Waindale

I run out into the snow. My feet plow through as I hurry, as my eyes stare up at the thing. I drop my backpack to the ground once I reach it. My hands touch the bark to make sure the tree is really here, and when I don’t go tumbling through it like a hologram, I know that it’s actually in front of me.

The orange tree stands tall and sturdy. It’s many branches splay out with smaller limbs sprouting in every direction. The greenest leaves coat the branches, and amongst the thousands of them are bright fruits. My eyes bounce from fruit to fruit in disbelief. I reach up and pluck a low-hanging one. I run my fingers over its skin and roll it between my hands. Lifting it to my nose, I smell the thing but it doesn’t emit the scent of an orange, nor does it look like one.

“Careful there.”

My eyes shoot forward. My father walks from behind the tree, appearing out of thin air. I squeeze the fruit in my hand and take steps back.

“You don’t want to take a bite of the forbidden fruit,” he warns.

I look down at the one in my hand and impulsively pry it open. It gives in, and at its center are small insects crawling about. A worm-like bug tears through the fruit’s flesh and I drop it to the snow. I frantically wipe my hands on my jacket, and when I look up, my father is gone.

I turn back to the house and Adam is standing on the porch, staring at the tree. Frightened, I pick up my bag and clamber to him. “He—he’s,” I struggle to speak. “Didn’t you see him?”

Adam helps me up the steps, and I urge him to come inside with me. “What is that? Where did that come from?” He questions, walking through the doors but turning back to look through the glass. “Was that there this morning?”

“Didn’t you see him?” I ask again. “My father—he was there. He was by the tree.”

“I didn’t see anyone,” he says. “I came in the house after you, saw that the backdoors were open, and you were standing by that tree. You dropped something and ran over.”

“Burn it,” I say suddenly.

“Where did it come from?” He asks. “There’s snow everywhere; how did a fruit tree appear overnight?”

I grab his arm and he looks to me. “Please, burn it. Get rid of it.”

I let go and head into the kitchen. Adam follows me and comes around the counter island as I place my backpack down at the breakfast nook. I stare at the tree through the window, imagining the many little bugs crawling all over my hands, all over my body.

“Your father was there? What did he say? Where did he go?”

I shake my head. “He just disappeared. He was only there for a moment.”

“Wrenley, what did he want?”

I continue to watch the tree until Adam physically turns me to face him. Instead of answering his question, I ask again, “Get rid of it, please. I-I don’t want it there. Please, Adam. Please.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know, it... I planted the seeds but they aren’t oranges. It’s evil. The fruits are full of bugs and he said...” Tears well in my eyes and I don’t calm down until I’m watching Adam swing at it with an axe. I stand at the bay window with a blanket wrapped around me. The ungodly thing plummets to the ground and Adam breaks it apart—cutting off branches and chopping the trunk into shorter pieces. He drags each piece away until all that remains is a stump.

Adam leaves the axe on the porch and comes inside. I rush to him and wrap my arms around him. He wipes the sweat from his forehead—his chest rising and falling—and I refuse to let go. “It’s gone now, okay?” He breathes.

I reach up and kiss him hard before murmuring, “I love you,” against his lips. He lifts me and takes me upstairs where he makes love to me for the second time.

We lay together between the sheets, and I consider asking for more, but my phone starts to vibrate from my discarded uniform on the floor. I slip out of bed before Adam can hold me hostage. He sits up and watches as I grab my phone and as I answer. “Hello?” I say and cover myself with the throw blanket that lays across the end of the bed.

“Wrenley. I’ve been texting you,” Vivianne’s voice scolds me. “Something—something bad has happened and... Are you at Adam’s? I’m coming to get you.”

“What you mean? What happened?”

“Eli found his mate.”

My eyes widen. ”What? Yeah, okay, come get me. Where are we going?”

“Elara’s the one that told me. Imogen is already with her. She didn’t tell us where Eli is.”

“God, okay. I’ll see you in a few.”

I hang up and face Adam. “I have to go,” I explain and pick up the rest of my uniform. “Vivianne is on her way to get me.”

Just then, Adam’s name is called from downstairs. Together, we scramble to get dressed.

Ben is waiting at the bottom of the staircase. The second he sees us coming down, he says to Adam, “We have a rogue situation.”

“What is it?” Adam asks, somewhat irked by the interruptions.

“It’s on the south side of town. I don’t know specifics yet, but we need to head over there now.”

He looks to me, aware of the recently established rule that I cannot be left alone in case my father shows up. “Vivianne is already on her way over. You can leave. She’ll be here any minute.”

Adam hesitates.

“I’ll be fine,” I assure him.

Before leaving with Ben, he tells me, “Lock the door behind us, and stay inside until she’s here.”

I do as I’m told.

