Knight Flyers

by Ann McCune

“Yeah, well Shawn and I made up. I talked to Billy too, and I think everything is going to be better now.” I cut a piece of my steak and looked up when Dad started coughing.

  “Are you alright?” I asked, ready to jump up and pound on his back.

  “Yes, what do you mean, you and Shawn made up?” he asked, taking a sip of water.

  “Shawn and I made up. He asked me to go to prom with him at lunch.” I looked down, trying to hide my blush.

  “Well, that’s wonderful,” Mom said, getting up and kissing me on the cheek. “See, I told you everything would work out.”

  “I don’t know about this, Sandy, look at how upset she has been for the past week.” Dad put his fork and knife down and folded his hands together.

  “Sweetheart, we’ve talked about this.” Mom narrowed her eyes at him and I wondered what they had talked about. “We are so happy for you, Liz.”

  “Thanks, actually, I know you guys don’t know him very well and I thought maybe he could come over for dinner tomorrow night, so you could get to know him better.” I hadn’t really thought about it, but it might be a good way for them to trust him.

  “That is a wonderful idea,” Mom said, looking at my dad and almost daring him to object.

  “I haven’t asked him yet, so I will let you know tomorrow.”

  After dinner I went up to my room and did my real homework. No matter what was happening to me I wasn’t going to let my grades slip and ruin my chances to get into the Air Force Academy. When I was done, I crawled into bed, excited to see Shawn in my dreams. When he was there the goblin wasn’t, and I needed a break.

  When I opened my eyes, I was in Shawn’s padded room and he was sitting on a white leather sofa waiting for me. “Hi,” I said, walking over to him.

  “Hi, how was the rest of your night?” he asked.

  “Good, I think. I told my parents we were back together, and we were going to prom.” I sat next to him on the couch and he draped an arm over my shoulder.

  “What did your dad say?”

  “Dad wasn’t thrilled I took you back, but Mom was happy and kept giving him the evil eye.”

  “Maybe someday I will win him over.” Shawn laughed and kissed the top of my head.

  “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow? It might help smooth things over.” I looked up.

  “Yeah, maybe it will help.”

  We spent the rest of the night talking about anything but the mares. It was so nice just to hang out and not worry about the nightmares trying to ruin my life.

  CHAPTER 22

  The next day at school everything had gone back to normal and I was relaxed for the first time all week. Shawn met me when he could and would walk me to my class. Billy sat on one side of me at lunch and Shawn sat on the other. We laughed and talked about the upcoming weekend. Billy kept staring at Jo and I could not figure out what was going on there. When the last bell of the day rang I was glad the week was over.

  I drove home with the music from the satellite radio blaring and singing along with all the songs I knew. I parked in the driveway, went inside, and took my backpack up to my room. I threw it toward my desk then fell backwards onto my bed. What do I do now? I thought to myself. It was Friday, normally I hung out with Billy, Tommy, and Sam. We had all spent so much time together growing up and I thought we always would be together, but things were changing, and I was going to have to get used to it.

  I sat up and bent over to pull the tin with my biological father’s things in it from under the bed. I wanted to show everything to Shawn, maybe if he looked at everything we could understand a little more of where I came from. I pulled everything and out and organized the contents. I put the pictures in one pile, the letters in another, and put the journal on my desk. I picked up the stone by the leather thong. It had to be important, all the journal had said was that it was passed down to my father because he was a powerful knight. I rested it in the palm of my hand and felt something creeping up my arm, through my skin, and weaving itself around my body. It didn’t hurt, it was almost soothing, or protective. I wanted to put the necklace on and never take it off. I held it up ready to put it on but paused. With all the crazy things going on in my life, I had better figure out what it was before I put it on. I put it on top of the journal and felt its presence leave me.

