***
Tess led the way on our drive into the city, keeping the location of the apartment a secret until the last minute. I eyed my school coming up on the left, so I knew we were close. Soon enough, we stopped at a park barely five blocks away. Tess got out of her car, came over to me, and told me to stay there while she brought my things to the apartment
"I'll be back in fifteen minutes," she promised.
I leaned against my Vespa and listened to music while I waited. My skin was a little chilly from the cool night air and the warmth from my bike engine felt nice against my side. As I glanced around, I realized that the park was something extraordinary. I examined the acres of the thick forest ahead, and the winding multi-colored stone paths that intertwined and eventually led into the trees. The tall skyscrapers and blurry buildings far in the distance created a halo of iron, glass, and lights above the trees, in direct contrast to the magnificent park in front of me. The scenery felt as though it didn’t belong here in the center of the city. Old twisted trees lined the perimeter and their soft green leaves filled in the spaces like strategically placed draperies. It felt absolutely magical, and I was excited to know I would be living near it. As I continued to admire the dark forest, I noticed a strange, shadowed figure standing near the edge of the trees.
It wasn’t the form of a person. It had the correct height but the shape was all wrong. I walked toward the tree line to get a better look but the figure disappeared before I could even blink. I shook my head in disbelief, and looked again but it was gone. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but it still felt like I was recovering from my night in Tess’s garden. It must have been that, I assured myself. But then I heard a whisper coming from woods.
"Avery..."
The quiet voice was just barely loud enough for me to hear, but there was no doubt that it said my name. I stood frozen in fear and disbelief as I stared unblinkingly ahead.
"Avery!" cried Julie from behind.
I nearly jumped out of my skin and turned around to find Julie and Tess running toward me, then my best friend embracing me in a tight hug. Her long blonde hair overwhelmed me, it felt like I couldn’t breathe, giving me a brief flashback to my nightmare. I quickly recovered, and pulled away to look at her. We had a tight bond, closer than most friends. We were more like sisters, able to look at each other and know exactly what the other was thinking. Right now she beamed with excitement over showing me our new apartment.
"Okay, lead the way, you two. I have been waiting long enough," I ordered as I started putting my helmet back on and trying to forget the creepy voice from the woods.
"Alright, see that coffee shop across the way?" Julie pointed. "The parking garage is in that building, so just meet us there," I gave two thumbs up in acknowledgment as she and Tess climbed back into the car.
The building was a two-story walk-up, made with old bricks of different sizes and colors, and housed a coffee shop and an art supplies store. Coffee and art, my two favorite things! The coffee shop was just as mesmerizing in beauty as the park across the way. It had miss-matched wrought-iron bistro seats out front and a rich, heady aroma that made my mouth water. Julie and Tess were standing by the entrance to the coffee shop, ready to go in.
"No, no coffee right now, let’s just get to the apartment already. We'll come back and grab some java after," I pleaded. They exchanged a funny look.
"Avery, this is where we live," exclaimed Julie, practically jumping up and down in excitement. I stared at her in shock, my jaw nearly touching the ground. Apparently, the man who’d previously owned the building was one of her dad's clients. He’d wanted to sell it before he retired. Julie’s dad got an amazing deal, but I could hardly believe that he bought it for us.
I don't think my eyes could have widened any further as I looked around again with my new knowledge. "Are you serious? Do we live above a coffee shop? And an art supply store? And you own it?" I asked, trying to ignore the increasingly high squeal entering my voice.
She just nodded and grabbed my arm, hauling me inside. Tess laughed softly behind me. She put her hand on my shoulder while I looked around in wonder. The old coffee shop felt as if it had been ripped from the set of a movie. On the walls were framed clippings from old, yellowing newspapers. There were torn red velvet curtains draping around the large windows and doorways. None of the dozen or so tables matched, and the lighting was dim and intimate. Tranquil cafe music played lightly in the background. I could see myself spending way too much time here.
"This is awesome Jules! I can't believe you both managed to keep this a secret all summer!"
"Actually, Julie only let me in on it about two weeks ago," Tess sighed, seeming like she was disappointed that Julie didn’t think she could keep a secret.
Julie winked at me. "I knew better. Now come on! Let’s go upstairs."
She led us toward a large staircase in the back corner of the shop. How I’d missed the stairs in my initial wonder, I can’t say. The dark wooden stairs were wide and worn with character and lined with a faded, yet rich, purple runner. The banisters were carved from the same dark wood as the stairs and were followed by thick and beautifully carved spindles. At the top of the staircase was a huge, heavy door that appeared to be taken from the entrance of a small castle. Julie pushed it open with ease and we entered the apartment that was now my new home.
