Princess Amerovia laughed. “Do not worry. Father cannot deny these men’s valor when they escort me back home.”
Gabe struck out his chest proudly, clearly pleased at being called a man.
“Thank you,” I said.
Pepper appeared at my side and pulled me away from the group. Her onyx hair had gotten rumpled and was falling out of its braid. Her face had smudges of dirt on it, but she was smiling. “I told you that you could do it. You’re the hero of your own story.”
I noticed Elam look over at us and my lips involuntarily curled up as I scratched my forehead. “Whatever.”
“Don’t know about you, but I could eat my own fist. Starving doesn’t even come close,” Pepper said and pointed at the shimmering, rectangular gateway that was partially hidden by the Elder Tree. “Bet we could sneak out of here without them seeing.”
“What time do you think it is? How long have we been gone? I hope Aunt Holly hasn’t noticed. Not sure if she’s the grounding type, but I guess I’ll find out. Let’s duck out of here while they’re talking.”
We looked over and saw everyone deep in conversation. Pepper nodded, grabbed my hand, and led me away. When we reached the portal, I waved her through first. Call me crazy, but I wanted her accounted for, not running off to discover some new adventure. After her body disappeared into the bright doorway, I took one last look at the land I’d helped save. It was colorful and vibrant, even in the moonlight. I had a sense of pride, which was an altogether new experience for me, and I liked it.
This time when I stepped into the light, I closed my eyes, not wanting to get sick. I had the sensation of movement and being sucked through a wind tunnel. In a moment, it was over.
“Not good.”
Huh? I snapped open my eyes and saw Pepper on her tiptoes, peeking out one of the small attic windows. I craned my neck to look at Grandpa’s clock on the desk. Five after ten o’clock.
“The cops just pulled away. I’m guessing Holly noticed you were missing,” Pepper announced.
Chapter 18 - A Surprising Secret
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“No joke. Well, what do you think? Time to face the music? Are we telling the truth?” Pepper plopped onto the reading chair under the window.
“Uh, no thanks. I don’t want to get committed. No one would believe we went into a story for over twelve hours. Let’s just say we walked down to one of the coffee shops down the street and then the bookstore and lost track of time.”
Pepper frowned and shook her head. “Kay. Whatever you think’s best. I’ll back you up.”
I didn’t know what was best, but I didn’t want to see that look of disappointment or fear on Aunt Holly’s face. I knew it was unavoidable at this point.
“I just need to go get changed first,” she said and tugged at her gray uniform. “Ya know, on second thought, I think I can pull the look off. It’s growing on me.”
I groaned and shuffled downstairs with Pepper right behind me. We walked down the hallway to my room, where I dropped my backpack on the floor. I was still wearing my leather tunic and pants, which I didn’t want to be caught dead in. I’m not your Dungeons and Dragons type, and I certainly don’t dress up in costumes, so I grabbed a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt from my dresser and snuck down to the bathroom to get changed.
A shower was called for, but it wasn’t the time. I did, however, wash my hands and face so I didn’t have to meet Aunt Holly looking like a hog wrestler. When I opened the door, Pepper was waiting and she seemed to have the same idea about cleaning herself up. After she patted herself dry, we ventured downstairs. Sounds were coming from the kitchen. If I had to guess, Aunt Holly was probably making herself some coffee.
When I walked through the doorway, I saw her hunched over the French press, swearing to herself. “Aunt Holly?”
At the sound of my voice she jumped and screamed, “Nimrod! Pepper – thank God.” She ran to me and squeezed me so hard, I couldn’t breathe. Her wiry hair tickled my nose and before I knew it, she pulled away and started crying.
I’m not good with emotion. Not quite sure what to do in these situations. It’s not like I do this all the time or anything. Or that I’m around crying women all the time…well, actually, I probably have more experience with it than I’d like to admit. All I can say is, in that moment I felt like a giant, steaming turd.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Holly,” I said. Best to start off with apologies first, right?
Aunt Holly wiped her eyes and said, “Right. Well, now that I know you’re safe, I need to get you home straightaway, Pepper. Your parents are extremely worried. I just hope the two of you didn’t ruin things for yourselves and her parents will still allow you to hang out.” Holly plucked her keys off the wall hook along with her purse and pointed at me, dead serious. “You’d better be here when I get back. I’ll hear your story then. And you know how I take my coffee. Better make it a decaf. As it is, I’ll be wound up all night.”
With that, she shuttled Pepper out of the kitchen and they were gone. I figured it was best to do as I was instructed and brewed a fresh cup of decaf for her, with the right amount of sugar and milk. Anything to help soften the blow.
Ten minutes after she left, she walked back into the house. I held out her favorite green mug and she accepted it in silence. She continued into the living room and sat down on the couch. I followed her in and settled at the other end, waiting to take her lead.