  I looked at the time, then around my room. Shawn would not be in my room, but it was kind of dirty, and I needed to keep busy, so I started cleaning. When I was done with my room, I went downstairs picked up, dusted, and vacuumed. I thought about what movie we could tell my parents we were going to watch. It needed to be something we had both seen in case they quizzed us about it later. I went back upstairs and sat at my computer.

  I had a message from Shawn on my messenger. I clicked it open.

  Hey, are we still on for dinner? What time?

  I clicked the reply box.

  We are good to go for dinner; we usually eat around seven.

  I finished cleaning and had just finished setting the table when Dad walked in.

  “Hi, Dad,” I called, going to meet him in the kitchen.

  “Hi, Liz,” he said, sounding like he had a rough day. “Is Shawn still coming over for dinner, or did you break up again?” he asked, taking his shoes off, and hanging up his coat.

  “Yes, he is still coming over. Why would we break up again?”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt again.” He leaned against the counter and folded his arms over his chest.

  “He’s a good guy. He thought I was messing with him when he saw Billy kissing me. He needed to cool down, then we talked, and we are all good now.”

  “I’m going into the man cave. Have your mom come see me when she gets home.” He stalked off.

  I shook my head, I was going to have to figure out a way for Shawn to win him over. With the table set, I went into the kitchen to do the few dishes in the sink. Mom walked in while I was starting the dishwasher.

  “Hi, sweetie, where’s Dad?” She pushed off her boots and put her slippers on.

  “He went into the man cave. He’s butt-hurt that Shawn and I didn’t break up today and is still coming to dinner. He asked me to tell you to go see him when you got home.”

  “Overprotective, was he ever a teenager?” Mom mumbled under her breath as she went down the hall to the man cave.

  With nothing left to do I went into the living room and switched on the television. I started a Modern Marvels episode I had recorded a few months before but hadn’t watched yet.

  Mom came in a little while later. “What time is Shawn coming?”

  “I told him seven,” I said, turning the television down. “Is Dad okay?”

  “Yes, he’s having a hard time with you growing up is all.” She patted my head and turned toward the kitchen.

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, sweetheart?”

  “Let me know if you need help with dinner.”

  “I think I’ve got it, but you could set the table.”

  “I already did and vacuumed and dusted.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” I went back to my program and tried to pay attention to it and not the clock. I finally heard Shawn’s Jeep pull into the driveway and turn off. A minute later the doorbell rang, and I jumped up to answer the door.

  Shawn stood there with an arm full of flowers. “Hi, what are those?” I asked.

  “What do they look like smarty?” he said, coming in while I shut the door behind him.

  He stomped his feet on the mat. “Should I take my shoes off?”

  “Please, I just vacuumed.” I took the pile of flowers from him while he pulled his boots off then his coat. I gave the flowers back to him, took his coat and hung it in the closet.

  I turned back to him and he gave me one of the bouquets. “These are for you.” I took them and buried my nose in them. They smelled of everything spring.

  “Thank you. Are those for my mom?” I asked, leading him
into the kitchen.

  “Yeah, hostess gift, you know,” he said shyly.

  “Shawn’s here, Mom,” I said, going to the cabinet where we kept vases. I pulled two down while Shawn waited for Mom to look up from making a salad.

  “Thanks for having me,” he said, offering her the flowers when she looked up.

  “Thank you, Shawn, they’re beautiful. Liz, will you get me a vase?” she asked, then turned and saw me at the sink with two vases. “Oh, perfect, you put these in water while I finish up dinner. Shawn have a seat at the bar and tell me what you think of Twisted Pines so far.”

  “Well, Mrs. Lawson,” he said while taking a seat. “It’s colder than I am used to, but it’s beautiful. I can’t wait to see it in the summer. Everyone has been friendly. It seems like a close-knit community.”

  I finished cutting the ends of the flowers and stuck them in vases. “Those are beautiful. Liz, why don’t you put one on the dining room table and the other one in your room? Shawn, where were you before you moved here?”

