“You don’t work today?” Serenity was sure that her best friend heard the desperation in her question.
Glory paused before she spoke again. “Nooo,” she drew out the word. “I don’t, and by the way, what’s wrong with you?”
Nope, she couldn’t get anything past Glory. Though in Serenity’s defense, it was more because she sucked at being chill when something was going on in her life that she didn’t necessarily want to talk about. But she found that this was not one of those things. She wanted to tell Glory about Dair. Serenity felt that her head just might pop off if she didn’t get out some of the crap that was floating around inside it.
“I’ve got some stuff to tell you,” she finally said slowly.
“Want me to come there? Mom’s having a good day, so Dad’s given me the day off.”
Considering the subject matter of the conversation, Serenity decided that it would be best to do it in the privacy of her bedroom. “Yeah, come here. Aunt Darla is taking food to some of the elderly people in town, and Uncle Wayne won’t be back until this evening.”
“That aunt of yours would feed the whole county if she could,” Glory only half teased.
“And then demand that nobody help her with the cleanup. I swear the woman doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body. I love her for it, but I also find myself feeling like an egocentric jerk face when I get irritated with other people.”
“We can’t all be Darlas, Sen. Some of us have to be the mouthy ones, and some of us have to be the obnoxious ones because if everyone went around helping everyone all of the time nobody would be in need of all the kindness, and it would become null and void. Not to mention if we all tried to feed each other the way Aunt Darla does, we’d be a bunch of lard asses unable to get around to help anyone anyways.”
“I’ll be sure and pass that on to Darla,” Serenity said around the laughter that was escaping between words.
“You do that; she’ll just deny that she’s anything special and then make me a pie.”
“Okay stop, I’m going to pee on myself,” she laughed even harder. It was so funny because it was utterly true.
“Fine, I’m on my way, bye.” Glory hung up and left Serenity still grabbing her side from the laughter that continued to pour out of her as she pictured her aunt making a pie for Glory, all the while arguing that she was not as nice as we always told her she was. The only reason, Serenity imagined that her aunt could in any way not be as good as she was, was if she had a hidden lair of voodoo dolls where she terrorized anyone who didn’t like her food. That only made her laugh harder as she headed back to her room to get dressed.
Half an hour later she heard the front door open, because honestly who needs to lock their door when you lived thirty minutes from civilization. Anyone stupid enough to come out that far to break into their house would probably be eaten by a bob cat or a pack of coyotes.
“Please tell me that Aunt Darla made lunch for us because I didn’t stop to get us anything and I’m hungry enough to consider cannibalism.”
“Couldn’t you just start with the cat?” Serenity asked as she walked into the living room with Mr. Whitherby trailing after her.
Glory pinched her lips together and looked from Serenity to the cat and then shook her head. “Nope, you definitely look more filling, not to mention all that fur.”
“Okay, enough with the eating of the things that should not be eaten. I’m sure Darla fixed us something.” She motioned for Glory to follow her into the kitchen.
“So what’s this thing you need to talk to me about?” Glory asked as she leaned on the bar, watching her sort through the containers in the refrigerator.
“Let’s get lunch down us first, and then I’ll pour out my soul to you.”
“I always did love a good soul-pouring. Now, hand over that green stuff I see at the back of the fridge.”
Green stuff was a big commodity in their house, especially when Glory and Uncle Wayne were both present. Green stuff was only green gelatin, crushed pineapples, pecans, and whip cream, but it tasted amazing. For some reason when Darla put that combination of things together, she came up with what we all called green stuff, and really it should be called, so good it makes you willing to steal from your Uncle, stuff.
“You’re braver than I am if you are prepared to face Uncle Wayne when he discovers his green stuff is gone.”
Glory held out her hand making a ‘give me’ motion with it. “Not brave, just smart. I don’t plan to be here when he discovers it.” She tapped her nose and winked at her.
