“We moved here around the time you did,” she said. “Got lucky to find this place—gotta love the seclusion.”
A large dresser with a cracked mirror stood directly across from me. In its reflection, I noticed posters on the wall behind me of bands I had never heard of before. Zia liked her punk and metal. A string of multi-colored Christmas tree lights hung sloppily from flat, silver and gold thumbtacks pressed into the wall.
“Where did you move from?”
She hesitated. “South Carolina.”
“All of you...I mean all of them moved here?”
Zia shook her head. “Oh no, just me and my brothers and the Mayfair’s. The others just hang out here, so to speak.”
Zia plopped down amid a fluffy black and red bedspread.
“Ummm, how many of them are Mayfair’s exactly?”
She looked up in thought for a moment, as if counting in her head. It seemed she started to answer at one point, but then had to recalculate. She used an invisible chalkboard in front of her.
“Including Isaac,” she said, “eight...no nine! I forgot about Daisy, Xavier’s twin sister. She’s usually up in her room and not down there with the drama.”
I looked at her questioningly.
“Isaac isn’t the only one that attracts a lot of girls,” she began. “His brothers, Nathan, Seth and Xavier, are chick magnets too.” She faked gagging herself with her index finger. “Shannon, Phoebe, Elizabeth and Camilla are the sisters.”
“Including Daisy?”
This was all so much to take in at once.
Zia nodded.
“I get along pretty good with Daisy,” Zia went on, “probably because she and I are a lot alike. Now Shannon, she’s a real bitch. Phoebe is like her little sidekick, but she can be sweet when Shannon’s not around—totally impressionable. Camilla’s a slut and Elizabeth is just Elizabeth.”
I felt like I should be taking notes or something.
“Large family,” I said.
“You could say that,” Zia replied with a faint grin.
“And what about you?” I relaxed my back into the engulfing chair, making myself comfortable. “Why do you and your brothers live with the Mayfair’s?”
Zia hesitated once more. I noticed these hesitations because they were more obvious than normal. I just couldn’t tell whether she was hiding something, or if she was just the type that always thought about her answers before telling them.
“Our parents were killed,” she said with a sort of misplaced pause, “in a fire a few years ago. Isaac and my brothers had been good friends and we didn’t have any other family except back in Michigan—dad’s second cousin, I think. He was a train wreck. No big deal though; we wouldn’t want to live with any other family anyway. Trajan is...well he takes care of us.”
“Trajan?” I said. “Is he Isaac’s dad?” I realized right away how often I said Isaac’s name. I could have just said Mr. Mayfair, but I didn’t.
“Yeah,” she revealed. “They’re all half brothers and sisters; three different mothers, but let’s not get into that. If Isaac knew I was telling you this stuff, he’d kill me.”
I scoffed quietly. “I believe you,” I said, “why is he such—“
“A jerk?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t be fooled by the exterior, Adria. Isaac isn’t that bad. He’s just got a lot on his plate is all.”
“Yeah, I could see that downstairs,” I grumbled under my breath.
Zia smiled. “Oh, the girls.” Then she laughed a little. “More exterior. Isaac wouldn’t give any of them the time of day.”
Was she serious? I know what I saw. He might not have been returning their ‘affections’, but he looked cozy.
“They’re not his type,” said Zia, intruding upon my thoughts it seemed. “He just...well, he has a hard time getting rid of them.”
There was another one of those hesitations again.
I stopped myself before asking any more questions about Isaac. Oh, I wanted to ask more, definitely, but this was getting ridiculous. It amazed and annoyed me how just seconds ago I had been ‘over him’. It was like some evil twin lived inside my head and decided it was her turn to make all the wishy-washy decisions.
“So, about your sister,” Zia said.
“Yeah, about Alex.”