I gazed around in amazement much the same way as I had downstairs. I was so confused and scared about moving to the city that I hadn’t even given any thought to how the apartment would look, or the area around it. So far, I’d been unexpectedly impressed. The apartment reminded me of Tess's place and how it felt cozy and warm. Instead of stone walls, it had old brick ones like the exterior of the building, now painted white. Large beams were strategically placed and ran up the vaulted ceiling. Julie had placed beautiful crawling ivies and other plants around the room. They nearly took over the place, but it looked spectacular. The living room sat in the center of the huge apartment with chunky white furniture and a big television and backed by a set of glass patio doors. The kitchen, with white cabinetry and a long island with black granite in place of a dining table, sat to the left as soon as you walk in.
"What's behind those doors?" I asked curiously, looking at the row of large doors on the back wall, knowing my bedroom must be behind one of them.
"The furthest one over is your room, and then we have our bathroom, spare room, and then my room," Julie listed off as she pointed to each one.
"Jules, I can’t believe we live here."
"Well, I knew how upset you were to leave the country and I wanted you to feel at home. Plus, dad felt that it's the least he could do since your dad bought us the Vespa's for graduation," she replied, looking around at her new home, too.
My heart sank at the mention of my father, and when I looked up at Julie, I guess it showed on my face.
"Shoot...awe, Avery, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have brought him up. But you know that your dad would be here if he could, and he would have come to graduation too if he wasn't working in South Africa."
Tess said nothing as she absently glanced the other way. She knew better; though her brother was a loving father, he was still a kid with commitment and maturity issues. My father, an independent professional photographer, did work for big clients. Right now, he was on safari in Africa for National Geographic. He’d sent postcards once a month for the past nine months, with no word of when he'd return. It had pretty much been like that my whole life. Our relationship fits into a shoebox of postcards.
My mother left soon after I was born, saying she didn't want the responsibility of having a child. My father was helpless; he was still a child himself. That was when he brought me to Tess. She agreed to take care of me while dad pursued his career. Tess was always the more mature one, believe it or not.
"Yeah, I know. I'm okay, don't worry," I assured them. "How about I unload all my things and then we go test out the coffee downstairs?"
At the
promise of coffee, Julie and Tess helped help me bring everything in quickly so we could hurry downstairs to the cafe. The barista was a good looking guy around my age, with shaggy, dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He gave us a warm, shy, and welcoming smile.
I ordered my regular, coffee with milk while the other two both had decaf mochas. The coffee was amazing. I tipped the barista, whose name tag said Will, and gave him a thankful smile. He blushed as he smiled back and turned away quickly.
I took a seat at a small table with my aunt and my best friend. We chatted for a couple hours before Tess had to get home. After we said our goodbyes, Julie and I headed up to our new place to settle in. When we walked in, a wave of happiness swarmed over me as I took in the beauty of our new home once more. Julie had worked on this all summer, making trips back and forth to the city in her free time. I was overwhelmed with appreciation for all her hard work and dedication in surprising me and making a home tailor made for us.
I gave her a huge hug, as no words were needed. She knew I was grateful; I didn't need to say anything.
She made her way toward the kitchen as I headed to my new room. "Hey, want a glass of wine? Tess gave me a bottle for us to break in the new place," Julie offered.
I glanced at the familiar bottle and laughed. "Um, sure, but just one glass, that stuff is really potent. Tess and I drank a whole bottle Friday night and I ended up in one of the fountains in her back yard." I laughed at myself and entered my new room. I was taken aback by the beautiful glass doors which served as a second entrance onto the patio. I sat down on my queen sized bed to take off my shoes and get into my pajamas.
Still laughing, Julie called out to me, asking which fountain I’d stumbled into.
"The big white one of...Keegan?" I answered, emerging back into the living room.
"Oh, you mean Kheelan," she corrected.
I gave a quick look of surprise, but then remembered she had been studying this mythical nonsense for most of her life.
"Yeah, that's it, Kheelan." She handed me a glass. I could smell the intoxicating aroma immediately and my mouth watered, my taste buds practically jumping off my tongue. A lingering tingle ran through my veins at the thought of drinking this wine again. I was never much of a drinker, but this unique beverage was too amazing to ever pass up. We clinked our glasses to toast the new place.
Julie’s eyes widened at the taste, much the same as mine had a few nights ago. "Wow," she spoke slowly, with a look of disbelief on her face as she peered into the glass. “Where did Tess get this wine?”
“One of her friends, I think, why?”
“Oh, no reason, just wondering,” Julie replied and then quickly yawned and placed her glass down on the island. “I’m pretty beat, I think I’m going to head to bed, is that cool?”
“Oh, sure, yeah, you’ve had a longer day than me.” I didn’t say it aloud, but I was a little relieved. I didn’t think I could have sat up all night talking about how excited we were for school when, honestly, I wasn’t.
CHAPTER FOUR
FRIENDS & FOES