Fort Collins

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “Yes,” Ivan said.

  “Plus, Honey will kill me if I get all drugged up again,” Charlie said. “She’s been helping me get moving again.”

  “You’re coming with us on Sunday, right?” Ivan asked.

  Charlie nodded. He looked off for a moment and then grinned.

  “You’re saying that, come tomorrow, you will be in charge,” Charlie said with a laugh.

  “Something like that.” Ivan laughed.

  “Is that why you wanted to talk to me?” Charlie asked. “Because I’m ready to get moving. Sissy, too.”

  “Actually, I wanted to speak with you about your sister,” Ivan said.

  Ivan flushed with color, and looked at Charlie. Charlie smiled. Ivan had known this boy almost the boy’s entire life. He’d given Charlie money when Charlie had nowhere to turn. He’d lent an ear when Charlie was upset and bailed him out of jail. He’d even let the boy stay with him when Charlie had nowhere else to go. Looking at Charlie now, Ivan saw all of that history wrapped in Charlie’s easy smile.

  “There isn’t anything you have to say,” Charlie said.

  “What do you mean?” Ivan asked.

  “I guess, to me, you’ve always been my sister’s. . . partner,” Charlie said. “I mean, I know that. . .”

  “Nothing has happened,” Ivan said. “I can assure you that. . .”

  Charlie raised his hands in submission. Ivan stopped talking.

  “Sissy told me that you’re still smarting from the spanking they gave you at her first eating-disorder treatment,” Charlie said.

  Ivan scowled and gave him a nod.

  “I never thought you molested or groomed Sissy,” Charlie said. “I always thought. . . well, I don’t know what I thought. I guess I just saw you as family. Our family — Sissy’s, mine, and Sandy’s.”

  Ivan looked at Charlie out of the corner of his eye.

  “I’m trying to say that I don’t have a problem with you and Sissy,” Charlie said with a nod. “I hope you’re very happy. Sissy’s over the moon. I’ve never seen her so happy — even with the injury. My Dad would have really wanted Sissy to be happy.”

  Ivan gave Charlie a curt nod.

  “I’ve seen Sissy with you,” Charlie said. “All of my life. You make Sissy really happy, even when you’re being controlling and bossy. And Sissy. . . She’s. . .”

  Ivan turned to look into Charlie’s face.

  “Special,” Ivan and Charlie said together.

  “Yes,” Ivan said.

  “Hard,” Charlie said. “Tink’s easy. I can spend days with her. We laugh and just have fun. But Sissy? She wants to know the ‘why’ of everything. ‘Why are you doing this?’ ‘What does this mean?’ And she wants to do things the right way, or she won’t do it. And I can tell you that she was like that even before you knew her.”

  Ivan nodded.

  “Sandy tells this story about Sissy just learning to walk,” Charlie said with a smile. “I was ready to move, get going, so I stumbled around until I could run. Sissy didn’t want to take even one step if it wasn’t done the best way.”

  “Correctly,” Ivan said in agreement. “Yes.”

  “Plus,” Charlie smiled, “I was there when Seth brought you from the Gulag. You didn’t see me because I was playing with my cars on the floor. Sissy was on Dad’s bed, telling him one of her nonsense stories. She still tells those, by the way.”

  “She does?” Ivan grinned.

  Charlie gave a fast nod.

  “So Seth opened the door, and Sissy stopped talking,” Charlie said. “We all turned to see what was going on. And you walked into the room or crutched. I realize now that you must have been in tremendous pain. Your eyes were like stuck on the floor. And Sissy said. . .”

  “There you are,” Ivan said with a smile.

  “‘It’s about time,’” Charlie said. “Or something like that. All of us were so surprised that we just stared at you. I don’t think you realized because it was happening to you.”

  Charlie smiled.

  “You were made for each other,” Charlie said. “Who am I to disapprove of that?”

  “So it won’t bother you if your sister and I become more than teacher and student?” Ivan asked.

  “I’m surprised you aren’t already,” Charlie said.

  “And if we. . .” Embarrassed, Ivan looked away.

  “You mean sex?” Charlie asked. He looked disgusted. “I’m still her older brother.”

