* * * * *
With a faint image of a dream still lingering, Legacy suddenly awoke to the sound of thunder. Her head was foggy, but she managed to sit up and stare out her window. She saw nothing. In the seconds that passed, the rest of her body adjusted to the sound of the thunder and rain in what seemed to be a start to a gloomy day. She tried to think back to the dream she’d just had, but just as she stared out her window and saw nothing, she saw nothing of the lingering images left in her head.
She glanced over at her clock out of habit and slowly slid out of the bed. After slipping on her house shoes, she carefully walked over to the window to watch the rain pouring from the clouds. As she stepped up to the window, a flash of lightning illuminated the dark morning sky, and a crash of thunder erupted in an ominous sound. She stared a few seconds longer in awe. For those living in this part of the country, storms were a common occurrence, but their power never ceased to amaze her. Storms never bothered her like they did some people. Maybe she just enjoyed the distraction that storms provided. Distractions from the mundane processes of regular life. This one was definitely a distraction now. She wasn’t studying the swirls of the clouds, the angle of the rain, or the distances between the sounds of thunder. She was really mulling over the events that transpired yesterday. The storm just gave her something to focus on externally.
She could have stayed at this window and continued to stare all day. Staring at the storm develop was easier than understanding what Lissa told her last night. At least the storm made sense.
As she stood still staring out the window, questions flew in her mind at the same speed lightning flashed across the sky. Too many questions and not a single answer. She didn’t even know how to begin to comprehend all the questions she had about her mom. Or whether to believe anything Lissa had told her. If her mom was really alive, why had she left for Legacy’s protection? And if Legacy suspended reality for like a second, what changes had Lissa been talking about?
She sighed and turned away from the window. She didn’t have time to dwell on this. She had to get dressed and go back to the mall because she’d totally forgotten about filling out job applications while she was there yesterday. Fantasies could wait. She got dressed and headed downstairs. Reality was more important right now.
When she neared the kitchen, she smelled blueberry pancakes. Her favorite.
“Why are you cooking breakfast? We have a ton of leftovers,” Legacy asked Lissa as she pulled out a chair and sat at the table.
“I wanted to use these blueberries before they spoiled.”
She looked at her in disbelief.
“Fine. I wanted to do something nice for you. I didn’t know what kind of mood you’d be in when you got up this morning, so I figured I’d take the initiative to try to overt any negative feelings.”
“And you think blueberry pancakes would do the job?”
“I put the blueberries in the shape of happy faces,” Lissa said with a timid laugh while handing Legacy a plateful. “I’m really sorry about last night. I think I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Why?” Was she going to confess it was all a big joke?
“Because now you’ll be worried about it.”
“Worried? What do you mean by that?”
“I meant wondering, not worried,” Lissa said as she put her plate on the table and sat down.
“Of course I’ll be wondering about it. How could I not? You told me my mother is alive, that she’s a goddess, and that I’m going to turn into one too.”
“You’re not turning into one. You’re changing. It’s different. And you must learn to accept this because your life is at stake. Other lives are at stake.”
“So you’re really going to stick with this story? You know, they make pills you can take for craziness.”
“Legacy, you being upset and confused isn’t going to change the truth. You have a year to get ready. That’s not a lot of time.”
“And what exactly is the truth here? That my mother is a goddess, and I’ll be changing into one by my eighteenth birthday? Is that it? Or is a ghost going to come guide me to the mother ship where legions of trolls will dance in my honor?” Lissa opened her mouth, but Legacy stood and raised her hand. “Save it. I don’t have time to deal with this nonsense right now.”
Legacy stormed out of the kitchen, grabbed her purse, and left the house, slamming the door behind her. Lissa had some nerve. Legacy was so furious she was shaking. She could barely put on her seatbelt or get the key in the ignition. When she managed to get the car started, she tore out of the driveway and headed straight to Calli’s house. She knew she had to get started on her job hunt, but she was in no condition to tout her assets and abilities to a hiring manager. She needed to talk to someone, and Calli would get a kick out of this.
Legacy’s mind reeled as she drove to her best friend’s house. When she got into the ritzy neighborhood, she couldn’t help but be a little distracted by all the opulence. It never seemed to get any easier seeing how the other half lived. To say that Calli’s house was big would be a huge understatement. She lived in the most lavish neighborhood around, which had been developed by her real estate guru parents. She’d said they had picked this land because they were inspired by the beautiful pond at the back of the property. Even though the land wasn’t developed at that end, the area that was developed had lot sizes of at least five acres. The road into her neighborhood was lined with Bradford pear trees in the median and manicured shrubs along the sides. All the houses—or rather, estates—had gated entrances. There weren’t many kids in this posh community, but of them, Calli was the only one who attended Oak Grove, a public school in the Pulaski County system. Her parents attended the same schools, and they obviously turned out well. Legacy was sure they also believed that attending public schools would help keep Calli grounded in reality. But her black American Express Card helped her realize what reality she belonged to.
