When It All Goes Still

by Allison Mullinax

  Jaqueline has been working with Traveler for weeks. Once his body was on the mend, she guided him on how his mind and mental state during shifting would be his greatest asset. His physical capabilities exceed her own, but with her guidance, he has unleashed something inside of himself that none of us expected. He is remarkable.

  Underneath the ocean currents there is a faint glow of blue emitting through the surface. I pause and wait. And within seconds the sand stirs beside me from an invisible breeze, and Traveler manifests on his bright orange beach towel. His skin is damp, and he shakes the salty sea water from his hair. “Hey baby.” He grins, obviously proud of himself.

  “You could have just walked up here, you know?” I smirk at him.

  “You heard what Jaqueline said. Practice makes perfect.” He rolls over, leans his head down and kisses my lips. His beard grazes across my cheeks. For the past month he’s been growing out his facial hair to cover the scar underneath his right eye. Somehow it makes him even sexier than he was before.

  “She also said you need to work on your discretion,” I remind him, playfully wiggling out from underneath his weight and standing up. His eyes roam my entire body. I know that look. “Jaqueline will be here any minute so don’t you dare.” I throw my swimsuit cover over my shoulders.

  He laughs and takes a long pull of water from a bottle. “Was that MB and Andrew?” he asks. I nod my head.

  “She said I seem happy.”

  “And are you?” he asks, tracing circles along my ankle with his thumb.

  “The happiest,” I tell him honestly. He stands up beside me and rolls his towel before shoving it into my oversized beach bag.

  “You know, I was worried that going home might make you change your mind or regret that you left everything behind.” His expression grows serious.

  “I haven’t left behind anything that wasn’t already pushing for me to do so. It was time for me to move on, babe. You just gave me a reason to do what I needed to all along.” I smile at him. “MB, Andrew and Trey are going to grow together as a family in my parents’ home. They are happy, and supportive, and perfect. The Great Outdoors is in Gina’s capable hands. You saw the fax she sent out on our profits. Business is great. And the most important thing of all, I have you. We have each other.” I lean on my toes to kiss his jaw. I find myself having to remind Traveler less and less of these things. He gave up a lot for me too, and we will find a new start together.

  “After things die down, and we get settled somewhere, we can go visit more often. We can shift there as much as you like,” he promises.

  “Speaking of…we should get back to the house. Jaqueline will have news for us.” We walk hand in hand toward his mother’s beach home.

  Jaqueline is waiting for us on the back deck. She has a glass of wine in her hand and she seems relaxed. “How’s the water?” she asks, giving Traveler a stern look.

  “Saw that, huh?” He lowers his head timidly, like any son would being scolded by his mom.

  “Discretion. Blending. These are things that you learned from day one in the program, and they are the things that will help keep you…and her…alive.” She taps her foot against the floor. “It would have taken one tourist with a camera pointed at the water at the perfect time to ruin you. If a picture like that went viral, the Division would know it before you could even blink. They are searching for you, Traveler. One false move, and they will send the blood hounds hunting for your head. Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should,” she adds for good measure, and then stands to leave.

  “Mom, wait,” he cleverly uses the term of endearment to soften her. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He engulfs her in his arms. “I’ll be more careful.”

  “Only practice indoors, and in unpopulated areas. Not a beach. Though it may seem empty, someone is always watching.” She pats his back. He winks at me over her shoulder, and I give him a look to let him know I disapprove of his antics. She loves Traveler, she risked her life and everything for him, and she is helping us even now with all the dangers we bring. I would obey anything she asked of us at this point.

  “Jaqueline, how was the trip?” I anxiously ask, ready to hear her evaluation.

  She sits back down and takes a sip of her wine before beginning. “The woods and mountains certainly provide the needed coverage for a shifter.”

  “Good. That’s the most important thing,” Traveler says.

  “The area isn’t one hundred percent unpopulated. It’s also ideal considering most people tend to keep to themselves, and they didn’t ask a lot of questions about an out-of-state realtor looking for a large swath of land in the area. Overall, I was pleased. It’s only…why there?”

  Traveler looks at me and smiles. He reaches over and places his hand on my knee and squeezes. “Colorado makes sense to us. We need to stay in 2016 because of Johanna’s family. We want to create the appearance of normalcy as best we can. To her family, it makes sense for her to relocate to an area known for its outdoor lifestyle. And I grew up in Colorado,” he answers her. I nod my head in agreement.

  “Well, the area was clean. I didn’t see any evidence of shifters coming and going. Arden said the area isn’t on Vlad’s radar.” Hearing his name causes my grip to tighten around Traveler’s arm, and he smooths his hand over my leg in response.

  Jaqueline takes notice and gives an apologetic tilt of her head. “It’s good his name sparks a reaction in you. So long as he’s breathing he won’t stop looking for Traveler. He won’t stop searching for either of you. Nor myself.” The conversation has us all on edge. Jaqueline scans the shoreline.

  “I’m sorry you have to move from here. It’s a lovely place.” I feel sad that it’s her last night here. A place that means so much to her.

