The Princes of Tangleforest

by Vann, Dorlana

  Even though Tanner knew his mom probably needed to talk to someone, he didn’t know if he should listen to her talk about her problems with his dad or not. He let his mind drift to Julia. He was thinking and trying to figure out why he had immediately thought of her earlier. What was that? He didn’t know what having a girl for a best friend was supposed to feel like, but he did know how close he felt to her in such a short time span. Does she really like-like me? Have I been so wrapped up in saving Poppi I hadn’t noticed? Events, expressions, and ignored feelings started replaying in his mind. I am a dumbass.

  “…I’m truly sorry we lied to you,” his mom was saying.

  “What?” he said. What had he missed?

  “I figured you would forgive us since we are getting back together. Your dad is wrapping up a few things at his job. He’s even breaking the lease on the apartment.” She smoothed her hair and smiled. “He’ll be here next week.”

  “Wow! That’s great. Bonnie will be thrilled.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded. “Me, too.”

  “Me, too.”

  “After everything that has happened, I think I’m ready to settle down. Really! Nothing like being away from someone you love to make you realize they’re what you need to stay grounded. We’re even talking about putting an offer in on the house. I think I like it here. Do you?”

  “Crazy, but yeah, I think I do.”

  Chapter 21

  “Grandma?”

  Myra woke with a start. Poppi stared down at her, a concerned smile on her face.

  “Grandma? Are you okay?”

  “Oh dear,” Myra said. “I must have fallen asleep.”

  “What are those?” Poppi asked, pulling a picture out of the hatbox.

  “Some old photos.”

  “Who’s this?” Poppi turned the picture around so Myra could see it.

  In the gray photo with aged edges, Myra wore a white, sleek, satin wedding gown with long, laced sleeves. The fitted headpiece’s veil covered her face, but she knew what it hid beneath… a scared little girl.

  She and Preston had dated for six months before her father had approved of their marriage. During the engagement, her life had become a whirlwind of parties and gifts. She didn’t have to do anything to prepare for the wedding: Preston had picked out her dress, the flowers, even her bridesmaids. He had told her he wanted everything to be perfect. At the time, she felt grateful because she didn’t want to look foolish in front of Preston’s parents or friends. In retrospect, she wished she had seen it as the ominous sign that it had been.

  After she had received a call from her mother on her honeymoon, she met the real Preston. Myra’s brother, Jerry, had been attacked by a shark while swimming in the gulf. She had begged Preston to take her home… he had refused.

  While on her honeymoon, Jerry had died. By the time she had arrived home, they had already had his funeral. She hated Preston, and she hated herself for not insisting and for not standing up for herself. Somehow, she found her old spirit, and divorced Preston, despite her father’s excessive protesting.

  “Come on, Grandma,” she heard Poppi saying with excitement. “You gotta see! You gotta see! ”

  “I’m sorry, Sweetie… What did you say?”

  “In the garden… The Queen of the Night. She finally bloomed! She is soooo beautiful!” Poppi put her hands six inches apart. “She’s this big.”

  “I can’t believe it. I’ve been waiting on her for five years. ”

  “So come on!”

  As Poppi helped her to her feet, Myra noticed the next picture in the box, the one of her and Ward.

  They stood beside his beat-up pickup truck, Myra with one suitcase in her hand. Ward’s rugged good-looks and carefree attitude blinded her in a much different way than Preston did. He put no pressures and no demands on her. They had lived each day without plans or expectations. She thought she had finally met her match in 1955…

  “You’re what?” Her father asked as he pounded his fist on the table. “You are not going anywhere with that dirty carnie.”

  “Father,” Myra said. “I’m not asking your permission. I’m over thirty years old. I’m sharing my good news with you, that’s all.”

  “Do you even know what you are about to do? Do you know what kind of life you will have traveling around with a carnival? You will live like a gypsy with no food and stealing from—”

  “Ward is not a thief! He earns an honest living, and he’s really good at his craft.”

