Chapter Eight

The next morning, I definitely felt that whisky. My head was pounding as I worked beneath the sun to churn out fertilizer on my freshly watered farm. To my surprise, I was beginning to see little green leaves pop up. It was so exciting that I cried out in shock, before cringing and pressing my arm to my poor head. Despite the aches, I hauled weeds and knobby sticks into a pile beside my house. They'd be good for a bonfire or maybe even patching the fence. I pulled some of Derrick's tools out, acutely aware of the century old tetanus they were offering. I poked around my chicken coop for a bit, taking note of a beam in need of new nails and taking into account the gaping hole that a meteor could have easily caused. Despite that, the inside was in decent shape with nesting spots, a trough that didn't leak, and sturdy walls. I know in the barn, leftover plywood from my house was laid up against the wall. Even though Derrick's saw looked dull, I was sure I could get it through the wood and have enough to patch up the roof to protect it from storms. Maybe then I could consider approaching Rick about one of his ladies. The scythe wasn't a match for the thick, juicy weeds of summer against the back of my property, but I swung and hacked with all I had to get it down low. I knelt and rinsed my face with the cool, refreshing spring water from the creek. I found a thick oak beam, carved and smooth, near the back corner. When I picked it up, I realized it must have been part of a fence. I glanced at my open field. If I could get more of these, I'd easily be able to have livestock and chickens grazing in a secure, but open, space. After I finished hauling everything to where it needed to go, I set off to take a shower in advance of lunch.

As I washed my hair and thoroughly worked the dirt out from under my nails, my mind wandered towards Gray. In all of his and Kai's years as friends, why wouldn't he at least tell him about his parents? I know it was such an awful, terrible thing to have to revisit, but maybe it would have made him feel better to talk about it. And maybe that's why Gray came off as reserved and shut away. He was always up in his head, replaying everything over and over again. It was his own horror to bear, it seemed. A part of me, though, wanted to share that hurt with him. I felt I was the only person left in this world who could truly understand. As the steam rose over me, I remembered the moment I found out. Gray and I were supposed to meet at the basketball courts in between our neighborhoods. I waited over an hour for him before I hopped a city bus to go to Grandma Williams house. I partly suspected he had forgotten because his parents were out of town and he was splitting time at her house and at home with his nanny. But the moment Grandma Williams opened the door, with tears flowing down her face, still in her robe and nightgown, I knew something was wrong. And when she told me, I don't know what overcame me. A feeling of grief, disbelief, anger, and resentment all directed at the universe I felt had constantly wronged me. Grandma Williams opened her arms to me, but to my regret, I turned and bolted. I ran down the hot pavement with my blubbering tears and raced through crosswalks without a care. Part of me had wanted to be hit by a car. Anything to take away the awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. Gray had had it much worse, of course. We didn't talk the whole weekend. And boy was I surprised when he sat down next to me in English on the Monday after. Bloodshot eyes, tired, hungry. We were a mirror of each other. Administration came after him and had Grandma Williams pick him up for the day. She checked me out, too. And together we ate cookies, had milk, and laid on the couch to rot to some show we were no longer interested in. I swallowed roughly as I cut the water and stepped out to change.

When I came out from the bathroom, Ann was kicking the door shut behind her. She had a sandwich and some chips on a plate. When she saw me, she lowered her headphones around her neck. "Hey! You hungry? We just whipped up some fresh pulled pork!" She brought it close to me so I'd get a whiff of the barbecue sauce.

"Sounds good, but no thanks," I smiled, my duffel bag beating against my hip as I crossed the room. "I'm having lunch at Kai's."

Ann nearly face planted into the table as she set her lunch down. Her eyes were bewildered and she came across the room in a flash, standing between me and the door. "You're what!?" She shook her head wildly, her braid beating against her shoulders. "Claire, no way! Kai is a total flirt. He likes to have flings."

"Oh, come on," I held in a laugh, recalling his friendly tenderness the night before as he wiped my frightened tears away. "It's not like that. We're just friends. We had a good meal, a couple beers-"

"Stop!" Ann grabbed my shoulders now as if to shake me back into reality. "Brews and food! The classic neanderthal man's way of getting to your heart. You can't fall for that, Claire!"

