It’s your legacy.
Those were the words Clark said to me when he drove us home from the Magic Mansion. After devouring half a pizza, shooting Bettina death rays from my very tired eyes, and trying to shake off my plaguing homesickness for Chicago, the last thing I wanted to think about was a legacy. It wasn’t my fault my mother’s family possessed some strange supernatural powers.
What if I don’t want the legacy? What if I refuse to be next in line? What if I sold the Magic Mansion and Wonderland just to prove a point? I could put an end to this craziness. I didn’t ask to be born into this bizarre family.
I was certain Clark could sense my mood.
He glanced over at me before shifting his eyes back to the road. A light rain had started to fall, misting the windshield. He clicked on the wipers. They moved slow and steady, back and forth, giving off a faint squeak. “This is a lot for you to deal with,” he said.
My shoulders ached. “You think?” I said. “I haven’t even unpacked yet. Couldn’t we have waited until school started before springing on me that my relatives are freaks of nature?”
“I’m sorry this is all happening so fast, Destiny.”
I nodded. I looked out the passenger window. “Me too.”
“Adrianna saw something in you,” he said. “So did your grandfather.”
“How?” I asked. “They don’t even know me. None of you really do.”
“It might not seem like it,” Clark said, “but we’re family.”
The rain started to hit harder. “Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe this was all planned. I mean, did my mother have to die just so I could come to Avalon Cove? Did I have to actually be here in order to learn about my legacy, as you call it?”
“No. What happened to your mother was a tragedy,” he said. “I know you miss her.”
“You have no idea.”
“Maybe you’ll see her again,” he said. “Or maybe you already have.”
“Is that what I’m supposed to do? Is that the choice I need to make? To bring my mother back?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Well, what can you tell me, Clark?”
“What would you like to know?”
“I don’t know…something that doesn’t sound completely insane. Anything that doesn’t deal with ghosts or bringing people back from the dead.”
“You’re angry.”
“You’re right,” I said. “Why does it have to be me? Why can’t I just be a normal girl with guy problems?”
“Because that’s not who you are,” he said. “You’re special.”
“Well, I don’t wanna be. Right now, I just wanna go home.”
Clark braked softly at a stop sign and said, “We’re almost there.”
“I’m talking about Chicago,” I said. “No offense, but coming here wasn’t my decision. I didn’t exactly have a say in where I was going.”
“We’re happy you’re here,” he reminded me. “I promise you.”
I suddenly felt like a complete jerk. Clark had been nothing but nice to me and here I was acting like a spoiled brat. “I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s not you. You’ve been so sweet to me. It’s just…all of this is really new. The island. Living with you and Uncle Fred. Being at Wonderland…with Dominic.”
Clark raised an eyebrow. “Dominic?” he repeated. “Do tell.”
“There’s not much to say.”
“I don’t believe you,” he said. “Your eyes lit up when you said his name.”
I hoped Clark couldn’t tell I was blushing. I was grateful it was dark inside the car, except for the faint glow from the dashboard. “We spent all of five minutes together,” I said, then added, “but it was enough.”
“You like him?”
We pulled up in front of the house. I stared through the car window at the porch swing, the ceramic pigs, and the well-manicured lawn. A light downstairs was on. Uncle Fred was probably waiting up for us.
I reached for the door handle and said, “It’s worse. I think I’m in love.”
*
As I’d predicted, Uncle Fred was wide awake and waiting for us when we walked in. He was pacing in the living room in a red robe and striped pajamas. He looked exhausted. I felt bad for keeping him up.
The clock on the wall said it was almost midnight. I’d made it home just before my curfew, thanks to Clark.
“I thought you were dead,” my uncle said to me. He turned to Clark with a reprimanding stare. “Both of you. I thought both of you were dead. Clark, do you realize you’ve been gone for almost two hours?”
He thought we died? Is anybody really dead on this island? Do they even have funerals here?
“We’re both fine,” Clark said. “Stop worrying.”
“I can’t help it,” Uncle Fred admitted. “You two are all I have.” He looked at me. “Now I can see you’re alive with my own eyes, how was the dinner party?”
I avoided his questioning gaze. “Overwhelming,” I said.
“I bet.”
“You just need a good night’s rest,” Clark suggested.
