A Whisper in the Woods

Chapter 2: Bring Me Peace

I exit the office of my psychiatrist, my aunt, and my legal guardian until today, my eighteenth birthday. I know my Aunt Mandy wants what's best for me, she worries all the time. Like, all the time. I don't understand why I need formal counseling  from her to talk about my feelings when we live under the same roof.  We never even really get to my feelings actually.  She either analyzes my sleep patterns, which are completely whacked out at the moment, or she lectures me on how I shouldn't let my past poison my future, how I should "enjoy my Senior Year!" It's starting to really grate on my non-existent nerves.

I sit and wait on the curb outside my aunt's practice for a full five minutes, waiting for Silas to come and pick me up.  We're probably going to be late to our jobs at Rosa's Cafe, which he helped me get by pulling some strings, and Rosa is going to boil us alive once we get there.  I pull out my phone to call him before I finally hear his ridiculously big and loud red Chevrolet--he swears there's a muffler on it, but that is a total lie--coming down the street.  Old Red pulls up next to me and I haul myself inside the cab.  "You better have a good excuse, Matthews, because-"

"Yeah, I know I'm late, but I forgot your present at home, and then I had to go all  the way back, and--"

"Silas," I exclaim in exasperation and pinch the bridge of my nose, "I said no presents this year."

"Well, I didn't think that applied to me."  He says, "If I had known I would have saved myself the trouble of asking my mom to wrap it for you."

"Wow, you're so sweet." I roll my eyes, but a tiny grin escapes when he brings out a small box wrapped in green wrapping paper. "So incredibly sweet, sweeter than pie.  Seriously, how did you manage to match her desk?" 

He grins evilly. "Go ahead and open it.  We're already going to be late, might as well make it count."

I sigh. "Fine." I tear into the wrapping paper to reveal a little velvet box.  My heart skips a beat as I size up the gift.  It's obvious that its jewelry, but friends don't get friends jewelry. Maybe this isn't a friends gift,  I think, maybe this is a more-than-friends gift. I try to dismiss the thought, because he has never indicated that he feels as I do, and I know Silas better than I know anyone. 

I look at Silas, attempt to settle down my butterflies, and slowly open the box to see a familiar sliver chain with a Garnet stone hanging from the end.  "My Gran's necklace..." I pulled the dark red stone to eye level, "I thought it had been lost in the fire.  Si, how did you find this?" 

"Well, the other day I was looking for that old vacuum in your Aunt's Mandy's basement, because I was doing my annual cleaning out my car, and I just kind of saw it sitting on one of your mom's old boxes.  It was kind of scuffed and dirty, so I went and got it cleaned." 

"Si, thank you." I gave Silas a genuine smile, a rare commodity these days. "Would you mind putting it on me?  The clasp has always been a little tricky."

"Oh, yeah, sure." He takes the necklace from my hands and motions for me to turn around. "Lift up your hair."

I do as I'm told and gather my long, dark hair.  His hands brush the back of my neck and chills go down my spine. I hold my breath. "Are you cold?" he asks me.

"No, why?" I breathe a little hard from holding my breath. 

"You've got some major chill bumps, Shortcake.  It makes this tan line on your neck look extra weird." He says and I give a short laugh.  Of course he isn't affected by the situation as I am.  I'm reading too much into it.

"Thanks, Si.  Way to boost a girl's self-esteem. Not all of us are blessed with naturally tan skin. I had to work for mine."  Silas's mother, Laura, is Latino, so he has naturally amazing skin to go along with his gorgeous everything else.