Bedlam Boyz(11)

"I'm getting something to drink from the fridge. Would you like anything?"

"A glass of milk would be great," Kayla said, and Elizabet walked away. Kayla studied one of the crystal dolphins; it seemed to float in midair, caught forever in a leap out of the water. Only the tip of its tail touched the cut-glass water, the dolphin sculpture delicately balanced on that point.

"Do you like that one?" Elizabet asked, walking up behind her with two glasses of milk. "I like to think of it as a representation of life, balanced perfectly at a single moment."

Kayla took the offered glass from Elizabet's hand. "Thanks." She sipped the milk, then looked wistfully in the direction of Elizabet's kitchen.

"Of course, you must be hungry, child. I probably have some sandwich fixings in the fridge. I'll show you where everything is."

Kayla followed her into the kitchen, and as Elizabet took out a plate and silverware from the cupboards, she asked, "Why did you say, 'of course'?"

Elizabet was silent for a moment. "Make yourself whatever you'd like to eat, then we'll sit down and talk."

"Yeah, sure." Kayla decided not to be polite about the fact that she felt like she hadn't eaten in weeks, and made a huge sandwich out of a whole wheat roll and several different kinds of cheeses. She sat down across from Elizabet at the kitchen table, alternating quick bites of the sandwich with swallows of milk. The older woman watched without speaking as Kayla finished the sandwich. "So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked hesitantly, uncomfortable with Elizabet's long silence.

"We have a few things to discuss," Elizabet said thoughtfully. "Like what happened to you earlier this evening."

"You read Officer Cable's report," Kayla offered. "It has everything in it. Did you want to know about something else?"

Elizabet lifted her hand; white-gold light flickered over her fingers, glittering in the cold light of the kitchen.

"This is what we have to talk about," Elizabet said, the light brightening around her hand as she spoke. "This is magic."





Chapter Three


"I don't want to talk about it," Kayla said. Her eyes darted to the door out of the kitchen; she was certain that Elizabet couldn't run as fast as she could, especially if Kayla had a head start. Maybe she could get out of this house and away from this crazy woman, make it back to Hollywood before the police could catch up with her.

"You're not going to run anywhere, not in your current condition," the woman said, watching her closely. "I think you nearly killed yourself tonight, and it'll take time to recover from that."

"I didn't . . . how did you know about that?" Kayla demanded.

:Trust me, child, I know.:

Kayla stood up quickly, and her chair tilted and clattered to the floor. She backed to the door. "Stop that!" she shouted, her voice very loud in the small kitchen.

"I didn't say anything," Elizabet said mildly. She glanced at her hands; as if an afterthought, the sparkling lights faded away. :But you heard me, didn't you?:

Kayla whirled, looking around the room for the source of the words. This time she was certain of it; Elizabet's lips hadn't moved. "It's a trick, isn't it?" she said, her hand reaching behind her for the doorknob. "You're playing tricks with your voice."

:You know I'm not. Why won't you listen to me?:

"Get out of my head!" Kayla covered her face with her hands, unable to stop the tears and hating herself for crying. "Stop it!"

"I'm sorry, Kayla. I didn't mean to frighten you." Elizabet's voice was gentle. "But I wanted to prove something to you."

"What's that?" She looked up angrily.

"That you still have a lot to learn."



Carlos breathed deeply of the cool early morning air outside the police station, smiling despite the taint of automobile exhaust and street garbage. "It's good to be out, Manny," he said.

His brother Manuel grinned at him. "I'm glad to see you outside the cárcel. But it was a little expensive, paying for your three speeding tickets." His grin broadened. "Maybe next time I'll let you stay longer, until you learn to appreciate me more, eh?"

Carlos laughed and swatted cheerfully at Manuel. They walked together to the waiting car, Carlos' customized old Chevrolet. At least the policía didn't take my car, he thought. That would've been much worse than spending a night in a jail cell next to a madman.

Ramon was seated at the wheel, and he smiled and nodded respectfully to his eldest brother as Carlos slid into the seat behind him. "Mother will be glad to see you home," Ramon said by way of greeting. "She was very sad to hear that you'd been arrested again."