Winter Falls

by Nicole Maggi

  Heath and I kept up our nighttime training for the rest of the week; it was easier to sneak out after Lidia had gone to bed. But by Friday morning I was sleepwalking through school. Despite the giant cup of coffee I snagged from the office kitchenette, I could hardly keep my eyes open and misfiled the entire stack of folders Principal Morrissey gave me.

  At lunch Jenny swiveled in her chair and hissed at me, “What’s wrong with you?”

  I yawned. “What do you mean?”

  “You barely said a word on the walk in this morning, you stared out the window all during French, and”—she leaned in, her eyes narrowed—“you forgot Carly’s birthday.”

  “Oh, shoot.” I glanced around the cafeteria, but Carly was nowhere to be seen. “Where is she, anyway?”

  “She’s at her music lesson—like she is every Friday. Honestly, where is your brain?” Jenny took a giant bite out of her burger, glaring at me over the soggy bun.

  “I’ve had a lot on my mind,” I said defensively. I dug into my paper bag and took out the tuna sandwich Lidia had made for me.

  “Well, so have I, and I’ve managed not to piss off my friends.” Jenny set her burger down. “Lessi, I think about it all the time too. What happened on the bridge. So, you know, if you want to talk about it . . .” Her face softened. “I’m here.”

  “I know. I just—” I ducked my head to hide my eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it. But I’m sorry. For being distant all week.”

  “Forgiven. For now.” Jenny picked up her burger and polished the rest of it off in three bites. “Anyway, don’t forget about tonight.”

  I swallowed the lump of sandwich in my mouth. “What’s tonight?”

  Jenny sucked at her soda, making a gurgling sound through her straw, and slammed her cup down. “You’re kidding, right?” When I didn’t answer, she blew out a noisy, exasperated breath. “Pizza Plus, remember?”

  “Oh yeah.” I shoved the last of my sandwich into my mouth, so I wouldn’t have to talk. A twinge of guilt flicked through me as I reached for my apple. In all that had happened, I had completely forgotten that Jenny, Melissa, and I had planned a little party for Carly’s birthday.

  “Oh, and I invited the Wolfe twins.”

  I coughed, spraying little bits of apple onto the table.

  Jenny laughed and took a bite of her cookie. “I figured that would get a reaction.”

  “Why did you invite them?” Involuntarily, my gaze ricocheted around the cafeteria. Jonah wasn’t here, but Bree sat alone at a corner table, scribbling furiously in a leather-bound journal. I stared at her for a moment, and she looked up. I turned quickly back to Jenny. “Trust me. She is not someone I want to get to know better.”

  “Yes, but don’t you want to get to know Jonah better?” A wicked grin twisted her lips. “And they’re kind of a package deal, seeing as they’re twins and all.” Jenny finished her cookie. “Really, I don’t need any thanks. Just give me your firstborn, and we’ll call it even.”

  “You didn’t have to invite him,” I mumbled, but my face flushed as I took another bite of apple.

  The rest of my classes passed in a haze. My mind was foggy, caught in between two clouds—the one in which I spent the evening in a restaurant booth, pressed up against Jonah, and the other one high in the sky as I soared over the treetops in my Falcon-self. I barely listened on the walk home as Jenny debated what to wear to the party.

  As we headed toward the end of Main Street, I heard footsteps and glanced over my shoulder. Bree and Jonah walked several paces behind us. I raised my hand. “See you tonight!”

  He returned the wave with a nod and a lopsided smile that set the butterflies in my stomach fluttering. They turned off onto a side street behind the town hall. Mrs. Wolfe stood at the foot of their driveway, a plate of cookies in her hands. When her children reached her, she held up the plate as if she was making an offering. I watched the twins each take a cookie and walk quickly into the house with their mother at their heels.

  “That is really bizarre,” Jenny said, startling me. I hadn’t realized that I had come to a full stop to watch this little scenario with the Wolfes.

  “I know, right? Who does that? Not even Lidia.”

