Road to the Sun Ch. 07

*******

James was hot, sweaty and uncomfortable sandwiched between Cindy's limp body and the blanketed seat. That's not what woke them; what woke them was the loud thunk of thin metal being bent and the shaking of the SUV.

"Fuck!" Cindy cried.

"That's one big fuckin bird!" James added.

It was easy to tell in the dawn's morning light that the huge bird had been the source of their wake-up call. It was perched on the hood and looking in the windshield with black beaded eyes. It was at least as long as James' forearm from the tip of its large beak to the end of its tail. Long blue-black feathers simmered in the light as it bobbed and weaved its large head trying to get a better look at the siblings.

"That's the biggest fucking crow I've ever seen!" Cindy exclaimed.

"I don't think that's a crow."

"Then what the fuck is it?"

"No clue."

They watched in awe as the raptor preened itself and gasped aloud as it spread its wings. When the bird opened its beak and let out a loud croak instead of a caw James knew for a fact that it was a raven.

The raven fluffed its feathers then leaped off the hood as it took to the air, leaving behind several feathers, much to their delight.

"James, I want one of those."

"Okay, but you've got to get off me first," he chuckled.

James swore aloud nonstop in the bitterly cold morning air as he did his best to collect the feathers.

"You could've put your clothes on first, you know," Cindy laughed.

"Well... I just didn't think about it," he said as he got back in on the driver's side.

They couldn't help but laugh at each other and themselves as they tried to untangle their clothes and get dressed.

*******

Tess Brines waved her sister goodbye from the front porch of their grandmother's want-to-be museum. She hated the fact that she would not see her sister again for a whole week. In her opinion, it was unfair to make Mariah sit in a watch-tower for that long all by herself. She would have gone with her if she didn't have to work herself.

What annoyed her more was that she wasn't allowed to go anywhere by herself. She was an adult and could take care of her own well-being. She didn't need or want a babysitter, but she knew that for the sake of peace and quiet she would reluctantly submit to grandma's request. Ever since they had moved in with her, Tess had felt like she was on a leash.

She took a deep breath of the cold mountain air and let out a soft sigh as she went back inside to wait for Mr. White. Tess considered him an 'old fart'; how in the world her grandmother could think of him as good security she'd never know. He was a good sized man and had surprised her several times by his strength, which, for a man in his seventies, was impressive.

The ten minutes that she had to wait flew by quickly. Mr. White stood almost six feet tall and his long salt and pepper hair was tied back into his customary ponytail. His black three-piece suit and his black patent leather shoes were as pristine as ever. He had a darker complexion than her own toffee-colored one.

"You ready, Ms. Tess?" His deep bass voice was gentle as always.

"Yeah..." her voice was quiet, and her melancholy mood very apparent.

"Are you feeling well today, Ms. Tess?"

"I'll be fine. Thank you for asking, Sly-Fox." It still felt weird to her to call him by his tribal name.

"Where to today, Ms. Tess?"

"The Lodge."

"As you wish, Ms. Tess."

The half-hour drive to the lodge was quiet, which was normal for both of them. Tess knew that Mr. White was a tribal elder, but just couldn't figure out why he was her shadow. She could always ask him again, but knew he would just give her the same answer that he had each time she'd asked for the last four years: 'Because of who you are.' To which she'd ask: 'Who am I?' The answer she got? 'You'll find out soon enough.' He certainly was a cryptic bastard. His tribal name seemed to fit perfectly.

She didn't have a regular job. Tess was more of a fill-in wherever the Tribal Council needed her. This morning it was for the lodge, as a clerk in the convenience store/gas station operated by the council. As it was mid-October she expected a slow day.

She clocked in and set about doing her register swap. She watched Mr. White head off towards the lodge's offices. She knew he'd be watching over her on the security cameras.

It was just after six a.m. when she noticed a late model grey pickup truck pull up at the pumps. She walked over to the window and watched as the driver got out to retrieve a gas can from the bed of the truck and then tried to fill it at the pump. The driver seemed to be getting upset so she walked over to the microphone for the pumps.

"It's pre-paid," she said.

"I know, but my card doesn't seem to be working,"

"Come on in and I'll run it through in here."

"Okay."

When he came into the shop her breath caught in her throat. It was James! She had seen him once before, in the restaurant Friday night. Brown hair and five-foot-ten according to the tape measure at the door. Her heart started to beat a little faster and she felt warmer as he got closer to the counter.

"Sorry about that. But my card doesn't seem to work on the pump."

"No problem."

She ran his card and when the processing message read "Denied" she ran it again.

"Sorry, but it's been declined."

"Fuck's sake!" he said as he pulled out a wad of cash: "I need two gallons if you please."

As she ran him up he said: "Is your name Mariah?"

Tess thought 'that will make her happy!'

"No, it's Tess. Mariah is my twin sister."

"Nice to meet you, Tess."

"Nice to meet you too, James."

She watched him cock an eyebrow as he asked: "How'd you know my name?"

"Mariah pointed you out to me Friday night."

"Friday night? I didn't meet her till yesterday afternoon."

"Sorry James, all I know is she pointed you out during grandma's birthday party."

"Ah... okay."

When he turned to leave, she said: "Ah dah mah tsee noo tsee yoop!"

He turned: "What?"

"I said: 'Ah dah mah tsee noo tsee yoop!'It means: 'I'll see you again.'"

He smiled at her and did his best to repeat the phase but gave up after failing twice before he said: "Later."

She smiled at him and waved goodbye as he walked back to the pumps: "I'll definitely see you later."

TO BE CONTINUED