by Rue Volley
I shook off my feelings of irritation and picked out a t-shirt, of which only read “whatever” and my favorite jeans. I slipped my shirt over my head and heard voices downstairs and knew the house was up and moving and decided to join them in what I was sure would be a delicious breakfast at the hands of my Mom, who can cook anything and does on a daily basis. I jogged down the stairs and tripped on a lace that came lose on my tennis shoe and fell forward, yelping in the process and suddenly and without warning Josh was there in a flash and saved me from certain doom. I smiled and he stood me up straight and toughed my face. I sighed, wanting to kiss him for his gallant effort but held back as I pondered his trysts with faceless girls before me. Josh grinned, showing off his ever white and oh so cute crooked canine teeth and I walked past him towards the kitchen, saying ‘thanks’ in the process with little to no traces of actual gratitude.
I sat down at the table and my Mom immediately placed a plate in front of me with eggs, sausage and toast on it… all steaming as if she had timed it perfectly as usual. A gift that she possessed, and oddly unexplainable. I didn’t care though… I tore into the food as if I had been stranded on a desert island and had been forced to eat coconuts and monkey meat until I hated it… as I am sure I would, I mean that would be suckville. Population… me. Boo and Hiss.
Kai came stomping in with the grace of an elephant, scratching his head and then his butt and I grimaced as he sat down and immediately tore into his food too. Grabbing his toast with his ‘butt germ’ infested hand and bit into it… grinning at me as I rolled my eyes. Sam followed him in and sat down too and I smiled at her, really happy to have her back. I said I love Sam and I do. She is funny, in a dry way and is the only person I have ever seen who could shut Kai up and keep him in check. Samantha is one of those girls that you never know if she likes you, she could be pissed, could be happy… but you have to figure it out. Sam is Joshua’s older sister, and although she is excellent with Kai, she has little to no control over Josh… no one does really, although Sam had told me in the past that I was the only thing that had ever calmed him down, and maybe that is true… I cannot be sure. I didn’t know Josh before the accident, only after and the way he is, is nothing but normal to me.
Sam ate as she glanced at Kai, who had food on his chin already and she shook her head and looked back at me and smiled, rolling her eyes. I guess it was too early for her to care that he looked like a pig… but not me.
“You have stuff on your chin.” I said as I waved my hand at my chin and looked at him.
Kai wiped it with his hand and licked it; causing me to grimace yet again and I pushed my plate away and forgot about hunger. Sam laughed and placed her fork on the table and leaned back.
“It is an endless battle.” She said as she glanced at him and then back to me. My Mom sat down and started to eat and she looked at Kai and smiled.
“I am happy you are home.” She said as she also glanced at Sam and included her too.
Sam smiled, Kai burped and I stood up.
“Yeah…nice.” I said.
“Wait honey.” My Mom said and I stopped and looked at her.
“Okay.” I said as I sat back down and looked at her.
“I know that Kai and Sam coming home seems like a surprise, and in all truth it was for your birthday… but there is another reason they are here.” She said.
I tilted my head and glanced at Kai who smiled and stretched his arms out to his sides, groaning in the process.
“Yep.” He said as he smiled at me and I looked at the egg stuck in his teeth.
“You have some…” I started to say as I touched my teeth, and then added. “Never mind.”
“Rue… your Father and I are going to be traveling.” Mom said and I looked at her and shook my head.
“Traveling where?” I asked.
“To Europe… for a couple of months, we have business there… I want to make connections, face to face and there is a nursery there that I want to purchase some plants and trees.”
“What? You can do business online; you know ‘the internet’?” I asked her.
My Mom laughed and reached her hand out to me.
“It is not the same… I want to talk to these people, face to face and besides… your Father and I are due for a vacation of sorts, I can’t remember the last time that we went someplace together.” She said.
I knew she was right, in fact I could not remember one vacation that they had ever taken together; in fact I remember camping as a group and everything else as a group… meaning Mom, Dad… me and Kai. I swallowed my irritation and smiled, trying to be understanding about them wanting to leave.
“Yeah… okay.” I said, hoping I sounded happy… but I probably didn’t.
“Babysitting.” Kai said as he smiled at me.
“What?” I said to him.
“Babysitting… me and Sam, we are going to watch you.” He said.
“Oh for craps sake.” I said as I placed my hand on hip and looked at my Mom.
“He cannot be serious Mom.” I said.
“Well, it would and does make your Father and I feel better that Kai and Sam will be here with you, if they had not come… I doubt we would have considered going.” She said.
“I am 18!” I said in protest.
“And hormonal.” Kai said and Sam hit him. He ‘owe’d’ and rubbed his arm as he looked at her.
“I am not ‘hormonal’” I said as I rolled my eyes at him.
“Well… I remember being your age and having a boyfriend.” My Mom said.
“Oh my God… Mom, Josh and I are fine… there is no fiddling going on.”
Kai laughed. “There won’t be either… calling it ‘fiddling’” he said.
My Mom shot him a look and I sighed. Kai stopped grinning and my Mom looked back at me.
