The Vanishment, Chapter Three

Chapter Three:
         Alaina scrambled out the back door, letting it slam shut behind her. Rather than heading in the direction of the town, she skirted the outskirts of the village in the direction of a particular house at one end of its border.
         With every movement, a dozen thoughts tread through her brain. She remembered her father’s harsh hits from the previous night, as well as the disgusted look he’d given her this morning. She thought of her mother’s jewelry in her father’s hands and all her thoughts suddenly melted together to form one giant lump at the back of her throat. Tears welled up behind her eyes just as she reached the small gate at the end of town.
         Inside the little fence was a stocky woman with long, brown hair that was just beginning to gray around her face. She glanced up from her gardening when Alaina approached. A friendly bark came from her golden retriever, but the bark sounded hollow to Alaina’s ears. Even the happy chirping of nearby birds was muted to the dull sounds of crickets in the aftermath of her dark thoughts.
         For her part, Alaina could hardly speak. She bit her lip and looked everywhere except at the woman’s kind face. One look at those sympathetic eyes and she felt sure her restrained tears would overflow.
         “Oh dear,” Saige said. She stood up and brushed her hands off on her knees. “Come on in. I’ll get a kettle going.”
         Ducking her head gratefully, Alaina shuffled through the gate and into the house.
The outdoor garden overflowed inside, greenery filling the small house in every spare space. Saige guided her to a kitchen chair and brushed a hand over these plants like a mother lovingly touching the head of a child.
Alaina dropped her head against the table, sighing dismally, as she listened to the sounds of her friend bustling about. Before she knew it, the older woman was back by her side pressing a cool washcloth against her lip, which was still swollen from the previous night.
         “Got you real good this time, eh?” Saige asked, lifting Alaina’s chin to examine the bruises. She stepped back with her hands pressed against her hips. “Never seen him go after your face before. What’s that about?” She stepped to the sink and immediately moistened a soft towel to blot the new streaks of blood that were cracking through the tentative scabs on Alaina’s chin.
         Alaina dropped her eyes while Saige worked. “I fell in the woods yesterday. Already had this.” She pointed to the cut on her temple.
         Saige nodded and rubbed her dog behind the ears before wringing out the towel. “Figured they’d just all blend together, huh?” She shook her head and raised her eyebrows. “So did anything interesting happen on the mountain?” She sat down beside Alaina and gently dabbed at the thin cut on her lower lip.
         Alaina shrugged. “After I fell, Arick and I ran into a bear. Apparently Arick was able to speak with it. Guess that’s interesting.” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to say anything about Boeme just yet. And she certainly didn’t want to admit that she’d left her nine-year-old brother to face the bear on his own.
         For a second, Saige eyed her sideways. Then she shook her head and chuckled. “Arick’s been heading that way for a while hasn’t he?” She set the towel down on the counter and grabbed her own cup of hot tea
         “Toward animal-speak?” Alaina asked.
         “Yeah. It’s a wonder everyone hasn’t started shunning him as well.”
         Alaina shrugged. “I guess he doesn’t ask for it quite as much as I do.” She glared at the cut on her left hand with an unwavering stare.
         Saige followed her gaze. “Been thinking about your mom a lot?” Alaina nodded silently. Saige sighed, sitting back in her chair. “Ach, I know I didn’t know her for long, but your mother was a wonderful woman, Alaina. It’s a shame she had to get sick. She was very kind to me, you know.”
         Alaina nodded. “I know. I miss her.” She sighed and wrapped her hands around her hot cup of tea, trying to pull strength from it as well as warmth. “She had the itch, too, you know. She never liked it here. She always wanted to leave and go traveling.”
         “Well she came here from a life of traveling. Did she ever tell you that?” Saige asked. Alaina shook her head, her eyes wide. Saige sipped her tea and nodded. “She told me that once. How she ever ended up with someone like your father I’ll never know.”
         Alaina shrugged and stared desolately into her tea. “He wasn’t always like this. He just loved her an awful lot, I think.”
         Saige shook her head stubbornly. “That’s no excuse and don’t you go thinking it is. He knows as well as you that your mother loved you and Arick both very much.”