“It’s good to be home,” I said, heading to the stairs. “I’ve been in this dress and these heels for hours. I’m disgusting. I need a bath.”
“Let’s put you to bed, Sir Frederic the Great,” Clark said. I could hear the smile in his voice. My uncle protested at first, insisting he wasn’t tired. But Clark convinced him otherwise.
Upstairs, I flipped on the lights, stripped off my clothes, and climbed into a cool bath. Immediately, my body felt revived. I shut off the water, closed my eyes, and focused on the drip drip drip sound caused by an occasional heavy drop falling from the faucet and hitting the still surface.
I tried to imagine what life was like for my mother while she was growing up in Avalon Cove. Did she love the island? When did she make up her mind to leave? What motivated her to pursue her dream of becoming a dancer? And what made her change her mind and give up? Meeting my father? Having me? My mother could’ve had a professional career. She could’ve toured the world, joined a dance company, pirouetted her way onto a Broadway stage. But none of that happened for her. Instead, she died a divorced woman trying to make ends meet by teaching uncoordinated housewives how to cha-cha in a stuffy dance studio in Chicago.
How come you never told me about Wonderland, Mom? What other secrets did you keep from me?
If my mother hadn’t died—if she was still here with us—what would her life be like? If I could go back in time and somehow stop the cancer from spreading, would it make a difference? Would I still hear her cry at night sometimes in her bedroom when she thought I was already asleep?
The walls in that apartment were so thin, Mom. I could hear your pain coming through. I know my father broke your heart. I know you were scared taking care of me and Ian. I could’ve helped you. I should have…
I’d felt her presence in the garden at Wonderland, her hand on my back. Her spirit. Her words echoed in my brain. I want you to choose love.
I’d made a promise to her. I will.
But what did that mean? What exactly was I supposed to do? Bring her back like my Uncle Fred had with Clark? Like Adrianna had with her beloved Alfred?
Dominic’s beautiful face suddenly flashed in my mind. I could see his kissable lips, his soulful eyes, and his dark brown hair I wanted to run my fingers through. I could almost hear his deep but gentle voice, saying my name. I could feel his body pressed up against mine. His touch. Already, I wanted to see him again—in the flesh and not just in my imagination.
Where are you, Dominic? School doesn’t start for another week. I’m not sure if I can wait that long. Come find me. Let’s spend every second together we can before September begins and summer ends.
I pinched my nostrils closed and slid under the water. I thought about tempting my own fate by letting go, breathing in, and surrendering to the unknown. Would I be saved? Would I arrive moments later on the second floor of Wonderland? Would I spend eternity in the kaleidoscope garden watching endless magic shows performed by my grandparents?
I decided not to take my chances. I came up for air.
*
A half hour later, Clark joined me on the front porch and handed me a mug of peppermint tea. We sat together in the porch swing. The rhythm of the summer rain was steady. The humidity in the air was slowly dissipating. The night was cooling off.
“Did you finally convince Uncle Fred to go to bed?” I asked.
“Sir Frederic is all tucked in and sleeping like a temperamental baby,” he said. “He put up a good fight, but I won the battle. I threatened to cut him off from Wheel of Fortune if he didn’t do what he was told.”
“You two are cute together,” I said. “You must love each other a lot.”
“We do,” Clark said with a nod. “But it’s not always easy.”
“Because you gave up culinary school to be here?” I asked.
“No. I don’t regret that. I’m worried about the future of the Magic Mansion. I don’t know how much longer we can keep the place going. People just don’t want to see magic shows anymore, I guess. They think we’re old-fashioned. They’ve given up on magic.”
“What should we do?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Just hope. Not much more we can do.”
“What you said earlier…about the Magic Mansion and Wonderland being my legacy,” I said. “I can’t figure it out and I keep trying to. I mean, why me? Why not give it all to my brother? Ian’s a boy. Yes, he’s kind of a jerk sometimes and all he really cares about is soccer and video games, but I don’t know the first thing about running a business.”
“It’s not about that,” he said. “Clearly, they saw something in you.”
“How?”
“Your grandfather and his sister are no ordinary people.”
“Do they have some sort of super powers?”
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Obviously they do. You wouldn’t be sitting here without them, Clark.”
“Before I ended up at Wonderland I never would’ve believed anything like this was possible.”
