Philadelphia, Earth
“She’s cute,” Elisabeth said after Bekka closed the door.
Her brother pulled off his boots and shrugged. For a moment, he stared at the wall, his expression serious. Coming to himself, he muttered, “I’m going to change,” and closeted himself in his room.
Elisabeth frowned. Her brother wasn’t much of a talker, but it was nice when he did more than grunt.
Still, she’d been fishing. Jamie was private about his relationships and Bekka was the first girl he’d offered to spend time in awhile.
Of course, he always had his “fan club”, the groupies who stalked him around the school and came to all of his games. He didn’t usually go for the cheap stuff and tolerated the attention only so far. When it got too annoying, he’d let them know with an efficient use of expletives.
She didn’t think he’d gotten serious with anyone at their last school. Not that she was one to talk. They’d moved around too much to make it worth the effort. Plus, high school boys were immature. The ones at the private schools mostly came from “normal” families, had two parents, two pets and lived in the same town their entire lives.
She and Jamie just didn’t have the same priorities. Some things were the same-- clothes, TV, sports, that kind of stuff. But a lot of things they just didn’t relate to. Or maybe it was that they just couldn’t muster the energy to care. School counselors diagnosed a hard time connecting, but when you were going to move again, it was hard to invest.
The boys at St. Lucille’s were the same.
She loved basketball, but sports weren’t everything. People needed to be able to think, too. Eligible and intelligible, the combination turned out to be ridiculously difficult to find. She tried not to stress it. College was only months away. She and Jamie already had their applications done.
Both good students, they were in a bunch of Honors classes. Had her mother been home, Elisabeth would have asked her for advice. Instead, an email was the best she could do. She hadn’t gotten anything back.
Their counselor, though, had received their financial aid paperwork from overseas. Apparently, money was an issue, but there were loads of scholarships for military kids. A problem for another today, tonight she was going to have some fun.
While she waited, Elisabeth studied her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t usually wear make-up, so she double-checked what she had done to her eyes. Smiling at her reflection, she wondering if she looked old enough. Twisting this way and that, she thought she had a good shot. Maybe not twenty-one, but the dress should help. Guys were suckers for a pair of legs.
“Jamie!” she called, knocking against his door with her three-inch heels. “Let’s go!”
He stomped out of his room and shot her a look. “I didn’t know we were in such a rush.”
He had on a pair of khaki pants, a collared shirt, and had even managed to wear slightly stylish sneakers. He hadn’t touched his hair, but he really didn’t need to. It was an artful mess of blond half curls. Elisabeth grinned and pulled him towards the door. “You’ll do.”
Jamie pulled back and she tipped precariously, barely able to keep herself from falling. “Easy!” she exclaimed. They grabbed their coats from the floor and she locked the door behind them.
“You know I hate it when you pull on me,” her brother grumped as they headed down the steps.
“Fine, I remember. No pushing, no pulling, no shoving and no tickling. Got all your rules memorized, sir.” She took the steps carefully. She was used to wearing sneakers, not heels. Holding on to the railing for support, she asked, “You know where we’re going?”
Her brother used his phone to find a map and walking directions. “Yeah.”
“You realize it’s super cold out,” she said, navigating the turning stairwell, “and that I’m in heels?” The carpet was plush, and she sunk in a bit too far to be comfortable. He said nothing. At the bottom of the steps, he stopped to zip up his jacket. Pushing his bangs out of his face, he regarded her in silence.
She pouted, “It’s not that expensive and I don’t want to freeze.”
Her brother capitulated, “Fine, we can cab it, but I think it makes us look like kids.”
Waving to Arthur, they pushed out the front door. It took a few minutes to hail a cab, and Elisabeth counted the seconds. She knew she could have asked Arthur to do it, but having a doorman still felt weird. Eventually, a car stopped for them, and they got in. Taking her brother’s phone, she found the location of Penn’s frat row and gave the driver directions with instructions to let them off a block away. 39th and Spruce would get them close enough.
Looking at Jamie sideways, she asked, “Any news from mom?” The last email contained a picture of her mother. She’d been almost unrecognizable, standing in the desert wearing a hard hat and shades, a gun slung over her shoulder. Elisabeth couldn’t tell if she was smiling.
The driver swerved into one-way traffic and her brother grabbed the side of the seat. “I didn’t check the mail today, but she didn’t call.” They were on Sansom Street, a narrow road with too many stops. Elisabeth had done a bit of reconnaissance since they moved in, and she knew the driver would probably head to Market, a multi-lane artery that ran east-west through the city.
“They would’ve called if...”
“Yeah,” he didn’t look at her, focused on the buildings, “someone would have called.”
She wished she hadn’t said anything. There was no reason to let her anxiety bother her brother. Her breath fogged the window. The street lamps flickered by. Most of the facades were apartments or closed businesses. She had walked this way before.
“Her next leave is at the end of April?” She knew when it was, but she wanted to hear him say it.
“Yeah, I think so.” His voice was distant. “We’ll be done at the end of May, but she’ll probably be back by then.” The cab slowed as they turned the circle. Jamie’s head rested against the window, his face illuminated. Elisabeth glanced at him, but his eyes were dark.
