Message to Taban: Thanks, you too, Cassidy tapped, unable to come up with anything better. Daisuke had the same last name as May Savali, so she decided to keep her contact with him minimal until she’d researched him.
***
“Goodbye, Cassidy.” Ms. Reyes squeezed Cassidy’s shoulders, then wrapped her arms around Danny. “Goodbye, Honey.”
“I’m going to miss you,” Danny said. “When are you coming to visit?”
“Soon, sweetie.”
Danny stared out the window the entire flight, without uttering a word. Since Cassidy couldn’t recount the events of the last three days, she recorded the trip in her journal as fiction in case anyone discovered it. I feel kind of pathetic right now. Ever since that evening with Taban, my goals just seem so far out of reach. I’ve developed such an attachment to him, for almost no reason. What is wrong with me? When she reread her entry she cringed and decided to occupy her mind with something else. Fortunately, she didn’t have to threaten her tablet to obtain a suitable documentary on the subject of politics.
CHAPTER 15
HAPPINESS EVER ELUSIVE
THE SPICY AROMA of the tortilla wraps wafted through the kitchen. Taban entered to see Eadowen scrubbing dishes. Eadowen glanced in his direction and tapped a stirring spoon harshly on the side of the sink. “What did you think you were doing with her?”
“I just kissed her.” Taban shrugged. “Besides, you refused me just fine, so she could’ve too.”
“First of all, I had already lived with you for almost four years when you came onto me. I saw what you did to people and I knew all your ugly habits. And as I’ve said before, we’re not so different.”
“Were you jealous?” Taban folded his arms.
“No, I see plenty of you.” Eadowen said, flipping a red dish towel in Taban’s direction. “Dry for me.”
“You know there’s this thing called a dishwasher. They were around in the twentieth century too.” Taban scrubbed a dish, as though he were trying to remove superglue. “You criticize me for flirting and yet you had me sing for them and you served them food. Twice.”
“How is that related to toying with Cassidy’s emotions?”
“Music triggers a boost in dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is related to pleasure. People get a higher release of that chemical from eating fatty foods than they do from an orgasm. The food you served last night was laden in peanut oil, even though Donovan’s deathly allergic,” Taban snapped, slamming his plate on the counter with a crash. “Do you know what that means?”
“That you should learn how to cook?” Eadowen replied, calmly passing him the broken mug. “Oh, careful with that. Danny tore it in half.”
Aydan rapped his satin-gloved fist against the door frame before he clacked across the kitchen floor in black boots. “Sorry to interrupt your lover’s quarrel, but don’t we have more important things to figure out?”
“We’re not lovers,” Taban scoffed, hanging the dish towel on Eadowen’s head. “Not today at least.”
“Flirtacious-long-term-domestic-partners-in-an-asexual-romantic-relationship-with-matching-rings quarrel seemed like a bit of a mouthful, but hey, I’m an open-minded guy,” Aydan replied. “Anyway, I heard Savali. That was way too close for comfort. What’re we going to do?”
“I can’t believe she found this house,” Eadowen sighed.
“Do I have to buy you a new house to move to?” Taban asked.
“Somewhere secluded in Ontario please,” Eadowen said. “Aydan, tell your brother to pack his things. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. We’ll stay at a hotel until Taban gets us a place.”
“You mean all two shirts and his video games?” Aydan said. “Hey, did Cassidy punch you?” Aydan asked Taban a little too gleefully, when he noticed the mark Cassidy’s elbow had left on his lip.
“Just because she’s a woman doesn’t mean she can abuse me. It was an accident.”
“Rats. She seemed like she had chutzpah.”
“She likes me,” Taban said. “Which is too bad because I’m not into her, but apparently you are.”
“So, you have no taste?” Aydan wound a strand of black hair around his finger.
“This is coming from the guy trotting around in a lacy dress.”
“I know. I look fantastic in it.” Aydan replied, twirling to show off his petticoat.
Since Aydan had a point, Taban unable to come up with a decent retort said, “Put a sock in it mini-kinky-braw.”
