Chapter VIII.
Jonah’s expression was hard to read—possibly because of the tears blurring Lyra’s vision. She stumbled toward him on shaky legs. Her knees were as weak as if she’d just run a marathon. Her throat ached from the well of emotion she was trying to hold in. A sob escaped her throat. In two strides he was beside her.
Oh, Lyra.
He wrapped an arm around her waist to support her weight. She gulped in air, but she couldn’t completely control the convulsions. Jonah gently untangled Harry’s leash that was biting into her hand. Once freed, she turned into him and wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her face in his chest. His arms circled her, holding her close, while she cried herself out. Eventually the sobs subsided into an occasional hiccup and sniffle.
She pulled away and dried her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. “I’m sorry…I was just so scared…I thought that bear was going to slash you into ribbons…but you calmed it down—and the cub too. And then you climbed back up that cliff one-handed. How? How did you…how can you…?” She looked up at him in awe.
“Shhh,” he urged gently. “Let’s talk about this later. Right now we’ve got to get going. Can you walk?”
Lyra took a deep breath of the cold, cleansing air and nodded.
They hurried through the rest of the trail and stumbled back to the trail head as darkness was falling. Lyra hoped her parents wouldn’t be worried.
It was with relief that Lyra collapsed into the seat of the Audi. Harry too, worn out from the day’s excitement, stretched out in the backseat to nap.
Jonah got into the car and started the engine. Lyra studied his profile and waited for him to speak. It wasn’t until he turned onto the main road that he glanced over at her.
When he saw her expectant face, his mouth hardened and his brow furrowed. “I’m sorry I scared you Lyra. I didn’t mean to frighten you…You shouldn’t have seen that.” His tone turned mildly irritated. “I told you to stay behind and wait for me.”
“Jonah,” Lyra interrupted annoyed, “I thought you were about to be eaten by a bear! I was just supposed to stand there and wait for you not knowing what was happening? What if you hadn’t come back?”
“What if I hadn’t?” Jonah demanded. “I hope you would have had enough sense to run the other direction all the way down the mountain! What if you had been hiking alone? What if I hadn’t been there to…to…do what I did? Don’t you see how dangerous it is? Don’t you see how dangerous I am?”
“You? Dangerous? To whom?” Lyra asked incredulously ignoring all but the last question. “You just admitted that you saved all of our lives—including that bear cub’s.”
Jonah scrubbed his hand across his forehead. “I don’t know what to do,” he said in a low, tortured voice. “I don’t know what’s right anymore. I want to do the right thing, but even when I think I am, it’s wrong.”
Lyra stared at him uncomprehendingly.
After a moment of silence, Jonah sighed. “Lyra, this is a bad idea. You shouldn’t be with me. You should be hanging out with your normal friends. I’ve tried to keep my distance. I really tried. You’re just so…persistent…so…irresistible. It’s impossible to tell you no—to be cold to you.” He paused, his shoulders slumping. “But surely, even you can see that getting close to me is a mistake. We can’t see each other anymore,” he announced in a defeated voice.
Lyra felt the anger and panic rising in equal measures. Jonah was virtually a stranger to her, but he was already more important to her than any of her other friends. She couldn’t explain it—even to herself, but he was. As insane as it sounded, she thought she could give up all of them, some she’d known all her life, as long as she had Jonah. She pressed her lips together for a long a moment trying to decide whether to yell or to beg. It was long enough to get some measure of control and when she spoke she was able to do so calmly.
“That is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard. You didn’t put me in danger today. You saved us all by your…by your…ability.”
Jonah laughed harshly. “That’s one way to put it—my ability…my abnormality is more accurate.”
“What is it, Jonah? How are you able to talk to people in their heads? How can you tame wild animals? And your strength—how is it you’re so incredibly strong?” Lyra asked in an awed whisper.
Jonah’s hands clenched the steering wheel and he wiped his face of all emotion. “Freak of nature…or bastard child of the devil—that one was my father’s favorite theory.”
Lyra stared at him stunned. The thought of a father telling his son something so horrible appalled and sickened her. She’d seen stories of neglect and abuse on the news, but she’d never personally known anyone who was so unloved by their own parents. Her ire rose again and she insisted fervently, “You are no such thing, Jonah—and I hope you’re not stupid enough to believe it. I’ll never believe you’re a freak or evil.”