“I can’t make any sense of it,” I said. “I’ve tried to, but nothing I’ve ever learned in science class can explain what’s happening.”
“Did you know they were twins?” he asked. I shook my head. “Your grandfather and your great-aunt were very close. I imagine they still are. When they were alive…they were quite the characters. A lot of people in Avalon Cove thought they were strange. Gave ’em a real hard time. He was a magician. She looked like a movie star. No one could figure out why the two of them stayed. According to what your uncle told me, they used to say the same thing about your mother. That she didn’t belong here. She was too special for a place like this. Everyone wanted her to go and see the world.”
I reached behind the swaying porch swing and slid my hand through a sheet of falling rain. I was surprised by how warm the water was. “Maybe that’s why she left,” I said, watching rain fill my palm before sliding down my arm. “And that’s why she made sure I ended up here. Like maybe she wasn’t finished with this place. Maybe there’s something I’m supposed to do while I’m here—something besides fall in love with Dominic.”
“What’s there to finish?” he asked. “She left here a long time ago and never looked back. She met your father. She had a family. She spent her life doing something she really loved.”
“Uncle Fred is the same—he has you. This house. The Magic Mansion. His life is fulfilled.”
A strange expression crept over Clark’s face. “He almost lost it all,” he said.
“The boating accident?”
“I guess it wasn’t my time to go,” Clark said. “That’s what Adrianna told him. He went to Wonderland. He knew she would be there. He asked for her help. One minute he and I were on the boat. The next thing I remember I was waking up on the beach.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I stood up,” he said, “and I walked here. I found your uncle sitting in the recliner in the living room watching Wheel of Fortune, bawling his eyes out. He couldn’t believe I was back, that I’d come home. It was like the accident never even happened. We just went on with our lives as usual.”
“You don’t remember any of it?” I asked.
“No. Not a thing.”
“Then how do you know it actually happened?”
“Simple,” he said. “Because I believe.”
*
The next morning there was a knock at my bedroom door. I opened my eyes and was nearly blinded by the different shades of pink surrounding me.
I desperately need to redecorate this room. I feel like I’m trapped inside Barbie’s Dream House. What time is it?
My uncle was standing in the open doorway. “Morning,” he greeted with his hand on the door knob. He was already showered and dressed for the day in khakis and a black polo shirt.
I squinted. “You look different,” I said. “Your hair. You’re not wearing it. And you trimmed your mustache.”
“I decided to go natural today,” he said. “Clark says bald is sexy.”
“I like it,” I said, trying to form a smile. Uncle Fred looked years younger. He no longer resembled a man you’d see on a cheesy TV commercial trying to sell used cars.
“Thank you,” he replied. “Clark says you hate your bedroom.”
“I don’t hate it,” I said. “It’s just not me. It’s very…pink.”
“It’s my fault,” he said.
“I know.”
“A fresh coat of paint and a new bedspread and the room will look like new.”
“It’s fine…really. I can learn to love the color. And the stuffed animals. Maybe this will all grow on me.”
“I’m going to train you today.”
“Train me?” I said. I sat up in bed.
“At the Magic Mansion,” he explained. “Since you’ll be inheriting it one day.”
Don’t remind me.
“Clark already showed me how to run the gift shop,” I explained. “I think I even mastered that archaic beast of a cash register.”
“You’ve been promoted,” he decided.
I gave him a look. “I have?”
“Get up. Get dressed. Clark made pancakes. To celebrate.”
We had pancakes yesterday. What were we celebrating then? Maybe these are magic pancakes and they eat them every day. Maybe I will have a few and forget about how strange my life has become. Wait. What are we celebrating? I should ask.
“What exactly are we celebrating?”
Uncle Fred’s smile was contagious. “You’re going to be my new assistant.”
I threw back the pink bedspread and tossed a sparkly Princess pillow aside. “Uncle Fred, when you say assistant, you mean answering the phone and selling tickets and cleaning out bunny cages, right?”
He shook his head. “No, no, no,” he said. “I had a vision last night.”
“Uh-oh.”
“And it makes perfect sense. Even Clark agrees.”
“It does?” I said. “He did?”
My kooky uncle smacked his hands together and announced, “I’m putting you in the show!”