“Honey, things can happen and not only in the ‘fiddling’ department, for safety reasons too, I would prefer that you not be here alone. It just makes me feel better to know that Kai and Sam will be in the house too.”
“Fiddling… they fiddle you know!” I said pointing at them. My Mom smiled and stood up.
“What they do or do not do is not concerning me. I am sure that Sam is cautious.” She said.
Sam nodded and looked at me.
“Oh okay… so THAT is okay then.” I said, crossing my arms on my chest.
“It is too early to argue Rue… please, be nice okay?” My Mom said and with that I felt like I had acted like a child who needed a babysitter after all.
“I’m sorry.” I said, calming myself down and trying to act mature about it. I mean I should anyway, it’s not like Kai and Sam were going to be all crazy. I think it’s more just the fact that the word ‘babysitting’ had been used than anything. I always considered myself mature for my age and Kai actually not so much… but I guess Sam being there changed that completely. She was the grown up, as she had proved before and would probably prove to be true again. Then I nodded and hugged my Mom and whispered, “I’m sorry.” My Mom hugged me back.
“It’s okay… I know you will miss us.” She said, and that is true. You see I am not weighted down with crappy parents… mine are as cool as they come really and them not being here will suck.
“I will.” I said as I stepped back and she touched my face, my Dad came into the kitchen and looked at me and then to my Mom.
“No yelling? That’s new.” He said as he laughed. I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, Mom told me you two are abandoning me to Kai… not so smart.” I said as I laughed.
“Not just Kai… Sam too, love.” My Dad said as he laughed and took his seat at the table. Kai looked at him and Sam laughed.
“You can trust me William, nothing will happen on my watch.”
“Hey! I am right here!” Kai said, and everyone laughed and he didn’t.
***
Mom and Dad packed and I had no idea that they had waited until the last moment to tell me that they were leaving… but they had an
d as I watched them pile their bags into the car I stood on the porch, wishing that I could go too. I mean… travel that is. I had never done that, I have always been in Calvary and wanted to see the world… not that I hate it here… it’s just the same every single day. We were not the mecca of excitement, Calvary Minnesota that is.
My Dad looked up at me as he shut the trunk of the car and both he and my Mom walked towards me and I smiled, not wanting to frown and ruin their exit. Kai and Sam came out onto the porch and a series of hugs and ‘be carefuls’ and ‘call if you need anything’s’ started up and then they were walking away from us and my stomach felt funny, like watching them go was something that I never wanted to see. I quickly snapped out of my emo like state and reminded myself that this was a two month thingy… not a goodbye. Funny that it felt that way.
I had been semi brooding in my room for an hour or so when Josh knocked on my doorframe and I looked up to see him looking awesome as usual. He had a black tee on, that fit his body well and ripped up jeans and his black chunky boots that I loved. I rolled on my side and smiled at him as I rested my hand on my head to prop myself up.
“Hello.” He said and I waved him in, unable to be all pissy about the whole ‘many’ thing. He smiled and walked in, sitting down on the edge of my bed and grinned as he watched me sit up and look around my room.
“I need coffee like a.s.a.p.” I said to him.
“Sounds like a plan.” He said, probably happy that I had not freaked out on him and continued the crazy from the previous evening.
We both walked down the stairs hand in hand and Kai looked back from the couch and smiled at the two of us.
“You safe now?” he asked Josh and Josh shook his head slightly and gave him a ‘don’t bring it up’ look. Sam walked in from the kitchen and smiled at the two of us.
“What’s up?” she asked us and Josh looked at me and I looked at her.
“Coffee.” I said.
“Oh my god… yes.” Sam said as she walked to the couch and pulled Kai up as he desperately tried to finish his video game… he got killed on screen by a nasty looking demon and dropped the controller.
“Damn it.” He muttered.
“Coffee… now.” Sam said and he nodded, knowing the coffee thing was a non-negotiable in Sam’s world… although Kai is not the biggest fan of it. That is the thing about love… sometimes you just do it for the other and not for yourself, don’t know if everyone knows that or not.
We all ignored the car in the driveway and started to walk down Hideaway drive towards the ‘downtown’ area of Calvary, which was really just “Coffee”…our only coffee shop and some privately owned shops of all kinds… clothing, books… and what not’s. We all reached main and Joshua stopped and looked down to his right and stared as a moving truck sat on the street and movers were working like ants, carrying pieces of furniture off the back of it.
“Huh.” Kai said as he stepped up next to Josh and they both stared.
“Did you hear about new people moving into town?” Josh asked Kai and he shook his head no.
“Nada.” Kai said.
“You?” Kai said as he looked back at me and I held my hands up.
“No… like I talk to anyone here.” I said.
“True… miss anti-social.” Kai added and he is right… other than Josh, and Johnathan I really talk to no one else, except Brooke on occasion... don’t know if that’s healthy or not, but I just don’t go looking for new friends. I just do not see a point.
“Okay.” Josh said as he started to walk towards the truck.
“What are you doing?” I asked him as I caught up to him and he grinned.
“Just saying hi… that is normal isn’t it, to greet a new neighbor?” he added.
