Fort Lupton (22 page)

Tanesha stared out the window of the car.
Fin glanced at her. He gave a rueful shake of his head and
continued toward Anschutz.

Tanesha was silent rest of the trip.

~~~~~~~~

Friday afternoon — 1:45 p.m.

“
Thanks for coming,”
Yvonne said to Abi.

“
I love spending time with
you,” Abi said. “You know that.”

Yvonne nodded and let Abi into her home. Abi
stopped in the living room and turned to look at Yvonne.

“
You seem angry,” Abi
said.

“
I’m furious!” Yvonne
said.

Yvonne was such a sweet person that even her
anger seemed sweet. As Yvonne led the way to the kitchen table, Abi
grinned behind her back. Yvonne gestured to a chair, and Abi sat
down. As they had many, many times over the years, Abi watched
Yvonne while she worked in the kitchen. Yvonne set a plate of
chocolate chip cookies in front of Abi and a pot of the tea Yvonne
loved. Abi leaned away from the pot. Yvonne scowled.

“
So it’s true,” Yvonne
said.

“
What’s true?” Abi
asked.

“
The tea tempers fairy
powers,” Yvonne said.

“
Is that what you’re angry
about?” Abi asked. “Because if it is, I was only doing what I
thought was best for you.”

Yvonne scowled at Abi and sat down across
from her.

“
What would Alvin have
done if he knew you were a fairy?” Abi asked.

“
He would have made me do
more unnatural things,” Yvonne said.

“
You’re not mad about the
tea?”

“
The tea?” Yvonne asked.
“I like the tea. I was going to ask if there was a way to have the
tea without the fairy-power-killing ingredients.”

Abi waved her hand over the pot.

“
Did you fix it?” Yvonne
asked.

Abi nodded.

“
Good,” Yvonne said.
“Because I want all of my fairy powers.”

“
Uh . . .”
Abi scowled. “Do you know how to
use . . .”

“
Of course not,” Yvonne
said. “But you do!”

“
Uh . . .”
Abi said. “What are we doing?”

“
We’re going to get that
Annette and get her good!” Yvonne said.

Abi gave Yvonne a long look and wondered if
Yvonne would even remember being angry with Annette an hour from
now. Yvonne nodded her sincerity.

“
And if you’re thinking
I’ll forget,” Yvonne said. “I won’t. No way.”

“
Uh . . .”
Abi said.

“
What?” Yvonne
asked.

“
You’re mad at Annette
because . . .”

“
She hurt Mr.
Chesterfield!” Yvonne said. “She stole my boy Jabari and then gave
him that horrible drug and she’s just awful
—
just awful, awful,
awful.”

Yvonne gave an emphatic nod.

“
She
deserves . . .” Yvonne said. “Something
horrible.”

“
Like what?” Abi
asked.

“
She should suffer!”
Yvonne said. “A lot!”

“
More than she’s suffering
now?” Abi asked.

“
Hmph,” Yvonne said and
leaned back.

She picked up her tea cup and drank some
tea.

“
I want her to suffer,”
Yvonne said. “A lot.”

Abi nodded.

“
Why won’t you help me?”
Yvonne asked.

“
You don’t need my help,”
Abi said.

“
I don’t?”

“
This situation is the
result of natural, logical consequences,” Abi said.

“
What?” Yvonne
asked.

“
I wish Edie were here,”
Abi said. “She teaches Fairy 101 and has all this stuff
down.”

“
You try,” Yvonne said.
She filled her teacup and leaned back in her chair. “Go
on.”

Abi sighed, and Yvonne waited. After a few
minutes, Abi nodded.

“
Okay, okay,” Abi said.
“Fine.”

Yvonne smiled.

“
There are different kinds
of magic in the world,” Abi said. “We fairies wield fairy magic.
Fairy magic is ethereal. We can move heavens and rearrange stars,
stuff like that.”

“
Move stuff around,”
Yvonne said.

“
Exactly,” Abi said.
“Witches wield a different kind magic, which tends to be tied to
the earth.”

“
What’s that
mean?”

“
They have power over the
elements — fire, water, air, earth, stuff like that,” Abi
said.

“
Do we know any witches?”
Yvonne asked.

“
Delphie is technically
considered a witch,” Abi said. “By knowing the future, she has a
kind of control over it.”

“
She changes the future by
telling people about it,” Yvonne said.

“
Exactly,” Abi said.
“She’s an oracle — it’s very, very rare, but it is witch magic.
Witch magic is always tied to the earth.”

“
Fairies are ethereal,”
Yvonne said. “Witches are earth.”

“
Exactly,” Abi said.
“Angels are spirit magic.”

“
Angels exist?” Yvonne
asked.

“
As much as fairies and
witches.” Abi shrugged. “Human beings hold their own kind of
magic.”

“
They do?”

“
They hold the magic of
