by Alex Apostol
The hours dragged on as I made my way back to the mid-west. Every time I approached a toll booth, I considered blowing straight through without so much as tossing the change out the window into the funnel shaped collector. My nerves were electrically charged. In the end, I stopped and paid my dues.
“Well hello there, young lady,” the silver haired man in the booth window greeted me. “Sure is a nice set of wheels you’ve got there. What is that? A ’65 Chevy?”
As soon as his hand extended from the window, I shoved a wad of dollar bills at him. I wasn’t even sure how much this particular toll was, but I was sure the money I had given him was more than enough to cover it.
“Something like that. Bye!” I yelled back as I sped forward.
As I exited off the toll road, I made my way into Pandora. The nervousness of what I was about to do set in. My stomach felt as if it were tying itself into painful knots. My hands kept slipping down the steering wheel from my sweating palms. I made the last turn onto a side road leading to the house Don had told me he would be at. My heart raced in anticipation when I saw Don’s old station wagon in the driveway. I pulled up right behind it and took a deep breath before stepping onto the walkway leading up to the house.
This was it. This was what I had been hoping would happen for the past year and now it was here. The pinks and yellows of the sun brightly shone on the front door as I raised my hand to knock.
“Finally,” Don greeted as he smiled, pulling me in for a hug.
The smell of burning wood and tobacco filled my nostrils while I buried my face into his flannel shirt. As his big arms wrapped tightly around my tiny frame every tension I had in my body melted away.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” came a booming voice from behind.
Don and I jumped apart and stared at the doorway where Sari now stood, fuming. In the blink of an eye, he was standing a few inches in front of us. Don put his arm out, shoving me behind him before I could open my mouth to explain.
“I don’t know who you really are, buddy, but maybe it’s time you back off,” Don said in his most intimidating voice.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, so why don’t you just get out of the way?” Sari challenged, staring into Don’s tired, wrinkled eyes.
“Ok, that’s enough you two!” I exclaimed as I stepped out from behind Don’s protective arm. “We’re all here for the same reason.”
Sari stepped forward and tucked a long, stray piece of hair behind my ear as he pulled me in for a hug. I saw Don’s face out of the corner of my eye and thought at any moment he would rip me and Sari apart like my father used to do when he would catch me and Rob making out. Instead, he watched us silently, piecing it all together.
“I was so worried about you,” Sari whispered, cupping my face in his hands. “I got back to the hotel, found the bed unmade and empty and the office said you never checked out.”
I hadn’t thought about how it would look once Sari returned, but now I understood why I had scared him so much. I would have felt the same way if the situation had been reversed.
“I’m sorry. I got the call from Don about Lamia and couldn’t wait,” I explained, lowering my gaze to my shoes.
Sari gently lifted my chin till our eyes locked together. His warm eyes shone as he leaned in closer to brush his soft lips against mine before kissing them.
“It’s ok, just…” he took in a long breath as he clasped his hands around mine and kissed them. “ Just don’t ever leave me.”
Don heaved a loaded sigh, bringing us back.
“Alright, lovebirds, let’s get this show on the road.”
As we followed Don through the house and up the stairs to what used to be a little girl’s bedroom, I couldn’t help smiling to myself. I paused before entering so as not to offend the woman waiting for us with my sheer happiness. I allowed myself to inwardly celebrate before walking into the room.
“Mrs. Johnson, this is Kamlyn Page,” Don said as he led us towards each other to shake hands. “I think she can help your daughter.”
The woman’s bottom lip started to tremble as her eyes welled up with tears.
“Oh, thank you,” she mouthed silently, sitting down again on the edge of her daughter’s pink and white bed. She covered her face with her hands and wept while Don tried to console her.
“Mommy? Who’s this?”
I whirled around to find a small girl no older than Danny standing in the doorway. She looked as solid and real as any of us standing in the room. Her cheeks lacked the rosy glow most kids her age had and her eyes shone a dull, matted silver. By the standards of modern horror movies, I should have been scared. Instead I smiled as my eyes welled up with tears.
“Hi, sweetie,” I said, kneeling down to her eye level. “I’m Kamlyn. What’s your name?”
The little girl squeezed her ragged teddy bear, nestling her face into its soft body.
“Chrissie…” she answered, letting a tiny grin shine through her shyness.
Her eyes wondered the room until she settled on Sari. Her lips curled into a large, toothy grin as she lowered the stuffed animal from her face.
“Who’s he?”
I followed her gaze to Sari and giggled as I realized no matter what the age, no girl was immune to his undeniable beauty and charm. Sari flashed one of his bright smiles and knelt down next to me, causing Chrissie to grin even wider.
“This is my friend, Sari. We’re here to help you,” I explained as they shook hands.
Without a word, she nodded her head, sending her long blonde curls bobbing around her face. She walked over to her mother and sat next to her on the bed. She wrapped her arms around her teddy bear again, waiting for one of us to speak again.