My mouth went dry. “What?” I croaked.
He lifted his eyes as if he were staring up at a marquee. “Sir Frederic the Great and his lovely assistant…Destiny!”
You can’t be serious. Me? Onstage. Is my brother behind this? Did Ian give his allowance to someone to see me publicly humiliated? I need to call Aunt Barbara and tell her to severely punish him.
“Uncle Fred, that’s very nice of you…but…I’m not very…lovely,” I offered. “Maybe another girl would be better for the job. What about Tasha? She’d be perfect.”
“Nonsense,” he said. “You’re my niece. Magic is in your blood.”
*
There were more secrets to the magic tricks than I could possibly remember. I followed my uncle diligently, scribbling down notes in a spiral bound notebook while he rattled off random thoughts and words of advice. We moved through the Magic Mansion at a fast pace. It was tough to keep up.
That morning, I was immersed into a world of cranky rabbits, colorful scarves, trapdoors, hidden compartments, and optical illusions. Within a matter of minutes, I realized the magic at the Magic Mansion wasn’t so real after all.
This was definitely no Wonderland.
Sometimes, your job is to distract the audience, Destiny.
Got it.
You have remember to smile. Never forget.
Yes, sir.
The show must always go on.
No matter what?
No matter what.
Uncle Fred stopped in his tracks. I wondered if the training was over. Surely there had to be more to it than was covered in a thirty-minute tutorial.
I will never remember all of this. I will be the worst assistant in the history of magic. People will ask for their money back. What’s the refund policy in this place?
Uncle Fred glanced over at me, his eyes moving up and down. He was inspecting me. “Go see Bettina,” he decided.
“For what?” I asked.
Bettina the Big Liar is the last person I want to see this morning.
“You need an outfit and I don’t have one,” he explained. “Nothing too grown-up since you’re only fifteen, but you need something flashy, glamorous. You need to look like a star.”
I thought about my grandmother in the Wonderland garden. I thought about my great-aunt and her goddess-like presence. I thought about my mother dancing in her jazz shoes and favorite rose-colored pleated skirt and peasant blouse. I could never be like them. Something indescribable radiated from within them—something I knew I didn’t have.
“Uncle Fred, I don’t want you to be disappointed in me,” I said.
He opened his wallet, fished out a few bills, and handed them to me. “Why would you say that?”
“I’m not sure if I’m up for this job,” I explained. “I don’t want to let you down.”
He looked at me with tenderness in his eyes. “You won’t, Destiny,” he said. “You could never disappoint me.”
“How can you be so sure? I mean, my last job was selling cotton candy and corn dogs at Navy Pier. This is different. This is important work. What if I ruin one of your magic tricks?”
“You’re right,” he said, nodding. “This is very important work. It’s unlike anything else in the world. Just wait and see. You’re going to fall in love with magic like the rest of us.”
“I just…don’t want to mess this up,” I said. “I know you’re struggling to keep this place open. I don’t want to be the reason why you have to close it.”
My uncle slid his arm around my shoulders and gave me a reassuring squeeze. “The women in my family have been a part of the magic shows for generations,” he said.
“What if I’m the exception?” I asked.
He smiled at me. “And what if you’re not?”
*
It was a five-block walk to Bettina’s. I got lost. I stopped once I realized I’d missed a turn, went back, and eventually found my way there. I still couldn’t figure out the geography of Avalon Cove, at least not the village-like business section. Every cobblestoned street looked the same to me.
It wasn’t even noon and already it was unbelievably hot and humid. My body was covered with a thin layer of perspiration by the time I entered the overstocked boutique. Outside, the air was sticky and damp. Inside, I was greeted by a cool blast from the air conditioner. I sighed in relief.
The store was empty, not a customer in sight. A haze of strawberry incense smoke caused my eyes to burn.
A sleepy-looking Bettina stepped out from behind the glass counter. She was wearing a leather studded collar, a ratty black T-shirt, a red vinyl miniskirt, fishnet tights, and her scuffed combat boots. I wondered how much effort it took to look like her. I hoped Clark was right—that she’d woken up that morning with no memory of what had occurred last night.
His theory was confirmed when she asked, “How was your dinner party, love child?”