  “My mom would never do that.” She nudged me, and we started up the road again. “She’s usually in a headstand when I get home.” Jenny’s mother was into yoga and generally greeted her daughter with an inversion in the afternoon.

  “Lidia’s usually up to her elbows in curd when I come home,” I said. I glanced over my shoulder at the Wolfe house, which was now out of sight around the corner. “Looks like Mrs. Wolfe is pretty traditional.”

  “Looks like Mrs. Wolfe has nothing better to do,” Jenny replied.

  I snorted. With a last look backward, I fell into step with her.

  A beautifully wrapped jewelry box with an enormous silver bow sat on the kitchen table next to the snack Lidia had laid out for me. She poured me a glass of milk. “What time do you need me to drop you off at Pizza Plus?” Her lip curled a little as she said this; Lidia did not approve of any pizza that was not made by her own hands.

  “Seven. Thanks for wrapping the gift.”

  “Well, if you had done it . . . ,” she said, rolling her eyes with a grin. “Home by ten.”

  “Twelve.”

  “Ten thirty.”

  “Eleven thirty.”

  “Eleven.”

  “Okay. I’ll call you if I need a ride, but Jenny will probably give me one.” I was usually able to wrangle a later curfew out of Lidia, but considering I hadn’t been punished for cutting school I wasn’t going to push it.

  My belly gave a little flip-flop when we pulled up to Pizza Plus. The front picture window had been covered with a giant poster of the owner with the words We will miss you below his smiling face. On the sidewalk below the window, dozens of white candles flickered, their wax dripping onto the pavement. And there was a sign on the front door that pledged to keep the restaurant open to honor the owner’s memory. I swallowed hard and reached for the doorknob.

  Inside, it was warm and crowded. The hostess directed me to the private back room, where a long table had been decorated with wine bottles stuck with candles and covered in old wax. A cluster of balloons adorned the chair at the head of the table, where Carly held court. I made a beeline for her after adding my gift to the pile on a small side table in the corner. “Happy birthday,” I said, giving her a hug.

  “Thanks!” Carly tugged my arm, and I squatted next to her chair. She leaned in close to my ear. “I think Jenny invited the entire school. You have got to keep her under control.”

  I laughed. “As if. You know how she is at parties.” The last party we’d been at Jenny had hijacked the music and played disco all night. “But I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  “Thanks. And, hey”—Carly nudged me—“I’m really glad you’re here. I’ve barely seen you this week.”

  “Yeah, it’s been . . .” I shrugged instead of finishing the sentence. I wasn’t quite sure how to finish it, but Carly nodded as if she understood. Not that she could understand, but I smiled as if I didn’t have the biggest secret in the world and went to find Jenny.

  I spotted her in the corner by the gift table, surrounded by half a dozen boys. Glancing around, I realized there were far more boys at the party than girls. I shook my head and worked my way around the table to where Melissa sat, chatting with a couple of boys from our French class.

  The door from the main part of the restaurant swung open and banged against the wall. I looked up, and my breath caught at the sight of Bree and Jonah framed in the doorway. With their black hair, pale skin, and bright green eyes, they resembled comic book characters. Despite my dislike of Bree, there was no disputing that she was stunning. She was Jonah’s twin.

  Jenny broke away from her pack of admirers and swaggered over to the Wolfes. “Thanks for coming,” she sang out.

  “What should I do with this?” Jonah asked, holding up a bright pink
box. He shifted from one foot to the other, drumming his fingers against his thigh.

  Jenny pointed to the gift table.

  “Our mother picked it out, so it’s probably pretty lame,” Bree said. Jonah shot her a look that she ignored. She snatched the gift from his hand and flounced away after Jenny toward the head of the table.

  Jonah hadn’t moved from the doorway. I took a deep breath to calm the jitters inside me and walked up to him. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” He smiled. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Oh, really?” I said, my cheeks tingling with warmth.

  “Yeah.” Jonah glanced up and down the table. “You’re the only person I know.”

  “I can introduce you to some people, if you want.” I gestured at the full room. “I mean, this is the crème de la crème of Twin Willows High.”

