Page 29 of Taken for Granite
His father’s wings snapped out, and instinct took over Tas as his wings did the same. They caught an updraft and glided on the zephyr.
Tas laughed, elated as his wings flexed, and climbed higher. He wanted to live in that moment, delighting in how a hard and cruel world gave such a wondrous reward: a clear violet sky.
A twig snapped as a human approached.
Tas tensed, ready to attack or climb to the upper branches and hide.
Whistling tunelessly, the human walked by, oblivious to his presence. She carried on her painfully flat melody, insulting music lovers everywhere.
The whistling disappeared in the distance. Water splashed.
Tas waited, focused on hearing evidence of Juniper’s continued existence.
Something broke the water’s surface, gasping for breath.
His female was in the water. Panic urged him toward the sound of her gasps and splashing. She was drowning. She needed him.
* * *
juniper
She loved this place. A city girl her entire life, Juniper never imagined that she’d enjoy the absolute solitude and quiet of a cabin in the Poconos. TV reception was terrible, the radio was barely better, no internet, and every little bit of weather made driving hazardous. The nearest town had one gas station, one greasy diner, and one grocery store—and they all closed at nine in the evening and all day on Sunday. It was such a strange way of life that Juniper never expected to be charmed by it.
The furniture Mrs. Cannella inherited from her mother filled the cabin. Heavy, somber furniture from the early part of the last century, pink and cream and covered in plastic. Little old lady decor? Charming, even to a mod-loving girl like her. She even liked the dated, technicolor floral wallpaper.
The first time she and Chloe opened the door, Chloe rolled her eyes—because teenager—but did not laugh. Juniper wouldn’t complain about a free vacation, but the plastic was uncomfortable and sticky on high humidity days. No amount of Windex got it clean and the window cleaner was the only cleaning agent in the cabin. Everything had that strange ammonia-like smell and she liked it.
The cabin, imperfect as it was, felt lived-in and loved. She liked the chipped linoleum countertops, the uneven floor, and the pastel pink bathroom. The way birdsong drifted in through the windows every morning helped to ease a lot of the small annoyances and put a smile on her face.
Juniper set about turning the cabin out and preparing for a brief stay. The work kept her out of her own head and gave her a break from worry. Unfortunately, it didn’t take as long as she expected. Once she ran yesterday’s barf-splattered clothes through the wash, put fresh sheets on the bed, and unpacked the food, there wasn’t much to keep her occupied.
The gargoyle had vanished into the woods. Alone, she counted out Mickey’s emergency bribe money. A girl needed to know, right? Failing to believe the total, she counted it again.
Ten grand.
Mickey just kept ten grand in baggies taped to the underside of the driver’s seat just because andno one ever stole it. Unbelievable.
The stacks of cash felt like a lot of money, but Juniper knew it would vanish fast. It wasn’t start-over-in-a-new-town money, but it was certainly extended-vacation money. When she got Chloe back, they’d lay low, maybe at the cabin, or maybe they’d take a road trip. Even the cheapest hotel rooms would add up fast and how cheap did she want to go? She didn’t want to be murdered in her sleep or get athlete’s foot from the gross showers.
But ten grand.
Until then, she had nothing to do but wait for Tas to say he was well enough to return to those Rose people.
Needing to get out of her own head, she decided to go for a swim.
The forest was a riot of deep reds and bright orange leaves. This late in the month, she expected the trees to be bare and find a good layer of fallen leaves carpeted the ground. Then again, what did a city girl know about autumnal leaves?
Watching it shimmer under the afternoon sun, Juniper could not wait to sink into the water. The lake was her favorite part when staying at the cabin. In the summer, the lake kept busy with fishermen at dawn and swimmers at noon. This time of year, the off season, the water was vacant.
She stood at the end of the old pier and glanced around, to make sure she was, indeed, alone. Seeing no one, she stripped off her shirt and jeans. She hesitated at her bra and panties, unsure. She was alone. The only person in the woods was Tas, and he was blind. She unhooked her bra and shimmied out of her panties.
Taking a deep breath, she jumped off the end of the pier.
Cool water braced against her skin. The sun kept the temperature warm enough to enjoy. She wouldn’t be able to stay in the water long before the sun set, but it was heaven until then.
Juniper broke the surface, slicking back her hair and wiping water from her eyes. The musty, earthy taste of lake water lingered on her lips.
“Female. Do you require assistance?”
