Page 43 of The Pale Rider
“The Ariel I know wouldn’t give up and hide in California over an old lady. She would fight to get her memories back and beat her father.”
“What if I do beat him? What if I come back to California and you aren’t here? Someone needs to be taking care of you.”
“I say this with all kindness. Shut the fuck up, Ariel. The day I turn into a helpless old lady who needs a nursemaid, I want a bullet to the head. If I die while you’re off taking care of your father, I’ll be an angel on your shoulder looking out for you.”
I took in a breath and tried not to let the tears fall. I still couldn’t remember my apartment, but I remembered everything about Miss Mabel. She married her high school sweetheart, and he died in a tragic accident before their first anniversary. They didn’t have any children, and she never remarried. It didn’t seem fair that I wouldn’t get to stay here with her to make her life more comfortable.
“But—”
“No buts, Ariel. I made Aeron tell me everything. I know his friend can end some of this with your blood. That is way more important than hanging out in my apartment with me. I don’t like them as much as I like you, but I have friends and people who check in on me here.”
“It’s just not fair.”
“Young lady, you got kidnapped, your memories are going, it’s the end of the world, andthatis what you think is unfair? None of this is fair. We do what we have to. Get your shit together and stop the apocalypse.”
“You’re right. You’d better be here when I get back. I’ll be furious at you if you aren’t.”
“That’s my girl. Now I know your apartment better than Aeron does. Now that we are done eating, let’s go see if we can get some of your memories back.”
Well, here goes nothing.
Chapter 26
M
y apartment was right next door. Miss Mabel and Aeron both had a key. Aeron was fiddling with the lock. I remembered that first day I tried to unlock the door. Miss Mabel stopped me in the hall and told me I had to jiggle it because the lock stuck. I guess no one decided the apocalypse warranted a lock change.
I stepped into my apartment with my eyes closed. Who was I before this aside from a tattoo artist who played softball with an evil father? Did I decorate the place in some sort of gaudy décor? Did I have music in this apartment that would embarrass new me? Aeron held one hand, and Miss Mabel held the other.
“Open your eyes, Ariel,” Aeron said.
I cracked my eyes open. I had painted my walls a smokey gray, and it looked like I had gone for some vintage vibe with my furniture. I covered every surface in art. There were paintings and sculptures all over the place. The only wall that wasn’t covered in pictures had a wall to wall bookcase that was full of books.
I was getting little flashes. This place was a total shithole when I moved in. There was a dingy floral wallpaper and shag carpet that was leftover from the seventies. Miss Mabel made some phone calls and got me hooked up with a few people in the art scene. When my art started selling, I had the carpet pulled up and hardwood put in. I ripped the wallpaper down and repainted. All my furniture was carefully from thrift stores.
“Have my walls always been that color?”
Miss Mable just laughed.
“Sweetie, you painted the walls a different color whenever your mood changed, and sometimes, you could be a real moody bitch. You went through your blue period on these walls.”
“Is all this art mine?”
“The art on your walls changed too. You hung it in the living room until it was time to take it to the gallery to be sold. If I said I liked one, you always wanted to give it to me. I have several of your paintings in my apartment. The ones you liked too much to sell are in your bedroom.”
I studied the paintings harder. They were themed. It was those fucking horses again. They were painted differently than what I tattooed on the pumpkins, but they still looked like fierce war horses. They were the same colors I chose for the pumpkin, and one looked suspiciously like Meremoth.
I narrowed my eyes at Aeron.
“Why was I working on those horses, and why was the first thing I tattooed on those pumpkins when I went in a trance four horses? You said Meremoth wasn’t a normal horse, and there were only four like him. One of those horses looksexactlylike your horse.”
“Ariel, you always painted what was going on in your life unless it was a commissioned tattoo.”
Miss Mabel smacked Aeron on the back of the head. She hit him pretty hard too. God, I loved that woman.
“If you won’t tell her, I will.”
“You will scare her.”
