Mackenzie Legacy, The (3 page)

~

Chapter Three

A DAY AT THE RACES

~

Road days were always the toughest.

Cal and Cali drove down out of the mountains and into the central valley, settling into the rhythm as mile after mile of wide open freeway stretched out before them. After endless hours buffeted by wind and weather, dodging lumbering trucks and the occasional road kill, they were both ready for a break.

The sun was high in the sky when farm fields started giving way to buildings and they approached a town. They pulled up at a gas station and climbed off the bike to stretch, feeling dusty and grimy, their legs vibrating and stiff. After Calvin filled up the tank he bought a can of soda from a vending machine, stopping to read a flyer taped up onto its side.

“Hey… There’s a county fair going on right now… Wanna go check it out?”

She paused, but shook her head no. “We should find a place to stay first.”

He grinned at her, “We can ride a Ferris wheel…”

She couldn’t help smiling back, remembering.

“I’ll get you a corn dog… as long as you promise not to dip it into chocolate or something,” he added, cocking an eyebrow at her.

“Mmm… That actually sounds kinda good,” her eyes sparkled at his. “I wonder how mustard would be on cotton candy…”

“Oh, you are
so
on!” he grabbed her, pulling her close. “I’m holding you to that.”

“I don’t know…” she was wavering.

He nuzzled her ear, his voice pleading, “C’mon… We deserve a break. Besides, we can get a place there. Most of the fairgrounds have campsites attached.”

“Really? Why?”

“Carnies have to stay somewhere.”

“Carnies? Are we Carnies?” she asked.

He started laughing so hard that they both almost fell over.

~

The fairgrounds were filled with the usual crowds of people milling about, all of their excitement, frustration and anxiety creating a potent mix of overpowering emotions. Caledonia was learning how to adapt, getting better and better at blocking out the emotional uproar that came at her from all directions. This time, Calvin was her security blanket against the onslaught, and she tucked herself under his arm, nestling into his body to be bathed in his rosy happiness.

With him shielding her she could see everything clearly, even when they made their way to the midway where the twirling rides looked as dangerous as ever. They boarded the Ferris wheel, and this time, the view from the top was completely different, with a patchwork of multi-colored fields stretching out in as far as the eye could see. Calvin held her tight, and when the ride stopped he gazed into her eyes, just like their first time at the fair.

This time, he spoke his mind, “I love you Cali.”

“I know,” she replied, kissing him first. Even through her eyelids she could see the glow of his sweet colors deepen and darken as much as they ever had.
 

The sound of a trumpet blasting caught her attention, and she looked past the carnival rides to see a crowd of people moving towards a grandstand on the far end of the fairgrounds.
 

“What’s happening over there?” Caledonia asked him.

“Looks like a racetrack,” he replied. When they were let off the Ferris wheel they walked over to check it out. Entering the stadium through an arched tunnel, they emerged in front of rows and rows of packed bleachers, and Caledonia looked up, surprised at the intensity of the emotions in the crowd. They wandered around, finally choosing a spot against the rail to stop and watch a truck pull a line of stalls onto the dirt track before them.

A parade of horses and jockeys came trotting out in pairs, galloping around the track. Caledonia could see the animals were filled with excitement and anticipation, each one vibrating with varying degrees of pent up energy. The jockeys finished a circuit of the large oval track and led their spirited horses to line up inside the starting gate.

Calvin leaned against the rail, draping his arm around Caledonia. “Which one do you pick to win?”

She looked them over carefully, and one horse stood out in particular for its singular focus. Glowing a fiery red, the shining animal was bristling with determined anticipation, every muscle tensed and ready.

“The chestnut.”

“Chestnut?” he laughed, “Which one is that?”

“The one in the blue… number three.”

“I like seven,” he said.

“The buckskin?”

He turned to look down at her with a bemused smile, “What are you talking about?”

“Their colors,” she replied. “Horse’s coats all have different names.”

“Seriously?” He pointed to a brown one, “What color is that one?”

“Bay,” she said, pointing out all the different horses, “And that one’s a Red Roan, there’s a Sorrel, a Dun–”

“Done?” he laughed, “Are you sure you’re not making this up? What’s that black one called?”

She pressed her lips together with amusement, “Black.”

He laughed and pulled her close to kiss her forehead, delighted by his strange and beautiful girl.

