CHAPTER FOUR: Deserted and Discovered
The first light of morning slanted gently onto Sophia's face, waking her up. She groaned and rolled away, licking her cracked lips.
"I am never, ever pulling an all nighter again," she muttered, smashing her face into the pillow. She groaned again and sat up slowly, sliding herself to the end of the bed and then lurching to her feet. After rinsing her face off and chugging a glass of water, she decided the best thing would be to sweat it out. She changed into her running clothes.
This time of year, the high desert was cool and crisp in the early mornings, with the setting moon etched in the clear blue sky. Sophia set out across the sand, soon loosening up and hitting her stride. She raced a rattlesnake undulating across the sand at one point. Sidewinders could move fast when they wanted to, which wasn't very often, given their preference for leisurely sunbathing, but they weren't aggressive. Unless you were a mouse, of course.
Up ahead, there was a good pile of red rocks, and she scrambled right up them to the top. When she was growing up, you could see nothing but Joshua Trees from this perch, with just a few scattered houses rising up like random haystacks across an empty field. Except the field wasn't so empty anymore, she noticed, chalking that up to the LA hipsters having discovered the area. But then she frowned, realizing there weren't very many Joshua Trees anymore. Was is possible that these people were cutting them down?
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The heady morning aroma of creosote and sage rose up off the desert floor, surrounding her. This was the time of day her grandfather said belonged to the birds, because it seemed as though every winged creature was out singing, chirping, or cooing. Just then, the distinctive haw-haw-hawing of a cactus wren looking for a mate cut across the beautiful cacophony. She silently wished him luck.
Later that morning, freshly showered, she sat down with a cup of coffee. "Almost human again," she sighed.
"That's debatable," her brother said as he walked into the kitchen in his running clothes
"You're just getting started?" she scoffed. "I've been up for hours."
He shrugged. "It's not like we have places to go and people to see."
"Ah, but we do, brother of mine. We're going grandfather hunting today."
"Do I have time for a run?"
"Well, if they haven't all gone away already, another hour won't make any difference," she teased. "Go right ahead. It's a beautiful morning out there."
Later, Sophia and Brandon got into their ancient VW bug, which Brandon was always taking apart and "making better," and went in seach of Elroy Lindon. Elroy was a distant cousin of their grandfather and a good friend who had lived out in the desert for a long time. He would know more about where their grandfather had gone.
As they pulled into Elroy's driveway, Sophia had a sinking feeling. The house looked awfully still. Sure enough, there was no answer when Brandon knocked on the door. They walked around to the side yard, where there were floor to ceiling windows. Looking around nervously, Sophia boosted Bran up the wall, and then he turned and helped her up.
"I hope we don't scare him or catch him in a private moment or something," Sophia whispered.
Brandon snorted. "I don't think Elroy has private moments."
They jumped down, and Sophia started to dust her hands off on her pants before stopping short. Elroy was definitely not home. Not now, and not ever, apparently - the house was completely empty.
They looked at each other in silence, and then went back the way they came.
The next stop didn't go any better. The lady living at Del's ranch house had never heard of him; she'd bought the house from a realtor a few years back. She was nice enough to show them the stables, explaining that the horses had conveyed with the house. They were Del's horses, alright.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't be of more help," the woman said, patting Sophia on the shoulder and smiling warmly at Brandon. "Maybe they'll know more at the county records office?"
"Yeah," she said, trying to give the woman a smile. "Yeah, that's a good idea - thank you so much."
They climbed back into the car, not saying anything to each other. Sophia just sat there, staring at the windshield, until Brandon nudged her. The homeowner was still standing in the yard, watching them. Sophia started the car and Brandon gave the woman a wave as they pulled out.
A few minutes later, they turned into the parking lot at the Ranger Station.
"This feels like our last chance," Brandon murmured.
Sophia and Brandon had met Melia Dorian the very first week they were in Joshua Tree, not long after their father's funeral. They quickly became the park ranger's shadow, which their grandfather had encouraged, saying they needed a woman's touch. Melia had, in fact, taught them both how to cook and sew, but she also taught them the name of every plant, every bird, every star in every constellation, where to find water in the desert and food in the mountains. She taught them how to survive.
Sophia had gone to Melia in tears the day she had to leave.
"Dry your tears, dearest," Melia told her. "It will all be fine. No matter where you are, you and your brother will always be in my heart, and we'll find each other again. I promise. Here," she said, twisting the ring off her finger. "I've been meaning to give this to you for a long time. Now don't look at me like that; it's just a silver ring with a plain, white stone. It's not materially valuable. But it's something special to me, and when you wear it, it will be like you have me with you."
