Wishing Pearl (18 page)

Yes! Charles had left the gate open after he’d driven through. He hardly ever did that. Score one for luck. Olivia scurried through the gate and then darted into the trees for cover, hoping the rest of the night would go as smoothly.
Just make it to morning
.

Breath in white smoke clouds around her face, Olivia maintained her speed on the uneven ground. When she stumbled, she reached out to steady herself with a tree branch or rock. After ten minutes, she slowed to a jog then a walk. There was no way Charles could find her in his present state. Besides, he wasn’t the type to search too hard. He liked to lie in wait for his prey, like a spider watching its carefully spun web.

Olivia dug her cigarettes out of her pocket and lit one with shaky hands. She sucked in deeply, letting the warm smoke fill her lungs and calm her nerves. She glanced at the pack she gripped with white knuckles—what would likely be her last pack of cigarettes. She turned the box sideways and peered inside. She counted six remaining. That would get her through until her flight. Then what? How hard would it be to quit now that she had been smoking almost a pack a day for a few months? Oh well, nothing she could do to change it now … and at least she had them to get her through that night.
Just make it to morning
.

She ducked under the mechanical arms at the entrance to the semi-secure community where Jordyn’s dad lived. She’d hide out in the little cabin behind his house if the key was still hidden where Jordyn had shown her. If not, she’d sit behind a bush and shiver all night—better than whatever Charles had in mind. Ducking into the shadows as a car approached, Olivia sighed with relief when it turned into a driveway before it reached her.

What was happening at home? Olivia shuddered as she imagined Charles ransacking her room, enraged at being outsmarted. Did Mom know yet? Maybe Olivia should call her.
No, phones work both ways
. If Mom was worried, she’d call. Olivia tapped her screen to bring it to life, making sure the battery was charged. Full bars. No recent calls. Maybe Mom hadn’t discovered Olivia was gone yet.

The little cabin, secluded on three sides by trees, beckoned to her from across the backyard. Her heart sank as she remembered the night they teased Jordyn about having a hideout—until they saw how cool it was. That night was rough—drugs, cops, trouble. If only they’d learned from those mistakes.
Oh, Jordyn …

Olivia shook away the memories and hurried to the entrance, eager to get inside, and dug in the rocks until she found the key. Using her cell phone for light, she checked the place out before stepping all the way in. Satisfied she was alone, Olivia stepped over the threshold and glanced back one last time to make sure she wasn’t followed. Making sure she locked the door securely behind her, she collapsed on the couch.

Was that a phone ringing? Olivia winced as her neck muscles knotted and pinched when she tried to sit up. Where was she? Bright light shone through the horizontal slits in the window blinds across the room. As she squinted at the unfamiliar surroundings, memories of the night before slowly flooded in.

Olivia scrambled for her phone. It must have slipped from her hand to the floor when she’d fallen asleep. She pressed the C
ALL
button seconds before the last ring sent Mom to voice mail. “Hello?” Olivia braced herself for yelling.

“Hey, Liv.” Mom sounded as cheery as ever. “Where are you? Go for a walk to say good-bye to the neighborhood?”

Olivia shook her head. Mom … clueless again. No surprise there. Best to keep Mom in the dark for now and just get out of town in one piece. So did that mean Charles pulled in the rope ladder and left everything alone? He must have, or Mom would have sounded worried. Hadn’t she seen the garage and the car though?

“Liv? You there?”

“Yep. Sorry. I got distracted by something.”
Act natural
. “I’m heading back home now for a shower.”

“Okay. Well, you’d better hurry. We need to leave in about an hour.”

“I’m on my way.” Olivia stood and stretched her back.

“Sounds good. Oh wait! Did you have a chance to say good-bye to Charles, or do we need to stop by his office on the way to O’Hare?”

Olivia’s stomach retched at the thought of standing in the same room as
Chuck
ever again. “No need. We’ve said our good-byes.”

“Great. I’ll see you soon, then.”

Olivia slipped her phone into her pocket and sighed. Mom could try to sound a
little
sad instead of like she was leaving for a trip to a beach resort. Maybe the thought of having Olivia out of the house
did
feel like a vacation to her. Well, she’d be getting her wish in a few short hours, and then she could have
Chuck
all to herself.

Forever.

C
ould God find Denver, Colorado? Was He there already? Did He know Olivia was coming, that she was looking for Him? Would she even know it if she happened to encounter Him somewhere? Why didn’t she sense Him yet at all? He was going to have to meet her halfway if He wanted to be found. Olivia would never manage it on her own. She glanced at her mom in the aisle seat beside her. Mom was certainly no help.

God, if You’re real enough for me to feel Your presence, I’ll believe
. If she knew His presence was real, even for just an instant, Olivia would give her life to Him and follow Him. But if He stayed absent, if the prayers remained unanswered—unacknowledged—then she’d just have to move on. To what, she had no idea. To something. Or maybe nothing.

Would lightning shoot out like a claw from those clouds in the distance and strike her for giving God an ultimatum? Olivia leaned her head back on the airplane seat. She pondered her past and how it might blend with her future as the plane cut through the storm clouds. The sky appeared so different than it had the last time she’d flown to Denver just a couple of weeks ago—like a different place completely. That time, the flight had been bright and clear until the descent. Then the plane pitched and dropped from the turbulence until she’d felt sick. This time, the sky above the clouds roiled violently. She could barely see out her window as they flew right through the storm for most of the flight.