         Alaina swallowed and shook her head, her eyes focused on the table top. “Do you know he still blames me?” she said, sighing. She struggled to meet the eyes of her friend Pressure was building in her throat again; tears pushing against her eyes. “I didn’t mean to get her sick,” she said. All at once, her tears broke through, spilling over onto her cheeks.
         “Oh, honey,” Saige rushed forward and scooped her young friend into a firm hug. She rocked her back and forth, rubbing her arms soothingly. “What does Arick say about all that? Have you ever asked him?”
         Alaina laughed uneasily and hiccupped at the same time. “Are you kidding?” She pushed away from Saige and turned forward in her chair. “Arick wants so much to be a good boy; he’ll do or say anything he’s told. The other day, I practically had to drag him with me because he was so against the idea of leaving town.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure I want to know what he thinks. It’s probably the same as everyone else.” She sighed, a tremor breaking through her breath.
         Saige stood and hugged her friend’s head to her chest, stroking her hair. “Shh, girl. Be quiet now. No matter what anyone in this foolish town thinks, that was not your fault. No one should be forced to be cooped up in one place if they long to be free.” The old woman pulled away and caught her friend’s eye. “You said it yourself. Your mom had the urge to travel and she passed that desire on to you.” Saige sighed and took Alaina’s left hand in her own, rubbing the scar that rested in her palm. “Did your mom ever tell you how she came to settle in Briarton?”
         Alaina wiped her nose and shook her head.
         Saige nodded. “I thought not.” She ran a thumb over Alaina’s scar, tracing it across her skin. “Well she told me once. She had been traveling through the woods around here when she came upon a very pretty red flower. The flower was so beautiful your mom thought she would pick it and stick it behind her ear.”
         Now, Saige caught Alaina’s eyes and held them. “When she tried to pick the plant, the stem sliced right through her palm and somehow, some kind of poison got into her bloodstream.” Alaina’s eyes widened and Saige nodded. “Your mom almost died from that poison just like you almost died. Your father found her and brought her back to health, but sometimes magic can have strange consequences. Your mother knew this and realized that if she was ever around that plant or its poison again, her body wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
         Saige sighed. “I think that was the last straw for her. She never told me much about her life before Briarton but I got the feeling she’d sort of gotten sick of magic. Did you ever know that she actually wrote a book about magic?”
         Alaina’s eyes widened in surprise.
         Saige grinned. “That’s right. If I remember right, it was a sort of collection of the magical elements she found in her time traveling; kind of a like a diary of what she found.” Saige shook her head, a mystical twinkle in her eye. “What I wouldn’t give to sit down and read the wonders that must have been in that book.”
         Alaina glanced at her sharply, thinking about the book she’d found. Before she could decide whether to mention it, Saige shook her head as if to clear it. “At any rate,” she said. “I think there must have been some appeal to her at the thought of settling down in a non-magic town – some place that got her away from everything she’d seen and learned. Of course, then she obviously fell in love with your dad for some reason and before long she was pregnant with you.” She scooted her chair in and caught Alaina’s eye. “Alaina, my point is your mom knew what was happening to you the minute she found you in the woods.”
         Alaina’s eyes filled with tears. She shook her head. “She should have left me alone, then. That’s so stupid. If she knew it would hurt her, she should have let someone else tend to me!”
         Saige rubbed her arm sympathetically from across the table. “Alaina, there was no one else. You, better than anybody, know how paranoid and skeptical this town is. They refused to be around anything that had to do with magic. Your mother loved you. She knew you wouldn’t survive without help. So she sacrificed her life to save yours.” Saige sighed and turned away, shaking her head. “Anyway, the people here never really liked her either.”
         Alaina snorted and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Maybe it’s genetic.”
         “Now, don’t you talk like that. There’s something off about this town.” Saige stood to pour more tea from the kettle that simmered over her fire. “The people here are too boring for their own good. Nothing exciting or good will ever happen for anyone here. You have to take risks for good things to happen.”
