Misplaced (102 page)

Suddenly,
the
wickiup
w
as
silent.
Se
v
eral
pairs
of
expectant
e
y
es zeroed in on her.

“What
the
hell.”
She
forced
an
immeasurably
small
sip
into
her
mouth
before
handing
the
jug
to
the
woman
on
her
right
as
she had seen the others do.

“It’
s
okay,
”
th
e
broad-face
d
woma
n
indicate
d
o
f
th
e
pitifully
short
drink
V
ictoria
had
taken.
“
Y
our
people
don’t
ha
v
e
much
of a belly for it.”

“My
people?”
she
retorted,
her
cheeks
flushed
with
anger.
“Who do you think my people are?”

Th
e
woman’
s
fac
e
fell
.
“I’
m
sayin
g
thi
s
stuf
f
i
s
no
t
fo
r
the
faint of heart, that’s all.”

“Y
ou think I’m faint-hearted?”

“Sho
w
m
e
different
,
cit
y
girl,
”
th
e
woma
n
challenged,
handing the jug back.

“Cit
y
girl
,
m
y
ass.
”
V
ictoria’
s
secon
d
swi
g
brough
t
applause.
La
v
a
course
d
throug
h
he
r
body
,
lightin
g
he
r
finger
s
o
n
fire.
After
another
drink,
she
began
tracing
meaningless
shapes
in
the
dim
light.
Gradually,
she
sensed
her
mind
slowing
until
it
seemed to stop.

It
w
as
impossible
to
tell
whether
the
blurs
around
her
w
ere
peopl
e
o
r
surrea
l
shape
s
conjure
d
b
y
mescal
;
i
n
thi
s
stat
e
of
blesse
d
mindlessness
,
sh
e
fel
t
onl
y
peace
.
Th
e
uni
v
ers
e
had
con
v
eniently come to a standstill.
W
ith the patience she envied
i
n
Khara
,
sh
e
peere
d
throug
h
th
e
hol
e
i
n
th
e
wickiup’
s
rounded
roo
f
an
d
stare
d
a
t
th
e
stars
.
P
erhap
s
ther
e
w
a
s
a
m
es
s
ag
e
fo
r
her
in all that boundless space. Did Celeste feel the same serenity?

Bu
t
Celest
e
w
a
s
gone
and she
w
a
s
alon
e
i
n
th
e
wickiup
.
Had
sh
e
doze
d
off
?
Onl
y
th
e
smal
l
sto
v
e
glo
w
e
d
brightl
y
t
o
kee
p
her
company.
It
w
as
impossible
to
keep
her
e
y
es
open.
When
she awoke
the
second
time,
she
felt
a
presence
beside
her—a
man,
somewher
e
bet
w
ee
n
middl
e
an
d
ol
d
age
,
w
atche
d
th
e
small
sto
v
e and rolled a cigarette.

“Where’s
Celeste?”
she
asked,
hardly
able
to
get
the
words
out.

“
W
it
h
th
e
others,
”
h
e
ans
w
ere
d
withou
t
lookin
g
a
t
her
.
“She
asked me to sit with you for a while.”

“Are you Ben?”

H
e
nodded
.
Hi
s
jean
s
expose
d
blac
k
cowbo
y
boot
s
inlaid
with
grey
leather
and
chunks
of
turquoise,
finished
with
sil
v
er—
capped
toes.
Ben’s
neat
w
a
v
es
of
graying
hair
could
have
belonged
to a
businessman,
except
for
the
purple
v
el
v
et
band
tied
around his
forehead.
Sil
v
er
and
turquoise
bracelets
decorated
his
arms.

“That
stuff
is
truly
wicked,”
V
ictoria
pronounced.
The
jug
lay on its side, empty.

Be
n
s
t
are
d
a
t
he
r
wit
h
some
t
hin
g
b
e
t
w
ee
n
a
smil
e
an
d
a
grimace.
“
Y
ou
’
ll
think
differently
in
the
morning.
For
now,
just
try
to
relax.
W
e
come
here
to
close
off
our
day-to-day
thoughts.
Let your subconscious find
its own path.”

Despit
e
he
r
drug-induce
d
state
,
sh
e
sa
w
nothin
g
except
th
e
pa
t
ter
n
i
n
th
e
wo
v
e
n
stick
s
an
d
branche
s
tha
t
forme
d
th
e
canopy o
v
erhead.
After a time, she announced, “It’s no use.”

Ben licked the edge of the paper, sealing the cigarette.

V
ictori
a
continued
,
“
I
shoul
d
jus
t
lea
v
e
i
t
alone
;
it’
s
probably
better
that
I
don’t
know.
Besides,
I’m
not
at
my
best
these
days.
The person you see before you is not the normal me.”

H
e
laughed
.
“
Y
ou’
v
e
obviousl
y
ne
v
e
r
ha
d a
reading;
otherwise
,
yo
u
wouldn’
t
equat
e
the
m
wit
h
criticism
.
I’
m
not
here
to
judge.
I
try
to
see
people
a
bit
differently, the
w
ay
w
e
w
er
e
befor
e
U
s
e
n
turne
d
u
s
t
o
m
en
.
E
v
e
n
whe
n
w
e
suppres
s
our
tru
e
sel
v
es
,
ou
r
anima
l
spirit
s
ar
e
wit
h
us
.
Sometime
s
peopl
e physically
resemble
their
animal
or
it
is
present
in
their
actions,
th
e
w
a
y
the
y
li
v
e
life
.
T
o
accep
t
you
r
anima
l
spiri
t
i
s
neither
good nor bad, just a few steps on the path to self-a
w
areness.”