“You are so pretty,” Rowdy replied, leaning in for a kiss.
“Am not,” she whispered, though she seemed delighted. She wrapped her arms around him, and they held each other for a while, bound forever as comrades in arms. When they boarded the bus, the world seemed far below them. The scowls from Hugo and Jess couldn’t touch them. The sun shone through the dirty windows.
They tried to sneak off to the back field at lunch to catch each other up on news. But Jess and Thomas were unshakable.
“We’re partners for our chemistry project,” Thomas informed him. His orange hair glowed brilliantly in the sun. Rowdy nodded; he’d missed that class.
“You know anything about sorcery?” he asked Thomas. “You know, like magic and spells and stuff?” Rowdy put his arm around Jordyn and leaned against the back fence, looking at his neon shoes.
Thomas frowned at him and scratched his head. He nodded.
“I’ll think about it.” He sat down and opened his lunch, thinking.
“I’m grounded, you know,” Jess informed Rowdy hotly. “You owe me one.”
Rowdy nodded in agreement.
“You owe me one,” Jess repeated, scowling at him.
“I owe you one,” he confirmed, his gaze falling on Hugo, who was across the field talking to a group of younger kids. They gathered around him.
“How is your granny? Doing better?” Jess was bitter but not heartless. She paused in her eating to wait for an answer.
“She’s better,” Rowdy and Jordyn chimed in unison. They looked at each other and laughed.
“Well, okay, that’s good,” Jess concluded, putting a piece of cheese on a cracker.
“Hey,” Hugo said, joining the group. He seemed sheepish.
“Hey,” everyone said back as Rowdy wondered what was up Hugo’s sleeve.
Hugo jammed his hands into his pockets and shuffled his feet. He looked sideways at his redheaded backup catcher.
“You guys wanna come to the game tonight?”
The group looked at each other. They nodded yes.
“Sure,” Rowdy said sincerely.
“Cool.” Hugo nodded. He turned to go.
“You want a cracker with cheese?” Jess offered, squinting up at him against the sun.
Hugo shrugged, looking at Rowdy for permission. Rowdy grinned back at him.
“Cool,” Hugo said again, sitting next to Jessica.
Thomas smiled quietly. Rowdy suspected he was thinking about the science of sorcery with confusion and determination.
It was on the eve of the mid-May full moon when Granny returned.
Rowdy, Rose, and Rowdy’s dad were sitting at her kitchen table, discussing the new job opportunities that were arising. His dad and his aunt seemed to have picked up their relationship easily and were helping each other make strides toward a new life.
Granny shuffled into the room, her eyes alive with anticipation.
A cheerful family reunion ensued, and when the group at last settled down, Granny gave Rowdy’s dad a surprise.
She put the object into his palm.
“My amulet,” he whispered in awe, rolling the soft stone in his fingers. Rowdy wanted to hug his granny. He had been praying she would find it.
“Soon,” Granny said, “we go to Sionnin, my son.”
She got up and went to the kitchen to make food and tea. The group around the table exchanged excited looks. Rowdy couldn’t wait to see his father in Sionnin. He couldn’t wait to see the Sionnin that his father had traveled as a boy.
When Granny returned to the table, her demeanor was grave. They watched her in silence.
“There is the matter of Cern,” she said, taking a seat. She looked at her son. “I trust these two have caught you up on such matters?”
He nodded. They waited for Granny to speak, dreading her words. Rowdy remembered, with a shudder, the cackling witch he had seen from the window.
“We all know she has discovered our portal.” Rose shifted uncomfortably and began to apologize. “I should have been paying attention.” But Granny clucked and shook her head. Rose closed her mouth and sat back.
“Cern is already gaining in strength. Thus far she has no allies. But she still wields considerable power.” She looked hard at the group around her to reiterate her point. Rowdy saw Rose tremble slightly. He cast his gaze down and looked at his tea.
“I have the full-moon ceremony to carry out. And then I have thinking and work to do. Alert Jordyn”—she looked at Rowdy—“and we will meet here for a meeting on Friday night.”
