by R. E. Butler
“Your eyes are blue. I thought...aren’t they usually brown?”
Novi blinked rapidly a few times and tried to calm down. “They change color when I get emotional. Those women pissed me off.”
“Ah, my eyes get really green when I cry. I’ve never heard of eyes changing color completely, but that’s pretty cool. Well, it’s not cool you were treated badly. I’ll handle them, you hang out back here and take a break.”
“Thanks. I really need one.”
Novi went to the tiny bathroom and flicked on the overhead light. Sure enough, her chocolate brown eyes were an icy-blue color with gold striations.
She rubbed the space over her heart with her fingertips. Her skin tingled and the urge to growl rose again.
She’d had these strange symptoms when she was overly emotional—eyes changing color, gums and fingers tingling, and wanting to growl or snarl. She’d had them for years, even since she could remember. The first time she ever actually growled at someone was when she was in public school in kindergarten and a little girl had taken her fingerpaints. That was the one and only day she’d been in public school. Her mom had snatched her out of there really fast.
Panic attack? It just felt like something inside her wanted justice in a feral sort of way. To lash out with claws and bare fangs she didn’t have.
It sure didn’t feel like a panic attack.
She knew she couldn’t tell her mom about the incident, because her mom would freak out and tell her to quit the job she’d only had for a week. And she might get scared enough to move them again when they’d only been in New Jersey for a few weeks. She’d keep the situation to herself. She could handle it, she just had to remember to walk away before she did anything strange in front of people.
If only she could figure out why she felt like she did and had these weird episodes. She was certain it was related to her biological father, but that bastard was never going to give her any information. He was the reason they were on the run in the first place.
He’d tried to kill her when she was a toddler.
“Wow, those women were bitches!” Katya said, walking into the storage room.
Novi chuckled. “Yeah. What did you say to them?”
“I told them if they wanted dresses from a wedding shop they needed to go to one and not expect miracles at a thrift shop. And that if they didn’t like our selection they could kindly shove it up their ass.”
“You didn’t!”
“Well, I was diplomatic. They’re gone, and they’ll probably post on social media that this is a terrible place to shop, but who the hell cares? We have a great clientele who come in looking for deals and are nice to boot, we don’t need bitches calling us liars. Which, PS, is like the opposite way to get me to want to help someone out.”
“Yeah, me too. Thanks for handling it.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Katya returned to the office, and Novi knelt in front of the boxes and poked around, moving books from one box to the other and setting aside ones that caught her eye. By the time the store was closed at eight and her shift was over a half hour later, she’d found two air fryer cookbooks for her mom, and two old romances with swashbuckling pirates on the front covers for herself, the heroes both with open shirts and long flowing hair just like the ladies in their arms. She’d also found a container garden book, which she thought would be fun to look into.
She paid for the books and placed them in her knapsack, then said goodnight to her boss.
The car she shared with her mom had seen better days, but it worked, as did the radio, and that was enough for her. The drive across town took only seven minutes. The house she shared with her mom was a cute three-bedroom ranch with a red front door and a small porch. They were on a quiet street with the houses spread far apart, which was what her mom looked for when house hunting. They generally stayed away from apartment complexes because they were too close together and could lead to people asking too many questions.
Once more she thought about how unfair the situation was. She wanted to stay put and make friends and build a life. They hadn’t heard from her father in several years, but her mom was still worried about being found.
She parked in the gravel driveway and went to get the mail. Inside the box was a few pieces of junk mail and something from the Amazing Adventures Safari Park, addressed to the previous tenant.
Novi turned the large, colorful postcard from the park over and read it as she walked up the drive to the house. The postcard was actually a ticket for a free VIP safari tour and doubled as a parking pass. While it was addressed to the previous tenant, it didn’t say anywhere on the ticket that it was non-transferrable. She decided to check out the website and see if she could make a reservation for a tour. She’d never been to the park and going on a private safari tour sounded really fun.
Opening the front door, she called out for her mom and found her in the kitchen dunking chocolate chip cookies in a glass of milk. Novi kissed her cheek and set the mail down on the worn table.
“How was work?” her mom, Lori, asked.
“Good.” She skipped the part about the rude women and her reaction to them and instead opened her knapsack and took out the cookbooks.
“Oh, fun! I’ll find something new to try this weekend.”
“I’m sure it will be delicious. ”
“What’s this?” her mom asked as Novi reached for the ticket to put it in her pack.
“It came in the mail.”
“Well, it’s trash. Toss it with the other stuff.”
“I think I’ll go on the tour. It’s free.”
“It’s not addressed to you.”
“I was going to see if I could use the ticket even if it’s not addressed to me.”
Her mom narrowed her eyes. “Um, no. We don’t do that kind of thing.”
“What, go to the zoo?”
“Yes. They take pictures in public places like that and post them online. It would be just our bad luck for your father to see your picture somewhere and know where we are. So put the thought from your mind. If you want to see animals, go for a walk in the woods.”
“Mom, I think you’re overreacting. It’s been a long time.”