“Is the valley-boy-siren with a tentacle monster tattoo on his arm trying to insult me, because those terms are quite flattering.”
“Gentlemen,” Eadowen said in warning tone.
“Alright, but will you both just kiss and make up, so we can get a move on?” Aydan said. “Whoa, okay, points for taking that literally. I don’t need to see my sibling tonguing.” Shielding his eyes, Aydan left the room.
“How was that for making up?” Taban asked.
“Rather salty and monochromatic. Good texture, but overdone.”
“So, you and I are Peach Whiskies—er—Gay Frisbees or whatever those Kelpie-ish things are, aren’t we? I can’t believe I never made the connection before.”
Blanching, Eadowen held a hand to his lips, and finger-spelled ‘E-A-C-H U-I-S-G-E’, in sign language.
“And you’re the bastard child of both the T-U-A-T-H-A D-E D-A-N-A-N-N and the E-A-C-H U-I-S-G-E?” Taban communicated through sign.
Eadowen nodded affirmatively.
“And your brothers don’t know you’re their half brother,” Taban signed. He hadn’t realized that Donovan and Aydan didn’t know about their older sibling’s identity.
“Guess it had to happen to somebody,” Taban said before signing another question to Eadowen. “Do your brothers know you’re their half-sibling?”
“Aydan might know depending on how much he overheard when I first got my injury ten years ago.” It took Taban a couple minutes to decode Eadowen’s response from the sign language grammatical structure. He signed it back to confirm what he’d interpreted. Eadowen nodded again.
“Taban, you’re behaving more peevishly than usual,” Eadowen observed verbally. “What’s bothering you?”
What’s bothering me? Taban thought as he glared at Eadowen silently. Well let’s see, I bashed a seventeen-year-old’s pride, because I know she’s going to stick around Edana. I almost drowned a guy to learn about the journal. And for the last four years, I’ve been whoring myself to manipulate Abigail, who is actually a decent person, in order to keep you and my sister safe. You’re welcome. “Nothing,” Taban summarized, when he realized he hadn’t actually said anything.
“You know something about Savali don’t you?” Eadowen accused. “You smell like Cassidy’s lavender spritzer and a high end perfume you would give a woman. I know you’ve had rendezvous with several people today, including the supposed surf accident.”
“Yeah, I was showing off in the water and I got laid. Not exactly news. Look, I’m just shaken up by the whole Savali appearing on our doorstep,” Taban fibbed. “I seem off because I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep because of homework stress and stuff.”
Eadowen regarded him with sympathetic eyes. “I’ll give you some chamomile tea and we can watch Pride and Prejudice.”
“Why do you want to watch that movie? It’s so boring. Don’t you remember when we had to watch it in class and I passed out? Oh wait …”
“So, you don’t want to sleep?” Eadowen smirked.
“I hate it when you do that,” Taban remarked through his teeth.
“Tell me what you’re planning.”
“What’s that?” Taban avoided the command by reaching for the picture frame in Eadowen’s lap. He recognized the old snapshot someone had printed of Eadowen and him eating snow cones on the beach in Malibu.
“Danny picked it up. I haven’t put it back yet.”
“This must be the one non-airbrushed picture of me.” Taban held the photograph under the red shaded
lamp. “It’s weird to see my face before my dad decided my jawline wasn’t good enough. I wonder what I would’ve grown up looking like without alterations.” As he contemplated his modified face, Taban realized that if the Each Uisge charisma was tied into facial features both he and Eadowen were marred. He had been adjusted to appear better-looking but in the process some of the natural appeal his genetics had given him could have been removed. Because Eadowen’s scars disrupted the symmetry of his face and body, Taban wondered if his friend’s abilities had also been tarnished. If Ea and I are flawed Peach Whiskies I don’t want to meet an unspoiled one, he thought.
“I think you’re handsome then, and now,” Eadowen said the exact words Taban wanted to hear.
“You’re the only person who understands me.”