“Why do you like seven?” she asked.

“I dunno… Lucky number?”

The starting bell rang, the gates lifted, and they were off, hooves thundering on the turf as they passed by. The crowd got louder and louder, roaring from the grandstands behind them. When the throng of horses thundered past the finish line number three had won.

“How did you know?” he asked her.

“That one
really
wanted to win,” she explained. “I could see it.”

She could feel Calvin’s sudden surge of excitement as he took her hand. “Follow me.”

They passed through the mob of spectators and down some stairs to a small circular paddock where a group of people waited, flipping through little pamphlets. After a few minutes grooms started leading out more beautiful horses one by one. The high-strung creatures circled the paddock, tossing their handsome heads.

“Which one do you pick to win the next race?” he asked.

Caledonia looked them over carefully, finally settling on a gleaming bay mare. Her ears were pricked up, her nostrils flared; her mind was steady and determined. She had the bristling energy of raw power barely held in check. Clearly, this was a horse intent on its mission.

“That one,” she said with conviction. “Number six.”

Calvin took her by the hand and led her to a row of windows next to the grandstand. He got in line behind other people, looking at the board that posted the race schedules. She watched him place a bet on the horse she chose, sliding ten dollars across the counter in exchange for a tiny slip of paper.

“What if I’m wrong?” she fretted. “We shouldn’t waste money.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t bet
that
much.”

They watched the next race, and their horse won by a length. He grinned and kissed her. “Nice job! We just won twenty bucks.” Then his eyes flew open wide.

“What?” she asked, watching his colors flare to a bright excited red.

Calvin grabbed her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes excitedly, “Can you pick one and
make
it want to win?”

“I don’t know…” She was taken aback at his sudden intensity. “I guess so.”

He smiled wide, “Wait here!”

She watched him run over to the betting window, coming back to take her hand and pull her over to the viewing area. They positioned themselves on the rails just as the first horse was led into the little corral.

“Number eight,” he said under his breath, “Make that one want to run.”

Caledonia focused, and when the dappled gray horse passed by her she surrounded it with a fierce competitive yellow. Its neck immediately raised up, and its eyes brightened. The horse started tossing its head with anticipation, straining at the bit. The trainer started having a hard time holding him back.

“Whoa,” Calvin breathed.

“What if it’s not as fast as that one?” she asked, nodding her head towards a gleaming black stallion that was every bit eager as the gray horse.

“Can you make that one slower?” he whispered in her ear.

She nodded, casting a lavender cloud of satisfied sleepiness over the beast as it passed. Its pace slowed, and it turned its head to regard Caledonia with a peaceful stare. Calvin squeezed her hand, his excitement mounting. “Can you make
all
the rest of them slower?”

She nodded and got to work.

When the horses were done parading they were led back out onto the track, and the two Cals staked out a spot on the rail to wait. Caledonia leaned on Calvin, dizzy from the sheer effort it had taken to change so many of the huge animals.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She smiled, “I’m just a little tired.”

The gates lifted and the horses were off. The crowd behind them started screaming, and Caledonia turned around to regard the people seated in the grandstands. They were all swimming in a thick stew of pea green desperation, pinkish hope and intense red excitement, all blended together with a thin veneer of tart anticipation that made her sick to her stomach.

The noise reached a crescendo just as the horses passed the finish line. The gray horse won by a nose, and Calvin let out a whoop, picking her up and twirling her around. Caledonia was overwhelmed by Calvin’s excitement; it was much stronger than she imagined it would be.

“You did it!” he kissed her, vibrating with sweet happiness and overwhelming relief.

He draped his arm around her proudly as they waited at the window to collect their winnings. He sighed with contentment and pressed his lips onto the top of her head.

“We should go find a campsite now,” she said, worrying about having enough daylight left to pitch their tent and gather firewood.

“Are you kidding? We’re gonna be getting a room tonight! The best room in town.”

“Are you sure we should?” she asked, looking up at him with alarm.

He laughed, “Oh Yeah. I could use a hot shower and a nice soft bed.”

Caledonia sighed with longing at the thought, and then frowned. “We shouldn’t spend any more money than we have to.”

He turned to look at her. “Cali… I bet fifty dollars.”