I wait in the living room, looking out the window at the road for Vivianne’s car. The idea of Eli and Elara not being together swims around in my head but doesn’t feel right—I don’t think it ever will. I hope it wasn’t painful, dragged-out and heart-wrenching, for Elara’s sake. The two of them didn’t have some soul bond, but that doesn’t excuse Elara from feeling heartbreak.

A car horn sounds and I look up to find Vivianne outside. I rush out the front door and jog over to her. The second I open the car door, I’m met with her sorrowful face. I climb in and secure my seat belt as she says, “They’re at Elara’s house.”

We sit in silence. There is nothing I can say to relate to Elara. We’re the lucky ones—Imogen, Vivianne, and I—we either have a mate or are able to find one. Elara has been cut out of her relationship of many years for a reason completely out of either of their control. It’s unfair. It’s cruel and so very sudden; but was she prepared for this day? She had to have known it would come eventually.

Elara lives on the south side of town in a sweet neighborhood of houses with picket fences and bare flowerbeds now covered by snow. Vivianne pulls to the curb in front of a white house with black detailing that looks as if it was hauled out of a magazine. I follow Vivianne as she gets out of the car and makes her way to the door. In the driveway is Elara’s old Beetle and seeing it reminds me of how cold I was able to feel before.

Elara’s mother opens the door. “Hi, Girls,” she says somberly. “It’s nice of you to stop by. Elara is in her room with Imogen. Head on up.”

As Vivianne and I ascend the stairs, I quietly ask, “What does her mom think happened?”

“Probably that they broke up,” Vivianne suggests. “Obviously she doesn’t know what Eli is.”

Elara’s bedroom is bright and feminine, and she sticks out like a withered rose in a beautiful bouquet with her tear-stained cheeks and tousled hair. She sits on her bed, surrounded by pillows, and Imogen is right there with her. Vivianne and I sit at the end of the bed, creating a circle for gossiping, laughing, or in this case, crying. As teenage girls, this is what we do best. We come together to keep each other company when one of us is hurting.

“What in the world happened?” Vivianne asks.

Imogen peers down at Elara who’s hugging a heart-shaped pillow to her chest. Elara sits up and wipes the stray tears from under her eyes. “W-We were just at the park down the street building a snowman,” she begins, “and suddenly he got all weird. At first, it was like he was trying to ignore it, but I guess she was getting closer because he couldn’t hold back anymore. He gave me... he gave me this look and I just knew. I just knew she was here. H-He said he was sorry. It was like the past two years never even happened. He said sorry as if that means anything.”

Her breath hiccups. We wait patiently.

“I just walked away. I didn’t want to be there when he meets her. I walked back home and told my mom that we broke up. I’d rather have him break up with me,” she says, her voice cracking. “I rather him end things before she got here, so then I know it’s not because she’s better than me. He was mine. He was my boyfriend and suddenly some girl waltzes in and takes him away.”

Elara leans onto Imogen, and Imogen takes her into her arms. I look down at my hands as they rest on my lap.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she murmurs. “I know it was going to happen someday. I just thought I’d have more time. And it may be pathetic, but a part of me wished he could choose me over her when the time came. It’s stupid. I know—how can he pick me over his soul mate? I’m just—I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to pretend like he doesn’t exist anymore.”

“We’re here for you,” Imogen says. “Just because Eli found his mate, doesn’t mean we’re going to replace you. You’re still one of us no matter what.”

This brings a small smile to her face. “Can—can we talk about something else? Something happy?”

I look to Vivianne. Vivianne nods. “Yeah. We don’t have to talk about it. We can talk about, well, what’s something good?”

“We can talk about Adam and me,” I offer, wanting to distract Elara.

Elara nods. “Yeah. Tell us what’s going on.”

I sigh. “Well, I’ve been staying with him since our little falling-out, and we’ve gotten really close. At this point, I can confidently say that I would do anything for him. I would die if it meant he could live.”

“Wow, Wrenley,” Vivianne says, “when did this happen?”

“I’ve been going through some things with my family, and it’s really showed me what I care about most. And I know he would do the same for me. We actually—we slept together.”

Vivianne takes in a deep breath which causes Imogen to roll her eyes. Elara says, “Really?” But I’m suddenly enveloped in Vivianne’s arms. She squeezes me before reeling back.

“It finally happened,” she whispers.

“Okay,” I exaggerate. “But, yes, it happened. And then it happened again.”

Imogen cracks up and eventually, all of us are having a laugh. “You know,” I cut in, “it’s kind of nice to talk about it like this. Everything always feels so serious.”

“Come on, tells us more.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s just say that I won’t be free to hang out the next few nights.”

We continue talking and laughing. It’s all worth it when I see Elara wiping tears from her eyes that aren’t being shed out of sadness. I’m glad that I can take away her pain even for a little while.