the sound of it. When Max used it with Sara
h, it was like really, man? Really? But when Jett used it on me it was like say it once more and make my heart leap, lover. That must be how Sarah feels when Max says it. “Fine.” My phone vibrated. I opened the screen and read the saved event I had entered a few months back.
My B-Day soon! Turning 19! Woot!
How in the hell could I have forgotten my own birthday. Granted, the recent events could have played into that, but how could I not remember that the day after tomorrow I would turn nineteen. The big one-nine already?
I stroked his chest. “Hey, my birthday is coming up pretty soon. Do you think we can do something—just the two of us this time?”
No reply.
Asleep, again. I laid there thinking to myself. This was it? No build up of emotions spanning months at a time until the first kiss, no nice dinner in a restaurant by ourselves, no declaration of love in a cheesy way—no flowers? Books and movies lied to me. I demand a refund! However, there really isn’t a reason I should be complaining. They are fictitious—not meant to be taken seriously. But what is real—is him. Lying next to me, and snoring lightly. I felt his warm, soft skin again. Real. Life may be a bitch, I guess, but sometimes it gives you a break.
I figured he was evidently relaxed and didn’t bother waking him. Instead, I moved my pillow closer and rested my cheek against his chest again to soothe me to sleep with the soft -pum, pum-pum, pum-pum of his heart, as I awaited for my mind to slip away—taking in the ever so captivating essence that was simply, him.
In the oh-my-freaking-God-it’s-freezing morning, birds were singing a lovely tune outside when I opened my eyes and rubbed away the crusts. My bed was empty. So much for not leaving my side, I thought. What is it with him leaving before I wake up? For once, I would like to fall asleep holding on to him and not wake up molesting a pillow.
“Hey girl!” a voice sounded from the doorway. Leaning against the frame was Del. She flashed a smile as wide as the ocean and her red hair was up in a ponytail while gold hoop earrings circled around her earlobes. She was dressed in black pants, black boots, a black sweater, and a white tank-top. One of the many she owned.
“Del? Where’s Jett?” I asked, propping myself up.
“He had to leave because one of Martin’s friend’s sons found another Mundahlian roaming around the woods a few miles from here. Martin decided to take her in, but went to run it by Nicolas first. Nice place by the way, ” she added looking around. “Pretty roomy for a teenage girl.”
“She?” I questioned about the gender of the found girl. The house was mainly composed of men, it was about time there was another women involved. Aww, maybe somebody for Ray. If he ever decided to stop being a dick—and perverted—and gross. There really isn't much hope for him, is there?
“Yeah, she said her name is Vienna or something, and that she had fled Mundahlia a few nights ago and barely made it out. She said someone in the villages there told her of where she could find us so she could find shelter. Martin thinks it was his friend, you know, the one who sent us the letter that Jett’s brother was dead. So until the others can get her settled and accustomed to living here, I have to watch over you. Trust me, I’d rather be with you then over there with her. No me cae bien—I don’t get a good feeling from her. The way Martin described her to me on the phone already tells me that she’s trouble.”
“Really, why?” I got my phone and sent him a good-morning text.
You (11:54am): Morning! :)
“I dunno, she just seems off. What do you wanna do?” she changed the subject. “We could watch some of the movies you brought. I hope you don’t mind but I took a look at some of them while you slept. They seem pretty good. I love the movie Chocolat, too. It has two of my favorite things in it. Chocolate and Johnny Depp.” I loved both the book and the movie.
“What time is it?” I asked her.
She looked at her own phone. “Ten till noon.”
“Well, we could either spend all day in my boring cabin—or,” I saw her raise her eyebrow in interest as I spoke. “We could go out for lunch.”
“I like your thinking. Jett told me to keep a watchful eye on you, he never said to stay in the cabin. Plus, the boys keep tearing their clothes, so I may have to go shopping too.”
“Awesome! Let me get ready.” I rolled out of bed and dashed for the bathroom.
“You may wanna take a jacket, it’s pretty cold outside today!” I heard Del call.
“Oh, I know!” I’d felt it when I’d woken up.
We were inside a quaint Mexican restaurant near a small shopping district in the middle of Austin—Del’s choice—and seated next to an aquarium full of various saltwater fish. Typical ranchero music was spilling from the speakers, and the whole interior of the building was decorated with traditional Mexican-styled items. A chunky man with a mustache placed menus in front of us and took our drink orders, giving us time to look over the menu. When he returned, he brought along tortilla chips with salsa and a cheese sauce.
