Haven: Revenge of the Viper (9 page)

“Sarah?” Travis asked.

Sarah turned and looked back at Travis. From the look on his face he seemed intimidated, and scared, like a little boy who got caught stealing from the cookie jar.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened? What’s wrong?”

Sarah’s eyes slowly filled with tears again.

“It’s a long story, Travis, and it’s stupid anyway,” she said, barely able to get the words out.

“Nothing is ever stupid if it can hurt you,” Travis said.

Her gaze softened, as if one of the many walls she had to protect herself had fallen. Travis looked at her. It was odd how much Sam and Sarah were alike. Always guarded, always careful, never letting anyone too close. It was like they were too scared to trust anyone.

“It’s Barry,” she said, wiping the tear that had fallen down her cheek. “He cheated on me with Mary Fisher last week when I didn’t feel like going out.”

Travis shook his head in disgust. He had never liked Barry and had always thought of him as a player. He was the typical jock—big head, big ego, and no brains.

“I’m sorry, Sarah. I know you liked him.”

Sarah shook her head and straightened herself up on the bed. “That’s the thing, Travis, I really didn’t. I really didn’t like him. I …” Sarah paused, then looked up at the ceiling, struggling to find the words to convey that she merely put up with Barry.

Travis raised an eyebrow. This was not what he was expecting to hear.

“Then why were you so upset?” Travis asked, confused.

“I was just angry, I guess, more at myself than anything. I mean, I didn’t even like the guy and yet I put up with so much of his macho crap. And then he has the nerve to cheat on me! What a giant waste of time!” she said, waving her hands in frustration.

“What a jerk!” Travis chimed in.
This feels good,
he thought. Finally someone other than him and Sam thought that Barry “I Walk On Water” Rogers wasn’t so great after all. Travis had to admit it—there was just something about Sarah hating Barry that made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Yeah!” she said.

“He has a really big head too,” Travis continued.

“He does, doesn’t he? Wow, I thought I was the only one who thought that,” she said, starting to smile.

Travis loved it when she smiled.

“God, he would go on and on about himself. Sometimes I would have my headphones in while he was talking to me, and I would just nod like I knew what he was talking about.”

Travis laughed, “Nice!” Sarah laughed too.

“So, why did you stay with him so long?” Travis asked.

It was like someone had slammed on the breaks. Sarah’s smile faded and she suddenly became silent again. Her eyes shifted and she looked away. He could tell this was a question she was not sure she wanted to answer.

“It’s … it’s okay Sarah, I mean if you don’t want to talk about it,” he said reassuringly.

She looked back at Travis. She seemed uncomfortable now, almost fragile as she crossed her arms.

“No … it’s okay.” Her voice was meek. “He … he made me feel better about myself,” she said. She was ashamed to admit it, but it was true.

Travis was really confused now.

“What, how?” His voice was riddled with aggravation. “Barry was a bully. He was mean to just about every person I know and in the end he wasn’t good to you either. So how in the world did he make you feel special?”

“Better,” she corrected him. “I said better, not special.” She looked back down at her bed.

“I don’t understand.” Travis could feel the blood rushing to his face. But it wasn’t Sarah he was mad at—it was Barry. It was the fact that this jerk could give Sarah something that he couldn’t, something that made her feel better about herself even though he was such a complete jerk. Sarah stared down at the bed, and for a minute Travis didn’t think she was going to answer him. Finally, she lifted her head and her eyes were latent with tears.

“Because when I was with him I didn’t feel like the worst person in the room. I …” she wiped a tear from her cheek. “I felt better knowing that there was someone out there worse than me.”

Travis felt his heart sink. Sarah looked humiliated. This was a side of her he never knew existed and now that he had seen it, he wished he hadn’t. It hurt him somehow to see her in so much pain.

He stood motionless for a moment, looking at the girl he thought he knew. What could he possibly say to that? Travis took a moment before moving from the doorway and walking toward Sarah, who was now staring aimlessly into her pink and white comforter. He stopped and sat down on the bed next to her.

