The Pull of Destiny

by Hotcheri

  “You so ungrateful! My momma feeds you, buys you all the things you ask her for and you can’t even let your own cousin hold some cash? When we gave you a place to stay and took you in like you were our own?” Nate asked incredulously, bearing down on me. I backed up against the wall, trying to control my breathing.

  “I get paid today. I’ll give you the money when I get off work,” I said hastily, trying not to breath in the alcohol fumes emanating from him.

  “You better,” he sneered, just as Aunt Kelly shuffled in from the living room.

  Taking in the scene at a glance, she asked, “What’s going on here?”

  Nate took a step back from me and gave his mother a fake wide smile that she didn’t respond to. “Just a little cousin to cousin talk,” he said, sending me a warning glance.

  “Yeah, we were just chatting,” I lied, giving Aunt Kelly a watery smile. Damn Nate! I couldn’t understand his animosity towards me. It was almost like he was jealous of me, despite our 9 year age difference!

  “You weren’t asking her for money, were you?” Aunt Kelly asked Nate, a knowing look on her face.

  Shaking his head, Nate said “I don’t need money from her! She was just telling me she wanted to go to the library, that’s it.”

  “Is that true, Celsi?” Aunt Kelly asked tenderly. I nodded.

  “Yes, auntie, I want to go study, then I’m going to work,” I told her.

  “Have fun. Take care,” Aunt Kelly said, smiling at me. I smiled back.

  “Thanks, auntie. Bye,” I said and scurried out of the apartment, just as Nate raised his voice.

  Let the arguments begin afresh. I was just glad I was away from Nate and his hatefulness. I loved him, he was pretty much my older brother and the only family I had, but I found it hard to like him.

  CHAPTER 9

  what happens in little italy...

  Celsi’s Point of View

  My path to the Astor penthouse was unhindered this time around. Dracula was nowhere to be seen as I walked into the lobby and met the Astor’s doorman, who rode up to the penthouse with me, chatting about the New York Met’s. Dracula was probably sleeping in his coffin, waiting for dusk so he could fly around Manhattan, bringing terror and doom to the city. Call me paranoid, but I strongly suspected the bat which had been hanging outside my window lately wasn’t really a bat, if you know what I’m saying.

  Mr. Smith, the butler, met me at the front door like last time. His face brightened in recognition.

  “Good afternoon, ma’am,” he said gravely, stepping aside to let me in.

  “Hey, Mr. Smith. How’s it going?” I asked, sniffing at the air discreetly. It smelt amazing! Whatever air freshener the Astor’s used, I wanted in. Just one spray of that would probably have the power to turn Nate into a saint! Well, okay, maybe that was wishful thinking, but I was the biggest wishful thinker out there.

  “It’s going as well as can be expected, ma’am,” Mr. Smith answered in his clipped accent. I bit back a smile.

  “I’m here to see Luke. Is he in?” I asked.

  Mr. Smith nodded slightly, closing the door behind me. “As a matter of fact, he is, ma’am. I’ll announce your arrival right away.”

  I shook my head before he even finished his sentence, my earrings jangling.

  “No, please don’t announce my arrival.” I nervously pulled on the hem of my top as Mr. Smith gave me a slightly puzzled look. “I get self-conscious,’ I explained, feeling like an idiot. Yes, it’s true, I hate being in the spotlight.

  “As you wish, ma’am,” Mr. Smith said, inclining his head towards me. He’s probably thinking, ‘this chick is loco’. “Follow me, please. I’ll take you to Master Astor.”

  “You know, if you’re not going to call me Celsi, at least call me Miss Sawyer,” I told him as I trotted along beside him. “Ma’am makes me feel so old.”

  Not like anyone actually ever calls you ma’am, Celsi.

  He nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. “Very well, ma’am- Miss Sawyer.”

  He led the way to a different part of the penthouse than I was in last time as I tagged along, whipping my head from right to left like a metronome, trying to look at all the paintings and portraits on the wall. The penthouse was huge! I wondered how many rooms it had. Our apartment had 6 bitterly small rooms but I felt a bit stupid comparing it to this. I mean, you could actually get lost in here!

