The Evensong (9 page)

“Yeah, warm weather slows people down,” he said, brushing his hair out of his face. I got a brief look at the tattoos on his arms, but I concentrated on his face again. I didn’t want to stare, but this was the first time I’d seen him in a short sleeve shirt.

“So, what have you been up to?” I asked, wanting to launch into conversation. In the wind, silence made me nervous, and I could feel the intense gazes from someone in the store behind me.

“Not much, just fixing up the house. I’ve made some pretty good progress,” he said, looking very pleased with himself. “You should see it. You busy now?”

He leaned forward and nudged my arm, grinning. How could I not give in?

I agreed to follow him back to his place. Of course I saw Meryl and Lisa’s faces in the store window, both failing to look casual when I glanced their way. Anyone who had seen us talking would gossip, but for now I didn’t mind.

I followed Linden’s rusting little car down the listless streets, pulling off onto the hard-packed unpaved road at the end of town. There were new potholes and ruts from all the rain, and my car bounced around even as I tried to avoid the worst spots. Glancing up at the sky, I noted it was clear, though some gray clouds hovered in the distance where the sun was setting. They glowed pink and orange under the darkening sky, and I wondered if the stars were more visible out here.

I parked beside Linden’s car when we reached the house, and I sighed as I killed the engine. The whole house was tinted orange in the light, and the windows seemed to pick up the slight pink hues. As I stepped out of my car, I noticed a wooden wind chime hung on the porch that hadn’t been there before. It must have been one of his new additions.

“Come on, come on,” Linden said rapidly, jogging towards me from the other side of his car. “If we hurry, we can see the sun set.”

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me with him towards the porch. I ran after him, trying to keep up as he dashed up the stairs. He pulled me through the house, up the stairs and down the hall to the window with the stairs, which were already pulled down. Flinging the window open, he squeezed through, still holding onto my wrist. I managed to get through fast enough, and we stood side by side on the narrow clearing between the plants.

The sun was just above the distant horizon and visibly sinking. I watched it go until the last of it sank below the hills, leaving a bright stain of color where it had been before.

“Awesome. I love that moment, when you can actually see it disappear with a blink,” Linden said.

I laughed, looking up at him as he stared off. “Do you watch that every day?”

“Not every day,” he admitted. “That just makes it better every time you do get to watch it.”

He had a point, and I wondered if this horizon was visible from my house.

Now that the sun was gone and the wind was still blowing, I shivered suddenly. Linden suggested going inside again, and I led the way back into the hallway. He locked the window after him and kicked the stairs back into the wall, quietly cursing when he remembered he’d forgotten his movies in the car.

“Do you have anything to do tonight?” he asked as we walked down the darkened hall.

“Not really,” I replied, “I was just going to hang out at home.”

“Good, good. You’d do me the pleasure of watching movies with me then?” He looked over his shoulder as he went down the stairs, giving a dramatically pathetic look.

“Depends on which movies,” I replied. I was joking, and I stopped at the bottom of the stairs as he pulled his keys out of his pocket. He caught on and smirked, saying he’d be back in a second.

I drifted into the living room while he was gone, looking for anything I hadn’t seen before. He hadn’t changed much. There was a stack of Mexican blankets on the armchair and a large fish tank now glowed from the top of a table by the window. Walking closer, I stood in front of it, peering in at the many goldfish inside. There were three of the classic orange ones, and two that were black; Moor fish. At the bottom of the tank, a little treasure chest opened and closed to let out bubbles.

Linden stumbled in again, clutching the movies and a bag full of candy.

“I take it you like fish?” I asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Yeah, I love them,” he called back, flicking the light on. “They’re my boys.”

I smiled at that, watching the fish swim between the plants before I stood up and made my way towards the kitchen.

Linden caught up with me at the table, holding up two empty glasses. “Water or tea?”

I thought about it for a second, then asked, “What kind of tea?”

“I only drink one kind. So Sun tea or water?”

I went with Sun tea and waited while he poured two glasses. I offered to carry the movies and candy since his hands were full. He thanked me as he walked by on his way to the stairs, and again I had to fight not to stare at his arms. I was dying to know what they displayed, but I wouldn’t ask. Not yet.

Linden led me into his room, apologizing for the mess, which was mostly just some clothes discarded on the floor. There were some pillows on the floor as well and boxes still full of books and other items.

“Go ahead and sit where you want,” he said as he put the tea on the nightstand beside his bed. I glanced at the bed and the pillows on the floor as he took the movies from me, choosing the one on top first. I settled for some pillows on the floor, so I sat against the bed, facing the TV on the desk across from me. Linden fiddled with the VCR machine, and I looked out the window at the approaching clouds, which made the sky darker than it usually was at this time. I hoped it wouldn’t rain; I didn’t want to be driven back home due to a stupid headache.

“I assume Meryl really likes you,” Linden commented as he turned on the TV. “I can think of most bosses I’ve had that would never let me out early.”

“She and Rene are pretty good friends,” I replied, “and I think I’ve worked there the longest. Well if you compare Lisa.”

“The brunette?”

I nodded and he made a face when he sat on the bed. “She seems—nice.”

He was being sarcastic, and I laughed when I remembered Lisa’s staring. She was enamored with his looks, I knew that.

“She’s nice when she gets her way,” I admitted.

“But you strive for some peace in the workplace,” he finished for me. I silently agreed, wondering just how well he could read people.

The previews were rolling, and Linden handed me one of the glasses of tea. He opened one of the bags of candy and gave me a handful of Reese’s Pieces. I didn’t eat them immediately; I kept them in my hands, waiting for them to melt a little since they tasted the best like that.

