Broken Past, Good Path

Neither will a thousand tears...

    Morgan Dylan sat at the back of the classroom, her icy blue eyes looking out onto the grounds as the professor’s monotone voice drilled the class on mathematical equations. She did well in school even though she only paid attention to half of her lessons. She began to suspect her father had something to do with her good grades. A vile taste entered her mouth, like every time she thought about her father. She turned her head back to the professor, ridding her mind of the thoughts of her father, as the bell rang signaling the end of the school day. She slowly gathered her items, ignoring the rush of her classmates as they exited the classroom, all of them excited to be going home. Noah sauntered up to her, a smirk on his face.

                “How about we go get some food?” Noah offered, leaning across her desk. Morgan frowned, not in the mood for anything.

                “Next time,” She said simply, walking out of the classroom and towards the front doors. Noah followed behind her. When they reached the front doors, a line of black SUVs sat idle with their four ways blinking came into view. Not again, Morgan groaned, catching the familiar site of her butler exiting from the driver seat of the first SUV. She turned to Noah, looking into his soft brown eyes. “On second thought… Let’s go!” Morgan grabbed Noah’s arm, pulling him into a run beside her as they made a beeline for the opposite side of the school. She couldn’t help but smiling, nearly laugh, while they ran. It was the first time in a long time she felt so free or the last time she disobeyed and ran away from the responsibilities her father asked of her.

                They ran to the far end of the grounds where a chain-link fence sealed in the grounds. Morgan and Noah paused, hearing angry shouts ring out behind them. Noah knelt, put his two hands together, and inclined his head towards the top of the fence. Morgan hesitated for just a moment until another shout rang out. She jumped into action, putting one of her feet on Noah’s hands, allowing him to lift her up and over the fence. She half climbed, half fell down the other side, her breathing come in excited, short gasps. Noah jumped down beside her and they were off down a dark alley. They slowed to a walk as the alley opened onto a shopping street, several vendors shouting about the food they were selling.

                “I don’t understand why you hate a personal escort,” Noah commented sarcastically next to her, his eyes settling on her as they walked. Morgan breathed heavily, a smile on her lips.

                “My dad’s goons. He wants me to play by his rules, which is not my style. Plus, isn’t it refreshing to have a good run,” Morgan brushed the hair out of her face. They continued down the street, looking into the windows of little shops. Some were connected to restaurants that sold their homemade jams or sauces, while others had handmade clothing on display. At the end of the alley sat a small restaurant, deserted on the corner, boasting the best chili in town. Morgan and Noah shrugged at each other, making their way inside with a silent nod to the sign on the door.

                                Free Fortune Telling With The Purchase Of A Bowl Of Chili

                When they entered the small establishment, the smell of spices invaded their senses immediately. Only two other people were in the restaurant, an older lady with graying hair under a bonnet of sorts, and a taller man behind the bar, tattoos etched clearly up and down both arms. The restaurant was rather small, with only enough room for a few tables to fill the space. The elderly woman waddled toward them with a toothless smile and menus stacked underneath her arm. Morgan eyed the lady disdainfully. She had never eaten in such a small, broken-down restaurant before and did not know how to feel about the people or the place.

                “Take a seat,” The woman had trouble pronouncing her s due to her missing front teeth. Noah and Morgan took a seat at the nearest table which looked like it hadn’t been cleaned off in weeks. Morgan kept her hands to herself, making sure not to touch anything. “Menus?” The lady held out a menu for both of them.

                “I’ll have the chili,” Morgan eyed the menu, noticed it had as many stains as the table, and turned up her nose at it. The woman gave her a wink, and turned to Noah two appeared to be debating. Morgan turned her eyes to the ground, unsure of the proper etiquette.

                “The same for me please,” Noah said politely, gaining the same wink the woman had given Morgan. After the lady left Morgan leaned over the table towards Noah, still careful not to touch anything.

