Chapter 7.

That Sat.u.r.day afternoon Kaila's mother mowed the lawn on the riding mower, eradicating all signs of the Venus crop circle. Yet Kaila was becoming alert that signs, obvious and subtle, ran rampant. Though her mother might cut down the crop circle and encase their minds in black plastic, they lived in a land of high strangeness that couldn't be perennially denied.

But for now, they clutched at normalcy: Nan cooked a chicken and sausage jambalaya for lunch. Paw Paw dozed in his recliner. After lunch, Mike, Lee, and Kaila attended to the horses.

The Guidry family housed five Arabians in the barn. Black as the night sky, Nan had named them aptly: Orion, Lyra, Perseus, Pegasus, and Mira. Nan and Paw Paw had been proud horse people, once showing their Arabians, but those days had pa.s.sed.

Paw Paw had grown feeble with the chemotherapy, and Nan complained of a bad hip. Kaila remembered when she was little and Pegasus gave birth to Perseus. She'd loved the filly the moment she was born, jet black with a white diamond on her forehead.

Let's go! Kaila heard Perseus telepathically as she trudged into the barn over the hay.

I'm coming. Hold on, Kaila said in her mind, leading her out of her stall.

What about us? Mira and Lyra called.

We'll take you in a bit, Kaila said.

After saddling Perseus, Kaila nudged the mare, now eleven, into a full gallop across the fields. Mike rode Orion beside her, and Lee rode Pegasus behind.

The Guidrys didn't believe in using crops. If you raised and treated a horse right, they were an extension of your own body and you could guide them with a nudge of your thighs and heels.

Thank you, Perseus said with her mind, her mane riffling in the wind. This feels so good! You've not been paying enough attention to me, Perseus pouted as her hooves clopped over the field.

I'm sorry, Kaila said, gripping the reins. School gets in the way.

School? Perseus snorted. It's that boy!

Kaila leaned over Perseus's neck. "How do you know about him?" she called aloud.

He came to visit me.

"What?" Kaila reined in to a trot. Why would Jordyn come to commune with her horse?

What did he say?

Perseus shook her head. Can't say.

"Whoa!" Kaila jerked to a stop and dismounted. She walked to face Perseus. "Young lady," she said aloud. "You tell me what he said. Right now."

Perseus shook her head. He made me promise, she moped. Perseus fluttered her eyelashes over her large dark eyes. But . . . maybe he's coming tonight. She stamped her hoof. I didn't say that!

Kaila stared straight at Perseus, waiting until the horse looked her in the eye. "No secrets. Understand?"

Perseus snorted.

Mike and Lee galloped up to Kaila and halted.

"You gotta stop pretend-talking to these animals," Mike shouted. "You got friends now."

"Whatever." Kaila re-mounted Perseus.

Sometimes they rode in the open fields. But today, a bit warm, they headed for the woods, seeking shade. Wildlife abounded: nutria, racc.o.o.ns, squirrels, possum, and occasionally, water moccasins seeking water.

They rode a while, Kaila wondering if Jordyn would show up that night. Next, Mike and Kaila rode Mira and Lyra. Then they groomed the five horses, fed and watered them.

Thank you, Perseus sighed. Much better.

That night, the family gathered round the television set. As promised, Kaila made popcorn and fed Lucy and Woofy their beloved kernels. Lucy's pink tongue stuck out as she gazed at Kaila with love.

"Oh, stop being so mushy. You're welcome," Kaila said.

Lucy barked.

"I told you I would make popcorn, so I did," Kaila replied. "Stop. You're embarra.s.sing me with this fuss."

"Quiet," Mike said. "The news is on."

"They're raising the taxes again?" Nan looked up from her crochet.

"Idiots," Paw Paw said. "Every one of them government folk should be run out of town."

"We gotta pay for their high falutin' living, the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds," Mike drawled. "Work like a dog, they'll take every dime. Liars and thieves, every last one of 'em."

Kaila sighed, bored. Why did old people like to watch the news with its taxes, murders, floods, diseases, and wars, while complaining the whole time?

How she wished she could be with Jordyn. Perseus had to be mistaken. He wouldn't just appear in front of her family. No way.

Kaila stuck in the ear buds of her iPod. She cranked it up. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the music of Pink. A buzzing sounded inside her ears, below the music. She opened her eyes.