I furrowed my brow now, gripping her wrists to prevent any wringing. "Aren't you friends with him?"

"Of course," Ann replied quickly, her tone still sharp and concerned. She pressed her hands to her hips and let out a sigh, dipping her head. "I just know Kai, is all. He lives life on the high rise, always looking for fun, always on the prowl for the feel-good. He and Popuri had a summer of fun and, trust me, it did not end well."

"This isn't the same thing, Ann," I told her, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Then what the heck are you doing getting lured into the Snack Shack like this?" She demanded. I didn't even have a moment to respond before she gasped sharply, straightening up. "Is our food not good enough? You know, whatever Kai said about where we get our shipping from is completely-"

"Ann, no!" I held my hands up, wanting to let out a huff. It silenced her immediately. "It's not about any of those things. It's… something else, alright?"

"Then, what is it about?" Ann shot back. "I'm your friend, too. You should be able to tell me these things." She looked so fierce as she studied my face and after a few beats, she started to relax as she put all the pieces together. "This is about Gray, isn't it?"

I felt rather sheepish, grasping the strap of my duffel bag as if I were a middle school girl. "He and Kai are really close. I think it will just be easier to talk to him…"

She let out a long sigh of relief and even threw in a laugh as she now paced towards her lunch. "Gods, you had me so frightened, Claire. Kai thinks he's so smooth, but you're way too smart for him. I hope you know that."

For a fleeting moment, I remembered the warmth he put off that was so casual and calming. I smiled at Ann and nodded. "It's nothing like that."

"Well, go on then," Ann plopped down in a stool and pulled the plate up to her. "Try to get into the blacksmith apprentice's head! I've known him ten years and all I can say is I think his favorite color is blue." I began towards the door but Ann looked up from her sandwich mid-chew. "Please come have dinner here, though. Daddy might start a turf war with Kai if you don't."

…

During the walk to the beach, my mind was abuzz. It was the second time Ann had described someone and it felt as if I knew an entirely different person. Of course, I knew Kai was somewhat of a schmoozer and a people pleaser. I could definitely see him as the life of a party, as if he were a light walking into a room. And, naturally, during travels, I wouldn't think it odd for him to have fleeting contact with girls in the area. It was hard for me to think he was a heartbreaker, however, only considering himself. The entire time I'd known him, he had been nothing but accommodating, kind, relenting, and gentle. He was the first person I had met in a long time that I didn't feel pressurized by. I felt that whatever I said, he could take it and roll with it and spin it right back to me. He seemed like such an understanding soul and, with five sisters, totally in tune with what the vibe was around him. Everything had been platonic. There weren't any hints or undertones. He had been to the ends of the world and back. There was nothing he'd want with a plain jane like me, anyway. Kai was adventurous while I played it safe. I appreciated Ann's concerns, but I knew they weren't entirely warranted. It was sweet of her, though. I knew I wasn't in the know about everyone around Mineral Town and was severely lacking in the romance department, but I figured I could tell when someone was being genuine and kind to me, at least.

I was deep in thought over Ann's reaction as I made it towards the stairs in Rose Plaza. The moment my foot sunk into the sand, however, was when a memory overcame me, unleashing itself from the trove deep beneath. It was overwhelming as I turned to look out over the gravelly sand and bright, enticing waves. It was as if I needed to face them, replay them all before my eyes, if I were to get level to level with the boy I used to call home.

Seagulls were squawking overhead, as if they were a siren warning for anyone with a sugary treat or bag of chips. The ocean waves were rough that day, crashing against the shore with their white, bubbly foam. It wasn't a great day for swimming, but that didn't deter Gray and I from fun in the sun. The Williams family and I had driven two and a half hours for this beach on the pretense it was family friendly and clean. It was one of those. The rip tides were high that day and Mrs. Williams had expressed concern about us swimming. But lucky for her, we had decided on one unified goal before we even got there: making the ultimate sand castle.

