“For a while now. I’ve lived in many different places.”
“Henry likes to travel,” Mom said, looking adoringly at him. I smiled, resisting the urge to gape. From beneath the table, Sam squeezed my thigh in reassurance.
When dinner was finished, Mom presented the table with a Bee-sting cake that looked perfectly baked and decorated. For some reason, just looking at the sweet concoction turned my stomach and the last thing I wanted to do was eat it. When she turned away to get coffee cups and a knife to cut the cake, I dropped my fake smile for a split second and shifted in my seat. When I looked up, Henry was staring at me. My eyes collided with his and I felt this weird sort of pressure in my head. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. It was like he was drawing me in. Another fly buzzed in my ear and before my eyes, breaking the trance I was in. I grimaced and shooed it away. “These flies are annoying.”
“It’s summer,” my mother said, returning to the table and began cutting thick slices of the rich cake.
You okay? Sam asked.
Yeah. I felt weird for a minute, but I’m fine now.
Mom slid a huge slice of cake before me and my stomach revolted. Casually, Sam reached over and slid the plate out from under me and placed it in front of him. “No cake for me,” I said, patting my stomach. “I’m stuffed from dinner.”
Mom frowned.
“But I’d love a cup of coffee,” I hurried to say, trying not to wince. I prayed that my rejection of dessert would not lead into a conversation of how I don’t eat enough.
“Wonderful,” Mom said, her aura never wavering from the tranquil blues and greens. Seconds later, a steaming cup appeared before me. The rich, bold aroma soothed me.
Sam made appreciative noises around the cake and polished off that huge slice before I even added milk and sugar to my mug. Mom seemed delighted and handed him another slice, which he attacked with equal excitement.
You are going to be sick later, I told him.
“There is a reason that I invited you over,” Mom said, drawing my focus away from Sam. I glanced up to see Henry staring at me once more. He smiled and something cold slithered down my spine. I shook the feeling and turned toward my mother.
“Yes?” Hadn’t I known that this little meal was too good to be true?
“Here,” she said sliding an envelope across the table. I stared down at it for several heartbeats wondering what was inside. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. “Open it,” Mom urged.
I picked it up and slid my finger beneath the flap. The paper was crisp and I felt it slice into my skin. “Ouch.” I drew my finger away and stared down at the welling blood.
“Be careful,” Henry said quietly. “Wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
I smiled weakly. “It’s just a paper cut.” I tore the envelope the rest of the way and pulled out a sheet of paper. It was the permission slip for the class trip to Italy. Mom’s signature was scrawled across the bottom.
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“I’ve decided to allow you to go to Italy,” she said as she took a bite of cake. “This cake is just delicious. Thank you so much for bringing it, Henry,”
“It was my pleasure,” he said smoothly, running his hand down her arm.
“I don’t understand,” I repeated. Just like that? For months she had been adamantly refusing to let me go, demanding that I go to Camp Hope instead. So why the sudden change of heart?
Sam gently pulled the form out of my fingers and looked it over.
Mom smiled. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately and I can see now that I was wrong.” Shock must have registered across my face because she said, “I know this seems out of the blue, but really it isn’t. You’re a good girl, Heven. You always have been and I was punishing you for something that wasn’t even your fault.” Her eyes scanned the area where my scars used to be.
I resisted the urge to finger my cheek. “You don’t think I’m evil?” I whispered, trying not to hope.
“No, honey. I think some bad things happened to you and you did your best to cope.”
“I…” I didn’t know what to say. This was all so unexpected.
Mom smiled. “I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip. Take lots of pictures and I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“Thank you,” I said, staring down at the signed form on the table.
“You’re welcome,” she said, returning to her cake.
I got up from the table and went around to her side and threw my arms around her neck. “Thank you so much.”
“I’m so glad you’re happy.”
I pulled back. “What about Camp Hope?”
She waived her hand in the air dismissively. “I called and gave up your spot. After talking with Henry, it really wasn’t that hard of a decision.”
My eyes shot to Henry who was sipping his coffee. “You talked to Henry about this?”
Mom nodded. “He is a wonderful listener. He helped me see that I was being too hard on you.”
“I…” This was all because of Henry? How much influence did he have over my mother?
“Are you all right, Heven?” Mom said, concern darkening her eyes.
“Oh, yes,” I hurried to say. “Thank you, Mom. This really means a lot to me.” The last thing I wanted to do was give her reason to rethink her decision.
“I’m so glad. I really hope we can be close again,” she said.
I returned to my chair next to Sam and reached for his hand beneath the table. “Me too,” I agreed.
I glanced at Henry, wondering if Mom’s ‘we’ included him. He caught my stare and smiled. It transformed his already good looks into something angelic and benevolent. Maybe having him around wouldn’t be so bad, I thought as I studied him anew. But then, something behind his eyes shifted, and the tiniest flicker of something else emerged, something so small it couldn’t really be anything. I blinked and it was gone, making me doubt it had even been there at all. I turned back to my coffee, shaken.
Sometimes looks could be deceiving.
* * *
Despite the summer month, the air was cool and the sun was barely up when we crept into the barn. I was reminded that we weren’t as safe as I once might have believed, by the sight of Sam’s tense shoulders and roaming eyes. I wondered if there would ever be a time when our lives weren’t in danger. Sam slid the barn door closed behind us and I clicked on the flashlight I was gripping. Soft beams of light shone before us, illuminating the yellow hay and dirt floor. A soft nickering to my left made me smile.