I followed him under the safety of the roof, still debating if I should use his phone. The patio had several small tables with only two chairs at each setting. An opening in the restaurant’s wall was topped with a counter and a few barstools. Small wind chimes were hung sporadically around the patio.
He pulled a chair out and motioned for me to sit. That was a first. He smiled and stepped back. “Make your call, I will not listen.”
He moved across the patio and stood near an opening in the wall, the pass-through to the kitchen, I assumed. He poked his head through and mumbled something. A bulky man donning a dingy white apron appeared on the other side, brushing the long black hair out of his face. He said something to the boy and then looked in my direction. He quickly looked back at him, grinning. This time I felt my face heating up, and turned my back to them.
With only a slight hesitation, I dialed Irelynn’s number.
“Hello?” Her unsure voice was a surprising relief.
“Hey, it’s m-.”
The succession of her rapid-fire questions made me laugh. “Where are you? Are you there? How was the flight? Did you find them? Whose number is this?”
I decided which questions to answer first hoping to not leave any unanswered. “I’m okay. I’m here. The flight was long but I slept most of the way. I’m super disoriented because of the time difference. I really had no idea how beautiful it was here, I thought I was being dropped into some third world country.”
“That’s because you’re ignorant and small minded,” she said uninterested. “Whose number is this?”
“Oh, it’s, um,” I dropped the phone to my side and waved to the stranger in the corner. But true to his word, he was not listening or even looking. I jogged toward him just as he turned after being cued by the burly man behind the counter. I barely missed knocking him off the stool. His checks flushed once again. That was becoming very endearing, confusing, but endearing nonetheless.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “What is your name?”
He smiled and mumbled something that sounded like it may have started with a J sound or was it a G? The beast behind the counter, obviously noticing the boy’s cheeks as well, began to laugh.
“Cami.” I said, returning the greeting before walking away quickly, knowing that I was about to completely annihilate his name. “It’s uh-Jay’s phone.”
The noised coming from the phone following my response could hardly pass as human. A banshee cry, maybe? When there was a break in the noise, I tried to get a word in, which only set off more noise.
“Irelynn, calm down. He’s harmless.”
Her voice quivered as she attempted to maintain control. “How could you possibly know that? What did I say about strangers, Cami?”
She was channeling Dorothy in her lecture. “No really, he’s just letting me use his phone. Mine has gone bust and there aren’t any payphones that I could find.”
“Yes, completely harmless…right before he stuffs you in a trunk!”
I bit my lip so she couldn’t hear my laugh. “No, he’s okay. I have a feeling.”
“Like you did about Will?”
She gasped, wishing she could take back her question, but it was too late. His name stabbed straight into the crumbled pieces of my heart. The countless sorries that began spewing from her mouth didn’t make what she said any less true. I couldn’t have been more wrong about him.
I tried to wave off her apologies. “Right. Well, it’s only a phone, Ire. Does anyone there suspect anything?”
She was quick to oblige my change of subject. “Not at all. Everyone at school thinks you are sick. Kelsey is telling everyone that will listen, which isn’t many, that it’s because you were dumped. And grandma thinks it’s your bowels again. She said you have a nervous belly and that’s nothing to be embarrassed about, you have every reason to be nervous at a time like this. .”
As unappealing as both of those scenarios sounded, they were actually perfect. For once Kelsey’s obese mouth was working in my favor. And if she wanted Will, she could have him, because as far as I was concerned they were perfect for each other.
“Thanks Irelynn, I’m so sorry to make you lie to Tilly and everyone. But I’m really glad I’m here. I will call you again when I get to Dorothy. I’m going to see if J-Jaux-Jay will give me directions. I don’t think it’s far.”
“Cami, please be careful. I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it. Just trust your instincts, if the guy seems like a creeper in any way,” she continued, “ditch him and find a woman. Females are always helpful and not usually murderers. Call me the second you meet up with your grandma.” I could tell she wanted to say more, but what else could she offer? It was up to me now.
I cradled the phone for a moment before saying anything for fear of the possibility that this would be the last time I spoke to my best friend. I knew she was thinking the same thing on the other end.
“I love you. Take care of our boy, will you?” That was all I could manage without choking up, trying to mask my fear with sarcasm.
She tried the same and was much more successful. “I’ll keep him out of trouble. Love you, too.”
With a very heavy heart, I ended the call and faked a brave face. Jay, as I newly dubbed him, was still seated at the counter munching on a piece of fruit. The man behind the counter was gone. I walked over and handed him the phone.
“Thank you very much.”
He smiled, covering his mouth, and swallowed what he was chewing on.
“It was my pleasure, Cami,” he replied, taking the phone.
There was something about his accent that I couldn’t quite figure out. It came out of his mouth like Cah-mee. And sounded like he had a slight lisp, but what did I know about dialects? I had never heard a real Spanish speaking person until I came here.
He held up the bowl of fruit and raised his eyebrows. “Would you like one?”
