by Bennet, Tara
“So, uh…Could I get your number?” Thomas asked, smiling nervously.
Amber hesitated. She wanted so badly to bring up the incident in the car, but didn’t know how. She gave him her number, being sure to have him text her then and there, and saved him under ‘Thomas’ -putting ‘Houdini’ in the notes.
She headed back to the booth where the girls had been chatting, but found it empty. Checking her phone, she saw one text from Tanya:
Janice and I went the bar next door to get us some seats and some drinks. Do your thing girl, we left Erica to settle the tab. We’ll see you both here.
Amber caught Erica settling the tab at the bar, she seemed more interested in flirting with the bartender than settling the check, and Amber decided to go wait for her outside. She needed fresh air, anyway.
It was nice outside, and the wind felt good on her legs. She forgot how much she liked showing a little leg, but also remembered how much she disliked wearing heels.
Next to her, a little further down the driveway, was Thomas. He was smoking a cigarette and talking to a man in sun shades and a polo shirt. What kind of asshole wears sunshades this late at night?
Still she was curious about their conversation, and got closer so that she could hear it.
“…you emissaries are all the same,” said Thomas, clearly trying to look more relaxed than he was and smoking his cigarette a little too much.
The other man smiled.
“If only you knew, Mr. Lykos.”
“So, you and I, were done right? I mean, I got it for you, so now all that’s left is my payment,” said Thomas Lykos, lowering his voice slightly.
The other man was still smiling. There was not a trace of warmth behind the expression. It was almost plastic in its falsity.
“Not quite, Mr. Lykos. First, your employer would like a word. In person.”
Thomas stiffened, ash falling from his cigarette unnoticed.
“That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“It is now,” said the other, and Amber’s eyes were forced to witness yet another impossible thing that evening.
The man with the shades lowered them, his eyes a glowing, glaring red. They flashed, and Thomas exploded.
Amber screamed. Where he had been, there was nothing more than a small, smoldering crater. At her scream, the man in the shades looked up in surprise. He calmly walked away, passing Amber and putting a finger to his lips. He shushed her as he went by, disappearing around a corner.
She didn’t remember calling the cops. She was barely aware of explaining to the girls that she wasn’t joining them for the rest of the evening. She felt that time passed, evening as she stood in that exact same place on the sidewalk, staring into space.
“Ma’am? Ma’am, could you explain to us again what happened?”
She looked up, startled. It seemed that, the more ridiculous the world got, the harder the time she had focusing in it.
“Um. Well, two gentlemen were having an altercation and one…One of them…”
“Yes?” asked the officer. He was a young man, seemingly of Chinese descent. She wondered vaguely if he’d been sent to the scene as “rookie” work. She had to admit, even if it had happened, there probably wasn’t much the cops could do. Of course, at this point, she had to entertain the possibility that she was losing her mind.
“One of them beat the other up. Badly,” she said. Amber might be in shock, but she wasn’t stupid. Until she knew exactly what was happening, she would play it safe. Calling the cops had been a reflex, more for her psychological good than anything else. The feeling of safety she had at the sirens and the uniform made her feel a bit more grounded. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for not involving the girls. When Erica had come out, she’d told her as calmly as possible that she was calling a cab home, then proceeded to call the police.
“Then what happened?” asked the officer.
Then? She looked over and saw that another officer was talking to a valet, nearby. Someone else must’ve seen what happened.
“What did he see?” she said, nodding toward the valet.
“Well, he says he saw one man shoving another into a vehicle,” he said, eyeing her closely. But no beating. And certainly no exploding men.
The officer scribbled something into a notebook, and smiled politely.
“Thanks for reporting, ma’am. Would you like a ride home?”
Later, as the police car pulled up to her driveway, she thanked the officer.
“No problem,” he’d said. “Here’s my personal number in case you see any more, uh…altercations.”
She held the piece of paper in her hand as she made the walk up to her door. He’d been cute enough, if a little young, but she was far from a romantic state of mind.
Inside, Amber stepped out of her heels, laying her keys and purse on the counter and heading to the living room to fall asleep to the background noise of late night television infomercials.
When she turned on the light, she screamed for the second time that night. Sitting in her recliner, staring into space, was Thomas. He was dressed differently, and had a five o’clock shadow. Turning to look at her, there was something different about him. It was his expression, the way he carried himself.
“Tell me what happened,” he said, simply.
Amber decided not to run figuring, for some reason, that it might trigger the same response from her intruder as from a dog.
“Get out of my house right now, or I’m calling the police,” she said calmly, realizing her cell phone was in the kitchen.
“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t have much time. There was a man. He looked like me. What happened to him?”
He was too still. She dared not move. His eye was fixed on her, never blinking. Maybe if she just told him, he would go.
“Today, after what happened in the car --”
“The car?” he said, confusedly. So, he doesn’t remember, either. How many of this guy are there?
She went on, deciding not to mention the car further.
