by Taryn Eason
“By the way, how can he afford a car like that? I thought he was a tattoo artist.”
“He actually owns the tattoo shop, and is really good at playing the stock market.” I loved getting to brag on how successful Lye was. He came from nothing, got in over his head, and he still came out on top.
We arrived at Lye’s parents’ house right after Delilah finished her story about how she healed an entire hospital of HIV-positive children in South Africa.
We knocked on the door and were greeted by not only Lye’s family, but some others as well. One man introduced himself as the mayor and he was so eager to meet us.
“I can't believe there are two holders of the Reeki now. That's unbelievable!” He excitedly shook my hand.
I looked over and Lye was having a conversation with his parents. He seemed to forgive them after last time, but I was still uncertain.
The mayor noticed my eyes wandering the room. “Yeah, I’m sorry for how many people we packed into here, but everyone wanted to meet you and we didn't want to risk you cancelling on us again.”
I felt a twinge of anger flare up, but I bit my tongue. “No problem. Sorry about last time, by the way. Something came up and we had to leave suddenly.”
I saw Lye go into his childhood room alone. He looked upset, so I excused myself and followed.
“Hey, what's wrong?” I asked.
“I just can't stop these shakes. I feel like my parents can tell I'm having withdrawals and it's frustrating me. It's getting so much worse, Maybelle, I'm actually getting scared.”
I’d never heard him say he was afraid of anything before. I sat down on the little twin-sized bed beside him and hugged him. “Don't worry, it'll be better soon. You just have to get through this. Okay?”
“Okay. I think I'll stay back here for a while. You go back and see everyone though. They'll notice if you're gone.” He was tapping his leg, something I'd never seen him do.
I nodded. His shakes were getting worse. Coupled with the tapping, I wondered what other symptoms he had that he wasn't telling me about. I had to put an end to this. I couldn't stand to see him suffering when I had a way out.
“Delilah, could I see you for a second?”
“Yeah,” she replied, following me into the bathroom, the only empty space where we could talk.
“You don't have to know the reason for healing someone to heal them, right? You can still do it without knowing what's wrong?”
She smiled brightly. “Yeah, I actually have been doing these things called ‘wellness checks’ for politicians and stuff. I basically go to heal them and if nothing is wrong, nothing happens. I did it on the pope last week. I don't know what was wrong with him, but he’s all better now.”
“Please do that for me, with Lye.”
“Why? What's wrong with him?”
“He doesn't want anyone to know. He doesn't want to be healed, but he really needs it.”
“Belle, I don't heal people who don't want to be healed. That's a rule of mine.”
“Please do this for me, Delly. He needs it so badly, and I hate that I can't help him.” I pleaded, upset that she wouldn’t just shut up and trust me.
She stared curiously at the desperate expression in my eyes. After what seemed like forever of silence, she finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
We had to hurry before anyone noticed us gone. I opened the door to Lye’s room and he was lying on the bed, visibly shaking. Sweat marks were beginning to appear on his shirt.
“Lye,” I said. He sat up and looked from me to Delilah. “Delilah’s here to help you.”
“Maybelle, I can help myself. It's fine.” He said nonchalantly, glancing at her and trying to hide his symptoms.
“No.” I said loudly, startling him. “You're hurting yourself and I can do something about it, so I am. She's going to fix you, and you’re going to stay there and let her.” I commanded.
Lye had never heard me speak so sternly towards him. “Delilah, do you mind if we have a minute alone?” He asked.
She began to agree, but I cut her off. “No, she's staying.”
He was visibly upset that she was in the room to hear his words, but he still spoke. “Maybelle, this isn't fair. I can't get out so easily. I need to go through this. It’s a punishment for me doing everything in the first place.”
“Why do you think you need to be punished?” I replied.
“Because after every single bad thing I did, I never got punished. I never did jail time, I never had to pay any fines. I got off way too easy. This is me getting what I deserve.”
I gave Delilah a covert look and she nodded back. I was praying a futile prayer that she wouldn’t judge him. “You don't deserve anything except happiness and that's what we’re here to make sure you have.”
“Your sister can't fix me. Addiction isn't a real sickness that can be cured by the Reeki. It's just a mental thing! I can't get off so easy! It's-” His eyes went blank.
Delilah had snuck around behind him while he was focused on me. I felt the Reeki flowing as I looked at him sympathetically.
There was a moment of silence. Lye stared at the ground, unmoving.
“I'm sorry, Lye.” Delilah said, “I need you to know I did this for my sister. I’m sorry if this isn’t what you wanted. I've never seen her care about someone else’s well-being before, so I had to help. You'll be happier now, okay?”
“Thank you Delly,” I said, hugging her as a first reaction. It caught her off guard.
“Wow, you’ve never hugged me first.” She laughed.
“I know, right? Hey, you can go back to the party. I'll be out in a bit.” I said.
She nodded. “Come back soon, okay? I like being able to use our powers together.”
I agreed, not really paying attention to her. Lye was still sitting on the bed frozen. I saw a tear slip from his eye and run down.
“Are you mad at me? Because it's okay if you are.”