“I never knew you felt like that,” he said, looking over at her. Sarah shrugged and pulled her hair behind her ear.

“I know. No one does.”

Travis fidgeted with his hands, not knowing what to do with himself.

“You just always seemed, well, like nothing bothered you, like you were okay with everything.”

Sarah sighed and looked over at Travis, her light blue eyes meeting his.

“Sometimes, people cry on the inside, Travis,” she said, and he could see the pain in her eyes.
How long had she been carrying this around?
he wondered. He nodded and held her gaze.

“Well, you’re nothing like Barry, that’s for sure,” he said.

“I don’t know about that,” she replied.

Well I do. I know you,” Travis said confidently.

“You think you know me,” she said.

“No, I do know you.”

“
No
, you don’t!” she said in frustration, “Everyone thinks they know me, but they don’t! I’m a fake, Travis, and I’m great at hiding it! Did you know that? Huh? Did you know that I despise the girl I see in the mirror every single day because I can’t stomach the person I have become, did you know that?”

Travis stared at Sarah, stunned, unable to speak.

“My best friends are liars and backstabbers and I hurt people on a daily basis, and because I’ve been doing this for so long I don’t know who I am anymore!” Her voice finally broke.

“Sarah, stop! That’s not true, why would you say that?”

Tears began to stream down her face again and she tried desperately to regain her composure by wiping them away and sitting up straight.

“Because it’s true, Travis,” she said, catching her breath.

“No, that’s not true,” he said, trying to reassure her.

“Yes, yes it is. I’m a horrible person, Travis; you know that better than anyone.”

This was true; she had never been nice to him. But for Travis, that was okay. It was better than being ignored—that would have been far worse, he thought.

“Well, yeah, but …”

“But, what?” she continued. She was calming down now.

“But, I never thought you meant it,” he said pointedly.

“Oh, and why is that?” she asked, wiping another tear from her face.

“Well … because I’m man-tastic, and I mean, who doesn’t want a piece of this?” he said nudging her with his elbow.

To Travis’s delight, Sarah snorted. His remark had caught her by surprise. She quickly covered her mouth, embarrassed, but still couldn’t contain her laughter.

Travis began to laugh too. “Hey, why are you laughing? They don’t make ’em like this anymore.” Sarah laughed harder.

“Hey what’s going on?”

It was Sam. He stood in Sarah’s doorway in a t-shirt, shorts, and wet hair. He had a bewildered look on his face, as if he had never seen two people laugh before.

Their smiles immediately faded. Both Travis and Sarah stopped laughing, forcing more serious looks onto their faces.

Travis was the first to speak.

“I … um … well, I was …” he rambled.

“He told me a joke,” Sarah interrupted.

Sam’s face was more puzzled now than ever before. “He did what?”

“A joke. J-O-K-E.” she said again, more sarcastically this time.

Now that was the Sarah Sam knew; the laughing a minute ago was a little bizarre.

“Um, yeah, it was just a funny joke,” Travis added poorly.

The room was silent again. Everyone stared at each other, wondering who would speak next. Sarah finally spoke.

“Sooo anyway, that was really funny,” she said, turning to Travis. “Thanks for telling me that one.” Her eyes met his. He smiled and she smiled back. Travis knew she was saying thank you for more than just the joke. He also knew that this would be a day he would never forget.

Chapter 7

I
t was about eight o’clock when the front door opened and Alisa Dalcome walked into the house. Her beautiful chestnut hair was tied in a loose ponytail and her face seemed pale. She was exhausted after her long day at work. Sam and Sarah were in the kitchen loading the dishwasher while Travis sat idly on the countertop talking to them. They all turned when they heard the door open.

