Escaping Fate (12 page)

“Are you ready?” Tanner
asked.

“I think the real question is, are you
ready,” I teased. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Tanner laughed. “You’ll do fine. Here,”
he said, pulling a bow, much smaller than his own, out of the truck
bed and handing it to me. “This one’s for you. My sister doesn’t
use it much anymore.”

Accepting the bow, I considered its
size. “Just how old is your sister? Six?”

“Well you wanted a smaller bow,” Tanner
said, trying to keep his face straight.

I threw him a disgusted looked. I
wasn’t that bad, was I?

“I’m just kidding. My sister’s
thirteen. But bow length is more about height than age,” he said.
“And you’re kind of short.”

“Thanks for noticing,” I grumbled. His
nearly six foot frame did make my minimal five foot four inches
rather unimpressive. I was actually on the tall side for my family.
Tanner ruffled my hair to emphasize his point. I socked him in the
arm, only halfway meaning it.

“Sorry, sorry,” Tanner apologized. The
dazzling grin he gave me somewhat diminished his sincerity.
“Really, this bow will be much easier for you to draw.”

“If you say so,” was my only
response.

I watched as Tanner set up the targets
towards the back of the meadow. He arranged the cubes with
practiced ease and loped back to me.

“Alright, do you remember how to hold
the bow,” Tanner asked.

I considering saying no, remembering
how closely he had to stand to me in order to help me last time.
Bright spots of red blossomed on my cheeks at the thought though
and I refrained. “I think I remember,” I said. Placing my hand on
the riser, I noticed how much lighter the new bow felt. I didn’t
know what to do next unfortunately.

Suddenly Tanner was next to me, tying a
quiver of arrows around my waist. His fingertips brushed my thigh
as he placed it around me and I had to hide a shudder. “You might
need these,” Tanner said, straightening. He turned away quickly,
but I could the red in his ears. Faking a cough to cover the laugh
that had escaped, I didn’t say anything. I was just glad I wasn’t
the only nervous one. Tanner was proving a better distraction than
I had expected.

Pulling an arrow out of my quiver, I
stared at it. How had this part worked again, I wondered. I had
played cowboys and Indians with my brother when we were younger,
but my brother’s plastic bow and arrow set had been equipped with
suction cup ends and a convenient hole in the bow for the arrow to
slide through. Unsure of how I was supposed to keep the arrow from
falling into the dirt, I turned to Tanner. “So, um, how do I get
the arrow ready again?” My question seemed to dispel Tanner’s
awkwardness instantly.

Taking control, Tanner showed me how to
grip the end of the arrow and rest the point on the top of the hand
gripping the riser. His hands moved mine into place, but his soft
touch and radiating warmth made my fingers slip. After several
tries I managed to hold the arrow on my own, keeping it tight
against the bow.

“Go ahead and try to draw it now,”
Tanner said.

Unsure of my abilities, I pulled back
slowly. I was surprised by how easily the arrow moved this time. My
mouth turned up. I pulled a little harder, drawing the arrow to my
ear. Pleased with my effort, I grinned and turned to look at
Tanner. My grip slipped. The arrow flew wide of the target, flying
into the trees. Wincing with embarrassment I ducked my head. Tanner
laughed and I joined him.

“I’ll go get it,” I said, a bit
deflated by my failure.

Setting the bow down, I trudged through
the tall grass. Tanner followed me into the trees. “You might need
a little help finding it,” he said. “That was a good try,
though.”

I looked over at Tanner’s face. He
really meant it. “Thanks,” I said. “At least I could pull the arrow
back all the way this time.”

“You’ll get better, don’t worry,”
Tanner said.

Tanner found the arrow quickly and we
headed back to the meadow. Easy conversation filled any gaps during
the lesson, much to my relief. I usually felt pretty at ease around
guys, many of my friends back in New York were guys, but Tanner had
an effect on me that I wasn’t used to.