The group nodded. No one wanted to wait several more days to go to Sionnin, but all were relieved Granny would have the time necessary to make a plan.
“There is good news too,” Granny said, her crystal eyes glowing brighter. “There is to be a huge celebration in Sionnin. Certain warriors need to be honored.” She looked at Rowdy and Rose and smiled, sipping her tea. Rowdy and Rose looked at each other, and Rowdy wondered what a “huge celebration” in Sionnin entailed. Rowdy’s dad patted him on the back with pride.
“Let’s go home, son,” he said, rising to get his jacket. Rowdy followed suit, looking forward to the comfort of his own bed.
“Don’t forget our meeting at the job search center, Bill,” Rose said.
His dad nodded. He held up his amulet and smiled at Granny. The two women waved them goodbye, and Rowdy walked with his father into the dark streets. It was late. They were tired. They walked in thoughtful silence.
They entered their dark, cold house. His dad went to turn the lights on while Rowdy turned on the heat. They went to their rooms for the night in mutual, happy silence. Rowdy fell asleep thinking of the woman he loved.
* * * *
Jordyn stood at the bus stop, worried about her boyfriend. She watched him as he approached, strong and outgrowing his clothes. He walked with a swagger. Not so much to be obnoxious or noticeable, just enough to make her stomach flutter.
“I have news,” he said. His long hair was in a dark braid, his bangs hanging loosely across his dark eyes.
“Where have you been?” she retorted huffily. “Where were you last night?” She put her hands on her hips. The morning light was shining bright. She squinted at him. He looked at her apologetically.
“Granny’s,” he said. Then he gave her a rapid bullet-point recount of the stuff she had missed, trying to get it out before the bus arrived. He finished and looked at her intensely, looking for confirmation she understood. She was only relieved he hadn’t ditched her without good reason. She looked at his serious face and laughed.
“You have a mustache!” she exclaimed and burst into giggles. She reached up and touched the thickening hairs above his lip. He shook his head away from her and gave her a stern look.
“Jordyn, this is serious!”
She laughed again, relieved everything between them was all right.
“Yeah, okay,” she said. “Friday evening! Do you have chest hair?” She reached out and ran her hand across his chest. She was in a giddy mood.
*
The bus pulled up with a noisy screech, and she hopped on. He rolled his eyes and followed her slight hips onto the bus. He decided that girls were strange creatures and he didn’t mind. They sat down at the back, side by side. He felt along his chin, but there was no sign of a beard. He decided a beard would impress her and spent the duration of the bus ride praying for one to sprout.
Things with Hugo were touch and go. For now, he was getting along with their group. Outside of his baseball team, Hugo didn’t have many friends. He only knew how to make friends using intimidation. And his baseball friends were not reliable. His dad was the coach. He was made the star pitcher. How could he know who actually viewed him as a real friend?
“Well, look at his dad,” Jordyn said, opening her lunch. They were back on the concrete barrier, tanning their faces in the bright sun. The group nodded and then grew quiet as Hugo sidled up to the gr
oup. He leaned against the barrier, wearing dark shades. He looked different with shades on.
“You look good with sunglasses on,” Jess said, blurting out whatever came to her mind without a second thought.
Hugo smiled at her and raised his blond eyebrows. Jess flushed and looked away. Jordyn rolled her eyes at Rowdy. Thomas said nothing; he was busily shoving a sandwich into his mouth as usual.
“Hugo!” a girl’s voice shouted across the field.
They all turned to see the new girl, Yan, waving her arm at him. She was from China; tiny, smart, and fashionable. Hugo jogged across the field to meet her. They talked and walked away, immersed in a conversation.
Jess was red in the face. She pouted with her arms wrapped around her legs.
“What makes her so great?” she whimpered quietly to herself.
Jordyn tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked down at Jess with a frown.
“Nothing you can’t compete with! You left Hugo, remember? And for a lot of darned good reasons!” Jordyn even stamped her foot at her crazy friend.