  “I can see that,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at the room. He was looking at me.

  I locked eyes with him, long enough to count the flecks of gold in his green irises.

  He put a hand on my arm. The heat of his fingers sizzled through my sweater. “Actually, I’d love some fresh air. You want to go outside?”

  I knew I should stay and help Jenny with the party, but I also knew that Jenny would be the first to shove me out the door with him. I nodded and followed him through the main restaurant to the front door and out onto the street. A few of the candles on the sidewalk went out as the door shut behind us. The air was cold and tinged with autumn dampness, and I had left my coat inside. I hugged myself against the chill. “So what do you have against a good party?”

  “I hate crowds.”

  “Really?” I glanced at the brightly lit windows. “Is it like a clinical thing or an I-hate-people thing?”

  “I don’t hate people,” he said quickly, stepping closer to me. “It’s just—when I’m in a crowd, I can’t hear my own thoughts. And I hate that feeling. You know?”

  “Yeah,” I answered slowly. “Yeah, I do know. You’re like Thoreau.”

  He grinned. “Exactly.”

  “Why come at all if you’re happier out here than in there?” I gestured back toward the front door of the restaurant.

  He looked into my eyes. The light from the windows reflected in his eyes, deepening their green to almost black. “Because I knew you’d be here.”

  My heart banged against my ribs. I wanted to be coy and flirty, but every single clever thought left my brain.

  “Twin Willows isn’t as bad as you make it out to be,” he added, taking pity on my speechlessness.

  “So it’s not the worst town you’ve ever lived in?” I said, finding my voice again even though my heartbeat was all over the place.

  “Definitely not.” Jonah leaned back against the brick side wall of the restaurant.

  “What was? The worst, I mean.”

  “This town in Connecticut. Everyone wore khakis.”

  I laughed.

  Jonah picked at a loose brick. “Dad swears Twin Willows is it—no more moving.”

  “Oh yeah?” I said, unable to keep the hope out of my voice.

  Jonah cocked his head, the corner of his mouth turning up as he surveyed me.

  I lifted one hand to smooth my hair down. Stop being so easy to read, I could hear Jenny advising me. Play hard to get. “I should get back inside.” I turned to go.

  Jonah caught my arm. “Don’t go yet.”

  I moved closer to him and felt the heat emanating from his body. “Okay,” I murmured, tilting my head back to look at him. I wondered briefly if he had had a girlfriend at each of his old schools, then realized I didn’t care.

  “Have you lived here your whole life?”

  I nodded, then stopped myself. “No, actually. I was born in Italy.”

  “Wow. What was that like?”

  “When I have regression therapy, I’ll let you know.” I waved a hand at his quizzical look. “I was a year old when we left there. I wish I could say I’ve been back, but alas I’ve been stuck here ever since.”

  “You don’t remember Italy at all?”

  “No.” I closed my eyes. “Well, there is one thing.”

  “What?”

  I opened my eyes and looked at the sky. “I have this weird memory of a stone angel on top of a church with green and brown hills behind it. I told my mom about it once, and she said that was the church in the town where I was born.”

  Jonah searched my face. “It’s amazing what the mind holds on to, isn’t it?”

  I lifted my chin and took a baby step closer to him. “Yes,” I whispered. “It is.”

  He touched my hand, not a brush like in French class but full-on hand holding. His silver chain bracelet rested against my wrist, the metal warm from his skin. “Hey, what are you doing tomorrow night?”

  My breath felt shallow. “Nothing.”

  “You want to go out or something?”

  Warmth flooded my face, my neck, my whole body. “I—”

  “There you are,” growled a familiar voice.

  I jumped away from Jonah, and he let go of my hand.

  Heath stood on the sidewalk, arms crossed. He glared at me. “You need to go home.”

  Jonah launched himself off the brick wall and moved next to me. “Who is this guy?”

  His tone held a little bite that made me flush. “Uh, he works for us. On our farm.” I squinted at Heath. “Did my mom send you?”

