Accordance (9 page)

If I said another word I was going to cry. Burst into tears. I just wanted to be normal, to be with Caleb and now all that was over. I felt the loss of my life as I had known it. I sucked in a ragged breath and buried my face in my hands.

“Maggie, you have to understand. You are special. You’re different. Things can’t just go back to us sitting, playing Halo with you in my lap everyday, ok? Things are going to change. You’re going to have to be ready for that.”

I lifted my head and saw them both looking sternly at me like I was a child throwing a temper tantrum. Caleb heard my mind, knew what I was gonna do. I saw his hand snake out to grab my arm but I pulled away forcefully and went right out the front door.

I was livid.

I ran to the Jeep and slammed the door right as I saw him step off the porch. I didn’t see the keys anywhere but I searched in a mad rush. I locked my door so he couldn’t stop me just as he reached my door and banged on the window.

“Maggie, stop. Where are you going?”

“Away,” I said as looked in the visor and still didn’t see them.

I beat my palms on the steering wheel in frustration and the Jeep roared to life. Just like that. It was like I willed it. I looked at Caleb through the window and he was just as stunned. He pulled the keys from his pocket and looked at them and then back at me in wonder.

I didn’t wait any longer. I put the Jeep in reverse, no matter how it cranked, it was drivable and that’s all I cared about. I pulled onto the highway with Caleb in my rearview mirror, his hands going in the air in a frustrated move before he ran back into the house. My heart pounded and ached. It didn’t want me to leave, not mad and not like this. We weren’t made to fight, I remembered our first fight in Kyle’s back yard, how it hurt me, but I didn’t turn around.

I had no doubt he was going to call his father. And mine. And then Caleb and Kyle would contemplate on how to bring me back and why I was acting insane. Did he really not know? He was supposed to be my equal, my love, my life. And now he was treating me as if I was someone he no longer deserved and needed to be groomed for a life of privilege. I was someone to be managed and bowed down to as if in obedience.

Maggie, don’t do this. You need to come back and face this-

I pushed him out and blocked him.

How dare he treat me like some spoiled prodigy who was on the warpath or something? I was me! I am me! Wasn’t that the whole point of everything I was shown upstairs in that vision was that their race was spoiled and unclean in their actions and past thoughts: Greed, Pride, Complacency. Those weren’t minor offenses and there they were trying to worship me. This was every girl’s dream, right? Not mine.

I hated it. I begged for God to take it all back. I didn’t want to be the Visionary, I just wanted Caleb.

I drove for a while and then pulled into an ice cream place off the main highway. I tried to breathe and calm down so Caleb wouldn’t call a cab and follow my heartbeat to me.

I got a text from Bish.

Caleb said you left. I heard all the shouting. WTH Mags? Get your butt back here and answer me right now.

Then a call from Caleb came in. I pressed the red button to send it straight to voicemail and didn’t bother to listen. I wasn’t really angry at him. Not really. I was just angry. I just wanted my life back. My chest begged for Caleb, my fingers twitching. I pushed it away.

I pulled the visor down to look in the mirror. I saw the telling mark they had seen. It was a half sun half moon that put together made a whole with the line where they met blurry and gray, fading into each other. The sun half was white with wide slithering rays protruding. The moon half was black and smooth. It was small, about an inch and half maybe, right on the side of my neck. I ran my fingers over it. It wasn’t really a tattoo, it looked more solid than that but my skin felt smooth to the touch. It was odd.

The two guys behind the counter at the deserted ice cream place were giving me odd looks for sitting it the parking lot and not coming up so I sighed and got out. I had seen Caleb stash a few bills into the ashtray. I retrieved them and went to the counter. It was one of those outdoor places with benches and umbrellas and you ordered through a walk up window.

“Hi.”

I tried to sound normal.

“Hi there, what can I get for you?”

“Um...” All the flavors were crazy celebrity names. I had no idea what was in them. “Which one is the most like rocky road?”

He looked amused.

“Rocky Balboa, of course.”

“Oh. Ok. Well then I’ll take a small Rocky Balboa.”

I gave him his money and waited as they made it. He handed it to me and smiled.

“Anything else?”

“No. Thank you.”

“You sure, you look kind of...upset.”

“I’m fine. Thank you though.”

“Ok. Have a nice night, miss.”

I scoffed at miss. I couldn’t be more than a year older than him and he called me miss. It was the ascension’s fault that I looked different.

I went to a table and sat down. My phone sat on the table in front of me. I had two more texts from Bish and Caleb called me three times. Then one missed call from Dad already. Great.

I pushed it aside and ate a spoonful of the gooey goodness in front of me. I was winding down now. Thinking I had overreacted now that I had a chance to really think about it. But I didn’t! They were the ones acting crazy.

They bowed. Bowed to me!

After all my ice cream was gone, I threw my cup away and decided to walk around. I know, it was dark and late, in California no less, but I couldn’t go back in the Jeep and head back to the house yet. In fact, I was sure I couldn’t even remember how to get to the beach house again.

I saw a cleared area set off to the side of the stand, like it was important. As I got closer I saw it was a small enclave of big rocks in a circle. The sign said it was a memorial to the men and woman who’d served our country. I sat there on a bench in the middle of those rocks, in the dark and cried. I cried for everything, all the right reasons and even the wrong ones. The petty and silly ones. I was already going so I might as well get it all out.