Serenity just shook her head and pulled out more containers full of the food Aunt Darla made. “I think there’s enough for both of us,” she said as she motioned to the two counters full of containers.
Glory nodded. “Man, I love that woman.”
Forty-five minutes and three full plates too many later, Glory laid on Serenity’s bed groaning while Serenity took the floor.
“Why does it have to be so good?” Glory whined.
“Seriously, it’s like once you start you can’t stop; you just keep shoveling the food in, and all of it looks so good that you can’t pick just one or two things, and then, BAM, suddenly you’re as full as a tick on a rhinoceros.”
“Distract me, Serenity,” Glory told her. “Tell me whatever it is you were going to tell me so that I don’t think about the fact that I have food clear up to the back of my throat that is threatening to make a reappearance.”
“First of all, eww, gross, and second, don’t you dare throw up on my bed. You’re a grown woman; you’re supposed to throw up in the bathroom of some shady club because you’re wasted, not at a high school kids house because you couldn’t stop eating the food her aunt cooks.”
“Now you’re just stalling. Spill it, Sarah.”
Serenity took a deep breath and then asked, “Remember how we were talking about the Sandman and that whole weird dream I had?”
“The one with the freakishly mature eight-year-old?”
“Yes.”
“I remember.”
“What if I told you that everything that Emma told me in that dream was true? Would you think I was crazy?” Serenity held her breath as she waited for her friend to answer.
“No,” Glory finally answered. “But I would want to know how you know this to be true, without a doubt, based on tangible facts.”
She let go of the breath and thanked God for such an amazing friend. “Get comfortable.”
“You’ll have to settle for mildly miserable until all the food begins to digest. Don’t mind the groaning while you explain what the hell you’re talking about. Just keep right on going.”
“Mr. Sweeney’s topic in history yesterday was the folklore of the Sandman.”
Glory’s head suddenly appeared over the edge of the bed. Her blonde hair fell across her face and she brushed it away impatiently. “Did you know that he was going to be covering that?”
Serenity shook her head. “He said it was a last minute change.”
“That’s bizarre.” She narrowed her eyes, seeming to stare off at nothing before looking back at her. “What did he have to say? Did any of it match what Emma said?”
Serenity began from the moment when Mr. Sweeny’s lecture took a sharp turn into the lore that matched up with what the girl had told her in her dream. Glory, ever the attentive and expressive listener, gasped at all the right places and occasionally added a ‘holy hell’ when she deemed it necessary. Serenity paused when she finally got to the part where she felt Dair’s presence in her room.
“This is the part that worries me. I’m afraid you’re going to think I was hallucinating or something just to give substance to everything that I’ve heard and experienced.”
“Well, I always think you are a few heifers shy of having a herd. But seriously, girl, who on earth has their head more tightly screwed onto their shoulders than you? How on earth could I possibly think you were not in your right mind when you have not given any indications of such a
thing?” Glory asked.
“Well, you might change your mind when I tell you that Dair was in my room last night and I spoke to him.”
Glory’s eyes widened. “Did he speak back? Wait, what did he look like? Was he hot? He was hot, wasn’t he? I told you he would be hot.”
“GLORY!” Serenity grabbed her friend's flailing arm. She tended to get very animated with her hands when she got excited. “Didn’t you hear the part where I said a mythical character showed up in my bedroom last night?”
“I heard that, and if you are telling me that you spoke to him, then I believe you.”
“Just like that?”
“Serenity, I know you. I know your character, your heart, and your inability to lie. I mean, let’s face it, girl, if ever you wind up playing a poker game that’s life and death, we might as well just get your measurements for the coffin.”
“I’m not going to be insulted because at the moment I’m just relieved to be able to talk about this.”
“Yes, I’m awesome. How could you ever doubt me? Now to the important stuff. Is he hot?”
“Are you really twenty-two? Are you sure they didn’t get your birth certificate wrong?”
