Amber Eyes

by Mariana Reuter

  “I see.” Abe’s grandmother drank from a beer can. “I see. Justin, tell me, why have you been wearing sunglasses all day?”

  “Ma!” Abe’s mother exclaimed.

  I had to think fast, very fast. “I… I can’t stand direct sunlight. My eyes are too sensitive. It’s a very uncommon illness.” Think fast, Alexandra. Think fast. “Lightafobia. You might have never heard of it.”

  “I see…” Abe’s grandmother raised an eyebrow and then she laughed. “Hmm… Lightafobia, eh? And you want to know about Amanda Zimmerman’s affairs, don’t you?”

  I lowered my head. “I was only asking.”

  Abe’s mother frowned. “Ma, you’re embarrassing poor Justin.”

  Abe’s grandmother laughed again. “Amanda Zimmerman is a friend of mine, kid. About 10 years ago—” she glared at Abe’s mother, meaning she didn’t want to be reminded once again that the conversation was PG13— “her son killed himself jumping out of a window while drunk. Now Amanda bought the estate where everything happened and put it in her granddaughter’s name. Well, it’s her granddaughter’s trust, but it’s all the same.” She turned to Abe’s mother. “Not that Amanda knows the girl’s whereabouts. It’s as if Laura kidnapped the girl years ago, the very bitch. Remember? It was right when Amanda tried to legally adopt the girl.” She turned back to me. “That’s the story. Any more questions, Justin ?”

  I couldn’t believe what I’ve just heard. Had she just said that my grandmother tried to adopt me and I was Magnolia Hall’s owner? I cried, “Alexandra’s the owner? No way!”

  Everybody—Abe’s grandmother, father and mother, Abe himself, and even his li’l sister—stared at me. My heart was beating at one thousand miles per hour.

  “Do you mean Alexandra Zimmerman is Magnolia Hall’s owner?” I yelled again, but I couldn’t help it.

  Abe’s grandmother smiled. “You can say that. It’s part of her trust. Do you know her?”

  “I do,” I shouted. “I… she’s… my best friend.”

  “Your best friend?”

  “My girlfriend, I mean.” I was choking. “We attend the same school in Somerset.”

  All of them laughed and I felt my face hot, suddenly feeling embarrassed. I was not used to so much attention.

  “Give me your full name and phone number, Justin. Amanda would be most interested in contacting her granddaughter again.”

  # # #

  Of course, the full name and phone number I gave to Abe’s grandmother was fake—as if I had any other choice. At two in the afternoon, I thanked Abe’s family for their hospitality and started to look for Edward again. I kept an eye out for Yago just in case, but I could find neither. At half past two, I walked to that Main street corner serving as the Greyhound stop. Leaving town without clarifying the situation with Edward was eating my guts. I actually hesitated, and I mean I almost aborted my plan, but I finally stuck to it. I couldn’t help it. I was too scared to stay in Abbeville. Besides, while I didn’t have Edward’s phone number or email address, I could still call him later. Somerset’s Greyhound ticket girl had them and I’d decided to ask her to share them with me, even though a phone call or an email didn’t seem the right way to do it.

  Four blocks away from Lincoln Park, the town was deserted. I rushed through the empty streets worried about being spotted by Yago. At the Greyhound’s stop, I found a couple also waiting for the bus. Fortunately, Yago didn’t seem to be nearby. I sat on the sidewalk by a parked car. The car covered me so well, it’d be impossible for anybody to realize I was there.

  The bus arrived five minutes before three o’clock. The door opened and the driver climbed down—an elderly man with white hair and white beard. The driver muttered “Hello” to the couple waiting and opened the luggage compartment. Three people got off the bus and extracted two suitcases. The couple climbed in.

  When I was gonna put my foot on the stair, I stopped. I couldn’t leave without telling Edward the truth. I had to stay, look for him and tell him everything—even if it meant risking my life. I couldn’t run away from Abbeville like mom had done 10 years ago, leaving behind all the troubles she caused. I simply couldn’t.

  “Are you boarding?” the driver asked.

  I must have looked pathetic, standing there like a nerd, but I didn’t care. I shook my head and backed off away from the bus.

  “Have a nice day then.”

