Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily) (20 page)

“What’s new with you pixies?” Amber asked Faith and Harmony.

“Nada,” Harmony replied bleakly.

Faith danced around the kitchen while eating. “You know what’s new with me. I call you with all my updates.”

“Yes,
you
do, but telephone skills don’t run in the family.” Amber jabbed Harmony with the spatula.

“If I had news I’d call you,” Harmony said.

“What about school? I noticed college brochures lying around here, are you girls applying anywhere?”

They were my college brochures, but Faith shuffled through a stack sitting on the counter. “I’m weighing my options.”

“I’m not going to college,” Harmony grumbled.

“You’re not?” I said without thinking. “What are you going to do?”

Harmony looked amped up, like one flick of a switch and sparks would fly out of her scary head. “The day I graduate, I’m taking off and searching every corner of the world.”

“For what?”

The determination in her eyes nearly electrocuted me. “My soul mate.”

Soul mate? Dark and dreary Harmony wanted to search the world for love? Was she serious? Nobody else seemed surprised by her answer, or her announcement about not going to college. The last thing I wanted was to pick a fight with her, so I shut up, but I still couldn’t believe it.

“Shiloh, would you mind if we borrowed your truck next month?” Anthony asked. “We’re going to Colorado for Christmas.”

I almost choked on my milk. Shiloh had a puzzled look on his face then he said something in Japanese. Faith replied with more Japanese gibberish. When she finished, Shiloh looked up and said, “Ahhh” like he solved a mystery. “Sure, Chief, you’re always welcome to borrow my ride.”

“Thanks. I’ll leave you the keys to my Mustang.”

Realizing I would most definitely see Nathan, my stomach somersaulted. “We’re going to Colorado?”

Dylan passed me a napkin and pointed at the corner of his mouth. “We’d like you to see our house and show you Colorado Springs.”

Embarrassed, I wiped away milk, or butter, or whatever Dylan noticed on my face. I asked Faith, “You aren’t coming with us?”

“Maryah, we have family of our own that we spend Christmas with.”

“Right.” I had to admit, there were times when I forgot Faith, Shiloh, Harmony, and Dakota weren’t part of the Luna family. “Edgar and Helen are coming, right?” The more people the better—safety in numbers.

“No, Edgar doesn’t like long car rides. It’s a ten-hour drive,” Louise explained.

The total count was in. It would be only the four of us: Anthony, Louise, Carson, and me. My stomach twisted in knots. I glanced up from my plate. Everyone was staring at me.

Faith reached over and held my hand. “Are you okay, Ma-Ma?”

“I’m fine,” I lied.

“You’re worried…about seeing Nathan?”

I wanted to kick her under the counter. Louise and Anthony were sitting right across from us! I couldn’t admit their son terrified me, but I couldn’t ask them to spend another holiday away from him.

“Nathan won’t be home for Christmas,” Amber interjected. “He’s spending winter break in India.”

I dropped my fork, and it clanged loudly against my plate. The recent dream I’d had about Nathan with an Indian princess had to be a random coincidence. Maybe I overheard Louise mention he’d gone to India and forgot about it. But it didn’t explain why my dreams were getting more peculiar, or why some of them felt so real.

I told April about my dreams, and she always researched interpretations on some online dream dictionary, but none of the explanations ever made sense. Krista and I were growing apart so fast it was giving me whiplash, so I couldn’t talk to her about it, and if I told Faith she’d go off on one of her philosophical tangents and make it into a headache-inducing research project.

I glanced around the table filled with people eating, talking, and laughing. I imagined April and River cuddled up on a couch together watching a movie. I thought about Krista planning her trip to Egypt, and Nathan traveling halfway across the world to India.

I had never felt more alone.

Maryah

Christmas had inched closer and closer until I was gagging on all the yuletide cheer. Winter break should have been a welcome relief, and yes, I was grateful for time away from school, but it meant I’d have to survive the dreaded Colorado Christmas.

River wanted to go to a real mall to go shopping, so we headed up to Flagstaff. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of cranky holiday shoppers, but after days of listening to him plead and whine, I caved just to shut him up.

We passed yet another store as River tried to decide what to get April.

“She might be getting a bulldog under her tree,” he said.

“Aw, she’d love a puppy!”