He shook his head lightly, still staring down. “My head’s never been this clear. I can actually think straight. I can't believe it actually worked.”
I felt my hands heating up, a reaction to how happy I was for him. “So you're 100% healed?” I asked.
He stood suddenly and kissed me hard. He ran his fingers through my hair and down my back. He pulled away and smiled. “This is so much better sober. I never want to stop.”
“Then don't.” I smiled, kissing him back. He had a new freeness that he didn't have before. It was in the way he held me, not out of desperation, but out of passion. I never wanted him to let me go. I wanted to push him back onto his bed and keep him there forever. But I knew I couldn't. We had stayed in this room for too long already.
“We have to go soon. Everyone will get suspicious.” I said, breaking away blushing.
He pulled me back in. “Just a little longer, please. I can't stop yet.” He said sheepishly.
I didn't want to either. “Just a little longer.” I repeated before he put his lips back on mine.
He slipped his hands under my shirt and up my back. Feeling his bare hands on my skin sent chills up my spine and I wanted more. I wished we were at home instead of here. I pressed him against his back wall and continued kissing him.
Then the door opened. “Lye, have you seen May-” his father paused.
Lye instantly released me and stepped away.
“What are you doing?” He scolded. “You can't choose someone with the Reeki as one of your little hookups.”
“Dad, it's not like that.” Lye defended.
“She's too young for you. You know better than that. She's way too innocent for you to ruin. Maybelle, you need to go let your sister take care of you. You shouldn't be left alone with him.”
My temper flared, but I saw Lye shaking his head, signaling for me to drop it. I sighed, ignoring every bone in my body that was screaming for me to respond. “I'm sorry, Mr. Adair.”
“You don't have anything to be sorry for.” He replied.
/> “Maybelle, you should go back into the living room with everyone else. Enjoy the party.” Lye said calmly, still looking at his father.
I clenched my burning fists and agreed, knowing it was best to let Lye handle this on his own.
I walked into the main room and was greeted by a barrage of curious guests. “So you can heat your hands?”, “Your power is fire?”, “So you're an artist?”, and thousands of other questions bombarded me. Neither Lye nor his father had returned yet, so I was getting concerned. Delilah was doing “wellness checks” on everyone in the room, and feeling the Reeki flow so close to me was throwing me off.
Even through it all, I was still so ecstatic that Lye was cured. We would be able to have a normal relationship now without a black cloud looming over our heads. I just wished his parents could see him for who he was currently, instead of his past self.
Then I had an idea. I saw his mother in the kitchen entertaining and I decided to go over and speak with her.
“Hey Mrs. Adair, do you need help with anything?” I asked politely.
“No thank you, dear. You're one of our guests of honor, so you should just sit back and enjoy everything.”
“Thank you. I just have to say what a blessing Lysander has been back in Indiana. I wasn't raised much on the old legends and stuff, but he has really helped me to reconnect with everything. He's made having the Reeki so much easier.”
She paused what she was doing and gave me a strange look. “I didn't think he cared much for the old legends. I kind of thought he rejected everyone when he left and got all those tattoos.”
“No ma'am, he just wanted to get away and make his own path in life. He’s settled down a lot, and he actually chose my town because of Winona.”
“Really?” She replied. Apparently she had never been there.
“Yeah, he owns a business down there. I was terrified when I first got my powers, since they were only meant for my sister. He found me and taught me everything about the legends they came from. Lye has kind of been my mentor through this.”
I couldn't tell her expression. “Truthfully, he was so wild that I couldn't handle speaking to him. It hurt too much. I knew it hurt him too, but I couldn't stand to see him in the environment he put himself into. I guess I wrote him off too early and I hadn't realized that he’s actually gotten his life back on track.”
He never told her when he stopped selling drugs. She never knew anything about the good he’s done with his life. “He’s doing fantastic, Mrs. Adair. He's calmed down a lot, and he's helped me with the same thing, and I needed it badly.” I smiled. If only she knew. “There’s no way I could have handled these powers without him there to help me.”
She wiped her hands off and wiped her eyes. “I didn't know any of that. I haven't really spoken to him in so long, he probably thinks I'm an awful mother now. I really feel like I need find him and talk to him. I've been so distant towards him, I feel like I've failed him.”
I nodded and followed her curiously down the hallway until I heard Lye and his father engaged in an argument.
“I'm better now! I'm sober, I don’t do anything that’s wrong. Why do you still think so little of me?”
“Lysander, I'm not talking about drugs, this is an issue you've always had. You can't use girls like they're toys, especially not her.”
“I care about her more than anything, dad. I'm not that person anymore.”
“Oh, I know you are. I get it. It's the Reeki that attracts you. That must make her good in bed, right?” He taunted. “Just find a normal girl from the reservation and settle down for once.”
Lye looked prepared to pounce.
“George!” Mrs. Adair shouted. “Don't talk about her like that. She’s right here.”
I glared at Lye’s father, wishing I could set myself on fire and make him regret his words.
“I caught Lysander trying to kiss Maybelle a second ago.”
She rolled her eyes. “They're adults, honey. What does it matter what they do?” She walked past him to Lye. “So, I heard you own a business now?”
