by Lee French
Lily watched him go. As soon as he left her sight, she regretted her sharpness. She’d finally found someone capable of helping her put Sebastian’s father behind her. The day someone showed up at her door to tell her he’d been killed in action remained the worst of her life. In second place? The day he told her he’d enlisted. To make his father proud.
Brooding over Sebastian, Sr. accomplished nothing. Lily closed her eyes and forced herself to think about a fuzzy blanket. Since everything she’d made so far had been white, she abandoned the need for blue. The thing didn’t even need to be fuzzy if she could just get something that behaved like cloth. She opened her eyes to find another square plate and tossed it on the pile. Trying again, she waved her fingers to see if that made any difference and discovered she could produce a hard plate with ridges like a crinkle- cut potato chip.
She tossed the new failure and rubbed her face. Her power had to be useful for something besides avoiding the need for a tool box.
“Hey, chica. What’s the matter?” Javier draped an arm around her shoulder.
Both surprised and repulsed by him, Lily jerked away and jumped to her feet. “Nothing.” Her cheeks burned and she had no idea why.
“I doesn’t look like nothing.” His smile held what seemed like genuine sympathy. He spread his arms wide, offering to hug her.
Something about him set her on edge. Maybe it was the fact she knew he’d abandoned his pregnant girlfriend to come here. Or maybe it had to do with the way he’d smacked her butt the first time they met. “I’m fine. Thank you.” She raised a hand to stop him. “I came over here to avoid distractions.”
“Okay, okay. I get it.” He trudged into the trees, shoulders slumped, making her feel both greasy and bitchy.
“Um. You’re working on the roof, right?”
He paused at the treeline and turned back, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. “No, we’re done.” He leaned against the trunk and she saw his gaze rove down her body. “They’re getting materials together, then we’re gonna work on the barn. I got nothing to do until then.”
“Oh.” After his ogling, she no longer felt bitchy. “The leaks are all fixed, then. That’s good to know. Thanks.”
“No problem, chica. You want me to keep you up to date on the news around here?” He grinned.
She got the impression he’d take a positive as an invitation to bother her anytime. “No, thank you. I should get back to work.” Turning her back on him, she returned to the stump and prayed for him to leave.
“You know—”
“I’m fine. Just need to concentrate now. Thank you.”
It seemed like a long time passed before she heard twigs snapping and leaves crunching to announce him walking away. A shiver worked its way down Lily’s spine as she tried to forget that encounter. She needed something to ground herself.
Sunlight caught her plain gold wedding ring. He’d been dead for two years, eight months, and twelve days. Not once had she considered taking the ring off until she left Bobby on the side of the road in Utah. He hadn’t stayed long after she drove away with Sebastian, but for the rest of the trip here, she’d seen him every time she checked the rearview mirror.
Shaking her head, she made an effort to stop thinking about men. Sebastian—the little boy—needed a new blanket. End of statement. Her power produced another stiff board. She stood and flung it into the trees as hard as she could. With another flick of her power, she made a white hammer and held it up to examine it.
Apparently, fate wanted her to supply transient tools and nothing else. She dropped it and made a screwdriver, then a pickaxe, a hatchet, a crowbar, and five things she’d seen before without learning their names. Then she made a brick. This would never serve anyone as a tool. Since it only lasted a short time, it couldn’t be used for building. That made it a weapon.
She dredged up memories from her husband’s favorite movies and made a throwing star, then a throwing knife. In another few minutes, she’d created a pile of swords, axes, and similar weapons. Nudging the pile with her shoe, she had no idea what to do with any of it.
Her entire upbringing had centered around her parents’ gardening business. She knew how to identify and take care of plants, had some skill with landscape design, and could run a cash register. If someone asked her how to handle slugs, she knew which products to suggest and could explain the differences between them. Everything else she knew revolved around raising a sweet little boy.
And here she sat with a pile of weapons at her feet. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this, with the possible exception of marrying a man hell-bent on joining the Army. With that realization, she noticed she’d avoided creating one particular type of weapon. Lifting her hands, she couldn’t decide if she wanted to succeed or fail.