  Pain invaded my chest. After I talked to Edward, I’d have to spend another night here with Yago nearby. The 4 of July celebration with so many people around had been the perfect opportunity to run away without being noticed. Tomorrow, a normal day, Yago would easily find me. I pictured him touching me again. I almost felt his dirty hands on my boobs and I shivered—I would go mad if he ever tried to do it again.

  The driver climbed back on his bus and closed the door. The bus departed, leaving behind a cloud of dust and dried leaves stirring in the air in a miniature tornado. I knew I’d done the right thing. Nevertheless, when the leaves finally came down to the pavement, so did my spirit.

  July 4, 7:49 pm

  I walked two blocks until I found a dead-end alley between two homes. I sat on the sidewalk behind a large trash container at the alley’s end and buried my face in my hands, ruminating about what to do next. For hours, I felt sick, unbelievable thirsty, and my hands went numb. Twice I had to pee—not in my pants, of course. I pulled them down and did it on the spot behind by the container. I had to decide what to do, but everything seemed so difficult and most importantly, so dangerous with Yago around that my brain went blank with indecision.

  First of all, I needed to talk to Edward before Mr. Thomas drove them back to the camp. I couldn’t return with them; that was a fact. Yago would be looking for me and might even try to kidnap me during the night. He didn’t attempt it last night, but I feared nothing prevented him from doing it tonight. Staying in town and sleeping on a bench was out of the question. I couldn’t stay in grandma’s house in town either. If Yago had indeed broken in her home and stolen jewelry, the cops might be watching the house. I didn’t want them to catch me inside with my hands in the proverbial cookie jar. My only chance was to deceive Yago. I was sure he expected me to go back to the camp with the Boy Scouts. Instead, I’d go back to Magnolia Hall, to the mansion itself. He’d never look for me in his very hideout.

  It was around eight in the evening when I finally left the alley. Just as I got to my feet, it hit me that disguising myself would be a good idea. I could cross town on my way back to Magnolia Hall without being recognized, and back to town tomorrow morning to catch the next Greyhound. After all, Yago would be searching for a tomboyish girl or a kind of delicate boy, but what if I gave him a full decked out girl? I would need to visit Grandma’s place, which was risky as I’ve just said because of a possible police watchman , but I had to run the risk—it was unlikely the cops would watch the house tonight on the 4th of July, right?

  I started to walk toward my grandma’s house. I stuck to the shadows, hid behind cars, and constantly checked behind me. When I needed to cross a street, I ran as fast as I could and ducked behind the first car parked on the other side until I was sure the coast was clear. The streets were empty, which made me an easy target, but it also made it easier for me to check whether I was being followed. After a few blocks, I started to feel confident. The whole thing became a piece of cake.

  Two blocks away from grandma’s house, I turned at a corner and froze when I saw Edward striding down the street ahead of me. I yelled, “Edw—”

  I couldn’t finish. Somebody followed him closely. The sun was setting, so the shadows were long. However, I recognize Daniel’s lanky figure bolting after him.

  “Edward, wait!” Daniel stopped in front of Edward and stooped, his hands on his knees. He was panting. “We need to talk, dude.”

  Edward shook his head. I could barely hear them, so I approached and hid behind the parked cars. “We don’t. I’m quitting. I’m leaving the troop. You know why. I hear
d you saw Justin and me. I did wrong and will face my responsibility.” He turned, buried his hands deep in his pockets and dragged his feet away from Daniel.

  I bit my lip. All this had been my fault. Edward would leave the troop because of a king-size misunderstanding and it wouldn’t be fair. I congratulated myself for not leaving Abbeville and wondered if this was the right moment to appear in front of them and come clean.

  Daniel sprinted and place himself in front of Edward, blocking his way once again. “Dude, wait. You did nothing wrong.”

  Edward pressed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. “It’s no use.”

  “Listen to me, dude.” Daniel bounced from foot to foot, fanning himself with a hand. His face gleamed. I wondered why he seemed so nervous. “I’ve been looking for you all day to say this, but I couldn’t find you. I did see you guys making out last night at the mansion, but you’ve done nothing wrong, dude. I’m on your side. Making out was freakin’ awesome!”