While Mr. and Mrs. Williams set up umbrellas, laid out towels, unfurled chairs, and propped open coolers, Gray and I were already busy becoming the best architects in our minds. We measured where the shore was coming in before picking the prime spot for our castle. It would have towers and glass ceilings. Sprawling yard work and a beautiful moat to keep all the invaders out. As we began packing the sand into our buckets, we discussed the family that would live there. Dukes and Duchesses, we declared, in a tight knit battle with a rivaling family, which was obviously the ocean. They could send their tides all they wanted, but they'd never bring down our kingdom. We'd build them a fine arsenal of cannons and enough pikes for five hundred men.

"Gray! Claire! Sunscreen," Mrs. Williams called to us after a few hours of playing in the warm sand. Our arms were gritty up to our elbows, our knees tickling. We hadn't even realized it'd been so long. At this point, our castle was beginning to take shape. We had compactly molded a slightly lop-sided rectangle together and were busy filling our buckets for the necessary towers. A few already stood gallantly beside it. I stuck my shovel into the sand and glanced out at the roaring waves. Were they coming in closer now?

"Aw, mom!" Gray shook his head as he beat the sand into his bucket. "I'm fine."

"Oh, no, mister," Mrs. Williams shot back. "You burn like a crisp, come here."

I stood up with Gray, feeling a panic. "Gray, the tide!"

Gray stopped mid-step to see what I was gesturing at. "Mom, can it wait? Our castle is in trouble!"

"Any longer and you're going to turn into a lobster," Mrs. Williams continued. "The faster you come here, the faster I can do it, and the faster you can get back to it." Gray and I kicked sand up in our path as we raced towards her, arms offered forward. She smudged it across our cheeks and leaned over to smear it onto the back of our necks. Mrs. Williams was a stickler for skin care and wasn't going to let our castle's future deter her from preventing itchy, peeling sunburn.

"Mo-om!" Gray was hopping up and down now as she worked it into his shoulders. "This is an emergency!"

"It's too early for the Duke of Glaire to fall!" I remember seeing her lips twitch at this. Glaire. When Gray and I played games together as a team, we always just mashed our names into one.

"George!" Mrs. Williams called over her shoulder. Her husband was sat in his low beach chair, his knees sticking up. He was busy typing on his phone, however, and had missed everything that happened. Mr. Williams looked up, his bold brow arched. "Would you please do your knightley duty and dig the Duke and Duchess here a moat?"

Whatever tensity and stress he had been encapsulated in on his phone evaporated at this request. It was as if Susi Williams was reaching through that bubble of work and offering him a genuine way out. Mr. Williams was, indeed, a workaholic, but he was a lawyer for a very prestigious firm that handled some of the biggest cases in The City and sometimes even The Continent. He took on large corporations, high profile murder cases, you name it. He did magic on the floor of the court and everyone wanted a piece of his legal work. When he was away on business, Mrs. Williams, Gray, and I would sometimes watch the news and see him on TV. If his name even fleetingly cast across the TV at home, my father was quick to flip it.

Mr. Williams hopped up in the next moment, disregarding his phone on his chair. Mrs. Williams was still determined as ever to make sure she didn't miss even a speck on us, so we watched in terrified anxiety as Mr. Williams weld two shovels and began scraping a big hole in front of our castle. We both screamed in amusement and also fear as the white foamed waves began rushing towards him.

"Hurry!" I squealed. "It's gotta keep the entire ocean out!"

"Don't worry, Lady Claire," Mr. Williams called back, smiling all the while. "I, Sir George, will not fail you."

"Alright, all set," Mrs. Williams patted us on the backs and we took off in a moment's notice, working furiously with our hands to dig out a long trench. Gray's mother must have thought it was so funny, she was quick to find the digital camera to whip out and document our frenzied public service project. The wild ocean washed around us in the next moment and foam crashed against our castle, sinking a few of the towers. They were wet and heavy now, sagging over and ready to collapse. But we were all soaked. We all looked at each other, hair plastered across our foreheads and cheeks. It didn't take long for bouts of laughter to ring out, especially as another wave crashed over us and flattened the castle entirely. Mr. Williams pulled us against him, shaking his head.

"It seems we might have failed," he chuckled.