  I rolled my eyes and picked up the flowers. “I’ll be back.” I put one of the vases on the dining room table then took the other up to my room and put them on my desk, so I could see them from my bed.

  I went back downstairs and opened the door to the man cave. “Shawn’s here. Are you going to come out?” I asked Dad.

  “I can hear him, and I’ll be out in a few. Please close the door.”

  I closed the door and went back into the kitchen where Mom and Shawn were chatting. “Liz, did you tell your father Shawn was here?” Mom asked, spooning some green beans into a serving bowl.

  “Yes, he said he would be out shortly.” I sat at the bar next to Shawn. Our eyes met, and I gave him the, is everything okay, look and he nodded his head. “How did you do on the history test?” I asked.

  He groaned. “C- I should have gotten an A but my mind was elsewhere. How did you do?”

  “A, I should’ve gotten an A+, but my mind was elsewhere,” I said, mimicking his excuse. We were probably both thinking about each other.

  “Liz, Shawn, do you want to take the food into the dining room. I’m going to go get your dad, so we can eat.”

  We took the food to the table and sat across from each other. “Is your dad okay with me being here?” Shawn whispered to me.

  I wanted to say yes, but Shawn deserved to know the truth. “No, but it’s not your fault. He doesn’t want me to grow up.”

  “I get it, my dad did the same thing when my sister started dating.” He chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” Dad asked, taking his seat at the head of the table.

  “Oh, I was just telling Liz about how my dad acted when my older sister started dating.” Shawn sat up straighter in his chair.

  “How did he act?” Dad was not in the mood for jokes and I hoped Shawn picked up on it.

  “He loved her, and he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. He did background checks on every guy who came to pick her up.” Shawn took the napkin from under his plate and laid it on his lap.

  “Good idea, I may need some information from you. Why was it funny?” Dad took his napkin and did the same.

  “I’m four years younger than her. I didn’t understand why my dad was making such a big deal about it, my sister could take care of herself. It was just a kid thing.” Shawn was backtracking and the expression on my dad’s face was not getting any better.

  “How was work today, Dad?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  “One of the girls you go to school with is pregnant,” he answered, not taking his eyes off Shawn.

  “Sweetheart, isn’t it against the law for you talk about your patients?” Mom asked, putting the roasted chicken on the table.

  “I just can’t say their names. She’s younger than you.” Dad stood and started carving the bird.

  “What do you want me to say, Dad? I’m sorry she made poor life choices she will have to deal with for the rest of her life. I won’t be making the same choices. I have goals.”

  “Good, I just wanted to hear you say it in front of Shawn,” he said, without looking up.

  “So, Shawn where were you living before New York?” Mom asked, changing the subject.

  “We were in Quebec for a year, before that we were in Beaver, Wisconsin for a few years,” Shawn said, giving my mom a quick smile.

  “Wow, it sounds like you have moved around a lot,” Mom continued as Dad finished carving the chicken and took my plate from me, put a thigh on it and gave it back to me, then served Shawn.

  “Yeah, I’ve never spent more than a few years anywhere, my dad’s work keeps us moving. I think we are going to stay here for a while though. My mom is adamant we spend my senior year in one place.”

  “What are your plans after high school?” Dad asked, sitting down, and taking one of the chicken breasts for his plate.

  “My dad wants me to work for the family business, but I want to go to college. I’m not sure where yet.”

  “What do you want to study?” Mom asked.

  “I’m thinking psychology, but I’ve thought about chemistry as well.”

  “Liz wants to go to the Air Force Academy, and she is well on her way there,” Dad said, making me blush.

  “Impressive, it’s a tough school to get into.” Shawn raised his eyebrows at me. “I know you’ll get in.”

  “Thanks, I need to keep my grades where they are and do well on the ACTs, then I might have a chance,” I said, loading up my plate.

  We all dug into our food and were quiet while we ate. When we were done eating, Shawn and I cleared the table and started doing the dishes.