“Really?” she was surprised, glad that they won. “Still, that’s only a few tanks of gas…”

He laughed, “Do you have any idea what twenty to one odds means?”

“No,” she paused, thinking for a second. “Do you mean like a ratio?”

He nodded yes. “And I bet fifty dollars… So we win–”

“A thousand dollars?” she blurted out, her eyes flying open wide.

He laughed again, picking her up and kissing her.

~

That night, they drove into the heart of town and took a room at the nicest place Calvin could find. Caledonia had always been impressed by little things about motel rooms, like ice machines and coffee makers, but room service menus brought a whole new level of wonder. After a steak and lobster dinner and a couple of long hot showers they snuggled side by side under the warm blankets of a clean bed.

Calvin twisted a lock of her hair between her fingers. “What’s the horse color for this?” he asked with a smile in his voice.

She thought for a second, “Palomino.”

Caledonia sighed luxuriantly, tired after the strain of the long day. She’d never tried to use her powers so much before, and hadn’t realized exactly how much sheer effort it took. She thought about what she’d done, and it made her wonder, “Calvin… Where does the money come from?”

“Mmm,” he grunted with satisfaction, “What money?”

“The racetrack money.”

“I dunno… I guess it comes from all the people who lose.”

“Oh… So, it’s not really fair then.”

“What do you mean? They knew they could lose when they bet it.”

She was quiet for a moment, “But we didn’t… We knew we were going to win.”

He chuckled, “That was so awesome.” He rolled over and kissed her ear, whispering, “You were awesome.”

She turned to look him in the eye, “We had an unfair advantage.”

“All’s fair in gambling and war.”

“You just made that up,” she said reproachfully. “It’s love and war.”

“Did you say love?” His happy smile made her weak, and when he drew her into his arms and encased her in his contented pink glow, she forgot all about her guilty conscience.

~

Chapter Four

GAMBLERS

~

Calvin and Cali no longer wandered aimlessly, because now they were following the horse racing circuit around the state. They bet on horses at small-town county fairs and luxurious racetracks from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Still cautious, they always kept an eye out for any possible pursuers, but now they spent their nights in luxury rooms at plush hotels. It was a far cry from camping out.

Caledonia spent much of her time between races lounging by hotel pools reading, and they took their meals at a variety of restaurants where she could satisfy her penchant for trying all kinds of new foods. Calvin upgraded their motorcycle gear, buying them expensive leather jackets and pants, heavy boots, and shiny new helmets. He picked out new T-shirts with all kinds of images printed on them– designs that puzzled her.

“Why are there so many skulls on them?” she asked, “What does it mean?”

He shrugged. “I dunno, I just think it just looks kinda cool.”

“It looks kind of anatomical” she observed.

He urged her to shop for herself, leading her inside stores with pretty dresses displayed in the windows. Once she got over her shyness she delighted in picking out new clothes and shoes, indulging herself in lacy underwear and cosmetics that the salesgirls assured her Calvin would like. He insisted on escorting her, waiting patiently outside of the dressing rooms while she tried things on.

Calvin worked his own particular brand of magic on the girls in the boutiques, and they would giggle and whisper to each other about him. A few of the more brazen ones would openly flirt with him when they thought Caledonia wasn’t paying attention, and even without her special abilities they were unable to conceal their interest from her.
 

She felt an uncomfortable surge of sour green jealousy when other women noticed him, but she couldn’t really blame them. She had to admit that he looked impossibly attractive, his broad shoulders and lanky frame lounging casually on the couch in the waiting area. Much to her delight, his beautiful dark eyes only lit up for her, and as childish and petty as she knew it was, she always made it a point to kiss him for the other women’s benefit.

Caledonia was learning how to navigate the world of people, and becoming more familiar with city life. Increasingly restless, she started foraying out on her own to go for long walks in the upscale neighborhoods around their fine hotel rooms.

One day she lost all track of time in a bookstore, lingering over some novels she knew would be too heavy to take with them on the bike. She was tracked down by a frantic Calvin, who clung to her with relief.

“It’s almost check-out time,” he explained. “I was starting to freak out.”

“You shouldn’t worry so much,” she soothed him, rubbing his back. “There’s no way they could possibly find us here.”