“Need I remind you that the last time he found out where we lived, he almost ran me off the road and killed us both? He’s unstable and unstoppable. Trust me to take care of us and keep us both safe.” She took the ticket and tossed it into the trash with the junk mail.
Novi wanted to protest, but she could see the firm set of her mom’s jaw and knew it was futile. She’d come back for the ticket after her mom went to bed. If she didn’t want Novi to go on a tour, then she’d just do it on her own. She was twenty-two and could make decisions for herself. There was no harm in going to the zoo, she was sure of it.
But more than that, she had a feeling… like it was kismet and she was destined to find that ticket and go on the tour. She wasn’t about to mess with destiny, so she was going to go to the park, no matter what.
Chapter Three
Novi didn’t like deception in any form. She particularly didn’t like lying to her mom about anything. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to go to the park and go on the tour. After her mom went to bed Thursday night, Novi used the laptop to search up the safari park and found a link to the tours. She entered the information from the ticket and reserved a tour for Saturday afternoon. The next day, she told Katya she’d have to take off early Saturday for an appointment.
Novi put a change of clothes and a toiletries bag in her knapsack Saturday morning and said goodbye to her mom, then headed to the thrift store. The day eeked by, and she was certain it was because she was so excited about the tour. By the time she could clock out, she thought it had been the longest day on record. She changed into a pair of jeans, a navy-blue t-shirt, and a light-weight olive green jacket. After switching out her sturdy work shoes for her favorite tennis shoes, she ran a brush through her long, dark brown hair,
put on some makeup, and gave herself one last look in the small mirror over the sink.
“You look great,” Katya said when Novi walked into the main part of the store.
“Thanks. I’ll see you on Monday!”
“Have fun.”
Novi put her knapsack on the floor of the backseat and took out her wristlet wallet and the tour ticket. She plugged the park address into the map app on her phone and then put on her favorite radio station.
After thirty minutes, she’d arrived at the park. It was a beautiful April day, and she wasn’t surprised the park was packed. There was a line all the way to the road to get into the park, and she was glad she’d left earlier than necessary so she wasn’t late.
Once she got up to the parking lot attendant, she showed him the ticket and he said, “Welcome to the park! Follow the signs for the VIP tour lot. Have fun!”
“Thank you.”
She parked and walked through large iron gates, weaving through the crowd to get to one of the ticket takers. “Do you have ID?” the young man asked as he took her ticket and looked at it.
“I do,” she said, taking her license from her wristlet. “But my name’s not on that ticket.”
“Oh? Where did you get the ticket from?” He looked from her ID to the ticket and then at her.
She explained how she came to have the ticket. “I did make a reservation for a tour, but if I can’t use this ticket maybe I can just pay for a tour myself?”
“Oh no, that’s not necessary,” he said, handing the ID and ticket back to her. “The tickets are transferrable, and clearly we had a bad address for this person, so it’s nice that the ticket is being used. Just let them know at the check-in for the tour what you told me, and there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“Enjoy the tour.”
He gave her a map, showing her where the tour was located. She followed the crowd into the park and turned left toward the tour. The three men at the tour check-in let her through without issue. As she took her place in line, she blew out a breath of relief, thankful she hadn’t been told she couldn’t use someone else’s ticket.
There was one young woman in line ahead of her, snapping her gum and taking selfies. Novi leaned back to avoid being caught in the background of her numerous photos, thankful when a blue camo-colored Jeep pulled forward and called for the woman to go on her tour. Novi was all alone in line. She could hear the Jeep as it moved away, the rustle of the trees around her in the gentle spring breeze, and felt the heat of the sun as it streamed through the branches overhead.
“Are you Novi?” a man asked quietly, startling her out of her reverie.
She gasped and pressed her hand to her chest like a lady in a romance novel. “Yes, sorry.”
“I’m Benjamin, your tour guide. Would you like something to drink?”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
She followed Benjamin to the Jeep and climbed into the back seat next to a black bag that he explained held a professional camera. “We’ll take your picture at each paddock, and then you’ll be given a souvenir photo album after the tour is over, free of charge.”
“That’s pretty neat.”
The driver looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. “I’m Silvanus. Have you been on a tour before?”
“Not like this. I just moved to New Jersey a few weeks ago with my mom. It’s my first time at the park.”
“Then we’ll make sure you have a great time,” Silvanus said. “Hold on, the Jeep lurches a bit when it takes off.”
Benjamin spoke into a walkie as they pulled up to a gate. A moment later, the gate squeaked as it opened, and the Jeep moved through the opening and followed a path.
“Do you have a favorite animal?” Benjamin asked as the Jeep jostled along the dirt path.
“I kind of just like all animals, but I’ve always thought wolves were pretty cool.”
“Us too,” Benjamin said with a grin. “First up are the elephants. We’ve got four male elephants in the memory.”
“Elephant groups are called memories? That’s funny.”
“Lots of animal groups have weird names, like gorillas are a band and cheetahs are a coalition,” Silvanus said.