Clearing her throat, she settled into her seat and caught Alaina’s eye. “Which brings me back to the topic at hand …” She stared pointedly at Alaina. “I heard you were gone through the night when you left. Where’d you go?”
         Alaina followed her gaze and realized she still wore the bandages around her arm and ankle. She shook her head and laughed bitterly. Trust Saige to be the only person to realize she wore bandages that she couldn’t have gotten on her own.
         “Can you keep a secret, Saige?” she asked.
         “Oh posh! How dare you ask me that, girl,” Saige said, snorting. She waved a kitchen towel huffily at her and stood, bustling about the kitchen, cleaning as she went. “You know I can keep a secret just fine. I’ve kept all of yours so far, haven’t I?”
         “I found an invisible town,” Alaina burst out suddenly.
         Saige stopped cleaning and stared out the kitchen window. “Well, if it’s invisible, how’d you find it?” she asked without turning around.
         Alaina shrugged. “I don’t know. One minute it wasn’t there, the next, it was. It was like magic.”
         Saige chuckled. “Shh. Don’t say that word too loudly. You’ll seal your fate with this town.” She spooned some food on a plate and placed it in front of Alaina. The young girl nodded and picked thoughtfully at the dish. Saige returned to the opposite chair. “So what happened in this magical place?”
         Alaina finished chewing a mouthful before answering. “They put these bandages on me.” She gestured to her arm and ankle. “And they asked for my help.”
         “With what?” Saige asked, sipping her cup of tea.
         “Well, I didn’t get the whole story but this guy, Jadyn, told me their town was under the spell of this horrible sorceress. He said I’m the only person in over two years who’s been able to see them. That’s why they wanted my help.” She sat sideways in her chair.
         “Come here, Chessie,” she called the dog, patting her knees invitingly. When he sat beside her, Alaina rubbed at his ears, staring thoughtfully beyond him.
         When Saige didn’t respond after a few seconds, Alaina spun back to face her. “Does this sound completely crazy?” she asked. “I mean, it made sense when I was there, but now that I’m back here it just seems foolish.”
         “Well, I don’t know, Alaina,” Saige answered. “Things are a lot different outside of Briarton. Most other towns welcome and work with magic. If you ever got out of this place you’d probably be surprised at how much magic really exists.” She eyed her friend carefully. “So are you going to do it?” she asked after a moment.
         “Do what?” Alaina asked.
         “Are you going to help those people?”
          “No, of course not,” she said, scrunching her eyebrows in surprise. “I mean, can you imagine my dad letting me do that? The town’s at least half a day’s walk from here. As soon as I got there I’d have to head right back to be home in time for dinner. I wouldn’t be there long enough to do anything. Somehow I just don’t see my Dad letting me skip out on cooking for him and Arick.” She gestured to her face. “I mean, look at the thanks I got for missing it this time.”
         Saige nodded silently and crossed the room to put the dishes away. “What was the town called?”
         Alaina sipped her drink. “Um, Boeme I think.”
         Saige shrugged. “Never heard of it. Are you sure you didn’t hit your head too hard?”
         Alaina sighed and slammed down her cup. “See, I knew it sounded ridiculous. Listen, I’m not making this up. Where else would I get these bandages?”
         “It’s not that I don’t believe you,” Saige replied. “I just can’t figure out why you wouldn’t take the chance to get away from your father.”
         “Are you serious? He’d probably beat me half to death for even mentioning it.” She sighed and shook her head, eyeing the table. “Or maybe he’d welcome it. I don’t know.”
         Saige lifted Alaina’s chin and held her eye. “Nothing says you have to tell him.” Alaina started to protest, but Saige held up a hand to quiet her. “And nothing says you have to come back.” She saw the surprise in her friend’s face and grabbed Alaina’s hand. “Now don’t get me wrong. Of course I would miss you. Lord knows you’re one of the only people who have befriended me since I came here. But I also know you’ve had it hard in Briarton. Why not try it over in a place where it sounds like everyone would be excited to see you?”
         Alaina shook her head, rejecting the very thought of leaving Briarton. There was no way she could do such a thing. It wasn’t even worth considering. She sighed and sipped her tea quietly, refusing to answer Saige.
