I Wish I Had a Story to Tell You

Part VI

I'll never understand the pain that Black people face everyday due to injustice, and as a white creator it is my responsibility to do what I can with my platform to be of help. This injustice is wrong, and should've never happened in the first place. We all need to do our parts to end racial injustice. If you go to my profile, please go to conversations to see a master list of petitions I have gathered and sign them all. Please, stay safe. I love all of you beautiful human beings, and wish you all the best in these tough times. Please do sign the petitions I have under conversations, and comment any not listed so myself and others can sign! Make sure to also check the replies here and there, as I will be adding petitions and other things down there as I find more resources. I will also keep posting petitions for a long time, so keep an eye out and check back every once in a while to sign the petitions I've put up.

"You seem to be in a rush."
"We have to get to Aunt Pearl while we know where she could possibly be. I mean her leaving like that seems so... odd. She got that dress from her teenage years a while back, didn't she? Why would Aunt Pearl all of a sudden run off like that days after she got the hat?" I asked, my eyes trained on the road.
"Do you have any other ideas?"
"Exactly how long ago did you see Aunt Pearl get the dress?"
"I don't know, maybe two months ago, a month and a half ago? I don't remember exactly." Arelle sighed. "Do you think we're heading down a dead end?"
"At least we're going somewhere, Arelle." I squeezed my sister's hand. "Come on, why don't we not spend the rest of the car ride worrying?"
"That sounds good. Do you want me to drive, Vera?"
"I'm fine, thanks"
"You sure?"
I laughed. "Yes, I'm sure."
"You're tired."
"And you're worrying for no reason."
"Vera, you do realize your driving almost got me impaled by a tree, right?" Arelle pointed out.
"I'm very well aware."
The sun inched its way up into the sky little by little. For the first half of the day Arelle told me about her experience living with Aunt Pearl. They would play cards every night after Aunt Pearl got home from whatever job she'd managed that week. Wednesday night was hot-water pie night, where after a dinner of potato stew, Arelle and Pearl would throw together an easy, sweet pie. They had a phonograph. Arelle's favorites had always been Billie Holiday and Annette Hanshaw; while Pearl tended to like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Fred Astaire. They had records scattered about the house, which were probably still in the trunk, starring Cab Calloway and Bing Crosby.
Pearl never claimed to know where our parents were, according to Arelle. "She always seemed sad when she talked about Mom, or Dad even," my sister said a couple hours into the drive.
"What about after Aunt Pearl started getting the garments from Colorado?" I asked. "Has she mentioned them since? Did she look sad like she did before, or did she look like she was hiding something?"
Arelle considered the notion.
"I don't really recall. I mean, sure we might've talked about them, but it's not like I was expecting anything out of the ordinary."
"Makes sense, I suppose. I guess I was just hopeful that maybe we have something else to support Mom and Pearl being in Denver," I admitted.
"The dress is a good piece of evidence."
"Unless it was a high school sweetheart who sent it," I said. "But it seems unlikely. It seemed like something a sibling would send, doesn't it?"
    "It does. Or a parent. Speaking of, have you heard anything about Dad's family?" Arelle asked.
    "Nothing at all." It was true, for the most part. I had learned one little tidbit mentioning our grandmother, but it merely said she served as a librarian years prior to when Arelle and I were around. It wasn't groundbreaking information, and I didn't want to have to go the trouble of explaining to my sister just how I broke into the public records office. "Does that map show any towns coming up?"
    Arelle squinted at the map. "No, not really. We'll just have to keep an eye on the signs."
    The sun climbed higher in the sky, causing an annoying glare partially blocking my view. It was around noon, and by this point both my sister's stomach and my own were grumbling. I kept watch for any road signs leading to a promising town.
    The wind started to pick up, and Arelle continued to scan the map as I drove. We crossed over to Nevada, and soon we were making our way into a dry, desolate world.
    "How could anyone live here?" Arelle asked. "I mean, it's just empty."
    "You've got plenty of room to live." I pointed out. "Besides, I kind of like tumbleweeds." With that, a tumbleweed cartwheeled in front of the car. I hit it dead on.
    "Yeah, you certainly like tumbleweeds alright."
    We couldn't deny that we were getting hungry. And I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being followed.
    My mind drifted back to the memory of the silhouette that morning, and I felt a familiar punch to the gut. Con was around here. As much as I wanted to shove the thought of being stalked by him out of my mind, the farthest it ever got was the back of my head. It had to have been Con, I thought to myself.
    Or maybe you're just paranoid, another voice countered.
        No, I told myself, I know what I saw.
      We were going to have to stop soon, I just didn't know where. We had a little money amongst our luggage that would buy us some food, but it looked like the Enchanting Andromeda Hotel would have to provide us shelter once again. I was thankful for the Ford. It had served as transportation, a hotel, and basically our only scrap of home left to feel safe with.
    I looked over my shoulder without realizing it here and there. Arelle didn't seem to notice, and if she did, she didn't say a thing about it. My stomach was growling. Arelle's was too. We needed food, and we needed to stop as soon as possible.
That's when I saw the other car on the road.
