Falling From Grace (43 page)

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Authors: S. L. Naeole

Tags: #Legends; Myths; Fables, #Juvenile Fiction, #General

BOOK: Falling From Grace
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“It turned out to be his grandmother.
 
Her name sounded so odd.
 
‘Bronislawa’ just doesn’t seem like a name one would find in a cemetery in Ohio.
 
I had to get a rubbing.”
 
She gave Graham a dazzling smile, and I could have sworn I saw his eyes cross.

“She was a very scary woman to everyone except Graham.
 
To her, he was the sun, the moon, and all of the halogen bulbs in between,” I pointed out.
 
“She used to yell something at me all the time that I never understood, but Graham told me that she was scaring death away from me, to keep him from putting his hands around my throat.
 
She frightened me so bad once, I was forbidden to go near her after that.”

Lark’s face was calm, but I could see in the way her mouth no longer appeared loose and carefree that something I said had upset her in some way.
 
Stupid superstitions.

I understood the sentiment.
 
Mom had said the same thing when she had heard what was being said.
 
It had been Dad who no longer felt I should be around Graham’s grandmother, and rather than argue with him about it, mom relented.

“Well, I asked Graham if he wouldn’t mind dropping me off at the mall on your way home.
 
I’m going to meet up with some friends and pick a few last minute things before tonight.
 
It’s only a few minutes away from here by car, and he said he didn’t mind.”

At the sound of his name, Graham’s eyes refocused and he started blinking rapidly, his eyes dry from ogling Lark all this time.
 
“Uh, yeah.
 
I didn’t think you’d mind, Grace, you know, since we’re on this whole trusting friendship thing.”

“Why would I mind, Graham?
 
Lark is Robert’s sister and like she said, it’s only a few minutes away.”
 
As we walked towards the car, I had to suppress the smug smile that I could feel creeping up on me.
 
The knowledge that people couldn’t help but be affected by an angel’s presence, and that Graham was more than affected while I had been able to resist somewhat was strangely satisfying.
 
When it came to angels, Graham the football hero was bested by Grace the Superfreak.

“Why do people call you a freak?”

The sudden question sent both Graham’s and my heads snapping in Lark’s direction.
 
Our faces both held shock and anger.
 
I knew his anger stemmed from his built in need to defend me, but mine was at the fact that she had read my mind, and made no secret of it.

“Why are you even asking?”
 
I looked at her.
 
Why don’t you just pick through my memories and find out?

“Yeah, why are you asking?”

Lark shrugged her shoulders.
 
“I was just wondering.
 
It seems to me that most of the kids here in Heath just needed someone to fill that slot in the yearbook, and your name was picked out of a hat or something.
 
I was wondering why.”

“Well, why don’t you ask them why they call me a freak?” I snapped.

Lark raised an eyebrow, my challenge doing nothing but boring her.
 
“I did.
 
All I got were ridiculous comic book style explanations that had little to do with anything.
 
You don’t have tentacles coming out of your back, you’re definitely not green, and you’ve no mutant powers or anything.
 
I think the only thing freakish I’ve heard about you is the size of your forehead.
 
Just a little too wide.
 
Kind of Imax-y.
 
Other than that, you’re about as normal as they come.”

Graham’s posture changed then.
 
His back straightened, and he pushed his shoulders back.
 
I’d seen it a million times after he’d threaten to beat someone up for picking on me and they gave up.
 
It was his peacock pose.
 
“That’s nothing new.
 
I’ve been saying the same thing forever.”

Lark rolled her eyes.
 
What’s with you humans and your constant use of the term forever, as if you can comprehend it and all it entails?

I could tell by the way the tone of her thoughts became dark that she was on the verge of anger.
 
I grabbed Graham’s arm and yanked him back into a stride, wanting to get into the car as quickly as possible.
 
Lark’s temper was unpredictable.
 
She didn’t just run your plain old hot and cold.
 
She was celestially hot and cold.
 
Solar winds hot, and dark side of the moon cold.

I get your point!
 
Stop with the stupid metaphors already.
 
I feel like you’re describing some astrology project.

Graham started walking quickly, and I followed, keeping my eye on Lark, hoping she wouldn’t ask the question out loud again.
 
Heaven knew all she had to do was look in our heads to find out the answer.
 
Why ask when our verbal answers might not add up to what our minds were thinking?
 
Wasn’t that counterproductive?

That’s just it.
 
How else am I to judge the integrity of a person if what comes out of their mouths isn’t the same as what comes from their minds?
 
You’ve placed a lot of trust in Graham, despite what he’s done to you.
 
I’ve seen how it’s affected you.
 
I can see the scars that your eyes cannot see, but can feel.
 
She wore a grim line on her face that contradicted the softening of her translucent eyes.

And, I also see how much my brother cares for you.
 
If Graham hurts you again, I fear for his safety.
 
You don’t understand how deeply my kind feels when we form an attachment to someone, Grace.
 
It’s like one of these trees here.
 
Deep, long roots that dig and wrap themselves firmly into the soil; you humans become our soil.
 
We grow because of you, we thrive because of you.
 
If something poisons that soil, it poisons us.
 
But, unlike these trees, we fight back.

My eyes blinked twice, understanding what she meant.
 
Only, instead of roots, I saw a single ribbon.

