Fledgling (36 page)

“Morning,” Eva said without lowering her book.

“Good morning. You eaten breakfast yet?”

“Yup.”

“Mom at work?”

Eva snorted, “Yeah, she left hours ago.”

Ana spun around and returned to the kitchen and picked a yogurt from the fridge. She sat squinting in the blinding light, finishing her breakfast and wondered if Chance was up yet. She grabbed her phone and called.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.”

Chance sounded tired and depressed.

“You talk to your mom yet today?”

“Yeah, she’s going downtown to fill out some papers to bury Grandfather. One of the doctors she works with is coming by. He’ll do a quick look over on Grandfather, and then he’ll sign something. I don’t know. From what Mom said, sounds like we can bury him this afternoon. There’s a spot he wanted to be buried, down the slope a ways.”

“Want me to come over?”

“Well, I think it will just be us for the burial. Tradition you know, sorry. It limits it to a couple people, but later I wanted to go up to Grandfather’s favorite place on the mountain to say goodbye. I can carry you up, but you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“Of course, I want to come and be with you. I need to say goodbye, too. How about you give me a call, let me know when to head over?”

“Yeah…soon, my love.”

“Love you too, Chance.”

Ana closed her phone and set it on the kitchen table. It was a mild day, maybe she’d go take a brief walk in the woods, or find her way down to the meadow. She was strangely effervescent. It felt so different.

She jogged upstairs to her room and pulled on her tennis shoes, then bounded back down to the kitchen.

Before opening the back door, she called out to her sister, “I’m goin’ for a walk, wanna come, Eva?”

“No,” wafted from the living room.

“‘Kay, just stay to the house then. Be back soon.”

The scent of fresh firs almost made Ana dizzy when she walked outside. The rain from the day before was soaking into the soil, offering a soft and springy surface to walk on.

Ana strode down the damp trail to her outdoor observatory. An occasional drip fell from the moist tree canopy and sank into her scalp. It had been a while since she visited her rock.

The sun had already dried the stone, leaving a wisp of vapor in the air above it. Not in the mood to sit still, she continued past and into the wilderness.

The darkened forest grew lighter as she approached its boundary. A rocky slope dropped into the green field below, the very field she’d spied from her gazing rock.

Her heart fluttered with happiness as she spied the familiar setting. Wildflowers exploded throughout the fresh grasses. The path moved downward. It could be a challenge climbing back up, but she was up to it. She felt like an explorer today-ready to approach adversity.

She hastened down the hill into the waiting blades of grass and stood staring at the flowers, Monks-hood, larkspur and woodlandstars. Bees buzzed from one blossom to the next. The sun heated the air, keeping the daytime occupants contented.

Inspired by the beauty around her, she picked wildflowers. It would make the perfect gift for Aiyana. In no time, she had a large bundle under her arm and decided to walk back to the house by way of the field, to see if she could spot her rock from below.

Ana soon located the stone jutting out high above her, and was startled by a small rabbit dashing through the undergrowth. Shaking her head she continued on, searching for a way back up to the house. The steep slope wrapped around and seemed to continue, until she noticed a rocky embankment.

She kept on, paused remembering the large bouquet under her arm, and shrugged. A soft giggle broke from her lips when she thought about her new behavior.

She flipped the flowers backward so the stems pointed forward and began climbing up the slope. Her free hand grabbed onto the rocks to pull herself up.

Her face was bright with color as she rose to her feet after climbing up. Past the sparse trees, Ana spotted the road back and began weaving through the firs. It was a short walk from the road to her driveway.

Ana entered the house with the large bouquet held in front of her.

“Hello?” Eva’s voice asked confused.

“It’s me.” Ana lowered the flowers exposing her flushed face.

“Geez, where’d you go? You’re all dirty.” Eva squished up her face.

“Oh, I went for a walk through the woods. Then, I made my way down to the meadow and picked some flowers for Aiyana. I had to climb up a slope to get home.”

“You climbed?” Eva appeared baffled.

“You know-I’m feeling really good today. I felt like I could do it, and I did,” she smiled proudly.

“Well, you don’t look pale. Mom’s gonna freak.”

Ana blew past Eva and pulled down a vase, filling it with water. While Ana busied herself in the kitchen Eva called from the living room, “Ana? You going to Chance’s today?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I made a chicken and rice dish you can take over-it’s in the fridge. And, I was hoping you could drop me by Leslie’s on your way? Mom said she’d pick me up after work.”

“Sure, Sweetie-no problem.”

Ana lowered the stems into the vase and blossoms spilled over the rim. Their sweet perfume filled the air and she breathed in a deep lungful.

Chance was walking up from the gravesite when he heard the loud roar of Ana’s van coming up the hill. He dug in his feet, racing through the brush and pines until he reached the gravel driveway. His breathing remained level after the dash up the mountainside.

A yellow shape materialized through the deep woods. The van stopped at Chance’s feet, and Ana climbed out. She crunched across the gravel and wrapped him in her arms.

“It’s done then?”

“Yeah. It was just Mom, Dad and me. He liked it there…so that’s where I dug. I worked most of the afternoon making it deep enough. Mom got everything taken care of.”

“I have something for your mom.” Ana returned to the car and opened the side, pulling out the large bundle of wildflowers and handed Chance a square Tupperware dish.

“Let’s take them in to her before we go.”

Chance held Ana’s free hand as they wandered into the house.

“Mom? Ana’s here. She brought something for you.”

The sound of a chair sliding across the wood floor came from the other room, then Aiyana floated in to meet them. Her face was drawn and her eyes seemed glassy.