The white nimbus surrounded her hands and created a gun. Sebastian had been proud of his marksmanship, but the pistol felt strange in her hands. At once, she wanted to drop it and cling to it. This thing, if it worked properly, had so much potential to harm her son, and she didn’t only mean if he accidentally shot himself with it.
“Lily? Are you okay?” Jayce, his flesh made of something silver, carried a load of old, rotting wood to the forest, probably to dump it there. He stopped, his gaze flicking from her to the gun to the pile of weapons.
Numb until now, Lily felt her eyes burn with tears. “Not really?”
“Is that loaded?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, horror creeping deeper into her.
Jayce blinked, then he tossed his armload aside. His normal brown fleshtone rippled across his face and arms as he approached. “Where did you get this?” Stepping to her side, he covered the gun with his hand and took it from her.
“I made it.” She wiped her cheeks, not sure whether it upset her more to have made a gun so effortlessly or to not know what to do with it.
“Ah.” He popped it apart with practiced motions. “I’m guessing you don’t know much about handguns. This is a non-functional revolver. It lacks some of the internal parts necessary to actually shoot a bullet.”
“Oh, thank God.” She held up a hand and made a bullet like ones she’d seen on TV. It took no real effort or thought. “Here I was worried it was really this easy.”
Jayce cocked his head and took the bullet. “This is for a rifle. It won’t fit.” He dropped the gun on the pile and held the bullet up to examine it. “But it looks like it might have all the right parts. If I brought you an example, do you think you could reproduce it?”
Lily whimpered. “I hope not.”
He tossed the bullet onto the pile. “You know, there’s nothing inherently evil about guns. They just have a rather singular purpose and that purpose isn’t about cute little duckies and fuzzy bunnies.”
She nodded and wiped her face again. “They took his father away from me.”
“Which hurt. And you’re afraid they’ll also take him.”
He’d hit the nail too hard on the head for her. She covered her face and cried.
“Lily. If you don’t want to make guns, you don’t have to make guns. Or bullets. Or any of this. No one will ever force anyone to leave this farm and go fight for us. You just want to be Sebastian’s mother, and that’s perfectly fine. Just because you have a superpower doesn’t mean you have to use it, especially if it makes you this uncomfortable.
“But if you ever want to work on it, I can help you make a real gun and real bullets. I can teach you to shoot and show you how to keep yourself and your son safe. I also know how to fight hand-to-hand. Matthew is another good resource for this kind of training. All you ever have to do is ask and we’ll teach you. And if you never ask, we won’t pressure you. I promise.”
“Why’s Mommy sad?”
Lily swiped her sleeve across her face and flashed Jayce a smile. “Thank you,” she whispered to him. “Hey, little man,” she said louder, forcing as much cheer as she could into it. “I’m not sad.” Hopping off the stump, she scooped him into her arms.
Bobby jogged into sight and took in the scene. He gave Jayce a half-hearted dirty look. “You making her cry?”
“No. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
Jayce rolled his eyes and waved Bobby off. “How long will all this stuff be here?” He pointed to the pile of weapons.
Shifting Sebastian to her hip, Lily frowned. “Not long, but we should play somewhere else.” She carried carried her son into the trees, in a different direction than Javier had gone.
“Mommy be happy!” Sebastian hugged her neck.
“I’m fine, kiddo.”
“Mommy. You’re lying.” He kissed her cheek and rested his head on her shoulder.
“You’re too smart for your own good.” Noise behind them made her turn to see Bobby following. She stopped to wait for him.
Sebastian raised his head with a bright smile when he saw Bobby. “I know! Mommy needs tickles.” He wriggled and squirmed until he could reach her belly and strained to tickle her. His efforts made her want to laugh, but not because of his fingers.
Bobby caught up with a grin. “Can’t argue with that logic.” He darted a hand in and brushed his fingertips over her side.