From the distance I couldn't tell what style of vehicle it was. It seemed to be your conventional car. I stepped on the gas a little bit and followed the vehicle. Maybe they were heading to civilization. I would turn back if they weren't.
Arelle sighed. "God, I'm starving."
"We're going someplace that has food. It shouldn't be long." I was feeling doubtful of this, until I saw a sign for Virginia City. I turned, much to my sister's relief. The car ahead kept going straight.
We pulled into a little town that seemed a bit haunting looking. Everything was made of wood, and it seemed that dust and sand had settled everywhere. I saw a sign for a restaurant. That was good enough for me.
"How much money do we have?" I asked, stepping out of the Ford.
Arelle shrugged. "Enough for food, I hope." She removed a little bit of cash from the suitcase in the trunk, locked up the car, and followed me inside of the restaurant.
"Can I help you?," asked a stout man from behind the bar.
"Hot roast beef, potatoes and gravy for me," I said. Arelle ordered the same. Our food was relatively cheap, only about a dollar for all of it.
The restaurant was old and musty. The place looked old, like something out of a western picture. Virginia City, Nevada. I'd never heard the name, but I decided that they did in fact serve good food.
"How old is this town?" I asked.
"Eh, I couldn't say exactly. I'd say it's been around since the 1860s, though," the bartender replied.
"Wow," Arelle said. "Seventy-five years, give or take."
We made small talk with the bartender, and after we exited the restaurant, we didn't quite know what to do.
"We could drive though the night," I suggested.
"Absolutely not," my sister replied immediately. "It's almost evening and you've driven the entire way. We should at least spend the night here."
Thunder rumbled in the distance. I looked up to see a menacing, dark gray thunder cloud in the distance. The size of the storm made the ghost town feel extraordinarily infinitesimal.
"Alright," I gave in. "But do you think there's a way we can avoid sleeping in the car tonight? As much as I love our Enchanting Andromeda Hotel, that storm doesn't look great." It felt odd to say. I'd been stuck outside for countless storms. I guess this time I was ready for a break, that and I never wanted Arelle to go through anything similar to what I had gone through in my time on the streets. 
Arelle looked around. The storm growled in the distance. "I don't know," she started to say, but then an old lady hobbled out into the street.
"You girls got a place to stay?" the lady asked, continue to shuffle her way towards us.
"No," Arelle said. "Unfortunately we don't."
"Hey, that's alright. I own a bed and breakfast nearby. Wanna stay until this passes? You girls are completely welcome." The woman beamed. "My name's Ms. Page, if you were curious."
I eyed my sister. "Why not? Do you mind if we stay the night? We can tip you-"
Ms. Page howled with laughter. "Pay? Why would I make you pay in weather like this? Come on."
Arelle shrugged, and we followed Ms. Page a few doors down to a two story, wooden bed and breakfast. A bell clanged as we entered the building. The downstairs had a quaint dining room, surrounded by pleasant looking bookshelves stacked with books. The stairs led up to the rooms, Ms. Page explained. The place was practically empty except for her year-round tenant, so we had our choice of rooms (however it was advised that choosing a room far from this tenant would maximize hours of sleep as old Ms. Marchand tended to snore exceptionally loudly.)
The thunder grew louder, shaking the walls. Arelle and I sat down on an old sofa by the stairs, and we watched as a bolt of lightening struck in the distance. It lit up the sky and lit up the town. Shop owners ran into their shops, closing up for the night and bracing for the worst.
    "How long do you think this will last for?" Arelle asked.
    I shrugged. "Depends."
    I heard the entry bell clang. Lightening illuminated the figure entering the building. The figure was only a bit taller than me, and the silhouette was hauntingly similar.
Why are you here? How are you here?
    Con sauntered into the dining room and sat down at a table. Ms. Page greeted him warmly, and vaguely introduced us. "These girls are staying here for a little while."
    Arelle waved. I almost passed out, but I covered that up with a friendly smile. "Don't mind us," I said, while trying not to throw up.
    "Oh, you all aren't a problem," Con replied. "I'll just be here a few minutes."
I need to talk to him. I need to know exactly what he wants. He wants something. What is it?
    I got my chance when Ms. Page went upstairs to tend to Ms. Marchand.
    "Hey, Arelle?" I asked. "Can you run and grab me some toilet paper from the bathroom? We may need it to pad our shoes if our feet get sore. It's also a good first aid supply." It was a stupid excuse, but Arelle seemed to think it made sense. Within moments it was just me and Con in the dining room.
    I watched Con's eyes glimmer with satisfaction as Arelle's footsteps faded away. "Don't tell me, you're going to ask why I'm here?"
    "If you don't mind telling me, I'd like to know."
    "Well, I'm not going to give you an exact answer to that, but I need something. Following you seems to be the best way to get that something."
    I sighed. I felt sick. "If you dare touch my sister or-"
    "No, no, no," Con laughed. "I just need something."
    "From us?"
    Con pondered for a moment. "Perhaps. I don't quite know just yet." He rose from his chair and walked towards the door. "I'll let you know when I do."
Clang.
    He was gone.
You're not getting away that easy, I thought.
Clang. The bell struck once more as I followed Con. He opened the door to the car that was, without a doubt, the one on the road in front of us earlier.
    "Do you want to cause us harm?" I asked.
    Con got into the car and shut the door. He rolled down the window and backed out. "Haven't decided yet," he mused. "I don't think I've quite decided yet, Vera."