Indigo Incite by Jacinda Buchmann
“That’s not a problem. Our dad left us a car to use.”
The counselor smiled. “Well, great then. Do you plan to visit friends in the area?”
“Seattle,” Tyler told her. “I have a friend in Seattle.”
*****
Toby sat in the window seat and gazed out of the rain-speckled dorm room window. The tall, lush, green trees were a welcome change from the brown desert of Arizona he had always known. It seemed appropriate that he would start out his new life in a new state. A future filled with endless possibilities, welcomed him with open arms.
He thought about Rebecka and the future. Though their time together had been short, they had definitely shared an undeniable connection, which he would like to further explore. He would be a junior next year. Two more years of school and after that, well, who knew? Perhaps he would go to college in California.
When his cell phone rang, he didn’t have to look to know who it was. He answered with a smile in his voice. “Hi there. I was just thinking about you.”
“I know,” Rebecka said and then laughed. “I heard your thoughts, but I figured I would call like a regular friend. We’ve never really just talked on the phone before. It’s kinda fun, huh?”
Toby smiled. “Yeah. It’s good to hear your voice. How are things going?”
“I’m back to school. My guidance counselor worked things out so that I can take some summer classes and get caught up. I’ll be able to start out next school year as a senior. Isn’t that great?”
“That is great. Just one more year of school, huh?”
“And then college, I guess. So did I hear that you were thinking about coming down here to go to college with me?”
Toby laughed. “You really were listening to my thoughts. Yeah, the idea crossed my mind. What do you think?”
“I would be more than thrilled. Of course, I don’t know what my parents would think. My last dating experience left me kidnapped. I don’t think they’re going to allow me to see any boys until I’m thirty. But don’t worry. I’m sure once they meet you, they’ll like you as much as I do.”
“You like me?”
“You know I do. You’re a wonderful friend.”
“A friend.” It was a simple statement to test the waters.
“You’re more than just a friend.”
“Oh yeah? More than a friend?” Toby closed his eyes and envisioned Rebecka. She was lying against a giant stack of pillows on her bed and grinning.
She laughed. “Why do I feel like that’s a trick question? All right, I’ll say it. I like you. I like you a lot…more than just a friend. I miss you already and can’t wait to see you again.”
“I like the sound of that. I’d like to see you again, too. Of course, I can see you right now. You’re lying on your bed and you’re wearing huge, fuzzy, pink slippers.”
“You can see me! That’s not fair. I wish I could see you, too.”
“Can you? I mean, do you think you could do your thing and transport yourself here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried to travel over such a long distance. I’m not sure what would happen. That’s why I never tried to escape the compound. I was scared I might end up in limbo or something. Maybe I could practice. I could try to teleport a little bit farther each time. In the meantime, take a picture of yourself and send it to my phone so I can see you. Okay?”
“I will,” Toby promised.
“Thanks. I’d better go. Dinner’s ready. You take care, okay? I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.”
*****
“Grace, honey! Come downstairs. Derek is here,” her mother bellowed.
“Coming!” Grace called back. She had hoped that she wouldn’t have to face her boyfriend until school on Monday, but that apparently would not be the case. She took a quick survey of herself in the mirror. She had no make-up on, her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and athletic pants. It occurred to her that she didn’t care what she looked like. She no longer felt the need or desire to impress Derek.
Then she suddenly realized that Derek was downstairs, alone with her parents. After she had been so careful to cover her tracks, to make her parents believe she had gone to Florida on the band trip, it would take only one conversation with Derek to ruin everything.
She darted out of her bedroom and practically flew down the stairs. She came to a sudden stop in the entryway, out of breath, and faced her mother and Derek.
At her abrupt entrance, her mother turned to her with raised eyebrows. “Well hi, Grace. I didn’t exactly mean for you to come downstairs quite so quickly. You only saw Derek yesterday. Do you miss him that much already?”
“Oh,” Derek began, “well actually, Grace and I haven’t seen each other since—”
Grace quickly cut him off. “We haven’t seen each other in what seems like forever. Come on, Derek. Let’s go out to the front porch. We can talk there.”
“Oh…uh…okay.” He reluctantly followed her outside. Grace knew that he wanted to go up to her bedroom, where they would have more privacy. She decided that the front porch would be a better location for what she was about to say.
He sat close beside her on the swinging bench. She scooted a few inches away and turned to face him.
“So, how have you been?” he asked. “I really missed you on the trip. I wish you could have come.”
“Yeah, I think it was good that I stayed behind. It gave me time to think and reflect on life. You know? I realized what’s important and what I want my future to be like.”
“Um, how come I get the feeling I don’t like where this conversation is going? When you say future, am I included in that future of yours?”
“Derek, you know I like you. I always have. You’re a wonderful friend.”
“Oh…this is the part where you say you just want to be friends, isn’t it?”
