Page 8 of North
“How’s Izzy?” He asked.
“She’s gone.” My throat tightened with the realization that would be hammered into me repeatedly over the next few weeks while I sorted everything out.
“Fuck. I’m sorry, bro.” I felt the sincerity in his voice and I appreciated it. “And North?”
“She’s with me now. I’m pretty sure she hates me but I have an entire year to make it up to her.”
“You can’t blame the kid, Kane. She suffered after you and Izzy divorced.” He was right. Guilt gnawed at me until I felt raw.
“I wanted her to come with me when I left,” I repeated it again like my desire would somehow wash away the blind eye I turned.
“I know you did. You couldn’t have forced her. She was sixteen.”
She was sixteen.
The words vibrated through my skull forcing my eyes shut.
“I could have done something though. I was paralyzed if I’m being honest.”
“Kristina,” Elijah sighed knowingly. Hearing my twin’s name twisted something deep in my gut. “Kane, I told you Izzy isn’t Kristina.”
“I know that. I just wanted to let you know that North is with me and Izzy’s gone…”
“Thanks for calling me. I know this isn’t easy for you. We’ll talk in the morning. You opening the gallery?”
“Yeah. I need something to occupy my mind. I’ll see you in the morning.” I ended the call and got ready for bed.
North, Izzy, and Kristina held my mind hostage for hours. Kristina stood out the most though. Seeing her face and hearing her laughter on a loop in my mind was torture.
I’d never see my sister’s face again. Never hug her or hear her call me an asshole for playing practical jokes on her. Hell, I lost those things long before she overdosed. The Kristina I knew was dead after addiction set in.
I distanced myself from her because watching her deteriorate was too hard. It was like looking into a mirror and not being able to help your reflection. I couldn’t save her no matter how much I tried. Walking away was the only option left.
Kristina and Izzy’s faces melted together in my mind. I walked away from Izzy too. I did what I had to do to protect my heart but I failed North in the process. I had no idea how bad things had gotten for her.
My only hope was earning North’s forgiveness and trust back.
…
“Dad, what time do the buses run around here? I checked online and I can’t find a schedule. I keep seeing information on the gondola.” North peered at me over a plate of scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and fruit. The girl wasn’t shy about her appetite but she was still guarded. I felt it pouring off her in currents. Working my way back into her life wasn’t going to be a straight shot but I refused to give up.
“If you’re traveling around town, the Galloping Goose will take you where you need to go but if you want to go to the next town over you’ll have to take the gondola. Telluride is pretty remote for an American city.” I paused and rubbed the back of my neck. “I can take you where you need to go, Shortcake.”
She glanced at me with big blue eyes, casting a spell that fixed me to my spot.
Her mane of crimson hair stretched down her spine to her lower back. She had it pulled back allowing me to trace the blanket of soft freckles on her face. The Strawberry Shortcake sweatshirt she wore slipped off her dainty shoulder a bit, showing me hints of copper freckles splashed over her pale skin.
I blinked away the haze North cast on me and looked to her for an answer. “You need me to take you around?”
“No thanks. I’ll find my way around.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and went back to eating breakfast.
“Are you gonna let me help you at all?” I asked, resting my elbows on the countertop.
“Not if I can help it.” She placed the empty plate in the sink then turned to look at me. The vulnerability she showed last night was now trapped behind a wall of ice. I felt helpless.
“Come on, North let me do something for you.”
“I’ve been doing it myself for the past year and so far so good.” The chill from her words slapped me in the face serving as a reminder of how much work I had to do. I wouldn’t make much headway by trying to force a better relationship so I swallowed back my words.