Zia crossed her legs upon the bed. A gust of wind rattled the window and outside I could hear wind chimes ringing erratically. 8:02p.m. glowed red on the bedside clock. A pyramid of empty soda cans stood next to the clock; the top can had an incense stick poking out of it. I could still smell the incense lingering in the room from the last time it had burned. A stack of CD’s lay strewn on the floor next to one wall, a pile of paperback books next to another. Forgotten Realms mostly. Zia was not a very organized person.
She looked across at me, her gaze severe, yet at the same time, gentle.
“The Vargas family,” she began, “they’re like a cult.”
Oh great, so my whole freak cult theory couldn’t be thrown out entirely.
“And looks like Alex is their newest recruit,” she went on. “They won’t hurt her though. They’re pretty protective of their family, if you want to call her that.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Well, my point is that you and your aunt and uncle can go to bed at night knowing that Alex will be alright with them protecting her, but...”
“I was waiting for the ‘but’,” I interrupted.
“But if you or anyone else tries to force her back home, or goes onto their grounds, I can’t promise that you won’t be hurt, maybe even killed.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I knew this was bad; I knew my sister was wrapped up with the worst crowd ever, but I never expected to hear something so harsh.
“And I know you might think you should call the police,” she added, “but don’t. That’ll only make things worse.”
I stood up then and began to pace.
“I don’t get it. I don’t even understand what you’re telling me. What kind of cult? What do they do? Is it some religious thing, or what?”
“Definitely not religious.”
“Well then what? And why would they kill me? Wait—how do you know that?” I stopped in front of the door and stared across at her. I know I must have looked desperate because I was.
Zia stared straight at me. “Look, just don’t go after her. Let her do what she wants; let her figure out what she’s doing on her own time.” She hesitated again and looked away from me. “She needs them for about a week more. After that, when her head is clear, we’ll all be able to tell what side she’s on and so will she.”
I was completely baffled by her comments.
“Are you insane? What do you mean she needs them? I—”
“Please, just trust me on this.”
“So then what do I do?”
I went back to the chair. Any other time and I would already be out the door and dragging Alex back home, but something about Zia’s sincerity was frightening. This wasn’t like a teenager running away from home to live with her boyfriend or anything. This was a hundred times worse. I could feel it in my bones.
I SAT HEAVILY INTO the chair, my body stiff, my hands pressed firmly between my knees. I realized that the colorful specks swirling in my line of vision were from staring at a mosaic lamp too intensely.
I didn’t notice that Zia never answered my question. I think I had forgotten that I asked one.
There was a knock at the bedroom door, which instantly pulled me out of my reverie.
“Enter,” said Zia very regally.
I would have laughed at that if I could have found anything funny at the moment.
In walked Isaac. “She thinks she’s royalty,” he said and turned to Zia. “He needs you to stay with Aramei for a while.”
I could feel Isaac’s secret glance pass over me without actually having to see it. The butterflies in my stomach suddenly turned into a swarm of bees. I struggled to
keep from looking up at him.
“Where’s he going?” said Zia, standing from the bed.
Isaac shrugged. “No idea. He just asked me to tell you.” He turned to me then, looking straight at me, which shocked me a little inside. “Did she tell you to stay away from the Vargas Family?”
I nodded.
“And do you believe her enough to listen?”
I nodded again.
“And did she explain to you that if your sister shows back at home that you should call us before you do anything else? And that you and the rest of your family shouldn’t do anything to anger her?”
“Ummm...no, Uhhh....” I looked to Zia for answers.
“I didn’t get that far,” said Zia, “but thanks for covering that part for me.” Her smile was cheery and sarcastically thankful.
I stood with Zia and crossed my arms tight against my body.
“Why don’t you two tell me what’s really going on with my sister,” I said. “I don’t like these weird hesitations and the covert little glances between you.” I meant for it to sound as harsh as it did, I just hoped they wouldn’t be too insulted by it.