  The wide hall opened out into a large, airy room which was infinitely more welcoming than the parlor. That could have been because of the cheerful fire burning in the fireplace, or it could have been because of the laughter coming from Luke, who was lying on his back, and the little girl he was tickling mercilessly.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Smith open his mouth (presumably to announce my arrival, even though I asked him not to. Force of habit, I guess) and I waved a hand to stop him. I didn’t want to ruin Luke’s good time. And he looked like he was having a good time, even though he had laughed at me when I said I worked at a daycare.

  Luke must’ve seen the motion or heard us come into the room because he pulled himself up to a sitting position, yanking the giggling girl on his lap and grinned at me.

  “Hey, CiCi, you made it!” he exclaimed, sounding delighted.

  Was it just me or did he sound way too happy to see me? It’s just you.

  Mr. Smith bowed slightly and backed out of the room as I inched closer to Luke.

  “Hey, Luke. Sorry I’m a little late. The subway was running off schedule today and I totally forgot it was a Saturday and...”

  My voice trailed off as I pinched my arm to stop myself from rambling.

  Luckily, Luke didn’t notice that I hadn’t said anything of substance. Or maybe he noticed and was just acting like he didn’t to be polite.

  He glanced down at his silver wristwatch then looked up at me. “That’s okay. I didn’t even notice the time,” he admitted, biting his bottom lip as he smiled. “Faith was keeping me busy, weren’t you?”

  He tickled the little girl again and she giggled hard, wriggling on his lap. So this is Faith! I’d had no idea that Luke had a little sister. Their hair was the same shade of brown (even though Faith’s was way neater) and they had identically adorable grins on their faces. Anyway, I was sure that Luke wasn’t the babysitting type. I would have known he had a sister if I was a member of his fan club.

  “Luke, stop,” Faith giggled, twisting her body away from Luke’s fingers. She eyed me curiously and smiled shyly. “Hi.”

  I smiled back at her. I loved kids; they always made me feel happy. “Hey, there. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Faith. I’m six years old,” she told me, resting her chin in her palm as she looked at me. “What’s your name?”

  “My name is Celsi.”

  Luke snorted with laughter. “Wow, she handles introductions better than I do,” he said, smoothing her hair, a proud look on his face. “She’s my baby sister. And she’s five, not six.”

  Pouting at Luke, Faith said, “I’ll be six soon!”

  “She looks like you,” I said.

  “Really?” Luke looked down at Faith, hugging her shoulders. “I always thought she was way better looking than me, though.”

  Faith smiled adoringly at her brother, reaching up to pat his cheeks with her chubby hands. “You’re a cutie,” she assured him, saying the words I barely even dared to think. She looked up at me again, a serious look on her cute face as she creased her forehead. “Luke doesn’t bring girls who aren’t his girlfriend’s home.”

  “Oh,” I said slowly, as Luke laughed louder. I noticed that he wasn’t disproving anything that his sister was saying. So if the only girls he brought home were his girlfriend’s then did that mean-no way, Celsi! That’s stupid. I mentally shook my head to clear the cobwebs. Stupid. Don’t even think about that, Celsi.

  “You’re pretty,” Faith said, rubbing her nose.

  I smiled. How sweet. That was something I didn’t hear every day. “Thank
you, Faith.”

  A small, heavyset woman in blue bustled in. “Time for your nap, Faith,” she said in accented English.

  “Aw!” Luke and Faith said in unison, Luke managing to sound even more petulant than the five year old.

  “Five more minutes!” Faith pleaded, hiding her face in Luke’s blue and black t-shirt.

  Winking at me over Faith’s head, Luke echoed, “Yeah, Liv, five more minutes.” Obviously, this was something they went through a lot.

  “This is the third five more minutes you’ve had,” Liv scolded them, her hands on her portly hips. “It’s time for Faith to take a nap.”

  Faith looked up at Liv. “But-,” she started, a crafty expression on her face.

  Liv wagged a finger in Faith’s face, reaching down to take her hand as I stood and watched. “No buts, young lady,” she said good-naturedly.

  Faith pointed at me. “But I’m talking to her! She’s gonna be Luke’s girlfriend!”

