Twist (22 page)

“That Italian place on the strip,” Charlotte answers.

George smiles and takes a big bite, winking at Beatrice.

As we're finishing dinner, Mom calls. Charlotte hands me the phone. I know I'm in trouble, but she doesn't say anything about me being over here.

“You need a ride home?”

“Sure, can I stay a little while longer?” I respond.

“
Your father and I are on our way. We're going to visit with George and Charlotte. You'll have to start your two weeks tomorrow.”

“Hall pass, Mom. Please?” I say.

“You're not invincible, Luke,” she scolds, and then I hear her breathing. “We're so proud of you.”

After I finish talking to Mom, Beatrice goes upstairs. So I help Charlotte do the dishes.

“Is it true about Bea's medicine?” I ask. “Is her dad involved?”

“Yes, he saved her life.” Charlotte glances at me.

My jaw drops because I wanted to believe—and now that I can believe, I still disbelieve.

“I know, it doesn't sound real,” she says. “But he developed the medicine that put Beatrice back together.”

“What happened in Seattle?” I ask.

She drops a glass in the water and the splash lands on both of us. “You'll have to talk to Beatrice about that.” She quickly recovers the glass and opens the dishwasher. As she puts the dishes inside the appliance, I ask, “Aren't they already clean?”

“I like them sanitized,” she says.

“You're all nutty.” I chuckle.

Then I find Beatrice sitting in the living room with the remote, channel surfing. Like on the day we met. “Hey,” I say as I plop down next to her.

“I want you to meet my nurse,” she says. “Can you come over tomorrow?”

“Sure. I'd like that.”

She
squeezes my hand. “I want her to assess you and see if she can give you some of my medicine.”

“I don't think it works that easily,” I say.

“Why not? It's all illegal anyway.” Beatrice brushes her hair away from her face. “Think about it, see how you feel tomorrow.”

“I'd do it in a heartbeat if you can get her to give me some. I don't need to think about anything. I know.”

We're interrupted by the commotion of Mom and Dad's arrival. Mom gets a glass of wine and sits on the other side of Bea, on the couch.

“Why aren't you with the adults in the other room?” I ask her.

“It's okay,” Bea says. “I want to get to know your mom.”

“Thank you, Beatrice. Some kids have manners.” Mom chuckles.

I get up and go into the bathroom, and when I come back the two of them are laughing up a storm. Maybe it's a good thing that Mom is here. I find everyone else in the dining room and soon it's the guys on one side of the house and the girls on the other.

Later, when we are getting ready to leave, I hug Beatrice. When I kiss her passionately, the guys start clapping. I didn't know they were watching.

“I'll come by after I surf in the morning,” I whisper.

As we walk to the car Mom says, “She's enchanting. I'll leave it alone for now. But I don't want your schoolwork to suffer.”

I can't tell her that it already has, because it's too late for that excuse. But I need to do something so that she doesn't think it's about Bea. I hope that nurse will give me the brain drug.

Part
Five

Chapter
41

My mind is sharpened to such a fine point that I can recall every detail of what I did with Grant, and I'm ashamed. What's worse is that I remember thinking Luke was Grant and saying that out loud to him. Images have been filtering through my brain all morning. I've even got baby memories popping up. Not sure I like that.

That older woman, with the floral housecoat and frizzy hair from the old-folks home where I saw Mom—she was right, too. I was at that place when I was a kid. I thought I was going to Disneyland. Truly wacked out! That's when they gave me round one of the medicine.

I didn't want to think about that. Some things are best left forgotten. My brain was too much for me. I even knew about the hallucinations, but only afterward. Knowing every detail of everything seemed schizophrenic, but at least I wasn't hearing voices. This knowledge—the sharpness—had been creeping up on me over the last few weeks, but now I'm like a jack-in-the-box and the lid's about to blow! So I devoured information from the Internet to keep my mind off of the past. When Aunt Charlotte went to the nail salon, I went downstairs and waited for Mrs. Gray. When I heard her car, I stepped outside. She grinned when she saw me. As she approached she said, “Bea, you must be feeling better. That's right on target with your treatment.”