                “Is eating here a good idea?” Morgan asked in a whisper, her eyes taking in the cobwebs in the corners and the shadows that grew as the sun sank lower in the sky. Noah leaned over, a grin embracing his features.

                “Why? Are you scared?” Noah asked in a sarcastic reply. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe,” Noah patted her shoulder. Morgan stuck her tongue out at him. She wasn’t afraid, this was just new to her. “I think this is the first time I have seen you let your guard down,” Noah spoke, his voice lower than previously. Morgan thought she detected a tinge of red grace his cheeks. She shook I off with a thought about the lighting being weird.

                “What do you mean?” Morgan asked.

                “I mean… earlier. I saw you smiling. Now, you are trying to do things you’ve never done before,” The sarcasm was back in his voice. “After school, all you usually do is go home…”

                “Let’s just say that I’ve received some good advice,” Morgan looked into Noah’s eyes, feeling herself relax a little as she thought about her mother’s letter. For the moment the room went quiet as Noah and Morgan stared at each other.

                “Morgan, I-“

                “So, you ordered the chili, did you,” A lady wearing a gypsy outfit, a scarf tied around her forehead and too much glitter interrupted Noah. Morgan jumped, barely preventing a cry from escaping past her lips. The gypsy lady roughly dropped two glasses of water, sloshing the contents onto the table. The woman’s crazed eyes looked over both of them but didn’t take them in at the same time. The woman took a seat at their table, her scarf trailing her movements. She held out her hand towards Noah, her eyes searching the empty space in front of her instead of him. “Let’s start with the boy, hmm… hand!” The woman gestured frantically, her voice taking on a muskier sound. Noah slowly raised his hand, dropped it into her smooth hand which was the only thing smooth about her. The room went silent except for the ‘hmms’ and ‘ahhs’ the gypsy made every few seconds. At last, she put down Noah’s hand, a frown appeared on her sharp features. She held out her other hand in another sharp gesture. Morgan looked to Noah first, getting a nod of reassurance. She placed her hand in the lady’s, biting her lip nervously. The time the woman was completely silent, her eyes fluttered open and closed several times before she flung Morgan’s hand away as though it had burned her. The gypsy turned her eyes onto Morgan, seeing her for the first time and they remained on her as she opened her mouth to speak.

                “The boy will know heartbreak and love while managing a new wholehearted friendship. Be true to yourself my son,” The eyes circled, looking to Noah for a split second, trailing back to Morgan with a quiver of her jaw. Morgan raised her brows, her icy glare set on the woman with more interest than she thought possible. “The lady… will lose a person, gain a person, and keep a person. The choice is up to her,” The gypsy’s head snapped up. She gave a quick smile, slid off the chair, and removed herself back to the shadows. Morgan looked over to Noah, a goofy smile on his face.

                “That was a bit vague, wasn’t it?” Noah’s sarcasm was back, but they didn’t have a chance to enjoy it as the door to the establishment opened with a crash, startling Morgan to her feet. She backed up until her back hit the wall. Several men were walking into the small space, surrounding her. The last to walk in was her tall, stiff butler, James.

                “Your father requires your presence miss.”

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                The night was very different from the day in early spring. As warm as it got during the day, it got as cold or colder during the night. The comforting sound of insects changed into creepy noises in the night. Even the busy streets shone with danger, the lights causing large shadows.

                Bradley Thomas moved stealthily along the shadows his keen grey eyes peeled for any signs of alarm. His classmates and co-workers, Olivia, Jax, and Ryland flanked him. The four of them were dressed in total black, blending in with the bleak night. They had only been out for an hour after getting the call from their boss that Morgan had gone missing. Bradley held up a hand, halting his team as a car’s headlights flashed in their direction.