  Ivan laughed.

  “I don’t want to hear about it or know about it,” Charlie said.

  Ivan smiled.

  “I will return the favor,” Charlie said.

  Ivan laughed, and Charlie smiled. After a moment, Ivan squinted his eyes.

  “You plan to find others?” Ivan gestured toward where Tink had gone.

  “No,” Charlie said. “That’s never been my thing.”

  “You’re not eighteen!” Ivan said. “Your thing may change.”

  “Nah,” Charlie said. “I know myself. My Dad was too afraid to have what he truly wanted. That’s not me. Plus, I like Tink too much to cheat on her, to hurt her in that way. She’s been hurt enough.”

  Ivan nodded.

  “You?” Charlie asked.

  “No,” Ivan said. “Your sister was all I have ever wanted.”

  “I’m certainly not going to get in the way,” Charlie said.

  Ivan smiled. He looked up to see Tink and Dale, watching to see if they were done talking. Ivan nodded to them, and they came up.

  “Chocolate cake,” Tink said with a smug smile. “Pay up, buddy!”

  “Then why does he have coconut?” Charlie asked, pointing toward Dale’s plate.

  “And cookies!” Dale said. “And brownies!”

  “Sandy made all of that?” Charlie asked.

  “Valerie and Blane,” Tink said. “The chocolate cake is from Blane. I’d kill for this.”

  Despite what she had just said, she got a big bite of cake on her fork and gave it to Charlie. Ivan smiled at the sweet gesture.

  “Wow,” Charlie said. “But what did Sandy make?”

  “Nothing,” Tink said. “I was just kidding.”

  They laughed. Ivan smiled at them. He nodded his good-byes and went to find Sissy.

  She was sitting on the edge of the deck watching the sprinklers water the new beds. The ugly dog, Buster, was resting, lying next to her with his head on her lap. When Ivan approached, the dog lifted his head to look at him. Ivan sat down next on the other side of Sissy, and the dog dropped his head.

  “Where are your friends?” Ivan asked.

  “Wanda left to take Freddie home,” Sissy said. “They were taking Cody and Brian home, so Wanda and Freddie went with them. Freddie seems really good, don’t you think?”

  “Solid,” Ivan said. “Stable. It’s nice to see.”

  She turned to look at him.

  “I like to watch the water hit the dirt,” Sissy said. “It’s like hope for what will come.”

  Ivan smiled.

  “I can use some hope,” Sissy said. “Did you talk with Charlie?’

  “He said that he supports. . . us,” Ivan said. He turned to look at her, and she smiled.

  “It’s still illegal for us to get married,” Sissy said.

  Ivan grinned. There were many easy ways around the law, but Sissy would never hear of it. She would only ever do what was legal and fair. Remembering what Charlie had said, he had to look away to keep from laughing.

  “What?” Sissy asked.

  “Oh, Charlie reminded me that you like to do things the correct way,” Ivan said.

  “I do,” Sissy said. “That doesn’t mean we can’t date and stuff.”

  “And stuff,” Ivan said. He looked at her for a long moment and then turned to look at the gardens. “Are you sure you want to leave all of this?”

  “It’s really hard to leave, but I have to,” Sissy said. “Following my dream means I have to leave.”

  “We cou
ld easily get work here at the Denver Ballet,” Ivan said.

  Sissy looked at Ivan’s face for a moment before turning to look at the garden again.

  “What?” Ivan asked.

  “I think we have to try to do it in New York,” Sissy said. “You know, if I can make it there, I can make it anywhere.”

  Ivan smiled.

  “Right?” Sissy asked.

  “Sure,” Ivan said.

  He took her hand, and they watched the garden sprinklers for a while.

  “Charlie tells me you still tell those great stories,” Ivan said.

  “The ones that don’t make sense?” Sissy smiled. Ivan nodded.

  “Will you?” Ivan asked.

  “About the garden?” Sissy asked.

  “Sprinklers,” Ivan said as a challenge.

  “Well. . .” Sissy launched into a goofy story.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Saturday evening — 7:00 p.m.

  “What do you think is going on in there?” Jill asked as she brought a stack of dirty dishes into the kitchen.