"We will rebuild!" Gray decided. And in the next moment, Mrs. Williams froze time in a single picture. One of me sitting in Mr. Williams' lap, looking up to him with my toothy grin. His arm was around me and Gray both, his son in the middle of a bold declaration, finger pointed towards the sky. Mr. Williams' dark eyes were staring right at the lens, with a look that would follow me forever.

I shuddered as I felt the warm early afternoon sun come over me. It was odd how vividly these memories came alive, as if they only happened a week ago. In reality, it felt like another lifetime. Grandma Williams had given me so many photo albums of the family that I was a part of. I was fearful to ever open them. They lay in the darkness of a cabinet in my house. Maybe one day I'd get the courage to touch them or even just give them to Gray for safe keeping. My stomach growled in the next beat, though, and reminded me of my current mission. I steamed across the sand to the Snack Shack and listened to the familiar creak of the screen as I pushed myself in. I let out a sigh as the cool air conditioning came over me and I raked my damp hair back from my face. I paused, however, when I realized the scene I had come in on.

Gray sat in a chair at the end of the bar, a trash bag covering his body. The two men had been smart enough to cut arm holes through it and the apprentice was busy reading a box in his hand. On his head sat something I imagined a surgeon would be wearing. Nearby, Gray's coveralls were thrown across a table. Kai was behind the bar, near the sink, carefully removing latex gloves. When he heard the door, he glanced in my direction. His face lit up immediately and I still wasn't used to that. Immediately, he pulled his hands free of the gloves and tossed them into the wash basin.

"You're just in time for lunch!" Kai called out to me, hustling to grab a plate and get to the stove.

Gray looked up now, stunned. I could tell he felt sheepish and embarrassed and, for a moment, I couldn't believe I was able to read that. As a child, Gray had quite the signature deer-in-the-headlights gaze to his eyes. But here I was seeing it all again on a face that was much more defined. I smiled softly now, coming across the room to sit at a barstool. I was doing everything in my power to just act casually. Kai brought me another show stopping plate. A homemade coleslaw salad, a loaded baked potato gleaming with gooey cheese and flecks of bacon, along with yet another baked corn. I'd have to assume that would always be on the menu. I thanked him as he served me a beer and a tall glass of water. Kai then wandered towards Gray, leaning in all kinds of ways to peek beneath the bag on his head. I took a big chunk out of the potato and watched them both.

"So," my mouth was full now as I spoke, pointing my fork towards them. "You're dying your hair?"

"Yeah, I thought it might be a nice change," Gray said, glancing up from the box. "I've never done it, but decided why not?"

"Well, maybe because you have one of the most sought after hair colors in the world?" I shrugged.

"It'll grow back," he deadpanned, looking at me now. I couldn't help but smile and the way the muscles pulled felt familiar. I could see his lips move a bit, too.

"What color?"

Gray held the box up now to show a picture of a man with dirty blond hair and the most chiseled jaw ever raking his hands through his luxurious hair. Gray didn't seem very pleased with how over the top it was but he shrugged, bringing it back down to look at. I only bobbed my head because I just couldn't quite envision him without his red hair. It practically defined Gray. Behind him, Kai straightened up, looking at me with both an amused and guilty face. The chef immediately went back behind the bar and grabbed himself a beer.

I leaned forward, my eyebrows arched. "What is it?" My low voice caught Gray's attention and his eyes were on Kai, immediately.

"What?" Gray resounded after me.

Kai took his time having a big gulp of beer before he laughed hastily, rubbing the nape of his neck. "You know how the box says low-light blond?"

"Yes…" The apprentice was slow to respond and I only found myself looking between both the men with an almost keen interest.

"I might have used, um, too much bleach…" Kai cleared his throat. Gray stood now, tossing the box onto the bar. "Hey, man, in my defense, you know I'm not a cosmetologist. Your grandfather said get a haircut, not go to the salon. Elli was who he meant, come on."

Gray came to sink onto the stool beside me and shook his head. "Well… at least you're good at cutting hair." Kai quickly served him up a plate with triple the baked corn. Gray dug his fork into the coleslaw and then paused, looking at both of us. "So, what color is it going to be then?"

"Probably platinum," Kai could only wearily shrug.