“Aiyana, I picked these for you today. I’m really sorry about your father. He was a wonderful person. I’m going to miss him.” Ana offered the flowers to Aiyana.

A sad smile played across her lips, “Thank you, Ana. I know he liked you a lot. He considered you part of the family.” She gave Ana a sideways embrace, careful not to disturb the flowers.

“Eva made something, too-and Mom sends her condolences.”

Chance lifted the Tupperware dish, drawing Aiyana’s attention, and then disappeared to deposit it in the fridge.

“Please thank your family for their thoughtfulness. It was very kind.”

Chance returned to Ana’s side and interjected, “Mom, we’re going up to Grandfather’s favorite spot to say goodbye. Is there anything else you need from me before we go?”

Aiyana shook her head and said, “Go do what you need to do.” She stood holding the vase breathing in the sweetness.

The two left the house and returned to the driveway. Chance turned to Ana, his face blank and asked, “Okay, are you ready? You want to walk or are you going to be my koala today?”

“You know what? As enjoyable as it is being carried like a backpack, I’ve been feeling strangely energetic. I’ll give it a try myself.” Chance looked sideways at her. “I don’t know what you did to me yesterday, but if you could bottle and sell it-you’d be rich,” she added.

He took her hand, kissing it gently. “Makes me happy to hear that. I’ll take it easy on you-just in case. I don’t ever want to see you in a hospital again.”

They headed into the woods, and felt the afternoon warmth drying the leaves and rocks from the storm the day before. The air was moist filling the forest with bold smells. Wildlife seemed determined to use every moment of daylight. Noises and movement erupted through the forest as they wandered and Chance pointed out a family of ground squirrels hiding from view.

Ana noticed the trees changing as they climbed to the top of a ridge and the sun began its slow descent. Evergreens thinned out making room for elderberries and a beautiful grove of maples. She could see the lake from where they stood.

“This is Grandfather’s favorite spot, or…was.” He flinched. “He loved coming here to watch the sun come up and go down. We’d come here and talk.”

At that moment, something clicked, shifted and changed inside Ana. Everything seemed so familiar, like she had been there before.

“Weird-deja vu,” she said shaking her head.

Chance pulled his brows together. “Huh?”

“It’s like…I’ve been here before.”

“I’ve never taken you here-did Markus?” His eyes flared.

“No, no. It’s like…wait…you hear that?” Ana trailed off, beginning to hear voices and standing stock still.

Chance shook his head, confident there wasn’t any noise detectable. He grew worried. “Ana, you okay? I don’t hear a thing…”

Ana clearly heard people talking. She plugged her ears, giving her better clarity. The voices were becoming recognizable. And they echoed in her head.

“
…It’s like I see everything differently now…I don’t know what to do…”

“Don’t question it. There’s nothing to do, but love her.”

“
I love her more than I thought possible. I just met her…and I feel like she’s meant to be with me…I’d do anything for her…”

A ghostly form materialized in her thoughts, staring at a sunset. He turned to look at her before dissolving away.

What a relief to see Niyol again; it brought stinging tears to her eyes. She lowered her hands to her side.

“What’s wrong?!” Chance scrutinized her closely.

“I just saw your grandfather.”

“Ana, what are you talking about?!”

“He was talking and turned to look at me before disappearing.” She gazed out at the distant lake through her tears.

“What could it mean?” he whispered in confusion.

“Maybe he was saying goodbye…”

“Maybe.” But he didn’t sound sure.

Ana stared at the horizon in silence before speaking again, “So, have you had any more memories or visions or whatever from your grandfather since last night?”

Chance nodded and answered distractedly, “Earlier today when I was digging my grandfather’s grave, I had one. In the vision, I was digging a hole, too. A deep hole. Then Grandfather buried a carved wooden box. The funny thing is…” Chance scratched his forehead. “I know where it is. Grandfather took me there once. He went out of his way to show me the area. It was the exact place I saw in the vision. It’s on his ranch in Montana,” he whispered.

Ana tilted her head and looked at Chance, who continued to gaze at the glimmering lake in the distance.

“But I don’t know what’s in it. I didn’t see him take anything like that from his father when he left home. And his home just looked like it was made of sticks, wood and mud. So I’m guessing he didn’t bring any valuables with him when he left Arizona, besides the talon.”

“Hmmmm. Okay, so, what do you think your grandfather could have buried? That’s kinda exciting. You think he wanted you to find it?”

“I guess so. He went out of his way to show me…”

“Wow. A
real
life
adventure! I wonder what would happen if you thought about Sasquatch,” she thought aloud.

“Maybe I should think about dragons too.” Chance tousled Ana’s hair.

He gave a big sigh and faced the setting sun, “I’m going to miss Grandfather. And um, tonight, I think I need to be alone-to think things out and to say goodbye.” He glanced sideways. “I’m going to head back up to the top of the mountain.”

Ana recoiled thinking about that unpleasant place. “Are you
sure
?”

He nodded numbly, “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Melissa was washing dishes when Ana got home from Chance’s.

“Hey, your sister tells me you were out walking today? Feeling good?”

Ana dropped her keys and wallet on the table, and plopped herself onto a kitchen chair. “Yeah. It’s funny, I’m feeling really good. I didn’t even get tired.”

Melissa surveyed her daughter closely. Suspicion clouded her face, worried that Ana was inventing reasons to avoid having surgery. It didn’t fit her personality, but what Ana claimed was even harder to believe.

Ana saw her mother’s reaction and stood up. To demonstrate, she faced the stairs and dashed to the second floor, returning just as quickly.

Melissa’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She waited to see if Ana grew faint from the exercise. When she didn’t, she put her hand to her lips.