Something Of A Kind (28 page)

Parting the heavy doors with an encouraging smile, he made out
the shapes of
filled wrappers and beverages in her collection.
Following his gaze, Aly explained, “So, I know this is a diner, best-
breakfast-intown establishment and all… but I was thinking we
should do breakfast.”

He laughed, straightening. “On the docks?”

 

“Perfection,” Aly grinned. “I’d ask for a hand, but it seems
you’re already one short.”

He stood, ducking behind the counter to grab a paper bag and a
cardboard holder. She dropped the sandwiches in, wedging what
smelled like liquid divinity in a cup into each hole. Managing to
balance in a one-elbow cradle, she edged her purse on one shoulder.
After getting the door, he offered an arm and inquired, “Walk with
me?”

“Always,” she promised.

As they made their way to the docks, he debated whether to
bring up the issues wracking his brain senseless. Sitting on the very
end of the pier, they sat, and she offered a mass of sandwiches,
confessing, “I had no idea what to grab. I didn’t sleep last night and
ended up driving until I found this little drivethrough place.”

He nodded, picking randomly. Following a silence as she sipped
her coffee, his brow knitted. As thoughts tumbled through his head,
Lee’s empty threats and Mary-Agnes refusing to meet his gaze
earlier, he blurted, “Aly, when your mom died… how did you…
how did you deal with something like that?”

She froze, taken aback. After a moment, her shoulders relaxed.
Her words careful, she explained, “I don’t think you can really deal
with something like that. You just take it one day at a time. I was
really angry and really confused for a while. I eventually loosened
up, and leaned really hard on my family. I tried not to think about it,
like reading and watching lame movies until I kind of had to address
it. When I needed to handle it on my own, I tried to find things that I
was passionate about and poured all my… well, my everything into
it. That painting was one of a hundred drafts. Painted, sketched…
Then I realized I couldn’t let it carve out the inside of me forever,
and no matter how much it hurt, I needed to focus on the life ahead
of me, rearranging plans, preparing myself to live with Greg. I
needed to function, so I woke up in pieces. I don’t know. I knew for
a long time that she was dying though, before it happened. Maybe
that changes things. Maybe it’s different for everybody.”

He absorbed her words, hoping they could clarify, illuminate the
alleys so he didn’t have to guide himself by touching the walls
anymore. The stars weren’t aligning, no pieces falling into place.
Whatever he was looking for didn’t click.

Is Lee crazy? Is the liquor eating his brain? He seemed sober;
though it’s possible he’d been drinking. As the years went on, it took
higher intakes to get him to whatever level he sought. It had gotten
to the point where some people didn’t notice. Was it possible he was
telling the truth? Lee had always said he didn’t see Maria until she
showed up around Sarah’s birth – and the way he made it sound, it
meant Sarah was hers too. Lee and Mary-Agnes were in their sixties,
always claiming
Sarah
and Noah were
change-of-life
babies,
considering his youngest brother was thirteen when he was born.
Did his biological mother drop them off as infants, three and a half
years apart?

Did they really lie for so long? No… nothing here is making
sense.

 

“How did you deal with Greg?”

She sighed. “I didn’t. Even yesterday, we were fighting. At the
clinic, when he got home that night. He’s crazy – it’s like he thinks
my mother was secretly obsessed with him and I’m doing her
bidding
according
to my
apparent direct line
to the afterlife.
Sometimes he forgets she’s dead. And to be frank, he seriously
won’t shut up. Everything I do ticks him off. First of all, he still
doesn’t believe me – and he’s as convinced of conspiracy as ever.
He doesn’t want me anywhere near you, or his job, or him in
general. He’s listing so many don’ts, I can’t figure out what he
wants.”

He groaned, “That’s just ridiculous.”

Aly nodded, agreeing, “I know. I really think the only person
who can change here is me. All I know is, there’s nothing I can do
that makes him happy. So I’m going to let him get angry until he
either ships me home or gives up.”
Anger clenched in his face, a sudden clarity in his befuddlement.

Why does this guy have to put her through so much crap? She’s
got enough to deal with.

 

“Aly, just so you know, my offer still stands,” he added. “He and
I can have a, uh, talk. Or I can kill him.”

