by Rue Volley
“Who was that?”
He licked his lip and ran his hand down the side of his head.
“No one.” He said in a stern tone.
I took a step toward him. “Um, that was definitely someone who knew you.”
He said nothing.
I pointed at the door to the auditorium.
“Who was that girl?” I asked, not willing to take any more of his mysterious nature as charming because at this point it was annoying me.
“No one to me.”
I nodded to him. “Oh yeah? Well, that’s not how you acted. So how about you stop lying to me, and while we’re at it, where the hell do you actually go, Thorn? You’ll be gone for days without a call, text, nothing. You act like I’m supposed to wait around for you. And hunting? Seriously, you were just out hunting for three days, but you couldn’t tell me that? This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”
He took a step toward me, and I took one step back. “Echo.” He didn’t offer up anything to help me feel any better. I shook my head.
“Not this time.” I turned and started to walk away from him. The anger had been boiling up in me for weeks. The confusion and loneliness only compounded the situation. I missed my parents. I missed the quiet nights in hotel rooms reading my books and keeping to myself. I missed not feeling dependent on someone else for my own happiness, but most of all, I missed my sister. I missed her so badly that my body ached and my mind desperately searched for things to fill the void of her absence in my life. When she died, she took a huge part of me with her and here I was trying to fill that emptiness with a boy who had no ability to commit to me.
A boy who couldn’t even be honest with me.
Suddenly he was blocking my way. I had to stop so I wouldn’t run right into him.
“Please, Echo. Please wait.”
I looked down, refusing to let his eyes sucker me into more of his emotional drama. I wasn’t sure what had triggered my meltdown, but it was here and rising in me like molten lava. Maybe it had been rising all along, and it had finally taken its toll on me.
“Wait for what? For you? Tell me why I should do that, Thorn? You come and go at will. You don’t care that I worry about you or even that I miss you when you’re gone. You don’t think about how it makes me feel, how it makes me question everything about myself or us.”
“Us.” He repeated. I laughed, lifting my hand and letting it hit the side of my leg.
“Yes, us. You and me…”
“Is that what we are?”
I blinked. “I…well…”
He grabbed me and pulled me in; his mouth crashed against mine and the world stopped. I dropped my books, and my arm dangled next to my side. His hand slid to the base of my back and held me up when my knees begged to buckle. He moaned at my mouth but instead of jumping away and running as he had before, he stayed and tightened his grip on me, pulling me against his chest. I felt his other hand move to the back of my head and cradle the base of my skull as his face turned allowing his lips to search for me, search for everything I had to offer to him. I reached up and touched his firm jawline, running my hand along it and drawing him in as close as I could. He lifted me up and the kissing slowed but his urgency didn’t. Finally, the bell rang, and he lowered me to the floor. My breathing was erratic, and he grinned as he watched my lip quiver and felt my body tremble at his touch.
“Us.” He whispered.
I nodded to him and then we heard a voice behind us. “Assembly has started.”
I bit my lip and turned as Thorn placed his arm around me and we walked back into the auditorium as a couple for the first time since we met.
30
We stood in front of my house and stared at each other for a little while longer than we probably should have. I couldn’t help it. He was beautiful in every way possible, and it still stunned me that he had chosen me when I’m sure so many girls would have died to just be near him.
His attraction to me was a mystery, but I wasn’t going to question it for fear of breaking the spell. He stepped closer to me and touched my cheek with the back of his hand, my eyes closed as I accepted his affection. I needed to give in and stop fighting it. It didn’t mean that I wasn’t terrified, but to deny him would be to deny something I didn’t know if I could live without.
“You amaze me.” He whispered. I opened my eyes and could see that he was studying my expression. His eyes had held a steady deep blue the remainder of the day, and I was grateful for that too. My eyes shift in color, so it didn’t bother me, but where mine would add flecks of gray here and there, his would darken and change his entire look. Something about it made me sad not only for him but me. I wasn’t sure why but I would revel in moments like this one and store them away in memory, just like I did for Midnight.
“I’ll accept your compliment and raise you one better…you are incredible,” I whispered back to him. Yep, I was that girl. The goofy romantic one who had tilted over into the grossly overwrought expressions of adoration for Thorn.
He grinned and continued to touch my face and just as he leaned in to kiss me I heard my aunt’s voice and I stepped back, tucking my hair behind my ear and clearing my throat.
“Echo, come inside.” She tucked her hands into her sides and stared Thorn down like the enemy. I hoped this wasn’t the way it would be now. I had accepted her relationship with Mr. Jenny when it had felt awkward seeing that he’s my guidance counselor. I hope she’ll keep that in mind with Thorn, regardless of how she feels about his dad. To be honest, it was a bit unlike her to be so judgmental about Thorn all due to her opinion about his family. I’m a perfect example of how different you can be from the people who have, or raise you. Midnight fit the Navarri mold, I didn’t.
“Okay, Aunt Luna.” I reluctantly called out to her.
Thorn stared down at his feet and then bit his full lip as he glanced up at me. The way he eyed me sent a thrill down my spine and kicked the butterflies into overdrive in the pit of my stomach.