         Along one wall off to her right, Saige was growing some kind of vine plant. It grew from a carefully tended pot on the floor and spread up over a white trellis she had set against the wall. Saige had spent careful months lovingly guiding the vine up that trellis. Alaina followed the path of those vines where they stretched up over the arch of the fireplace. She nodded in that direction. Directly above the fireplace was a beautiful, yet simple object that had always fascinated her, although she’d never asked her friend about it. The object was a symbol made of straw and wrapped with twine that was twisted into a single vertical loop, with a line passing horizontally through its center. “What is it about this symbol that you like?” she asked Saige. “It’s hung over the fireplace. Just seems like such a place of honor.”
         Saige glanced up at the symbol in surprise, her eyes lighting up like she was really seeing it for the first time. “My goodness, I’d forgotten that was there. Your mother must have hung that up for me when I first moved here. You are right, though, I’ve always loved that little symbol.” She shrugged. “It’s a good-luck charm, I guess. I feel comfortable and at home whenever it’s around.”
         Alaina nodded and eyed it thoughtfully. “What does it mean?”
         Saige stood up from her chair and eyed the object, her arms crossed over her chest. “It’s called a star knot. The star shape symbolizes hope and the knot symbolizes life and how everything eventually is tied to another. You can’t pull one string in the knot without it affecting the other. It expresses hope in life…” Her voice trailed off although it was obvious she had finished her thought. Alaina stayed silent for a moment because the quizzical expression on the older woman’s face made it appear as if she was going to say something else.
         Instead Saige stared at the star knot as if she couldn’t quite remember where it came from. She wrinkled her eyebrows and reached up to pull the knot down from the wall. Just as she touched the straw her body jerked so suddenly Alaina jumped out of her chair in surprise.
         “Tied by a tie and held by a word, cemented by tears and scrambled for words.” The words flew from Saige’s mouth as if they’d just been waiting to be spoken.
         “What?” Alaina asked.
         Her friend turned to her with a blank expression on her face. “It’s time for you to go now, girl, I’ve got things of my own to finish today.” Without waiting for Alaina’s response, Saige piled up her things and shoved them into her friend’s arms.
         Alaina clamped her mouth shut in surprise. “You want me to leave?” Saige had never kicked her out of her house before.
         “Yes, I have something I need to do. Go. Now.”
         “But wait,” Alaina protested. “What was it you just said …?”
         “Get out, Alaina!” Saige practically shouted. She pushed Alaina out the back of the house and slammed the door behind her.
         Stung by the abrupt words, Alaina dropped her head and bustled away from the house, suddenly feeling more alone than ever.

         That night, Alaina considered Saige’s suggestion as she ladled food into two bowls, setting them down before her father and Arick. Remembering the previous night, she didn’t even try to feed herself. Instead, she curled her knees to her chest and fell into one corner of the room. She was certain her father would deliver another attack, considering the secret compartment in her room. Yet he hadn’t said a word to her all day. It was best not to tempt fate. The fact that she had a book about magic would give him more than enough ammunition to go after her. And he had to have noticed she had taken the book back.
         As the silence drew in around her, Alaina clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Maybe Saige was right. She remembered the bright and eager faces of the Boeme people. She thought of Jadyn and how he’d been so sure she couldn’t help. Well she wasn’t useless was she? She glared at her father’s dark form and determination welled up within her. She would show him. And she would show Jadyn. She wasn’t too young to help!
         “Aren’t you going to eat, girl?” Her father’s voice suddenly broke through her thoughts. Alaina jumped at the sound and glanced up at him questioningly. He didn’t look up from his food, but he did push her bowl toward her seat. Beside him, Arick grinned encouragingly at her.
         Suddenly a wave of guilt washed over Alaina. Without answering she uncurled her willowy frame from the corner and plopped quickly in her seat. Then she and her family finished their meal in silence.
         Later, after her father left to find more alcohol, Alaina found Arick playing with some animal figurines in his room. For a short while, she just watched him Arick play, remembering what it felt like to play with toys when her mother had been alive and things had been easier. Pursing her lips, she glided into the room and settled herself on the foot of his bed.
