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“No, they’re doing tests and stuff. Plus they need to rest.”

“Yeah,” Sarah added. “It would be mean to not let them have their rest. And it’s against the rules and rude.”

Aire looked down at her half eaten piece of zucchini, swirling it around in white cream sauce until it was drenched and soggy. “I don’t think saying hello fo
r a few minutes would drain her…I
t’s a dumb rule.”

Melissa wrapped her arm around Aire and pressed her cheek against the girl’s shoulder. “Oh
,
Aire, you’re such a sweetie. If you want to see Becky, all I have to say is good luck even getting to the hospital. Anyway,” she said, devouring her last fry. “It’s time to get going. And don’t forget to go to Troy’s tonight.”

“I won’t,” Aire said as she stood up from the table and put her plate into the trash. She couldn’t wait to go to school on Monday to tell them that not only was Troy taking her to The Moto kick off dinner, but that he had also taken her to the hospital to see Becky. First though, she’d have to convince Troy of this.

Chapter Five

John’s Town

In the beginning…

Richie Tillman sawed at his brother’s ropes until they thudded to the floor, and Ronny was free.

“I think Momma only pushed the couch in front of the door this mornin,” Ronny said.

“I think so too.”

Ronny grabbed the brass handle of the door, and it easily sank down from the light pressure. He gave a crooked smile to his brother. “No chair tied on the handle.”

“Good,” Richie nodded. “Won’t be hard to push it then, specially since we almost big as Momma now.”

Both boys put their shoulder to the door and pushed. The couch screamed and thunked as it moved several inches before becoming wedged into the doorway of their bedroom. They pushed harder, teeth gritting, veins popping from their necks, until Ronny collapsed onto the floor. His foot shot out and gave it a swift kick, but still the couch would not budge.

“What are we gonna do now?” Ronny asked. “We gonna be in trouble when Momma comes home and finds us. She’s gonna whup us for sure, probably with a switch, too. A
big
one at that.”

Richie looked down at his brother, his face hard and set. He looked back to the door and began to kick. His first few kicks achieved only in sending a shooting pain up his heel into his knee. But on the fourth kick, a crack appeared in the wood. He kicked again, harder this time. The crack grew.

“Kick, dummy,” he commanded, his eyes never leaving the door.

Both boys began to kick the door with all their might. It sounded like high pitch cracks of thunder every time their feet made contact as the wood split and splintered until only a few wounded pieces hung in the doorway. Ronny laughed as they ducked through the pile of splinters and climbed over the couch.

“What we gonna do now that we’re free?” he asked as they rounded the hallway and passed into the kitchen.

“I got an idea,” Richie said as he opened the silverware drawer.

“What?”

Richie pulled a butcher knife from the drawer. Ronny took a step back.

“What are you gonna do with that?”

“You’ll see,” Richie said, grinning at his reflection in the blade. “Grab the matches in the cupboard.”

***

Lucita Tillman made her way across the orchards, up Calgas road, down the 66, and into the business district in silence. As she jolted and jerked through town, she attracted several odd looks when she did not even turn her blank eyes to look at those who waved hello. Roberta Amos and Maggie Sandoval waved from the dining terrace of Maggie’s Burger Shop when they saw her coming down Bourbon.

“Hey, Lu,” Maggie called. “What brings you over here this time of day?”

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” Roberta asked. “Or do you have a bug?”

Lucita ignored them, her eyes set straight in front of her. She passed by the women without so much as a nod.

“Lucita?” Maggie called. “Didn’t you hear us?”

Lucita continued to walk. They watched her as she reached the end of the street and rounded the corner to disappear down Main. Maggie put her hands on her hips and shook her head.

“Now what in the world has gotten into her?”

“Probably has something to do with those boys of hers,” Roberta said as she tapped her coffee cup with her fingers. “You know as well as I do that non-whites  are no good. Do you remember what that Asian boy did to poor little Holly? Poor little thing hadn’t even sprouted woman parts yet and the weasel ruined her. I hope she’s doing better at the hospital in Parker, though I don’t think the poor thing will ever walk right again.”

Maggie pursed her lips and nodded. “Yes, I remember.”

“Or what about that oriental kid who beat that injured bird to death? Or those Mexican girls that-“

“Enough,” Maggie said. “I remember all those things and I don’t want to talk about them.”

“Alright.”

Maggie continued to stare, her eyes squinting in the sun. “Something is not right with Lucita. She always stops to say hello.”

“I’m telling you, it’s those boys.”

“I don’t care what it is,” Maggie snapped. “I’m going over there when my shift is over to see how she’s doing. In all these years I’ve never seen that woman without a smile on her face.”

Luctia’s face remained unsmiling and blank all the way down Main until she reached the park at three in the afternoon.

School had just gotten out, and with the glorious weather all the children of John’s Town were outside enjoying their few free hours before having to go home playing kick ball, flying kites, and riding bikes. Laura Wester was among the children at Duck Park that day, laughing as she and her friends skipped rocks across the water and dared each other to jump in without their suits.

Lucita
smiled.