“I know I’m not your mom, Nim. And I can’t imagine how much you miss her now and how painful all of this has been for you. It’s been hard on me, too.” She stopped to take a sip from her cup, but I thought I saw her cheek quiver. “I love you. Very much. I worry about you like I’d worry about my own child. So, when you take off and all communication goes silent, like your grandpa used to do, I worry.”
Wait, what?
“Shoot straight with me. Do I have anything to worry about, Nim?” She stared me in the eye and held my gaze.
“No, I swear. I was just hanging out with Pepper and we lost track of time.” Well, it was partially true.
“I was a kid once, too. I know what it’s like to live in the moment, but you’ve got to take your cellphone when you go out. I just want to know where you are and that you’re safe. You need to tell me your plans. Will you promise to keep me in the loop?”
I nodded. “Promise.”
“Good. I’d hate to become the wicked aunt who starts grounding and taking privileges away.” Aunt Holly took another sip of her coffee and murmured into her mug, “Making me worry if you were dead or missing. Don’t want you vanishing like Grandpa.”
That was enough. I had to get down to the bottom of this. “What do you mean? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Grandpa died.”
Aunt Holly closed her eyes and pinched her lips together. “Your mom never wanted you to know. She thought you’d get upset. Well, more upset than you were about being told he’d died. She said you had abandonment issues with your dad leaving and all. And now with your mother gone… But I’ve always felt that the truth is important to know, even if it doesn’t make sense.”
“You’re the one not making sense now…”
She sighed and placed her coffee on the side table. “Look, Nim. We don’t exactly know what happened to your grandpa. He disappeared a few years ago without a word and never came back. The police labeled him as a missing person. Up until that point he’d go away for a couple days at a time, but he always came back. When I asked him about it, he just said he was traveling, although he never took the car or bought plane tickets. I was beginning to worry that he was getting senile, but the rest of the time he was lucid and seemed just as intelligent as he always was. Well, one day, he just never came back – never called, nothing. His credit cards, anything linked to him haven’t been touched. Your mom and I both believed he was dead, because he loved us all too much to ever leave. He may have been lonely when your grandma died, but he had us.” Aunt Holly wiped he
r eyes with the edge of her sleeve and continued, “That’s why it was so hard for me tonight when I couldn’t find you. I drove by all the coffee shops and bookstores. I even tried looking for you in all the old places you used to hide when we played hide-and-go-seek. Silly, I know.”
“Mom said he had a heart attack. I wondered why we didn’t come here for a funeral – that explains a lot. Man, I can’t believe she lied to me…”
“She did it because she didn’t want you to think your grandpa abandoned you.”
“So, no body was ever found – nothing?”
“No. I looked in the attic for answers, but all I found there were his novels. No notes about plans for a trip or meeting anyone. I’m sorry, Nimrod…all of this is my fault. I should have kept a closer eye on him. None of this would have happened if I’d been paying closer attention to him. He probably died in some alley, confused and alone, not knowing who he was.”
Aunt Holly broke down and I moved closer to console her, giving her a hug. “You shouldn’t blame yourself, Aunt Holly. It’s okay.”
My stomach rumbled and Aunt Holly gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Didn’t mean for this to turn into a group therapy session. Sorry, Nim. You hungry? I made burritos earlier. There’s a cold one on a plate in the microwave if you want it.”
“I’m sorry, too. Won’t happen again. And yes, I’m starved.”
I barely focused on the food I shoveled into my mouth because my mind was spinning. As quickly as I could, I finished and excused myself to take a shower. Holly sniffed my head and told me I wasn’t allowed in bed until I did.
As the water removed all of the dirt and grime from the day, my thoughts circled around Grandpa. I was excited and a little bit scared.
What if Grandpa had traveled into one of his own stories and got trapped there? What if he was still alive?
Chapter 19 - A Hero’s Quest
All day Sunday I tried calling Pepper, but it went to voicemail every time. Monday morning didn’t come quickly enough. I barely got any sleep. All I could do was lie awake and think about Grandpa. Different possibilities and scenarios played out in my head. Since I’m such an optimistic person (um, yeah, I’m joking), I envisioned at least ten disastrous situations (like, apocalyptic) for every positive one.
I needed to find something positive to focus on. I needed to talk to Pepper. She’d set me straight.
At school, I rushed to the library and searched all the aisles for her. Agitated when I didn’t find her, I plopped down at our table and waited impatiently, staring at the door. When she came inside, I waved her over. When she saw my urgency, she walked slower than I’d ever seen her move.
“Gah! Would you get over here?”
Pepper snorted and said, “You’re so easy to mess with. What’s up? You look like you helped defeat an evil king and couldn’t sleep.”
“Wow, good guess. You should be a psychic. Do I owe you ten dollars for that?”