They had pulled up in front of Lyra’s house. It was lit from the inside; her mom and dad were home. Harry stood up and started pacing impatiently.
Jonah’s face was bleak when he turned to her. “Like I said before, you really don’t know anything about me.”
Lyra wanted to argue further, but now was not the time. “You have to come in to meet my parents.”
Jonah hesitated, then nodded curtly, and opened his car door. Lyra and Harry followed. Lyra opened the door and hollered, “Mom, Dad, I’m home.”
Olivia called from the kitchen, “We’re in here, honey.”
Lyra led the way with Jonah following a step behind—Harry, of course, had pushed passed them and raced inside as soon as Lyra had opened the door. They passed through the living room and rounded the corner into the kitchen. Gordon and Olivia Grant were standing at the kitchen counter, her father chopping mushrooms, her mom whisking eggs in a ceramic bowl.
“Hi. I brought Jonah in to meet you.”
Gordon laid down his knife and wiped his hands on a dish cloth. Olivia set her bowl down and they both walked forward to greet Jonah.
Gordon offered his hand and Jonah shook it. “Jonah, nice to finally meet you. Welcome to the neighborhood.”
“Thank you, sir,” Jonah answered politely, meeting Gordon’s eye.
Olivia raised her hand as well and, grasping Jonah’s, smiled warmly. “Come in, please. We were about to make an omelet and French toast for dinner. I know it’s not much, but I hope you’ll stay.”
“Thank you, ma’am, but Jet, my uncle, will be expecting me,” Jonah replied cordially.
“I’d like to thank you for giving Lyra a ride to school the other day. Saved me a trip,” her father said, addressing Jonah.
“Yes, sir. Any time,” Jonah offered.
Olivia asked him, “How do like Lake Placid? Are you and your uncle all settled in?”
“Yes, ma’am. We both like it here, and we’re all unpacked. The house is very comfortable,” Jonah answered.
There was a short pause in the conversation and Jonah took advantage of the opportunity. “Well, if you’ll excuse me. I’d better be getting home.”
Gordon and Olivia conveyed again their pleasure in meeting him and returned to their work at the counter.
Jonah turned to leave and Lyra offered “I’ll walk you to the door.”
Lyra followed him outside and around to the driver’s side of his car.
Jonah attempted to get away swiftly with a short “See ya,” but Lyra wouldn’t let him off that easily.
She placed her hand on the car door window to prevent him from opening it.
“Wait. I…I don’t want to leave things the way they are. I want to know you’re okay,” she pressed.
Jonah sighed. He kept his hand on the door handle and his eyes down. “I’m fine. But I meant what I said. I don’t think we should hang out anymore.”
When Lyra didn’t respond or withdraw her hand, he looked up at her. Her eyes plead
ed with him. “Jonah, don’t you like me at all?”
Jonah exhaled loudly. “Yes, I do—too much. I’m not good for you, Lyra.”
“Why don’t you let me decide that,” Lyra suggested. “Don’t push me away, please,” she begged. She took her hand from the door and placed it on his arm. She felt the muscles tighten as they had that day she’d touched him in the car. She kept her hand there this time, however. She leaned her hip against the car, bringing her closer to where he stood. She squeezed his arm gently. He turned slightly toward her and before he could object, she pushed aside the flaps of his open jacket and circled her arms around his waist. Unlike the embrace on the mountain, she was not sobbing uncontrollably and it had a much more intimate feel. He stood stock still for a second before enfolding her within his arms tightly. He lowered his face to her hair and breathed in deeply. It felt so good to be close to him—so right.
Lyra could have stayed that way for hours, but she knew her parents were waiting for her. Too soon, she loosened her hold and pulled back, but Jonah kept her within the circle of his arms. She lifted her face, inches from his, and gazed into his ocean blue eyes one last time. “Good night,” she breathed.
“Good night,” Jonah repeated. She stepped away; he opened his car door and slid in.
When Lyra made it back into the kitchen, her mom and dad were dividing up the eggs and toast on three plates. All of a sudden, Lyra realized she was famished. She smiled gratefully and dug in.