Alisa was dressed in the powder blue diner uniform she affectionately called her “Granny Blues” because of the white ruffled collar and fringe at the bottom. Her purse was draped over her shoulder and she was struggling to keep a hold of the two bags of groceries she was carrying. But as she stepped into the house one of the bags tore, spilling cans, bottles, and small frozen dinner packages onto the floor.

“Ugh, that figures!” she said in an exasperated tone. Shaking her head at the spilt contents, she bent down and began to gather the groceries.

Sam hurried out of the kitchen to help her with Travis close behind.

“We’ll get it, Mom!” Sam said, knelling down to gather the groceries.

“Here, let me take that one for you, Mrs. Dalcome,” Travis said.

“Thank you, boys, I appreciate it.”

Alisa handed Travis the other bag as she closed the door behind her. She stepped around Sam and headed directly to the couch.

“Hey, Mom, wow, you look bad,” Sarah said as she walked into the living room, scrutinizing her mother’s appearance.

“Thanks, Sarah, I love you too,” Alisa said rolling her eyes and plopping herself on the couch.

“I’m kidding, you know I love you,” she said smiling over at Travis. “Do you want me to make us some dinner?”

Alisa threw her slender legs on the couch and propped a few pillows behind her head before sighing. “Ah, much better.”

“Earth to Mom!” Sarah said.

“What?”

“Dinner?” Sarah repeated.

“Oh, no I brought dinner, it’s Chinese night. Travis has it in his bag. I hope you like Kung Pao Chicken, Travis,” she said, peering over the top of the couch at him.

“Um, yes, I do, thank you,” he replied.

“Good.” Alisa said as she disappeared behind the couch again.

Travis grinned and looked over at Sarah. She too was smiling as she took the Chinese food out of the bag. “Oh, I like these green bean things too,” Travis said.

Sarah laughed, “Edamame, silly.”

“Eda-what?” Travis asked, pulling the carton closer, as if it were a foreign substance.

“Ed-a-ma-me, it’s not a green bean; it’s a soybean in a pod.”

Keeping his eyes on Sarah, Travis pulled one from the container. “Pods, I like those,” he said and popped it in his mouth.

Sam had made two trips from the doorway to the kitchen before Travis even remembered that he was there.

“Sorry, Dude, you need any help?” he asked as Sam placed the last can on the counter.

“Um, that would be a no!” Sam said scowling. He wasn’t sure what was going on with Travis and Sarah, but whatever it was, it was strange. Sarah was being too nice and it was starting to make Sam uncomfortable. When Sarah was nice, bad things happened, especially to Sam.

“Sooo, how was your day?” Sarah asked her mother.

But again there was no reply.

“Mom?”

“Huh, are talking to me?” Alisa asked. Her eyes were closed now.

“Well, yeah, who else would I be talking to? I know how Sam’s day went.” Sarah leaned over at Sam and hissed, “I hope you put the garage back together.”

Sam’s eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. Travis looked at both of them but said nothing.

“Oh, it was fine,” Alisa sighed and positioned her head more comfortably on the pillows. “I cured world hunger, but the whole world peace thing is going to take some time.”

Travis smiled. It was obvious where Sam and Sarah got their sarcasm.

Sam turned his attention back to his mother; he still needed to apologize for the other night. But he also had some very important questions he needed to ask her. However, she was tired and this was probably not the best time to ask about the storage box, the magic, or the stranger. If Sam was smart, he would apologize first; maybe soften her up a bit before he started in on her secrets.

He made his way around the couch as Travis helped Sarah set the table. Alisa was lying there with her eyes closed and a small grin on her face. He stood for a second, fidgeting with a left over piece of paper he had found in his pocket. This was the moment that he had been dreading. Partly because of the apology, but mostly because of the reaction his mother might have when confronted about the secret box.

Still hesitant, Sam finally sat on the coffee table facing his mother. She looked so peaceful, he thought, even though he knew she was exhausted. She had worked the double shift again, which was always grueling for her. She had gone grocery shopping and even stopped to pick up dinner.