by Imogen Rose
I was so relieved when Dad finally picked up his phone. Turns out that he’d gotten invited to a private poker game–who can resist that?–and lost all sense of time. He sounded upbeat and pleased with himself, having done pretty well. I decided not to worry him about my current predicament, other than to ask him to transfer some money to my card, since he now had some. He was going to head home tomorrow, so I guess I would wait and update him when I got back home. I wasn’t in danger anymore. And even if I was, there wasn’t a thing he could do about it anyway. So why worry him? At least now I’d have the money for airfare. I was going to be fine.
David and his mom looked sorta at odds with each other when they walked back into the room. Probably sick of having me to deal with when they needed to be with David’s dad. “Hey, I got hold of Dad! He transferred money over to my account, so I’m okay. I’m going to call a cab to take me to the airport and I’ll be out of your hair.”
Inez nodded at me. “Arizona, I’m relieved that you got hold of your dad. Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s been busy, but he’ll be back home tomorrow.”
“Did you tell him about Raj?” David asked.
“No, there’s no point in that until I get home.”
“But what if Raj comes back for you?”
“Eh? I doubt it. He’s the one who disappeared. Probably after he realized that he got the wrong person in the first place. How do you know him anyway?”
Inez held a bit of paper up. “We’ve checked the flight times. The soonest I can get you on a flight is tomorrow afternoon. You are very welcome to hang out here until then.”
I nodded. “Great, thank you. Let me give you my debit card so you can book it,” I said, scrambling for it in my pocket, realizing that I didn’t have it with me. Well, Dad could book my flight. I’d just call him back. I’d have to explain to him what I was doing in California. Sheesh.
David shook his head. “No need. We’ll book it for you, it’s just easier. I’m going to fly out to Jersey with you to make sure you get home safely. Okay?”
I was dumbstruck. I’m not five! “No need! I can take care of myself. Really, I appreciate you’re trying to help, but I can travel by myself. I’ve done it heaps of times before.”
Inez shook her head. “I’m sure, Arizona. However, humor me. I’ll feel much better about this if I knew David made sure you get home.”
She looked intense, no point in arguing with her, I could clearly read that. So I nodded.
“Good. If that’s all settled, I’ll bid you goodbye. I need to head over and check on Kevin. I’ll call you with an update, David.” She touched his hands and they both closed their eyes–weird.
Once Inez had gone, David and I stared at each other–a bit uncomfortably. We were sort of stuck with each other. I bet his mom had insisted on this and he was annoyed. Well, tough–he shouldn’t have chased me in the first place. This was his fault.
“I’m sorry you’re stuck with me,” I pouted at him. “You can go. I can take care of myself.”
He walked over and sat down beside me, looking at me intently as he did so. “Arizona, I’m happy to do this. Why would you think otherwise?”
“Well, you seem put out. There was something up between you and your mom. I assumed it was about me.”
“It was. But not about me looking after you. It was about taking you back to Princeton before we know what’s going on with Raj,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, looking decidedly miserable.
So miserable, in fact, that I patted him–patted him with a full-blown you’re-a-really-good-doggie look on! Geez, what’s wrong with me? I only ever pat Gertrude like that. For whatever reason, I had, in that moment, bizarrely felt the same toward him as I did Gertrude. “I’m sorry! About the pat… don’t know what came over me!”
He guffawed. And took my hand. I instantly felt warm and slightly euphoric. He put his arm around me–like it was the most natural thing in the world to do–and leaned back into the couch with my head resting on his chest. Now, this was totally unnatural for me, physical contact with people makes me very uncomfortable. However–for whatever reason–this felt strangely okay. More than okay, I felt safe and warm; I didn’t want to move. So I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling. I could hear his heart, steady comforting beats. I turned my head, so that my face lay resting on his chest. When he started stroking my hair, I wanted to… shut the heck up! I mentally slapped myself, sheesh. What the heck? Where did that come from? Arizona Stevens, wake up! I tried to gather enough strength to pull myself away from David’s arms, but couldn’t. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. I just really didn’t want to. I just hoped that he couldn’t see my goofy grin. We sat like that for ages, though not long enough, until my uncontrollable big mouth went and spoiled the magic by spewing out questions. Seriously.
“David, how do you know Raj?” And the magic instantly stopped, as David stopped stroking my hair and sat me back in the couch so he could talk to me. Moment killer.
“Raj stabbed my dad, that’s how I know him.”
“Why? If that’s too personal a question, it’s okay. I’m just curious, He seems to be the one connection between us. And I was dropped off here….”
David took my hand again and squeezed it slightly. “Arizona, it’s a long story. The short version is that he was after some blueprints and thought that Dad would be able to help him procure them. When he found out that Dad wouldn’t, he stabbed him, pretty bad. He’s a very dangerous, deranged man.”