Chapter Six

Saturday March 13, 2010

Population: 406

John’s Town rules stated that all minors had to be home for dinner every night at six; after dinner they were free to roam until nine o’clock when the city wide curfew went into effect. For most of the meal Aire remained quiet, concentrating on chewing her food slowly to keep herself from finishing early and then tapping the table while waiting for her parents and brother
to get done eating their meals
. Even with her efforts of taking
deliberate,
small bites, she was still ahead of the family, feeling as though dinner would never end. Her brother did little to help the situation. Mitch had talked nonstop about The Moto, and had barely taken two bites by the time Aire had finished half her plate.

“I can’t wait to try out my new pipe, Dad. Sammy Roberts will be eating my dust and I’ll be the one holding the Pee Wee trophy this year,” Mitch said.

“Didn’t Sammy Roberts get a new bike this year that’s ten times better than yours?” Aire asked.

“Aire,” her mother scolded as Mitch glared at her from across the table. “He’s excited. Don’t spoil it for him.”

“Aren’t you excited for The Moto, Aire?” her father asked.

“I am,” she said, unable to stop the grin from spreading across her face.

“She’s not excited for the race,” Mitch said.

“Shut up, Mitch.”

“She’s excited about wearing Troy’s jersey to the race.”

Both her parents raised their eyebrows. “Is that so?” her father asked.

“Yes,” she said, and lowered her head at the thought of what would happen if they disapproved of her dating Troy.
Kids weren’t allowed to see someone their parents disapproved of. It was against the law. The thought of not being able to be with him made her throat catch and her chest tighten.

“Well,” her mother chirped as she stirred green beans around her plate. “You’ll be sure to let us take pictures of you two at the kick off dinner. He is going to be taking you there, isn’t he?”

“I think so.”

Both of her parents dropped their forks and jerked their heads to look at her, their faces painted in shock. She felt her gut drop, and beads of panicking sweat broke out on her forehead.

“You think so?” her father asked.

“Yes. Well actually that part wasn’t really made clear
, but I’m pretty sure he is
.”

Her mother shook her head. “But you’re not sure?”

“No.”

“If you’re finished with dinner then I suggest you go straight over to Tr
oy’s house to settle the matter,” her mother said as she pointed a stern finger at Aire. “
And don’t you dare wear his jersey if he refuses to take you to the dinner. It wouldn’t be proper.”

“I’m finished,” she said, dropping her fork and pushing away from the table so quickly she almost offset the milk jug. She tossed her plate into the sink and hurried towards the front door.

“Aire, grab your jacket,” her mother called.

Groaning, she took the stairs two
at a time
to get her jacket from her room. One arm was sleeved and the other was fighting to become so when she came back down again.

“Remember, nine o’clock,” her father said.

“Okay,” she shouted as the screen door snapped shut behind her. Her smile warmed her face in the chilly night air as she started down the street, still in happy shock at her good luck. She laughed at herself for having ever thought her parents would disapprove of Troy. Of course they would like Troy. Everyone liked Troy. Troy was smart. Troy was funny. Troy was-

Right in front of her.

“What are you doing over here?”

“I was going to your house,” she said. “What are you doing over here?”

“I was going to your house.”

An awkward laugh passed between the two, each shoving their hands
deep
into their coat
s
. Already her palms were moist in sweat and she gripped the
lining
of her pockets in attempts to dry them.

“Why were you going to my house?” Troy asked. “Did you want to do more work on our research paper?”

“Um, yes. Ye
s I wanted to work on our paper,
” she said, a nervous laugh tickling her throat.

“Okay,” he said. The two joined step on the macadam street that glowed a dull orange under the sparse
lampposts.
A
tense silence
hung between them until they reach
the end of the block.

Aire could feel the insides of her pockets beginning to dampen from her sweating palms. She looked up into the night sky, finding her stars to the south. The Orion constellation popped in and out of sight as they passed the street lamps, the three stars making up the belt of the mythical hunter easy to spot. She always found strength and comfort looking up to those stars,
knowing that they were
always watching over her
, always there to guide her
.

“Why don’t you have any books then?” Troy asked, interrupting her thoughts. “You can’t work on the paper without books.”

“That’s true.” She gave one last
glance
up to the sky before
taking a deep breath and
looking back to Troy. “I lied, but I’ll tell you the truth if you tell me why you were coming to my house.”

Troy’s tan skin turned a light cherry color as he scratched the back of his neck. “I was actually coming to ask you if you wanted to go to the kick off dinner with me. I thought, you know, since you were wearing my jersey and everything it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t officially ask you to go with me.”

“Oh,” she smiled. “Well in that case I have to confess. I was actually coming over to ask if you wanted to take me to the dinner.”

They reached Troy’s house, and he leaned upon the white picket fence surrounding the property. “Good. Glad we both know I’ll be taking you to the dinner Thursday night.”

“Yeah,” she said, and leaned on the fence next to him.

“So, what do you want to do now that you’re here?”

She glanced around to be sure they were alone and leaned in closer to him. “I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes, I can wash my jersey before I give it to you.”

“No, not that, but it would be nice. I need you to take me to the hospital to go see Becky. You know she was taken to the hospital today to have her baby, right?”