“Look, I’m sorry,” I went on, walking to the window, “but you can’t expect me to just ignore that my sister has run off to live with some...cult who, according to Zia, could kill me if I tried to get her to come home. And then to listen to you guys who—no offense—I hardly know and who seem to be hiding things from me.” I paused. “Look at it from my perspective, okay?” I put my back to them and gazed out the window. The trees looked cold. Naked, frightening branches stood stiffly all around the house.
“You told her they would kill her?” Isaac said disappointedly.
I swung around. “Hey, don’t slam her for that,” I snapped. “I think that’s pretty important information, thank-you-very-much.”
Isaac smiled faintly, which caught me off guard for about two seconds.
“You’re right,” he said, “I just think you should be careful, stay away from all of them and keep your family away from them, too.”
“But why?” I shouted. I threw my hands up in front of me. “None of this makes any sense! If you could just give me something to go on, maybe I could be a little more cooperative.”
“Their dad’s...a criminal,” said Zia, “a convicted felon who was also suspected of being involved in the murders of three people. They threw it out of court because there wasn’t enough evidence. And...his kids, they’re just as bad as he is.”
Something about her story, I didn’t believe deep in the back of my mind, but I ignored that doubt for now. It was obvious it was a far as I was going to get.
“Alright, more reason to go against everything you asked me to do and get Alex away from them right now.”
I went toward the door, pushing my way past Isaac who was standing in front of it still.
Isaac took hold of my arm and stopped me just as I stepped out into the hall.
“Adria,” he said.
I stared directly into his harsh, pleading eyes, but he knew I wasn’t going to listen to him. Not this time.
Isaac sighed heavily and let go of my arm. “Alright,” he said, “then at least let us be with you when you confront her, and wait until tomorrow night where you can see her at The Cove, that way there will be others around.”
I looked at each of them, back and forth. “The Cove?”
“It’s a hang-out near the Kennebec River,” said Zia. “Alex has been going up there with Ashe a lot, but others go there too, so we won’t be alone with them.”
“If we take you,” Isaac began, “just know that your sister won’t be the sister you knew. Don’t expect her to...treat you very nicely.”
I shrugged. “Well, she wasn’t the sister I knew before she left, so that’s no surprise.”
I added then, “William and Ashe will be there?” I only wanted to have heard them wrong the first time. I never really wanted to see either of them again.
“Yep,” Zia answered, “You can say Ashe is your sister’s very territorial boyfriend.”
It was funny how referring to him as Alex’s boyfriend triggered an immediate retaliative rage in me, but everything else Isaac and Zia told me didn’t come close to having the same effect.
“Well, the guy doesn’t know the meaning of territorial yet,” I threatened.
The room went silent as I thought about it a second longer. “Okay. Deal.”
One more failed covert look passed between them before a prompt change of subject.
“What do you want me to tell my father?” Isaac said to Zia.
Zia looked over at me and then at Isaac, suspiciously. I somehow got the distinct impression that the gears in her head were working overtime, probably coming up with ideas they shouldn’t.
“I can go sit with Aramei now,” she said, “if you’ll keep Adria company.”
Isaac looked slightly panicked. Me? Well, of course I was perfectly at ease, if you call a fly in a spider’s web, at ease.
“Zia, not a good idea right now,” said Isaac.
I didn’t think it was either (really I did), but he didn’t have to say it aloud like that. I wondered how many more times in one night this guy could offend me.
“Of course it is,” Zia insisted harmoniously. “Besides, maybe if Rachel sees you hanging around some other girl, she’ll get the hint.”
“Xavier took care of her for me,” said Isaac.
“Oh?” said Zia with an inquisitive raised brow.
Isaac smirked and that was the end of that conversation.
Unfortunately.
“I’ll be back in a few,” Zia said to me.
“Well, I really can’t stay too long,” I said. “Maybe another hour or so, but I’ll need a ride back home soon.”
“It’s cool,” Zia said. “I’m just going to help put Aramei to sleep. It won’t take long.”
