Atancia

by Figueiro, Wren

  “OK, yeah, that’s cold. How long do we have before I need a real jacket?”

  “Probably about three weeks. I’ll take you to Sydney once you’re up to it.”

  “OK.”

  We drove in silence for a bit before curiosity got the better of me, “What did your brothers mean about getting me out alone? Were they just messing around?”

  “Don’t worry about them. If I have to go anywhere without you, you’ll be well cared for.”

  “So you might go somewhere without me?”

  “Not now. I just have some things to take care of for work, and I wouldn’t want to drag you along. But I don’t have to go for a while.”

  “Ugh, I’ve been keeping you from doing your job, haven’t I? I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it at all, Atty. It’s nothing I can’t take care of easily. It was more important to be with you.”

  “OK. Do you work with your brothers? Are they picking up the slack? I hate to be a burden on them too.”

  “You’re not a burden on anyone, Atty, and my brothers can take care of their work without me. What I do is only partially related. They run the main show.”

  “What do they do exactly?” Ben had never really told me what he did. He had said it was boring when I had asked, but that had been before I knew what he was. Maybe he would explain now that I was living with them.

  “Actually, they’re working on refurbishing a clinic. Julian is designing it, and Javed is in charge of the labor. Aldric is a doctor, so he’s here as a consultant.”

  “I was wondering about that. He’s your brother from your mother’s side, right?”

  “Yes, he’s not my father’s son. But they get along very well, and my father called him when he decided to open the clinic. That’s why he’s living with us right now.”

  “So why are they refurbishing a clinic?”

  “To help out. There are a lot of people who need medical attention but can’t get it where they are. This is going to be a special clinic. We’re going to invite people who really need our care.”

  “Wow, so you’re a bunch of good-looking philanthropists! Why weren’t there girls all over that table back there?” I said with a laugh. I was still a little buzzed, or I wouldn’t have just said that.

  He raised an eyebrow and put on a faux-annoyed tone, “You think all my brothers are good-looking?”

  “You wouldn’t want me to lie, now would you?”

  “Of course not. And you’re right, it’s more of a fact than an opinion I guess.”

  “Well I’m glad that’s out in the open. Now I don’t have to worry about Matt spilling it,” I said, hoping this would ease his annoyance if Matt ever told him exactly what I had said.

  “What? Did you tell that to Matt?”

  “He asked!”

  “What! I can’t believe he asked that.”

  “He was drunk, it’s OK. Though if I had been sober, I would have probably been more embarrassed, if that were possible.”

  “I can’t believe he asked you that!”

  “It’s OK, really.”

  He looked like he didn’t believe me.

  “What’s the matter? I thought you said you weren’t jealous.” He gave me an annoyed glance out of the side of his eye.

  “Would it help if I told you I don’t care how hot any of your brothers are? I’m only interested in you.”

  He smiled and grabbed my hand before bringing it up to his lips and kissing the back of it. “I know,” he said smugly. I just laughed.

  As we pulled up to the house I realized I had gotten side-tracked and not asked him what I really wanted to know. “So Julian is the designer, Aldric is the consultant, Javed is the slave driver,”—Ben gave me an amused smirk at that comment—“and what is it that you are doing for this project?”

  “Me? I procure things that are difficult to acquire.” He parked the car and leaned over to kiss me, distracting me from asking any other questions.

  Chapter 20

  That night I slept better than I had in weeks, and it wasn’t just the beer and jet lag that helped me. The bed I was in felt so cozy, the room surrounded by the nighttime sounds of the woods, and Ben lying close to me keeping me warm. The feeling of this place was so different from my house in Miami, and Ben made me feel so safe that I began to appreciate what it meant to sleep knowing nothing could hurt me.