Legacy entered the code at the gate and parked in the circle drive out front. Calli opened the door as she jogged up the big stairs.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I just felt like visiting before I start begging people for a summer job.”
“Did you have fun last night?” Calli asked, ignoring her comment. “I thought it was a great turnout. Everyone commented on how beautiful you were, and it seems like you really raked in the goodies!” Legacy didn’t miss the glance to her wrist as they made their way inside the house and to Calli’s bedroom.
“Yeah, the party was great. I did have a wonderful time.”
“Adin seemed really happy to see you.”
“It was nice seeing him there last night.”
“Wow.” Calli stared at her with obvious shock on her face.
“What?”
“I didn’t expect you to respond so easily to me bringing up Adin. I figured I’d have to talk some sense into you about how serious his attraction is to you.”
She grimaced and looked away. “It was really weird having him there last night,” she admitted.
“But you’re not going to deny that something is going on…I mean, on his side too.”
“You know nothing is going on.”
“After last night, it’s pretty obvious he has feelings for you.”
“I think you might be right.”
“I can’t believe you’re not denying this!” Calli sat down on the edge of her bed, and Legacy followed. She sat quietly for a moment and looked down at her hands as she spoke.
“It’s not like it matters now. He’s out of high school. Going to college.”
“Like that matters! Girl, there’s nothing sexier than a hot college guy for a boyfriend,” she said with a giggle.
“The only thing sexier than a hot college guy as a boyfriend is if that hot college guy were Adin.” She looked back at Calli with a crooked smile.
“At least you’ve accepted the fact you two like each other more than just friends.”
“I said I think you might be right about that, not that I believed it completely.” She looked at Calli more seriously.
“I saw him holding your hands. I’ve never seen him do that with anyone, not even those anorexic skanks he brought to all those dances. How are you able to have a coherent conversation about him after last night? I figured you’d be screaming at the top of your lungs all morning while I tried fruitlessly to calm you down.”
It was true, Adin had come to all the school dances with beautiful girls that looked as if they belonged in his league, and he never brought the same girl twice. He obviously had a stash of ladies on the side ripe for his picking. And Calli was just as aware of these facts as she was. But talking about Adin cooled her frustrations with Lissa and her silly story about goddesses and myths.
Legacy smiled. “Okay, so it was totally squeal-worthy.”
“So what did he say? I want all the deets!”
“He told me I was radiant,” she said as her grin got bigger.
“Aw, that was very nice.”
“And, um, he asked me if he made me uncomfortable.”
“What?” Calli’s eyes grew wider in sudden disbelief.
“Yeah, he said something about complimenting me and mentioned that he sometimes says things to me without thinking.” She fidgeted and strained to maintain eye contact with her friend.
“So when he compliments you, he’s speaking without thinking first?”
“I think so, but I don’t think he was just talking about the words he said. I think he also meant his actions.”
“Why do you think that?”
She knew she had to be honest with her. “Because after you interrupted, he pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear.”
“No way!”
“Uh-huh. And right after I walked over to him, he told me I had some icing on my lip, and er, he wiped it off with his finger and then put that finger in his mouth.”
“He touched your lips?” Calli screeched as she jumped up off her bed.
“Yes.”
“So he touched your lips, hugged you twice, held your hands the entire time, and whispered in your ear? Did I miss anything?”
“Nope, I think that’s pretty much it.”
“So why are you so calm? He’s apparently into you. And I know that’s what you’ve always wanted.”
“Well, besides the fact that he’s still just a friend,” Calli started to interrupt, but Legacy put her hand up to stop her. “Something else happened last night to trump that.”
“What could possibly have happened that would’ve topped that?”
There was no easy way to buffer this. “Lissa told me some crazy story about my mom being alive.”
Calli stared at her in total astonishment. “I’m sorry, what?” she said as she sat on the bed again.
Legacy told her everything, right down to the changes and the goddess crap. Gods, she felt ridiculous even talking about this.
“Seriously, I’m not sure if I should get her some mental help or scream at her for using my mom this way.”