“I have to go,” I said as I half stumbled over myself toward the wrought iron gate. Thorn placed his hand on it and opened it up, allowing me to walk through. I did so backward, which was a dangerous proposition, but after three steps I started to feel cocky and boom, tripped again. He stepped up and grabbed my hand, pulling me forward and making sure that I wouldn’t fall. He leaned into my ear.
“How about we go on a real date? Tomorrow, eight?” he asked.
He backed away, and his hand released mine. I nodded, and he walked backward, only he had no problems keeping upright. I smiled and gave him a nervous wave and then turned back, placing a hand on my stomach and letting out a sigh. This was exactly how I hoped it would be. Thorn made me feel as if the entire world sat at our feet and a future with him would be filled with nothing but happiness.
My aunt watched him until he disappeared out of sight and I strolled up the steps without hobbling. I had also ditched my sling that had cradled my arm. I felt somewhat sore, but the strength had returned to me. I didn’t know why and I wasn’t even interested in investigating it…a first for me. Thorn was now the greatest mystery of them all and the whole of my thoughts rested solely on him. I wanted to know everything I could about him.
I stepped up to her and grinned. She touched my chin and looked down. “You seem to be back up and running at full speed.” I nodded to her.
“How’s Mr. Jenny doing?” I asked.
She paused. “He’s better.”
She leaned in and hugged me, and I sank into her shoulder. Both Luna and Thorn made me feel so safe and protected unlike I had ever felt before. Don’t get me wrong; I know my parents love me, but where they encouraged dangerous exploration, my aunt encouraged safety. I feel like I may be more like her than I am them, but I would never say it for fear of hurting their feelings.
“Oh what’s this?” she asked as she let me go and wa
lked to the large wooden porch swing. She picked up a package that was wrapped in black paper and had no label on it. I narrowed my eyes as she pulled a tiny card that was tucked on the top behind some thick black string. She eyed it and then looked at me. “Well, it seems you have an admirer.”
I stepped up, and she handed me the card. I quickly looked at it and spotted my name written in script in silver on the small black card. I shook my head and then glanced behind me. If Thorn had sent me a present, I think he would have eluded to it.
“Open it up.” She said, so I did. I bit my lip as I read it.
“For a beautiful swan.” Much Regards, Eyota Vega.
“It’s a gift from Mr. Vega.”
“Eyota?” my aunt asked, and I nodded as I lowered the card in my hand.
“Why on earth would he be sending you a gift?”
I took a breath, wanting to come clean but knowing that I probably shouldn’t. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, let’s go inside and see what this man has sent you.” her tone was even, but I could tell that she was just a little annoyed.
I walked to the staircase and sat down on the broad wooden step. My aunt placed the box on my lap, and I stared at it for a moment longer than she could handle.
“You’re killing me, Echo.”
I pulled the string off of it and then removed the lid. I had to fold back delicate white tissue paper one piece at a time. I stood up and placed it on the floor, reaching in and pulling out a beautiful black dress with a heart shaped bust, quarter length sleeves, and hand stitched embroidery on the skirt. My aunt stepped up and eyed it, taking it from my hand and holding it up so I could see it. She looked at it too, and we were both speechless. The knee length flared skirt was covered with beautiful red flowers among thick green vegetation and sitting at the bottom were two white swans facing each other. I shook my head.
“I don’t know what to say.”
She bit her lip. “Maybe tell me why he would send this to you?”
“He knows that Thorn and I, well…”
She moaned. “Does he not think you have anything good enough to wear around his son?”
I stared at the dress and then she gently folded it back up and placed it in the box. She replaced the lid and stood up with it in her hand.
“I’ll be right back.”
She started to march toward the door, and I rushed around in front of her. She stopped and tilted her head. “Echo?”
I bit my lip and released it, staring at the box like the best Christmas present I had ever received. “Honestly, are you not offended by this?”
My shoulders hunched, and I shrugged them. “Not really, I mean… I guess it was nice of him to think of me.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Eyota Vega is a self-centered snob who sent this to you as if you come from an impoverished home.”
I wrung my hands, and she noticed. “I, Aunt Luna, please. I’m not offended.”
She lowered the box and stared at me. She sighed and placed it in my hands, gently tapping the lid and then sliding her fingers across it. She looked like she wanted to say more but she didn’t. I know that she hated them, but Thorn, he was different. Where Eyota and Persephone made me feel small, Thorn made me feel bigger than life, like I could do anything with him by my side. I wanted that; I needed it.
“Okay then.” She said with zero emotion.
She started to walk away from me, and I called out to her. “So, it’s okay with you that I keep it?”
She didn’t turn to face me. “I’m not your mother. I never was, and I never will be.”
I sighed as she walked out of the entryway and into the living room. I followed her after I set the box down on the long table along the wall. I stood there, rubbing my hands on the side of my skirt. “If you’re upset then I’ll give it back.”
She sat down in her chair and shook her head as she picked up her novel and flipped to her saved page. “Echo Navarri, stop begging for approval. It’s beneath you.”