  “Throwing knives is not a craft.”

  “Mom?” Myra asked for help. Her mother sat silent staring at the walls.

  “What about you?” her father was saying. “What will you do?”

  Myra pressed her lips together. She didn’t look her father in the eyes as she said, “The seer has promised to show me her trade. She’s getting older and doesn’t have a daughter of her own.”

  “Seer?”

  “She tells people their futures.”

  Her father threw his hands up. “Oh! There we go. My daughter the fortune teller. Elizabeth, tell your daughter that no daughter of mine is going to be doing the devil’s work. We are proud members of the church.”

  “Umm,” her mother began. “What about your shop? You’ve worked hard for that place.”

  “…and tell her if she leaves with that heathen, we will never speak to her again.”

  “Mom?”

  Her mother looked down again.

  “You can’t be serious.” Myra began to cry. “I’m leaving in a week. Mom? You would disown me for him? What has he done for you but give you grief?”

  “Myra!” her father scolded. “That is quite enough. How dare you talk to your mother with that tone of voice.” His voice had risen to the ceiling, his face blotchy red. “Mark my words, you will regret this. Don’t bother coming home after that lifestyle has beaten you down. It might seem glamorous from afar, but I’ve been around for a while. I know better. I’ve heard about what goes on after those things close. If you leave with him, you are no longer my daughter.”

  Chapter 22

  Friday morning before school, Julia’s dad didn’t acknowledge her at the breakfast table. Even though Julia spoke every once in a while, he didn’t say anything, and she knew why. After Tanner had walked her home the night before, and right when she didn’t think her evening could get any worse, her dad had introduced his new “friend” to her.

  She didn’t want to meet the woman, especially when she felt so low. She hadn’t even tried to fake a, “Glad to meet you.” All there had been was raw Julia. She knew there would be consequences for her behavior. She just didn’t expect them to make her feel so bad.

  She sarcastically said, “I’m sorry.”

  He gave her a glance and shook his head. It was enough for her to see his disappointment.

  “I was having a horrible night, all right? I forgot you were having company, and I was already upset.”

  “Excuses, Julia. There is never an excuse for rudeness.”

  “How did you expect me to act? I don’t understand what you want from me.”

  “Common courtesy? This was all your idea. I wanted no part of this dating stuff. I still love your mom.” His spoon fell into his bowl as he put his hands over his face and cried out loud. He had never broken down in front of her.

  She felt like the biggest jerk ever.

  She scooted her chair out and walked to the other side of the table, hugging him tight. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m so sorry.”

  After a couple of seconds, he reached up and hugged her back. For the first time, they cried together.

  “I won’t be rude anymore,” she said pulling away from him to see if he was still mad at her. “I’ll do whatever you want. You can date her, and I won’t give you anymore problems. I’m sorry for being such a brat. I just wanted us to be a family again. I guess I didn’t realize what getting out there meant. I was trying to bring us closer. Not further away. I just miss you.”

  He wip
ed his face with his napkin and sniffled before smiling at her. He held her hands in his and said, “And I was trying to make things normal for you. I wanted you to stop worrying about me. I think the best thing for me to do is to tell Nicole that I can’t see her anymore.”

  “No, Dad. You don’t have to do that. I’m not asking for you to do that.”

  “She’s a really nice woman but I’m not ready for a relationship. So you’re not asking me to do anything. Do you know what, Julia? I do feel better. I can feel myself slowly climbing out of this hole. I do, and it is thanks to you.”

  “Me? I didn’t do anything except stick you out there and then get mad at you for being out there.”

  “I obviously needed the jolt. You’re so strong. So much like your mother. She would be very proud of you. And I promise, from now on, I will do my part to put this family back together.”