“Hmm, okay, hear me out here. I wonder if there’s some truth to your mom being alive, and Lissa is covering it up with the silly story so you won’t be totally shocked when you see her again. Maybe your mom is in some kind of Witness Protection Program or something if she left you for your protection. That happens.”
“In the movies.” Legacy rolled her eyes.
“Well, I think we should try to figure this out. There has to be a valid reason Lissa told you this story. Maybe she needs you to read between the lines or something.”
“I wouldn’t know where to begin. Besides, I really need to find a job before the summer comes to an end,” Legacy said sarcastically.
“I might actually be able to help you with that. This morning, I heard my mom talking to the new neighbor. She owns that new alternative medicine shop on Main Street, and she has a son our age.” Calli wagged her eyebrows before continuing. “Anyway, she said something about hiring seasonal help to get the store up and running. Apparently, she’s opening a bunch of other stores across the state, so she’s going to be out of town a lot.”
“I know where it is. That would be perfect, actually.”
“Let me grab my purse, and I’ll go with you. It couldn’t hurt to drop my mom’s name in the conversation. Maybe she’d hire you as a favor to her new neighbors.” Calli shrugged as they both got up. Once Calli grabbed her purse, they took her BMW to the store. Even though the storm had subsided, the rain was relentless. Legacy looked out into the rain while Calli drove, and she thought about some clever responses to possible questions the owner might ask her.
“I see the only gift you’re wearing today is the watch Adin gave you,” Calli mentioned, distracting her from her previous train of thought.
“Mm-hmm. I need a special occasion to wear the red dress that Lissa gave me and the red shoes that you gave me,” she said, trying to make light of the fact that she was wearing Adin’s beautiful gift.
“Can I see it? I didn’t really get a good look at it last night. I assumed you didn’t want me calling too much attention to it.”
“I’m glad you showed some restraint,” Legacy said, laughing. She took off the watch and handed it to Calli.
“Wow. This is really something. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s very pretty,” she said, handing it back to Legacy.
The rain eased as they pulled into the parking lot of the store. They hurried inside and went straight to the cashier working the front register.
“I’m Calli Rhodes,” Calli began. “Is Ms. Gorgos in? My friend Legacy would like to fill out an application.”
“She’s in the office. Go down aisle two and you’ll run right into the door.”
“Thanks,” Calli said, and then she turned to her. “Let’s go.”
They walked down the aisle, and her palms started sweating. She tried to maintain some level of composure, but was having extreme difficulty. She’d never had a job before. Well, not one that didn’t include babysitting, chores, or yard work.
Calli knocked on the door to the office while she stood patiently by her side.
“Come in.” She heard a quiet voice respond.
They walked into the office, and Ms. Gorgos stood up from behind a desk covered with papers. She was strikingly beautiful, except for the 80s style perm she was sporting. But even her unruly curls couldn’t distract from her other features.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Calli Rhodes. You met my mom, Beth, this morning.”
“Yes, of course. Your mother was very gracious and inviting. I’m Petra Gorgos. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I heard you tell her you’ll be hiring seasonal help, and my friend Legacy is currently looking for a summer job.” Calli nodded her head in her direction, and she smiled at Ms. Gorgos.
“Well, Legacy, do you have any experience?”
Ugh. “No, ma’am, but I’m a quick learner.”
“That’s good. You’ll need to be. How soon can you start?”
A shock ran through her body as she realized she was giving her the job. “I can start whenever you need me.”
“How about Monday? Can you be here at nine o’clock?”
“Sure.”
Ms. Gorgos rummaged around her desk and found a stack of papers. “Take this paperwork and fill it out. You can bring it back with you on Monday.”
“Okay. Thanks, Ms. Gorgos, I really appreciate this opportunity,” she said graciously as she shook her hand.
They left her office and started for the front door when a guy caught them both by surprise.
He was tall with dark hair and green eyes. He looked to be about their age, but Legacy knew she had never seen him before. Judging from Calli’s reaction, it was apparent she’d never seen him before either. He was strikingly handsome and built like an athlete. She’d only seen one guy better looking than him in this town, but this guy c
ould definitely hold his own. Calli and she stood, both dazed, while he carried what looked to be heavy boxes with ease into the front door of the store.
He glanced over at them. Legacy knew she was still staring, and Calli’s mouth was still open in shock. He cocked his head to the side and flashed a quick, beautiful smile as he put the boxes on the counter.
“Yale,” he said to the girl at the counter, “can you tell my mom I’m bringing in the supplies she ordered?”
“Okay,” she said eagerly, gazing at him. Apparently, Yale enjoyed the view too.
He glanced back over at them and started walking in their direction. She collected herself, but Calli hadn’t found her composure yet.