“We chatted at the club. He gave me his number. Outside, I saw him…”
They stared at each other intently. There was a terseness in the situation that made them both speak in short bursts, sentences. He looked at her a while, seeming to come to come kind of conclusion.
“I see. Sunshades and a polo shirt, yeah?”
Amber nodded.
The stranger got up. Amber moved to keep her distance, still facing him. When he opened the front door, he turned for a moment, smirking.
“Thanks for the help,” he said.
Then he was gone.
Chapter 4
The following weeks passed without event, and Amber tried her best not to worry too much about the events of that strange day. After all, what could she do? Even though there were no other witnesses, she knew she wasn’t crazy. She’d done a little research, and it seemed like her chances for a breakdown were low. Amber wasn’t under any duress in particular, after all. The other major factor, of course, was a family history. For more information on that, however, she’d need to talk to Big Momma - something she wanted desperately to avoid.
She turned the block to her street, noticing the lazy afternoon summer weather putting the scant people on their lawns at ease. Still a few houses down from hers, she saw a black car pulled in front of her house. She didn’t slow, but kept driving past - intending to make the block before pulling into the driveway. She’d recovered enough to drive her car again, but not so much that an amount of paranoia didn’t linger in her mind.
Sure enough, as she drove past, she saw a man in a polo shirt and shades knocking on her door. As he looked to the windows for signs that she was home, she saw that he was wearing shades.
Big Momma had just finished baking cookies, and had put on a pot of tea when the door bell rang.
“Just a minute!” she bellowed, dusting her apron off and preparing to look surprised.
Opening the door, a very frig
htened looking Amber stepped inside without being asked. Big Momma had never seen the girl looking so shaken, but was glad she was safe.
She welcomed the girl in, and gave her tea and cookies the way she used to when Amber was a child, patting her back and whispering “there, there” as Amber held back the tears. In this house Amber was safe, so Big Momma could take her time getting it out of her. She knew instinctively what it was about, though. They had found her.
Amber wasn’t particularly proud of having to go back to her grandmother, especially in her current state. When it came down to it, though, there was no place she felt safer than Big Momma’s house. The old, tempered building carried the same weight and meaning as a fortress. Of course, Amber never suspected just how correct she was.
Big Momma was wonderful. She didn’t ask her what was wrong. She just let her sit shaking in the living room, offering her tea and snacks until she was ready to talk. Amber got the feeling that her visit wasn’t totally unanticipated, but didn’t care. She’d thought the strangeness was over, that the incidents of that single day were a lost island in her life, one that would never be visited again. Yet after a morning of weekend errands she found herself on its shores once again.
After a few moments of silence in which Amber laid her head on Big Momma’s arm, she started speaking.
“Strange things are happening to me Big Momma. I don’t think I’m crazy but -- is this related to how Mom….was?”
Big Momma was silent a moment. These events were, indeed, related to how her Mom “was”. She doubted that it was in the way Amber thought, however.
“Now baby, I’m gonna tell you some things, and I don’t want you to be afraid,” started Big Momma, choosing her words carefully. Amber was in a precarious place, and Big Momma didn’t want to scare her off or shock her by telling too much at once.
“Your Momma was a good woman, but she got mixed up in things. Things she couldn’t help getting mixed up in. Bad people were looking for her.”
Amber scrunched her brow in confusion. An idea popped into her mind.
“Did she testify against someone? Someone powerful? Is that why that man was at my door?”
Big Momma didn’t have to ask the man’s description.
“Something like that, baby. Now, I’ve managed to keep you hidden so far, but now things are changing. Now we need help looking after you,” she said, getting up.
“Right now, it’s best you leave town,” she continued, grabbing a cigar box off of the coffee table. She pulled out a necklace, with a jade sun, the sun having a peaceful countenance. She put the necklace over Amber’s head and around her neck, lifting her hair over it. Amber didn’t resist. What was happening? She was beginning to get the feeling that Big Momma knew what was going on. She found that, surprisingly, that was making her feel much better. Rather than risk it not being true, she decided not to ask too many questions just then. One thing bothered her, however.
“If this is all about witness protection, shouldn’t we go to the police?” she asked.
Big Momma looked at her incredulously, and put her hands on her hips, cocking her head in her famous pose.
“Sweetheart, based on what you have experienced these past few days, does this seem like a police matter to you?” she said. So far so good, thought Big Momma, “she hasn’t jumped out the window yet.”
“Now, you need to leave town for a few days. Just until things cool down,” said Big Momma. “I’ve hired someone who’s expertise could come in handy.”
And who stepped into the doorway but the handsome stranger, wearing the same long black jacket as he had the last time she’d seen him.
“This is Vance,” said Big Momma, picking up Amber’s small saucer and empty tea cup as if it were a normal day and she was introducing her to a normal boy. Neither was true, of course.
“His name’s not Vance,” said Amber, standing warily. It’s Thomas.
“No,” said the man. “Thomas is my twin,” he said simply. Of course, thought Amber. With how insane her world had gotten, why should she be surprised at this?