         “Hey,” he said, without looking at her. He lifted a horse figurine and bounced it along the edge of his bed as if it was running.
         “Hey,” Alaina replied. Silence filled the room. After a moment, she crossed her arms and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. “So how’s the animal-speak going?”
         Arick glanced up at her in surprise. Then a dark glare passed over his little face and he glanced away. “Why do you care?”
         Alaina tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows. “Because I’m your sister. I care about what you care about.”
         Arick grunted and turned his back on her. “Doesn’t really seem like you care when I want to talk about it.”
         Alaina sighed. “Arick, I’m sorry. I know I’ve been brushing you off lately. I’ve just had a lot on my mind.” Arick didn’t respond, so Alaina crawled off the bed, seating herself on the floor a few inches away from him. “Hey, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” She took a deep breath and related Boeme’s entire story in a few minute’s time.
         “I’m gonna do it, Arick,” she said when she finished, a tremor rising in her voice. “I’m gonna leave. Tomorrow morning I’m going to pack a few things and then I’m gone. I want you to come with me! You don’t belong in Briarton anymore than I do. Besides, doesn’t it sound like fun? I could take care of you. We could get out of this place together!”
         Arick hadn’t said a word during her speech. Now he stared at her, disbelief shining behind his eyes. “Well, I don’t know, Alaina,” he said at last. “I really don’t think you should do this. I mean, you don’t really want to get into more trouble do you?”
         Alaina shook her head. “No, you don’t understand,” she said. “That’s just it. This is the end of getting in trouble. No more rules. All that would be done and over with. You could practice your animal-speak without secrecy and we could both finally be free.”
         But Arick wasn’t convinced. “Sorry Alaina, but I’m gonna pass. And I think you should, too. Just stop breaking the rules and settle down for once.”
         Alaina stared hard at him, then dropped her eyes. “Do you believe me about the town?”
         Arick kept his eyes carefully trained on the ground.
         “Arick?”
         Alaina’s tone demanded he look at her so he caught her gaze and nodded slightly. “Yes,” he said. But his eyes told Alaina something different.
         She stepped away from her brother and shook her head slowly. “I have to do this Arick.” Her voice broke as she spoke. “I have to get out of here. You really won’t come with me?”
         Arick shook his head. “Sorry, Alaina. But I don’t want to get into trouble the way you do.”
         Anger washed over her. It wasn’t like she asked the town to shun her! She stomped from the room without speaking and rushed through the house. She didn’t want to stay there any longer than she had to. If Arick wouldn’t come with her than she wasn’t going to wait around for him. She would go now, as soon as she found her mother’s lily pendant.
         It wasn’t in her father’s room, she’d already checked there. He must have put it someplace else. Now, she dug under the couch, flipped up the cushions, and searched every cabinet in the kitchen, just as she had done that morning.
         She made so much noise Arick came in to stare at her in alarm. “What are you doing?” he asked.
         “Dad hid Mom’s jewelry. I need to find it.”
         “Well, it’s not in here,” Arick told her.
         Alaina stopped her crazed hunt to stare at him. “What do you mean?”
         Arick shrugged. “I heard Dad talking about it after you left his morning. He said he was tired of you messing with it; that it should have been buried with Mom.”
         Alaina’s face went a ghostly shade of white. Panic crept into the very marrow of her bones. “Where’d he put it, Arick?” she asked her voice dangerously low.
         “It’s like I just said. He buried it.”
         “Where?” Alaina snapped.
         Arick shook his head. “I don’t know.”
         “Where’d he bury it?” Alaina yelled.
         “I don’t want to tell you,” said Arick. Alaina grabbed his arm and pulled him outside with her. “Come on, Alaina!” he cried. “You’re just gonna get in more trouble!”
         Alaina fixed him with a piercing stare. “Where, Arick?”
         Within a few minutes, they were trudging through the back fields of dry, brown crops with Alaina holding a lantern to light their way. The entire time, Arick tried to dissuade her, but Alaina held to her decision, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides. With every word Arick spoke and every step they took, her anger rose so that she was shaking uncontrollably by the time they reached the spot. Arick continued his protests but Alaina ignored him. She crawled in the dirt on her knees and plowed into the soil with her bare hands.
