by K. A. Poe
“But Jason I already sent the letters to postpone my enrollment…” Eila said.
“And who did you give them to to send off?” Jason pulled out a wrinkled envelope from his back pocket. “I know I shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t let you give up everything for me.”
“Oh, Jason! I love you!” Eila said and ran to hug him. With his head resting on her shoulder he looked at me and smiled, despite the sadness in his eyes. My last friends were leaving me.
“Excuse me for a second,” I muttered, put down my plate and went upstairs to my old bedroom.
I was unsure how I felt. I was glad our search for a house was over, and we could definitely make improvements to this one to make it our own…but this house was filled with memories now spoiled by time. How many times had Karen sat with me in this very room, gossiping and insisting on doing my hair? How many times had my mom came in here at night to wish me sweet dreams? But they were gone now.
Not only them but now Jason would be gone, and although I knew it wasn’t…I felt as though it were my own fault. Everything felt like my fault.
Without knowing why, I slipped my cell phone from my pocket to look through some of the pictures I had loaded onto it from the laptop of Karen and me. When I looked at the screen I noticed it had somehow become unlocked and was on my contacts. There in the middle of my screen was a name I hadn’t thought of in some time – Aunt Kim.
All thought of the house, Jason, my mom, and Karen faded as I realized I needed to call her. I needed to tell her about her brother…about my dad. I twiddled my thumb above the touch screen as I hesitated making such a dreaded call. How was I going to break the news to her? With a gulp, I pressed the small phone icon by her name and waited for the phone to dial. My heart was racing rapidly as my mind fought for ideas of what to say, how to say it, wondering how she would react, and trying to convince myself that it was not my fault.
“Hey Alex! Happy birthday!” my aunt said enthusiastically, “I was going to call you but wasn’t sure if you were back home yet. Honest! Are you back?”
“Yeah…we just got back today, actually. And thanks,” I said quietly. “There’s something I need to tell you, and it’s not going to be easy…and I don’t know where to even begin.”
“You can tell me anything, Alex,” her tone changed from excited to concerned instantly.
“I know that. It’s just a really sensitive subject that might be better told in person.”
“Do you want me to come over?”
“Yeah, if you can…come by my old house, where my friend Jason lives...lived. If you’re lucky, there might still be some cake left over.”
“Lived? Did something happen to your friend?”
“No…well, yes…but that’s not it. Jason is fine. Just come over, okay?”
“Right…I’ll see you soon.”
I burst into tears as I hung up the phone and stared down at my feet. I sat on the edge of Mitch’s bed and put my head in my hands and a wave of déjà vu swept over me as I recalled sitting on Janet’s old bed, in a similar position. I had lost so many people already, I couldn’t bear to lose anyone else…but I had little to no control over that. I tried my hardest to protect the people I loved, but in the end – was I risking their lives rather than saving them? Janet got herself in trouble with Mark, that wasn’t my fault. Destiny’s death couldn’t have been avoided without someone else dying in her place. Karen…young, delicate Karen…I was not involved in her death at all, either…but Paul? Why hadn’t I thought ahead of time about having Salem summon a ladder to ensure we all made it up safely? Did that make it my fault?
My thoughts were lost almost instantly when the floor creaked and I looked up to see Mitchell staring in at me. I tried to wipe my eyes and hide my face so he would not know I was crying.
“You’re missing out on a long, interesting game of Monopoly,” he said with a forced smile as he stepped into the room. “Salem and Ezra are very…weird…about how to play.”
“I can imagine,” I chuckled and wiped my eyes again. “What’re you doing up here?”
“Checking on you, are you okay?”
I shrugged. “No, not really…I’m…I’m just thinking about Paul…and Karen…and mom. And now you two are leaving me, too. I know I should be downstairs enjoying my birthday with everyone else.”
“You’ve been through a lot, that’s for sure…but worse things could have happened. You’re alive, Salem is alive. It’s your birthday, you’re going to get married soon…you have so many things to be happy about! I know it’s hard not to let the sad stuff get you down, but you have to work through it somehow or else you’ll just end up depressed. And Jason is the one leaving you, not me! I have my job at the diner still. I’ll find myself an apartment. Besides, Denver is only – what, four hours away?”
“Six.”
“Right, six hours. That’s nothing. I bet Jason will be up here visiting you every weekend.”
“I doubt that,” I shrugged, dwelling then at the fact that Mitchell would still be nearby.
“I don’t.”
“Mitch, can I ask you something sort of off subject?”
“Yeah, anything.”
“How did you get through your parents’ divorce?” I wasn’t sure why I was asking him this. A divorce was hard on everyone involved for sure, especially children…but it was not the same as death.
Mitchell shrugged and sat beside me on the edge of his mattress. “I didn’t. It still bothers me every now and then, but I don’t let it get to me anymore. They weren’t happy together, and now they are happy apart…I might not like it, but I’m at least glad they’re happy.”
I smiled warmly and looked him over. “Thank you, Mitchell. This talk may have been the best birthday present I’ve had today.”
“Including the make out session with Jason?” he asked glumly and looked at me seriously.
