Page 65 of Snake-Eater
There was a man in bed with her, but this time Selena knew that she was dreaming. That was good, because if it was a dream, she didn’t have to be afraid or even ashamed. She could turn over and wiggle closer, feeling hands stroking down her waist and up over her hip, feel his mouth closing over hers in a hot, hungry kiss, feel the tension gathering low in her belly and starting to burn.
“Yes,” said a voice in her ear, and it was the voice of the man she was kissing, but that was fine because it was a dream and it didn’t matter that real people couldn’t talk and kiss at the same time. But she did open her eyes and draw back a little, trying to make out his face. It was too dark to see anything but his eyes, which were golden brown with a white ring around the pupil. That reminded her of something, but he kissed her again and she forgot, and now his hands were sliding over her thighs ...
“Woof!”
Selena sat bolt upright in bed, the dream fraying around her. Copper was also sitting up, and her next bark was practically in Selena’s face. Then she seemed to notice that her person was awake and gave her a desultory swipe with her tongue, attention elsewhere.
“Goddammit.” Selena was wide awake and remembered just enough of her dream to be frustrated, and a little embarrassed. She didn’t often have dreams like that.Must have been the books I’ve been borrowing from Grandma.
Copper was still looking around the room, her nose working and ears twitching, as if to catch an elusive scent. Then she shook herself and hopped down, stretched, and looked at Selena as if to say, “Since you’re up already, why not feed the dog?”
Selena sighed. It was barely after dawn, but she didn’t think she’d be getting back to sleep. She went to the bathroom to splash water on her face. Her lips looked slightly swollen in the mirror.
Even after breakfast, Selena felt restless and wanted to walk ... somewhere. It was still early enough that the desert was cool.
She had not been to her aunt’s grave since the first time. You were supposed to visit graves. That was a normal thing people did.
“Right,” she said out loud. “Let’s go visit Aunt Amelia.”
Copper was puzzled but generally willing. She ambled along beside Selena. A line of quail scurried away from them and a pair of doves erupted from the bushes with a whir of wings. Copper strained briefly at the leash after the quail, then subsided with an air that said chasing quail was beneath her.
Selena saw the large saguaro looming ahead and smiled involuntarily. It was a beautiful ... she searched for a word, sincetreeclearly wasn’t right, and finally settled onplant. Although there was something very un-plantlike about the saguaros. The way they held their arms up made her think of people.People, but not human people.
That was a lot easier to accept about the saguaros than about Snake-Eater.
When she reached the clearing, though, she paused. Was this the right place? She’d been sure she recognized the cactus, but Amelia’s grave marker should have been right over there, and it wasn’t.
Did I get turned around?It was strangely easy to do in the desert. All the bony little shrubs looked like each other, and even though she could look down and see the town, she couldn’t be sure if it was from the same angle it had been when Father Aguirre brought her here.
No, this has to be right. Irecognizethe saguaro. It has the big arm off to one side and the two little ones just starting.
She walked around the clearing, peering into every nook in case she’d simply overlooked the marker. Halfway around the perimeter, she finally found it.
“. . . huh,” she said.
The wooden cross had been ripped out of the ground and flung aside. Selena could see the deep hole left by the foot of the cross. She realized that she was probably standing on Amelia’s remains and hastily stepped aside. “Sorry,” she said reflexively, even though her aunt was long past caring.And wouldn’t have cared anyway, judging by those journals.Her aunt had been a carefree woman, slow to take offense and quick to forgive.Which probably explains why she was still talking to my mother. And why she got on with Snake-Eater, come to that.
I wonder if he ever broughthera dead snake.
Selena picked up the cross, which was mostly intact. The lower part was stained red orange from the earth. She slid it back into the hole and put her weight on it, trying to reseat it again. It still wiggled a little when she was done, but it was better than nothing.
I wonder how that happened. Wind, maybe, or some animal?She had experienced one of the rare desert thunderstorms a week ago, a great howling fury of lightning and wind, gone almost as soon as it had begun. Copper had barely had time to climb under the bed before it was over.
Selena studied the cross, which leaned slightly despite her best efforts. TheWinWhere is she? had filled partly with pale sand, and she tried to flick it out, then gave up.
The storm could have done it. Or one of those javelinas that Grandma Billy’s always talking about.She’d yet to actuallyseea javelina, but she gathered they were little gray piggy things, and the reason that you didn’t have trash cans outside.
Oh well. Set to rights now.Selena faced the marker and tried to think of what to say to her aunt. “It’s been a strange few days,” she said finally. “I met ...” She remembered what Grandma and Father Aguirre had said about Snake-Eater not liking his name in people’s mouths. “I met an old friend of yours. The one you called S. We, um, had a misunderstanding. It’s ironed out now, I hope.” She looked past the grave to the saguaro, studying the small holes in the trunk and the scaly gray patches that formed aroundthem. “I like living in your house,” she said finally. “It’s been good. Really good. I don’t want to go back to the city.”
Her words echoed in her ears long after they should have faded away, like a crow’s caw. As if the desert was listening to her.
As if she ought to be listening to herself.
Unsettled, she gathered up Copper’s leash and said, almost in a whisper, “Come on, girl. Let’s go home.”
When she got back to the house, in a pensive frame of mind, there was a dead rattlesnake on the doorstep.
“Oh, for the love of ...” Selena hurried Copper inside, which was difficult because Copper was very, very interested in what appeared to be a supremely long chew toy. Selena had to practically carry her over the threshold, like a furry wiggling bride.