“Jonah is a very polite young man. Quite civil,” her father remarked with a chuckle.
Her mouth full, Lyra just nodded.
“His manners remind me of a Southerner’s and he has just a wee bit of an accent,” her mother observed. “Is he originally from the South?”
Lyra swallowed and took a sip of iced tea. “I don’t know. Not since living with his uncle, I don’t think. Perhaps with his parents before they died.”
“You got back awfully late. Was there any trouble today?” her father asked.
“Um, no, we just stopped a couple of times to enjoy the view. We didn’t realize the time,” Lyra fibbed.
“Hm,” was all her father said, though there was a hint of doubt in his voice.
After dinner, Lyra did the dishes and then went upstairs to shower and get ready for bed. As she was collecting her school things for the next day, there was a knock on the door. Her mom poked her head in. “Hey sweetie, can I come in for a minute?”
“Of course, mom. Lyra removed the books and papers she’d just piled on her desk chair and her mom sat down. Lyra went to the bed and pulled up her legs Indian style. It had been a while since her mom had been up to her room. Olivia looked around a minute before beginning.
Finally, she rested her eyes on Lyra affectionately. “Lyra,” she began, fidgeting nervously. “Now that you are old enough to start dating, I thought we should have a little talk.”
“We already had a ‘little talk’ a couple of years ago, remember, mom?”
“Yes, well, I know, but you were just a girl then. You are rapidly turning into a beautiful young woman. Relationships between young men and women can get serious quickly…I just want you to know that you can talk to me or ask me any questions you might have.”
“I know, mom,” Lyra assured her.
“Of course your father and I hope that you won’t get that serious with a boy for a long time.”
“Mom…”
Olivia held up her hand. “You’ve heard it enough in church, but it bears repeating: adult intimacy is best reserved until marriage. God knew what he was doing when he set out the laws of sexual morality. Violating them leads to heartache and trouble every time.” Her mother gazed at her earnestly.
Lyra just nodded, giving up on trying to short-cut the conversation.
“It’s natural to want to be close to someone you care about…just remember, honey, that you have a long life ahead of you. You will love more than once. And what you think you want now will likely not be what you want years from now—even one year from now.” Her mother looked at her earnestly. “Your father and I are a bit old fashioned, but high morals never go out of style, contrary to what some people may think.”
Olivia smiled at her daughter once more. “But whatever decisions you make in that area of your life, you can still talk to me about them and I will do my best to help you and not be judgmental. I love you very much.”
“I know, mom. I love you too.”
“Well…” her mother got to her feet. She walked over to the bed and Lyra stood as well. Her mother hugged her warmly. “Sleep tight, love.”
“You too, mom.”
Later that night, Lyra lay in bed thinking of all that had happened that day, including her mother’s words of caution. She could understand her mom’s reasoning about relationships and intimacy. After all, she was just sixteen. She wasn’t even out of high school yet and had no idea what direction her life would take. It would be foolish to get emotionally and physically involved with someone at this stage.
But on the other hand, she was already involved. Her emotions were all tangled up and she was drawn to Jonah in a way she couldn’t comprehend herself, let alone explain to her mother. If Jonah tried to kiss her, she knew she would let him. When she’d been in his arms earlier, she’d felt whole and complete. Having experienced that connectedness with him once, she ached to be with him and touch him again. What was she supposed to do with those feelings?
What she had learned about Jonah today only spurred her curiosity and compassion. If what Jonah said about his father was true, what kind of hell must he have lived through? No wonder he kept his guard up. And he obviously took a very negative view of his supernatural abilities. Again, in her mind’s eye, Lyra saw him hoisting himself and the bear cub over the side of the cliff; heard his voice in her head; and saw him toss around a tree trunk with the ease of Superman. Incredible. What was he? Well, he’s human, she thought. She’d heard his heart beat, felt the heat of his blood pumping through his veins. He was no Edward Cullen. But he was devastatingly handsome, smart, amazing in every way, and everything it seemed that her heart and soul longed for.
Logically, she knew her mother’s advice was right. But her heart refused to believe that she would want anything or anyone else but Jonah a year from now, or even a lifetime from now.