  “Yeah.” Heath reached for me, but I twisted away from him.

  “She said I could stay out until eleven.”

  Heath closed the distance between us and took my elbow. “Well, she changed her mind.” He narrowed his eyes and I understood. Lidia had not sent him.

  Jonah grabbed my hand. “Don’t go. Call your mom, and tell her you’ll be late.”

  For a moment I stood between the two of them. Jonah’s palm pressed into mine, his skin rough and warm. But Heath’s grip was tight on my arm, and I knew which way I had to go. “I’m sorry,” I murmured to Jonah. “She’s been a little overprotective since the bus crash.”

  Jonah dropped my hand and stepped back, his jaw clenched. “Whatever.”

  “Hey.” I shrugged away from Heath and put myself directly in front of Jonah, forcing him to look at me. “I’d stay if I could but I can’t. Please don’t be mad.”

  His face softened. “You didn’t answer my question. About tomorrow.”

  “Alessia, come on.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Heath. “Coming. I’ll call you,” I told Jonah.

  “You don’t have my number. I’ll get yours from Carly and text you.”

  Heath cleared his throat.

  “I need to get my coat,” I said and dashed into the restaurant. The party was in full swing in the back room, with music blaring and kids dancing. I found Carly, apologized for leaving, and tried to ignore the hurt look on her face as I made my way outside. As I climbed into Heath’s truck, I glanced at the spot where Jonah and I had just been, but he was gone.

  Heath started the ignition and revved the engine as he spun out into the street. “I waited for you in the barn for an hour. What were you thinking?”

  I stared at him. “What? Oh. Shoot, Heath, I’m sorry. But the party—”

  “Don’t make excuses. You forgot.”

  “Well, yes, but it would have been really hard for me to get out of—”

  Heath expelled a long, loud breath. “Look, I know it’s important to keep up appearances. But the Benandanti have to come first. I spend every waking moment—and sleeping moment, for that matter—thinking about our mission. You need to learn to have the same kind of devotion.” He shifted gears and the truck jerked forward. “Did you see that picture in the window of the restaurant? Do I need to remind you what you’re fighting for?”

  I twisted in the seat. “You don’t need to remind me. I see reminders everywhere.”

  He glanced at me, then back at the road.

  “It isn’t just keeping up appearances for me. I care about
school, about my friends. I’m not just hanging out with them so they won’t suspect I have a double life.”

  “I know but—”

  “But nothing!” I looked out the window as we passed the school, dark and weekend-empty. “I have a life, and I intend to keep it.”

  “Good luck,” Heath muttered.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I had a life. In Italy. And the Benandanti made me come here to babysit you.”

  “Sorry to inconvenience you,” I snapped. I raised an eyebrow. “Wait. I thought you said you lived in Provence.”

  “I did. Then I moved to Italy, and that’s where I was Called. I was part of the Clan in Friuli before they sent me here.” Shadows moved across Heath’s face from the reflection of moonlight.

  “If they sent you here, then someone must have been sent there to take your place, right?”

  Heath nodded, his eyes on the road.

  “So the Benandanti aren’t necessarily trapped in one place?”

  Heath slowed the truck as we approached the farm. “Not necessarily but that’s not what you should be thinking about right now.”

  “I just need to know I won’t be stuck here forever—”

  “You need to be thinking about the mission here and now in Twin Willows. That’s your priority.” Heath talked right over me as though I hadn’t said anything. “And you can’t let yourself be distracted.” His tone was pointed.

  I clenched the hand that Jonah had touched. As I climbed out of the truck after we pulled into the driveway, I felt my phone vibrate.

  Heath started toward the barn. “We have until eleven when Lidia expects you home. Let’s not let this night be a total waste.”

  “Fine,” I said. I followed a few paces behind him, so I could pull my phone out without him noticing. New text message.

  So . . . tomorrow? I never got an answer.

  Heath opened the barn door and disappeared inside.

  I hit Reply.

  Tell me where. Tell me when. I’m there.