The X Wood Lighthouse By: Chance Miller
"Yeah," I whisper back. Puberty did hit me like a mother fucking truck. Don't ask me how I read her mind? The words are written all over her face.
She flinches at my response, and I nearly choke on air. Sure, Ev looks different; the baby fat is gone, her cheekbones are sharper, her eyes greener and rounder, her shoulder-length hair is now down to her waist, but where did her extremist, fiery personality go?
Is she. . .still lost even though I'm here, right in front of her? I know death makes people grieve and mourn. Evangeline looks worse than the average mourning human, her eyes are dull, and her smile is forced. But it's not her mother's death that's making her feel this way it's something else.
Me.
"I didn't forget you, Chance. You're someone I can never forget, no matter how hard I try."
Her words replay in my head for a bit as I try to make sense of them. So she was trying to forget me all along? You are something, Evangeline Charlotte Summers. An amused look plays on my face as she begins to speak. "Not that I tried to forget you or anything...It's just that I thought about you a lot and...I had schoolwork and I couldn't stop thinking about you", she lamely adds.
Liar!
If you did think about me, why did you change your number, delete all your social media accounts and even give me the wrong address so I couldn't pen pal you? But I don't mind. I like to play along.
"Are you still mad about what happened that day?" I ask slowly, and she looks away flustered. "No, it should be me asking you that."
"It's partially my fault," I reason. "I was unreasonable."
"Really, Chance? I told you it's not my place to be angry and ask you to turn a blind eye to what happened five years ago. You have the right to be mad at me, loathe me, and hate me! I hurt you, Chance. I did something a friend- a best friend should never have done. I left you when you needed me, and now when I need you, you have every right to leave me. Apologies won't do us any good, we both know that. But still, I want to say I'm sorry," my brown orbs meet her green ones. The same eyes I'd stare into every day five years ago, looking at her soul. They're the same eyes I'd stare into and count the specks of gold, brown, and blue. They're the same eyes I'd stare into captivated by how lustrous and warm they were and now, they're filled with so much anguish and pain, I can hardly come to terms with the fact that she is 'My Evangeline.'
"People say that forgiveness is not for the person you're forgiving but for yourself. Forgiving someone isn't as easy as it seems therefore even forgiving oneself is difficult. It's hard to accept your mistakes, regrets, and failures and I don't think I could ever forgive myself for what I put you through, let alone apologize to you. How could I forgive myself when I can't even muster up the courage to apologize to you?"
You've changed, Evangeline. You can't hide behind those smiles forever. You've become a stranger to me. I feel that if I don't unravel every single secret you've buried in your heart, I'll lose you forever. You'll build a fortress around your heart and walls around all your emotions.
That reminds me. "You had something important to tell me", I prompt, and she nods in confirmation.
"It might be a little hard to believe, so please bear with me. Would you mind if I told you on the way home?"
I grip her shoulders in an assuring manner, ignoring the scratchy feeling that clawed at my hands. The feeling of intense discomfort. "I'll believe anything you say." The first lesson any TACAM agent takes is 'Social psychology' we learn more than deciphering human emotions, thoughts, and gestures. We learn how to convince people to side with us, to convince people to trust and assist us, even if they'll end up dead in the process.
I might hate the feeling of selling Evangeline out, but it's part of being an agent.
Evangeline chuckles at my response. "You'll believe me when I say the only reason NASA is looking for life on Mars is that when they first explored the ocean they found deadly sea creatures that could end humanity?"
"As I said, I'll believe anything you say. But..." I trail off, wiggling my brows suggestively. "I wouldn't mind playing Knight in shining armor and rescuing humanity."
She scrunches up her nose at me. "Blindly trusting someone, interesting."
Overly cautious? That's even more interesting. "You're doing the same, aren't you." Her expression hardens. "That makes two of us."
"Anyway", I begin, changing the topic. "Since you're back, is there any place you'd like to visit before heading home?" Her expression instantly softens, yet her eyes remain cold. "I'd love to, but what about those?" She points towards a pile of suitcases.
Guess I forgot how much luggage a girl has. "We can always pay for a locker", I suggest, and she furiously shakes her head. "No-no, I don't want to trouble you. Let's go home."
Home? And no detour? You really like making things difficult for me. Do you think you'd be able to tell me everything in the comforts of my room? I can already notice the way you're uncomfortable around me - puberty did shit to us, yet you're turning it into such a massive deal. Do you think I haven't noticed the way you're cheeks are tinted a light pink or the way you awkwardly shift on your feet? Is my gaze that piercing? Do you think I haven't noticed your clammy palms or the way you're gripping your duffel bag too tight?