“That was a mistake…and it wasn’t a make out session!” I averted my eyes in shame. “How did you even know about it?”
“He told me he was planning to. I warned him not to…I even told him I’d give him a slap in the face myself if he did it, but I guess he didn’t listen, huh?”
“He should listen to you more often, you’re way more mature than I ever thought.”
“Hey now, don’t go trying to make out with me too here!” He laughed jokingly and I hit him with a nearby pillow.
After a couple laughs I smiled and hugged him. “Thanks, again.”
“Anytime, Alex.”
A knock sounded on the front door downstairs and the two of us rushed down there. I was not prepared to see my aunt this quickly; she must have already been in town. I thought about just staying up here, in my old room, but I knew it was something I would have to face eventually – and who better to receive the news from than her own niece? I left the room and slowly walked down the stairs, each step feeling harder than the next.
Kim quickly embraced me in a tight hug and apologized for not bringing a present, but offered me a card that I discovered contained a one hundred dollar bill in it. She grabbed a slice of cake – the final piece – and devoured it as if it were the first thing she had eaten in days.
“Man, that is some good cake!” she exclaimed, “Where did you get it?”
“Eila baked it, actually,” Jason said with a proud smile.
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
“Thanks,” Eila replied with a grin. “That reminds me, I was wondering if you had someone in mind to make your wedding cake, Alex.”
Aunt Kim glanced at me and then at Salem and gasped. “Wedding cake?” she began scanning our fingers and spotted the rings and let out another gasp and stood up. “Congratulations! I can’t believe you two are engaged! So young…yet, you two are perfect for each other, it doesn’t surprise me.”
I laughed awkwardly and wished she could have discovered the exciting news last. “Thanks, Aunt Kim,” I replied and turned toward Eila. “We’d be more than happy if you
made the cake. We can talk about it later, or you can just surprise us. Whatever sounds most fun to you.”
“Great! Do you want any sort of theme for the wedding or anything?”
“I would just like to do the cake topper myself,” Salem replied with a wink. “The rest of it can be up to you ladies.”
Eila didn’t quite understand Salem’s request but nodded anyway. “Sounds good to me.”
I watched Kim finish the last forkful of cake and set her plate down. Ezra stood quietly in the background, observing us and making no effort for communication. He must have felt awkward amongst all of us strangers, and knowing little to nothing about what we were discussing or who most of us were.
“So this is the big news you had me scrambling over and terrified about? Geez, girl, I thought someone had died by the way you sounded on the phone,” Kim laughed, and the room got very quiet.
“No, it wasn’t about the wedding...it’s…well,” I was struggling to find the words and I could feel everyone’s eyes piercing into me.” Can we go outside and talk? Please?”
“Yeah, of course,” she said as she wiped a napkin across her lips, her expression becoming more grave.
I stared silently at my aunt when we were outside and alone, trying to put words together in my head but nothing sounded right – but somehow, I had to tell her...and it was going to break her heart.
“Have you heard from grandpa in a while?” I asked. Maybe small talk leading into the bigger matter would make it easier.
“He has been calling me daily to see if you were back yet,” she said with a smile. “He’s really fond of you, Alex. You should spend as much time with him as you can before it’s too late…I know I need to as well.”
“I wish I had known there was going to be a party tonight, I would have invited him…”
“Don’t worry, just make sure he’s at the wedding – then he’ll forget all about missing your party, if he hasn’t already.” She smiled and shook her head in disbelief. “My little niece is getting married. It’s so amazing, Alexis. Here I am, in my late thirties, and I don’t even have a boyfriend…but you just turned nineteen and are about to be a wife.”
I felt my cheeks grow warm and I let out a light chuckle. “There’s someone special out there for you, Aunt Kim…trust me.”
“I hope so.” She smiled and patted me on the shoulder. “What is it you wanted to tell me?”
My eyes lingered on her for a moment before staring at the ground as I shifted my feet nervously. “Did Paul tell you that he was going to Florida?”
That caught her attention fast and she shook her head. “I had no idea. Why was he going there?”
“That’s where I was…and he found out,” I replied.
“Oh, no. He didn’t do anything stupid did he?”
“No, he actually came and helped us…saved us…”
“Well, where is he? I need to go thank him for saving my only niece and give him a word or two about not telling me he was going!” she said, her eyes locked on me, making me more and more nervous.
“He didn’t…” I paused, feeling the tears coming as I pictured his fall over and over in my mind. “He didn’t come back with us.”
Kim’s face fell blank as she studied my expression. She noted the moisture in my eyes and gasped. “He stayed in Florida…? Or…what happened?”
“He…he fell. There was nothing we could have done to save him. It’s all my fault. If…if I hadn’t been there he never would have come after us…”
Her arms were around me at once and I could hear the sound of her sobbing as she began to cry. We stood together crying for what felt like hours until she suddenly broke away and looked at me.
“You have no reason to blame yourself,” she said quietly, her voice hoarse. “First your foster mother died, then your real mother…and now Paul…”
“Karen, too…” I mumbled. “Am I cursed? Is everyone that I know and love going to be taken from me?”
