5.04
Unexpected Storms
We became Josephine and Lawson, the two lovebirds from Charleston, passing through Summerville on their way to Gatlin to visit. It wasn't like we were telling anything that wasn't true, Lena's name was really Josephine, and although my first name wasn't Lawson, it was my second name, sort of like Josephine was Lena's second name, we were showing that our second lives were of Josephine and Lawson's. We had even been to Charleston before, so the story was always easier to keep up.
"So what will y'all have today, the usual?" Billie Jean asks. She could easily pass for one of the Sisters, although she is much younger than them, the way she talks and acts is definitely a carbon copy of them.
"Yes," Lena says first and then looking at me, I hand Billie Jean the menu.
"Yes the usual," I say.
She turns and walks back to the kitchen to put in our order. In that time that I finally have the opportunity to spend time with Lena my hand reaches for hers. She of course doesn't hesitate to lace her fingers in with mine. After a couple of seconds of just looking at each other, she lets out a smile. I could never get enough of it, because when I first met her, she smiled so little. Of course it was understandable knowing now what I know about her life, the importance of her claiming and how everything changed when she finally did.
"So," she says like a question.
Where do you want to go first?
Do you think that your Uncle would mind taking his niece on a road trip unsupervised?
I already asked and of course there was only one condition.
The condition. Looking at her now I don't have to ask to know what the condition would be. It is funny how I am beginning to know exactly how Macon thinks, especially when it comes to Lena.
"Boo," I say not as a question but as a statement.
She nods and doesn't say anything. It is as if taking ten guard dogs and Macon to spy on every moment of our time together. If it had been anyone else, if I hadn't die, I would have minded, but just to be with her, I would easily spend time with Savanna, Emily, heck the whole Stonewall Jackson Cheer squad if it meant spending a little bit more time with her.
Is that okay?
As long as you are going, don't think I can handle all those hours with just Macon
I wonder how she brought up the subject. 'Hey Uncle Macon, I want to go on an un-supervised road trip with my older, but now younger because of the claiming, boyfriend, for a couple of days?'
Wasn't exactly like that, but close. I just told him that we needed time to find ourselves in the world. I guess he understood because he even welcomed the solitude, whatever that means.
The plates are brought out before I can even say another word.
"These two lovebirds," Billie Jean says out loud. "Noah, they spend hours just looking at each other. I mean who does that, heck I cannot look at Horace for more than twenty minutes without yelling at him. I guess if he had two color eyes probably that would help me look at him much longer."
Lena smiles but I know that she is nervous especially when someone comments on the color of her eyes. It was after all what distinguish her from the green colored light Casters and the gold color dark Casters. The first time that we were in here, Lena had to eat with sunglasses. She complained the whole time, kelting that she never could get used to it like Ridley had.
"Lawson what was it that you told me last time," Billie Jean says.
Last time we were here, we had come up with this whole elaborate story on the reason why we were going back to Gatlin. Something to do with Doc Asher trying to see what would cause the different color eyes. Had to ask Miriam on what the human condition of it is called.
"Heterochromia," I say.
"Yeah that," Billie Jean says. "Well it sure is fun to look at Josephine. On your way back to Gatlin?"
"Actually," I says. "We are trying to decide on where to go next. I say Denver, but I don't know where Josephine wants to go?"
"Actually I was leaning towards New York," Lena says. "But honestly I don't know quite yet."
Billie Jean starts to tell me about the few places that she had always dreamed of going. If there is one thing that most of the people in or around Gatlin have in common, is the fact that we all wish we could just get up and go, but something always holds them back. For me people always thought that it was my father, about keeping him from falling apart finally, but honestly it was always Amma. I wanted to make sure that she was going to be alright, even though if she knew this, she would tell me that I was...
'D.E.M.E.N.T.E.D' as in you are demented if you think that I am going to fall apart without you Ethan Lawson Wate.
"You want some," Lena tells me already putting a bite in her mouth. Looking down at the chocolate chip pancakes that she always orders, it reminds me of breakfast in my house when I was five. It was something that my mom always made me, and well after the chocolate chip pancakes ended, she started to give me chocolate milk.
"Never did understand why you always order those," I say getting a small piece from her plate.