“Someone took their vitamins this morning.” She slipped into the chair next to me and let her hair out of its ponytail. “Had a shower last night and I think I removed an inch of dirt. Feel so much better now. You really should have written in modern plumbing for them.”
“I tried calling you yesterday. What did your parents say? You get in trouble?”
“Surprisingly, yes. I wouldn’t have imagined they’d even notice I was gone, but I guess they were really worried. Mom even cried. It was kinda nice to know they care. But on the downside, I have to go straight home every day after school this week. So no matter how much you beg or plead, I can’t come over. How about you? Holly seemed really upset.”
I would have liked to tease her the way she did me, but I just didn’t have the patience for it today. “Oh, yeah. Aunt Holly was all freaked out because, listen to this, my grandpa used to do it too.”
“What? Hide in his room and play dress up?”
I ignored her. “He’d go away. He’d disappear. Do you know what means?”
“He used the pen!” Her eyes glittered with excitement.
“I know I’m kinda stating the obvious here. It was his pen, after all. But get this – he didn’t actually die. Aunt Holly said that Mom didn’t want to tell me he disappeared because she didn’t want me to think he abandoned me. He just vanished without a trace and never came back. No body was ever found, no traces of money used or anything – just gone. You know what that means, right?”
“Are you kidding? He could be alive, Nimrod!” Pepper screamed so loudly that the librarian looked over and shushed us.
“I know,” I whispered. “But he could also be dead or captured, or I dunno. Do you know how many books he wrote? How am I supposed to find the book he’s trapped in?”
“Wouldn’t it be the one that was left on his desk?”
“Yeah, but Aunt Holly cleaned through everything and stacked up all his books.”
“Hmm, I don’t know, but if anyone can do it Nim, it’s you. And don’t forget your trusty sidekick – can’t leave me out of the action.”
“How could I leave you out? It wouldn’t be exciting thinking it was just me who was going to die.”
She smiled. “You need me and you know it.”
She was right. But I wasn’t going to admit it.
“Well, if I’m going into another story, then I’m not going in unprepared. I’ll just have to pick one book to start with and read it all the way through so I know as much as I can. Let’s hope Grandpa’s a more thorough storyteller than I am.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I wrote a short story I didn’t finish and the world I created filled in all the gaping holes. We didn’t know what was going to happen next because it wasn’t written out. Hopefully with a better filled in story, there won’t be as many surprises.” One could hope.
“Can’t wait to find out.”
I closed my eyes. “Yeah, let’s do it.”
“Crackerjack.”
After the bell rang, we got up and filtered into the busy hallway. Students brushed by, carrying books to their lockers and I heard a familiar voice. “Where are you going, stupid?”
I gripped my backpack strap and focused ahead, ready to push on. Daryn clearly had other plans today, and jumped out, blocking my way. Pepper stepped forward, all fired up. Her eyes were narrowed and her shoulders lifted as she leaned in.
“Pepper, no,” I said and touched her arm.
“Ha, Goliath here needs a girl to protect him.”
“Bored, Daryn? Have nothing better to do but bother people just to get noticed?” There was nothing he could do that would hurt me. Nothing. I wasn’t afraid of him.
“What? Are you kidding me? You’re the one people don’t notice. You’re different, stupid…” But Daryn didn’t seem to believe himself. I saw the doubt creep into his eyes and I actually felt sorry for him. Just for a second.
“Yeah, I am different, and I’m glad. It’d really blow if all I did all day was make other people feel bad about themselves. Keep aiming high, man. I’ve got somewhere to be. C’mon Pepper.”
I brushed past him and felt Pepper by my side. Laughter echoed through the halls and as I walked away I heard his friend snicker, “You got shut down, dude.”
Pepper linked her arm through mine, tucked some stray hairs behind her ear and smiled at me. My cheeks flushed as I grew uncomfortable with her attention. “What?”
“Crackerjack.”
“Gah, what does that even mean?”
She shrugged. “Right now, it means I’m wicked proud of you.”
My mom’s death would always be the worst thing that had happened to me, but in that moment I realized I wasn’t really alone.
My pocket buzzed and I pulled out my phone to see a text from Aunt Holly.
“What’s up?” Pepper asked.
“Guess my tablet’s repaired and ready to be picked up.”
A couple weeks ago I would have been so relieved, but the only thing I could think about now was finding Grandpa.
A stack of his novels were in the attic waiting for me, and I just didn’t care about anything else. I had a purpose, a quest.
Maybe Grandpa had died, but one thing was for sure -- I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way until I found him, dead or alive.
The End
About the Author
Natasha Brown is the author of the popular young adult series, The Shapeshifter Chronicles. Her first novel, Fledgling, was a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Contest. She loves connecting with aspiring authors and her fans. Natasha lives in Colorado with her family and menagerie of animals.
www.natashasbrown.com
@writersd3sk
An Unfortunate Beginning Page 14