She hugged me again and laughed lightly between tears. “You’re not cursed, Alex. People come and go from this world every day, that’s just a part of life. You’re not the only one losing loved ones.”
“I know,” I sighed. “It’s just…so many of them, one after the other. That’s not normal.”
“Nothing about your life is normal.”
“It used to be.”
“No, hun, it never was. This has been your life from day one; you just didn’t know it yet.”
“I guess,” I paused. “Aunt Kim…would you…would you tell grandpa for me? I just don’t think I can break any more bad news to anyone for a while…”
“I will. Now, let’s go back in and try to enjoy the rest of the evening. Paul would have wanted that,” she said as she smiled, another tear running down her cheek.
29. ARRANGEMENTS
The next morning was hectic. Salem and I stayed the night at what I guessed was my home again, though we slept on the floor. Jason and Eila hadn’t packed up at all yet so it was one of only a few options. It at least beat sleeping in the car again.
Eila wanted me to go over ideas about the wedding with her practically as soon as I got out of bed. I could barely concentrate on the cereal I was preparing for myself, let alone think of my wedding plans. I felt guilty momentarily as it seemed she was more excited about the occasion than I was. It was just hard to get excited about anything right now.
I sat down at the glass dining table and forced away the thoughts from the last time I ate cereal at the same table. Eila sat across from me, picking at a bowl of berries and grinning up at me as she rambled on about some idea of hers that I didn’t quite catch.
“I’m sorry, Eila…what did you say?” I asked after swallowing a mouthful of cereal.
“I asked if you had a color theme in mind.”
“Oh…um…” I looked around the house for ideas and came up with nothing helpful. Then I spotted Salem across the room as he came downstairs. “Light blue…and purple,” I said as I admired his eyes. “And white too I guess, of course.”
Eila nodded as she jotted notes down on a pad of paper I hadn’t noticed before. “What about bridesmaids and the best man?”
Salem took a seat at the table and glanced at the list. “I am going to ask Jason to be my best man,” he replied.
“Really?” I asked with a look of surprise. “He’ll be so honored.”
I watched the swift hand of Jason’s girlfriend as she wrote even more on the paper.
“You and my aunt can be bridesmaids, Eila…after all, I don’t really know anyone else,” I said with a frown as I thought about Karen. “Actually, there’s one other person…Hannah, if she shows up…”
“And cake flavors?”
“I loved the cake you made for my birthday – so that would be perfect, or just go with your gut on what you think would be good.”
“All right,” she said with a smile. “And flowers?”
“White carnations and chamomile,” Salem answered and smiled at me.
“I hope you don’t mind, I didn’t mean to just butt in and sign myself up as your wedding planner.”
“No! It’s great!” I said after finishing my cereal. “I would be hopeless without you, really.”
“Phew, I thought maybe I was getting annoying but it is just so exciting, and hey you can do ours soon, right!? Now what about music, I mean I used to play the piano some but I don’t know. You probably want someone better at it than me. Have anyone in mind?”
I stared across the table at her thoughtfully. “I would be honored if you could play the piano at the wedding.”
“Really? Absolutely!” she grinned. “It would be my pleasure. Did you have anything specific in mind?”
I thought about Nevermore and wondered how hard it would be to teach it to another person. I knew she played the flute but wasn’t sure how easily musical ability translated from one instrument to the next. It shouldn’t be too hard, I hoped. “Aside from the traditional wedding march, ther
e is one song that I have in mind. It’s the one I played at school the day I met Salem…but it might take some time to learn it.”
“It shouldn’t be too hard,” she said confidently.
“I can start teaching you later if you want.”
Our attention was caught by movement coming downstairs – Jason was finally awake. He looked groggy and his hair was tousled and I noticed immediately he was wearing nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants. I quickly looked away, although I had seen him shirtless countless times throughout our friendship.
“You’re up late,” Eila commented.
“I didn’t sleep very well,” Jason grumbled and walked to the fridge and grabbed a carton of orange juice and began pouring some into a glass. “What time is it?”
“Almost noon,” Salem replied. “When you are dressed and fed, there is something I would like to discuss with you.”
Jason nearly choked on the orange juice he had just swallowed at Salem’s words. He was no doubt worried that he somehow knew about last night. “Oh, okay,” he spluttered and coughed. “Is something wrong?”
“Not at all,” Salem replied calmly and summoned a plate stacked with blueberry pancakes and a bottle of syrup.
Eila gasped and jumped up from her seat. “What the hell just happened?!”
“I completely forgot that Eila was not aware…” he said ashamedly. “I apologize, Eila. Do not be alarmed – but there is something about me that you may not realize.”
“What’s going on?” she asked and backed up against the kitchen wall. “Jason?”
“Salem has magical powers,” Jason shrugged and sat down to eat some pancakes. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Magical powers?! Okay, smartass, I’m serious. How’d you do that? Just a magic trick, right?”
“No, no trick or sleight of hand. My bloodline comes from that of witches. Of course I doubt I would have ever discovered the power without becoming a vampire.”
“A vampire?! Okay, I know you’re all full of it now. Ha-ha, we played a joke on Eila. I didn’t know I was annoying everyone about the wedding that much. Why didn’t you just say so?”