“No, my bulldog. Eightball is an expensive, needy flea bag.”

“Don’t be mean. I love that dog.”

“Good. I know what I’m giving you.”

Passing by a music store window gave me an idea. “Why don’t you make her a CD?”

“A CD?”

“You’re a singer. Sing a bunch of sappy songs and burn it onto a CD.”

“Who listens to CD’s anymore? Besides, that’s the kind of stuff poor people do because they can’t afford a real gift.”

“I think it’s sweet.”

“You would.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

River shot me a sideways glare. “Never mind. What do you want for Christmas, besides a CD of me singing?”

I’d become a pro at keeping up with River’s asinine comments. “I asked Santa for a tattoo with your name on it, but they’re on back order.”

“You’d really get a tattoo?”

“No, I was kidding, Sir Inks-a lot.”

“I’d buy you a tattoo. I’d even go with you to get it done, so I could watch while you writhe in pain.”

“You’re so sweet,” I cooed sarcastically. “But I’ll pass. I’m not the tattoo type.”

“Everybody has them.”

“Exactly, and I like being different.”

“You’ve succeeded at that goal,” he said with an arrogant head nod.

He ignored the dirty look I gave him and pulled me into a jewelry store. I’d never been a fan of expensive jewelry. The sentiment behind a gift meant more to me than the dollar amount on its price tag.

“That’s badass” He pointed to a heart shaped necklace made of black and white diamonds. “What do you think?”

“It’s pretty.”

“How much?” River asked the stuffy sales lady. She looked irritated that we were even in the store.

“It’s on sale for six-hundred and ninety nine dollars.”

I laughed at the absurdly high price.

“I’ll take it.” River winked at her and she dropped her attitude, smiling and falling all over herself to find a box.

“Are you crazy?” I whispered. “It costs seven-hundred dollars.”

“It’s only money.” He brushed it off like he was buying a five-dollar happy meal.

Arguing with him was pointless. River enjoyed flaunting his money—correction, his uncle’s money. Making a big deal out of the situation would just feed his ego. If his ego grew any bigger the ozone layer would burst. The important thing was that he decided on a gift. I wanted to get out of the crowded mall and go home.

Anthony wanted to leave for Colorado first thing in the morning, and I still needed to pack.

∞

On our drive back to Sedona, River asked, “What am I supposed to do while you’re out of town for a week?”

“I’m sure you’ll survive.” I channel-surfed the radio, trying to find anything
but
Christmas carols. “Trust me, I’d rather stay here.”

“Why? I hear Colorado is dope.”

“I guess I’m worried Louise’s other son will show up. We don’t get along.”

“Nathan?”

“You know him?” I asked.

“Of course. We’ve been going to school together since we were little.”

“I figured you might not know him since he’s a year ahead of us.”

“He’s not a year ahead of us. He’s a senior.”

“No, he started college in Colorado this past fall.”

“Well, he was a junior last year. Did he go to college without graduating?” River stomped on the gas pedal.

I stared ahead, replaying conversations about Nathan and him studying abroad. Louise wouldn’t lie about Nathan going to college. Would she?

“Did you know his girlfriend too?” I asked.

“What girlfriend?”

“Mary. Tall with black curly hair—looks like a model.”

“In all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen that guy even look at a girl. He was the loner type. The only girls he talked to were his brother’s girlfriend and your freaky Cain and Abel twins.”

I was too confused to smack River for the Cain and Abel reference. Besides, the names were appropriate for Faith and Harmony. We passed by houses decorated and lit up for the holiday. “Did he seem a little…
off
to you? Like a few bulbs were burnt out on his Christmas tree?” I tried making a joke so River wouldn’t question why I cared.
I
wasn’t ever sure why I cared.

“A few bulbs? I’m not sure his tree lit up at all.”

Maybe Nathan really was crazy. Maybe Louise and Anthony had to send him away to a mental hospital in Colorado. Carson did act strange when I asked about Nathan’s girlfriend. Maybe she was part of Nathan’s issues. I knew she looked too much like a supermodel. Plus, the photo looked old. He probably cut her out of an old magazine.

River’s snide comment caught my attention. “I have no idea why girls swooned over him.”

“Huh?”