natural, logical consequences,” Abi said. “This is a sacred
magic.”

Yvonne mouthed the words “sacred magic” and
then shrugged.

“
What is it?” Yvonne
asked.

“
In its simplest form,
it’s cause and effect,” Abi said. “Turn on the stove, it gets
hot.”

“
Go to school, get a
better job,” Yvonne said.

“
Right,” Abi said. “Eat
too much, gain weight.”

“
Drink too much, lose your
health, wealth, and family,” Yvonne said.

“
Drugs too,” Abi said.
“Sometimes this energy gets misaligned, like what happened to
Rodney.”

Yvonne nodded.

“
And you,” Abi said. “This
is sacred magic. Balance eventually gets restored. But it can take
a long time.”

“
What about people who are
killed or injured unjustly?” Yvonne asked.

“
That’s complicated,” Abi
said.

“
Why?”

“
Because sometimes it’s
not worked out,” Abi said. “As a sacred magic, the event leaves a
stain on the hearts and minds of people.”

Yvonne nodded like she understood, but she
didn’t really. She was about to ask when Abi spoke again.

“
Annette is already
experiencing the effects of her behavior,” Abi said.

“
No she isn’t!” Yvonne’s
voice became indignant. “She gets to live scot-free!”

“
. . . she
doesn’t pay her taxes?” Abi asked.

“
What?” Yvonne
asked.

“
You said she lives
scot-free, and I . . .”

“
She doesn’t feel the
consequences of her actions,” Yvonne said. “Jabari does! My Tannie
does!”

“
Oh.” Abi looked
confused.

“
What did you think I
meant?”

“
A ‘Scot’ is a word for
taxes — Roman scot, Queen’s scot, and the like,” Abi said. “I
thought you meant she didn’t pay her taxes, which seemed kind of
dumb.”

Yvonne smiled and shook her head. Relieved
to see Yvonne smile, Abi shrugged.

“
So what did you mean
about this sacred magic and Annette?” Yvonne asked.

“
She’s miserable,” Abi
said. “She doesn’t have love in her life. She’s lost her children.
She’s going to go to prison. She’s on that stupid television show
so everybody knows about it. What more could you do to
her?”

“
I could take her heart
out,” Yvonne’s voice was low and dangerous.

“
What heart?” Abi
asked.

Yvonne giggled.

“
Don’t mess in the magic
of natural, logical consequences,” Abi said. “I’ve seen too many
people try. They lose every time.”

“
Then how do I get back at
her?” Yvonne asked.

“
You trust that the magic
will get back at her,” Abi said. “And you focus your attention on
making Jabari the healthiest, happiest, grandbaby in the
world.”

“
Grandbaby?” Yvonne looked
confused.

“
Oh, come on!” Abi said.
“You know he’s Tannie’s.”

“
I think he looks just
like Rodney.” Yvonne smiled.

Abi smiled and Yvonne went back to drinking
tea.

“
I still hate her,” Yvonne
said.

“
I understand,” Abi said.
“Someday, you’ll just feel sorry for her.”

Yvonne gave a slight shake of her head.

“
Yeah, I didn’t think so,”
Abi said.

They laughed.

“
What do you want to do
now?” Abi asked.

“
I want you to show me how
to do magic,” Yvonne said.

“
Like what?” Abi
asked.

“
I don’t know,” Yvonne
said.

“
I don’t know either.” Abi
looked embarrassed. “Maybe we should ask Edie.”

“
Okay!” Yvonne said.
“How . . .”

Abi and Yvonne swooshed across town to the
Castle. They landed in the living room. Yvonne looked a little
green.

“
Hello,” Delphie said. “I
didn’t know you were coming!”

“
I’m showing magic to
Yvonne,” Abi said.

“
That sounds fun,” Delphie
said. “Now come along.”

“
Where are we going?” Abi
whispered to Yvonne.

Yvonne shrugged. Delphie led them out to the
back lawn, where Edie was teaching Katy fairy magic while Paddie
cheered her on.

“
You can learn with Katy,”
Delphie said. “The twins are trying out day care today so that Katy
can get some one-on-one time with Edie.”

“
That sounds lovely!”
Yvonne said.

She went out to where Edie was standing.
Delphie blocked Abi from going out.

“
Did you take care of the
Annette thing?” Delphie asked.

“
Yes, ma’am,” Abi
said.

“
She’s not going
to . . .” Delphie said.

“
I don’t think so,” Abi
said.

“
Good,” Delphie said.
“That would have been really bad.”

Abi nodded.

“
Well, come along,”
Delphie said. “We’ll make some snacks and have them on the deck.
After all, we have a baby to grow!”

Completely disarmed by Delphie, Abi blushed.
Delphie shrugged and went into the kitchen. Abi followed.