The picture reminded Taban, he hadn’t looked up his sister,Telyn, in a long time. It pained him to see her, but he searched his Ogham. The most recent picture he found horrified him. The photograph was unadjusted, but her waist looked strangely small. Her face even seemed to have gone through some unnatural alterations.
“How’s your sister?”
“See for yourself.”
“Oh my g—” Eadowen guided Taban into a tight embrace. “You need to go see her.”
“I can’t just yet,” Taban explained. His father would do worse to her if he showed up, since research had been going slow.
“I’m going to go talk with Aydan about a plan of action regarding Savali. Do you want to join?” Eadowen asked.
“Just destroy the tablets and all the copies.”
“No. I made a commitment to my parents and I have an obligation to future generations. Just think what would’ve happened if our generation didn’t have that evidence. I never would’ve been able to help Edana,” Eadowen explained.
“You’re being stupid. Wake me up if you come to your senses!” Taban shouted clutching the photograph to his chest.
“Are you going to bed?” Eadowen asked.
“Yeah.”
Eadowen caught his wrist. “Taban, promise me you won’t go near Cassidy.”
“I promise I won’t visit her in Washington State. Please … Ea … I just want to be alone for a bit.”
Pulling Taban toward him, Eadowen said in a low voice, “I know about you and Abigail.”
“How?” Taban touched his cheek to Eadowen’s so they could speak in whispers instead of signing to each other.
“Did you really think none of my friends on campus would tell me if they saw, who they perceive to be my boyfriend, making out with another person?” His fingers traced the nape of Taban’s neck. “I know you’re scheming something as we speak. Why won’t you share it?”
“If you could spend the rest of your life with me or Danny and your brothers who would you choose?”
“Danny and my family.”
“You can’t go to jail if you don’t know about what I’m going to do. If you become my accomplice you’ll have to run away with me and you might not see them again.”
“I see …”
“And this is for picking them over me.” Leering, Taban slapped his palm across Eadowen’s face, but softened the blow at the last second leaving only a momentary discoloration on Eadowen’s flesh.
“So.” Eadowen put his hand to his injured cheek. “You would like me to act surprised when you disappear?”
“Preferably.”
Contemplating all that had to be done, Taban headed upstairs. I’ll have to talk to Daisuke more. I need to know when Savali is leaving to research in Scotland and what she knows about the other piece of the journal. And then there’s the matter of my father.
PART FOUR
THREE WEEKS LATER: IN WHICH EVERYONE GOES ON ADVENTURES
Like Circe from Homer’s Odyssey, Math, a Celtic magician enjoyed turning people into animals. He transformed one man into a stag. If only the stag had been silver then it would have been lucky for anyone who caught it.
–AYDAN TOLYMIE
CHAPTER 16
EXPECTING SOMEONE TALLER
CASSIDY DROVE DOWN FIR STREET from her volunteer job at the mediation clinic to her house. Wind blasted against the small electric-solar car and grey clouds loomed overhead. When she reached the one-story beach house that she shared with her mother on the outskirts of Port Townsend, she noticed white crests on the ocean. It was almost summer: May 25th to be exact. The weather didn’t bother her. She’d finished her last final for school only a few days earlier, and a blustery day wasn’t going to overcome that stress relief. As she got out of the car, she breathed in the smell of salt and seaweed. Untangling one of the golden earrings Taban had given her from her hair, Cassidy trudged into her house, shutting the door against the wind. After she slid her double-breasted trench coat onto a hook on the violet-painted wall, Cassidy followed the smell of sautéed vegetables into the kitchen where she saw the crockpot bubbling on the table. She turned down the temperature and headed toward the living room, passing framed electronic photo albums from family trips. A standing lamp with different colored lights fanning out like a peacock tail guarded the center of the living room. Attached to the walls, shelves of varying heights encircled the living room. They contained exotic plants and souvenirs from around the world. Rona Adisa, Cassidy’s mother, reclined in a large black massage armchair, dressed in a bright red kanga. She read an e-zine on her tablet, the likely content: magic shows; her hobby, or architecture; her career.
“How was your day, sweetie?” Rona asked.
