Beautiful Beings (2 page)

“How absolutely charming,” Mom exclaimed, sincerity filling her words for the first time since leaving Seattle.  “So rich in character and history.”

“Told you you’d love it.”  Dad beamed with pride.  He pulled up in front of the three story coral and sea foam Victorian house, cut the engine and turned to me.  “How do you like it, Buttons?”

Knowing full well it didn’t hide my displeasure at this move, I forced a smile.  I couldn’t deny the house was pretty, in a very doll house sort of way, but it didn’t make up for the fact that I’d once again have to start anew.

“Cheer up, Buttons.  I know you’ll just love it here.”  He opened the car door and stood to admire his latest acquisition.  “This is a brand new start.”

“Sure, Dad.”  I stepped out of the car.  “But you’re not the one who has to deal with a new school, new students and new teachers.  I have nothing familiar to lean on, no friends, only the vast unknown of this new land.” 

 He came around the car, ruffled his hand though my hair and chuckled.  “Spare me the melodrama, Lux.  In case you’ve forgotten, I’m going to be dealing with a new school, new students and new teachers as well.  The new professor at a university is always subject to a degree of skepticism from the faculty, not to mention the student body.  Can you imagine what my first few days will be like?”  He took the walkway to the front door, made a grand gesture of pulling out the shiny new key and inserted it into the keyhole beneath the brass doorknob.

“Yeah, but you’re entering what you called the best archeological department on the west coast and you’ll have plenty of advantages.  What advantage am I going to have?  None, nada, nil.  I just have to chuck aside everything and everyone I knew in Seattle in order to start all over again.  And for how long?  A semester?  A term?  A season?”

His unflappable sense of humor didn’t wane under the harsh truth of the situation.  Dad’s grin as wide as could be, he pushed open the door, pinched my cheek and whispered, “Welcome to your new abode, Buttons.”

Mom stepped up behind me.  “I wasn’t too pleased with moving again either, Lux, but I think we could truly be happy here.  San Francisco has so much to offer, and Seattle isn’t that far away if you really want to go back and visit your friends from time to time.”

I nodded, knowing an argument was futile.  When would I ever have the opportunity to go back simply to visit the few friends I’d just barely gotten to know?

We walked into a living room larger than the ones from our last previous three homes. “The movers should be just an hour behind us.”  Dad’s cheery voice echoed against the walls of the vast and empty room. 

“It’s so big,” Mom said. “The furniture we have will barely fill the rooms.

“This living room is almost twice as big as the one in Seattle,” he went on.  “And wait until you see the kitchen.”

I left them alone in their discovery of their new home and took the stairs that led to the second story leading to the bedrooms. Mom would surely exclaim when she saw the huge bedroom that took up almost the entire floor.

Where did that leave me? I wondered. 

Past the bathroom I found a narrow stairwell leading to the third floor.  A tiny oval window offered the only source of light in the otherwise dark stairwell. No light switch, no overhead light bulb with a tiny linked chain, no wall sconces; nothing.

This is fine during the day, I thought as I made my way up, but how will I find my way at night?  I put the question far behind me as I reached the upper level.  Hardwood floors shined under the brilliance of the sun that showered the room through the large windows at the front and back of the room.

The steeple ceiling rose high above in the center, but dropped down considerably on either side.

The front corner of the large room opened into a smaller round room; the bathroom.  How exquisite, I thought, my own bathroom, as peculiar as it was in its circular wall.  Tall, thin windows lined the front half of the room.  A red antique claw foot tub sat at the far back of the room, allowing a decent amount of privacy from the neighbors.  The tiny sink would be more than adequate for my needs and the small linen closet was perfect.

It was hard to remain angry with my father for moving us here as I slowly fell in love with the room. 

Two doors, narrower and shorter than standard, flanked the room.  I turned the antique porcelain knob to the first one and found a small, low storage area.  The other opened onto a surprisingly spacious closet.

“How do you like your new room, Buttons?”

“Really?” I turned in surprise.  I hadn’t dared hope it could truly be all mine.

Mom and Dad came in and explored every corner. 

“This use to be the attic,” Dad said as he traced his hand over the wood work of the back window.

“And did you see the view?” Mom added as she stepped in beside him.  “Lux, you can see clear over the surrounding homes and glimpse at the bay.”

Dad came around and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.  “Are you starting to like San Francisco a bit more now?”

I grinned.  It was a pretty cool room.

“Now let’s go grab some dinner before the movers arrive,” Mom called out as she exited my new bathroom.

We only had time to take a few bites before the moving truck pulled up in front of the house.  While Mom and Dad ran about directing the burly men to put the dresser here, set the table there and haul the boxes up there, I climbed my private stairwell and waited for my things to be brought up.

The first item to arrive was the burgundy velour armchair that had belonged to my grandmother not so long ago.  I had the movers set it by the back window where I looked forward to reading a good book or flipping through a fashion magazine while enjoying the warm rays of the morning sun.

Soon after, the remainder of my furniture was brought up.  Once the movers had placed my bed in the center of the room, set my antique desk beneath the front window and put my dresser beside the bathroom door, I sent them on their way and enjoyed rediscovering all the little knickknacks and treasures I’d packed into my grandmother’s old steam trunk over a month earlier.

“How’re you settling in, honey?”

Mom’s voice was gentle and caring as she padded silently into my room.  I’d just pulled out the old china doll grandma had given me ten years earlier and I suddenly missed her terribly.

“Pretty good.”

“You missing anything?”  She reached out to pat the hair of my doll, her eyes misting over.

“No, I think I’m good.”  My voice was thick and hoarse.

“I miss her a lot too, honey.”