  “That was so good. I wish my mom was that good of a cook,” Shawn said, as he rinsed the plates then handed them to me to load into the dishwasher.

  “I’m sure she isn’t as bad as you are implying.” I laughed.

  “She tries, but she doesn’t understand seasoning. One night it will be perfect, the next it has too much salt or pepper. We ate out a lot before we moved here.” Done with the dishes Shawn rinsed the sink out.

  “I was going to try and find a movie for us to watch but I have no clue what you are into,” I said, leading him into the living room.

  “I’m a guy so anything with action and adventure. I love all the superhero movies.”

  “What are you kids up to?” Mom asked, coming into the living room smelling of her favorite perfume.

  “We were going to watch a movie if that’s okay,” I said, looking at her from my position on the couch.

  “As long as you’re good it’s fine. Your dad and I are going to the Andersons’ for cards. We won’t be home too late.”

  “Just remember what I told you about the patient I saw today,” Dad said, coming down the stairs, going to the closet and pulling out Mom’s coat then his own.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll be good,” I said, looking at Shawn who was sitting on the other end of the couch.

  “I would never disrespect your daughter, or you, sir.”

  “Then have fun and we’ll see you later.”

  “You too,” I said, looking over to Shawn and trying to tell him with my eyes I wish they would leave already. When I heard the garage door open I relaxed. “Thank God, I have never seen him be such a jerk before.”

  “It was definitely a little intense for a while there. He just wants to make sure you’re safe.”

  I moved over to sit next to him. “Yeah but it was bad. If you want to leave and never speak to me again I will understand.”

  “He’s not going to scare me off.” Shawn put his arm around my shoulder. “Are we really going to watch a movie?”

  “No, I want to show you my bio-dad’s stuff.” I got up and went to the stairs. “I’ll bring it down.”

  “Not going to let me see your room?”

  “Not when I have no idea when my parents are going to be home. I’ll be right back.” I ran up the stairs to my room. I put everything in the tin and brought it back down to
the living room.

  Shawn was sitting on the couch when I came down channel surfing. He looked up when he heard me. “I thought we better turn something on in case they came home.”

  “Good idea.” I sat and put the box between us. “Here is everything I found. Some of it isn’t related, but a lot of it is. I pulled out the photos and gave them to him. He flipped through them quickly until he stopped at one.

  “That’s my dad, and there’s Jo’s dad, so that must be your dad.” Shawn pointed at the photo of the boys at the lake.

  “I wondered if you knew any of them.” I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

  “I haven’t had a chance to ask my dad about Victor yet, but I will as soon as I can.” He flipped through the rest of the pictures then set them aside. “Can I read his journal?” he asked, eyeing it.

  “Sure, there isn’t anything too personal in it.” I gave it to him and sat back while he read the few passages it contained. When he was done he gave it back to me then turned and took my hand.

  “You are a Knight Flyer Liz. We need to ask my dad if you can train with us.” He smiled but it never reached his eyes, instead they showed concern.

  “I would love to, but what aren’t you telling me?” I took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

  “I’m just worried, if you don’t get the training then you won’t know how to defend yourself. Plus, with the mark, it makes you much easier to find.”

  “Here is the rune my dad had,” I said, holding up the leather thong with the carved stone on it.

  “I’m sorry, I haven’t had chance to research it yet. Hopefully I will have time tomorrow.”

  “It’s okay, it’s been a crazy couple of days. I didn’t realize I had never touched the stone until this afternoon, it makes me feel weird.” I watched, and he let the stone sit in his hand then dropped it like it burned him.

  “Did it hurt you?” he asked, rubbing the spot on his hand where it touched him.

  “No, it was almost like it was covering my body in something. It didn’t hurt though, I guess it felt soothing. Like I had a protective layer all around me. Did it burn you?”

  “Yeah.” He looked down at it then back up to me.