I saw Lark’s head nod.
 
She saw the ribbon in my mind, too.

We were in Graham’s Buick and turning left onto Hopewell Drive before Graham finally spoke.
 
“Some people call Grace a freak because they don’t understand how she could have survived the car wreck that killed her mom; no one has been able to explain it and I don’t think anyone ever will.
 
Others call her a freak because she’s half-white, half-Korean.
 
Now some people call her a freak because she survived the hit and run.
 

“No matter what their reasons, the truth is that Grace is called a freak because she’s different, and you can’t explain what makes her different.
 
She just is.”

I stared at him.
 
It seemed like it hurt him to say those words, like they burned his throat to utter them.
 
I watched as he rubbed the bottom of his eye with his thumb, and then wiped his thumb on his jeans, a dark, thin line forming where his finger touched the fabric.
 
I bit my lip at the obvious difficulty he had with talking about how other people thought of me; He had been one of those people just a month ago, and he didn’t like that.

“But if Grace is a freak, then so am I.
 
I’m a jock who hangs around freaks instead of cheerleaders,” he snorted.

From the back seat, Lark laughed.
 
“Don’t forget that now you’re chauffeuring blind people, too.
 
You’re more of a freak than Grace is.”

Graham nodded, his humor having returned.
 
“That’s true.
 
I’m bringing down your stock, Grace.
 
You’ll never be homecoming queen now.”

I joined in their amusement, the dark mood lifting from Lark, and the sadness from Graham seeming to fade away, if only for a moment.
 

It was amazing what truth could do for someone.
 
Lark had heard nothing but pure honesty from Graham’s mouth, the truth as we all knew it, mind reader and humans alike, and that had changed the way she viewed him now.
 
I could see it by the way her eyes seemed a little less opaque; it was as if the fog of bitterness and anger that she kept around her

like some kind of shield from the dishonesty of people

had lifted just a bit.

I honestly thought he’d lie to me.
 
He surprised me.
 
Nothing surprises me.
 
I might end up not liking it later, but for now, it’s amusing.

My eyebrows raised in shock.
 
Graham had taken Lark by surprise?
 
You can read minds, even the minds of those who can see the future, and you were surprised by Graham?

I had discovered her weakness, and she didn’t like it.
 
But I did.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed my moment, laughing loudly, without caring a bit if in that moment, I really did look like a freak.
 
I didn’t know when I’d get another opportunity, as sharp and quick witted as she was, not to mention the fact that she could probably re-break my leg and arm in less time than it took me to get half a blink out.

It looked like I’d get a reprieve when she leaned back into her seat, her arms folded across her chest, a slow smile creeping across her face.
 
She was amused, too!

I looked out of the window and realized that we were pulling into the parking lot of the shopping center.
 
“I don’t think I’ve ever been in this mall.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever been in any mall.”
 
Graham snorted.

I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him

it felt much better to punch him in the arm instead.
 
The “ouch” that followed was very satisfying.

When we pulled up to the curb fronting the mall, I saw that Lark had a small, pink cell phone pressed to her ear.
 
As soon as the car had stopped, she was outside.

“I’ll see you tonight, Grace.
 
Thank you, Graham, for the ride

I’ll see you in school on Monday!
 
‘Ciao!”
 
She walked very quickly towards the entrance, practicing great restraint not to just blur into nothingness with the speed she was so used to.
 
If you didn’t know it, you’d never have guessed she was blind.

The mall was far behind us when Graham finally asked the question I knew had plagued him as soon as he’d heard Lark mention seeing me later this evening.

“I’m going to a wedding with Robert and his family,” I answered, my tone making it clear that I wasn’t interested in arguing about it.

I saw the muscles in his neck tighten a bit as he stuck his jaw out, the idea of my going out with Robert obviously not sitting well with him.
 
Well, he could suck on rocks for all I care.
 
It was my first official date with Robert, and nothing was going to ruin it.

Except for the dress.
 
I groaned.
 
Loudly.

“What’s the matter?
 
Realized I was still here?” Graham pouted.
 
He actually pouted!

“I told Robert he could buy me a dress for the wedding.”

It was Graham’s turn to laugh this time.
 
“You’re letting him buy you a dress?”

I folded my arms across my chest.
 
“Yes,” I answered, indignantly.

“You’re not afraid that he’ll get you something that’ll make you look

well let’s face it, a lot of stuff will

make you look twelve?”

My lips did funny things as I pondered his question.
 
“I told him no ruffles.
 
Ugh

I don’t know anything about dresses

I’ve never shopped for a dress, and all I know about them is that ruffles are hideous.
 
Oh my God, what did I do?
 
He’s going to buy me something that looks like it belongs on a twelve year-old, isn’t he?”
 
The feeling of panic bubbled up underneath my skin as we pulled up in front of our house.

I looked at the watch on my wrist and realized that it was nearly twelve-thirty.
 
I needed to eat something for lunch, and I also needed to lie down and try and calm my nerves.
 
Graham helped me out of the car and walked with me to the front door.
 
I saw that Janice’s SUV

which had been gone when we had left

was now back in its spot in the driveway.

“Well, that’s a nice distraction,” I muttered.
 
I could focus on how the doctor’s appointment went, instead of the impending doom of wearing a dress.

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