  We were both up before any of his brothers, and I went down to the kitchen to start on my breakfast. I hadn’t been able to get the crepes out of my mind, so when we got home after the show I’d mixed up some batter to cook in the morning. The mix had to stay in the fridge for several hours before it could be cooked, so I knew if I wanted them I had to make them before bed. I was very grateful that Ben had asked his father to stock their pantry with things he’d seen in mine back home. It meant that I had a can of sweetened condensed milk to make the dulce de leche. Making it would take more than an hour, but I wasn’t really starving, rather, what Nana would have called “antojada”—craving this particular dish. I was setting up my pot when Javed appeared, fully dressed and looking like he was off to a business meeting in his suit and tie.

  “You off already?” asked Ben.

  “Yeah, it’s almost 10, and I’m a bit late. It’s a good thing we don’t need to worry about hangovers, if I were Matt I’d probably still be in bed.”

  “So how come you don’t get hung over?” I asked.

  “Superpowers,” he said with a grin. “Don’t worry, you’ll get them soon too.”

  “What he means is that we don’t lose brain cells like humans do when we drink; we can eliminate the alcohol before it damages our system,” explained Ben.

  “How the heck do you do that? How can extra energy keep you from getting drunk?”

  “Don’t know and don’t care. Just know I haven’t been able to get drunk since I was actually 21,” replied Javed.

  “Not many of us are willing to volunteer for research into our systems, we just know how things go from experience,” added Ben.

  “So you guys are that rowdy naturally, huh? No alcohol needed,” I said. Since I heard that Ben’s brothers were older than him, I had thought they’d be a bit stiff or at least more old-fashioned.

  Javed laughed, “Nope, none needed. We like to act young; it keeps us sane.”

  “Good morning,” Julian said cheerfully as he walked into the kitchen, Aldric trailing behind him.

  “How you feeling this morning, Atty?” Aldric asked.

  “I’m good.”

  “What are you making?” he asked, nodding toward the batter I had just finished stirring.

  “Crepes.”

  “You can make crepes?”

  “Yeah, it’s easy. Though you guys don’t seem to have a crepe pan, so I’ll have to make due with a skillet.”

  “Well, enjoy. We’ll see you later,” Aldric said, and the three of them headed for the door.

  More than an hour later, I was slicing some bananas to put on top of the gooey concoction I had just put on a plate when Matt groggily shuffled in. Ben had sat down at the table and was just watching me, but he turned to look at his brother. “You look awful,” he said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, I don’t feel that great.”

  “Why are you up?” I asked. “Did we wake you?”

  “Not at all, it was the sunlight. I need to get thicker curtains.”

  “Well, sit if you want; Atty’s made crepes,” said Ben.

  Matt perked up and the corner of his lips lifted a little. “Crepes, huh? Sounds good. Maybe they’ll help settle my stomach.”

  “Somehow, I doubt that,” Ben cautioned. “If your stomach’s off, you should probably stick to water.”

  “Don’t worry, Ben, if the crepes don’t do it, that caramel will.” He sat down, looking in my direction and gave me a smile only I could see. I flushed lightly and returned my attention to the bananas. I had been hoping he would have been too drunk to remember our conversation.

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nbsp; “So are you guys going to hang around here again?” Matt asked Ben. I answered “I don’t know” even though he had his gaze on Ben. Responding automatically to his questions was annoying, but at least he was directing them at his brother today and not me.

  “Actually, I was thinking of taking Atty to see the reserve. As long as she doesn’t mind getting in the car for about an hour,” Ben said looking for my approval.

  “Not at all.” I was curious to see the animals, and I didn’t really want to just sit around.

  “You can come, too, if you need a boost after last night.”

  “Yeah, I might,” responded Matt

  After breakfast, we drove down to the base of the mountains and into what I assumed was the edge of Sydney. The entrance to the reserve was actually a small wooden building. I followed Ben in, and Matt trailed behind me. The first thing visible upon entering was a reception area like at a doctor’s, or I guess a vet’s, office. There was a girl sitting behind a window who smiled at Ben as he proceeded to open the door leading into the main room. I could feel she was human. She looked maybe 23. “Hi, Lynn. This is Atancia Clark; she’ll be coming by a lot. She’s visiting from the States.”