“I know you do, Mom.” I nodded, not wanting to talk about it more.  The sudden move to San Francisco had come just weeks after my grandmother’s funeral.  I knew Mom was frazzled by it, but I wasn’t in the mood to share my feelings.  “I’m tired of all the constant changes.”

She nodded her understanding. “Are you ready for your first day at school tomorrow?”

“As ready as I can be.  I don’t really know what to expect… what to wear, how to do my hair, how to act, who to befriend, who to trust, where to go, how to get there, what weather to…”

“I understand, Lux,” Mom cut in with an amused grin.  “I’ll make it up to you.  I may not be able to do much to ease your entry into yet again another new school, but I’ll do my all to make this home the best you’ve ever had.”  She kissed my brow and rose to leave.

“Mom,” I called out.

“Yes, honey.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.  Get a good night’s sleep.”

I knew my nerves wouldn’t really allow for that, but I nodded and smiled all the same.  Once I’d heard her steps fade down the stairs, I put the rest of my things away and made my bed.

After trying out my new tub, I set out the clothes I would wear the next day; black leather pleated mini-skirt and a simple white shirt, open at the collar. Underneath was my lacy black bra, which was going to show through the white shirt. What I planned on wearing was simple, yet edgy, I thought. I could always spice it up by wearing a lacy red bra underneath, but I wanted my first day in school to be tame, even mundane.  Doing anything that could leave me expelled once again was not an option, so I opted for the large jewel encrusted crucifix instead.  It added just the right amount of color and flash to my otherwise simple attire.

After that, there was little more I could do to ensure the next day ran smooth except get into bed early.  I pulled back the covers and lay back only to turn onto my stomach moments later.  I breathed in the fresh scent of my freshly laundered sheets, wanting desperately to find comfort and solace.  Ten minutes later I shifted over to my side and hugged my pillow for a few minutes before flipping onto my back to stare at the ceiling for a full half hour.

Sleep would not come.

The air was silent, the room darker than the one in Seattle had ever been.  Only a scant amount of moonlight entered via the back window, setting a cool glow against the dark armchair.  It flowed across the polished floor and up to the foot of my bed.

When shadows, dark and ominous, danced along the far wall, my breath caught in my throat.  The trees outside, my brain quickly rationalized, but I knew it was more than that.

I sat up, my gaze immediately drawn to the armchair by the window.  The silhouette of a man, poised, confident and strong, sat staring up at the moon.  His hands were clasped tightly, his index fingers pressed together and pointing up under his chin in a pensive pose.

“Lothario?” I murmured.

“You remember.” He leaned forward, turned to me and smiled. “I’m flattered.”

The moonlight glowed golden on his skin and flickered in his eyes.  He was magnificently beautiful.

“How long has it been, Lux?”

His smile was glorious, more so than I remembered; his appeal ageless, his wisdom ancient and his charm never ending.

“Five years,” I said.  “You haven’t changed.”

A brief rumble of laughter echoed in the stillness of the night.

“I can’t say the same for you, lovely Lux.”  He shifted over to face me, his legs propped up and dangling over the armrest.  “You’ve grown into quite the exquisite young woman.”

“Thank you.”  Twelve when I’d last seen him, I’d become a puddle of pre-pubescent mush before his grand charm and eloquent compliments.  I now wanted to ensure I maintained full control of my emotions and attraction to him.

“I assume you're settling in nicely.”

Looking at the pleats and lace that edged my sheets, I shrugged and fiddled with the fabric.  “As best as I can, I guess.”

“I hear San Francisco has excellent weather.”

I looked at him and smirked.  Weather?  After all I’d been through I should be ecstatic about the fair weather?  “That may be true, but it still doesn’t guarantee we won’t have to move again, and all on my account.”

“I think you’d do well to truly settle into your new life here.  You’ll be here for a lot longer than you’ve grown accustomed to.  There’s so much work to be done.”

“Is that why we came here, to San Francisco?”

“Could there be any other reason?”

“Well, I thought my father really liked this new university he’ll be teaching at.”

“I am pleased to hear he’s happy with that, but no.  The reason for the move is considerably more important than that.  We’re not in the habit of doing anything in vain.”

I should have known.  Somehow I’d assumed this move was to be a new start, a real new start.  Then again this kind of thing had been going on since I’d turned two, though Lothario hadn’t been present in my life back then, but another.

“You’ve done well these past five years,” he went on.  “You’re strong, calculating and wise.  You get the job done in an efficient way.”

A slow smile made its way to my tired lips.  I certainly tried to do the best I could.

“But this past year you’ve grown weary.  I know the tasks set upon you can at times be overwhelming, but you’ve allowed yourself to become careless, getting caught in situations that should be easily averted.”

My shoulders fell in dismay.  Was he berating me?  “I’m sorry.  I try to do the best I can.”

“Really?” He cocked a skeptical brow.

“Well.” I tried to keep the defensive edge out of my voice. “I have a lot going on in my life. I mean, everything was so much simpler when I was younger.  There was no doubt I was completely devoted to this new aspect of my life, but…”

“I understand the pressures of being an adolescent.” He flashed me a knowing grin.  “Gone are the days of being carefree.  Gone is the ability to remain impervious to the questionable glares of others.  You want to fit in, to be pretty, to be liked, to be loved.  You’re more concerned with catching the eye of a young suitor than anything else.”

“I’m not as boy crazy as you're making me out to be.  In case I need to remind you, I also have an education I have to get through.  Homework is time consuming and being a teen is pretty stressful at times.”

He rubbed his fingers against his temple.  “I’m too old for this,” he groaned.  “Perhaps I’ve expected too much from you, put undue pressure on you.  I’ve been told I can be rather demanding.”

“Good to hear.”