Forever Luminescent

Chapter 6

KIDS RAN AROUND HER legs, giggling and stumbling about. Gwenn grinned at the little girl—Kerrie—hiding behind her, squealing in delight as a little boy—Devon—came barreling down the room, arms outstretched towards her as if to catch her. Devon screamed, happy he found her, but Kerrie took off before he could do anything, the game of tag still very much alive.

"I don't know how you can handle all the screaming," Alice said, one hand over the entrance frame, her purse hanging from her right side. "I'm already dizzy."

Gwenn clicked her tongue. "Come on, they're the cutest."

"Yeah, for like a second until their screams penetrate your brain."

She shook her head, and hurried to catch a falling Devon before he slammed his face on the floor. "Maybe you're just tired."

Alice laughed. "I'll leave you to the heathens. Everyone, be nice to Ms. Davidson."

All the kids stopped their playing to yell a muffled chorus of "yes, Ms. O'Connell," then resumed their running around. Gwenn waved goodbye, and Alice sauntered out of the daycare, her box braids swishing behind her back.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Gwenn chasing around kids, settling them for naps, and helping Cathy with anything she needed. When the last child was picked up, she plopped down on the desk chair, the main computer whirring back to life as she readied herself for the day's report.

When she typed in the last word, the front door swung open, sun rays filtering through and illuminating her face. Ronan stepped inside, blinking to get used to the change in lighting. Her breath caught in her throat when he set his eyes on her.

"Gwenn." He said it like he waited since the last time they saw each other to utter her name, like it tasted sweet on his tongue. Her lips parted. He stood in the middle of the lobby clothed in black, flexing his fingers ever so slightly on his sides.

"You sure do come here a lot," she let out before she could think things through.

His cheek twitched. "Mom needs a ride for the time being."

It took her a second to realize her car was only accompanied by Alice's on her days of work, left alone during the afternoon. Cathy didn't have a car, or a running one anyway.

"Oh."

A beat passed until she said "I made a decision" at the same time he asked "Have you thought about our deal?"

They inhaled at the same time before chuckling. Ronan brought his bottom lip in between his teeth.

"So?"

Gwenn stood from her place at the desk, not wanting to discuss their deal like she was registering a new child into the daycare. Ronan watched her until she pointed at his chest, almost accusatory.

"I'll agree to your deal," she revealed. He clasped his hands together as if wanting to cry out his happiness into the world, but she held a finger up, stopping his celebration. "If you abide by my rules."

He narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

"This thing, whatever this thing is," she motioned between the two, "has to be kept a secret. No one in the town of Lockfell, or even Hales Bay next door, must know we're working together."

Ronan slowly nodded, as if digesting her words. "So...we're going undercover."

"You say that as if we're going to uncover the secrets of Mayor Quinn or something," Gwenn said.

He gave her a dimpled, lopsided grin. "We could. Defeat the corruption."

Gwenn scoffed, shaking her head at the insanity of it all. There stood Ronan King, a man covered in ink and dark attire, suggesting they might as well reveal the corruption of the town of Lockfell. She almost went back on her statement and forgot all about their deal, telling him he would have to find another way to pass abnormal psychology.

But she would never find her biological mother.

"Who's defeating corruption?" Cathy asked, striding into the main lobby with an arm dug deep into her big bag. Keys rattled from the inside until they were pulled out, glinting in the bright lights of the daycare.

"Your son, apparently," Gwenn replied. Before the topic could even continue, she jumped to steer the conversation elsewhere. "I finished the report and saved it on the hard drive, but I also printed a copy and filed it."

Cathy sighed in relief. "You're great. I don't have to worry about that now."

Gwenn smiled, ignoring the insistent icy stare from behind her shoulder. After a quiet five minutes with Alice, she learned of the horrors Cathy went through with past workers, including the infamous Penny Hendricks. Gwenn never got the chance to meet her since Cathy fired her before she could bother to show her face on one of her shifts.

"Well, since everything is settled," Cathy started, then gave her another look. "Everything is set, right?"

"Yup!" Gwenn popped the 'p' before balancing onto her tiptoes to reach for the checklist she had done before her shift to go through. "The floors have been mopped, every surface wiped down, every toy disinfected and placed into their respective bin, cribs have been stored in the closet, blankets have been put in the laundry and replaced with new ones, and all the snacks are sealed and locked up," she finished with a tap of her finger over the flimsy paper.

"What's next?" Ronan asked, standing off to the side to catch her eye. "Clean the air?"

Gwenn grew sheepish, folding her list in half. Cathy smacked her son in the arm, though she could tell it didn't hurt because Ronan rolled his eyes.

"I'm very impressed, Gwenn," Cathy said. "You can go clock out. I'll see you next time."

She nodded, turning to the computer to shut it off. Cathy stood off the side at the front door, and Gwenn hurried to the back to clock out and grab her belongings. When she received the receipt that told her all the hours she had worked, she turned to the break room only to bump into Ronan.

He grabbed onto her shoulders, steadying her. The receipt fell from her fingers, landing by his shoe. The world seemed to tilt as he stared right into her, as if peering at her soul. With the newly darkened hallway and the silence befalling over the daycare, having him right there had her heart thundering hard in her ears.

She froze when he leaned in closer, nearing his mouth to her ear. "Meet me at the library tomorrow," he whispered.

Words jumbled in her head, desperately finding the right combination to spit out, but he dipped into the break room and came back out with a mauve wallet. Gwenn sucked in a breath, hoping to calm the erratic pulses. She analyzed the last few minutes and felt faint.

The search to find her biological mother had begun.