"Platinum-"

"Ashen," I interjected, giving Kai a stern look. "I'd say rinse it out now before it gets any more intense."

Gray was on board with that idea and immediately hopped down from his seat. "Why does it sound like you have experience with this?"

"I tried dying my hair pink in high school," I said, picking into my potato. "Looked like a crime scene."

As Gray leaned into the basin and Kai carefully washed his hair out, I focused on my plate and tried not to squeal inside about my little win. All of that felt so natural. The banter went back and forth as smoothly as a tennis match. I was pleased with myself, feeling as if I was able to drop my guard in even just the slightest. I ate the potato all the way to the skin and was scraping the coleslaw off when Kai finally threw a towel over Gray's hair. The young apprentice furiously rubbed the linen all over his head as he paced a few feet away. Kai was eager for the showcase as he leaned against the bar across from me, holding his beer for good measure. After a beat, Gray's arms began to slow down.

"It's okay, Gray," Kai said. "Whatever it is, it is. Like you said, it grows back."

Gray was silent as he turned to us and slowly draped the towel around his neck, crinkling the trash bag. I sat forward, my jaw becoming a bit unhinged. Kai had neatly cut Gray's hair. It still had some of its layers, but it was shorter, coming just above his ears. But the color itself, it was nearly silver now. He looked like something out of a video game. "Well?" Gray held his arms out at his side as the silence went on for far too long.

"Dude, it looks cool," Kai was quick to jump in. "You look like Geralt of Rivia!"

"Oh gods, no," Gray sighed.

"No, seriously," I found myself speaking before I could even think. "You pull it off really well, Gray."

He looked at me for a moment before he turned and pushed into the bathroom. When he came back out, he was raking it back and forth to settle it on top of his head. "At least it's cut," Gray said as he wrangled out of his trash bag. "But my grandfather is gonna have a cow."

"Oh, who cares?" Kai shrugged. "Why don't you have a beer on your lunch break, too? We might as well go all in."

"Yeah, maybe my breath will distract him from this," Gray muttered, mashing his cap onto his head. His hair had lost the curls from being cut down, but the ashen strands stuck out from beneath as he seated himself beside me and practically downed the entire beer in one gulp.

"You can't have a beer during your break?" I asked while Gray began scraping his coleslaw towards him.

"No, he says it makes a man sloppy," Gray replied, shrugging all the while. "It's perfectly fine if he has whiskey and coke, though."

"The man's a hardass," Kai shook his head, tossing his beer in the bin. His eyes then lit up. "We should all play hooky tomorrow! Go to Forget-Me-Not Valley! We could visit with Marlin, chat up Muffy at the bar, and cap it all off with a fantastic meal with Ruby. Whaddya guys say?"

"I can't do that," Gray said, keeping his chin tilted down as he ate. "Rick's had an order for a scythe on the books for over a week and it's still not even cast. And Basil needs a compass. And… I have homework." He seemed quite sheepish at the last part.

Kai slumped onto his elbows and sighed. "Dude, you work entirely too hard." He then turned his gaze on me. "How about you, Claire? Wanna go?"

"What's Forget-Me-Not-Valley?" I asked. Kai grinned and whisked my plate away, dumping it in the sink. He seemed so excited just by the very question.

"It's the neighboring village just beyond Mother Hill," Kai told me. "Really quaint and quiet but there are some treasure troves of people down there. It's maybe a half hour walk tops. Good food, good music, all around good times! Are you in?"

I tapped my finger against the side of my bottle. I still had a long list of things to be done on the farm, but maybe one afternoon away wouldn't be the end of the world. I felt bad that Gray couldn't come, though. The young apprentice was eating his food quickly, aware his lunch break was dwindling down. I pressed my lips together as I thought about all the chores I had to do. I was beginning to notice, however, that Kai's gaze was watering down into a big puppy dog pout.

"Well, alright," I nodded. "Just for a few hours."

"Hell yeah!" Kai pumped his fist into the air. Beside me, I saw Gray's eyes flicker towards his excited friend. It looked as if he had something to say, but he chose to remain silent, focusing on his meal and his last ten minutes of freedom.