“I need you to tell me about Mia,” I said.
The little girl looked up at her mother, silently asking for her permission to discuss the subject with nothing more than a glance.
“It’s ok, honey. Go ahead,” the woman coaxed softly.
Chrissie took a deep breath as she set her bear down in her lap and played with its ears.
“Well, she makes me tired,” she blurted in frustration. “She’s always making me follow her around when all I want to do is play with my toys or take a nap.”
Her mother turned her head, covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to be strong in front of her daughter.
“That’s why we’re here, Chrissie. If you can tell us where Mia is then we can make sure she never bothers you again,” I smiled.
“She’s in school right now,” she said, eyeing the toys strategically placed along the shelves across from her.
I wrinkled my forehead and turned to look at Sari.
“School? Do you know which one? Where the school’s at?” I questioned.
Her gaze shifted back to Sari, lingering for a moment on his warm smile before turning back to me.
“It’s an older person school in a weird sounding town,” she stammered, slowly taking her time on every word she said.
“Do you know the name, sweetie? Sound it out if you have to. We can figure it out,” Sari pressed as he smiled.
I normally had all the patience in the world for children, but right then it was unbearable. I took a deep breath and continued to hang on her every word.
“Umm…I’ve never heard the first part but the second part is like my name, but Christi. That’s all I can remember,” she said, lowering her head in disappointment.
“That’s perfect. You did a good job!” I said with the same over exaggerated smile I used to give Danny.
Her face lit up with the satisfaction of accomplishment. She stood up from the bed and ran over to her toys to play with them. Sari and I grinned at each other.
“Uh oh…” Chrissie groaned from across the room, dropping her porcelain doll onto the hardwood floor.
The face of the doll cracked in half, sending one piece sliding till it stopped in front of my feet. Chrissie’s body flickered in and out as she
fought to stay in her room with her mother.
“My baby!” Mrs. Johnson exclaimed at the sight of her daughter fading away.
It was too late, though. She was gone. At least we now had a lead on how to help her and Danny I thought as I made my way out of the room. Don met me and Sari on the front porch, shutting the door behind him and sitting on an old wooden rocking chair. The sky was dark by then and the brown grass turned white as large snowflakes fell slowly. With no wind in sight, the large specks of white clung to any surface they landed on.
“So, here is what I could piece together from what Chrissie said earlier about her and this Mia,” Don said, lowering his head as if in thought about the best way to explain. “Apparently, she broke apart that little girl’s soul and keeps a part of it with her at all times…incase she needs a beauty boost or something, I guess.”
It felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me with a sledgehammer. I clenched my chest, trying to take a deep slow breath but failing. I sat down on the chair across from Don and stared at him in horror.
“Do you think…?” I started to say but stopped in order to swallow the pain and fight back the oncoming tears. “Do you think that is what happened to Danny?”
Sari walked over and stood next to me, resting his hands on my shoulders. He rubbed softly at the base of my neck, slightly releasing the mound of tension I had built up.
“No, I believe he is still whole,” Don responded.
“How do you know?” I asked, looking down at the slick wooden boards of the porch.
“Because you said when you talk to him in your dreams, he doesn’t know where Mia is. Chrissie does because a piece of her is always with the bitch. Danny just gets called upon every now and then I believe.”
What he said did make sense. I was willing to believe anything at that point so the pain of it all would go away. I had to keep focused. I had to keep my eye on the prize and right now that prize was seeing Lamia dead. My sadness and fear was overpowered by a raging anger. I blinked away the tears from my eyes and stiffened my back.
“Alright, then. Let’s do this. I’ll call Cara and see if she can find us this town,” I said, ready to get down to business.
I stood up and walked to the edge of the porch. Resting on the railing, I pulled out my cell phone and pressed speed dial one.
“Ooo!” Cara exclaimed without even saying hello first. “More dish on your angel boyfriend?”
I glared at Sari standing across from me as he chuckled to himself. It never failed. Whenever someone said something to embarrass me, he was always there to hear it. If he had been a normal guy there would have been no way he could have heard Cara through the phone.
“Not quite. I need you to do a little research for me…” I said, knowing she’d be ready to jump on board.
“Of course I’m up to it!” she yelled into the phone. “I was wondering why you haven’t been calling for any help lately.”
“Well, Sari and I got caught up in some other stuff…” I trailed off, not wanting to go into details right then.
The story of the sister witches was going to be a long one and I would definitely remember to tell her later. It was such an interesting story.
“Ooo lala,” Cara teased as she giggled.
I rolled my eyes, even though she could not see me as I waited for her to finish her flash back to middle school. Her laughing tapered off until she quieted herself, waiting for me to speak.
“I need you to find a town for us. Two words and the last one is Christi,” I said, hoping it was a big town she could find right away.
Without a word from Cara, I heard the small fast clicks of her fingers on the keyboard in the background. She must have had her laptop right there when I called.