“Yeah, but people don’t visit people in the hospital.”

“Well I want to visit Becky. I think it would be a nice surprise, don’t you?”

“No, not really. She needs to rest
. A
nd it’s against the rules.”

“Please?”

“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head.

“Oh come on Troy. I’d do it for you. Besides, you owe me.”

“For what?”

“For leaving me in the dark about whether or not you were taking me to the dinner.”

“Oh.”

“And I was so embarrassed because I didn’t know what to tell people when they asked if you were taking me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“And my friends said how sorry they felt for me because you didn’t ask and my mother sent me away from dinner early and-“

“Okay.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I’ll take you to go see Becky.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he smiled. “I already knew I was going to have to make that up to you somehow. This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind though.”

“Thanks, Troy.”

“You’re welcome. This way,” he said as he opened the gate for her. “What if we get caught?”

“We won’t get caught.”

“What if we do?”

“We won’t.”

“I hope you’re right,” he sighed, and led her up the driveway.

Ten minutes later, Troy had taken his
dirt
bike from the garage to the street and they climbed aboard, Aire’s hands wrapping around his waist as he steadied the bike. Her head swam as she pressed her chest against the strong muscles of his back, inhaling his fresh scent of soap laced with a tinge of pine. Heat radiated from her thighs as she imagined his shirtless torso.

“We have to take the Sixty-Six, right?” he asked.

“Mmmhmm,” she breathed.

“What?”

“Yeah,” she said, clearing her throat. “We have to go west on the Sixty-Six.”

The engine roared to life with one swift kick. She welcomed the night air cooling her flushed cheeks as they started down the neighborhood, wondering what had come over her. The strange feeling had faded with each passing house as they made their way out of John’s Town for the first time in their lives.

Bushes and tall grass ruffled in the breeze as they passed the rows of identical houses on their trek out of the neighborhood and into the business district. The
smells of sugar baked ham and fresh sourdough bread from the
bakery and deli on the
corner
of Bourbon and Ranchero began to fade behind them, and they soon found themselves gazing upon the half a dozen farms on the west side of John’s Town. Threats of frost were finally over for the year, and the long pinstripe rows of newly planted crops rushing by dizzied her eyes as she tried to see what types of
new
sprouts were appearing from the cool black earth. A few wayward goats along the fences looked up from their grazing to stare up at them dumbly, and several trash bags sat waiting for the
cleanup
crew along the shoulder of the road.

The
highway
was straight and smooth enough now that Aire didn’t have to hold on to Troy any longer, but her arms remained tightly wrapped around his lithe torso. Her mind wandered away from the passing livestock and cropland into a fantasy of her and the boy waving goodbye to
this place
once and for all. Euphoria washed over her as she envisioned what their future great escape would be like.

In this world he was the one who rescued from her from the dungeon on Roanoke Street, whisking her away from her high tower prison and the dragons of the village on his steel horse, galloping towards new escapades under a full moon. They’d be the legend of John’s Town, the bold two who scoffed at the monotony of a safe life and set into the dangerous unknown to find true love and wild adventure. The delicious taste of the dream intoxicated her being, swelling her soul with a richness of hope. Her eyes glittered in the
moonlight as she smiled broadly to the darkness when they passed Calgas Road. This was the farthest she’d ever been outside of the city, and if she could make it this far, she could make it to the far reaches of the Earth if she wanted.

“Look,” Troy shouted over the wind.

There was a light ahead of them, a bright yellow light flashing on the horizon. It was an electronic billboard advertising the new model
Hornet
dirt bike that had come out two months ago. She had seen pictures of billboards in their textbooks before, but never one in real life.

“It’s amazing,” she shouted. “Look, there’s another one.”

She smiled and craned her neck to see the billboard advertisement for a pair of jeans.
She couldn’t believe the look of t
he model in the ad.
The woman was so tall, so stunning. Aire had never seen women with such gorgeously painted eyes, such sculpted shoulders, and lips so incredibly red that she could not look away from their brilliance.
The sheen of her platinum blond hair and mile long legs of grace reminded her of a mermaid in the picture books she had cherished as a child. The brilliance of the lights and model’s beauty cascaded waves of excitement through her veins as they escaped farther away from the city, and Aire had the same giddy sensation now that she had while tiptoeing down the stairs on Christmas morning to open the exact present she had yearned for all year.
The Meeting Tree came to mind, and though she knew it was dumb and childish, she wished The Meeting Tree would let her meet spectacular women like the one in the billboard, women who were stunning with that look of intelligence and knowing in their eyes.
It’s like she knows what I think about Troy
, she thought as they came to the billboard and then passed it.

“Aren’t they beautiful?” she asked. Only the deep rumble of rushing wind grazing her ears answered her. She cleared her throat and repeated
even louder, “a
ren’t they beautiful?”

The billboard
was a
hazy
outline
behind them
now
. Her skin tightened over her muscles as she felt the space between them begin to constrict with static tension. The bike began to slow.
Oh no, was that stupid to say? Is that why he’s slowing down, to tell me how silly I am like the others do
?