“So how do you like home schooling?” Linden asked as he lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand.

“It’s all right, I can’t really compare it to a public school since I’ve never been in one, but as far as I know, I like it,” I replied, testing out one of the Reese’s. It was still somewhat solid in the middle, so I started warming them again.

“I’d say you’re lucky you’ve never gone. It’s crap,” he replied, popping a few more candies into his mouth.

“How long did you go?” I asked, turning to look at him.

“Mm—only till high school.”

“Only?” I repeated. “That’s ten years more than me, or anyone else I know.”

“Yeah, ten years too many,” he laughed.

“So why’d you drop out?” I wondered if I was starting to pry again, but he went on, not shutting off yet.

“It just wasn’t for me anymore. No one was making me go, so I just stopped. You get fed up with it fast.”

I took that thought into consideration, remembering the one time I’d gone to the junior high school. I’d been on a school kick, one where I was trying to convince Rene I belonged in public school. Of course that day was terrifying, and I had changed my mind immediately though I sometimes wondered what it would have been like. Most likely very awkward; I had never really connected with anyone outside of my home, and they all seemed slightly repelled by any of us who lived there. We were ‘sheltered’ and therefore, we had to be strange.

“What about college?” I asked Linden, ignoring the fact that the movie was actually starting now.

“What about it?”

I tried not to squirm under his intense gaze; I concentrated on the Reese’s again. “You’re old enough to go. Did you ever try it out?”

He laughed quietly before he took a sip of tea. “You’re old enough to go, too. Just because I’m past 20 doesn’t make me special. I don’t know, I have no clue what I want to do, so I don’t want to waste my time.”

That was a valid reason, and I tucked that away in my memory to use on Alysana and Omar later on.

“Are you gonna go?” Linden asked.

I shook my head immediately. “No. I can make it through life without college, plenty of people do.”

Linden didn’t say anything, but I could feel him looking at me. I acted like I didn’t notice and put a few Reese’s in my mouth. The insides were finally melted, and I gently broke the hard candy shell with my tongue, letting the soft inside gush out. It was the best way to eat them.

Linden went quiet after that, and I didn’t ask him any more questions. I kept my focus on the movie—or at least I tried to—while the clouds gradually gathered outside. I could see the occasional flash of lightning in the distance, but so far there was no clue that I might get a headache again. In fact, even though it was barely seven o’ clock, I was getting tired. I don’t know if it was just because I’d been so bored all day, but I was starting to rub my eyes, trying to keep myself from falling asleep. It didn’t help at all, and soon I let my eyes close with the intention of resting them, though I was asleep five minutes later.

LESSONS

I woke suddenly with an unpleasant jolt. For a second I had no idea where I was; I was looking at a white wood floor and some unfamiliar clothes in the corner across from me. My arm was under my head, and my hand was completely asleep.

I lifted my head and looked at the rest of the room, remembering where I was when I saw the blank TV screen and another round fishbowl on the old armoire. There was no sound in the room except the gentle sound of the wind outside.

I sat up slowly, kneading my tingling hand. Looking to the bed, I saw Linden was still lying there though now he was asleep. He was sleeping in a similar position as I had been, though as I looked at him he reminded me of a lion. His hair covered half of his face, and he breathed easily, hugging a pillow to his head with one arm. The other lay in front of his chest, lightly holding the sheets under him.

I got a good look of his arms now in the light of the TV. Tilting my head to look at the tattoos properly, I identified one as a wave design with beautifully vivid hues of blues and white. All of the tattoos were a bright color and they covered almost all of his arms. Most of them were water themed, and I stifled a laugh when I saw two realistic goldfish on the back of his upper arm.

I leaned in closer when I felt braver. He was so deep in sleep, I doubted he would wake at all. I wondered what it all meant to him, especially when I got down to his hand where the black lines came down from his wrist. I was reminded of something vague, though I couldn’t place what. It was like déjà vu, but I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen them before.

Reaching out, I carefully touched the top of his hand, running my fingers over the lines and the faint blue veins. He was such a mystery, and I wish he’d let me know more about him. Hopefully he was moving towards trusting me more, though I already felt we were getting there. Could I call this a friendship? I wasn’t sure how hopeful I could get, and I still wanted to be cautious.

I realized I was still running my fingers along the tattoos, though lightly, and I glanced up to his face. Between the jagged pieces of hair I could see his eyes were open and two bright gold irises were looking at me.

It was as if a shock ran through my body. I pulled my hand away abruptly, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks in a hot wave. Linden just stared at me for a moment, then smiled tiredly as he pushed his hair away from his face.

“How long was I asleep?” he asked.

I sat back on the pillows I’d originally been laying on, my face still on fire. The real question was how long had he actually been
awake?

 
“I don’t know, I fell asleep, too.”

“It must be these boring days,” he said as he stretched. “It makes everyone tired.”

I nodded mutely, rubbing the Reese’s Pieces stains off my palms. I was beyond embarrassed, and I wasn’t sure I could even look at him yet; my cheeks still felt hot.

“You could have just shook me violently,” Linden said, sitting up on his elbows. “I just happened to be in a light sleep.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” I replied, glancing up at him for a second. “I was just looking at your tattoos.”

It was an awful excuse, but it was the truth. Partially. Linden nodded in understanding, looking down at his hand. I almost physically felt him close up as he muttered something about being cold and got off the bed to rifle through the clothes on the floor. He pulled out a black hoodie and slipped it on, keeping the hood on his head.