  Edward frowned and grimaced. “Freakin’ awesome? You’ve gone mad, Daniel. It wasn’t—”

  “Listen to me, listen to me.” Daniel placed both hands on Edward’s shoulders. A wide smile decorated his face. “What you did was not wrong but totally cool, dude. You shouldn’t be ashamed that you’re gay—”

  “I’m not gay!” Edward shouted. He backed off two steps, shoving Daniel’s hands off his shoulders. That was exactly the point. Edward was not gay and the idea was driving him nuts.

  I frowned. I couldn’t understand why Daniel seemed so happy because he thought Edward was gay. Couldn’t Daniel realize how shocked Edward was because of it? Was Daniel that blind? Unless Daniel was gay himself and in love of Edward… The idea almost made me guffaw. Daniel was anything but. Maybe he was only trying to make Edward feel better.

  “I cannot possibly be gay,” Edward claimed.

  Daniel moved two steps forward and placed his index finger over Edward’s lips. “Shhh.”

  Edward’s eyes flashed with anger and he slapped Daniel’s hand away. Nevertheless, Daniel kept talking, oblivious to the gesture. “Listen to me, dude. What you did is cool. I mean, it’s…” Daniel rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. “It’s…” Daniel bit his lip. “Jeez! It’s totally difficult for me to explain myself.”

  Edward backed off another two steps. “You’ve gone nuts. Leave me alone.” He turned his back to Daniel and walked away from him. Daniel sprinted and placed himself for the third time in front of Edward. It was like watching a cat chasing a mouse.

  “Dude, listen to me.” Daniel now bounced on his toes. “It doesn’t matter if you’re gay because I’m gay too. Being gay is cool. And, well… hmm… God, I have to say it. I like you. I’m hot for you!”

  # # #

  My heart skipped a beat and I could only imagine that Edward’s had stopped beating at all. My hand flew to my mouth. Edward froze, speechless. Literately. Under the street lamp light, I could see how his mouth stood open but I couldn’t hear him uttering a single word. In fact, his face turned red and it seemed he couldn’t breathe. Edward backed away from Daniel, like Daniel was cursed or something, and he extended his arms and hands protectively in front of him.

  “Daniel!” Edward gasped, finally able to breathe. He pulled the air hard, like he’d just been underwater too long.

  Daniel rushed two steps forward and hugged Edward, resting his head on Edward’s neck. “It’s been ages since I realized I was in love with you, dude.”

  Edward obviously wanted to get rid of him. I could see it in his eyes, but he didn’t dare touch him. He could only stand rigid like a plank with his eyes wide open, and he didn’t hug Daniel back.

  Daniel tried to reach out and caress Edward’s cheek, but Edward craned his neck. “You’re an awesome guy, dude. So confident, so matter-of-fact. And you’re so hot. I tried to look girly because I thought you were straight, dude, and I wanted you to notice me. You’re always staring at girls’ asses when they walk by so I learned how to move my hips like they do.” Daniel released Edward and walked away from him exaggeratedly swinging his hips. “Look: right, left, right, left. Cool, isn’t it? And the long hair and tight clothes, it was all because of you. Check my fingernails. I got them manicured. I thought you’d like to hold a soft hand like a girl’s if you were to ever take mine. Cool, don’t you think so?”

  Edward’s eyes, big as saucers, contemplated Daniel’s manicured hands displayed in front of him like Daniel had just cut half of his fingers off. I stood half a block away behind the car and couldn’t see Daniel’s hands in detail, but I was just starting to understand Daniel’s attitude. He’d been jealous because Justin was more girly-looking than he was. Had I known he had a crush on Edward, things would have been different. Edward shivered and then touched his temples with a trembling hand and shook his head.

  “Daniel, Daniel, hold a sec.” Edward placed his hands on each of Daniel’s shoulders. He gulped. “You’re getting it all wrong. Listen to me. I’m not gay. Absolutely not. I’m not into guys but into girls, if you haven’t noticed. I don’t know what happened last night—well, I do. Justin’s eyes happened. They’re so freakin’ awesome I couldn’t control myself and kissed him. They made me do it. But I did something totally wrong because being gay is not cool, Daniel. I’ve just failed you guys.”