“He’s a weirdo, but lots of girls crushed on him. He’s not even that good-looking.”

River was wrong about the last part. Nathan was by far the best-looking guy I’d ever seen. However, his mental issues disqualified him from ever being the total package.

“I’m glad to hear you didn’t fall for his Mr. Mysterious crap,” River snarled. “I knew you had good taste.”

We arrived at my house and I hugged River, telling him to try to enjoy the holiday with April. It made me sad to know he didn’t have family to celebrate Christmas with, and that April’s mom was still so sick. It wouldn’t be a happy holiday for any of us.

The Nathan thing ate away at me, but I didn’t know how to approach the subject, so I left it alone. We were leaving for Colorado first thing in the morning and I didn’t want the long drive to be awkward.

Maryah

We pulled into Amber and Dylan’s driveway and I saw Nathan’s Mustang sitting in the garage: red with black stripes, so appropriate for Satan’s spawn. Then, another red and silver vehicle caught my attention.

Holy freaking crap. The motorcycle.

The
exact
motorcycle he rode in my hospital dream. The verdict was in: because of the blow to my head, or my brain surgery, I had acquired some kind of useless psychic power. Get some tape and stick the “freak” sign on my back. I couldn’t even tell April about this one. Absolutely no one would understand—or believe it. Even I had trouble believing it.

“Maryah,” Louise called from the front door. “Are you coming?”

I continued up the walkway, trying to shake away yet another stranger-than-fiction piece of a puzzle that made no sense to me. And honestly, it was a puzzle that scared me.

The moment I stepped inside, Dylan popped his head around a wall and smiled. “Hey, you made it!”

Amber and Dylan’s house looked like a colorful island resort. They decorated the main room like a summery Christmas wonderland. Blue and white lights illuminated a fake palm tree, and a couple of large tiki statues wore Santa hats. It was absolutely nothing like I pictured for a Colorado Christmas.

 
“Aloha!” Amber called from the top of the stairway. She wore a super cute red and orange outfit, and dark-rimmed glasses that made her look studious. She made it halfway down the steps then suddenly slipped and fell onto her butt.

I lunged forward to help her. “Are you okay?”

Dylan waved his hand. “She’s fine. That happens at least once a day.”

“I've heard being pregnant messes up your balance.” I tried defending Amber so she wouldn’t be embarrassed, but she didn’t seem fazed at all.

“It’s not because I’m pregnant. I begged Dylan to get a ranch style house, but my clumsiness keeps him entertained.”

The more I got to know Amber, the more I liked her. She gave me a tour of the house and when she opened the French doors to the backyard, I gasped. Not at the acres of land, or the view of snow-capped mountains, but at the small white horse sleeping on the deck.

“You have a pony?” I asked in disbelief.

“He’s a class A miniature horse. His name is Baby Hilo.”

“Can I pet him?” He looked like a big white cotton ball. His eyes opened and he sat up.

“Perfect, he’s awake! Sure you can pet him, he loves people.”

His pearly coat felt like satin, and he licked my hand while I petted him. “I love him.”

“Good because he’s fond of you too.”

From the corner of my eye I saw another blur of fur. I almost screamed when an animal the size of a raccoon scurried up to Amber.

“This is Big Kahuna.” She squatted down and gathered him in her arms.

“What is he?”

“A meerkat. A big, fat one,” she teased. He reclined back in her arms and stared at me. “Coco and Nutty are normal-sized.” She nodded at the end of the deck. Two little beige faces peered over the top step.

“Do they bite?”

“No, they’re harmless. Unless you’re a bug,” Amber chuckled. “They aren’t meant to be pets, but I have a permit for these guys because I participate in animal behavior programs. Do you want to hold him? He wants to check you out.”

She passed him to me and he nuzzled into my neck. The two smaller meerkats scurried over and sniffed my shoes. I giggled as Big Kahuna tickled me with his nose. “They’re so cute!”

“They’re spoiled rotten.”

The patio door opened and Carson came outside with a black cat in his arms, Molokai followed behind him.

“There’s Hilo!” Carson set the cat down and petted the miniature horse.

“Our cat’s name is Lulu,” Amber told me.

Big Kahuna and I were still busy rubbing noses. His cuteness outweighed his musty smell. “Do all of the animals get along?”