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Melanie did not share her opinion on my optionsShe had been very quiet since my decision to
find Fords Deep Waters, my first HealerI wasn't sure what the detachment meantWas she
trying to seem less dangerous, less of a burden? Was she preparing herself for the invasion of the
Seeker? For death? Or was she preparing to fight me? To try to take over?
Whatever her plan, she kept herself distantShe was just a faint, watchful presence in the back
of my head
I made my last trip inside, searching for anything forgottenThe apartment looked emptyThere
were only the basic furnishings that had been left by the last tenantThe same plates were still in
the cupboards, the pillows on the bed, the lamps on the tables; if I didn't come back, there
would be little for the next tenant to clear out
The phone rang as I was stepping out the door, and I turned back to get it, but I was too late
I'd already set the message system to answer on the first ringI knew what the caller would hear:
my vague explanation that I would be out the rest of the semester, and that my classes would be
canceled until a replacement could be foundI looked at the clock on top of
the gucci silver bag televisionIt was barely past eight in the morningI was sure it must be Curt on the phone,
having just received the only slightly more detailed e-mail I'd sent him late last nightI felt guilty
about not finishing out my commitment to him, almost like I was already skippingPerhaps this
step, this quitting, was the prelude to my next decision, my greater shameThe thought was
uncomfortableIt made me unwilling to listen to whatever the message said, though I wasn't in
any real hurry to leave
I looked around the empty apartment one more timeThere was no sense of leaving anything
behind me, no fondness for these roomsI had the strange feeling that this world?not just
Melanie, but the entire orb of the planet?did not want me, no matter how much I wanteditI
just couldn't seem to get my roots inI smiled wryly at the thought of rootsThis feeling was
just superstitious nonsense
I'd never had a host that was capable of superstitionIt was an interesting sensationLike
knowing you were being watched without being able to find the watcherIt raised goose bumps
on the nape of my neck
I shut the door firmly behind me but did not touch the obsolete locksNo one would disturb
this knock off gucci wallets place until I returned or it was given to someone new
Without looking at the Seeker, I climbed into the carI hadn't done much driving, and neither
had Melanie, so this made me a bit nervousBut I was sure I would get used to it soon enough
?I'll be waiting for you in Tucson,? the Seeker said, leaning in the open passenger-side window
as I started the engine
?I have no doubt of that,? I muttered
I found the controls on the door panelTrying to hide a smile, I hit the button to raise the glass
and watched her jump back
?Maybe? ,? she said, raising her voice to almost a shout so that I could hear her over the
engine noise and through the closed window, ?maybe I'll try it your wayMaybe I'll see you on
the road
She smiled and shrugged
She was just saying it to upset meI tried not to let her see that she hadI focused my eyes on
the road ahead and pulled carefully away from the curb
It was easy enough to find the freeway and then follow the signs out of San DiegoSoon there
were no signs to follow, no wrong turns to takeIn eight hours I would be in TucsonIt wasn't
long enoughPerhaps I would stay a night in some small town along the wayIf I could be sure
that the omega speedmaster diamond Seeker would be ahead, waiting impatiently, rather than following behind, a stop would
be a nice delay
I found myself looking in the rearview mirror often, searching for a sign of pursuitI was
driving slower than anyone else, unwilling to reach my destination, and the other cars passed me
without pauseThere were no faces I recognized as they moved aheadI shouldn't have let the
Seeker's taunt bother me; she clearly didn't have the temperament to go anywhere slowly
Still? I continued to watch for her
I'd been west to the ocean, north and south up and down the pretty California coastline, but I'd
never been east for any distance at allCivilization fell behind me quickly, and I was soon
surrounded by the blank hills and rocks that were the precursors to the empty desert wastelands
It was very relaxing to be away from civilization, and this bothered meI should not have found
the loneliness so welcomingWe lived and worked and grew together in
harmonyWe were all the same: peaceful, friendly, honestWhy should I feel better away from
my kind? Was it Melanie who made me this way?
I searched for her but found her remote, dreaming in the back of my head
This was replica miu miu the best it had been since she'd started talking again
The miles passed quicklyThe dark, rough rocks and the dusty plains covered in scrub flew by
with monotonous uniformityI realized I was driving faster than I'd meant toThere wasn't
anything to keep my mind occupied here, so I found it hard to lingerAbsently, I wondered why
the desert was so much more colorful in Melanie's memories, so much more compellingI let my
mind coast with hers, trying to see what it was that was special about this vacant place
But she wasn't seeing the sparse, dead land surrounding usShe was dreaming of another
desert, canyoned and red, a magical placeShe didn't try to keep me outIn fact, she seemed
almost unaware of my presenceI questioned again what her detachment meantI sensed no
thought of attackIt felt more like a preparation for the end
She was living in a happier place in her memory, as if she were saying goodbyeIt was a place
she had never allowed me to see before
There was a cabin, an ingenious dwelling tucked into a nook in the red sandstone, perilously
close to the flash flood lineAn unlikely place, far from any trail or path, built in what seemed a
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