         She couldn’t believe he had buried the jewelry! Any doubts about leaving fled Alaina’s mind as she finally came to the lily medallion, dirty and crusted over with soil. A tear of relief slid down her cheek. She let out a heavy breath and wiped the traces of dirt away before settling the medallion in her pocket.

         The next morning, Alaina threw some bread and a few changes of clothes into a knapsack. Within a few minutes of waking up, she was ready to go. The thought of traipsing through the town never entered her mind. If she never had to see the people of Briarton again she would be happy. Instead, she would sneak out the back and skirt the edges of town like she had yesterday.
         It wasn’t until she was just about to leave that it hit her. There were other people she would never see again, as well. Her eyes fell on the two empty places at the table and her breath caught in her throat. This was the home where she had known her mother. Where she had watched her brother grow up. How many of the good things in her life was she giving up? But then she thought about her father, asleep in his room. She knew she couldn’t stay there with him when she had the opportunity for a better life. With that thought in mind, she swallowed her reservations and left her house for the last time.
         On the way toward the trees, Alaina stopped in at Saige’s house to give the older woman one last hug. She grinned at her friend and let out an anxious breath. “I’m really going to do it. Can you believe it?” She clutched her friend’s hand. “Thank you for everything, Saige. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”
         Saige chuckled and returned her hug. “You and you’re mom welcomed me so easily. It’s only fitting that I be as good a friend to you.” She held Alaina’s cheeks in her hand, a small tear quivering in one eye. “I’m so glad you’re leaving, but I sure am going to miss you.”
         For a moment, silence lingered between them. Then Saige laughed and opened her arms once more. “Oh, come here again.” She scooped Alaina back into a hug and then firmly set her away from her. “Good luck to you, my dear. I hope you find everything you’ve been looking for.”
         From there Alaina continued on toward the mountain with a new spring in her step. At the crest of the hill, she looked back down on Briarton and, for the first time in her life, found the sight beautiful. She relished the sun’s heat on her skin and the scent of pine wrapping its arms around her. Unwilling to resist the forest’s call, she spun toward the trees.
         “Dad!” she exclaimed, startled to see her father glaring down at her.
         He shoved her hard with both hands. Her knapsack flew to the side and Alaina fell backwards part of the way down the hill.
         “Thought you would run away, did you?” her father growled. He lifted her by the collar of her shirt and shook her hard. “What’s the matter with you? You think you can just leave?”
         “D-Dad, I’m sorry,” Alaina cried, all her determination slipping away from her. “I was gonna come back. I swear!”
         “Haven’t you embarrassed me enough?” he roared. Then he punched her hard on the cheek. She fell to the ground, whimpering at the pain that exploded in her brain. She scooted backwards, dirt flying up around her.
         Abruptly, the sound of a clearing throat made Alaina’s father freeze in place. Alaina’s eyes widened in surprise.
         “Turn around, Brock,” Saige said. She held a long, thin knife against Alaina’s father’s side. “Turn around!” she repeated.
         Alaina’s father raised his hands slowly and rotated to face Saige. “Are you mad, woman?” He glanced down at the knife and took a threatening step toward her.
         Instead of backing off like he expected, Saige pushed her knife closer, making him suck in his stomach and jump backwards to avoid the blade.
         “I’m not afraid to kill you, Brock,” she said, her hand and eyes steady. “After the way you’ve treated this girl it would be no less than you deserve. Let her go.” She nodded at Alaina. “Go on, girl. Grab your stuff and get going.”
         Without waiting for further encouragement, Alaina leapt to her feet and limped quickly away. Just inside the trees she turned back to the odd-looking pair. “Saige,” she said. “Are you sure about this?”
         Saige nodded. “You go on now. I’ll be fine.”
         “Okay,” Alaina said. “I love you.”
         “I love you, too, girl. Now get going.”
         Alaina nodded and ran into the cover provided by the forest.