Arrival of the Traveler (Waldgrave Book 1) Page 7

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  CHAPTER 5

  Over the next month, Lena and Ava spent many hours every day together, asking and answering questions. Lena was urged by her mother to spend any spare time she had reading, which she did. However, she found herself more bogged down by questions the more she found, or rather, didn’t find, in the library. The house kept changing in disorienting ways—new windows and doors popped up overnight, furniture moved, pictures of people who she vaguely resembled appeared on the walls. The rooms on the third floor were starting to fill up, and one of the locked doors mysteriously unlocked itself one day. Behind it, Lena had found a staircase that spiraled downward before abruptly dead ending against a wall.

  Lena hadn’t spoken to David alone since the day he had given her the bracelet, though she occasionally saw him through the windows. She only saw him briefly at dinner, and recently not at all, due to the fact that he had become ill. Ava, Lena decided, was adjusting to parenthood in waves. At the moment, she seemed to be making up for the protectiveness she had not exerted since her split with Aaron. Lena had not stepped foot outside the Waldgrave house since her mother’s arrival, at her mother’s bidding. Lena would wander the house, discovering new things, thinking she was alone, only to turn around and find Ava, standing or sitting quietly, watching. Lena often wondered about the look in her mother’s eyes; it was almost a crazed look, as though Ava were obsessed with her. She watched her day and night, sneaked into her room when she slept, ate every meal with her, sat with her when she read—it was as though she was afraid Lena would evaporate as suddenly as things in the house seemed to appear.

  Lena was smothered. She had never in memory spent so much time in the same place, with the same strangers. They weren’t strangers anymore, and while most people might have found that thought comforting, it was a foreign territory to Lena. A situation that needed to be remedied as quickly as possible. When the opportunity to temporarily escape presented itself, she fought for it as though her life depended on it.

  They were at breakfast. As Howard started into his eggs, he raised the issue of shopping.

  “I’m sending out Mrs. Ralston later to get supplies. Is there anything either of you need?”

  “Can I go?” Lena asked. Ava almost choked on a piece of toast.

  “N…no.” Ava wiped her mouth with the napkin, and then grabbed her glass of juice.

  “Why not? I haven’t been out in, like, a month! Please?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Ava set her glass firmly onto the table.

  “Mom, I need new clothes. I’ve been wearing the same five shirts over and over again since I got here. And there’s other things, too…”

  “Your clothes are fine. They’re beautiful. And you can always wear mine. What about all of my old ones that my father gave to you?”

  Howard made a disgruntled face at the mention of the contraband clothing.

  “Mom, it’s not personal or anything,” Lena chose her words very carefully, “I really need some personal space. I need some time away…because constantly being around the same people is starting to get to me. And I’m really, really opposed to wearing dresses all the time.” Lena took a breath. “Not that they don’t look great on you.”

  Silence.

  Howard seemed to warm at the idea that Lena was rejecting the so-called gifts. “Ava, be reasonable. She’s been trapped in this house for long enough—she should get out.”

  Silence.

  “Only if David goes.” Ava looked challengingly at Howard. How dare he challenge her decision that Lena wasn’t going? She was the parent; he wasn’t.

  “Why David?” Howard looked confused.

  “You know why.” Ava threw down her napkin. Her lower lip was starting to tremble.

  “Yeah—why David?” Lena looked at her mother. Ava’s eyes were glassy. She didn’t look up to answering the question. She looked to her uncle, “Howard? Why David?”

  But Howard was ignoring her. “I can’t lose both David and Rosaleen. There’s too much to get done around here. Besides, David’s been ill.”

  Lena looked back and forth from Ava to Howard; the two of them seemed locked in an invisible chess match. “Mom’ll help you. Why is this such a big deal, anyway?”

  Howard sighed.

  Lena tried again. “Or, what if you went with me and Mrs. Ralston, and then David could stay and work?”

  Ava’s eyebrows raised in defiance. Lena was suddenly aware that they had been staring at each other quite intently for some time. Howard finally spoke.

  “If I send David with the list, then can she go?” Howard spoke very quietly.

  Ava pursed her lips as she considered the proposal. “Okay. Remember to take your cell phone.”

  “Please. It goes everywhere with me anyway.” Though I don’t know why. It’s not like I have any friends.

  Howard cleared his throat. “Well, I guess that will have to do. Lena, I’ll have Mrs. Ralston make out a list of everything we’ll need. David has a credit card he uses for living expenses, and he can charge it. Mrs. Ralston’s very particular about getting the right brands, so be sure David doesn’t just grab the first laundry detergent or toilet paper he sees.”

  An hour later, Lena found herself joyfully running toward the barn, a long list of household supplies clutched in her hand. Her mother stood just outside the front door, watching, until she saw her enter the barn.

  Lena knocked and waited patiently. In a way, it pleased her that her mother was watching. Maybe she would learn from example.

  A muffled voice came from inside the barn. “Howard?”

  “No, it’s me!” Lena replied cheerfully.

  “Lena?” The door opened slowly.

  “David--what happened?!”