“Eww. Liv, put this under your head. Do you know how many people have leaned back on that same chair?” Mom brushed off the seat back and spread out a towel for Olivia.

“These seats are leather. They’re not like the cloth seats in coach.” Olivia smoothed the scratchy towel as best she could and put her head back against the seat so she could resume her cloud watching.

Mr. Ben had told her she’d probably be at Diamond Estates anywhere from nine to eighteen months depending on how she responded to the program. Maybe she should drag it out to eighteen months on purpose since she didn’t want to return home. She’d be just shy of eighteen if she made it last that long. On the other hand, what if she hated it there? What would she do for more than a year? She had nowhere else to go if things didn’t work out. She gazed through the tiny airplane window over miles of stormy clouds—so high above the earth with no home in any direction.

Finally, they broke through the darkness and found promise beneath the clouds. The sun shone a beacon upon the craggy mountain peaks covered with sparkling snow. Patches of still-grassy foothills beckoned from below. Her last visit had been so stormy that she never got a good glimpse of the Rockies in the distance. Now she gazed on mountains as far as her eyes could see. What a glorious sight. Surely they weren’t an accident, right? Something or Someone had a hand in creating something so amazing. If God were anywhere, it would be in Colorado. Had to be.

“Are you getting nervous?” Mom’s eyebrows furrowed together.

Olivia shook her head. “A few days ago I was, but not anymore. I mean, sure, I have questions, and the unknown is kind of scary. But …”

“I know what you mean.” Mom nodded. “I can’t wait to find out more about what you’ll be doing specifically. It will ease my mind some, I’m sure.”

“It is what it is, Mom.” Olivia stared, unblinking. “Seriously, I’m staying. No matter what.” What choice did she have?

“I know that’s your plan….” Mom bit her bottom lip, smearing lipstick on her teeth.

What wasn’t she saying? “But what?”

“Well, I don’t want you to get mad and think I’m interfering, and I sure don’t want you to give up too easily, but I decided to stay in Denver for three days. I want to be nearby in case you change your mind.”

That was just the sort of thing Mr. Ben had warned her about. Well-intentioned sabotage. “I wish you’d just support what I need to do, Mom. But whatever. You do what you have to do.” It didn’t really matter though. By dinnertime, those huge front doors of Diamond Estates would close behind Mom as she said good-bye. Olivia wondered when she’d see her again. Weeks? Months? What about the upcoming holidays? How would that work out? The sacrifice might turn out to be a bigger one than she’d anticipated. Hopefully it would be worth it.

“This is the pilot speaking.” The intercom buzzed with light static. “We’re about to begin our descent into sunshiny Denver, Colorado. I’m told the slopes are prime for you early season skiers and the lower elevations are enjoying a beautiful fall day. Couldn’t ask for more out of the exquisite Rocky Mountains. If you’re continuing on from here, a flight attendant will help you locate your connecting flight. If this is home for you, welcome.”

Olivia’s mind jumped back to the last time she’d heard those words. She’d been adamant that she’d never call this place home, but somehow, home it had become. For better or worse.

“Welcome back to Denver.” Justin’s black knit shirt stretched at the shoulder seams as he heaved their bags into the trunk space of the van.

Had he been that muscular the last time they’d been here?

Mom shielded her eyes from the sun as she gazed at the landscape around her. “It’s great to see you again, Justin. Wow. It’s so much prettier here than I remember.”

“Well, the last time you came we were in the middle of an early fall storm. If I remember correctly, visibility was low due to rain down here and snow up higher.” Justin gestured at the mountains. “What do you think now?”

“Actually, I’m a little surprised they’re so far away. In the plane it seemed like we’d be right up on them.”

“Yes, ma’am. The low areas are about half an hour away—which is right where we’re headed—then another half hour to get home.” Justin held open the van doors. “Ready?” He secured the side door for Olivia while Mom settled into the front passenger seat.

Mom nudged her while Justin walked around the van to the driver’s side. “What a nice boy,” she whispered.

“Shh. You’re embarrassing me, Mom.” Nice boy or not, he’d never be interested in a Diamond troublemaker. Justin saw dozens of bad girls come through the program every year. He probably had some good stories to tell. Besides, dating would surely be off-limits for her. This wasn’t going to be the time or place for her first real boyfriend. Even so, Olivia turned her head slightly to make sure her scar wasn’t visible to Justin if he turned around to look out the back window while he drove.

“I know we talked about dating in general last time, but I was wondering if you had a girlfriend outside of Diamond Estates.” Mom pounced on him the instant he pulled the vehicle from the curb.

Olivia wanted to sink through the seat, out the back of the car, and onto the mountain road they traveled on. She couldn’t remember her mother being so out of touch when she was younger. But now that she’d mentioned it,
did
he have one?

Justin coughed. Choked was more like it. “No, Mrs. Whitford. I don’t have a girlfriend right now.” His neck reddened, and he turned down the heat.

“Can I ask why?”

No, Mom, you can’t!
How rude. Olivia leaned forward an inch and craned her neck toward Justin.

“Not enough time or money.” Justin whistled. “Girls are expensive.”

“That’s very true.” Mom giggled.

Ha. If Justin only knew he was talking to the most expensive one ever.

“Plus things never seem to go quite my way in that department.” His mouth smiled, but pained eyes were reflected in the mirror.