“Sort of…I’m sorry, Derek. I’ve tried. I just feel like you’re more of a brother to me than anything else. You’re a great friend, and I don’t want to lose your friendship. I understand if you don’t want to ever see me again, but if we can still be friends, I’d really like it.”
“Is there someone else? Did you meet someone else while I was in Florida?”
“No.” Grace realized it was a lie when an image of Eddie immediately popped into her mind. “I’ve felt this way for a while. It’s just…I meant what I said. I don’t want to lose your friendship.”
“Is there anything I can say to make you reconsider?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry.”
He stood then.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yeah, I need some time alone. I don’t want to lose your friendship either, Grace. I need to think right now, but I’ll see you on Monday. Okay?”
“Absolutely. I’ll see you at school.”
She walked back into the house, slowly closed the door, and leaned against it. She hated to break Derek’s heart, but at the same time, she felt a huge sense of relief.
Her mother poked her head out of the kitchen. “Where’s Derek? Is he staying for dinner?”
“Uh, no, Mom. We kind of broke up.”
“You did what? Why?”
“It just didn’t feel right, you know? I tried, but I knew that it would never work out between us. I figured it was best to just end things now before it went on any longer.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, Mom. I’m happy. Derek will be happy, too, once he realizes it’s for the best. He’ll find someone who’s just right for him before he knows it. I want to be alone for a little bit. I’m going up to my room until dinner’s ready. Okay?”
She dashed upstairs and closed her bedroom door before her mother had a chance for further comment. She sat on her bed and picked up her phone. Should she call Eddie? What would she say to him if she did? She knew that he had felt something for her when they had shared a dance in Mexico. The look in his e
She found his name under her contacts but then second-guessed herself and tossed the phone onto the bed. What was she thinking? She had just broken up with her boyfriend. Shouldn’t she at least wait a day until she called him? Then again, whoever said there was a certain protocol to follow after you broke up with someone? She picked up her phone, again, found Eddie’s number, and before she had a chance to think twice, she called.
*****
“Welcome back. How was your little excursion with your friends?”
Eddie set his notebook on the lab counter and turned to see Jenna’s familiar smile. He had known that he would see her soon; he had just hoped that it wouldn’t be today. He wanted to dive headfirst into his homework and not have to dwell on any thoughts of girls for a day or two.
“Hi there, yourself,” he said. “How have you been?”
“Not bad. Class has been dreadfully boring without you there to keep me company. I can’t believe you missed more than a week of school. I don’t think I’d ever be able to get caught up on my work if I missed that much.”
“Yeah, it’ll be rough, but I figure a couple of late-night study sessions and I should be back on track.”
“Well, I’d be happy to help. You could come over to my place, we could order a pizza, and I could help you make some flash cards or something.” Her tone was flirtatiously sweet, and she wore a playful grin.
Any guy he knew would jump at the chance to have a private study session at Jenna’s place, and yet he couldn’t help but think about Grace and Sarah. What I need, he thought, is to swear off all girls completely for a while. He didn’t want to drive Jenna completely away, but he needed time to figure out his life before it became complicated with a girl—any girl.
“I appreciate the offer, but I think I should do this on my own. I want to just sit down and get it done. If I studied with you, I would be too tempted to talk and get sidetracked.”
The disappointment was apparent in her expression. “Oh, okay. Well, if you change your mind, I’m just a phone call away. Do you mind if I join you now? I just came to the lab to finish up a little bit of work.”
“Sure, I don’t mind. Pull up a stool.” In truth, he really did want to be alone, but he wasn’t about to throw her off twice in one day.
“So did your friends go home already?”
“Yeah, they all had to get back to school, too.”
“Oh, well that’s too bad. Maybe next time they’re in town we can all hang out and I can meet them.”
“Sure. They’d like to meet you.”
He turned back to his project. He just wanted to work, but a moment later she asked, “Where did you guys go? You said you were going to show them the sights.”
“Oh, um, we went to the Grand Canyon and spent a couple of days there, and then we toured Sedona.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Yep, we had a good time.” He kept his response brief and to the point. He hoped that she would get the hint.
With his back to her, he was thankful she couldn’t see his face. He rolled his eyes and sighed. Obviously he wouldn’t find peace and quiet in the lab today. Before she had time to ask another question, his phone rang. Saved by the bell, he thought. Maybe she would get lost in her work and forget about him by the time he got off the phone.
He took his phone out of his pocket and looked to see who called. It was Grace. From one girl to the next, he thought with a sigh, and yet he realized that he was excited at the idea that he would hear her voice again.
“I’ve got to take this,” he told Jenna. Then he stood and walked to the window. “Hey, Grace. How are things back home?”
“Everything’s great. More than great actually. How are you?”
“Ugh, well, you know, it’s good to be home, but I’m now faced with enough homework to last a week. But I’m sure you know. You probably have a ton of homework too, huh?”