I doubt it's because of the heat. I doubt if we're not outside, this so-called 'sexual tension' will eat you away until we both do something we'll regret. "My treat", I grab the bags and head to rent a locker.
I'm going to do whatever it takes to get everything out of you. "So..." Evangeline starts "do you have a place in mind?"
"Scooplicious?" I suggest, handing the guy a few bills. It was our go-to spot when we were younger. Scooplicious was on the verge of bankruptcy when it was bought over by the Bowmens. The reason behind the purchase is unknown, yet it was big enough to make headlines.
She nods eagerly in response, and I lead her back towards the parking lot. "Hey Chance", she pipes. "Do you know who Xander Bowmen is?"
I can't help but freeze, and I glance at her nonchalant expression. Is your mother's disappearance connected to him? Do you realize how endangered you are right now? And wipe that nonchalance off your face. Will you even be able to apprehend how dangerous he is? Saying his mere name is taboo. At the TACAM, Xander is infamous. He is an elite ex-TACAM agent who caused the death of thousands of agents through the years. Cases involving Xander are instantly abandoned or handed off to some suicidal-higher-up.
"Nope", I lie. "I have no idea who he is, but he's a Bowmen, and all Bowmen's will be attending the Bowmen ball." Keeping you in the dark is for your own good.
She nods in response, and I lead her to my bike. "By the way, is it true that Harry Bowmen's sixteen-year-old son is already in his second year of Business School while simultaneously interning at the company and taking up various modeling projects?"
I resist the urge to scoff. Ace Bowmen? That piece of garbage is enough to spark your curiosity? I never knew ego crush was this severe. "Curiosity killed the cat."
"Too bad I'm not a cat", she retorts almost instantly. "And if you're wondering, I do not like Ace Bowmen. I'm intrigued." Says literally every girl before helplessly falling in love with him.
"Yes, as you said, Ace is a business prodigy who graduated high school when he was 14. If the Bowmen's sold their genes, science would be out of business. Ace has an IQ that makes him exponentially gifted when compared to others his age. I'm guessing the workload at the company doesn't keep him that busy since he's been jumping at every modeling offer he gets."
She flashes me a thumbs up before asking, "when do you think we could visit the X-Wood Lighthouse. I think my mom's 'fiasco' is linked to that place."
"We can't but, there's a carnival every summer. We should be fine if we slip inside in the morning." I hand her a helmet and expectantly wait for her to throw it back at me or quote something along the lines of "I wouldn't get on that deathtrap even if you paid me" while handing me a spreadsheet with the mortality rates and dangers of driving a motorcycle.
She arches a brow at me, questioningly, "something wrong?"
"Yeah, the Lighthouse is always locked." She chuckles, "too bad I got a key."
I secure the strap of my helmet and turn the key in the ignition. "Hey Chance", Evangeline whispers as she wraps her arms around my torso, clinging onto me. "Yeah?"
"The last thing my mother told me before she died was a lie", she croaks, and I caress her knuckles. I wish I could turn around, cup your cheeks and kiss your problems away, but it's probably the last thing I'd do right now. "I'm sure she had her reasons."
~*~
"Two bubblegum ice-cream macarons, please", Evangeline orders. Pastel blue chairs and pink tables decorate the room, the tiny parlor is packed to capacity, and the air conditioner is dying from overheating. The white walls are lined with ice cream canvases showcasing different flavors and sundaes. A large chandelier in the shape of an ice cream hangs from the ceiling. Despite the interior upgrades, the place still has it's signature cozy atmosphere.
The waitress hands us our macarons, and I snag a seat by the window. Outside, a few skaters have turned the empty parking lot into a skate park. The sky is a perfect azure, and no clouds marred its surface.
I bite a chunk out of the macaron, "taste any different?" She shakes her head, eating another spoonful. "So..." she fiddles with the plastic spoon, "where should I start."
"From the beginning", duh, where else would you start a story from?
The end?
She looks at the skaters outside, and I slide my phone under the table, my thumb hovering over the record button. "On my birthday, mom said that she was going to the lab", she begins, and I swipe my thumb over the record button before I can change my mind. It has to be the right choice.
It is the right choice.
"My mother lied", she inhales sharply, avoiding my eyes, and I can tell she's trying her best not to cry. I place my hand over hers, "Hey, hey", I whisper. "You don't have to tell me. Everyone needs time to heal, so it's wrong of me to pressure you to tell me everything. You should take your time and speak when you're comfortable."