The sun continued to make its way
across the sky, lengthening the shadows as it went. Arrows fell
across the field all afternoon. Tanner often made the target while
most of mine flew into the trees and stuck into the soft dirt. I
think we spent more time searching for my misplaced arrows than
anything else. Tanner didn’t seem to mind.

As we searched for my last arrow, the
darkness I had been trying to ignore slowly crept from its hiding
place back into my mind. The shadows under the forest canopy seemed
to stretch after me, grasping at my ankles. I gritted my teeth and
told myself to ignore it. A mild breeze stirred my clothing,
bringing the smell of smoke to my nostrils.

My eyes flew wide. Looking around, I
didn’t see anything that would account for the smell. The bird’s
chatter became the cheering crowd from the dreams. Closing my eyes,
I leaned against a tree. The sounds and sensations from the dreams
assaulted my mind over and over again. “It isn’t time yet,” I
whispered. “Oh please, don’t let it be time yet.” My eyes burned,
hot tears swelling behind my eyelids.

A hand touched my shoulder. Gasping, I
nearly fainted.

“Arra, are you okay?” Tanner asked,
startled by my reaction.

I quickly rubbed my eyes, before
turning around. “Yeah, sorry about that,” I said lamely. “I get
scared really easy.”

He looked at her doubtfully. “Are you
sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m just not used to being
in the woods yet. I got turned around and thought I was lost. Did
you find it?” I asked casually.

“Yeah, it went a lot further than I
expected. At least you’re getting better at one part of archery,”
he said, his laugh timid.

“It would have been nice if I’d hit the
target at least once,” I said. Still shaken from the strange
ordeal, I rubbed my arms trying to rid my mind of the memory. “I
think I’m hopeless.”

“Nah, you’ll get it,” he smiled,
“someday.” He slipped the arrow back into my quiver with a
flourish.

I took a playful swing at him, glad he
was near me again. Letting the hit land, Tanner casually swung his
arm around my shoulders. At least he tried to be casual about it.
His arm was stiff around me until I leaned into him. His arm
immediately relaxed and pulled me a little closer. I liked the idea
of having his arm around me, but even more, I needed to feel
someone real next to me. Tanner turned me back towards the meadow,
his pace slower than necessary.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

I took a moment to consider. The
shocking escape of my dreams into the real world had driven away
all sensations but fear. They were slow to return, but the sinking
sun reminded me that I was indeed starving.

“Yeah, I am,” I replied.

“Great, how does a burger
sound?”

“It sounds perfect.”

We were back to the meadow then. The
scene had not changed in the few minutes we had been in the forest,
but to me the fleeing peaceful atmosphere had cast a threatening
shadow over the area. My expression soured, but I focused on
Tanner’s arm around my shoulders and coaxed a faint smile back onto
my lips. Our feet carried us to the edge of the meadow and Tanner’s
hand slip off my shoulder, trailing down my back before leaving me
completely. I instantly missed his touch and feared what would
replace it.

“I’ll get the targets if you’ll throw
these in the truck,” Tanner said. He handed me his bow and quiver.
Taking the equipment, I hurried to the truck, eager for a few
minutes alone.

Chapter Fifteen

Safe inside the diner, where the dreams
were unlikely to escape again, I let myself enjoy the low
chattering hum of the other customers. Hot greasy smells wafted out
from the kitchen, burning away the lingering stench of smoke. I
smiled and leaned into the booth. It squeaked as I moved, but the
sound was quickly lost to the din.

“Does everyone in town come here?” I
asked, surprised by how packed the restaurant was.

“Pretty much,” Tanner admitted. “There
isn’t a lot of choice in restaurants here, but they do make great
hamburgers, so it doesn’t seem to bother anybody.”

I nodded my head, neither agreeing nor
disagreeing. I had to admit that I didn’t hate Grainer quite as
much as I had a few days ago, but I was willing to bet that had
more to do with Tanner’s presence than the charm of country living.
If only my family’s history was not hanging over my head, I would
have felt completely at home.