Rowdy snickered and put his arm around his girlfriend. Thomas blinked up at them, bewildered.
“Okay!” Jess huffed. She watched Hugo and Yan in the distance, probably comparing herself to the other girl. She turned back to Jordyn and Rowdy with a pouty lip back in place. She stroked a piece of long black hair. She shrugged.
“You don’t think Hugo is…you know…improving?” She waited for their response, then added, “You know…just a little bit at least?”
The bell could be heard. Jordyn was staring at her friend, shaking her head in disbelief and disappointment.
“Saved by the flipping bell,” she said and then helped her friend up.
Rowdy and Thomas shrugged and headed to chemistry class.
“Girls are pretty nuts, hey?” Rowdy jabbed his short, analytical friend with his elbow. Thomas nodded and turned red.
They rounded the corner into their boring science class and took their seats at the back. It was a day to work on their chemistry projects. Thomas had come up with a few options for combining magic with science. Wordlessly, he presented them to his partner, laying various items out on their desks.
Rowdy shook his head with delight and patted Thomas on the shoulder. He was going to be the best school project partner he’d ever had. Their project would be presented at the science fair before the end of the school year and would account for a large percentage of their final mark. Rowdy was impressed Thomas could be flexible enough to attempt a subject that was so far out of his regular way of thinking.
He presented Phyto Chemistry and Medicinal Plants, Chemical Aromatherapy, Spirituality and Chemistry, and Chemistry: Magic Tricks with Water. He had local plants and essential oils with him. He blinked at Rowdy, waiting for his reaction.
Rowdy’s eyes lit up. He slapped his hand on his forehead.
“I am an idiot, Thomas! Why didn’t I think of this?” He slapped Thomas on the back again and flipped through a book about medicinal plants.
“My granny is a whiz at this stuff. She made me a healing ointment that worked like magic! All we have to do is get her to teach us how to make some stuff and then figure out what the chemical processes are!” He flipped through the book, trying to recognize some of the plants. He looked at his science partner with excitement.
“We can do a display of the local plants and show how they work on a microscopic level!”
Mr. Marchand was pacing the room from desk to desk, getting an idea of what his students were up to. He hovered over Rowdy and Thomas, then gave them a doubtful look and moved on. Rowdy shrugged and winked at Thomas. They began sketching out a plan and went to the library for some books on local medicinal plants.
“You’re turning me into a nerd,” Rowdy joked as the final bell sounded. He wanted Thomas to come to Granny’s right away, but Thomas had a ball game that evening. Rowdy wanted to go. He asked Jordyn if she wanted to go with him as they crossed the field to their bus.
“You can’t go!” Jess protested, catching up to them with her backpack jingling. She had a hundred tacky key chains dangling from it.
Rowdy looked at Jordyn for an explanation.
“Yan is going to be there,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Exactly.” Jess huffed. They followed her to the back of the bus. She sat glaring down the aisle as Hugo and Yan boarded and slipped into a seat together, laughing.
“Poor Yan,” Rowdy muttered. Jordyn nodded in agreement.
“Let’s go to the new coffee shop downtown,” Jess suggested, perking up a little.
Rowdy looked out the window at the bright, sunny day and shook his head.
“Do what you want, but I’m going hiking to collect plants for my science project.” He patted his backpack with the book of medicinal local flora in it.
Jess snorted. “You’ve been spending too much time with Thomas.”
“I’ll help!” Jordyn said.
The trio got off the bus and walked to Rowdy’s house to empty some of his pack to make room for plants.
His dad was at the kitchen table, filling out paperwork. He bent his chin and looked at them above his glasses.
“Hey, Dad. Where’s Rose today?” Rowdy slipped his shoes off and kneeled to open his pack. The girls stood at the door.
“She’s on a date,” his dad said with some amusement.
“A date?” Rowdy said, pausing in his rummaging.
“You heard me right.” His dad looked at the young women in the doorway. “Jessica, right?” Jess nodded, atypically shyly.