“Vance was looking for his twin,” clarified Big Momma. “He was close on the night you ran into him. In exchange for helping him find his twin, Vance is going to look after you,” she said, smiling earnestly.
The words almost wouldn’t stick in Amber’s mind. She’d come to Big Momma’s house looking for a little stability, some place where things were always the same and the world made sense. However, things just seemed to be getting more ludicrous. Help Vance find his twin? She could barely find her reading glasses, sometimes. She didn’t even own a computer. Well, I suppose next she’ll reveal that she’s a top-secret hacker for the government. Nothing could surprise me, now.
Enough was enough. Her grandmother was obviously hiding the mother of all secrets (no pun, intended) and Amber simply wasn’t ready to hear it, yet.
Amber picked up her purse and headed for the door.
“Where are you going, baby?” asked Big Momma.
“Anywhere but here,” said Amber, and she walked out of the door.
Chapter Five
Amber sat at the worn booth at the café overlooking the interstate highway. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been driving before she stopped, only that she was in need of food and a good, strong, coffee.
Blowing over her mug, warming her hands with its sides, she waited for her eggs and toast. Her waitress was a older woman named Rose, and she wore the waitress uniform that was customary for every small town waitress.
“More coffee, ma’am?” she asked holding a steaming fresh pot.
“No thanks.”
“Are you all right? You look to be in quite a state, hon,” said Rose, sitting herself on the other side of the booth. Amber looked askance at the woman.
“Oh, it’s all right. I’m on break,” said the woman, smiling. As if that were the problem. Amber sighed. The place was empty and it wasn’t as if she wanted to be alone.
“Now, you just tell Rosie all about it,” she said, patting Amber’s hand on the table.
Amber hesitated, looking at the woman blankly. Well, it’s either this or keep running away, forever.
“Rose, have you ever felt like your world was changing too fast? Changing in ways you didn’t like?”
Rose studied Amber solemnly, thinking. After a moment, she leaned in and grinned.
“All the time,” she said. Rose got up to get herself a cup for coffee. Her shift was another couple of hours, and this young lady needed some sorting out. She continued.
“Honey, I’ve got news for you. It’s gonna keep changing, and there ain’t a thing you can do about it. You’ve got two choices. You can either shut the door and stop participating, or you can adapt.”
“What if I don’t want to adapt? What if I can’t?”
“You can always adapt,” said Rose seriously. She paused another moment, looking out the window.
“When my Robbie died, I thought life was over. What I’ve learned over the years is that yes, that life was over. And that was sad. But sweetie, I’ve got a whole new one and it is worth living for,” she said, winking.
“My new beau is different, but there are advantages,” she said in a lower tone. “Hell,” she added. “I’m getting more action now than I did when I was thrity!”
Amber burst out laughing, almost spitting up her coffee. This woman had to be in her mid-fifties. She brightened. Whatever she was going through, it couldn’t be as bad as losing a spouse. Whatever was going on, she would face it. That meant going back to her Big Momma’s house and not leaving until she had all the answers she needed.
Just then, the bell on the stores front door ringed. Two people entered, stepping in time.
Vance hated driving. Running was more his style, though it was more dangerous in some ways. As he dashed along past the buildings and structures, they changed form shifting and warbling as he ran faster and faster. Faster than any human.
When he had reached a dash, h
e dove into the ground shifting completely into his new form. He didn’t slow as the honking and buzzing of the city was replaced with the midnight chirping of the dark forest in the Shadow Realm. Faster, faster he went, following Amber’s scent out into the wild. He paused for a moment in the moonlight, sniffing the air. Her smell mixed with a plethora of others on this side of existence and the one she was in now. Picking out a smell was like looking for a piece of information in a tome. The speed of your pursuit was determined by your familiarity with its passages. Fortunately, he’d met Amber twice - more than enough time for him to be able to find her miles away.
He shifted back and forth between realms instinctively, always choosing whichever path was easiest. He walked along a path in the Shadow realm until the brush became to thick and slid back into a plain in the other realm. Amber’s realm.
Eventually he came to a cave and, shifting back into his human form, he transitioned to the normal realm to find a roadside café. He’d stopped at many such places during his travels, but something was wrong here.
The café windows were darkened, even at only 7p.m., and the parking lot outside was empty. He sniffed the air. There was a burning smell, like that of rubber. Bad magic.
Carefully, he opened the door to the café, nearly cursing when the bell sounded. Adopting his wolf eyes, he scanned the place, looking for signs of a struggle. He saw none.
His ear twitched at a sound behind the counter.
Taking soft steps he walked around the side to peak over the far end. Sitting on the ground, a rotund older woman sat, wide-eyed and wimpering quietly. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, her head resting on her knees.
“What happened here?” Vance asked, trying to use a gentle tone and failing.
There was no response. The woman continued to stare at a spot just in front of her, not even noticing his presence. Vance hopped over the counter, peaking through the door leading to the kitchen before leaning down to comfort the woman. She looked in a bad way.