“Hi, Rona-Mom. It was my last day at work until August,” Cassidy said, sitting down in an identical armchair across from her mother. “Where’s Anna-Mom? I thought it was her night to cook.”
“She got called in to repair blood nanobots for the hospital. She probably won’t be home for another few minutes, so I just decided to make sure you both had something good to eat when you got home,” Rona-Mom smiled. “I used a cooking site by Ursula Eldin that I just found.”
“I got responses from my applications to the exchange programs,” Cassidy commented. “A few accepted me and two offered small scholarships.”
“Well, you know we’d love it if you picked the ones with scholarships, but if you can present a reason why one of the other programs is better then you should attend that one. You need to hurry and pick one. The deadlines are closing.”
“I know,” Cassidy responded. Then she made her way to the far end of the house to her bedroom. Last year, she’d painted her walls sea foam green, which didn’t quite suit her dark-red carpet. Repainting would involve moving chaotic piles of electronic devices, doodles, and clothes, so she hadn’t gotten around to it. She braced herself against her dresser to maneuver around an egg chair and over her collection of beach glass. After successfully traversing her room, she stripped down to her camisole and flopped onto her bed. To her delight, Taban had left a message during her volunteer hours. For the last few weeks Taban had messaged her often, though erratically. As usual, her heart pounded as she commanded her Ogham to read it to her.
“Message from Taban: Hi Cassidy, we haven’t talked in a couple days. Would you send me a picture of yourself wearing those earrings I gave you? I never got to see you in them. How’d your last day at mediation go?”
“It went really well,” she recorded into her Ogham.
Her Ogham read a new message from Taban a few moments later.
“Message from Taban: I wish I wasn’t so busy. I’d love to see you. Maybe someday I can rent a place on the beach and you can come visit me. Wouldn’t you love to live on the beach for a while?”
Laughing, Cassidy glanced out her bedroom window at the silver sand beach just past her backyard.
“You mean a beach that’s warm all year instead of off-and-on from July to September? You know I live in Port Townsend, right?”
“Message from Taban: Oh right. But just imagine we could cuddle under the sun on the warm sand and I could take you shopping. If you want me to send you some clothes, give me yo
ur sizes. I’m sorry the last thing I got you was too big.”
“That’s really sweet, but I don’t want any more gifts. I don’t feel like I can reciprocate and I already have too many clothes.” A row of jewelry boxes Taban had sent her covered half of her dresser. Every piece had unique and beautiful qualities. Cassidy never felt more fulfilled owning more items, but she wasn’t immune to desire of possession and remained an active consumer.
“Message from Taban: I just want to make my girl happy. If you don’t like shopping or jewelry, then tell me, what makes you tick? And don’t list your extracurriculars again because you sound like a resume.”
“I waste a ton of time playing video games, but I’m not sure I actually have a passion,” Cassidy said sadly.
“Message from Taban: Well, if you make me your passion, I’ll make sure you have whatever your heart desires. Hey Hon, I have to go, but I’ll contact you soon.”
“Talk to you later.”
Under her thick comforter, Cassidy felt her journal dig into her back. Absentmindedly, she flipped through the pages. She hadn’t written anything since the plane flight home from Halifax. A wave crashed on the shore, evoking the memory of her evening not watching the sunset with Taban. She rummaged for her pen. It was time to get him out of her mind and onto a page.
That conversation was a lot shorter and shallower than our usual talks. Taban and I have spent so many nights messaging each other, but he always focuses on me and my goals. Not that I don’t appreciate that, but I want to know more about him. I'd do anything to see him again.
Cassidy touched her lips and stared at the page not wanting to believe she’d actually written the last sentence. Hastily, she scratched it out in black until it became completely unintelligible.
I wonder if the Tolymies contacted Danny? She’d probably tell me. At least I hope she’d still tell me. Danny and I have only been in touch a couple of times and I know she’s probably upset that I turned her down. I feel so bad, but I couldn’t lead her on, when I knew I didn’t feel that way about her. I should contact her today. Maybe I’ll give her the birthday present I got for her early. I know she’ll love it.
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