I stared into her icy blue eyes, trying to detect any hint of deceit. “You’re the one with the gift,” I said, with caution. “You tell me how you think it went.” I folded my arms across my chest and waited for her response.
She looked annoyed with me. I was already irritating her and I’d only arrived. “I have better things to do than sit around all day and night thinking about your boring love life,” she informed me.
Clark was right. She has no clue about what happened. Not even about the pizzas we scarfed down at her expense. I can only imagine the look on her face when she finds the receipts in her purse. Maybe she’ll convince herself she’s crazy. Probably wouldn’t be hard.
“Fair enough,” I said with a small shrug. “I’m perfectly fine with being boring. You should try it some time. You’ll realize you don’t need pink hair and tattoos and piercings to make a statement. It’s not about what you look like.”
“Easy for you to say,” she said, her voice frosty.
“You say you have a gift,” I said, “but clearly there’s a lot you don’t know, Bettina.”
She stepped toward me with a smug half-grin. “I do know one thing for sure,” she said. “You’re going back to Wonderland in three days.”
She’s testing you. Don’t let it show. Act like you don’t care. It’s no big deal.
“Oh yeah? Who told you that?”
She grinned. “The universe did.”
I think I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right.”
“Believe whatever you want about me. I don’t really care,” she said.
“It’s not my business if you lie to people,” I replied. “That’s your karma, not mine.”
“Let me explain something to you. I don’t take money unless my vision is clear. I’m not a palm reader. I don’t tell people what they want to hear. I speak the truth.”
I was in no mood to argue with Bettina. I needed to pick out a dress and return to the Magic Mansion so I could resume my training. And later, I needed to find Tasha and Topher to come up with a plan, to decide how each of us was going to take Clark’s advice and research Dominic, Pablo, and Juliet. Secretly, I was hoping our little investigation would actually lead us to them. I really, really wanted to see Dominic again. The sooner, the better.
I knew I had to try a different approach with Bettina. I softened my tone and said, “Actually, I think you like being different.”
She raised an eyebrow—the one that wasn’t pierced. “Maybe I do.”
“That’s probably why Tasha and Topher come around.”
“You mean besides the discount I give ’em?” she said.
“No,” I said, “because they don’t fit in either.”
“I’m not an idiot. I know most people don’t like me.”
“But you prefer it that way,” I realized. “It keeps people away from you.”
“What are you, my shrink?” she said. “You’re just a kid. You don’t know anything about life yet.”
“Don’t underestimate me, Bettina,” I said.
“Am I supposed to be scared of you because you come from Chicago?”
“Am I supposed to be intimidated by you just because of how you dress? You act so tough, Bettina. But that’s all it is…an act.”
She put a hand on her hip. I was exasperating her. I could tell. “You know, your mother was much…nicer to me than you are. She didn’t have such an awful attitude.”
“We’re different people,” I said. “Maybe she was easier to fool.”
“I have nothing to prove to you, Destiny Moore,” she said. “Or to anyone in this town, for that matter.”
“I didn’t come here to fight,” I said. “I need a dress.”
She returned to her position behind the counter. “I know,” she said. “For your new job. To be a magician’s assistant. I wonder how long it’ll be before you screw that one up.”
I felt a tickle of nerves inside my body.
She knows more than she’s letting on.
“What did you just say?” I asked.
“You heard me.”
Maybe I’m wrong about Bettina. Maybe we all are. What if she really does have a gift?
She broke the silence between us. “Don’t just stand there looking at me like that,” she said. “I’ve been expecting you. I picked out three dresses in your size. They’re hanging up in the dressing room. I suggest going with the black one. I like the spaghetti straps on it. But with your perfect skin tone, you’re the kind of girl who can get away with wearing anything.”
Wait. Did she just compliment me?
I stood there feeling awkward and strange. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You can start with thank you,” she said. “Then later you can work up to I’m sorry I doubted you, Bettina.”
“I don’t know if that will ever happen,” I said.
“Yeah,” she replied, “I won’t hold my breath.”
“What you said earlier about my mom…I think you’re right. She was a nicer person than I am.”
I turned and made my way to the dressing room, pulling the slatted door shut behind me. Sure enough, there were three dresses inside hanging from a metal hook screwed in to the back of the door. I reached for the black one on instinct. I had to try it on just to be sure. Yet I already knew it would be a perfect fit.