“I’m sorry,” he heaved a deep breath. “I just don’t know what I would do if–”

“Nothing’s going to happen,” she told him firmly, taking his arm and walking back to the hotel with him. She did her best to reassure him that she was being careful, while he did his best to control the rising panic he felt whenever he lost track of her. Calvin knew that trying to hide anything from her was futile, but she was also unable to hide her growing discontent from him.

Gambling money made life on the run comfortable, but Caledonia felt like she was being seduced into ignoring the little voice in her head that told her what they were doing was wrong. She began to feel increasingly uneasy, sensing that she was using her power in the wrong way.

The professor had bestowed this gift upon her, destroying her parents in the process, and she felt that there must be some way to use it for good– some way that would honor her parent’s sacrifice.

She searched her heart, waiting for a sign.

“What are you going to do with all of your money?” she asked Calvin, watching him counting out a stack of hundred dollar bills and stowing it away deep in his tote bag as he packed.

“Our money,” he corrected her. “What do you think we should do with it?”

“I don’t know… We should use it to do something good.”

He looked thoughtful, “If it’s okay with you, I was thinking that I’d like to help out Jarod… You know, to pay him back for taking care of everything.”

“That’s a great idea,” she smiled. “Crystal wanted him to buy a new couch.”

Calvin laughed, “There’s a lot more than a new couch here… I was thinking that maybe if we save up enough for him he might quit riding with the club, open up that bike shop instead… You know, do something legit.”

“
When
we save enough,” she corrected him, thinking that helping Calvin’s brother change his life would be a very worthwhile thing to do.

So despite her misgivings, Caledonia kept it up. She learned that it required a tremendous amount of effort to use her power over and over, and by the time they left the racetracks her hands were often shaking with fatigue.

On race days, they tried not to attract too much attention to themselves, and developed a system that seemed to work. They started out by betting inconspicuously on the favorites, making certain that they won. They saved the huge long-shot payoff for last, leaving as soon as they collected their final winnings.

The strain of changing the mindset of all the big animals was wearying, and even though she tried not to worry Calvin, Caledonia was increasingly plagued by headaches. The unfairness of their advantage continued to trouble her, and she started paying more attention to what was going on around them, becoming increasingly sensitive to the repercussions of what they were doing.

She’d always loved animals, and while changing their emotional states left no permanent damage, seeing the horses getting whipped as they neared the finish line horrified her. She could sense the jockey’s frustration and anger after she’d rendered their mounts unexpectedly lethargic.

Caledonia could see consequences in the people too, hearing rumblings of discontent in the crowds. Loud voices complained about “sure things” that had gone suddenly wrong, odds being miscalculated, and favorites that came in last. Once, when she stood by the paddock casting her colors on the animals she overheard a jockey get browbeaten, fired for losing a race and ruining a horse’s reputation.

She was mortified when she overheard gossip about an owner forced to sell his horse, having been financially destroyed after it lost a series of important races. She knew that horse, remembering a spirited chestnut stallion that had been particularly difficult to pacify, and realized she had been at the very least partly responsible for its loss in value.

Like a pebble tossed into a still pond, the ripple effect of her actions was growing and spreading, affecting more and more lives. As much as she wanted to help Jarod, she was becoming increasingly discontented, unable to quell her troubling pangs of guilt.

As for Calvin, he’d never been more satisfied, living a life of leisure with the girl he loved, feeling increasingly secure as their stash of money increased from track to track. Caledonia didn’t want to disappoint him, so she followed along, counting the days until she could go back home and see her land.

She knew what she wanted to do after that.

~

One afternoon they were tooling along the freeway, en route to their next racetrack, when Calvin’s colors suddenly changed. They were in the middle of nowhere with no other traffic around, and Caledonia looked around, unable to imagine what had set him off. After a while they stopped to cool down the bike, sharing a bottle of water and stretching their legs.

Caledonia asked him tentatively, “You got upset about twenty miles back…What was it? What were you thinking about?”

Calvin heaved a sigh. Sometimes he wished he could hide his feelings from her, but with Cali, there was no point in lying. “It was the exit to the prison. We passed by it.”

“Prison?”

“The one my dad is at,” he said grimly.

“Oh…” she was surprised. “Do you want to go back? To visit him?”
 

“Hell no!” he exclaimed, his hurt feelings flaring again.