 

“My response still stands.” She laughed, crossing her ankles.
“It’s not necessary. I’d rather let him make himself miserable.”

“Yeah,” Noah murmured, staring hard at the surf. Imagining
Tony getting just a few inches past the guardrail, he was filled with
repugnance. Shaking it off, he found himself talking, unsure of the
words coming out of his mouth. “…and he went on saying my
mother was dead. When I asked him what he was talking about,
because I was totally freaked something happened to Mary-Agnes,
he just accused me of lying about knowing something. Then he kind
of admitted that I wasn’t his kid and neither was Sarah. He said my
aunt Maria is my mother and if I continue on this path I’m taking,
I’m going to end up dead like she did.”

Aly
listened intently, occasionally
gasping
or
covering
her
mouth. Frozen with shock, she waited to ensure he was finished
speaking before blurting, “That’s… Noah if I can offer… if I can
help at all, I promise I… I just…” She paused; face twisting as
though she arranged her thoughts. She sat her coffee down at her
side and grabbed his hand, continuing, “I know this probably doesn’t
mean anything, but I’m here for you. If you need anything…”

“It means everything, Aly,” he corrected, squeezing her hand. He
realized his sandwich was still untouched, sitting on the wrapper in
his lap. Chewing his cheek, he added, “It’s just… I’m kind of mad
about it. It’s like I’m filled with all this rage, but it doesn’t really feel
like anything’s changed even though everything has. I keep waiting
for someone to say that’s it’s a joke or Lee’s lost it but no one’s
denying anything because they can’t even talk to me. I’m trying how
to remember how to feel real.” Glancing sideways, “And I’m really
sorry.”

She raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

 

He began, “About my dad-”

 

Aly blinked. “Wait. He told you what he said?”

 

“What? Wait, what did he say?”

 

She shook her head, waving it off. “Never mind. I miss
understood you.”

 

“Aly-”

 

“It’s not important. What were you talking about?”

 

“I meant him causing issues with your dad,” he finished,
undeterred. “Aly, what did he say?”

“Noah…” she hesitated, biting her lip. Almost inaudibly, she
said, “Noah, if it’s going to resolve issues with your father, or well,
your uncle, I guess? If it will make things better foryou…”

He frowned. “Aly, what are you talking about?”

 

“…I’m willing to… if it helps, I can leave. Like, leave you
alone.”

Fear clenched in his gut, a shocking amount of panic flooding
through his stomach. “Why would think that would make anything
better?”

“Lee just…” she sighed, noting the insistence in his expression.
“I think he was just being… weird. He said I belong on the outside,
and I should stay away from you.”

“He what?”

 

She added quickly, “I think he was just upset because you got
hurt.”

“It's t
he damn legend. It's all hyped up from the old yore lore and
all that crap. I've taken worse than this. He’s dealt worse than this.
He didn’t have-"

“Noah,” she whispered, staring at her feet as they extended,
straightening above the surf. “I don’t mean to talk about any ‘wants’
of mine, but… I don’t want to add to the growing list of things you
have to deal with. I don’t want to be a problem. Especially not for
you.”

“Aly, I already have problems. Plenty. Yours are the ones I want
to have,” he argued, peering through the hair hiding her face. “Don’t
be afraid of being interesting.”

She laughed, almost forced, tucking a lock behind her ear,
exposing her cheek. “Interesting has never been my problem.”

“No, Aly, you are not the problem at all. You have never
been
the problem,” he insisted, offering a free hand. She took it in hers,
tracing the snake curling around his wrist.

“Rebirth,” she murmured, sounding absent.

 

“I don’t know what Lee’s problem is, but I don’t care,” he said.
“Promise me you’re not going anywhere.”

 

“I promise,” she echoed, leaning in as he wrapped an arm around
her waist, pulling her close and kissing her forehead.

 

He said, “So what about the videos?”

 

Aly groaned. “I think I dropped the camera.”

 

“Look again,” he replied. “I’ve got a feeling about it.”

Looking up, she smiled. “A feeling, huh?”
The week flowed through his head, overwhelmed by a montage
of memories louder than the surf at their feet. Peering into her ice
blue eyes, Noah replied, “Agh. Plenty.”