Because Bettina said so.
Changing clothes in the tiny room was difficult. The space was no bigger than a broom closet. I was surrounded by own reflection, catching glimpses of myself each direction I moved.
Once I had the dress on, I stared at myself in the mirror.
Damn. She’s right. Don’t bother trying on the other two. This one’s it.
“I’ll take the black,” I said loudly, hoping Bettina would hear me wherever she was in the store. She didn’t respond.
I slid the beautiful knee-length dress back onto the plastic hanger. “Bettina,” I said, hoping my words would filter through the tiny spaces between the wooden slats in the dressing room door. “I give up. You were right. The dress is perfect.”
I listened for her voice, but all I could hear was the hum of the air conditioner.
I reached for the door handle and pushed it down. The door clicked open.
I jumped at the sight of Bettina. She was standing directly on the opposite side of the door with a strange expression on her face. She seemed dazed.
“Bettina?”
She lifted her eyes and met mine. “I’m scared for you,” she said.
“Why would you say that?” I asked.
“Because of what you’re going to find out today,” she continued. She held out her hand. In it was a slip of paper with numbers and letters scrawled on it in pencil. “Here.”
I hesitated for a second before taking the piece of paper from her. “What’s this?”
She took a step back and almost collided with a spinning rack of sunglasses. “It’s where you’ll find the answers,” she said. “It’s an address.”
I glanced down at the paper in my hand. “I can see that.”
“Go there,” she said, “so you’ll know.”
“So I’ll know about what?” I prompted.
“The boy you fell in love with last night,” she said. “Dominic. The truth about him.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “Bettina, tell me.”
Bettina and I were both surprised when the glass door of the boutique flew open. I felt a blast of hot, humid air from the sun-drenched street. We turned toward the entrance of the store in time to see Topher rush inside, breathless, sweaty, and wide-eyed.
“Your…brother,” he panted.
Bettina shook off whatever had a momentary hold on her and her bitter persona returned. “Are you serious?” she said. “Doesn’t he have anything else better to do?”
I gestured toward the door. “Maybe you should ask him yourself,” I said. A tall, lanky boy with curly blond hair and an acne-covered forehead entered the boutique. “I’m assuming that’s Boyd.”
Bettina moved toward her younger brother. “What’s your problem, Boyd? Why do ya keep messin’ with him?”
“Mind your own business, Bettina.”
“You’re in my store,” she reminded him. “Now it’s my business.”
“Tell him to come outside with me, then,” Boyd said to his sister.
“Tell him yourself,” she replied.
Boyd moved toward Topher. I stepped between them.
“Who are you?” Boyd asked.
I stared him in the eye. “I’m Destiny.”
I felt his gaze creep all over my body. “You’re kinda hot.” He leered at me.
“You’re kinda not,” I replied.
He smiled at me, revealing a mouth of metal. Braces? Zits? A bad haircut? And no sense of style? This was one of Topher’s tormentors?
He inched closer to me. “Why don’tcha gimme your number, Destiny?”
I held my hand up, indicating if he took a step closer I’d punch him in the face. “For many reasons you are too dumb to understand, Boyd,” I said, “But mostly because I’m Topher’s girlfriend.”
He blinked like he’d been hit with a ball. “You’re what?”
“I just moved here. From Chicago,” I explained, making the story up as I went along. “We met online. We’ve been doing the long-distance thing, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to be with Topher. So I convinced my dad to let me move here.”
“Wait,” Boyd said, “You’re with…him?”
“For seven months now,” I lied.
“That don’t make no sense,” he said. “Because he’s a—”
“Total hottie,” I completed. “I mean, just look at him. Topher is the hottest guy I’ve ever met. I still can’t believe he likes me. Really, Boyd, I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
Boyd’s lizard-like eyes darted back and forth between Topher and me. “If you say so,” he decided.
Bettina was staring at me in open-mouthed disbelief.
Topher kept his eyes to the ground.
Boyd continued checking me out, even though I’d made it clear he didn’t stand a chance in hell.
I handed Bettina the cash my uncle had given me. “Can you wrap the dress up for me?” I asked. “I have somewhere else to go.”
My voice brought her back to the here and now. “Yeah,” she said, “sure thing, love child.”