  “Hi Atancia, I’m Lynn. I’m usually here during the mornings.” She then turned to Matt to say hello. I assumed they already knew each other because she gave him a beguiling smile before returning her attention to me to ask, “So how long are you going to be visiting?”

  “I’m not certain yet, probably a few months at least.”

  “Well, I’ll be happy to help you with anything you need.”

  “We’re going to show her around. We’ll see you later, Lynn,” Ben told her and walked farther into the large room. There were doors that led into rooms on both sides of this one, but the walls were glass, and I could see animals sitting in small, clear cages.

  “This is where we keep the ones that are ill or weak,” Ben explained. I recognized some of the animals: There was a kangaroo with a definite limp and a wild dog of some sort with a cone around its neck. I supposed it must have some injury that no one wanted it to damage by biting it.

  We walked past all the crates and through a set of doors at the end of the building. Outside I could see several enclosures to the right and left of the building, and then a very large field in front of me held several kangaroos and what I thought might be wallabies. Some were lying in the grass, but a few were hopping around without trouble so I guessed these were healthy animals.

  “Are all the ones out here OK?” I asked.

  “Yes, these are the ones that have recovered. Once we’re certain they’re completely ready, we release them back into the wild, but some stay the rest of their lives,” explained Ben.

  “Where do they all come from?”

  “Some were hit by cars, others were injured by other animals but then left for some reason or another. A few are ex-pets. Some people seem to think it’s a good idea to keep wild animals until they realize how difficult it is.”

  “I bet.”

  “You want to pet a koala?” Ben asked.

  “Umm, OK.”

  “Don’t spook them, though, they have nasty claws,” cautioned Matt.

  “You serious?”

  “Yes, I made that mistake already.”

  Ben laughed at his brother. “Yeah, he thought he was being sneaky, but the koala didn’t agree.”

  We had approached a small tree where a couple of koalas were lazily chewing on leaves. “Wow, they feel like they have a lot of energy. I wouldn’t have guessed considering the lazy reputation they have.”

  “Yeah, that’s just because they’re drugged on eucalyptus all the time. It keeps them slow,” Matt said.

  “What?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Yeah, it kind of intoxicates them,” Matt elaborated.

  “OK, then.”

  I reached out slowly to pet the back of one of the koalas. It was pretty fluffy, but I had to stop myself from reaching for more than just its fur.

  “Take a bit if you want, he’s all right,” encouraged Ben.

  “You sure? He’s so small.”

  “It’s fine, really.”

  I very carefully drew a bit of the animal’s energy. I didn’t need much anyway; I had gotten overloaded yesterday with the horses. I was just curious about the way koala energy felt. I didn’t like it as much as the horses’ energy.

  “Come on, I’ll show you around the rest of the place,” Ben said.

  “I’m going to walk around on my own a bit if you don’t mind,” said Matt.

  “Not at all, we’ll meet you back here in an hour,” replied Ben.

  Ben led me around a trail that opened up to a pond. There was a fence around it, and I soon saw why.

  “You have crocodiles?” I exclaimed, a bit surprised.

  “Yes,” he said, smiling.

  “They feel amazing,” I told him. The energy coming from the crocs was intense, even though all they were doing was sunning themselves.

  “They do, right? But I wouldn’t recommend you try to touch one yet.”

  “Yet? I can’t imagine ever trying to suck the life out of a crocodile—seems too dangerous to be worth it.”

  “Oh, it’s worth it. But you have to know what you’re doing. Once you drain it enough, it won’t be able to hurt you, but you have to be quick and draw automatically. You can’t hesitate even a second.”

  “I take it you’ve done it before?” I asked, concerned. I hadn’t really pictured him as a thrill seeker, but it did make sense considering what he was.

  “I have. I’ll show you one of these days.”