Lily giggled and blushed. Once she started, Sebastian had her doubled over, laughing. She set the boy on the ground as she shied away from more tickling, unable to stop. Both Bobby and Sebastian chased her around a tree until she wound up with her back to the trunk, out of breath and facing Bobby.
“Okay, buddy.” Bobby, also laughing, set a hand on the boy’s head. “That’s enough. Let your momma breathe.”
“Laughing is good,” Sebastian said.
“So’s breathing.” Bobby pushed the boy aside, getting him out of reach. The movement put his body closer to Lily’s, warming her and making her blush again. “It’s kinda important and all.” He faced her again and seemed surprised to find her so close. “I…um.” His gaze dropped to her mouth.
Lily touched his chest, feeling his heartbeat. She’d seen how he treated her son and how he tried so hard to do the right thing. He’d saved their lives and she knew he’d do it again without a second thought. If he had to, he’d sacrifice himself for either of them. Just like Sebastian’s father.
He hesitated. She kissed him. After a moment of surprise, he wrapped his arms around her.
“What are you doing?” Sebastian asked, his small voice thick with suspicion.
Bobby pulled away far enough to look her in the eyes. “Falling for your momma.”
Sebastian picked up a rock, losing interest in them. “Mommy with catch you. Or she’ll kiss the boo-boo and make it all better.”
“I can live with that.”
Lily grinned and slid her arms around Bobby’s neck. Behind his back, she tugged off the wedding ring.
Common Ground
Anita
With a sandwich and a glass of milk in hand, Anita stepped into the backyard. She strode past John, ignoring his garden, and paused at the unexpected sight of a pile of white weapons. Lifting her glass telekinetically, she bent and picked up a sword. It reminded her of her big brother. He played the king’s guard for some medieval dinner show in her hometown.
Since the entire reason for carrying her late lunch out here had been avoiding people, she took the sword into the trees. Out of sight of the house, she swished the sword around, knowing she had no skill with it. After half a minute, she transferred it to her telekinesis and ate her lunch while the sword slashed through the undergrowth.
“Hola, chica.” Javier dropped out of a nearby tree and landed in a ridiculous three-point superhero crouch. He straightened and puffed out his chest, looking pleased with himself.
Anita rolled her eyes. “What do you want?”
“Ouch.” He pretended to flinch, meeting all the expectations he created with his East LA accent. She could easily picture him stealing a car or knocking over a gas station with his homie gangbangers. “I didn’t even do nothing yet, chica.”
She swept the sword around to point at him, making it hover inches from his neck. “You think you’re going to do something?”
He gulped and raised his hands. “Nope. I don’t got nothing here for you if you don’t want it.” Nervous gaze on the blade, he grinned. “If you do want it, though, I got you covered, chica.”
“Stop calling me that,” she snapped.
“¿Quieres que te llame ‘mujer’?”
Anita scowled and let the sword fall. Having it there tempted her to use it too much. “I don’t speak Spanish, you dumbshit.”
Javier’s brow shot up. “You didn’t even learn your parents’ language? That’s sad.”
“My parents are black, asshole. I’m adopted.”
“Oh. Huh.” Javier crossed his arms and averted his eyes. Then he shrugged. “I guess I don’t know if my mama is really my mama.”
Wanting Javier to go away, Anita sneered. “You know your own kid is really your kid.”
He laughed. “Only if you think my girlfriend never slept around. I guess we’ll find out when it’s born.”
Suddenly, Javier seemed a lot less disgusting to her. One little fact changed everything. She reflected on that and wondered if maybe she’d been too hard on Bobby. “Would you go back if it’s your kid?”
“I dunno. I mean, I guess if it’s my kid, he’ll probably have powers someday. So he should be here with us. I’d have to go talk to Renata.” He grimaced. “I can’t think of anything I want to do less. She likes to hit me with a baseball bat. She’s not real strong, so it doesn’t hurt much, but she’s such a puta. A bitch. I liked it at first, then my mama met her and decided I needed that to keep me straight. She thought I’d wind up working in a chop shop.”