  Edward stopped to breathe. I no longer looked, but only listened from behind a car leaning on its tire. My heart pounded fast and I couldn’t help grinning. Actually, I had to bite my cheeks so I wouldn’t burst into laughter. That Daniel was gay and in love with Edward was worth a fortune. He didn’t dislike me just because—all the time he’d been jealous, which explained everything. It was even funnier because Edward wasn’t gay. He had a problem with kissing me but once he learned the truth, it wouldn’t be a problem anymore. I was a girl, he just hadn’t let me tell him. To find out that my eyes had seduced him, flattered me. A warm sensation as pleasant as a glass of hot milk spread out inside my body, fueling my happiness. It meant that, even though I looked like a boy and was extremely tomboyish, he found me attractive as a girl. My heart swelled and I turned my eyes to the sky—for me, the fireworks were already popping up there, celebrating my happiness. Scores of butterflies fluttered in my stomach and my face turned hot. Yes, I wanted to sing.

  “On top of that,” Edward said, “I took advantage of Justin. Even if both of us were gay, and even if begin gay were cool, I took advantage of him and that was wrong. He was afraid. He needed somebody to trust. I should have protected him. Instead, I took advantage of his fear and weakness and kissed him. He didn’t have a clue what was going on and was so confused he said I kissed better than his girlfriend! Boy Scouts don’t take advantage of their fellow Scouts.”

  My heartbeat slowed down. I finally controlled my need to laugh so I got to my knees and spied over the car’s hood. Edward removed his hands off Daniel’s shoulders and wiped his face with his right hand.

  Daniel’s gleaming face had turned dull, almost shadowy. He now glared at Edward and had buried his hands deep in his pockets.

  “So, it was because of his eyes, dude?” Daniel lowered his head. He talked to nobody in particular. “He has freakin’ awesome eyes, and I don’t.”

  Edward wiped his face again. “You not paying attention to what I’m saying, are you?”

  Daniel raised his head. His eyes sparkled in anger. He spat. “Of course I am, dude. You like Justin because he has cool eyes, and you don’t like me because I don’t.”

  “Rats, Daniel! I’m not saying that.”

  Daniel backed off some steps and pointed at Edward with an extended arm. “Yes, you are, dude. I was wary of Justin since he joined our patrol. I should have guessed it. You invited your boyfriend to our camp, dude. You wanted to be with him and not with me. He slept in our tent only to save your face. I thought you and I had a connection. I really believed it. How could you do all this crap to me?”

  Edward advanced a step forward and offered Daniel an open palm. “I didn
’t mean—” but Daniel sprinted down the empty dark street toward Lincoln Park. “Daniel, come back. Rats!”

  “I’ll kill myself!” Daniel shouted.

  “Wait! Don’t do anything stupid.” Edward bolted after him but tripped right after he’d started. He landed on the street, grating his arms and face against the pavement but jumped back to his feet almost immediately and sprinted down the street.

  Meanwhile, my mind could only focus on one single fact. Edward liked me. Edward liked me as much as Jenny did. The idea stirred mixed feelings within me. Edward didn’t know I was a girl, but my eyes captivated him. Jenny was a girl and she’d said my eyes drove her crazy. Did people like me only because of my eyes or because of me? Should I envy my own eyes and their abilities?

  July 4, 8:21 pm

  I couldn’t run after Edward. He fled so fast he disappeared in matter of seconds. However, now that I knew so many things, I was confident it’d be easier to talk to him. First things first, I needed my disguise, so I headed back to Grandma’s house. I’d barely reached her street when a voice called behind me, “Hey, you!”

  Omigod! It was Yago. I almost jumped thirty feet in the air. My stomach tightened but it relaxed when I saw Daniel instead, standing ten feet away of me. His closed fists hung beside him—his knuckles were red and his whole body shook feverishly. He ran forward, grabbed my arm and snarled, “You! I was looking for you, dude. It’s useless for you to hide.”

  He seemed about to punch me again, which suddenly terrified me. I struggled until he released me. I backed off one step. “I wasn’t hiding. What’s wrong with you?”

  He gnashed his teeth and pushed me with an open hand, causing me to back off another step. “Then tell me why you’re here, dude, away from everybody else?”