  “Nonsense. Travis and I fell in love in this town. And if Authority kept any record of my actions while I was in the division, they will come looking for us here first. It’s necessary that we all leave.”

  “Where will you go?” Traveler asks.

  “Sometimes it’s good to just start anew. The world is at my fingertips,” she says, wiggling her fingers in the air. We all laugh together, ignoring the underlying threat that is awaiting around the corner.

  “Are you all packed?” she asks the two of us.

  “We put everything in the Jeep when we shifted back from Alabama last night. We had a feeling Colorado would work out.” Traveler smiles at his mom.

  “Well, it’s a long drive and you two better get started.” Her eyes gloss over as she hands Traveler an envelope. He tips it over and a pair of keys spill out into his hands. “It’s a beautiful cottage resting on eighty-two acres. The address is inside the envelope, along with your bank account information.” She smiles at us and we stare back, confused. “Turns out 1950’s Jackie did well in the stock market, and then disappeared never to be heard from again.” She throws us a wink and tips back her wine glass, emptying the last drop into her mouth.

  ****

  Traveler closes the back of the Jeep and walks over to his mother. He wraps his arms around her, and she is obviously holding back tears. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

  “You are my son. And I am so proud of you. One day you will understand that love yourself,” she says, smiling at him and patting his face. “Call me and text me updates along the way. Be safe. Smart decisions, okay?” Traveler nods his head.

  Jaqueline walks over and embraces me. She hasn’t showed an ounce of disapproval toward me since that day on the mountaintop bluff. “Watch out for him,” she whispers in my ear, and I nod my head to her, letting her know I understand. Her trust in me to look after him, and for us to protect one another, is humbling.

  Traveler and I get into the Jeep and close the doors. He rolls down the window and leans his head out as we pull out of the drive, smiling at his mom and giving her a wave. As we merge onto the interstate, he reaches over and twists his fingers into mine. “Are you ready, baby?”

  “I’m ready,
” I say, as we drive toward a new life together.

  Epilogue

  Traveler

  The wind is coming off the mountain peaks and into the valley that our home is nestled in. I’m on the front porch, leaning against the cedar column with a cup of coffee, watching her slender silhouette float down the running trail I carved out for her last fall. The sunlight is approaching the lavender fields as she reaches the end of our long dirt driveway.

  She holds her hand up to wave and then rests both hands on her knees, bending over to catch her breath. I leave my coffee cup on the top step and jog out into the crisp morning air to meet her. She rises up and smiles, and it takes my breath away every time.

  I hold her face in my hands. “I love you, baby.”

  “I love you, too.” She gives a playful laugh. “How did the phone call go?” she asks, loosening her shoelaces and taking off the headband that holds her wild curls in place.

  “It’s still the same. The last Arden heard, Vlad was moving out of Tennessee and focusing on the Georgia coast line.” My forehead creases as I look down at her. I’m thankful my mother is not there anymore, she’s not even in this decade. She knew Vlad would put the pieces together and find out her identity eventually. They also know I’m her son.

  “That’s good, right? They won’t find us. There’s too many places and too many years to cover.” She leans her body into mine, wrapping her arms around me. Johanna is so certain of our safety. As if the mountains are our keeper and the valley is a cocoon of protection. Holding us in. But me, I’m not so sure. I know complacency can only bring trouble.

  “We still have to be careful.” I tilt her chin up to look at me, and she nods her head.

  I know that one day I will come face-to-face with Vlad again. One day I will have the pleasure of watching him take his final breath, and in his last moments on this planet, I want it to be my face he sees. He not only took something from me, but he took something from her. And for that, he will pay the ultimate price.

  “Let’s go inside and eat breakfast. I want to take the horses out for a ride today.” Johanna pulls me up the driveway by my hand.

  “Wait.” I stop, and she turns around quickly. Something in my tone of voice prompts her to look around for what I could have seen.

  “What is it?” she asks me with a curious expression.

  “I also talked to Andrew this morning.”

  “Is he seriously still bugging you to bring back more buffalo burgers for his deep freezer next month?” she asks, rolling her eyes and laughing.

  I smile and nod my head yes, taking her hand in mine and holding it to my chest. “Actually, I called him.” She tilts her head to the side with a curious expression.

  “I needed to ask him,” I watch her face as I kneel down, holding her hand with mine and reaching into my pocket with the other, “if I had his blessing to marry the strongest, most incredibly beautiful woman I’ve ever known. That I can’t live my life another second without knowing she will be my wife. Johanna, baby, will you marry me?” I ask.

  Her eyes widen and then tear over as she bobs her head up and down. She drops down on the ground with me as I slide the ring onto her finger. “Yes!” she squeals before I kiss her. I stand with her in my arms and her legs wrapped around my waist, and I carry her back into the house.

  Danger may find us one day, but for now I intend to live my life with her, not wasting a second of time fulfilling all our wildest dreams.

  A word about the author…

  North Alabama native Allison Mullinax grew up in the small lake town of Guntersville, AL. She discovered the escapism and addiction of writing at an early age. Today she remains a lover of reading, all things outdoors, and spending time with her husband and three daughters.

  http://allisonmullinax.com

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