CHAPTER 23 | ALYSON

Entering the office building was worse than the first day of
school. With the swallowed terror that nothing or everything had
changed surging, she moved through the doors, surprised to find a
crowded lobby.

She knew that morning he had carpooled, though he d
idn’t say
so, freeing the SUV for a morning commute. Was this what it looked
like
when they prepared for
an investigation?
If so, Aly was
disappointed.

At some point, her imagination of what Greg’s people did in the
field had transitioned from nasally laughs and lab coats to leatherbound techies with enough equipment and sunglasses to belong to
the cast of Blade: Trinity or The Matrix. Instead, duffle bags were
packed in a pile by the door like a high school field trip, people in
jeans, frumpily colored
fleeces, and neon hats or
head to toe
camouflage milled around.

Ignoring stares and too friendly smiles, Aly carved a path
through the crowds, hoping eeny-meeny-miny-mo was an efficient
way of selecting the hallway to her father’s office.

“Alyson Glass?”

Unwilling to deal with any of them, she debated taking off in a
run. As her name was shouted again, Aly turned on her heel,
dreading another confrontation.

At least the sweater-vest hardly intimidates.

“I’m Thane Clark.” He offered a small but heavily pa
dded hand
with a rough shake. “I’m the resident sketch artist, and I wanted to
speak with you directly on your encounter, if that’s all right.”

“I haven’t reported-”

 

“Do you mind just takin’ a look at this for me?”

Hesitant, she nodded, bad feelings rolling through her stomach.
Biting her lip, she tucked a curl behind her ear, accepting the pad in
hand.

The accuracy was shocking, the position
– the body language
between the two creatures was incredibly similar to the interaction
she’d seen: the baby in the corner of the page with an arm hooked
on a branch, the confrontational male standing, another creature on
all fours like a gorilla. Noting an issue in the facial features, she
ignored the fact that the comment would be offending if anyone
drew attention to it on her own work.

“It’s a little cartoon-y,” she muttered, dissatisfied.

 

His brow furrowed. “Not particularly.”

She smiled to herself, recognizing the immediate walls built
around critics from her own behavior. Fingers sliding along the page
to direct, she explained, “Notice the distance between the lips in the
nose. It’s standard to drawing faces, but isn’t overtly accurate to
what I saw.”

“Wow.” He blinked in shock, jaw dropped. “To be honest, I’m
completely blown away. It just… seems, ‘right’. Very natural. If I
didn’t know the video myself, I’m not sure I would rec’nized the
features… Indescribable. Don’t you listen to anyone, ya hear? I
know you seen things. You’re too young and all for that kind of
pressure, and I’m tellin’ ya, I relate. Ya should see the crud they give
me for lookin’ Asian and being one-hundred-percent Dixie. Insane,
I’m tellin’ ya.”

She hesitated, confused. “Well, thanks. I guess.”

“Yer dad, his work was all changed. That report though, it has
his fire all lit up again. It seems like he really had somethin’ to prove
to someone, like his work was all-dayev’ryday, runnin’ out of time.
Then somethin’ changed.”

“What changed?” Aly inquired, unsure whether she was asking
about his work or his belief in her report.

 

Thane shrugged. “He’s just weird… blanker, more distant, less
hopeful, but then he applies for perm’nent housin’-”

 

Aly smirked. “Permanent housing? Where did he think he was
going?”

 

“Who knows? Anyway, half a year goes by n’ you show up. You
must really calm the felladown.”

She shook her head, swallowing a lump. The realization hit her
like a brick – it had nothing to do with him approving of her, or
believing her report. “Hardly… My mom died. He didn’t have
something to work for anymore.”

“I, uh, see,” he muttered, flinching in discomfort. “Well, I dunno
if your daddy called ya in, but Professor Ajay really wants to talk to
y’all – a good fella, very serious. At some point, you really should
stop in the interviewin’ room.” He pointed across the hall, a blaring
realization that she’d opted for a wrong turn.

“I’ll do that,” Aly agreed, nerves mulling. Though curious, the
idea of braving another interrogation was sickening.