  Delphie looked up from where she was stacking dirty dishes on the counter. Jacob was washing dishes in the sink, and the dishwasher was chugging away.

  “The fairies?” Delphie asked.

  Jill nodded and set down the dishes.

  “Anyone know anything about this Aife?” Jacob asked.

  Delphie turned her head to look at him. Before she said anything, Jill took a breath to speak. Delphie’s eyes flicked to Jill.

  “I looked her up online,” Jill said.

  Delphie looked at Jill.

  “It said that she was a great warrior,” Jill said. “That some dude overcame her. But she’s a fairy, right? How likely is it that he overcame anything? Anyway, dude got her pregnant and then left for Ireland. He told her to send her son when he was seven. The son should wear his ring. Of course, the dude kills the seven-year-old because the dude feels like a seven-year-old is a threat to him. Only then does he see the ring.”

  Delphie nodded and looked down at what she was doing.

  “You’re being weirdly silent,” Jacob said.

  “I just told you what I knew,” Jill said.

  “Delphie,” Jacob said.

  “Oh,” Delphie said. She put a hand on her heart. “Me?”

  Delphie remained silent. She looked at Jacob and then at Jill again.

  “I guess I am a little quiet,” Delphie said. She nodded as if she were thinking. “I think. . .”

  Delphie lapsed into silence. Heather came into the kitchen with another stack of plates. Delphie gave Heather a wistful look, and Heather scowled.

  “What are you talking about?” Heather asked.

  “Aife,” Jacob said from the sink.

  His back was to Heather, so he couldn’t see the silent exchange between Heather and Delphie. Heather scowled when Delphie gave her a sly look.

  “Spit it out,” Heather said in a hard voice that caused Jacob to turn to look at her.

  He assessed Heather before turning to Delphie.

  “What are you up to?” Jacob asked.

  “Well. . .” Delphie said.

  “Don’t be angry with the oracle,” Edie said as she came into the room. “I asked her not to say anything.”

  She put her hand on Heather’s arm.

  “And you’re right to be suspicious, Heather,” Edie said. “We concocted this plan when you received your father’s gifts.”

  “Fairies,” Jacob said, as if it were a curse, under his breath.

  “I know,” Edie said with a smile. “We do ask a lot.”

  “One thing is for certain,” Heather said. “I’m not doing anything until we know what’s going on.”

  “What’s going on?” Sandy asked as she came into the kitchen from work. “What do the fairies want now?”

  Heather raised her eyebrows at Edie, who nodded.

  “I’ll tell you everything,” Edie said.

  Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty

  Lying fairies

  “No, you won’t.” Abi seemed to appear in the room.

  “But. . .” Edie started.

  “I will take care of this, Princess Edith,” Abi said. “Your brother would like you to return.”

  “But. . .” Edie said.

  “Princess Edith, you weren’t born when these events took place,” Abi said. “You weren’t there. If we’re going to ask Heather to help us. . .”

  “Again,” Heather said.

  “Fair enough,” Abi said with a nod. “Again, she deserves to hear what happened from someone who was there.”

  “You mean there’s more to the story that I don’t know?” Edie said.

  Abi raised an eyebrow at her and pointed. When Abi didn’t say anything, Jacob turned away from the kitchen sink to watch the interaction.

  “Then I’m not going anywhere,” Edie said.

  “Fin. . .”

  “He can handle it himself,” Edie said. “Plus, Mari and Tanesha are there.”

  Abi scowled at Edie.

  “I’m not afraid of you, Abi,” Edie said.

  Abi raised her eyebrows to Edie. Jill looked at Heather, who was scowling at Abi. Catching Jill’s look and Heather’s scowl, Edie smiled at them.

  “You may or may not know this, but Abi is the most powerful fairy in our community,” Edie said. “She and Gil are said to have stepped out of the earth’s molten heat to cause the land to form.”

  Abi rolled her eyes at Edie.

  “Stories,” Jacob said. “There are always more stories. Why don’t you just trust us?”

  “Trust you?” Abi asked. “I thought we were.”

  “No, you don’t trust us,” Jacob said. “You tell us complicated tales that confound us.”