Topher lifted his beautiful eyes and took a bold step forward. He shook his head. “I can’t let you do this, Destiny.”
“Topher,” I cautioned. “Don’t.”
“Boyd,” he said with firmness. “Destiny is not my girlfriend.”
Boyd didn’t waste any time. “Look, man, if you’re breaking up with her, do you mind if I go for it?” he asked. “I think I might have a shot, bro.”
I almost threw up in my mouth. Just the thought of Boyd touching me…and he has dirty fingernails. Gross.
Topher’s voice wavered. He was nervous, scared, but brave. “She’s never been my girlfriend, but she is one of my best friends.”
I am? That’s so sweet. Topher, I wanna hug you.
Boyd looked at me, wounded. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” I said. “You and your friends are jerks to him.”
Topher held Boyd’s stare. “I’m gay, Boyd. I don’t like girls. I never have. I never will.”
Boyd was blindsided. “What the…?”
“So if you want to hit me, go ahead,” Topher said. “You and Skeeter and Nathan can beat me up every day, but it won’t change anything. I’m still gonna be me.”
*
“You said that to him?” Tasha asked a few minutes later. Topher nodded eagerly in response. The big smile on his face was contagious. He seemed liberated. Empowered. Like he could start the entire world on fire. “I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true,” I said. “I was there. I saw the whole thing.”
“Of course I had to miss it,” Tasha said. “You finally stand up to one of those Neanderthals and I’m not there to witness it because my stupid mother made me take her to the nail salon. That woman needs a driver’s license once and for all, I swear.”
“I couldn’t let Destiny lie,” Topher explained. “She told Boyd she was my girlfriend. I think he bought it, too. Until I told him the truth.”
“And then what did he do?” Tasha said, hanging on Topher’s every word.
“He gave me this really weird look and said All right, bro. Later then. And then he just walked out the door.”
Tasha was confused. “That’s it? No violence? No bloodshed?”
“Easy, Tasha. You almost sound disappointed I’m still in one piece.” Topher made a face at her.
“No, I’m happy you’re okay,” she said. “Do you think it’s over now? Do you think they’ll still chase you?”
Topher was sitting next to me, so I could feel his body relax a little “I hope not,” he said. “And if they do, I’m not gonna let it happen anymore.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He turned to me and said, “I’m tired of running, Destiny. If I don’t move, they can’t chase me.”
The three of us were crammed together, shoulder to shoulder, in the cab of Tasha’s stepfather’s filthy pickup. Tasha had mentioned we were heading north toward Charleston, cruising there on a two-lane highway. We had the windows rolled down because the air conditioner was busted. The August afternoon wind rushing in and around us wasn’t cool enough against my skin. My entire body felt hot, swollen. I pushed my hair out of my face. Of all days to wear it down, I picked this one.
Topher was holding his cell phone, carefully watching a GPS app he was using to guide us to our destination.
“Take the next left,” he said. “There should be a church on one corner and a gas station on the other.”
“Um…this is South Carolina,” Tasha reminded us. “Isn’t there a church on every corner in this state?”
“Are we already there?” I asked, feeling a wave of nerves suddenly rise in my stomach. “So soon?”
“Just a coupla more miles,” Topher said. I could hear the anxiety in his words. Both of my new friends were just as excited as I was at the possibility of Dominic and me coming face-to-face for a second time. We’d mutually agreed that after our unannounced visit to his house, we’d set out on a quest to find Juliet for Tasha and Pablo for Topher. Maybe once the six of us were reunited, we could triple date. We would become a family of our own. I already had visions of movie nights, pizza parlors, road trips, beach bonfires, and all-night heart-to-heart talks.
Maybe living in Avalon Cove won’t be so bad after all. Maybe I’ll stop missing Chicago so much. Crap! I need to call Samantha soon. Make sure she’s still alive.
“This is kinda far for Dominic to go all the way to Avalon Cove for school,” Tasha said. “Maybe he’s homeschooled. I hope he has a car.”
“I’m sure he does,” I said. “If not…there’s always the weekends.”
“What are you gonna say when you see him?” Topher asked.
“I wanna start with hello,” I decided. “Marry me seems a little forward.”
Topher’s shoulders tensed. “This is it. Turn here,” he directed Tasha.