City Hall was in front of them. The huge clock looked like an eye.
The man in the moon, she thought, pressing her fingers against the frozen glass.
She wondered what it would be like to stand on the ramparts, up on the domed roof with her arms around William Penn. To the west, the city sprawled, waves of growth pushing its borders further into the countryside. It consumed as it went, converting the fields into high-rises. The car accelerated in that direction and Elisabeth sat back against the seat.
She wanted to ask her brother if he new the girl from the convenience store, but it didn’t seem like the right time. Elisabeth had told Bekka the truth. She didn’t know Frannie, but maybe Jamie did. It didn’t seem likely, but there had to be a reason the teller was acting so weird. Elisabeth wasn’t sure why she was letting it bother her so much. It was just that the girl’s reaction had been so out-of-place. So wrong, like Elisabeth had done something she shouldn’t have. And what had she said to Bekka? Something about her not being safe.
Elisabeth arranged her dress so that it covered more of her legs. If only they hadn’t had to move again. Switching schools made it feel like she’d lived two senior years. It wasn’t hopeless, though. Bekka seemed decent enough, a double bonus if her brother actually liked her. It would be nice if he had someone else to talk to. He got so moody and introspective when he was quiet for too long.
“You think she’ll come out tomorrow?” her brother asked, reading her mind. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his coat, his broad shoulders rolled over in the typical teen-angst position.
“I hope so. I wonder if she’s ever been drunk before. Remember when we went to that bar in Annapolis, the one with karaoke?”
Jamie was shaking his head, his chin tucked into his chest.
“What?” Elisabeth asked. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember, you weren’t even drinking...”
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
“No, I remember, I just don’t think we should get her trashed. She seems nice.”
Elisabeth coughed to hide her grin. Maybe he did like her after all.
“Oh, shut up,” he said, shoving her.
She shoved him back, hard. “You said no pushing and I didn’t even say anything.”
She saw her brother glance at the driver, who’d slowed their acceleration to something marginally safer.
“Fine,” he growled, not meeting her eyes.
The cabby was pulling over to the curb. They were on a nice street lined with two story brick houses, many decorated with holiday lights. So close to Penn, they were probably rentals.
Jamie paid, and they hopped out onto the curb. Empty beer cans and energy drink bottles littered the gutter. “Frat row is one block north and east,” her brother instructed. “Let’s go, I’m freezing.” Turning his back, he marched off.
Elisabeth sighed and followed, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the cold. Maybe a beer would cheer him up. She knew he was upset because their mother hadn’t helped them get to Philly. She’d arranged everything of course-- the truck, movers, and their new place, even their schools was informed. She just hadn’t called to tell them about it.
The counselor down in New Orleans had given Elisabeth some sealed mail for their “Aunt”. But since there wasn’t really an “Aunt”, and they’d fired the last lady their mother paid to keep tabs on them, Elisabeth opened the letter.
Jamie hadn’t said a word when she told him. He just started packing.
The movers arrived two weeks later. Elisabeth and Jamie had most of the boxes waiting for them on the curb. The men asked about the pictures on the wall and the books on the shelves. Jamie shrugged and Elisabeth hadn’t wanted to argue about it. They only took half of the furniture.
There was probably a good reason their mother hadn’t called, but it was still hard. Even a note would have been nice, anything to let them know she was OK and why they had to move right now.
Their family never really talked about the war when she was home. She and Jamie didn’t want to bring it up, like mentioning it would make her leave sooner. Elisabeth didn’t even know what her mother did for the Army. She just knew when she was gone.
As they turned the corner, techno music hit her ears. The rhythmic pounding promised a good time and a night of not thinking. The building had some Greek letters posted on the roof and a lot of kids smoking and drinking on the front porch. A couple of homeless were lifting forgotten cups off the railings, but no one seemed to care.
Elisabeth shrugged off her coat and folded it into the crook of her arm. The wind pulled at her hair, tugging it behind her. Her dress fluttered against her legs, the material pulled tight against her body. Her arms goose-pimpled, but she took a deep breath and mounted the stairs like she owned the place, flashing a smile at the guys who turned to watch her.
They never saw the smile. They were looking at her legs.
She didn’t care. Gesturing to Jamie, she mouthed “my brother” to the guy at the door. He grinned and gave her an approving smile. They were in.
Too easy, she thought.
Jamie took off his coat, grabbed hers, and went to find a place to stash them. The strobe light and smoke machine were in full effect. Most if the girls had forgotten cigarettes in their hands.
Body heat radiated from the dance floor as Elisabeth searched for the keg. She found it in the corner next to a couple, the guy supporting his body weight by pushing the girl against the wall. She had one leg between his, her arms wrapped around his waist while her body swayed to the music. Elisabeth filled two Solo cups with beer and made her way back. A couple of guys tried to get her attention, but she ignored them.
Emerging, she found Jamie waiting with a cold expression on his face.
“I don’t like how they look at you,” he yelled over the music.
So overprotective. Shrugging, she headed back to the porch. It was too hot inside and too cold outside. She drank her beer quickly, in one long sip, and handed the cup to Jamie. He gave her his, and she finished that too. With a shake of his head, he went back inside.