  “He wants you to ask for what you need,” Heather said.

  “Oh,” Abi said. “We need Heather’s help to correct something her father did.”

  “What’s wrong with Aife?” Jill asked.

  Abi raised an eyebrow to Edie, who gave her a defiant look.

  “What is going on between you two?” Jacob asked. He looked at Delphie. “What are they doing?”

  “That’s the story,” Delphie said. “Edie wants to tell what she knows because she believes it’s the truth.”

  “It’s not?” Edie asked.

  Delphie shook her head.

  “Abi wants Heather’s help and knows that Jill will spot a lie,” Delphie said. “She wants to tell the truth, but there are things that would be revealed that. . .”

  “Might change our Edie,” Abi said.

  “My sister is dying!” Edie said. “Why would I give two craps about some history lesson in the face of the loss of my sister? Have you no heart?”

  Abi and Edie looked at each other for a long moment before Abi nodded.

  “I apologize, Edie,” Abi said. “I forget sometimes how deep your bond is with your family.”

  Abi gave Edie a soft smile before looking at the others.

  “It’s not natural or normal for us fairies to care so deeply,” Abi said. “Our Edie is truly one of a kind.”

  “You care,” Edie said.

  “Yes, but. . .” Abi started. She winced and then shrugged. “I’m me.”

  Edie held out her arms, and Abi hugged her tight. Jacob glanced at Jill, and she shrugged. He turned around and continued working on the dishes. Heather scowled at the fairies and went outside to get her boys. Delphie watched the fairies for a moment before heading out into the backyard.

  Abi let go of Edie, stepped back, and looked around the room. Jacob was still working on the pile of dishes. Delphie came in with another stack of plates.

  “I guess you guys are sick of us,” Abi said.

  “I think everyone is sick of being lied to and manipulated,” Delphie said.

  “Everyone?” Abi asked.

  “Including me,” Delphie said.

  “Just tell us what you need,” Jacob said from the sink, without turning around. “Ask for our h
elp. We’re glad to help, but the rest of this has to stop!”

  Abi chewed her lip for a moment.

  “So even though we helped with the construction site and helped Jabari and helped Yvonne and. . .” Abi scowled. “Heather! Fin and Tanesha saved her children and. . .”

  “You helped at the construction site so that I would put the Queen back together and end the curse,” Jacob said. Turning, he picked up a towel to dry his hands.

  “And end the war,” Delphie said.

  “You helped Yvonne and Jabari because, let’s face it, they’re your family,” Jacob said. “With us, you tricked us into the Sea of Amber.”

  “How many times do we have to tell you, Jacob?” Abi asked. “That was the serpents. It wasn’t us.”

  “So you say,” Jacob said. “What’s more likely is that Fin tricked us into getting trapped in the Sea of Amber so that we would destroy the place. And clearly, you helped Heather and her children because you need to use her now for some unknown purpose.”

  “Wow,” Abi said under her breath. “You believe this as well, Oracle?”

  Delphie nodded.

  “It’s the deception, Abi,” Delphie said.

  “The tricks and lies and manipulations,” Jacob said.

  “Princess Edie cares for your children at no cost to you!” Abi said.

  “Yeah, why is that?” Jacob asked. “What’s your end game? Steal Katy? You’ve tried before. Take the boys? Teach them to be something you can use and manipulate to your end? Why are you helping us with the boys?”

  “Because the Queen is interested in. . .” Edie started. “Oh, I see what you mean.”

  “And that’s not to mention your interest in the Sword of Truth,” Delphie said. “You think we didn’t notice, but we all saw how upset you were when Perses secured the sword to Paddie and his children.”

  Abi squinted her eyes.

  “I helped you put your wretched Queen together because you needed the help,” Jacob said. “I asked for nothing in return.”

  “You wanted to break the curse!” Abi said.

  “Jill self-heals,” Jacob said. “She assures me that she would have survived. But everything with you fairies is some long game of manipulation and lies. That’s no way to treat a friend or family or even an acquaintance.”

  “Hey, we’re heading home,” Heather said as she came into the kitchen.

  She had their new son tucked into a sling. Blane came in carrying Mack. The child was sound asleep against him.