"Who on earth would be ringing the doorbell?" Nan wondered from her armchair. She put down her crochet needles.

Kaila raced to the door. Too late. Her mother had opened the door. There stood Jordyn in his silver bodysuit and black t-shirt. He looked past her mother to Kaila.

Lucy and Woofy barked.

"Stop!" Kaila cried above the dogs barking, restraining Lucy by her collar.

Jordyn cast a purposeful gaze down at Lucy and Woofy. They quieted and sat.

"Oh!" Lee exclaimed. She stepped back, barefoot in yoga pants. "Who're you?"

Now Nan and Mike cl.u.s.tered in the doorway. Why couldn't her family just go away?

"I'm Jordyn," he said, staring intently at Lee.

"Don't do that," Kaila implored.

But already, her mother wore a placid expression.

Nan said, "Young man, have we been introduced?"

"For goodness sakes," Mike intervened. "You all leave the guy alone." He stuck his hand out to Jordyn. "Hey buddy. How're you? I'm Mike, Kaila's step-dad."

"Nice to meet you," Jordyn said, taking Mike's hand and staring.

One second. Then Mike froze, his hand out. Nan had her hands on her hips, her mouth open. Lee stood as if in yoga mountain pose.

Kaila observed that the second hand had stopped on the kitchen clock.

"You can't do this to my family," Kaila wailed.

She felt conflicted: overjoyed to see Jordyn but weirded out with her family frozen in the kitchen doorway.

"I wanted to see you," Jordyn said. "If you don't want to see me, I'll go. And then you can get back on the couch and watch the news."

"Please. Anything but that!"

Jordyn stepped closer, drew her to him. His warm arms held her close; he put his lips to her ear.

"What would you like to do?" he whispered.

She felt exhilarated yet embarra.s.sed with her family standing around, even though they were unaware.

Unable to resist, Kaila said, "Send them all to bed."

"Your wish is my command."

With the family peacefully asleep in their beds, Jordyn and Kaila sat next to each other on the sofa. The dogs slept peacefully on the floor.

Now together and undisturbed, they fell silent. Jordyn studied the sofa, recliners, rugs, the paintings on the wall, drumming his fingers on his thighs. He cleared his throat.

To break the silence, Kaila asked, "Did you visit my horse?"

"What? No. Why would I want to visit your horse?"

Was he lying? He looked sincere. Kaila realized that maybe the boy Perseus referred to had been one of the others. But who?

Kaila flipped the channels with the remote. "What do you want to watch?" she asked.

"I've never watched television."

"You haven't?" Kaila was incredulous.

Jerry Springer was on. A barefooted brunette in a tight short dress belted another woman who was screaming about her being a wh.o.r.e.

Jordyn stared, aghast, as they pulled each other's hair until the security guards separated them. He said, "People like this?"

"I guess."

The channel changed. Kaila hadn't touched the remote. A boxing match. Two large men threw punches with their boxing gloves, circling round each other. One landed a hard right straight into the other's jaw, sent him to the ground.

"Ugh," Jordyn said. "Fighting. This is terrible!"

The channel changed again. CNN. A bomb going off in the Middle East. People with blood on their faces, people dead in the streets.

"Why do you do this to each other?" Jordyn asked.

The channel changed. History Channel. The pyramids in Egypt.

Jordyn listened to the narration. "Now this is of interest."

"Ever since I was a kid I've wanted to see the pyramids," Kaila said. "I've wanted to go my whole life."

"There's a reason for that." Jordyn changed the channel with his mind.

Kate Winslet and Leonard DiCaprio clung to each other on the t.i.tantic. They kissed one another pa.s.sionately.

"I love you," Kate Winslet declared.

"What does that mean when they say *I love you'?" Jordyn asked.

Kaila wanted to shout, what I feel for you! But she said, "A good warm feeling for another-where you care about the other."

"What happens to those two?" he asked, pointing to Winslet and DiCaprio.

"Um, the ship sinks and he dies."

"They don't stay together forever?"

"No. But I think when someone truly loves, they love forever, whether the person is there or not."

He gazed at her, digesting this information. His eyes watered. "That's terrible. They should be together."

"Maybe, when she dies, they're finally together in spirit."

Jordyn knit his brows. "What is that?"

"A part of you that flies away when your body dies."

"Like the wind?"

Kaila shrugged. "I guess."