“Well, how am I connected with all this? What did he want with me?”
“Like you assumed before, it’s probably a case of mistaken identity. What we don’t know is whether Raj has realized this yet or not. He may have let you go because he realized that he had the wrong person. But we can’t be totally sure, which is why I’m concerned about taking you back.”
He relaxed back into the couch, throwing his arm around my shoulder and pulling me back with him. I wasn’t going to spoil it this time. I clenched my jaw shut to keep from speaking again. Talking could wait.
~
He didn’t want to get too far from the cottage, so Raj asked the truck driver to let him out at the third rest stop away from it. The truck driver’s singalong to Shania Twain was driving him crazy anyway. He would check over the blueprints while he waited for Simla to find out if his buyer was still available. It had been a year, so there was a good chance that she wouldn’t even be able to contact him at this point. In which case, he would force Olivia to reset the portal from this end to open back in the present. If that wasn’t possible, he would have to manipulate one of the Wanderers to take him back. These blueprints were useless without a buyer. He would need his data at the other end to find another buyer if Masterson wasn’t interested.
He trudged along to the motel alongside the highway and got himself a room. It was simple, a bit threadbare, but it would do. The TV worked, and that’s all he needed for a week’s entertainment. Most of that time would be spent dreaming about the new yacht he was going to purchase from the proceeds of the sale. He smiled. Things were finally looking up. All he now had to decide is where he wanted to live. The world and its dimensions were his oyster.
~
I woke up with my face firmly planted in a scented, soft pillow. I breathed in the lavender aroma and felt relaxed as I turned over onto my back. A white, distressed chandelier dominated the ceiling. The morning sunrays coming through the uncovered windows played off the sparkly crystals hanging from the chandelier, creating dancing patterns on the light blue walls. I sat up and looked around trying to figure out whose room this was. There were no personal items in the room, so I couldn’t tell if it belonged to a boy or a girl. The books on the bookcase were carefully arranged to look nice, and consisted of a collection of travel books.
How did I end up in this room? The last thing I remembered was sitting back and relaxing in David’s arms. What was with me? I never get close to anyone, male or female. Yet, here I wa
s, throwing myself at a stranger like a love-starved puppy dog. ‘Nuff! Get yourself together, Arizona!
I got up and walked to the door, which had a cute plaque that said Loo on it. Luckily, I knew that meant bathroom in British English. Once I was inside the loo, I quickly realized that this must be a bedroom specially put aside for guests–the basket full of goodies indicated so, along with the tidy towels embroidered with the word guest.
After a quick shower, I went back into the bedroom to find that a set of clothes had been left for me on the bed. I looked around to make sure that whoever had left them was gone and then proceeded to examine them–jeans, a plain white t-shirt and flip-flops. Perfect. I threw them on and pulled my hair back into a ponytail while it was still wet. I felt so much better.
As I walked down the stairway, I could hear noises coming from downstairs. I followed them into the kitchen where David and his mother were sitting engrossed in conversation.
“Good morning,” I declared, to announce my presence. I felt a sense of excitement as David looked up and smiled at me–get a grip!
“Good morning, Arizona. Did you sleep well?” Inez inquired, beckoning me to a chair by the kitchen table.
“Yes, thank you. I did. The room’s very comfortable. How did I get up there?”
“Oh, you fell asleep down on the couch. I carried you up and tucked you in,” David replied, still smiling. “How are your knees?”
The thought of David carrying me up to the bedroom was both uncomfortable and exciting all at once. “Thanks, David. I mean for helping me upstairs. My knees are much better. Totally okay actually.” The pain seemed to have magically vanished.
Inez stood up and walked over to the toaster. “Let me get you some breakfast. Bacon and eggs okay?”
“Perfect, thanks,” I said gratefully.
“Well, I want to head over to the hospital soon. I’ll leave you in David’s capable hands. You don’t have to be at the airport until five this afternoon, so I’m hoping that David will keep you entertained until then. David, perhaps you could show Arizona some of the sights?”
David nodded as his mother put a plate in front of me and waved as she headed out the door. I picked up a fork and started shoveling the food into my mouth.
“Hungry?” David laughed.
“Mmm haa,” I mumbled.
He sat back and watched me eat, sipping on a cup of coffee. When I was done, I carefully wiped my mouth–slobber is never a good look–and reached for some orange juice. “So, what are we going to do until we have to leave for the airport?” I asked.
“Whatever you’d like. We can stay here and maybe play video games. Or we could go out. Whatever you want.”
“Hmm. You know how I told you that my mom lives here in Mountain View?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I really hate her and don’t particularly want to see her, but I am wondering where she is. I mean, no one seemed to know her at Ames and yet I’m fairly sure she said she works there.”
“Well, Ames is a fairly big institution. Whoever you spoke to could be mistaken. Or perhaps she works at one of the satellite departments….”