I felt terrible. My heart was fluttering uncomfortably with aching for Caleb but I tried to breath through it so he wouldn’t think I was in trouble. I decided to see him and make sure he was ok. I focused on him and saw he was sitting on the front porch steps, phone in hand. His hands were shaking slightly. He reached one up to rub his heart and he sighed harshly, wincing. I knew he was hurting like me, worse than me. It made me feel horrible but I stayed put.

He jumped when the phone rang.

“Maggie!” he said in panic. “Oh, Dad, yeah, she’s still gone.” Peter said something and Caleb grimaced. “No. She’s blocking me. I can’t get through to her and she won’t answer her phone.” A pause and he scrubbed his face with his hand. “I know that, Dad, ok? I know I messed up but I can’t fix it until she talks to me now can I?...Yes, I’m sure she’s the Visionary, she has the mark and she told us she had a vision...I know...She’s my number one priority, I could care less about this Visionary crap right now, all I care about is getting her back here safe...No. It’s like I was under a spell or something. I was in complete awe. It was strange, like I couldn’t control myself...I know that, Dad, but she’s my significant, first, before anything else. I don’t care if we’re married or not. She’s mine to protect and that’s more important that any of this other stuff. Everyone else can go to hell for all I care if they think I’m gonna step back and let them come in and take her from me. Who better to take care of her than me?” he said in a vehement and upset tone. Then, “Yes, I know, I screwed up already but I won’t again. When she comes back I’ll...I’ll...I don’t know. I’ll do something. I’ll fix it.” Then he hung up and beat his fist on the porch steps rail.

I wanted to squeeze him to me, hug him until it all went away but I couldn’t move, not yet. There seemed to be something I needed to do first.

Caleb sat up straight and sucked in a quick breath.

“Maggie?”

I watched in awe. Could he feel me there watching?
“Maggie, come back. I’m sorry. Please, baby,” he pleaded. “I’m dying here not knowing where you are.”

I yanked away before he could read me and figure out where I was. I looked around me to the big stones and saw a figure coming my way. The ice cream guy.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?”

“Just sitting.”

“Well, it’s not really safe for a girl to be alone at night out here, you know.”

I could just make him out in the moonlight.

“I’ll be ok,” I said and smiled at him to reassure.

“Are you a black belt or something?”

I chuckled remembering Uncle Max giving me karate ‘lessons’ in my mind.

“Yes. I am actually.”

“Oh. Well...” That seemed to take the steam out of his argument. “I still don’t think you should be out here.”

“I won’t be long.”

“What’s the matter? I knew something was wrong earlier when I asked you.”

“I’m just going through some stuff.”

“Aren’t we all?” he said with a chuckle and sat down beside me on the bench.

“I guess, but my stuff is really, really, scary complicated.”

He nodded like he understood. Then he pulled a receipt paper from his pocket and wrote something down. Then he ripped off a piece and gave it to me.

“I’m not trying to be a creepy guy or anything but I’ve been chewed up and spit out by this city on more than one occasion.” I took the paper and saw it was a phone number. “I live across the road, in the crappiest apartment you’ve ever seen.” He pointed. If you ever need a place to crash or someone to...vent to, call me.”

I smiled at him.

“That’s really sweet but, I’m not from here. I have no idea how long I’ll stay.”

“Georgia?” he asked.

“Tennessee.”

“I could tell from the accent. I’m from Nebraska. Yeah, we can spot the out-of-staters,” he laughed. “We all have that open wound look going.” He laughed again and I joined him. “I’m serious. You look like a nice girl. I wouldn’t let whoever it is you’re worried about get you down.”

“It’s a thing actually. Something...happened to me. And no, I’m not pregnant,” I said, when he got the look. “I’m just not ready to be what everyone else wants me to be.”

“Aha. Well, at least you have people who care about you it sounds like. Some of us haven’t seen our family in a very long time and the friends I have would stab me in the back in a minute for a few extra bucks.”

“I’m sorry. That must suck.”

“I get by. Life is long and then you’re gone,” he said sadly and twirled his cell in his fingers. “Alright, well I’ll let you get back to...whatever it is you’re doing out here. You weren’t planning on sleeping out here were you? My offer stands about crashing-”

“No. I’ll head home before that.”

“You’re sure you’re ok?”

“Positive.”

He shrugged like there was nothing else he could do.

“Ok then.” He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Tennessee.”

I smiled.

“You too, Nebraska.”

And as soon as I touched his hand I was blinded by another vision.

I saw the boy who’s hand I was holding and he was leaving, suitcase in hand. His father was angry, his mother crying and his brother laughing a jealous and vindictive laugh as he watched him go.

What the boy didn’t know was that his mother went after him. She watched his beat up car leave the driveway and tried to stop him but it was too late. He was gone. She yelled at her family for making him go. She slapped his father and packed her bags to go look for him.

He didn’t have a cell phone when he left and she had found no way to reach him. That was four months ago. She was still looking and searching.

I pulled back with a gasp and heard him do the same.

“How did you do that?” he gasped out.

“You saw that?” I said and looked at him in surprise.

“Of course, what was that? Are you a psychic or something?”

“No.”

“Is it true? Did my mom come looking for me?”

I looked at his young eager face filled with hope.

“Yes. It’s true.” I had a feeling like I knew what to do but I didn’t want to. Ultimately I sighed and caved, focused on her face in my mind. She had burgundy hair in a messy bun and her face was worn from wear and worry. “She’s...working at a diner. Her shirt says Joe’s on it.”

“Joe’s. There’s a Joe’s across the railroad tracks.”

“She’s thinking about you, at a baseball game and you were pitching.”