“I'm clear as a bell,” I said. “Can we talk?”

“Sure,” she said, and searched my eyes with a look of concern on her face.

Every
piece of her hair was in place. Her nails were immaculate, and she was wearing a tailored suit with expensive jewelry. She'd never looked so put together, ever. “Mrs. Gray, your skin is so vibrant and you look so . . . nice.”

“You've seen me for several weeks now. I haven't changed,” she said.

I frowned. “You've changed from before.”

She put her hand on my arm. “That's true. I'm a new woman since you've been resurrected. No drinking, all business. I'm grateful that your father handpicked me for this job.”

“Trust the ones you knew before Mom got sick—those were his exact words,” I said.

“Yes. Now what's going on in that noggin of yours?” She wrinkled her nose.

“I've got too many memories, more than is normal,” I said. “I want to know about my mom and dad. And this medicine, can it help with brain damage?”

With her medical bag on her arm, she looped the other one in mine and we went into the house together. “Yes, it most certainly can. But we're limited in what we know about the side effects.”

My eyes widened. “Do you have any idea what I might be like in a year or two? My mind is on fire. I feel I can grasp anything.”

“No way of knowing about long-term effects,” she said as we went upstairs. “We had to give you the medicine without those tests. You would have died from the Ecstasy.”

“Amilee and I did get a little wild.” My face heated up, thinking about our orgy. “Did she get in trouble or anything?”

We
entered my room and Mrs. Gray pointed to the chair. She had a stern look on her face. “Sit down. Now that you know about that night, it's my turn to be mad.” Her bag landed with a thump on the table. She unsnapped it and pulled out the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope.

I almost said
old school
, but the look on her face stopped me.

Her hands were busy setting up her equipment. “Amilee had no business getting a motel room. And drugs and alcohol? That's not like you.”

“I know . . . It was my last stand. Silly me.”

“You knew your father was behind my new job and you didn't say anything. Why not?” She pulled the blood pressure cuff around my arm tightly. “And then, going off with those boys. The sex thing, ugh.”

“You know?” I said weakly.

“Of course I know. That daughter of mine can't keep her mouth shut about anything.” Mrs. Gray squeezed the pump. She stayed real quiet as she took my blood pressure. “Your pressure's high.”

My heart's pounding because of her reprimand, but I was afraid to tell her. She undid the cuff and placed the cold stethoscope on my chest. After she finished with my lungs, she put a thermometer in my mouth. “I didn't tell your father about the orgy, but he had to know about the Ecstasy. It was the reason you blacked out. Your spinal fluid depleted, and the infection went wild.”

I started to move my mouth.

“No,” she said. “I'm taking your temperature.”

A
few minutes later the thermometer was in her hand. “Normal.” She finished marking down my vital signs and then she tossed the pen into the bag. “I guess I'm just disappointed. That's all.”

“Mrs. Gray, you're intimidating. You've really changed.”

“I'm glad we talked,” she said.

“I don't think I've ever seen you this way,” I said.

Mrs. Gray smiled. “I know, isn't it grand?”

And then we giggled. I hopped out of the chair and hugged her.

“I was so angry at you for giving up—your stupid ‘last stand.' I'm so glad you've made it through the worst part.” She looked at me. “Amilee hates living with her dad. He has rules.” We laughed some more. “You know she's still seeing that boy, Scott.”

“No,” I said.

“Yes!”

“Thank you for not telling my dad.” I sat down in the chair again. “Where is he? Where's my mom? That old-folks home in Seattle?”

Mrs. Gray sat on my bed and patted a place next to her. “Sit here, let's talk.”

I sat down.

“Where's your Aunt Charlotte? When is she due home?”

“She didn't say.”

Mrs. Gray brushed a strand of hair off of my face. “Your mother walked out of that place a week ago on your father's arm.”