Calvin’s father had caused the drunken car crash that killed his mother, hardening his son’s heart against him. It was easier to be angry with his father than admit how much he missed his gentle kind mother, and all of his rebellious behavior could be traced back to that sad fact.

Both Calvin and Caledonia’s parent’s deaths had been a line of demarcation in their lives– the one event that had utterly, irrevocably changed their young lives forever. There was nothing left for Caledonia to do, but Calvin still had an opportunity, however small, to make peace with his past.

Caledonia pressed her lips together, finally speaking, “Calvin… Maybe it would help if you talked to him.”

“I have nothing to say.”

Caledonia had a hard time understanding his stubbornness. She knew how much losing his mother had hurt him, but she would have given anything to see her father one more time. An image of his life before she knew him was starting to take shape in her mind, and it was a picture of a family whose troubles tore them apart instead of drawing them closer.

She continued gently, “If you don’t forgive, you can’t forget.”

“Can you forget what the professor did to your parents?” he snapped.

She looked down. “No… But there has to be something good about your father.”

“Why?”

“Because your mother loved him.”

“A lot of good it did her,” he said bitterly.

“It gave her you,” she looked back up. “And it gave me you.”

He met her eyes, and she could see his heart soften.

“I just don’t want you to regret not going when you have the chance…”

“Please drop it,” he said.

She nodded. “Okay.”

Watching him suffer reminded her of watching her parents. She was a helpless child then, forced to sit back and wait, making sure they were safe while their minds cleared of demons. She knew that she could help Calvin feel better now, but her hands were tied. If she purposely changed him– forced him to let go of his anger, it might be the kindest thing, but it would also be the worst thing.

If she ever crossed that line, all the trust that was between them would vanish, and everything she valued the most would be lost. Even if Calvin never realized it, she would know, and as tempting as it was, she feared tainting the most important thing in the world to her.

They headed back out onto the road, taking a scenic two-lane highway that wound through some densely forested hills. They were tooling along, each lost in their own thoughts, when they rounded a corner and narrowly missed slamming into a pickup truck that was stopped diagonally in the road. A freshly hit deer was sprawled out on the shoulder.

Calvin maneuvered them to a weaving, skidding stop in the gravel, nearly losing control of the bike in the process. They came to rest mere inches from a steep rocky ravine that tumbled to a creek below.

He looked down, his heart pounding in his throat.

“Are you alright?” she asked him.

He was breathing hard, his mind racing. The enormity of what had just happened was dawning on him. He’d nearly dumped the bike, and if they’d gone off the edge, Cali would have been seriously hurt.

Caledonia jumped off the bike and ran over to see the deer. It was clearly dead, and it was also heavily pregnant. She looked at its belly, able to distinguish the bluish grey confusion coming from the fawn trapped inside its mother’s womb. She knew what she had to do.

She returned to the bike, tearing the pack off the back and scrambling to extract her knife.

“What are you doing?” Cal asked.

She wheeled around and raced back over to the where the doe had fallen. By the time Calvin reached her she was kneeling down, feeling its abdomen. She racked her brain for what she knew about deer anatomy, searching for the optimum spot to make the cut.

“You’re not going to…” Calvin was still in a state of shock.

“I have to,” she said urgently. “It’s still alive in there.”

The truck’s engine started up with a rumble, and after pulling off to the side of the road the driver trotted up, huffing and puffing, “I’m sorry man! Are you guys okay?” He pulled off his cap, twisting it in his hands, clearly upset. “It just came from out of nowhere! There was nothing I could do!”

Caledonia looked up at him calmly. “Do you have a blanket or something?”

The man looked down at the deer, comprehension dawning in his eyes. “Uh, Yeah… Sure…” He trotted back to his truck, and by the time he returned with a towel and a blanket she already had the fawn cut out of the birth sack. She swept its mouth out with her finger, relieved when it gasped out its first breaths. She wiped it down, massaging its limbs until it began to breathe regularly. Caledonia bathed it in courage and tranquility, reassured when the little fawn opened its eyes and let out a feeble bleat. When it started kicking its legs, she smiled up at Calvin, radiant.

The two men stood staring, dumbstruck, watching as she wrapped the newborn in a blanket. Calvin had never seen anything so incredible in his life, but he really didn’t know why he was surprised. She surprised him every single day. He looked over at the truck driver to see that the man had tears in his eyes.