Glory rolled her eyes. “My best friend is in high school. Can you really have such high expectations for me?”
“Good point,” Serenity agreed. “And to answer your question, I have no idea if he’s boar butt ugly or hot enough to melt steel. He wouldn’t show himself to me.”
“So he just talked to you? How did you know he was in your room?”
“I could feel him. It was weird, but I just knew he was there. So I called out to him. But he didn’t answer until the third time I said his name. By then, I nearly believed that I was talking to an empty room. But then he spoke.” Her face took on a dreamy quality that she didn’t recognize as she remembered Dair’s smooth, hypnotic voice.
“What’s that look for?” Glory asked as she pointed at Serenity’s face, nearly poking her in the eye.
“What face?” Serenity attempted to deny what she knew Glory saw.
“Um, the face that says somebody has rocked your world. You have after an incredible make out face.”
“Okay, what does that even mean, and is it a real thing? And, no, I do not have after an incredible make out, face.”
Glory clucked her tongue. “You do know where liars go when they die, right?”
She groaned at Glory’s go-to saying anytime she refused to admit something to the older girl. “Fine,” she gave in, preparing herself for the embarrassment of having to explain that his voice had made her so content that she wanted to be wrapped in his arms and just listen to him for forever. “His voice was. . .well. . .it was like. . . it made me want to. . . I don’t know how to explain it,” she huffed after her pitiful attempt at an explanation.
“Are you trying to say that his voice was sexy enough to cause an eargasm?”
“Seriously?” Serenity blushed and slapped her hand over her face. After a moment spent gathering herself, she continued. “It was sexy,” Serenity agreed. “But it was more than that; it was like soothing and hypnotic and shiver-inducing all at once.”
“Damn,” Glory said as she looked at her with wide, envious eyes.
“What?”
“You’re describing the after effects. The burning need now sated, and everything feels super sensitive, but in a good way. You’re still floating from the power of it, but now you can focus on the sensations because you aren’t distracted by the desire.”
She stared at her best friend with wide eyes. “You got all that from me saying his voice was soothing, hypnotic, and shiver-inducing?”
Glory nodded.
“I would like to confirm that your rather descriptive explanation was true, but my V card is still firmly tucked away in my wallet so I can’t say that the feelings I felt are in any way the same as those you are describing.”
“Okay, how about his voice made you feel as though you had just taken a couple sips of the most perfectly aged wine giving you that warm feeling that runs throughout your entire body.”
Serenity looked at her blankly.
“Still no?” Glory asked.
“Not a drinker,” she said pointing to herself.
“Well, slap a duck, honey. You’re on your own in describing his apparently amazing voice; my repertoire is tapped.”
She snorted at her friend who had flopped back down on the bed dramatically. “I appreciate your willingness to share your expertise with me.”
Glory gave her a thumbs up. “I knew there was a reason I let you hang out with me. Now,” she motioned with her hands to continue. “Tell me more about this Dair with the incredible voice. What did he say to you?”
And so the story continued as Serenity told all, right down to Dair’s final whispered words, goodbye. She felt bereft after having relived it through her telling. Now that she was over the initial shock of Dair’s blunt truths, she wanted to know more about him.
“Let me just get some clarification here, sweets,” Glory said as she turned over on her side and propped herself up on her elbow. “This Dair, immortal legend guy, with the sexy, body-throbbing-inducing voice, told you that he wanted you and you told him to go away?”
“When you put it like that you make me sound lame,” she retorted. “I was trying to be responsible. I don’t know anything about him.”
“Is this where I point out that you spent a week researching him, sat in a class where your teacher lectured about him, and had a dream where a creepy little girl spilled all the beans about him?” Glory looked at her pointedly.
She threw her hands up in the air. “Again with the making me feel lame, Glory.”
Her best friend simply shrugged as she looked at her nails. “Babe, I’m just stating the facts. What they reveal is not up to me.”