  “Well, you better do it while I’m still young enough to get drunk; I can’t imagine being able to watch that sober.” He laughed, and we went back to walking.

  We passed an aviary with several species of parrots and circled the field with the kangaroos and wallabies. I hadn’t noticed before, but there was also a bunch of large birds that Ben said were bush turkeys, which looked a bit mean. Ben encouraged me to transfer from several of the animals that walked up to us. They were obviously tame and used to Ben’s presence.

  It had been more than an hour when Ben started to lead me back toward the main building. He had his hand wrapped around my waist, and his fingertips had slid under my shirt, making the skin he touched spark with energy. Just before we got to the door he turned and kissed me softly, pulling me close to him.

  “I like this place,” I told him, after breaking the kiss. I was worried that we might be keeping Matt from coming close.

  “Well, come whenever you like. I’ll have Lynn tell all the employees that you’re free to come and go as you please.”

  “So you’re thinking I might come without you?”

  “You might, if you get bored at the house or if I’m not around.”

  I nodded as we walked back into the building. Lynn was feeding a baby kangaroo with a bottle, and she let me try. It was really cute. A few minutes later Matt came in, he felt quite energetic, but he was a mess. He had a couple of leaves in his hair and mud on his jeans. Did he just have a thing for mud?

  “You haven’t been wrestling crocodiles, have you, Matt?” Ben teased.

  I looked at Lynn, concerned, but she was just laughing. Matt laughed too as if it was a joke. I relaxed and kept feeding the kangaroo joey. “That’s your gig, Ben. I don’t even go near that waterhole.”

  “Wuss,” Ben said, and they both laughed.

  “Whatever, you’re nuts.”

  We stopped in Katoomba on the way back and had lunch, or at least Matt and I did. I wasn’t really hungry or in need of lunch, but I felt strange not eating and it tasted good anyway. Matt left us at the restaurant and said he’d catch a ride home. I wasn’t ready to go home yet, so I asked Ben what else we could do. He gave me a smile that told me exactly what he would want to do if it were up to him, so I decided to suggest something.

  “You said there’s a national park, right? Can we check it out?”

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sp; “Of course, if that’s what you want to do,” he said, with an exaggerated frown that made me laugh. He smiled brightly at that and led me back to the car. It wasn’t long before we were at Echo Point. We were standing overlooking a vast valley covered in deep green trees. To our left rose three large rock formations, which Ben said were called the Three Sisters. In front of us the valley was magnificent, like a painting with blue sky in the background and just a few fluffy clouds.

  I was sure Ben had already seen this view too many times to care, but I was fascinated by it. He patiently waited until I’d had my fill, and then we headed to the house. He had mentioned that we could hike one of the trails in the park, but I figured we should leave some things for another day.

  We spent the rest of the week wandering the Blue Mountains. Ben showed me all the popular parks and views. We even went on a scenic railway ride so steep I wondered whether I really wanted to be on it.

  On days I didn’t feel like a long car trip, we went horseback riding through the forests around the house. We also went back to the reserve a couple of times. Besides being able to get a charge, I could also use the computer there to send emails to Lizzie. There wasn’t a computer with Internet access at the house.

  Matt tagged along when we went to the reserve, but otherwise I rarely saw him or any of Ben’s other brothers. Ben said they were all working, except for Matt. Their father thought it would be better for him to finish college before he decided whether to work with them.

  “So is Matt going to college now, then?” I asked one day as Ben and I sat on the porch alone.

  “He’s been taking some time off, but I think he might go back after the winter break.”

  “Does he study here or in the States?”

  “Well, he had been studying in the States, but he got sidetracked when his mom died. My father’s been encouraging him to go to the University of Sydney.”

  “I guess I know how he feels. I’m pretty sidetracked myself.”

  “You can go, too, if you like. You don’t have to go back to the States to study.”

  “Wouldn’t it be complicated?”

  “Not at all. If you want to study, we can arrange it; you needn’t worry about anything.”