A Destined Death (10 page)

“You wished to see me?” He stepped closer to the bench.

“Yes, I have some things to say. I’m sticking to my plan. It’s
my
life, and I’m not going to let you or anyone else tell me how to live it. I’m not them, and I’m not going to die young.”

“Yes, you are,” he insisted, between clenched teeth. “You’re making a mistake.”

“Good. That’s what college girls are supposed to do.”

“You’ve made your decision then?”

I nodded, but I had to look away from the pain on his face. “You’re obsessed with me because you think I’m them, but I’m not anything like them. I’m not going to get stabbed to death, and as soon as I graduate I’m moving somewhere where there aren’t any earthquakes.”

He tipped his head and his eyes closed. “This is what you want?”

“Yes,” I squeaked, my voice cracking. My eyes watered like I stood too close to a fire, but I forced the words out quickly, “And I don’t think you should stay.”

When his eyes flashed open, he stared at me like I’d just slapped him. 

“I can’t,” I explained as my tears started to fall. “You’re torturing me.”

His brows pulled together as his head shook. “Forgive me. I did not mean to cause you pain. Tell me you don’t mean it.”

“I do,” I lied, but I couldn’t look at him. Even as I said the words, I wanted to take them back. My heart and my head felt so overloaded and heavy, I thought I would implode. “I just need some time.”

“Should you need me, you know how to reach me,” he said. Then he was gone.

****

Normalcy returned after that night, and the next two years went by in a flash. Once my story was published in the magazine, my confidence grew, and I entered more contests and won. I made a name for myself as a budding author and became somewhat popular on campus. I loved university life. I smiled more, laughed more, and got involved. Even Tina spent more time with me, mostly we hung out on my homework days. That wasn’t always pleasant but I didn’t mind the distraction. Guys started to notice me too, and some asked me out, but I could only see how they were not…him.

The jewelry stayed under my mattress, and Draven stayed MIA. I thought about him constantly. He haunted my dreams and every waking thought, and each lonely night I contemplated making one little wish. I couldn’t though because I missed seeing him too badly. I knew if he asked me to give up my dreams one more time, I would.

“Three, two, one…” I sang out as the old Chevy Camaro leapt across the South Dakota border near Spearfish. Even though several states now separated me from my lifelong city, I felt closer to home than I ever had.

I couldn’t wait another minute to get out on my own but I could have been happier. I’d wished for Draven at sunrise to at least tell him goodbye and return his jewelry. He didn’t show, and I was still coming to terms with the fact that he’d given up on me.

It had been a torturous effort not to wish for him over the years but I couldn’t trust myself. He drew me. Every look he’d ever given me affected me down in my gut. Every word he’d ever said seemed sincere and riddled with meaning. I’d never wanted anyone more.

“I am waiting for you.”
At the memory, I almost slammed on the breaks and turned around to go find him. If only I’d had any idea where to look in Seattle, I would have. Without knowing his last name, I couldn’t very well look him up in the phone book. Now, I doubted he would be able to read my mind from so far away.

“No. No. No. He’s forgotten all about you by now!” I argued to myself, yelling freely out the side window of my car. 

My car–
Hecate. The dark blue car I’d bought as a gift to myself. The one I’d drooled over every day between school and my jobs that always had to be within walking distance of a bus route. The car that screamed speed and power from its mere presence belonged to me, and I loved it. It was my ticket out––out of Portland and out of my childhood. The time had come to be free from all of that and become the person I was, the woman I was.

I’d called a real estate agent six months ago and made my specifications: a rural property with the most square footage for the least amount of money
anywhere
in the United States as long as it had a good foundation and working utilities. Somewhere without earthquakes, I added as an afterthought. The agent came up with a small acreage in South Dakota, and I grabbed it faster than my car could make a mile.

My dream had finally become reality, and now I was on my way to the middle of nowhere––happily. At the memory of Draven, I modified my thoughts––almost happily.

The first of June proved South Dakota was a beautiful state. Water ran in the creeks and streams that lay buried deep in the mountain valleys. Trees went on forever, creating beautiful emerald canopies that rose high over the carpeted green floor of grasslands. The winding roads offered her a spectacular view of the rich valleys below and hidden paradises that would have pleased any of the great naturalist authors.

Portland was a distant memory, and soon I would be standing in my new, paid-for home on the edge of the world, or the edge of eastern South Dakota anyway. In one short month, I’d become a homeowner, and in less than six hours I’d finally be home––my home. I’d finally be ready to begin my new life as a New York Times bestselling author.

“A little romp out of the way to take in Deadwood, check. Sturgis, check.” I glanced over at the dead President’s faces, all smiling in welcome. “Mount Rushmore, check.”

Hitting the gas, I raced toward Wall to refuel and grab duplicates of each postcard. I didn’t have the time to stop for pictures if I wanted to make the desert before sunset. The Badlands held a particular interest for me since I’d first read about them in the travel guide. Exiled in the center of a land rich with the lush green colors of growth and life, the brown rock formations that seemed to go on forever were barren, out of place, like I’d felt most of my life.