"Well kitchen never gets it right, and well living with Gramma, I never got to experience things like this," she says. Putting the hot pancakes in my mouth, it did taste good, and always reminded me of times that I had with my mother. Sometimes I wish that Lena could have met her, I bet they would have gotten along. My mother's love for books, and Lena love for poetry, they probably would have spent whole nights talking about literature.
"So New York huh," I say looking at her. She shrugs and looks out the window at the morning day.
"I had always wanted to go North, seeing how all I have know are the states that succeeded," she says not turning away from the window. It was on a stop along the way. To see if there really was a Illium School of Optometry.
"To be in a constant state of stage fright never knowing what part of life we are going to have to act in next," she says surprisingly as if she was reciting it.
"You read it?" I say.
Had to. What else was I going to do to pass the time when you were away.
"It isn't Frost, or even Cummings," she says. "But there is some good in it, I can see why you would like it. To be able to fly off to distant planets, to see how life would be if in a different places, I mean we have all wanted to just get up and go, in search of the fresh start."
It was the truth. Most of the books that I love were of that, finding a way to live my life through the eyes of others. To be able to get that fresh start. To actually become the character and be able to move to a new town, and have people judge you on your character and not on what your last name was, or who your relative were. It seems that although we didn't know, Lena and I were very much alike. She always wanted people to judge her by her, and not by the fact that she was a Ravenwood.
"Oh, never this whelming east wind swells; but it seems like the sea's return; to the ancient lands where it left the shells; before the age of the fern; and it seems like the time when after doubt our love came back amain. Oh, come forth into the storm and rout and be my love in the rain," I softly say. My hand grabs hers and something happens. I really don't know how to explain, but it is as if I could feel Lena in a weird way. Before I could ask I start to see her black curls start to uncurl slowly. I start to hear...tap...tap...tap.
Looking outside I see the rain drops hitting the glass. The whole morning that was filled with a sunrise that would rival the most beautiful paintings is now filled with dark clouds and the rain drops of a coming storm. Why would Lena do this, from the curls moving and lack of the sound of the wind chimes, it is definitely a Caster spell and seeing Lena is a Natural she can control the weather.
L?
She looks up blushing from the poem, and with a puzzling look in her eyes looks over to the glass. Her hand drops from mines and as her face comes back to mines.
What is with the change of weather, going to be pretty hard to drive back in the rain.
What are you talking about, this isn't me.
L your hair, the curls, are you casting?
No.
We start to hear people talk and know that our breakfast will have to be a short one. Billie Jean unknown why we are leaving so fast, especially in this rain. Whatever is going on, if it is not a natural, and if it is not Lena then what or who is it.
"We are use to it," I say putting the money on the table. Helping Lena to her feet, we walk towards the door, and as I open it, I do a quick pass of the people in the diner, and find that the old man, the one that Billie Jean called Noah was looking straight at us. It wasn't as if he happened to look our way, or that the commotion caused him to look, but I think, no I know that he had been looking at us all this time.
Once outside we make a run for the car. The rain that was once seemed to be coming down in a drizzle is now coming down as hard as if there are small hail. Once inside the thud of what I can now see is hail begin to pelt the car hood.
"It isn't me," Lena says immediately. "Probably a storm is just that, a storm."
"Okay," I say lifting my hand to her cheek. Her curls have continued to move inside the still car. Something is going on and although Lena isn't consciously doing it, her body might be doing it. "Then if it isn't you who started it, can it be you who stops it?"
"It doesn't work like that," she says. "If this is a natural storm, there is nothing that I can do to stop it."
"It wouldn't hurt to try," I say.
As soon as the words came out of my mouth all of the sudden the thudding stops and the curls begin to fall on her face. We both look out and see the clouds have begun to dissipate and small peeks of sunshine fight their way through the dark clouds. Lena lets out a sharp breathe and I know that she was holding it in.
"Wow," I say leaning towards the front windshield. The clouds have begun to run away as if someone turned on the light again. I knew Lena was getting stronger by the day but this is amazing. Imagine what she could do if say a hurricane was coming to Gatlin. With this new ability she could easily destroy it before it even makes land.
"Ethan," she says in a voice that borders on fear.
Turning around I see that Lena has turn ghostly white. Her eyes look more brighter than usual if that is at all possible.