“Hi. I’m River Rysaor,” he said, waiting for a response from either one of them.
Calli must have checked out because she wasn’t quick to engage him. She usually had no difficulty with conversation, regardless of how absurdly handsome the guy was.
“Hi, River. I’m Legacy, Legacy Kore. This is my friend, Calli Rhodes.”
The way River looked at her while she spoke actually gave her butterflies in her stomach. Reflex reaction, she guessed.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Legacy. You too, Calli,” he said as he stuck his hand out toward each of them for a quick handshake. She shook his with ease. Calli had a little more difficulty feigning nonchalance.
“What can I do for you?” he continued as he glanced back and forth from each of them.
Calli giggled a short laugh that she quickly suppressed.
“Er, nothing, thanks. Ms. Gorgos just gave me a job,” she offered to get the attention off Calli while her friend pulled herself together.
“Really? That’s great. We need a lot of help around here.” He smiled, locking his eyes with hers once again before glancing back at Calli.
“So, will you be working here, too?” he asked her.
“No. I came here for moral support,” Calli was finally able to comment.
“That’s too bad,” he said, and he actually sounded like he meant that.
“Don’t worry. You’ll still see me around. Legacy’s my best friend, and apparently, you and I are now neighbors.” Calli had finally slipped back into her regular, flirtatious personality.
“Well, that’s nice to know. Maybe I’ll come borrow a cup of sugar sometime,” he said, responding to her coy demeanor.
“You can come borrow anything you want.” Calli flashed a sly smile at him.
Okay, now Legacy was beginning to feel uncomfortable for a different reason.
River just laughed at her response and turned back to the counter to pick up the boxes.
“It was a pleasure to meet you both,” he said, but his eyes—though they lingered on Legacy’s a little longer—seemed almost confused.
Calli smiled and shot her eyebrows up and back down. Legacy’s smile was somewhat more casual as they turned to leave, assuming the chilly breeze she just felt was the air kicking on.
Once they were in the car, they weren’t even out of the parking lot before Calli started. “Oh my! Have you ever seen anything more beautiful than that?”
“Yes,” Legacy said matter-of-factly.
“Well, Adin certainly is hot, but River is fire!”
“River is definitely a looker, and he seems really nice too. At least, I hope he is if I’m going to be working with him.”
“Maybe I should get a summer job too!” Calli was still too excited.
“Nobody will believe that you need a summer job. If you get a job up here, everyone will know why you did it,” she tried to rationalize with her.
“True. I don’t want to come off too obvious.”
“I think it’s a little late to worry about not looking like you’re interested,” she teased.
“At least he knows he has an option,” she responded.
“Calli, he might have a girlfriend.”
“I’m not worried about that. I have a girl on the inside.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked, not liking the look in her eyes.
“You’re going to find out everything about him.” And Legacy knew there’d be no getting out of that.
“Only because you’re my best friend and you did just help me get a job.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
Once they got back to Calli’s, Legacy headed back home. Calli had some family stuff she needed to do today, and Legacy didn’t want to be in the way. When she got home, she noticed Lissa’s car wasn’t there. She went into the house and called out to both Lissa and Olive, but there were no answers. She figured they’d gone to the store and would be back shortly. But as she stood in the empty house and stared at the couch where Lissa had made that crazy confession, Legacy wondered if there were any clues around here that’d help shed some light on things. Calli had suggested they get to the bottom of the story, and Legacy didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t begin their little investigation. Starting with Lissa’s room.
She walked through her doorway, turning on the light as she scanned the room. She knew she was home alone, but she still felt like she was being watched. She shut the door behind her and looked over at her dresser. It was an old, hand-carved mahogany dresser with brass knobs and little apothecary-style drawers that lined the top row. None of Lissa’s furniture matched. She had several pieces from various periods that created her own eclectic style.
Legacy moved toward the behemoth dresser and started rummaging through the drawers. Jewelry was in the small drawers at the top. She recognized some of the pieces, but a lot of them looked to be antiques. She didn’t know what she was looking for, so she examined some of the old items. There was a gold comb with jewels encrusted at the top in the shape of a butterfly, a silver-colored broach in the shape of a ladybug with rubies and other gemstones, and several other ornate pieces that looked to be worth a lot of money. As much as Lissa struggled financially to ensure Olive and she had a good life, the jewelry felt out of place. Each of the eight drawers was full of it, and none of it looked to be costume. Not exactly what she thought she would find, but not exactly what she was looking for either.