“Really?! Mom looked like she was in a coma, now she's walking? “We have to tell Aunt Charlotte. That's her sister.”

She
held up her finger and said, “Soon.”

“Aunt Charlotte deserves to know,” I said. “This secret mumbo jumbo stuff is only going to hurt her.”

“I know, but it's the only way, for now.” She handed me a bottle. “These are maintenance pills. No infusion today.”

“Before we leave the topic of Mom and Dad, when will I see them and why can't we tell Aunt Charlotte?” I asked.

“I'm following my instructions, your dad has his reasons. He always does. I know your mom's getting her strength back and working with a team of people—”

“Mom is here, isn't she?” I said. “It's Will and Abby, isn't it?”

“Psychic abilities don't come with this cure of yours,” she said. “Of course she's not here. I have no idea where they went. But you saw the shape she was in when you visited her.”

I looked at the bottle of pills. “What's in these? Is it the same medicine as my infusions?”

“Similar,” she said. “Why are you asking?”

“I want to know. I've got to know. Crazy crackling neurons in my head want to know everything.” I couldn't tell her the truth that the real reason was about Luke, because she'd never agree to give him medicine—not now, after that scolding.

“A smidgen of that magic dust is involved, if that's what you're asking.” She eyed me up and down. “What are you up to, Beatrice?”

“Magic dust?”

“Your mom's idea,” she said. “Great name, isn't it?”

“
Sounds like a street drug,” I said.

“Take one pill in the morning for the next week. I'll be back in seven days. Should I wait for Charlotte?”

“No, you can call her,” I said. “No time for lunch or more visiting? Are you on a quick turnaround flight?”

“I have a few hours, but you know the airport.”

We went downstairs and out to her car. She put her bag inside and we stood in the front yard. “So you've seen Luke and you both remember now?”

I nodded.

“Well? Any changes in how you feel about him?”

“Nope. He's the one for me,” I said.

“Can I tell Amilee that? She's such a romantic. She wanted it to be love at first sight. Plus she needs to know you're not a lesbian.”

I snorted. “Tell her, please!” I grabbed Mrs. Gray's hand—I knew she was real, but I just wanted to make sure. She'd come so far to finally be in this perfect space.

“Any more hallucinations?” she asked.

“I don't think so. I know what they are afterward, during my good moments.”

“Sit tight, your father will be in touch.” She walked around to the driver's side and slid into the car. As I stood on the lawn waving, the window came down on the passenger side, so I poked my head into the car. “Beatrice, call me if anything unusual happens,” she said.

“Really?” I said. “Expect the phone to ring because that's my life.”

“You know what I mean.” She laughed as she backed out of the driveway.

Chapter
42

Aunt Charlotte showed up before Luke. But I was glad he came later, because Mrs. Gray would have never left that bottle of pills with me if she had figured out what I was going to do.

Aunt Charlotte was in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. So I answered the door and pulled Luke inside. He had a huge bruise on his cheek.

“You have any makeup to cover this?” he asked. “My mom will never let me surf again. Some guy crossed over, it wasn't even my fault.”

I touched his chin and turned his head. “I can fix you. Do you feel dizzy or anything?”

“No, but I have a headache,” he said.

“I'll get you an aspirin.” I yelled to Aunt Charlotte, “We're going upstairs!”

I ran up the stairs first, tugging on his hand the whole way. In my bedroom, I shoved him into the chair and handed him one of my brain pills with a bottle of water. “Prescription strength. You only need one.” I watched him swallow it and then I went into the bathroom to get my makeup.

With face paint in hand, I straddled his lap and tested a few colors on his skin. My mouth was so close to his that I knew he wouldn't be able to resist. He put his hands on my legs and leaned in. The bag of makeup, which I'd balanced on the arm of the chair,
fell
to the floor when Luke pulled me closer and kissed me. Within seconds we were tearing at each other's clothes. His hands were all over me.

Here we go again
.

We were both panting and half undressed when Aunt Charlotte knocked. I straightened my clothes and hair before I opened the door.