My gut reaction to trying new foods was always an overwhelming, NO! But I was already very tired of granola bars. I took one of the melon pieces and bit into it hoping for a miracle. Nope. It tasted just like any other melon I’d ever tried, lightly flavored watery mush.
“Thank you, again,” I said after letting the rest slide down my throat.
Irelynn would kill me for sure for accepting food from a stranger. But now I needed this stranger, Jay. The tiny voice that I was so used to ignoring was quiet. There was nothing that told me I shouldn’t trust him, so I had a choice to make. To trust or not to trust. I swung my bag around and plopped it on the stool beside him. Trust.
Buried under this mess of junk food wrappers, was the map. My fingers found it and I pulled it out, unfolded it, and laid it on the counter in front of him.
“Do you know where this is? I need to go here.” I pointed to the red marker circle.
He leaned toward the map, glanced at instructions Tom had left and then sat up looking at me curiously. “Yes. Why do you want to go there? It is very, eh, deep.”
I couldn’t exactly tell him that my family was there and I had to try to intercept a gang of murderous hunters in order save them. However, staring at him while chewing on my lip was probably not the best way to convince him that my intentions were anything but normal.
“I’ve been studying about this area in school and I want to see it for myself. I have a terrible curiosity.” That was probably the dumbest lie I had ever told.
His long black eyelashes blinked as he decided whether he was going to believe my answer. He smiled and nodded his head. “Studying? You will have to tell me if it, eh, matches what you have studied. I will take you there myself.”
My stomach flipped as deep down, a not-so-small part of me was hoping he would tell me that I’m completely crazy and there was no way I should be going. I pulled my bag off the stool and sat beside him.
“Great. When can we leave?”
He glanced outside and then to me. “We can leave in the morning.”
As much as I would have lov
ed to postpone the trip into the jungle, I knew I had to get moving now. My parents couldn’t wait. “I was thinking more like, now. It’s okay and I really appreciate your offer to take me. But it’s very important that I get there quickly. I don’t have much time.”
His eyebrows furrowed.
“I have to get back to school soon,” I added quickly, hoping the sudden intensity in my voice didn’t scare him away.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice. “There is no quick way. The time it takes is about two hours. Where you want to go is very remote and no one goes there alone, and not in the night. This is why waiting until morning would be best.”
My confidence couldn’t afford this bit of news, and it sunk lower. I thought of my parents and Dorothy. They were out there, completely unaware of what was coming for them. They could already be there.
I dropped my forehead on the counter, causing my hair fall over my face. “I have no choice,” my muffled voice whined.
Jay’s stool scooted backward and he stood. “I will take you, tonight.”
His gentle voice soothed the tiny amount of fear churning in my head as I once again tried to listen to my gut like Irelynn had demanded. It was quiet.
I peeked through my hair at him. A bit of sun had broken through the rain clouds and streamed throughout the patio. He was surrounded by a halo of golden red light. My unwitting angel of doom, I thought guiltily. Jay didn’t know anything about me. Was I a nice person? Do I do good things for other people? No, not today because from what he described, this place we were venturing off to seemed very dangerous.
How could I bring him into this completely unaware? Instead of him leading the way to the village, it was me leading him into an unknown and potentially deadly situation. My stomach knotted again. I would have to get him to point me in the right direction and at the last minute, ditch him. This kind, selfless stranger would not become a victim because of me.
I sat up, grabbed his hand and held it between mine. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
His easily reddened face smiled and slowly pulled his hand away. “Okay.” He let out an uneasy laugh. Uh, oh. I didn’t mean to grab him; it was just a reaction. I hoped he wasn’t someone, like me, who had a severe attachment to my own space bubble, and if it was invaded without consent, just might freak out.
“Sit here,” he said firmly. “And wait for me. I will not be away long.”
I nodded in agreement and he walked out into the street, disappearing around another corner.
I slumped against the corner and just observed the life happening on the other side of the patio’s railings. The rain didn’t detour the people of this town from going about their daily lives. They roamed up and down the streets without umbrellas, seeming unbothered and even enjoying it. A tiny blonde-haired girl broke free from her mother’s grasp and ran, sloshing through the puddles toward the restaurant, giggling the entire way. Her mother, with the same shiny blonde hair and just as petite, jogged after her. They burst up the stairs and collapsed at a center table.
Soon a man charged up the stairs, chattering to them. The girl jumped out of the chair. “Papa!” she squealed running toward him. He swept her up with one arm and swung her around.
It was the kind family display of affection that would generally make me sick. Although I had grown to appreciate the importance of my parents’ work, I couldn’t help but be a little jealous when I witnessed other families enjoying each other’s company. And honestly at that moment, I would have loved to be that little girl. I decided to just ignore them by turning my head to look out, and continued studying the town.
Jay returned quickly, rumbling up to the patio on a four-wheeler. I sat on the stool, confused. Would we be riding this to find a car? Maybe I had misunderstood when he said two hours. He hopped off and walked up the stairs, slowing by the table with the loving family. I stared at the redwood floor, wondering if this was a good time to talk myself out of this until I heard Jay’s footsteps.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” I grabbed my bag and followed him out, focusing on not looking at the table of eyes burning into my face as I passed.