"I can't take it, Melia. It's yours."
"Not really," she smiled. "It was given to me, and I always knew it was meant for you. Here, take it. I don't have one yet for your brother, but you tell him I'll give him one, too, someday."
When Sophia had put the ring on, she could have sworn it gave her a feeling of peace, as though she were ready for anything. Including her mother.
"It is yours now," Melia said softly, "and no one can take it from you. It will keep you safe, and your brother, too, as long as he is with you. Your job is to take care of him, now."
"I know," Sophia whispered back.
That was the last time she'd seen her friend, who had been more of a mother to her than Jeannie had ever been. They had tried to write to her a couple of times, but Melia had never answered. There were no letters from her in the bundle of mail her mother stole.
"Can I help you with something, kids?" The voice behind them made her jump. "Sorry if I startled you," the man chuckled. He was dressed in ranger khakis, with a wide-brimmed hat low over his eyes.
"Oh. Uh, yes," Sophia said, clearing her throat, "We were just looking for Melia Dorian - does she still work here?"
He scratched his head under the hat. "Can't say that I recognize the name."
Her heart fell.
"How long have you been here in Joshua Tree?" Brandon asked, always practical.
"Five years this winter. Though the way things are going, not sure we're going to be able to call it Joshua Tree for much longer."
"What do you mean?" Sophia asked.
"Joshua Trees are dying off. Climate change," he shrugged. "You visiting for the first time? Happy to tell you more about the area. There's still plenty to see."
"No," Sophia said absently, thinking that it sounded as though Melia had left right after they did. "We grew up here."
He smiled pleasantly. "Well, maybe you can tell me more about the area, then."
"Would you have any records about rangers who were here before?" Brandon asked. "Melia was a friend of ours, and we'd really like to track her down."
"Not sure I'd have any records that would be helpful, but I can send an email to Washington and ask them for forwarding information and let her know you're looking for her. If you want to leave your number or your email address, I'll be glad to let you know when I hear from her." He fished in his breast pocket and pulled out a notecard.
"Here. Write your names on the back of this, along with your information, and I'll let you know if I find anything."
"Thanks," Sophia smiled at him. "We really appreciate it."
"No problem. Come by any time."
The next morning, the siblings sat in the kitchen in the dawning light.
"We got an email from that ranger," Brandon said from behind his laptop.
"Already?" Sophia asked. "That was fast. What'd he say?"
"That they have no records for Melia."
"No forwarding address?"
"No," Brandon said slowly, "Nothing at all. No record that she was ever here at all, let alone where she's gone. How is that possible? I mean, how is all of it possible? Every single one of them, gone without a trace? Grandfather, Elroy, Del, Melia..."
"I don't know," she responded. "But Grandfather did say he would know when we came looking for him."
She noticed then that Brandon was rolling the obsidian box in his fingers.
"Have you been carrying that with you?" she asked.
He nodded. "Didn't seem like something we should leave lying around, especially with that vampire bat guy poking his nose in the door."
"Maybe we should open the box." she finally proposed.
"The little old man said not to," Brandon responded.
"No," she corrected, "he said other people shouldn't touch it. He didn't say we shouldn't. He wanted us to have it."
Brandon peered down at the box, looking for an opening. He ran a fingernail along a fine crack in the side, and it started to move. Sophia nodded at him when he glanced up at her.
He eased the box open, and they both gasped. The gemstone inside pulsed with an internal golden light and sparkled with a spectrum of warm colors, now red, then orange, with splashes of yellow. Brandon gently touched a fingertip to it, and it seemed to generate a low, humming field of magnetic pressure, which they could both feel bending around them. Laughter bubbled up out of Sophia, and Brandon grinned broadly at her in response. The stone literally seemed to brighten the room. They stared at it, mesmerized, not noticing the passage of time.
Suddenly, there was a crash at the front door, and Brandon hastily closed the obsidian box and shoved it down into his pocket just as a man with long blond hair ran into the room.
"Who the hell are you?" Sophia yelled at him, slipping her knife into her hand.
"I'm a friend of your grandfather's. We have to go. Now."
"What?" Sophia cried. "Are you out of your mind? You can't just break in here! We're not going anywhere with you."
The man looked at her, and his churning gray eyes made her shrink against the counter.
"You have the stone," he said. "You touched it. Every foul creature within 500 miles of here felt it and is very likely heading this way right now."
"Foul creatures? What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"Unless you want to find out the hard way, I suggest we run. Now," he repeated, turning and sprinting for the door.
Just then, there was a loud roaring sound in the distance, something that did not sound human but was not an animal either of siblings recognized. Sophia and Bran looked at each other for a split second before running after the strange man.