"You okay?" I say.
"No," she says closing her eyes. She starts to shake and with both of her hands on the steering wheel she grips it with such a force that her fingertips turn even whiter. "I didn't do anything. It had to be a natural storm."
She closes her eyes, and then I can see her hand move towards the key that is already in the ignition. The car turns on and then opening her eyes, I realize that she just wants it to be a normal storm. It was going to a new place and being Josephine instead of Lena, the desire to start fresh. Probably I am imagining it, it could have been the wind that caused Lena's curls to move. There has been times that storms come and go as quick as that.
The drive is quicker than usual, but this time there is no kelting or even talking. It feels uncomfortable, and I don't know how to The but the weather is more cooperative than usual and after a while the silence just broke, like the rain.
Ethan?
The voice is quiet and shy.
Yea L.
I guess our summer plans aren't going to happen.
I turn to look at her and see that a tear has already started to trickle. There sits a girl that just wants to be normal at least for a couple of weeks. To not have to think about Light Casters or Dark Casters, to not have to worry about her powers, which probably is scaring the hell out of her. I may have not notice but if it were me, and I felt as if I couldn't control it even after claiming myself, then I know I would need someone to help me through it.
L, I still want to go, do you?
Really, even after all this?
Of course, Lena-beana, you know that I just want you to be safe
I know
"Can we just pretend like it didn't happen?" she says. It was like that time that we 'parked' by the water tower. She wanted to be normal, she wanted me to let her be normal, and of course I was so wrapped up in my own thing, the pain of my world falling apart, that I didn't realize that her world was also coming apart, just in a different way. This time, I will not do what I had always done, always wanting to know why things happen. This time I will let Lena be just Lena.
"Like what happened?" I say. There was only one person that I know that wouldn't arouse any suspicion if I were to ask. I know that I can't ask her Uncle without him going all super protective, and well Amma would have been the same way. It only leaves either Miriam or Olivia. "All I remember is watching the sunrise, and having breakfast with the most beautiful woman. That and planning our a road trip."
"We were in the middle of it, although I still don't know where we are going to," she says.
"Some would say that is the best way of traveling," I say remembering something my mother once told me. "The only way to find a new place, is to get lost on purpose. But I think we had already decided on a place. Didn't you want to see New York?"
"Really?" She says with her voice perking up. It was as if I was letting her be what she had always wanted to be...normal.
"Yeah really," I say. "We can check out Central Park, eat a hot dog on the steps of the Met, travel to the top of the Empire State Building, you know, all the things that you do the first time you go."
I was talking and she was just listening. It was when I felt something new, well the way I felt it was new, I could feel that she loved me more now than what she did before. I didn't think it was possible to know without a doubt of a person's true feeling, but I gave up trying to think of what was possible and what wasn't with Lena. With Lena, it was always possible.
She drops me off at Wate's landing. The new wind chimes that Lena gave me dance in the open kitchen window. You could hear it all the way from the driveway, it was that or she would help me put up all the bottles again on the tree. I tell you the things that Amma did, although it looked silly from the outside, it was always for our protection.
Looking at the house now, it just looks like a house, nothing really all that special. Before you could see Amma cooking and sometimes even dancing, although she would never admit it, I caught her a few times. Now the windows are open but there is no one there. The new car my father bought to go to his teacher job is now gone. The only thing there is old Volvo my mom use to drive.
Turning around she knows what I am thinking.
"It will get better," she says.
I lean in and kiss her ever so lightly. It was the way we had never been able to kiss before. Before, I had to be like a thief and steal kisses, quickly and passionately before my heart stopped. Now that we can touch, I can take my time to let her know just how much I love her. As our lips touch, I can feel her the warmth of her touch. It wasn't so much that I wanted to let know, but she wanted to let me know the same way. We finally come up for air, not from the shock, but from the intensity of the emotion behind it.
"Hmm," she says opening her eyes. "You want me to wait for you?"
"No it is okay," I say.
"I will go home and pick some things up," she says looking at her watch. "In an hour?"
I nod. Getting out of the car, I see her drive away. Turning around I start the walk up to the house that so many Wates have lived in. Now this Wate is on its way to a new adventure, an adventure with the woman that he loves.