She nods her head, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, and she continues, "her real destination was the middle of nowhere. The route she took was in the opposite direction from the lab. Her car swerved off a cliff and fell into the river below. The windows were smashed, and a large X was painted on the hood. I doubt a river can spraypaint a large X on your hood. My first theory was suicide."
She pauses, shoving another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. "Why do you think she committed suicide?" I ask, and on cue, she touches the locket resting in the dimple of her neck. Bingo! Her reasoning is connected to the locket. Did her mother leave a note in the locket? A cipher, Evangeline deciphered?
"It's just a theory", she backfires when she catches me staring at her mother's locket. "Anyway, the police claim that my mother committed pseudocide because a witness claims to have seen my mother being 'dragged' to another car", she uses air quotations to emphasize her words.
"Either the police didn't pay much attention to the word 'dragged' or the witness used the wrong word which, leads me to another theory; mom was abducted."
Pseudocide, suicide and, abduction; are some compelling theories. "Any idea why she was abducted?"
"I found threats from the TACAM. They send letters every day. I had no idea they were threats", she breaks my gaze. I furrow my brows at her words. The TACAM are involved in her mother's abduction yet claim it to be a pseudocide and are investigating it? Are they simply covering up for her father or, is there more to her mother?
Best case scenario; the TACAM are involved because of her father.
Worst case scenario; He is involved in her mother's abduction.
"The TACAM want Carter. The threats aren't detailed but, mom wants to protect Carter", she slides a thick envelope towards me and, the TACAM logo catches my attention. I squeeze her hand assuringly, "we'll find her, I swear."
She flashes me a grateful smile. "We need to go to the X-Wood Lighthouse ASAP! Mom's abduction-slash-pseudocide has a connection with that place. I need to know what that is and how it connects to her abduction."
I nod and wave at the waitress, "up for seconds?"
"You can't have enough ice cream", she winks cheekily, "a mango milkshake and a vanilla ice-cream macaron, please."
"Did you notice any dubious activity before your mom's abduction?" She hesitantly shakes her head, "not that I know off. Mom seemed normal. Apart from the death threats, everything was fine."
That should rule out the possibility of a pseudocide and supports the abduction theory. It's difficult to tell whether Esme knew about her abduction or not.
"So..." I begin, trying to redirect our conversation and end up blurting the first thing on my mind, "do you have a boyfriend?" I mentally facepalm myself as I watch her eyes awkwardly avoid mine. As I begin internally yelling, Evangeline speaks, "Yes, he's chained up at home in my basement, d'you wanna come home and help me beat the shit out of him?"
I break into a grin. No one can ever get enough of Evangeline's dark humor. Her eyes twinkle as she subtly motions towards the couple behind us; their eyes widen in surprise as their jaws are glued to the floor.
Maybe we should've given them the heads up. "So, is he your boyfriend?" The red hed inquires, tossing her hair over her shoulder and, I throw her a deadpan look. Instead of answering, Evangeline lets an awkward silence descend over us while the red hed looks at me expectantly, waiting for a response. I shrug my shoulders and, she clicks her tongue and goes back to scribbling down on her notepad.
Evangeline doesn't break the silence hanging between us, rather, she avoids my gaze but, I take in her appearance. Her brown hair is neatly tied in a ponytail. Her eyes are warm sea green and, her neck is glistening with sweat, making the skin appear tantalizing.
I wonder how she'd look with my hickeys marring the skin of her neck? How beautiful would her hair look, sprawled across my pillow, creating a halo around her head?
Wouldn't it be splendid if her eyes look at me alone and no one else?
I mentally smack myself for having such bizarre, cringy, and poetic thoughts, as if Ev can read them, she blushes a deep red and looks out the window. I desperately pray for a miracle, angel to ascend from the heavens and abolish the awkward silence, to redirect this conversation and erase this discussion from Ev's memory.
"We meet again, Evangeline", a voice intervenes and, I release a sigh. Oh, thank the h- I stop with my heartfelt words of gratitude when I catch a glimpse at the angel God sent to eradicate my problems. I think my words got lost in the mail, 'God, I asked you for an angel not, a demon from the fiery pits of hell', for standing in front of me is my worst nightmare, and the last person I want to see.
"Xander, right?" Evangeline verifies with a perplexed expression. I nearly choke on air. Ev, he isn't Xander. The boy in front of us isn't even human. He's an alien trying to blend in with the human race.
"I'm Acenth Bowmen, just call me Ace. May I join you?"