“I guess. I’d like to call Ames again, though.”
“Sure. Once you’ve done that, I’d love to take you out to the lake. It’s one of my favorite places. We could stop and pick up some sandwiches on the way for a picnic. Sound good?”
“Yup! Can I borrow your computer to get the info I need for Ames, and your cell?” I asked.
He nodded and handed over his cell and pointed to the computer before he left me alone with them.
I hit a brick wall again. No signs of Mom at Ames. Oh well, it’s not like it mattered. I didn’t really want to see her; it was just a bit strange, that’s all. I turned the computer off and went to find David.
He was sitting waiting for me in the living room. My heartbeat instantly quickened as he smiled at me. I’m sure I went beet red–so embarrassing.
“I’m ready to go.”
“No luck?” he asked.
“No, but it doesn’t matter.”
“How so?”
“Oh, I’ll tell you later. Let’s go. I feel house sick. I need to get out in the fresh air. You mentioned a trip to a lake. That sounds perfect.”
The drive out to the lake was exhilarating. David tore through the streets of Mountain View and then we off-roaded through trees until we came to a spectacular lake. We brought our blankets and picnic over to the grass and sat down to enjoy the sunshine.
David lay back and looked over at me as he shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand. He was so hot–not temperature-wise but looks-wise. I would guess he was about six-two or thereabouts. His messy blond hair and blue eyes (which twinkled in the sunlight)–hot. His most striking feature were his lips, though. I was totally mesmerized by them, especially when they broke into a smile revealing his perfect teeth–I wondered if he had needed to endure years of braces like I had.
“So, tell me about yourself, Arizona,” he drawled.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
“Why?” I couldn’t imagine why he would have any interest in my relatively boring life.
“Well, we don’t have anything else to do at the moment,” he laughed. “Besides, I’m kinda curious.”
“Not much to tell, really. I live with my dad, Dillard, in Princeton. I go to Princeton High, where I suck at my classes but I’m pretty good at ice hockey. I play for the varsity team. My parents are separated. My mom and my sister, Ella, live down here–apparently. I don’t have a lot of contact with them. I have issues with my mom, which I don’t really want to get into.”
He nodded.
“I have a dog, a Chihuahua, called Gertrude. She’s my favorite everything, I love her to death. That’s really it. Not much to know. What about you?”
David reached for my hands and pulled me down beside him, resting my head on his shoulder.
“What do you want to know?”
“Have you lived here in Mountain View all your life?” I asked.
“Pretty much. I go to Mountain View High and play ice hockey as well.”
“Get out of here! Really? I had you pegged as more of a football player.”
“Well, I do play football, as well. However, I had to choose, so I picked hockey. Do you like playing for the varsity team?”
“Yeah, I love it! It took a while for the guys to accept me, but now it’s great!”
“I’m guessing you date one of the guys on the team?” he murmured.
“Fishing?” I laughed.
He turned to look at me. “Maybe.”
“Well, no. I don’t date.”
“You don’t date? Why not?”
“’Cause it’s stupid.”
“So, if I asked you out on a date, you’d say no because it’s stupid?”
“I guess.” I said, standing up. “This is a stupid talk. Let’s walk.”
He got up and we walked along the lake, throwing the occasional pebble in and watching the ripples in the water. My knees had totally recovered, not a twinge. Would I say yes to a date if he asked me? This was kinda like a date and I had said yes. I liked being with him. He was easy company and he made me feel safe. He was easy on the eyes, as well–more than easy. Every time he smiled my heart seemed to skip a beat and I seemed to constantly yearn for his touch.
“I would.”
“You’d what?” he asked looking puzzled, throwing his pebble into the water and then turning to look at me.
“I’d say yes if you asked me out on a date.”
“You would?” he asked smiling, taking my hands and pulling me down to sit on the grass beside him. “Really?”
I nodded, feeling a bit silly now. Why did I have to voice that out loud? Stupid mouth.
“So, will you go out on a date with me?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know when, I’m flying home today.” The thought of possibly never seeing him again made me feel odd
ly sad.
“How about right now? We have a while before we have to head to the airport.”
“Sure, why not?”
“How are your knees?”
“Good as new!”
He took my hand and we walked back to the blankets. I thought he was going to lie down and we would spend our first, and possibly only, date relaxing in each other’s arms passing the time away. That would be perfect. However, he must have had other ideas. He quickly gathered the blankets and walked me back to his bike.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” he said mysteriously, as he secured my helmet. I climbed onto the bike behind him and held on as we rode back through the trees. A date–my first one. Well, first since that one with Jake in second grade, but that didn’t really count. It’s not that I hadn’t been asked out. I’d had pretty much the pick of the hockey team at school. I guess I was a bit shy in that aspect of my life. I didn’t quite know how to handle myself with boys other than to thump them. They did seem to like that.