She watched him lean against the nearby tree and wondered if he realized how relaxed he seemed. For the first time, she noticed how his shoulders always bunched up and he moved with just a hint of stiffness. In this moment, all that faded away and he stood with his head up and a pensive expression.
“I worked in a casino, as a pit boss. My parents work there. They got me the job.” Anita sighed and wished she could make the hurt inside stop. “Some of the men I worked for, they…don’t really understand the concept of ‘no.’ ” She had no idea why she told Javier that. Most of the women here would understand if she told them. Out of all the men, Javier struck her as the most likely to rape someone. Yet, she picked him to tell.
For several long, tense moments, Javier remained quiet. “I know a lot of girls who got knocked up in high school. They act like they wanted it, but sometimes, you can see it in their eyes how much they really didn’t. Some guys, they see it like it’s how you prove you’re a man. Some girls, they think it’s the only thing a guy wants from them, ever. It’s all kinda messed up.”
“Yeah.” Maybe East LA and Reno had more in common than Anita thought. “Peace?”
Javier smiled at her. “Yeah. Peace. You and me, nobody really likes either of us. But maybe one person here is a start.”
Maybe all she needed was to sit down with some of the people here and really talk to them. If she could make a friend out of Javier, of all people, she ought to be able to handle anyone. “You ever need to talk to someone, I guess I’m here.”
“Me too, chica. Me too.”
Meddling
Chris
With every step closer to the farmhouse, Chris felt a headache building. So many people in such a small space meant a lot of emotions packed together and rubbing against each other. This place had far too many dysfunctional relationships. He kept trying to help, but that had made him about as popular as Javier or Anita, so he gave up. Sort of.
Right now, the blob of distress in the vegetable garden would drive him insane if he did nothing. Chris marched over, finding John brooding among the sunflowers. In only a few weeks, John had grown them from seed to towering six foot stalks with giant flowers bigger than Chris’s head. Chris thought they might also be bigger than Tony’s ego. Maybe.
“Didn’t I say you need
ed to tell her?” Chris stopped in front of John and planted his fists on his hips.
“What?” John frowned up at him, then shook his head and rubbed his face. “She thinks she caught me jerking off.”
“Oh dear.” Chris sighed. “Did she?”
“What? No!” Embarrassment rolled off John in waves.
“I was just asking. No need to be snippy.” Crossing his arms, Chris pondered how to fix the problem. John and Ai obviously belonged together, at least temporarily. “Would you like me to talk to her for you?”
John shrank away from him. “No. I’ll figure it out.”
“Before or after you give me a stress headache?” Chris rubbed his temple. “Because, honey, you’re damned distracting. All knotted up and emoting all over the place. If you don’t deal with it soon, I might have to get Jayce to knock you out so I can sleep.”
Shame bubbled to the surface. John mumbled too quiet for Chris to hear.
“Was that a yes? Because I can’t hear you.”
“Yes, fine. Do whatever.”
“Oh, thank gawd.” Ignoring the rest of John’s mumbles, Chris hurried inside. He flashed a cheerful smile at all the pretty boys as he passed the kitchen. As usual, discomfort colored Bobby’s otherwise inoffensive feelings, but no one else’s. He pinpointed Tony elsewhere in the house—alone and grumpy—and turned a corner to avoid the biggest homophobe in the group.
He reached a workroom and opened the door to find Ai, Lily, Alice, and Lisa all attacking various cloth mending projects. He recognized curtains, socks, and a blanket between them. All four smiled at him and waved him inside.
“Ladies.”
“Did you come to help?” Ai patted a chair beside herself.
“Oh, goodness, no. I’m horrible with this sort of thing.” Chris sat and let Lisa drape a blanket over his lap to make her job easier. “I came to gossip.”
Ai giggled. Lily and Lisa both blushed and looked in different directions. Alice’s smile faltered.
“Do we have to?” Alice closed a hole in a sock with dainty, even stitches. The woman would have made a capable surgeon.