“Do you really hate it here,” Tanner
asked as if reading my thoughts.

“It’s not as bad as I thought it would
be.” I smiled. Tanner brightened. I knew I must be acting a little
sullen, but as the day grew closer to its end it was harder for me
to keep my thoughts light. Keeping my eyes on the table, I watched
the approaching waitress deliver our order. Absentmindedly, I
picked up the burger and took a bite. If I wasn’t happy before, I
was now. It was insanely delicious. “This is amazing,” I
mumbled.

Tanner smiled and dove into his own
burger. Not surprisingly, Tanner finished his meal quickly. I ate
hungrily, but had to give up on the oversized hamburger after
barely eating half of it.

“I can’t believe you ate all of that,”
I said, genuinely impressed.

Tanner shrugged, not in the least bit
embarrassed. “You’d probably be surprised how much I can eat. My
mom complains every time me and the guys get hungry, but she
doesn’t really mind it.”

“My mom was the same way with my
brother. She hasn’t quite gotten used to not having him around to
finish off the leftovers. She keeps cooking these big meals, but
most of the time it’s just me and her,” I said.

David would think it was hilarious,
watching my mother’s expression every night when we finish dinner
and still have enough food for two or three more people. I tried to
picture him laughing at her foolishness, but that only sent a pang
through my chest. Would I ever see him laugh again, I
wondered.

“Where is your brother?” Tanner asked.
I instantly wished I could change the topic.

“Oh he’s still in New York. He’s going
to NYU in the fall.”

“Is he working or something?” Tanner
asked. “Since he didn’t come with you guys, I mean. I was just
wondering.”

Glad that Tanner was keeping the
conversation going, even if it was directed at David’s whereabouts,
I tried to shake off my pessimism and answer. “Yeah. When my
parents moved out here, David had two choices, come out here until
school started or get his own apartment. Obviously he went with
getting an apartment, which was expensive, which meant he had to
get a job.”

“Your dad doesn’t pay for his
apartment?” Tanner asked. His question was purely curious, but his
ears turned crimson immediately. “I’m sorry, that was really rude.
It’s none of my business. I just thought that with your dad being a
doctor, he might still help your brother out. I didn’t mean to
pry.”

Laughing at his hurried explanation, I
watched relief wash over him. His question hadn’t offended me in
the least. I knew that many kids had their room and board as well
as their tuition paid by their parents. And not just the ones with
doctors in their families.

“No, my parents are going to help him
pay for college, since it’s so expensive, but they insist he pay
for his day to day stuff like food and his apartment. My mom and
dad are big on personal responsibility,” I explained.

“My dad paid for everything when he was
in school. My grandpa wanted to help, but he just couldn’t afford
to. My dad said that he saw lots of his friends who just got
everything paid for fail out or turn into total bums. He says he
wants us to be ready for the real word after college, not crying to
him when things get hard.”

A smile played on my lips. “I think his
real reason is that he wants to make sure we never try to move back
in with them once we’re gone.”

“Probably,” Tanner agreed. “My mom
reminds me daily that once I move out, which she says better be the
day after I graduate from high school, I’m never coming back for
more than a short visit.”

Grinning, I tried to picture Tanner’s
petite mother trying to keep him out of the house. I could not help
but laugh. Being the town ice cream lady, it seemed terribly
cliché, but his mom was wonderfully sweet. “I doubt she could ever
turn anyone away, especially you.”

“You don’t know my mom,” Tanner said
with a laugh. “She’s pretty tough.”

I smiled again. The diner noise was
slowly winding down. I looked around and saw that more than half of
the patrons had already left. Flickering just outside the window
drew my attention. One by one the street lamps sparked to life.
Dusk had already arrived and night would not be far behind. My mood
shifted, pushing out the pleasant ambiance of the diner.