“How are you, Mr. H.?” Jordyn offered, stepping farther into the room.
“Sober as a judge thanks to Rowdy’s aunt.” He chuckled. “What are you guys up to this afternoon?”
Rowdy put his almost empty pack on his shoulder. He went to the sink and poured everyone glasses of water.
“Hiking for medicinal plants, actually. Wanna join us?” The girls reached over and accepted the water. His dad put his pen down and leaned back. He folded his hands on his head and surveyed the group.
“Well…I wouldn’t want to impose on your friends, son. It’s considered nerdy to bring your folks around with you, no?”
“Ugh,” Jess said. “Rowdy is becoming nerdier by the minute.” To her delight, everyone laughed.
“Yeah, come along. The more eyes, the better,” Jordyn said. Rowdy handed her the book of plants.
His dad nodded and stood up. He slipped his shoes on and followed the group down the street. Rowdy explained the project as they walked. The girls followed behind, chatting. They walked past Granny’s house to the fields beyond, where so much had taken place. It felt odd to Rowdy to go there without a crow.
The girls weren’t interested in finding plants. They walked along talking and giggling, enjoying the sun and the fresh air. They paused to braid flowers into their hair.
The father and son pored over the book. They tried to master the Latin names along with the common ones. They reviewed the various medicinal qualities each had. Gradually they filled Rowdy’s pack with a variety of plant specimens.
Hunger eventually drove them home; Rowdy and his dad to Granny’s house and the girls to Jordyn’s house to do homework.
On the walk home, Rowdy and Jordyn paired up, pulling each other close. To the amusement of Rowdy’s dad, Jess told him all about her troubles with Hugo.
“You have your whole life ahead of you,” he advised. “Why would you waste time on a young man who doesn’t treat you well?”
Jess nodded. Rowdy and Jordyn squeezed each other’s hands, stifling laughter.
They said their goodbyes and parted ways.
“I told you I was busy this week,” Granny said as she opened the door to them. Rowdy’s dad paused to peck her on the cheek, and she shook her head, suppressing a smile.
“No matter, we came to eat and run!”
; The pair removed their shoes, feeling the familiar warmth of the room wrap around them. His dad looked around.
“Rose is still out?” he asked with his eyes twinkling. Rowdy snickered. Granny wagged a warning finger at them.
“You two behave yourselves.” She went to the kitchen and returned with some plates and hot food. His dad pulled his chair up to the table and dug in. Rowdy dumped his treasures on the table.
Granny poked through the plants with interest. She looked at Rowdy for an explanation.
“It’s for a science project, Granny. Thomas and I are researching the chemistry of medicinal plants.”
“Thomas?” Granny asked, picking up a slender shoot.
“The biggest brain I’ve ever met! I want to introduce you to him.”
“The biggest brain is right,” his dad echoed, taking a bite of potatoes.
Granny paused thoughtfully. She shook her head.
“The spirits work in mysterious ways,” she mused. “Bring the brain here as soon as possible. I believe I have a use for a chemist.” She ignored the curious looks from her son and grandson.
“I have work to do. Make yourselves comfortable.” She disappeared down the hallway, leaving Rowdy and his dad amused and bewildered.
They finished their supper, debating what use Thomas could be to Granny and why and coming up with nothing plausible. His dad did the dishes while Rowdy organized his plants. Before they departed, Rose came in, beaming and blushing. She saw them and did a playful twirl.
They chuckled at her.
“His name is Marco,” Rose gushed, pulling off her fashionable scarf. “He’s Italian.”
Rowdy and his dad burst out laughing.
“Are you going to learn a second language?” his dad said, retrieving a clean supper plate for his sister.
“Are you going to see him again?” Rowdy asked.
“I’ll go to the moon if he asks me to,” Rose said. She burst into giggles.
“Sweet dreams, sister,” his dad said, squeezing Rose’s shoulder affectionately.
The men walked home in the dusk with their bellies full and their heads full of musings and questions. The meeting in Sionnin was two nights away.
Behind the Curtain Page 17