  ***

  In the school lunch room that afternoon, Julia knew that Tanner had sat down beside her, but she couldn’t stop staring at the Prince’s table. Zachary glanced at her every once in awhile, a sad smile on his face. She thought about that night at his house, about all the things he had said. “Zachary,” she whispered.

  “No… Tanner,” Tanner said. “Hey, I have something I want to talk to you about.”

  “Me, too. I hate to say it, but I think we need him.” She looked at Tanner who glanced over at Zachary and then back to her.

  “Zachary?” He frowned. “That’s so done.”

  “Yeah, but we went about it all the wrong way. When I was leaving his house that night, he said, all I had to do was ask.”

  “I think he meant before we tried to trick him out of all of his secrets. Maybe I should throw a smoke bomb through the front door and then put a ladder up to Poppi’s window.

  “Maybe.” She sighed. “I don’t know. I had great talk with my dad this morning, and then after that my nana called. It all just has me thinking.”

  “Really. What did your nana say?”

  “Poppi’s parents are dead.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “They were killed in a car accident three days after arriving in Mexico.”

  Tanner’s mouth fell open. “Really? Wow.” He shook his head and gave a low whistle. “I wasn’t expecting that. It doesn’t make any sense. Why would Poppi be waiting on them to come back if they’re dead? I wonder if her grandmother even told her. Poppi’s been waiting on them to come and get her for years. I wonder if that old lady even had something to do with the accident. Why else would she not tell Poppi and keep her prisoner? ”

  “I don’t know… murder?” Julia’s body involuntarily jittered. “But I am freaked out about the whole situation. No matter what, family should be there for one another; they shouldn’t keep you prisoner. Who knows, maybe she’s keeping her prisoner because she’s all she has left. But still, whatever the reason, I think you’re right. We need to get her out of that house. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it.”

  “And now I’m thinking maybe we should go to the police.”

  “No, I think you were right in the first place. The police would never believe us. She’s Poppi’s grandmother. We have no proof. We’ll get Poppi and take her to the police so that she can tell them everything. I think we can get her out. But it’s going to take some trust from you.” Julia looked back across the lunchroom at Zachary. “And some real apologizing from me.”

  ***

  Julia didn’t understand why she felt so tense standing in front of Zachary’s house. As she stood there, trying to exhale her nervousness, she tried to remember Zachary as the boy she had grown up with. She smiled when she thought about the time in junior high when Billy Scribner hit Zachary in the nose because Julia had called him a bully. Zachary had always taken the hits for her smart-mouth. And there were all the times they had gone trick-or-treating, Christmas caroling, and swimming at the community pool together…

  By the time Julia pushed the doorbell, her nerves had calmed to a somber sadness. Everything was just wrong… it was all wrong.

  “Julia!” Zachary’s dad said after answering the door. “Nice to see you. Come in. Come in.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Davis.” She stepped inside as he closed the door.

  “It has been a long time. Are you here to see Zachary?”

  Julia nodded her head. “Yes, is he here?”

  “In the kitchen, eating me out of house and home.” He laughed heartily. “Go on. He’ll be glad to see you.”

  She wasn’t so sure about that. “Thanks.”

  When Julia walked into the kitchen, Zachary stood at the counter, making a sandwich. She stood at the doorway.

  “What brings you here?” he asked without looking at her.

  “I was wondering if we could talk.”

  Zachary let out a long lip-puttering breath before he glanced at her. “Did you finally come to your senses?”

  Julia crossed her arms. “This isn’t about all that.” She uncrossed her arms. “I’m actually here to ask you a favor.”

  Zachary smiled and took a bite of his sandwich. He chewed for a minute, and then said with his mouth still full: “Well, I am curious. Does this have something to do with all of that ‘I want to be back in your club’ business?”

  “Kind of. Look, I’m sorry about all of that. Can we put it behind us for now? Then you can go back to hating me if you want.”

  “I don’t hate you. I thought you hated me.”