~~~~~~~~

Friday afternoon — 1:45 p.m.

Charlie’s mind started complaining long
before he bothered opening his eyes. At Honey’s insistence, they
had decreased the amount of morphine he could have. He was lucid
and in terrible pain.

He hated pain.

He’d heard someone come into his room and
sit next to his bed. Rather than opening his eyes to engage whoever
was there, he lay in a seething ocean of rage and hatred.

“
I know you’re awake,”
Maresol said.

Charlie’s eyes popped open.

“
Angry?” Maresol
asked.

Charlie gave a slight nod and yelped with
pain. She came to sit on his bed. He looked up into her face. She
was brown-skinned and had dark eyes. Her black hair was arranged
around a large bandage on her head. She wasn’t pretty per se, but
there was something about her that radiated beauty. Charlie felt a
well of love for her. He looked away. Maresol took his hand.

“
You’re probably wondering
why I’m here,” Maresol said.

“
I saw you with my dad,”
Charlie said, but didn’t look at her.

“
Oh?” Maresol
asked.

“
When I was in between,”
Charlie said. “We walked you to your operating room.”

“
Ah,” Maresol
said.

“
You don’t remember,”
Charlie said.

“
No.” Maresol’s voice was
laced with sorrow. “I’d like to see your father again.”

“
He’s here,” Charlie
said.

Maresol looked around the room.

“
I don’t see him either,”
Charlie said. “He just said he was always with you or me and Sis or
Seth.”

Maresol smiled. Charlie noticed her straight
white teeth.

“
How’d you get such nice
teeth?” Charlie asked, and then realized that was probably not
appropriate. His eyes flicked to Maresol. She smiled at
him.

“
O’Malley,” Maresol
said.

“
Seth made you get new
teeth?” Charlie asked.

“
I wanted pretty teeth,”
Maresol said.

“
Oh,” Charlie said. “Me
too. That’s why I noticed.”

Maresol smiled again.

“
I had to come to the
hospital to get a test,” Maresol said. “So I thought I’d sit with
you for a while. We can talk, or you can sleep.”

“
I’d rather talk,” Charlie
said.

“
Of course,” Maresol
smiled.

“
Dad was a
talker?”