  She stared, though she didn’t mean to. The majority of David was obstructed from view by a towel he was holding up to his face. It was crusted in places with dried blood, although a fresh red spot was forming where he held it to his nose. His complexion was pale, and his eyes were tired. In response to her question, he only turned and walked back toward his bed.

  “Are you bleeding?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not! Let me…I’ll run back up and get help!”

  He turned around and grabbed her arm just before she got to the door. “It’s just a nosebleed. Don’t be such a girl.”

  “Let go!” She twisted free. “That’s the worst nosebleed I’ve ever seen.”

  “It happens. It’s dry here.” He turned and watched her. “It’s nice to see you’re concerned about me, though.”

  “Me? I’m not concerned.” She raked her brain for something plausible and insulting. “It’d just be a pity to lose an experienced worker.”

  David actually laughed. Not a humored laugh, though; it was a bitter, ironic laugh.

  “I already told you. I’m here for Master Daray. And you are concerned—you hate blood, it makes you queasy.” David looked over at her; she was shocked. How could he have known? “It’s written all over your face, so don’t even try lying to me.”

  “I’m not concerned. Howard sent me down to tell you we’re going to the store. Otherwise I wouldn’t even be here.” She crossed her arms.

  “Why can’t Ralston go?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me.” Lena explained the ordeal at breakfast. By the time she had finished, David’s nosebleed had stopped, and he held the blood-soaked towel in his hands, listening very seriously.

  “I don’t know.” David said flatly.

  “You do too.”

  “I don’t. I mean, I know why she didn’t want you to go, but the rest I don’t know.” Something in his eyes made her believe him. He was as confused as she had been.

  “Why doesn’t she want me to go?” Lena asked.

  “It’s not safe.”

  “Why?”

  David paused for a minute.

  “Because… I’m not the one to tell you that.” It was no secret to Lena that
David enjoyed denying her information. It was a game to him—frustrating her with his vast knowledge of everything she wanted to know, and on occasion using it to make her sick. But as he said this, there was no fun in his voice. The smirk that usually graced his face was absent.

  “I’m going to change. Stay in the barn.”

  Lena went and sat down on the bed to wait as David rummaged through his trunk for clean clothes and then retreated behind a door, which guessed must have led to his bathroom. Lena waited silently; if she was going to get more information, now was the time to do it. She had David to herself for the day, and he wasn’t going to baby her about the truth like her mother did. David came back out, and Lena followed him up to the car port on the side of the house. Standing next to the sedan, he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and started to pick through them for the right one.

  “You’re going to drive?”

  “Well, you’re just a kid. Who’d you think was going to drive?” David unlocked the car and awaited Lena’s response. She knew he was hoping she would embarrass herself, so she fell back on the usual—an affront.

  “Oh, I just didn’t think you looked old enough.” She got in the passenger side as David sneered and settled into the driver’s seat.

  They drove for at least a half an hour before pulling into the lot of a large economy store. Preferring not to press her luck, Lena didn’t talk and hoped David would forgive her comment. He still looked sick, and he kept his focus on the twisting roads. They didn’t talk while he drove. As they got out of the car and started towards the entrance, she tried to lighten the mood.

  “I suppose that’s one good thing about Americans. They’re economical.” She pulled the shopping list out of her pocket and started to look over it.

  “Glad you like them. You’re one of them.” David grabbed a cart and then yanked the list out of Lena’s hands.

  “Hey! I’m not an American.” She crossed her arms as they started towards the section of the store that had household cleaners.

  “You are too.”

  “Am not. I was born in Peru.”

  “To American parents, who lived the majority of their lives in America. That makes you an American.”

  Lena’s heart thudded a little faster. This might be her chance.

  “And I suppose you think you know everything about my parents?”

  “A lot. Maybe not everything, but everything your grandfather has told me.”

  They stopped and started to look for the cleaning products Mrs. Ralston had specified.

  “David? Why did my dad tell me my mom was dead? And why can’t Howard know about your apprenticeship?” Somehow in her mind, these two things were connected, though she didn’t know why. She picked up a five pound bottle of soap and dropped it into the cart. David came up very close to her, he looked back up and down the aisle, but they were alone.

  “Don’t talk so loud about that here. In fact, don’t talk about that at all.”

  “What?”

  A woman pushed her half-full cart past the aisle in which they stood. Lena wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw her slow down when she saw them, but then she was gone. Lena looked back at David, who was still staring down at where the woman had been.

  “Let’s just get this done quickly. You’re not supposed to be here.” He whispered.

  “Why?” Lena whispered back. David was now grabbing articles off the shelves as quickly as he could; Lena, seeing her question was about to go unanswered, resorted to drastic measures.

  “David, if you don’t tell me about your apprenticeship--!”

  He half ran back, dumped everything he had picked up into the cart, grabbed Lena by the arm, and pulled her with him as he started to push the cart towards the canned foods.

  “Say it again and we’re going home.”

  “I’m not a child!”

  “Stop acting like one!”

  “Treat me like an adult, and maybe I’ll be less childish!” She shook her arm free. David stopped and looked at her. His eyes glowed with loathing.