Obviously, Aramei was a child. I thought to myself how Trajan must be a busy man in the sack.
And then Zia left us alone in her room together, and while I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, twiddling my thumbs in my head, I wondered how I went from being turned off by Isaac, back to the irritating infatuation. Could my willpower really be that powerless?
“Come on,” Isaac said with the gesture of his hand. “I’ll take you to meet everybody.”
Quietly, I debated which would be worse: going downstairs to be stared at like something filthy and threatening, or stay up in Zia’s room alone with Isaac and surrounded by awkwardness.
“Ummm, sure.”
To my relief, there weren’t as many people downstairs as before and the crazy-looking one, Rachel, was gone. But the looks I got were all the same, except for the curly-haired slender girl sitting on the end of the couch. Her smile made me a little more comfortable. “Don’t go into the back room,” she said grinning up at Isaac. “Xavier’s in there with Rachel.” She had a heavy English accent.
She stood and extended her hand to me then. “Daisy Mayfair,” she introduced herself so cordially.
“Adria Dawson.” I happily shook her hand, trying to erase the random sexual images implanted in my head by her comment about Rachel and Isaac’s brother.
Isaac turned my attention to others sitting on the couch. “That’s Jason and next to him is my other brother, Seth and Seth’s...girlfriend, Naomi.”
“You already know Damien and Dwarf.”
I smiled in response.
“And here comes Nathan,” Isaac added looking toward the foyer.
Nathan was tall, with short, dark hair and dark eyes to match. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t at all place where I’d seen him before.
“I’d be next in line to inherit the throne if he wasn’t in the way,” Isaac joked about Nathan.
Nathan balled his huge fists and jokingly punched at the air toward Isaac’s face.
“Don’t be so harsh, little brother,” Nathan said, tossing his arm around Isaac’s shoulder. “You know the second
oldest is where all the action’s at. Not too high up on the scale to be intimidating to everyone, and not too low on it to be dismissed.”
He added looking right at me, “Adria, right?” He smiled wide. “I’ve seen you at Finch’s Grocery a couple of times. I work in the back. I’m the stocker.”
“Oh yeah!” I said, but the reply was really for me. That was where I had seen him before. “Yeah, my aunt practically runs the place now with Mrs. Finch being sick and all.”
Nathan moved from Isaac and tossed his arm around the back of my neck. “Be careful,” he whispered, leaning into my ear. “My brother has this problem, you see.”
“Nate,” said Isaac, glaring, but then he looked at me instead. “Don’t listen to him. Really.”
Nathan pulled me closer. I could feel the humor in his pose, the huge, mischievous smile plastered all over his face.
“No, seriously,” Nathan went on, “Isaac is what your folks might call a Ladies’ Man.”
I saw Isaac’s expression out of the corner of my eye; it shrank into something less solid and more humiliated. I laughed. Inside, of course.
“He even has his own cologne,” said Nathan. “It’s called...Dark Allure or some cheesy thing like that.” He swirled his hand that hung over my shoulder, melodiously at the wrist.
“Nathan is a complete liar,” Isaac said shaking his head. “Besides, I don’t wear cologne.” His leering eyes left mine and fell upon Nathan for a telepathic moment. “You haven’t tortured Xavier in a while. Why don’t you go see what he’s up to?”
“Yeah, Nate,” Daisy said from the side; a crooked smile lay faint in her lips. “You should find Xavier. I think he’s in the back room with the lot.”
She and Isaac shared a knowing look.
All of the sibling banter eased my nervous mood, but it also made me think of Alex.
Nathan seemed suspicious. After all, neither Isaac nor Daisy exactly hid the fact that there was some plotting going on between them. I felt his arm slip from around my neck.
“Alright, alright,” said Nathan, giving in to Isaac though not falling for his obvious tricks. “Tell the big boss, Beverlee, I said hi.”
“I will,” I said as he walked past Isaac and slugged him playfully in the stomach.