“I learned the other day that a group of bats is called a cauldron, which is super fitting, I think,” Benjamin said with a chuckle.
The Jeep pulled to a stop, and Benjamin helped Novi down and then grabbed the camera from the bag. She turned toward the high chain-link fence and saw four elephants milling around the paddock.
Her heart started to pound as she walked toward the fence, and her gums and fingers ached suddenly. She glanced down at her fingers and saw that the pale pink polish didn’t quite cover the fact that her nails had darkened.
Shit.
Why was she having this weird emotional reaction right now? She wasn’t upset or angry, so what was causing it?
There was a snuffling sound, and she jerked her head up to see a huge elephant staring down at her.
She grasped the links and curled her fingers over the cool metal. The elephant touched her fingers with his trunk and awareness shot up her arm like electricity. It was as if she actually knew this elephant, recognized him even though she’d never seen an elephant in person in her life.
Turning her hand over, she rubbed the warm skin of his trunk, marveling at how close he was. How big he was.
“Hey. Whoa,” Benjamin said. “We don’t really recommend touching the animals, Novi.”
The elephant snorted and tossed his head, his ears flapping with the motion.
Benjamin looked up at him and said, “Ah, I get it. Hey Novi, why don’t you turn around and I’ll take a pic of you with the elephant.”
“Does he have a name?” she asked, slipping her fingers away from the fence and turning to face Benjamin.
“Um, yeah, but I don’t remember what it is off the top of my head.”
“Oh. He’s really big.”
Benjamin chuckled and tried to cover it with a cough. He told her to smile and she did, giggling when the elephant touched her shoulder through the fence. She turned back around and said, “I wish I could stay. You’re pretty neat. I also wish I knew your name. Maybe someone else will know it.”
The something in her chest that wanted to growl when she was upset stuttered to life like a purr, and this time she didn’t try to stop it. Benjamin was already walking away, and it was just her and the elephant. It wasn’t like he’d know there was something wrong with her because she could growl. He touched her fingers again and made a soft rumbling sound, and her growl grew louder until she had to take a step back because her eyes were stinging with tears.
“Wow, I’m feeling so emotional right now I can’t even figure out why. I should go.” She shook her head at herself. “I have no idea why I’m talking to you like you’re a person. I must be crazy. Or hungry. Or tired. Or all three.” She looked up, up, up at him and smiled. “Bye.”
As she walked toward the Jeep, the elephant lifted his trunk and trumpeted loudly, and she felt the sound all the way to the center of her being. It sounded possessive and protective...of her.
With a last look at him, she waved as the Jeep pulled away, not turning around until she couldn’t see him any longer.
“Do they always come up to the fence like that?” she asked.
“Nope, you must be special,” Silvanus said.
Her cheeks heated, and she smiled. “That’s a nice thought, but I’m just a regular girl.”
“Maybe,” Benjamin said. “Or maybe you have a special connection to animals and he was just reacting to it. Where are you from, anyway?”
“All over. We move a lot.”
“For work?” Silvanus asked.
It was easier to lie than to tell the truth to strangers, even though she hated lying. “Yeah. My mom and I don’t stay in one place too long.”
“It’s just the two of you?” Benjamin asked.
“Yeah. My father di
dn’t want to be part of our lives.”
Or, she told herself, he didn’t want her to be alive in the first place. But that was a truth she’d never shared with anyone and wasn’t about to spill her guts to two strangers on a safari tour.
They continued on the tour, visiting the wolves, then the gorillas, and then the bears. When she got out of the Jeep at the bear paddock, she felt another twinge of familiarity with the bears, but she pushed away the thoughts and focused on the tour guide who told her some interesting facts about the various types of bears in the paddock. She kept her distance, not wanting to have another growling episode, and was relieved to get back into the Jeep and on their way to the other paddocks. She’d been looking forward to seeing Tank the grumpy moose, and he didn’t disappoint. He was really a beautiful animal with his huge horns and dark fur.
When they reached the end of the tour, Benjamin said, “I’m going to take you to the office so you can wait for your photo album. It shouldn’t take too long.”
“Okay, thank you. It was fun.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Benjamin said.
She said goodbye to Silvanus and walked with Benjamin to the security office.
“Have you been a tour guide long?” she asked.
“A couple years. What do you do?”
“I work at a thrift store.”
“You must see some neat old things.”
“From time to time. It would be fun to work with animals, though.”
“It is.”
They stopped at a small building with a sign over the door that designated it as the security office. Benjamin opened the door for her, and she thanked him for escorting her and being a great guide.
“It was nice to meet you, Novi. Have a great afternoon.”
“Thanks, Benjamin, you too.” She stepped inside the building and the door shut behind her.
A tall man with dark hair stood behind a long counter.
“You must be Novi,” he said with a smile.
“I am. How did you know my name?”
“Benjamin radioed that he was bringing you here for your album. It’s being loaded and then printed. It’s going to take about an hour. I’m Xavier.”