We turned off the main highway and onto a graveled road lined on both sides with tall pine trees. About a half a mile later, the road opened up to a simple-looking two-story house with a beautiful wooden wraparound porch. The house was mostly brick, but the trim around the windows was wooden, painted white. There was a tire swing in the front yard, hanging down from the thick limb of an enormous tree. The entire house was surrounded by purple and yellow wildflowers.
Tasha stopped the truck and turned off the engine. We stared through the windshield. “Your new boyfriend lives in the country,” she said. “We’re nowhere near the beach.”
“I thought Avalon Cove was small,” Topher said. “But this feels like we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“Dominic can’t help it,” I said, in his defense. “Maybe his father is a farmer. Or maybe he’s the sheriff or something like that.”
“You’ve been watching too many movies,” Tasha said.
“Or not enough,” Topher added.
I reached for the metal door handle and pulled it open. I stepped out of the truck and reached toward the graveled ground with the tip of my sandal.
My mouth was dry. My palms were sweaty. I moved toward the house with caution, still unsure of what I would say to Dominic once we were face-to-face.
Should I hug him? Shake his hand? Make out with him on the tire swing?
I looked up. The screen door creaked open. I froze in my tracks. A tall, thin woman stood in the doorway. I could tell she’d once been really beautiful, but life had been unkind and taken a toll on her. Her honey-colored hair was pulled back but loose strands hung around her face. She was wearing a dark pink short-sleeved blouse, a pair of Capri blue jeans, and white flip-flops. I could tell she was older than us, but she looked too young to be someone’s mother.
“Can I help you?” she said. Her voice was sweet and welcoming. I moved closer.
She’s probably his older sister. That means if things go the way I’m hoping they do, she could one day be my sister-in-law.
I realized I hadn’t planned on what I’d say if Dominic wasn’t home. The woman was staring at me, like she was waiting for me to say something.
First impressions are so important, Destiny. Remember your manners.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” I began. “I’m a…friend…of Dominic’s. I came by to see him. Is he home?”
She took a slow, heavy step onto the porch. And another. The screen door slammed shut behind her. The gunshot-like noise made me jump but she didn’t even flinch. I glanced back nervously to my friends in the truck, contemplating running back to them and telling Tasha to floor it all the way back to Avalon Cove.
As the woman came closer, I couldn’t stop staring into her eyes. They reminded me of Dominic’s—the same light shade of hazel.
“You know my son?” she said.
Your son? Were you twelve when you had him?
I nodded. “Yes. My name is Destiny Moore. He’s not expecting me. I didn’t have his cell number. Otherwise I would’ve called. I’m very sorry to just show up…unannounced.”
Tears suddenly flooded her eyes. It unnerved me. It made me want to leave immediately. But I also felt compelled to go to her, embrace her, and tell her everything was going to be okay. Something was obviously wrong. Something really terrible had happened.
She sat down on the top step and wiped her face. I noticed her hands were trembling.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Did I say something wrong? I can go. We can leave.”
She shook her head and struggled to regain her composure. “Come,” she said. She gestured to the empty space beside her by patting the wood beneath her. “Sit with me for a minute. Then you can be on your way.”
I obliged, moving cautiously up the steps to the porch. I sat down beside her.
“You seem like a real sweet girl,” she said. A tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it away with the back of her hand. “That’s why it’s real hard for me to tell you what I gotta say. I don’t know you, so I’m not sure how you’re gonna take it. I don’t know if you’ve ever lost somebody before.”
She fell silent for a moment. I wondered if she was searching for the right words.
Finally, I spoke, just to fill the space between us. “I feel awful,” I said. “I shouldn’t have bothered you. I have no right just showing up like this. Me and my friends didn’t know better. Honest.”
I stood up to leave but she reached out and touched my arm. She guided me gently back down to the wooden steps.
“I’m not sure how long it’s been since you’ve seen my son,” she said, “but I need to let you know…” She stopped for a moment, overwhelmed by her emotions. It was difficult for her to get the words out. “Dominic…he ain’t here.”
I swallowed, fearing the worst. “Where is he?” I asked.
She reached for my hand and squeezed it. “Honey, he died,” she said. “My beautiful boy’s been dead for five weeks.”