9
The black four-wheeler was the cleanest ATV I had ever seen outside a showroom. Growing up in the valley was proof enough that I had seen my share. There wasn’t a single speck of dirt other than the fresh grass and gravel chunks from Jay’s ride to the restaurant. Did he steal this? An oversized duffel bag rested on a rack behind the seat. The seat…the long thin seat made my butt hurt just looking at it. I really hoped the ride to whatever vehicle would be taking us to my family was a short one. When I rode with my friends, I almost always had to bring a sweatshirt or some kind of extra cushion for my butt. And sitting that close to a stranger for a long period of time would only add to the awkwardness.
Jay walked around to the back and unzipped the duffle bag. He grabbed a jacket from it and handed it to me. “You need this. It will probably rain most of the way.”
Most of the way?
His nose wrinkled as he read my expression. “Yes. There is no other way to get there other than mule or walking. This is the fastest.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking the jacket.
He dug in the bag again, shifting its contents to one side. “You can put your bag in here.”
I moved closer to see bottles of water, a first aid kit, some items wrapped in a deli type paper, and a roll of toilet paper. I laughed, recalling Will’s explanation after I bloodied Irelynn’s nose. I found myself forcing his beautiful face out of my mind once again. If I was going to think of him at all, it would have to be for the killer that he was.
“Looks like you thought of everything.”
He smirked and placed my bag inside. “You never know.”
A shiver shot up my spine. Stop it! He’s a killer, I scolded myself when I saw Will’s eyes smiling at me.
He handed me what I assumed was the only helmet.
“Where is yours?”
He chuckled and pulled his sweatshirt hood over his head. “I will be all right.”
“Famous last words,” I grumbled. At least that’s how it worked in books and movies. The first person to say that was usually the first person to die. I pulled the helmet over my head and climbed on the back the four-wheeler sitting as far back as I could.
“Are you ready, Cami?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Yes.” I answered with as much reassurance as I could pull together. I stole one last look at the restaurant as we sped off. The burly cook stood in the entryway and gave me a short wave. I felt bad. I should have at least thanked him for letting me camp out on his patio for the evening. He probably thinks I’m just another rude American.
The road out of town split in several directions, but the path we took was directly in between two of those splinters. We were now on a slender, partially paved path on the side of a mountain that rose just above the tree canopy, revealing the ocean in the distance. The beauty of the landscape captured my attention through the helmet’s rain streaked plastic. The way the colors collided with one another was almost overwhelming.
Green treetops lead into a sliver of creamy beach white and the deep blue ocean. The sun was descending on the other side of the mountain, causing the dark rain clouds above to give off an orange glow. I was breathless, surrounded by a real life painting. Local surfers were taking advantage of the high waves. Even in the rain, this place was a true paradise. How completely out of my head I was for thinking this place was impoverished.
Why were my parents working here? I wondered if this was what Tom spoke of. They weren’t here for the Corps; they were here for the other job. They were protecting someone that needed their help, and now it was them that needed protection. I hoped that the others had reached them already.
My curiosity of our destination was growing with every minute that passed. I wanted to see the people that they had been protecting. Were they vampir
es, too? And why couldn’t they protect themselves? That had to be what was happening. Jay made it seem as if this place was perilous and we were headed straight for it. Strangely, I was no longer afraid or nervous. Focusing on my parents and the others forced me to concentrate on getting there. Whatever happened after that was something I couldn’t think about. I just wished they had told me sooner about their true profession and not to mention our true heritage. If I had known, I might have been better prepared to help. The vial of blue liquid in my pocket was my only weapon, and I really, really, didn’t want to have to use it.
The guilt of dragging Jay along came back full force. I didn’t understand why he was so willing to offer a stranger all the help that he had offered me. I really didn’t know if I would do the same. He was so trusting that what I said was true. I had only known Jay for a few short hours, but I didn’t like lying to him. He had an energy about him that was so innocent, and I hated taking advantage of him. It was starting to hurt me to do it. But he couldn’t know the truth, so I began devising a plan to dump him right after he told me how to get to the camp where my parents were last known to be.
The first idea was to throw myself off the ATV at precisely the right point, roll into the brush and run away while he searched for me.
I envisioned my leap to martyrdom-me flying off the seat, one leg catching on the rack causing me to fall and ultimately run over by the back tire. That didn’t go to well. There would have to be more push behind my leap. New vision – this time I make it off successfully, roll into the brush and impale myself on a branch. I should wait for a small clearing. The final attempt to jump could end in me rolling down the mountainside and landing on the beach below covered in scratches and bruises. So, I surmised, jumping was out.
Maybe I could ask that he stop so I could have a potty break, then run for it. It would take him a while to realize I wasn’t coming back and start searching for me. Why would he suspect that I ran away from him? Would he continue on to the village or worse, would he be the noble guy he seemed to be and wait for me to come back. Which would be never and he would die alone wandering around the jungle.
The Valley Page 18