I shifted my stance and placed my hand on my hip. “I’m not.”
She laughed. “You are. You want me to swoon over this boy, and I’m not going to.”
“Well.” I walked toward her and took a seat in the chair across from hers. I stared at her until she closed the book and laid it on her lap. She studied my eyes then spoke calmly. “Honey, I love you, but there comes a time in life when you have to make your own mistakes to learn from them.”
“What does that mean?” I asked kind of annoyed that she would even say it like that.
“It means exactly what it means; I don’t talk in metaphors.”
“I just.” I paused and then drudged on. I had to know why she had reacted this way. “I really like him.”
She grinned. “Don’t we all? What’s not to like about a Vega? Rich, charming, handsome, but just know that those things are superficial at best.”
“Thorn isn’t like his dad.”
She laughed, and it echoed in the room. I hated it; it felt like she was mocking me, so my reaction was warranted. “You don’t know him.”
“No…but I know his father.”
“You know of him, knowing someone and knowing of them are two different things.”
“Don’t assume, young lady.”
I kept going; my temper had flared, and I felt like I was defending Thorn to her. “You know what they say about assumption,” I muttered under my breath.
“Really? Are you lecturing me, Echo? Perhaps you’re the one who’s making an ass of themselves.” I could tell she regretted it as soon as she said it. I stood up, and she grabbed my hand, stopping me. I looked away. I had too. Suddenly that feeling of safety was being washed away with harsh judgments.
“Echo, please. I didn’t mean…” I cut her off and pulled my hand away from hers. I started to walk, and she called out from behind me. “I…I loved him.”
I stopped and turned back to face her.
“What? I asked.
“Eyota Vega, he was the love of my life.”
I sucked in my breath and everything started to make sense.
31
I sat at the table in the library while my aunt walked to the oversized chest in the corner that sat on a metal base with elaborate feet that looked like the paws of a lion. She leaned down and opened the lid, reaching in with care and standing up with a wide book in her hands. She left the top open as she walked back to the table and sat down across from me. Luna placed the book on the table and eyed it with adoration. The strain that had held her face tight with irritation had made way for something softer…loving. Her eyes now inspected something she treasured. I recognized the expression as much as I knew the feeling. She carefully opened it up and beckoned me to join her. I pushed my chair back and walked around the table, taking a seat next to her and accepting her invitation into something I knew she had hidden away.
I leaned in and could see a rose, dried and flattened on the first page, protected by plastic. She lingered on this page and then finally bit her lip, turning it and allowing it to lay open. I spotted an open card, and two swans were embossed on it, both in solid black and facing each other. I glanced at her and then back at the book. She turned the page, and I could see her standing there in a beautiful black dress that flared at her knees and had a heart-shaped bodice, quarter length sleeves and then I noticed the bottom of the skirt. It had the same embroidery as mine did. Same foliage, same flowers, same swans. My breath hitched. Surely, Mr. Vega hadn’t given me the same dress like the one my aunt had worn, had he?
“I don’t understand,” I said in a half whisper.
Her fingers gently toyed at the corner of the page. She tilted her head.
“The dress is a warning.”
I shook my head. “Why?”
She turned the page and there they were, arm in arm, Aunt Luna and Eyota
Vega. I could see Port Royal High School in the background. I narrowed my eyes and read the card off to the side of the picture.
Homecoming ’66.
“Homecoming?” I asked, and she half grinned.
“Yes.” She paused and then leaned back in her chair. “He was so handsome, so charming. I swear that my senior year was a blur and I have no idea how I graduated. I certainly couldn’t concentrate because he, well, let’s just say that my mind wandered.”
I understood this more than I wanted to admit. Thorn did this to me. My mind did wander with him. I found myself wondering where he was when he wasn’t with me, and when we were together the rest of the world seemed to fade away. I cared about things less and less.
School.
Missing my parents.
Learning how to live this way when I had spent my entire life on the road.
None of it mattered when I let him in.
But most of all he absorbed the emptiness. The void that Midnight’s absence had left behind.
I blinked when she spoke up again. “I know what this feels like. What Thorn makes you feel. Trust me, I do. I just, well, I love you, and it would break my heart if…” she trailed off.
I sighed. “I’m sorry. I can tell that he, I mean, Mr. Vega hurt you, but Thorn is not like that.”
She turned to look at me. Her expression wasn’t one of anger or irritation. Instead, it was filled with concern. “How do you know?” she asked me.
I hesitated. How could I possibly know? How could I explain to her that it was just something I felt deep inside my soul that told me that Thorn wouldn’t hurt me? Or could it be that I refused to accept the possibility? Maybe it was the possibility, the not knowing, that was the greatest attraction of all.
She moved my bangs and cupped the side of my face. I leaned into her hand and wanted to cry. I hated feeling this way and yet I couldn’t live without it. I had never been in love, and now that I found myself falling deeper and deeper in love with Thorn, I was finding it harder to ward off the paranoia and fear. It lurked there, in the shadows like the mist in the veil. I could see it, I could feel it, but I couldn’t touch it.