  Say what?

  My eyes widened with shock as Faith said that and I glanced immediately at Luke and caught him glancing at me. He shrugged and grinned as I shuffled my feet, feeling my cheeks burn. Kids do say the darndest things.

  “Yeah, Liv, let her stay up for a little bit longer. Missing her nap won’t kill her,” Luke put in, cradling Faith in his lap.

  Liv turned on him, a mock-fierce expression on her face. “You do remember how cranky she gets if she doesn’t sleep in the afternoon, don’t you?”

  Luke grimaced. “Yikes, you’re right,” he said, getting to his feet, Faith still in his arms. I noticed that he was still wearing his pajama bottoms and smiled to myself as he kissed his little sisters forehead. “Okay, princess, time for your nap.”

  Faith pouted. “Luke!” she said huffily.

  “If you go with Liv, I’ll read you a story when you wake up,” he told her softly, rubbing his nose against hers, seal like.

  Faith sighed. “Okay. But it better be The Little Mermaid,” she said firmly.

  Luke hugged her before handing her over to Liv. “Okay, you got a deal,” he agreed.

  “Humph.” Faith didn’t seem too happy with being carted off to take a nap. She waved at me over Liv’s shoulder. “Bye, Celsi.”

  “Sleep tight, Faith,” I said with a smile, waving back.

  Luke turned to me, his eyes shining with laughter. “You see what I have to deal with? My friends would roast me if they knew I read The Little Mermaid to my sister.”

  “I think it’s sweet,” I said shyly.

  He shot me a crooked grin. “Yeah, just one of the perks of being a big brother, I guess. You got sibs?”

  Biting my lip, I shook my head hesitantly. Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. My mom had abandoned me when I was just a child and I had never known my dad. Maybe, in their Celsi-less lives, they both had children and were living quite happily without me. I pressed my lips together. I didn’t want to think about that.

  “No,” I replied.

  Luke nodded. “I think Faith might be the only person in the world who looks up to me,” he mused, rubbing his chin.

  “That would be nice.” He looked at me, a distracted expression on his face so I elaborated. “Having someone who looks up to you, I mean.”

  “Yeah, if you’re doing the right thing.” He stood there for a minute, a pensive look on his face. A penny for your thoughts. “I haven’t really been the best brother to her lately. But- I’m trying.” He sighed and glanced at me. “We should probably get started.”

  “I’m ready when you are,” I said, wondering what was going through his mind. He probably regretted not being a better brother to Faith, but from what I had just seen, he looked like he was doing a good job of making up for it.

  Before I could say that (not that I would have known where to start) he turned to me, motioning to me to follow him as he walked out of the living room. “C’mon. Let’s go to my room. I’ll show you my list first, and then we can play.”

  Me in Luke Astor’s bedroom? If his fan club found out, forget hate mail, they would poison my lunch!

  I was glad that he didn’t mention anything about Faith and her ‘girlfriend’ talk. That would have been awkward. Even though I knew it was just inane babble from a kid, it was still embarrassing for me.

  With a flourish, Luke opened the door leading to his room and stood aside so that I could walk in. I stepped into Luke’s room. The blinds were shut and the lights were on, bathing the neat bedroom with fluorescent light. To my surprise, there was a picnic blanket laid out on the floor with a platter of sandwiches, cookies and a pitcher of juice set neatly on it.

  “Did I or did I not outdo myself?” Luke asked behind me. “I didn’t make the food, but I set the picnic out. C’mon, you gotta give me props for that.”

  I turned to grin at him as he closed the door. “You did this?” I asked, pointing at the food array. He nodded at me, throwing himself on his bed as he rummaged on his bedside table and held up a small notebook.

  “That’s all me. Try a sammitch before you check out my list. They are so good!”

  Well, he did offer...

  I leaned down and picked up a ‘sammitch’ and bit in. Tuna. My favorite. I closed my eyes to savor the taste, almost forgetting that I was standing in the middle of a room with a boy who was probably laughing at me right this second.

  “You really enjoy your food, don’t you?” Luke asked, looking amused as I opened my eyes, flushing.