“There’s a town in Texas called Corpus Christi. It’s near Houston,” she said with a sense of pride, as if she were the first one to raise her hand in class and answer a question right.
“Thanks so much. You’re a life saver.” I said before turning my attention onto her. “So…how are you?”
I heard the loud click of the laptop closing. I could picture her sitting on the old fluffy sofa, legs tucked up close under her body for warmth and already in her pajamas with her hair in a messy ponytail. I wished I could have been there for her during this hard time. Once I was done with Lamia, I was going to go home and spend some time really making sure Cara got through this okay. I knew the importance of moving on. She took a deep breath before speaking.
“I’m good. I know Tom’s death wasn’t that long ago, but I had closure. I know how he died and the one responsible for it is dead as well.”
She sounded sincere, but I couldn’t be too sure if she really meant it or if she was hiding her pain behind her signature positive attitude. I looked at Don, who had been the last of us to check in on Cara and he just shrugged his shoulders. I guess no one knew how Cara was truly feeling. She was a strong woman, though, and I knew if she wasn’t ok now that she would be eventually.
“That’s good. I’m proud of you. I’ll see you when I’m done here,” I said to her before hanging up the phone. I walked back over to where Sari and Don were sitting.
“Cara said the place is called Corpus Christi and it’s near Houston. The drive is going to take the whole night so we better get going,” I relayed the message I had just received.
They both stood up and Sari stopped right in front of me, gazing into my eyes.
“I want Don to drive you there…” he said to my surprise. “You’re the one who is going to stop Lamia and you need your rest. I’ll catch up with you. I have to meet with the watchers again and try to come up with an alibi for us that has nothing to do with you trying to kill a demon goddess.”
I laughed and nodded my head. If I tried to face Mia on no sleep and pure rage, the outcome probably wouldn’t be pretty. The three of us walked down the porch steps to the vehicles. It pained me to think about leaving Sari’s side, but I knew it had to be this way…if only for a little while. The snow fell gently onto our cheeks, melting to little puddles when it hit our warm skin. I brought my lips to Sari’s and kissed him softly. Every time our lips touched it was as if the whole world were slowing down, giving us time to savor the moment.
I watched as Sari climbed into my rusted truck and shut the door. He looked at me through the thick glass of the windshield and kissed his hand before waving goodbye to me. The engine roared as he turned the key before backing out of the driveway and disappearing down the road.
“Boy, you’re really head over heels for that one, huh?” Don asked, putting his arm around my shoulder as I stared out at the dark, empty road.
I didn’t answer. It was clear he already knew my feelings for Sari. Don turned, still holding onto my shoulder. We walked over to his station wagon and he opened the door for me. It was refreshing to not hear the piercing screech of rusted hinges. I got in and rested my head back, trying to prepare myself for a long night of rest. I closed my eyes, but the minute Don joined me in the car I felt sleep drift further and further away. It had been ages since Don and I were alone with the chance to have a long conversation. I had so much to tell him.
15
“I’ve heard this life is overrated, but I hope that it gets better as we go.”
– 3 Doors Down
The road was slick with freshly melted snow. Don was driving the speed limit as he so often did. Whenever I complained he always told me that if he was going to go out it wasn’t going to be in a stupid and pointless car crash. The funny thing was Don was exactly the kind of guy I could picture with guns blazing, running into the fire, going down swinging. I watched out the window as trees and everything else outside became a blur. The only thing visible was the white snow rushing past us at full speed as we ripped through it.
I looked over at Don as he concentrated on the long dark road in front of us, both hands firmly on the wheel. We had already been driving for hours and in that time I’d tried every position possible to get comf
ortable and fall asleep in. Nothing was working. I had too much new information buzzing through my head. Since Sari came into my life, Don and I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk and there was so much I learned about myself that he had no idea about. It wasn’t like us to withhold from each other. This was the first time I was nervous to share something with him. I wasn’t even sure where to begin.
As I stared at him, counting the little specks of gray hairs mixed in with the dark ones while building up my courage, I opened my mouth cautiously. Like every other difficult situation I faced, it was always best to just dive right in without thinking too much.
“What would you say if I told you I was different than everyone else out there?” I asked while fidgeting with my hands.
“I’d say I’ve known that about you since the day we met,” Don laughed.
“Well, what if I told you I had…special powers?” I spoke slowly, not wanting to come off as insane, but not wanting to hide the truth either.
“Well, then I’d have to ask if you were reading those ‘Harry Potter’ books again,” he laughed once more, not grasping the fact that I was trying to have a serious conversation.
Just jump in I told myself. Don’t hold back. He would never judge you or reject you because of who you are.
“I’m not one hundred percent human is what I’m getting at, Don,” I blurted out.
His face tightened with the shock of what I had just revealed to him. He took his eyes off the road, just for a second, to look at me as if I should look different now that he knew there was something else to me besides human.