“What will you ladies have?” he asked.
“I’ll have the cheese enchiladas,” I said.
“Que rico!” he said, “That’s our eh-specialty. Y para usted?—eh, for you Miss?” he asked looking at Del.
“A mi me das el mismo, por favor.”
“Que si!” the waiter smiled, and walked to the computer to enter our order.
“What did you order?” I asked, sipping my tea.
“The same thing you did.”
“Ah, let’s see. I met Mark here in Austin while I was attending the university back in eighty-six. He was a cook at a small indie restaurant that closed down a few years ago. I used to go there everyday. It was good food, close to the dorms on campus, and cheap—and since I barely had enough money saved up to pay for my college and the barest essentials, it became a regular for me. The owner would even give me a discount since I went there nearly everyday. He was a nice man. Gave Mark a job without asking why he didn’t have a birth certificate or social security, or even driver’s license.”
I laughed and heard her continue, sipping my tea slowly.
“Well, one night, I was eating something—I think it was just fries and gravy since that was all I could afford that particular day, even with the discount. I asked one of the servers if they could go get me some salt because the gravy tasted a little bland, and a couple of minutes and sounds of shuffling pans and curse words later, he came out of the kitchen. Dressed in an apron, and looking ticked—muscles flexing, ready to throw down—as he searched for my table number.
“‘You got a problem with the gravy?’ He said to me. Tapping me on the shoulder.” Del used a deep voice to mimic what Mark had told her. “At first I was like, uh, and this guy? But then when he came around and saw me, his whole expression changed. He went quiet. ‘Matter of fact, I do’ I told him, ‘there isn’t enough salt in it and I just want a little more so that I can eat my fries with gravy and not just tasteless goop,’” Del laughed to herself for a bit. “He hates people criticizing his cooking, but he went back into the kitchen and brought out the whole can of salt and set it on the table.”
“‘There!’ he told me. ‘Have as much salt as you want!’ The next day, he brought out my food himself and made me taste it first to make sure it was to my liking. A week after that, he asked me out. Long golden hair in a ponytail and all.”
“Aww,” I gushed.
“Yeah. He was so handsome then—I wonder what happened.” Del laughed.
I scanned my phone for a brief second. No reply.
“Jett’s head-over-heels for you, Rini.” Del said, as though she’d read my thoughts.
“Huh?” I tried to act inconspicuous, but dropped it once she gave me a raised brow. “Really?” I said instead.
“Oh please!” she snorted. “The boy just hears your name and his penis starts wagging.” She used her index finger to demonstrate and I burst with laughter.
“But, why though?” I said, once I had caught my breath instead of the awkward panting-
in-between chuckles.
“Why what?”
“I mean, why is he ‘head-over-heels’ for me? I’m not better than anyone else, or any different than any other girl. I haven’t done anything special. Let’s face it, he’s a hot guy and I’m just-”
“Gorgeous,” she inserted, then held up a hand for me to stop when I tried to continue. “And, let me tell you something else Rini. You aren’t like anyone else. Sure there are tons and tons of girls who read books, or girls that have curves like you or me, but there is only one you. No one out there is exactly like you. Your personality is a key thing. Your nice, but at the same time, you can take down anyone if it came to it. You defend yourself and don’t let anyone trample over you. I like that about you, it reminds me of me. Jett sees that too—that confidence. He sees beyond your outside and looks within you, to the person inside. He likes you for many reasons. Reasons even he may not know why.” She picked up a tortilla chip and pointed to the yellow cup of cheese next to me, “Now shh! and pass the queso.”
“Excuse me, ladies,” A man yielding a basket of small pies said. “Would you like a free pie?”
“No thanks,” Del said, shooing him away.
The man gave a short nod and gandered over to me, “How about you? I’ve got pineapple, peach—apple?” He held out the mini-pie to me. “Come on, babe. Just one bite and I promise—you’ll be in heaven,” he said with a smile. I couldn’t help but hear the hidden wink in his voice.
“No. Thank you, though” I declined.
He left after a while of ogling at both of us.
“What a crock,” Del said. “Good for you. You can never trust free food from a stranger. You never know if it’s poisoned or not.”
A few minutes later the waiter brought our food out. The enchiladas—rolled up corn tortillas—oozed with golden cheesy goodness and a colorful creamy red sauce. There were also beans and orange rice on the plate, but I ignored them, they weren’t as masterful as the colors going on in the main dish. He set a small blue container of flour tortillas on the table and went on to greet more guests.