Pulling off the interstate, I found an empty lookout point that offered a fascinating view of the rocks, plunging upward out of the dry, eroded ground. The setting sun cast a beautiful, red glow on the ridges when I held the camera away and snapped several pictures of myself against the landscape. And then suddenly, I felt very alone.

I had the social skills to fit in anywhere. Years of waitressing had taught me how to please people, how to tell them what they wanted to hear, but I was never interested in fitting in with my peers. Even Brenda, who’d I’d spent most of my time with, was kept at a distance, away from my heart and real feelings.

But that wasn’t what bothered me. It was the not dating that bothered me and the fact that Draven hadn’t shown up again to give me another shot at our failed date. I was twenty now, two years older, but the loss of missing out on my first date and my first kiss left an empty hole in my heart.

I got back into my car and sat there until long after the sun went down, letting my lonely feelings fill to the brim and then slowly release themselves through tears. I regretted not waiting for him, and I found myself crushed by the feeling of loss that came with the probability that I’d never see him again.
I should have waited.

When my body tingled and my heart fluttered, I wiped my tears and looked around in the darkness. The large, bright moon was already making its way up into the heavens, but I saw nothing else. I shook my head, feeling foolish.
How long have I been sitting here?

Reaching for the ignition, I turned the key. Nothing happened.

“Crap! Not good timing, Hecate.”

Popping the hood, I reached into the glove box for a flashlight. I then sighed, remembering I’d moved it to the trunk which was now jam-packed with all of my belongings. I got out and lifted the hood anyway. To my surprise, a light came on and illuminated the engine. No fluids sprayed out, no hoses were snapped and mangled. Everything looked fine, which concluded the extent of what I knew about engines.

“What seems to be the problem?”

I gasped, turning to see a man walking toward me. I didn’t know if I should be scared that a man just appeared out of nowhere or if I should thank God for sending me help. When he walked into the light, I knew it was the latter. My heart fluttered again, right before it did a nosedive and stopped beating all together. It was
him.

My knees shook when he smiled at me, looking exactly the same as I remembered him. Guilt kicked in strong, and I felt like a thief in the night sneaking off with his jewels. He didn’t seem upset though. He just stood there with his perfect hair, his perfect face, and his black dress shirt flapping in the breeze like some dark angel. The shock and guilt made it impossible for me to focus on anything but his large, muscular body that was overpowering, intimidating, and so damn close.

I collapsed on the pavement, hitting my elbow and head before instinct kicked in and I started breathing again.
What the hell was that?
My face flushed with embarrassment when I quickly stood up and brushed myself off. I bit my bottom lip, trying to make sense of what he was saying.

“Breathe, Elizabeth.” He wore a concerned expression.

“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you.”

He smiled kindly. “I never asked you to.”

“And I wasn’t trying to steal your jewelry, I swear. I just didn’t know how to return it.”

“They belong to you, Elizabeth.” This time he said my name slower, letting the word fall out of his mouth melodiously.

I closed my eyes, fighting with all my strength not to reach out and touch him. “How did you find me?” I finally managed when my mouth remembered how to form words.

“Did I frighten you?” He leaned down to look at the engine and touch things.

Instantly jealous, I felt more heat rise into my face as I watched his nimble fingers work under the hood. “I mean, how did you get here? I didn’t see a car following me or any lights.”

He evened his face to mine, smirked, and shook his head. “There’s no car.”

I stared back at him, captivated by his face that was only inches away. Under his gaze, I had to remind myself to keep breathing––
twice
. It wasn’t like I’d never been that close to him before, but it felt different now. This time I had no strict schedules, and no one expected me home. I was older, I felt like an adult, and that gave a completely new meaning to his reappearance.

I broke eye contact first, turning quickly to avoid the light-headedness that invaded my mind. I ignored the fact that he was dressed too classy to be hitchhiking and gave into my first question. “So, are you still waiting for me?”

“No.”

My heart crashed hard, and I wished I’d have never heard the answer. I didn’t expect him to be so honest, although I knew he had to have tired of me. Still, anger swelled up in my chest and started to curl around my breaking heart. “Why the hell not?”

He smiled, clearly amused by my rising temper. “Because I don’t have to wait anymore.”

Relief washed over me so strongly that I lost my footing for a moment and stumbled backward a step. “Oh.”

“You might as well ask.”

Oh, right.
The question I should ask right now. How did you find me? What do you mean there’s no car? Do you need a ride and maybe some company? “So…if you’re not waiting anymore, does that mean we can date?”

“Yes,” he said confidently.

I smiled, but it slid off quickly. “What about…that other thing you said was going to happen?” I had stopped thinking or talking about my death sentence bluntly.

He stood at the question, his face unreadable. “Forgive me. I should not have told you.”

“No, it’s okay. I know you really believe it’s true. Besides, I’ve had more fun this way. I went out with Brenda a couple of times,” I said awkwardly.

“That’s good,” he said with a smile. “I’ve missed you.”

His eyes filled me with peace. I prayed that he would take me into his arms and soon! “I’m going east, if Hecate here ever starts.”

“You named your car Hecate?”

“Yes, she’s the goddess of––”

“The crossways, the dark side of the moon, and magic,” he said in a strong voice, looking up at the waning moon. “That’s an appropriate name for her.”