Legacy pawed through the rest of her drawers looking for something, anything that might be a clue. When that proved fruitless, she turned to her nightstand, then to her closet. Nothing stood out. As she was about to leave her room in defeat, she glanced at her bed, and then lunged herself to the floor to look under it.
Underneath the bed was a wooden box. It, too, looked very old. She tried to slide it out with one hand, but it was too heavy. She squeezed herself under the bed and grabbed the box with both hands and yanked it toward her. It seemed to be stuck to the floor, but with some effort, it finally dislodged and slid in the direction she coaxed it. Once out from under the bed, she tried to lift the lid. It did not budge. She examined the box closely, but could not find the proper way to open it. Then she found a spot that looked like some kind of keyhole, but she couldn’t be sure. If that was a keyhole, it seemed too small for such a big, heavy box. She jumped up and ran to Lissa’s bathroom to grab a bobby pin. She figured she could try to pick the lock—it looked easy enough in the movies. But when she tried to unlock it, nothing happened. Frustrated, she walked back to the bathroom to put the pin back in its place.
She walked back toward the box on the floor. She stood staring at it, wondering how she could open it, and then considered that the box might not be anything either. She started to realize she was being silly. Lissa was making her act crazy with the ridiculous story. She was just getting back to her senses when the phone rang. She ran to her room to answer it since it was the closest.
“Hello?”
“Legacy?”
She gasped. She knew this voice better than her own, even though she had no right to. “Yes,” she responded, trying to stay calm.
“It’s me, Adin. I…um…”
Not that she was used to talking to him, but when she did, he usually articulated himself fairly we
ll. “I was up taking care of some stuff around the house since Lissa is out,” she said to get the conversation going.
“Oh, are you home alone?” He sounded concerned.
“Yeah, but it’s okay.”
“Are you sure? I could come over if you need me to.”
What? Was he for real? Her heart tried to jump out of her chest. “Oh, I’m fine, really.” She knew it would take too long for her to make herself presentable. She probably reeked and knew she was covered with dust bunnies from crawling around on the floor like an idiot. Served her right for being nosey!
“I, er, wanted to ask you something,” he continued. Adin took a deep breath, drawing out his exhale. He had difficulty with whatever he was going to ask, and this reminded her of how he’d acted at her party. She waited quietly, eagerly while the blood raced in her veins just from the sound of his voice. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me?”
Shock took over her system. She couldn’t believe her ears. Even after how he acted yesterday, she still could not comprehend what he just asked her. Adin, beautiful, magnificent, Adin just asked her out. Her brain did not make sense of these words as she thought them over. She was at a complete loss. Then her heart pounded so loudly in her head that she was sure he could hear it on the other end of the phone. She had to say something, but she was trying her best not to freak out and scare him away by screaming.
“I’d love to.” She was only able to whisper to him because she did not trust her voice to stay even.
His sigh of relief thrilled her even more. He sighed! He wasn’t just asking her out to be nice. He wanted to go out with her!
“Good,” he said, and it sounded like there was true joy in his voice. “I’m leaving early on Monday to go to Florida with my family for the week, so I was thinking about tomorrow night if you’re free.”
Tomorrow? Holy crap! “Er, sure.”
“Awesome. I wanted to take you to a botanical garden, but that’d be better for a day trip. How about we just go out to eat? Do you like Japanese food?”
“Yes. I love sushi.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow night. We can do the botanical garden Saturday after I get back, if you‘d like.”
He was already making plans with her for another date? Yea!
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
She couldn’t believe it. She’d get to go out on a date with him tomorrow and again on Saturday. This just kept getting better and better!
After exchanging cell phone numbers, she hung up the phone and stared at it. She couldn’t believe what just happened. She started to call Calli, but she knew she needed to get herself back together before she told her the news. Calli thought she would be screaming over Adin just holding her hands. She had to prepare herself not to scream about him asking her out. The last thing she wanted was Calli to be right about her not being able to have a coherent conversation about him. But if she opened her mouth now, she was sure she would start screaming.
She made her way back to Lissa’s room in a blissful fog. She examined the room to make sure it didn’t look like she had been in there. She then got back down on her knees to push the box back under the bed. When her hands grasped the bottom corners of the box, the corner pieces shoved inward and the lid popped up a few inches.
Why, when she had been resolved to let this go, was the box opening now? She stared at it as she lifted the lid open all the way.
A chill overtook her, a draft that wasn’t actually there, as she stared into the box. The empty box. The only markings inside was a carving at the bottom that read Elpis.
The uncomfortable feeling stayed with her while she closed the box, slid it back into place, and left the room.