Lye smiled and nodded, glancing at me and acknowledging that I had talked to her. She surprised him with a warm embrace. Tears were visible in her eyes as he hugged her back. “I'm sorry I left, mom. But I promise I’m better now and I'm happy.”
“I'm proud of you.” She said.
He let her go and put his arm around me, pulling me close to him. “Thanks, Mom. You have no idea how much that means.”
I looked up at him and smiled at his newfound urge to show me off. He seemed so lighthearted and carefree. It was almost hard to believe how different he was now from when I met him.
We rejoined everyone just in time for me to showcase my powers, since Delilah had finished healing everyone. Lye handed me a metal pipe that he had brought for me and watched as I sculpted it into a barren tree, to everyone’s amazement. I gave it to the Mayor as a gift for the town. He told me it would be put into a display case “for years to come”, or something cliche to that effect. I didn't mind. I was just glad that everyone didn't hate me.
We said our goodbyes and left for the hotel room.
“I'm sorry I didn't listen to you.” He said, laying on the bed after I stepped out of the shower.
“No need to apologize. You couldn't think clearly so I did it for you.” I smirked, towel drying my hair. I left the bathroom in only my fireproof clothes. I decided to try not to put anything else on since Lye had seen me in only this more times that I could count. Plus he was shirtless and I could only imagine how the skin on skin contact would feel with him holding me like this.
I crawled into bed next to him.
“Are you really going to sleep in that?” He asked, making me feel more exposed.
“Is that a problem?” I asked.
He smiled. “It's the opposite of a problem. It's less work for me.”
He pulled me closer and kissed my chest, right below where my collarbone met. He kissed his way up to my lips as he ran his hand down the length of my side. He stopped at my thigh and lifted it up over his, pulling me even closer. I kissed him back feverishly. He pushed me onto my back and his hands slipped up my spine, unhooking my bra in a single motion.
My breath caught nervously. He looked at me for clearance. “Don't stop” I plead, while looking down nervously at being so exposed.
He still stopped. “What's wrong?”
I pulled the sheets over myself shyly, feeling the experience gap between us coming down hard. “Nothing.”
He gave me a confused look, and then a flash of realization came across his face and he started chuckling. “You've never done this before, have you?”
I shook my head, blushing.
“Are you still a virgin?”
“Is it that noticeable?”
He smiled. “Kind of, yeah. I'm sorry if I scared you at all.” He kissed me. “It's just hard to control myself when you're so close to me. I wish you would have told me.”
I moved the covers and let him hug me. “We can keep going if you want to.” I said.
He kissed me as he lightly brushed my bare back with his hand. “Nah, maybe another time. I want your first time to be special.”
“What was yours like?” I asked, hoping for some commiseration at feeling as self-conscious as I did.
“I was seventeen at a party. I was pretty drunk and I don't really remember it much.”
I looked down at my body, wondering how I compared to everyone he had been with. “You've been with a lot of girls, haven't you?”
He smiled sympathetically. “More than I care to mention. But you know what?”
“What?”
“None of them have meant half of what you do.” He laced his fingers with mine. “I used to think I was so protective of you because of the Reeki. But the last time we were here, something changed. I got high and you held me accountable for my actions. You didn't follow; You didn't encourage me. You were the first person to ever reprimand me for the
bad things I did. I still have the scar on my hand to prove it.” He held it up to me jokingly.
“I was angry at you for it at first, but then I realized I was just angry that I was falling for you. Of course, I would have never made a move. To me, you were this innocent little angel who, for some reason, kept doing everything possible to ruin that. I always felt like had to help you and keep you safe. When you burned me, I realized you were something else entirely and I longed to know more about you. I've never felt that with anyone else.”
I kissed him. “The loneliest I've ever been was when you weren't with me.” I said.
“I promise I'll do whatever I have to to keep us together and safe.”
“So do I.”
Chapter 21
“Who are you talking to?” I asked from the couch. I was taking a break on my next scrap project.
He put up a finger to signal me.
“Awesome. Hold on, give me a second and we’ll discuss prices.” He turned towards me. “I'm talking to an art collector. He wants to buy your lotus sculpture.”
I perked up. “Yes! Let him!” I said excitedly. I had always wanted to be an artist, but I felt like I could never be validated as one until I successfully sold something I had made.
He smiled at my enthusiasm. “No, that's too low. 30k. 25k.” They eventually settled on a price of $22,000. I was more than happy to let Lye handle the bartering part of it because, truthfully, I would have settled for twenty bucks.
The man showed up for the sculpture the next day. He was a balding man with glasses in a suit who looked far too stereotypical to be real.
“You're the artist? I just can't figure out how you made the texture on the metal look like fingerprints! I've never seen any detail like that before. How did you do that?”
My eyes lit up. “Artist’s secret.”
He sighed. “Of course. I will be in touch. This is fantastic work and I have several contacts who would die to have a unique piece like this. Thank you again, Miss Lewis.”
“And thank you, sir.” I replied, shaking his hand.
As he drove off, Lye put his arm around me. “How's it feel?”