“Yeah… I am feeling nosey too.” Kai said as he walked next to us and Sam joined us.
“Me too.” She said and with that I was outnumbered by their sudden urge to be all up in this business.
“I really need a coffee.” I said and Josh glanced at me.
“We will.” He said and then he looked back at the truck of movers, like it was something he had to do…which is kind of odd… but then again, I said it before, we are a boring town and this is new, a new shiny toy.
We all stopped by the truck and the movers kept going, pulling out what looked like Victorian furniture and lamps and all sorts of older looking things. I sighed and figured that this was some old couple that had decided to live out their days here until they died… which many do.
And then a girl popped out of the house and spotted us and I turned to see her as she started to walk towards us, her hair all shiny, lips all pouty and just overall cute as hell. I stepped next to Josh and grabbed his hand and the girl stopped in front of us all and smiled even bigger.
“Hi.” She said as I suddenly felt irritated and then Josh smiled back at her.
“Hello.” He said and Kai and Sam said it too. I stood there, reluctant to do so and felt Josh squeeze my hand and I said “Hi” as this freakishly cute girl looked at me and tilted her head.
“I’m Jessica.” She said and I took a breath and became the group’s spokesman all of a sudden.
“I’m Rue, this is Josh… MY boyfriend, Kai… my brother and Sam… HIS girlfriend.” I said, probably emphasizing the ‘my’ and ‘his’ a little too much. I cleared my throat as she studied my face and then she smiled again.
“Well… nice to meet you all! Tell you the truth, I didn’t know if anyone would talk to us… but there you are a welcoming committee.” She said.
“Us?” Josh asked her.
“Oh yes.” Jessica said and she looked back at the house and a boy stepped out… not just some run of the mill boy either… a boy who looked so pretty, it was kind of unreal. He had blonde hair, his facial features looked chiseled… even from a distance and his t-shirt clung to his body showing off his muscles that were not too big, but just perfect for his size. He stepped out and stopped quickly, staring us all down and tilted his head, almost looking irritated at first and then he walked towards us cautiously and stopped next to his sister and looked at Josh of all people. Josh stood there and returned his stare and for a moment we had that awkward pause and I really had no idea what to expect. Then the boy spoke and I looked at his face again and he was even prettier in person, close up.
“Hello… I am Michael.” He said.
He reached his hand out to Josh who took it slowly and as they shook hands Michael watched Josh’s face almost as if he was waiting on something… and then again I didn’t know this boy, none of us did… and I was probably reading into something that was not there. Josh released his hand and smiled.
“I’m Josh… this is Rue, Kai and Sam.” Josh said.
“Oh… well hello.” Michael said and he looked at us all as if he was studying us…again, me with the reading into stuff. I need to stop that.
“So… Calvary, huh?” Josh asked him and he looked at Josh and grinned.
“Yeah… my sister and I decided to live the quiet life.”
“Oh… well you nailed it here.” Kai said and Michael looked at him and grinned.
“That is what I heard.” Michael said.
“So… where are you guys from?” Josh asked him. Michael opened his mouth and his bubbly sister Jessica took control.
“East coast... Maine.” she said.
“I heard it’s pretty quiet there.” Josh said.
Jessica smiled. “Not in the summer, when all the college kids come into town.” She said.
“So, your parents come too?” Kai asked innocently enough and Jessica looked at him and frowned. She turned to Michael and then walked back towards the house. Michael looked back at us and half grinned.
“Jessica gets emotional… we lost our parents recently, in an accident… sorry, she is just touchy about it.”
“Sorry man.” Kai said and Sam looked at Kai and sighed.
“Oh its okay, she will be fine… it just takes time, that’s all.”
/>
“Sorry for your loss.” I said, meaning it. Michael looked at me and his eyes locked with mine and I had a hard time not staring into them. They were a beautiful blue, like the sky, Josh shifted on his feet and I looked down.
“Well, just wanted to say hi, maybe we will see you around then.” He said.
Michael smiled and I looked up and he broke his look from me and turned back to Josh. He stepped up and smiled at Josh and Josh stood his ground.
“Yes… perhaps we will… thank you.” He said.
Michael turned and walked away from us all and we started to walk away.
“Nice.” Sam said as she shook her head and looked at Kai.
“What? It was just a random question… I was being nice.”
“I know.” I said, trying to save him from feeling weird.
“Well… guys, looks like we have new kids in town.” Josh said and we all headed to coffee which made me happy, but for some reason I could not help but look back and see Michael standing in their front yard watching us walk away. I felt a slight chill in my spine, for some weird reason… who knows why.
Chapter 5
Echo’s
We had all collected our favorite drinks at Coffee and I sat there sucking on my straw not being cautious about the chill of my frap. Then I closed my eyes as the brain freeze whipped through my head. I was so intent on getting that delicious coffee flavored mocha into my stomach that I sabotaged myself and as the weird sensation faded, the conversation that had obviously been going on without me became audible.
“I don’t like him.” Josh said as he played with his drink on the table. I glanced at him and Sam sighed and looked up at him.