  “Answer my questions, and I’ll behave.”

  They stared each other down. David wasn’t going to let her have her way, so she was going to have to make it look like he’d won.

  “Look,” she walked over and looped her arm through his, “David,” she smiled, “No one else is going to tell me this stuff. You offered to teach me, remember?”

  He still looked quite angry. Lena wished she hadn’t positioned herself so close to him.

  “I didn’t mean I’d answer everything,” he sighed and started walking again. “I’ll answer what I feel like answering.”

  Good enough.

  It had better be.

  “Excuse me?” Lena stopped.

  “You heard me.” David didn’t stop walking.

  “Yeah, I know I did. Why did I?”

  “Because I wanted you to.”

  This was a highly unsatisfactory answer, but Lena was sure she’d be learning these things from her mother sooner or later, anyway. It was her father, and her mother’s past, that she needed to press for.

  “Why did my dad lie to me?”

  David was now inspecting the list closely. He seemed displeased with some of Mrs. Ralston’s choices, but obliged. As he grabbed cans of soup and vegetables, he started talking.

  “He didn’t want you to be a part of this,” David replied.

  “And how does lying about my mom fit into that picture?”

  David took a deep breath. He looked at Lena very seriously. “Stop me if you start to feel sick. Okay?”

  “Aww, you do care!” Lena smiled.

  “We don’t need to attract any more attention than we already have, and your vomiting or passing out won’t help us to that goal.”

  Her smile fell slightly. “Okay. Geez.”

  “You know how Howard made me repaint the hall?” David started. “Well, what’s happening to you now can happen in reverse. You thought you were seeing light bleaching, and in your mind, if the hall got repainted, it would go away. And it would have, because that’s what would have made sense to you.”

  “I don’t follow…”

  “Look,” he sounded a little frustrated, “Your mom wanted you to be a part of this world. To be with your own kind, and live up to your full potential. Your dad didn’t. If he’d told you about her, you would have started to remember. You remember I asked you about dreams?”

  She nodded. Her throat had gone dry, and a slight ache was growing in her stomach. But she didn’t want him to stop.

  “That happens when you try to repress things. He told you she was dead. You remembered her. He told you not to think about the dreams, and he may have irreparably damaged you. He managed to get her off your mind, that’s for sure. Along with everything else.”

  Her stomach was truly sore now. She was walking noticeably slow as they started towards the aisle with the paper towels. David gave her a look.

  “I’m okay. I think I’ll go and look at clothes for a while…” She started away, but David grabbed her arm again.

  “You’re not leaving my sight. We’ll get what we need, and then we’ll go look together.”

  “Really, I think I’d rather…” She needed to sit down. Her head was starting to spin, but she wasn’t about to let him think she couldn’t take it. She grabbed onto the cart and leaned against it while he went and got what they needed.

  “You don’t understand.” He said darkly. “There may be people here who want to hurt you.”

  “What?” Her eyes weren’t focusing correctly.

  “Lena!” She heard him hiss. She felt his arm around her waist, and she walked. Just…walked. Wherever he was taking her. A few minutes later she felt him tapping her on the cheek, and realized they were sitting on a porch swing. It was one of the store displays. The smell of fertilizer, coming from a rack of sickly looking plants nearby, got her to focus a little better. Her eyes fixed on David. He was telling someone that she had hyperglycemia,
and would be okay in just a moment.

  Minutes later they were alone. Her stomach still hurt, but in general, she felt better. Her throat was dry. David was trying to push an open soda can into her hand.

  “Wa’s this…”

  “Drink it. It’ll help. It’s complementary from the store manager.” He said the last part with a hint of anger.

  She did. It tasted…off.

  “Did you…?”

  “Go slow. The effects are temporary, we need to finish the shopping, and your mother is not going to be happy about this.”

  Whatever he had put in the soda, it started to work almost immediately. Soon they were back to walking the store and doing Mrs. Ralston’s bidding. They saved Lena’s clothes for last, by which time she felt much better. She picked out jeans, long sleeve and short sleeve shirts, a new jacket, socks (most of her old ones had holes), and several other items. She suspected it was whatever she was drugged with, but she didn’t even care that David wouldn’t leave her alone when she picked out new bras and underwear, even though he did do a fair amount of blushing.

  “Well, that’s it then. Home we go!”

  “Not quite.” He grabbed her arm.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You need makeup.”

  Lena raised her eyebrows. “Was that an insult?”

  “No.”

  “You just insulted me!”

  “No.”

  Lena looked at another woman who happened to be shopping. “This guy just said I need makeup!”

  “How dare he!” The woman rolled her eyes and went back to shopping.

  David dragged Lena into the makeup section. He looked around desperately.

  “How does this work?”

  “Makeup? I dunno. Don’t wear it.” Lena shrugged.

  “I can see that. You’re going to start.” He started picking up foundations and trying to match them to her face. He settled on the three he thought were closest, and then grabbed a few items of everything else he saw. He rushed the clerk through the checkout, and then rushed out to the car. Through her remedied haze, Lena noticed David was looking a little uncomfortable.

  “What’s wrong?”