  “I was hungry. I didn’t have lunch.” Realizing how that might be construed, I hastily added “Not because we didn’t have food, but because I didn’t have time to make myself something to eat.”

  Oh, God, I sounded like a moron.

  “Dude. The food’s there for you to eat. Knock yourself out,” Luke said generously, waving his hand in my direction. “I’ll be upset if you don’t eat anything.”

  “Yeah, that’d be kinda rude of me,” I agreed heartily, taking another bite of the sandwich.

  Patting the empty spot next to him on the neatly made bed, Luke said, “Come, sit down.” Hoping he couldn’t hear my heart rate speed up (it seemed to do that every time I got a hint of his fresh, clean scent, go figure) I sat down next to him. He handed his notebook to me. “Here’s my list. Don’t laugh,” he warned me, leaning against the headboard of his double bed.

  I took the book and opened it as Luke became engrossed in throwing and catching a hackey sack. Pursing up my lips, I scanned his list, a pen in my hand. His writing was small and neat and the goals he had achieved he had written done next to them. “You want to bring sexy back?” I had to ask, raising my head to look at him. He laughed, spreading his hands in a supplicating manner.

  “I’m trying!” he said.

  Personally, I thought that he had nailed it. When he wasn’t looking, I wrote a small ‘done’ next to it. He would thank me later.

  “Join the mile high club,” I read aloud, noting the ‘done’ written next to it. Luke snorted with laughter and I shook my head. “I’m not even going to ask.”

  “I told you not to laugh,” he chided me; flinching as the hackey sack hit him in the face.

  “I’m just saying,” I grinned. There was still a lot that he hadn’t done and I bit my lip. Time to get cracking. “We should get started on that game.”

  Sitting up, Luke threw me a controller and gave me a cheerful sideways glance. “You ready to kick Halo’s ass?”

  I nodded. “Let’s do it!”

  Luke grinned. “I love your enthusiasm.”

  Unfortunately, enthusiasm was not enough to help us beat the last level of Halo 4. Two hours and countless try’s later, Luke put down his controller and conceded defeat.

  “I can’t do it anymore,” he said, pulling at his hair in mock frustration.

  “Don’t give up,” I told him, even though I personally felt that if I had to see Master Chief one more time I would go loco.

  "Is that what it says on your locket?" Luke asked absently. I looked at him as
he lay on his back, his arms behind his head. He was staring at my locket, which was hanging right above my-gulp-chest.

  "No. My locket says ‘feel the pull of destiny'," I said, running my finger over the engraved words that I knew from memory. Luke grinned.

  "That's deep. But- what does it mean?" he asked.

  I shook my head. "Maybe one day I'll figure it out," I said softly.

  Luke grinned. “That’s deep,” he whispered, his green eyes on my face. “So, tell me. About the whole piano thing. You planning to study music after high school? Maybe go to Julliard or something?” Luke asked me, turning on his side till his body was facing me, his hair falling into his eyes. I felt an almost uncontrollable urge to brush it out of his eyes and sat on my hands.

  “I wish I could go to Julliard,” I said wistfully. “But I know my limits, financial and otherwise. I’m probably not going to do anything related to music.”

  After all, hadn’t a little birdie told me that even though I went to private school, I would always be a ghetto child? That was true, though. I rarely agreed with Nate on anything, but I couldn’t deny that.

  “Why? You got talent!” Luke was now on his stomach, his chin propped up in his hands as he looked at me. “I think if someone from Julliard heard you play, they’d be beating down your door, trying to get you to join their school. I mean, I think you’re really good.”

  I flushed. That meant so much to me. “Thank you, Luke,” I said softly.

  “Don’t sell yourself short. They have scholarships and stuff. You might end up being lucky,” Luke continued.

  “Maybe,” I shrugged. I doubted it, though. Me, at Julliard? Only in my dreams.

  “So if you don’t do music- what you planning to do after high school?” Luke wanted to know.

  “Something to do with kids,” I decided. “Maybe train to become a teacher. Or a daycare supervisor.”

  Luke laughed. “Yeah? Better you than me, I think I would go insane, hanging out with kids all the time. That’s cute.”