“So, you think I should have just said, oh you want me, great. Let’s just jump into this intense relationship even though you sort of freak me out with the whole myth and immortal background?
“Or,” Glory held up a finger. “You could have simply gone with something like, I hear what you are saying and while I’m not sure how I will feel a month from now, I would like to get to know you better. And then you would have gotten a look at the package that holds the voice.”
“I can see how your response would have been reasonable, but I was still a little stuck on the whole, he’s the Sandman and he basically has just told me he wants me to be his woman, body and soul.”
“Well, how do you feel now that you’ve had a few hours to think about it?” Glory asked.
Serenity tilted her head back on the floor and closed her eyes. “If you are asking me to be honest, then I’m feeling like I’m terrified he won’t come back and that I messed up something that could have been amazing.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.” She reached over the edge of the bed and patted her arm. “When a man opens himself up that much, he has no intention of walking away without a fight.”
“So what do I do until he comes back?” Serenity asked.
“You live. Because no matter how much your heart wants to make this mysterious guy the center of your universe, your mind knows that allowing your emotions to control you will only drag you down. You can hope, by all means hope, that he returns because you obviously want to spend more time with him, but don’t you dare just curl up in a corner allowing your fear and doubts to eat away at you. And when he does come back, because he will, he will find the confident, beautiful woman that he fell head over heels for instead of a whimpering girl pining after a man who has yet to earn her love.”
“And there is the twenty-two-year-old my best friend claims to be,” she chuckled. But her face sobered quickly as she looked up at Glory. “Thank you for believing me, and hearing me, and for not letting me be a whimpering girl.”
Serenity smiled as her friend waved her off as if it were nothing. “Don’t go getting all sentimental on me, Sen. It was more for
my benefit than yours. You can’t honestly expect me to be seen with some sniveling weakling, can you?”
She shook her head. “Of course not, whatever was I thinking,” she said with mock shame.
“You weren’t. That’s what I’m here for. Tell me again about his voice and the things he said to you so I can imagine him saying them to me. You know I have to live vicariously through you for my thrills.”
“Glory, that’s just all kinds of wrong,” she laughed at the unconcerned look on her best friend’s face.
“Unless the next words out of your mouth are verbatim repeats from the lovely Dair, please refrain from sharing.”
“What if?”
“Nope.”
“But,” Serenity started again.
“Huh-uh.” She was shut down again.
With a resigned sigh Serenity gave in. “His first word rumbled through the darkness. Yes, was all he said and yet I felt as if he had just sung me a lullaby.”
“Oh that’s good. Write that down. But don’t stop talking while you’re writing. And hurry up. I need to be out of here before Uncle Wayne gets home and tries to hog tie me for eating his green stuff.”
“Glory, I love you,” she told her.
She raised an eyebrow at her. “Why are you telling me that now?”
“Because what I really want to say would probably keep you from giving me free breakfasts for a month at the fire pit.”
“As long as you have more Dair information to share, you’re pretty safe from my wrath.”
“Then I’ll be sure to keep him around for—like—ever.”
“Good call, dream girl, now get back to the story.”
Despite all their teasing and ribbing on each other, Serenity really was glad to have a friend like Glory, regardless if she happened to be pushy, bossy, and much too honest. She needed her friend so that she didn’t have to traverse the new world that was emerging before her by herself. When Dair came back, she wouldn’t have to face all the questions that returned with him on her own. Glory would be there to talk her off the ledge and for that she could put up with any and all of her eccentricities.
Two hundred miles away from the town of Yellville, Arkansas, Emma Whitmore sat staring down at the suitcase in her lap. Her life had been forever changed just five days prior when her parents were shot and killed during a robbery at a gas station. For five days, her life had been total chaos as the state searched for any family that could take her in. Finally, they had found her mother’s sister—a sister that Emma knew nothing about. As far as Emma knew, her mother had been an only child. But Emma was quickly learning that adults did not always tell the truth, no matter how much they loved you.