  She stepped further inside the kitchen. “I don’t hate you… I hate how you changed. I hate that stupid book. Do you want to hear something ironic?” Without even realizing it, she had walked the distance from the door to Zachary. For a moment things felt normal again; like nothing had happened to change their little Tangleforest existence. It had never been perfect being part of the misfit crowd, even if she had been the leader. In that moment, she had another realization—perhaps she bolted because the others started listening to Zachary instead of to her. Zachary had taken over as the leader; that had always been her position… she had lost control.

  “Well?” Zachary stared down at her. “Aren’t you going to tell me? What’s ironic?”

  She laughed. “Wow.” She shook her head at her analysis. “Anyway, I need you to use your skills to help me… to help a friend.”

  “Oh, brother! Are you talking about your boyfriend?”

  She looked down at the counter and traced an imaginary line with the tip of her finger. She cleared her throat. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  Zachary placed his sandwich on the counter. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”

  “No, no, no. It’s nothing like that.”

  “Well then, just spit it out.”

  She actually saw her familiar Zachary smiling down at her. She jumped up and sat on the counter, like she used to, and spoke to him eye to eye. “Okay. Here’s the deal…”

  ***

  “Well?” Tanner asked. He had been waiting for Julia around the corner.

  “He said he’d do it.”

  “Really?” Skateboard under his arm, he walked with a quick pace next to Julia who casually peddled her bike. “That’s… great. So when does all this happen, and what’s going to happen exactly?”

  “He’s calling the twins right now. They’re supposed to meet us down at your house in half an hour.”

  “Great. Okay. What’s the plan? Did y’all go over the plan? You were in there long enough.”

  “He wanted me to tell you that a true magician never reveals his secrets.”

  “He doesn’t trust me. Got it.”

  “Anyway, you’re going to have to wait on the sidewalk—”

  “What about you?”

  “She knows me, kind of… you know. So I’ll ring the bell while they stand to the side. When she opens the door, they can do their thing. And then we, you and me, can run right past Poppi’s grandma. Zachary says she’ll be frozen like a statue.” Julia shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll go up the stairs, hope
you have a flashlight, and get Poppi. It should be rather simple. No ladders and no smoke bombs.”

  “I was only kidding about the smoke bombs.”

  “Right.”

  “Thanks, Julia. I know that must have been hard going in there. And I also wanted to tell you—”

  She peddled faster. “I’ll meet you at your house in fifteen,” she yelled back at him. The last thing she wanted to hear was how grateful he was for her help in springing his girlfriend.

  Chapter 23

  Myra felt overly tired that afternoon. She and Poppi had stayed in the garden well past midnight admiring the fragrant, white bloom. Myra could no longer tend to the flowers, so she had a gardener come once a month. He had installed solar lights, a waterfall, and a bench around the live oak tree. Myra thought the garden was tranquil, even magical. All the flowers had been planted for her granddaughter. She also kept the vegetable garden that Shelly, her daughter, had started many years before.

  Since Poppi was still studying her lessons, Myra decided it was time to put the hatbox and the memories away. She had to fight the urge to tear the pictures to shreds, but didn’t for the same reason she hadn’t done so before. They were reminders, like the next photo in the box, which she couldn’t ignore. The picture of Shelly triggered the worst of her painful past: profound grief.

  She had not cried over the loss of her daughter in many years, so now the tears streamed uncontrollably. Shelly had been the only good thing that had come out of leaving Galveston with Ward.

  As soon as they had left Texas, Ward claimed he couldn’t be with just one woman; the free spirit Myra had fallen in love with turned out to be free of any commitments, too.

  Despite the fact that her heart had been broken, she decided to stay with the carnival and learn her trade from Madame Patricia. Anything seemed better than hearing her dad say, “I told you so.” A few years later, she had a brief relationship with a man named George, Shelly’s father. After she gave birth to Shelly, she packed up and said her goodbyes. She didn’t want to raise her little girl on the road.