                “How much longer do they expect us to keep looking?” Olivia hissed at his side. Her long blond hair that fell just beyond her shoulder blades waved with the blowing wind. Olivia had been Bradley’s trusty sidekick for nearly nine years and he trusted her with his life. Bradley didn’t respond as the car lights swiveled in a different direction and he motioned them forward once again. As his eyes roamed the terrain in front of him, his mind thought back to Olivia’s question. He was annoyed that he had been called and spent an hour of his life looking for someone but there was also something else that he was trying to stamp out. Maybe it was fear… the fear of losing someone… or perhaps he had grown to like the girl he had been made to watch for nine years. Even Bradley couldn’t deny that watching someone daily for nine years doesn’t have some kind of effect on the watcher. You become so entailed into another’s life, wondering one day why that person is sad and another day why that person is happy. In another, you learn something totally unexpected that blows your mind.

                “To the right,” Ryland shouted, turning them all down another alley. Bradley shook his head trying to clarify what he was thinking and feeling at the same time, but it would not be stamped down.

                Perhaps jealousy? Bradley thought, his mind traveling back to that morning. A bubble of anger rose within him as he had realized that Noah, the bird brain, had feelings for Morgan and that he was going to confess to her. Bradley snorted in his head. Why do I care about that… unless I really do like her… but do I like her? It’s just a trance from watching her for so long, Bradley told himself as they came to a brightly lit outdoor shopping center and they were forced to remain huddled in shadow. Bradley shook his head again, forcing himself to believe it was the guilt he would feel if he failed his father’s last request.

                “What should we do?” Jax questioned as the group stopped, peering out for a tawny-haired girl. Bradley pulled them in closer, a plan formulating in his mind.

                “We will separate. Jax and Ryland go north. Olivia and I will go south. We will communicate by radio from here on out. They separated without a word, moving slowly as they looked in every window of every shop.

                “Do you think she’s been taken?” Olivia questioned when they made it halfway down the street. Bradley didn’t answer as static and a thick voice came over their radios.

                “The gold has been found. I repeat, the gold has been found. Abort mission. Abort mission.”

                Olivia and Bradley stopped immediately in the center of the walkway, forcing some shoppers to go around them, giving them angry looks. Bradley turned to Olivia, his face dark. He clicked the button on his radio so he could talk to everyone at once.

                “Go home, everyone. See you tomorrow.”

                “We will bully her terribly tomorrow,” Ryland replied.

                “Maybe we will see tears,” Jax added. Bradley didn’t respond as he gave a nod to Olivia, turned, and marched the entire way back home as he thought about what he might do tomorrow.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

                Morgan Dylan stood a few feet in front of her father’s desk, in his study, her piercing blue eyes centered on the man who was sitting with his back to her. She tried her best to remain firm footed but being back in the room where her mother had been murdered exactly nine years later didn’t give her a very comforting feeling. The chair spun around revealing her father’s dark complexion with more wrinkles, graying hair, and eyes that drooped wearily but remained threatening.

                “How irresponsible of you!” Her father slapped the table, his voice rising with every word. “Don’t you know how dangerous that was?” Her father looked away from her again. He could never look at her for too long. “Well… don’t you have an answer for yourself?” Morgan remained tightlipped. Her father’s face reddened slightly then went back to its original pale color. “How can I make you obey?”

                “I’ll obey you for something in return,” Morgan blurted out. Her father’s eyes scanned her, held their gaze for a few moments before diverting somewhere else again. Morgan believed she saw a satirical smirk rise onto his lips as he leaned back in his chair.

                “I daresay it does appear like you have given this a tremendous amount of thought. Tell me about your conditions then.”

                “I will be graduating soon. I want to go to college in town… and I want to move out while I go to school.” There was a silence so pronounced and held for so long after she gave her decree that Morgan nearly gave up as she waited for her father’s reply.

                “I will think about it and give you an answer soon. Go to bed now.” Her father turned away. Morgan turned to escape up to her room. “Oh, and Morgan!” Her father’s voice was threatening again, making her pause at the door. “Just a reminder that your mother’s study is off limits. Even to you.”