Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily Series #1)

9. SEEING ISN'T ALWAYS BELIEVING

Maryah

Faith sat behind the wheel of a white Toyota Prius. Krista climbed in the back, so I sat in the passenger seat.

Faith said goodbye to someone then snapped her phone shut. "Where are your sunglasses?"

"Um, my hat will block the sun."

"No way. No friend of mine is traveling around town without sunglasses. An outfit is never complete without a pair of great shades. They are essential to your wellbeing." She reached into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a Japanese fan, but then pulled a pair of glasses out of the fan-carrying case-and handed them to me.

"Thanks," I muttered, sliding them on.

"Wow, those are fabulous," Krista said.

We all sat in silence until I noticed Faith still staring at me. "What?"

"I hand you a pair of newly released, spun silk, jade-embellished, handcrafted sunglasses by one of the most elite fashion designers in the world, eyewear that according to Chinese tradition will bring you love and prosperity, and you flop them onto your face like they're a pair of dollar store knockoffs!" She didn't take a breath throughout her entire speech. "You're not the least bit excited. Frankly, I'm insulted."

Of course Faith would be passionate about sunglasses. She seemed like she'd be passionate about everything. I took the glasses off, examining them closely. She had a point; they were beautifully detailed. I felt guilty for being unappreciative.

"Sorry. They're exquisite, but Jinx is my middle name these days. You should take them back so nothing bad happens."

After a few seconds of staring at me, she giggled. "Harmony's right, you are mentally challenged. Nothing bad will happen because you're wearing them. They're yours now." She waved her hand dismissively. "You can thank me someday when you appreciate how fabulous they are."

I glanced behind me to confirm Krista also thought Faith was crazy, but Krista's attention was locked on the scenery outside of her window. Good thing she was wearing sunglasses, or she would have probably got lectured, too.

∞

Talakee-wherever-we-were wasn't a mall like I'd pictured. It was an outdoor Spanish-style shopping area. Apparently there were no large malls in Sedona, so we strolled along the cobblestone streets while Faith told us facts about every fountain, sculpture, and piece of artwork we passed.

"You should be a tour guide," I said. "Are you a history buff or something?"

"I had this friend who taught me that the best parts of a story are the history and secrets buried inside." She sipped her smoothie while kicking a stone along our path.

"You said 'had'. What happened to her?"

"She just sort of disappeared. No one really knows why." Faith sat by a fountain and patted the concrete beside her. Krista and I sat on either side of her.

"Losing someone like that takes its toll," Krista said.

"It's been extremely hard on all of us." Faith ran her hand through the fountain. Water dripped from her sparkly painted fingernails. "But I have faith she'll be back one day."

"Faith has faith," I joked.

"I do." She raised her sunglasses and leaned close to me. "But ultimately she has to make the decision to come back. And when she does, I'll do everything I can to help her."

Tires squealing caused all of us to look at the parking lot. A dark gray Jaguar screeched to a halt diagonally, taking up two parking spots. A guy our age climbed out of it. His forearms were covered with black tattoos, and more peeked out from the collar of his t-shirt. His jet-black fauxhawk and leather wristbands matched the interior of his Jaguar. I'd never seen anyone resemble their car, but he definitely did. What kind of jobs did his parents have that made him privileged enough to drive a new Jaguar?

"Must be nice," I said to Faith.

"Ugh." She lowered her sunglasses and sucked on her straw. By her flaring nostrils, I could tell she wasn't impressed.

When I looked up, he was slinking toward us. The guy even moved as sleek as a jaguar.

"What's going on, shorty?" he asked Faith.

"You're looking at it," Faith answered in a monotone voice.

He said hi to Krista then he looked me up and down. "Sorry, didn't catch your name during Faith's non-existent intro."

"Uh, Maryah," I muttered pathetically.

"Okay, Uh Maryah, I'm River." He smiled, revealing perfect, straight teeth. "You girls coming to my show?"

I glanced at Faith, but she was ignoring him.

"Show?" Krista asked.

"My band, The Rebel Junkies, we're playing here tonight."

"No," Faith chimed in. "We have other plans."

"Too bad. I'm singing a rad new song. Shame you'll miss it."

"Cataclysmic shame." Faith's straw made a gurgling sound as she sucked the last bit of smoothie out of her cup. "You should probably go practice."

"I don't practice. Don't need to." He did have a nice voice, raspy and confident.

Faith snickered before standing and grabbing my hand. "We were just leaving."

"See ya, Krista." He flashed me another perfect smile. "Bye, Melissa."

I didn't bother correcting him. "Bye."

Once we were in the car and out of earshot, I asked Faith about her apparent dislike of River. "What'd he do to get on your bad side?"

"He's just full of himself. He's as shallow as a kiddie pool."

With the push of a button, Faith lowered the top of her convertible. She lifted her face to the sky and inhaled. "I love how August sunshine smells!"

I laughed. "Because July sunshine smells so different?"

"July is okay. January snow, however, yuck! Smells and tastes like licorice."

I looked back at Krista to make sure she didn't miss the moment of weirdness, but she had her head back and eyes closed like she was enjoying the sunshine just as much as Faith.

"Months have a smell," I grumbled. "Interesting."

"And taste. So many fantastic details exist in this world that most people never notice." Faith squeezed my knee. "You should pay more attention."

Krista leaned between the seats to turn up the radio. "Ooooh! This is my favorite song."

"Yes!" Faith bounced in her seat. "I adore this band."

They both sang Déjà vu of You at the top of their lungs while my phone chimed with a text message from my aunt. Hope ur okay. Call if u need us. Love you.

My heart sank. I missed her and my uncle. I missed all of my family. Part of me felt guilty for not being sad all day. Did that make me a horrible daughter and sister because I hadn't thought about my parents or Mikey for the past few hours?

I missed my old life, but there was something peaceful about Sedona. I wasn't constantly looking over my shoulder for two men the police couldn't find. For the first time in months, I felt safe, or hopeful, or something besides sad and scared. It was refreshing to be in a town where I wasn't constantly reminded of everything I had loved and lost.