“Yeah, I’ve got quite a bit. I’ve been working on it all weekend. I just wanted to take a quick study break and call to say hi. After spending all day, every day, with you and everybody else, it seems strange to suddenly be so far apart, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” He realized that as much as he had tried not to admit it, to himself, he missed her.
“Liliana invited all of us to come see her this summer. Do you think you might go?”
He wanted to see her; and yet, he also wanted to see Sarah. Okay, maybe I don’t know what I want, he told himself. Perhaps a few months would help to clear his head.
He didn’t want to get her hopes up, so he said, “Yeah, we’ll see. I don’t know for sure yet what I’ll have going on, but if nothing else comes up, I might be able to go.” It was a vague answer, but for now it was the best he could do. Grace was an incredibly beautiful, sweet, and caring girl, and the last thing he wanted to do was get her hopes up and then break her heart.
The disappointment in her voice was clear. “Okay, well, you know we would all love for you to come. It wouldn’t be the same without you, so at least promise you’ll think about it.”
“I will,” he said. Then he added, “You know you can call me any time.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
He knew that Jenna undoubtedly had one ear focused on his conversation, so he said simply, “And please, call me if you ever hear from any of our friends from Mexico. I’m always here for you.”
“You’re a good friend, Eddie. The same goes with you. Call me any time, okay?”
“I will. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye, Grace.”
“Bye, Eddie.”
He looked out the window and sighed. He would like nothing better than to tell Grace that he liked her, but she was in high school. The last thing she needed was a long-distance relationship with a college student in another state. Time was what he needed, he told himself. Hopefully, in time, everything would figure itself out.
*****
“Hi, Tyler!” Liliana answered the phone on the first ring. “How are you? Did your dad finally find a school for you to attend?”
“Yep. It’s great. I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to not be under the watchful eye of my foster family. The only thing that would make it better is if you were here, with me.”
“I wish we were closer. Where are you anyway?”
“Hey, before I forget,” Tyler interrupted, “there was a reason that I called.”
“You mean, other than the fact that we haven’t talked in three days? I was starting to worry about you.”
“I know. I’m sorry. With the move and transfer to new schools and everything, I was busy. Forgive me?”
“Of course. So, you were saying? There was a reason that you called?”
“Oh yeah, right. Do you remember that beach that you were telling me about? The one that you wanted to take me to?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“Well, I was thinking, if you’re not busy today, maybe you could go there and I could chat with you in your mind like we used to. You could describe the beach and what you see, and it would be like I was there with you. I know it wouldn’t be the same, but it would be the next best thing. What do you think?”
Liliana smiled. “I’d like that. I can be there in an hour. I’ll contact you when I get there, okay?”
“Sounds good. I’ll be waiting.”
After she told her mother where she was headed, Liliana rode the bus the short distance to the beach. It was a cloudy, drizzly day, and the beach was nearly deserted. Except for an older white-haired couple walking hand in hand along the shore and two other people farther down the sand, she was alone.
I’m here, she thought to Tyler.
I wish we were walking hand in hand right now, like that older couple you just passed, he thought. Can you describe what you see so I feel like I’m there with you?
She continued to walk toward the water’s edge, and once she reached it, she began to slowly wa
Wait a minute! I never told you that there was an old couple walking hand in hand. How did you know that?
Are you sure? You must have thought it and weren’t aware of it.
Hmmm…I guess. She continued her walk. One day, I’d like to bring you here. If you were here right now, we could walk up to this little restaurant, go inside and warm up, and get something hot to drink.
That sounds nice. Tell me something else. If I were there with you, right now, would you kiss me?
Liliana smiled at the thought. Oh, you know I would.
Kiss me.
Excuse me?
Look up the beach. Tell me what you see.
She looked up then and saw a guy walking alone toward her. He was about thirty yards away and he looked like…It can’t be…It isn’t…Is that you?
You said that one day you wanted to bring me here. One day seemed too far away. I couldn’t wait that long.
“Tyler?” she called out. She started to walk faster and then broke into a run. He ran toward her, and the moment they met, she was spun off of her feet and greeted with a passionate kiss. By the time her feet rested on the sand, she felt dizzy with emotion.
“I can’t believe you’re really here!” she said breathlessly. “You are here, right? I’m not dreaming?”
“I’m here.”
“But…how?”
My new boarding school is in Portland. It’s just a few hours away. I can drive up here on weekends.
“You’re kidding! That’s wonderful! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There was no guarantee that we’d get into the school. I didn’t want to disappoint you. And then I decided that I would wait to tell you, because I wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised?” He grinned and kissed her again.
“Yeah, I’m surprised. I’m…beyond words.”
“Good. That’s what I was going for.”
“You’re sure this isn’t a dream?”
“If it is, then I’m dreaming right along with you.”
“You know, this reminds me of a Chinese proverb that my grandma taught me. It goes, ‘If I am dreaming, let me never awake. If I am awake, let me never sleep.' It seems kind of fitting, don’t you think?