The guy at the door looked at her in surprise. His shirt had a popped collar and he wore designer jeans and a black jean-jacket. He had Asian features and short, spiked, blond hair that was glued into place. Elisabeth decided he’d be attractive if he wasn’t trying so hard.
“Thirsty?” he asked, sounding young.
She decided to keep it friendly. “Yeah, it’s been a long day.”
Pulling a pack from his pocket, he offered her a cigarette which she refused. It was impossible to play basketball and smoke. Flicking the lighter unsuccessfully, he looked to her for help. Cupping her hands around his, she hoped she wasn’t going to smell.
“Class today?” he asked, making small talk. He took his cup from a windowsill stained with brown rings.
Elisabeth figured the guy was a pledge, stuck on the door all night and bored out of his mind. Leaning against the building, she watched a girl in a prom dress sit on the porch railing and topple off headfirst into the bushes. The girl didn’t stop giggling, even as her dress fluttered down around her. Her admirers ran to help.
Elisabeth nodded to the guy checking IDs. “Physics and Math.”
“Ah. Pretty and smart. Nice.” Taking a long drag, he asked, “Who do you know in the house?”
She shrugged, “Just looking for somewhere new to hang out. Couple of girls said your brothers weren’t jerks. Thought I’d come by and see for myself.”
He grinned at the compliment, looking all of eighteen and as misplaced as she felt. The partygoers had gotten Promdress out of the bushes and replaced her cigarette and beer. Nice guys, these folks.
“I’m Paul,” he said, holding out his hand.
“Elisabeth,” she smiled back, surprised at the formality.
“Were you at the party last week?”
When she shook her head, he proceeded to give her the details. Jamie came back with two more beers, and she sipped hers gratefully. The cold didn’t seem to be bothering her as much. She hadn’t eaten dinner, not unless chips and cookies counted.
Her brother still looked like he wasn’t in the mood to talk, so she ignored him.
The door guy, Paul, was actually pretty nice, and she flirted with him while Jamie got her another beer. Originally from the Poconos, he was a first year and majoring in Economics. Elisabeth made up some stuff about her classes that Paul seemed to buy, and her brother even managed to respond to some comments about Division I basketball.
Over the next hour, more people arrived and Paul checked their IDs and asked questions. At one point she thought she saw Frannie, the teller from the convenience store, but the girl disappeared inside the house.
“That was the girl,” Elisabeth told her brother.
“What girl?” he asked, confused.
She didn’t want to have to repeat the story for Paul, so she shrugged. She was having a nice time, and since her brother didn’t mind getting her beer, she’d just stay on the porch. She didn’t want to see Frannie again.
Some people started talking politics and she got involved in the discussion. Elisabeth even forgot about her brother until he elbowed her.
“Time to go.”
She would have complained, but thought better of it. They’d been there for hours, and her brother had hardly spoken. The reconnaissance work was done. Paul would remember her tomorrow.
“See ya,” she chirped, steadying herself on her brother’s shoulder. Her heels felt wobbly.
“See you soon?” he asked, hopefully.
Maybe if she smoothed his hair down, he wouldn’t look like such an idiot. And he needed to quit smoking. “Tomorrow,” she promised. “You guys having another party?”
He laughed, “When are we not having a party?”
Jamie held her coat open and she shrugged inside. The cab was waiting for them when they rounded the corner. Jamie gave him their address, and they were off, speeding through the night again. Leaning against her brother, she listened to the cabbie’s awful music.
Everything smelled like fake vanilla and spice. The driver had probably sprayed to mask the smell of vomit and cigarettes. The cabbies in New Orleans wouldn’t have cared.
Jamie shifted beside her, and she sat up, surprised they were home. She must’ve fallen asleep. Her brother paid the fare. She scooted herself across the seat, swinging her legs and using the door to pull herself out. The beer had definitely gone to her head.
Her brother pulled her the rest of the way out. He didn’t look at her and she felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t had fun at all.
She felt him tighten beside her. Confused, she didn’t register the danger until he pushed her back.
Elisabeth stumbled, slipping on the ice. She fell hard, her bottom sinking through the snow to strike the sidewalk. It didn’t hurt much, but between her heels and dress, she struggled to scramble back up.
“Hey now!” she heard a deep voice rumble from somewhere above her. “The lady dropped this.”
“Oh!” Jamie said.
Elisabeth found her knees and push herself off the ground. Wiping the snow on her coat, she looked up. The man was disheveled. His skin was dark, and when he smiled, Elisabeth noticed he was missing a tooth. She knew him from somewhere.
“I was sleeping over there,” he gestured to the alley, “and I noticed the lady dropped her wallet.” Stepping forward, he handed it to her. “Didn’t think you’d want to go home without it.”
Elisabeth grimaced, taking her brother’s hand and letting him pull her the rest of the way up. “I really appreciate you returning it to me.”
“Don’t worry about it. We all gotta take care of each other. Days are gettin’ worse and worse. People got to stick together.”
Jamie produced a twenty, and the man took it without comment, his grin getting even bigger. “You kids new here? I don’t remember you.”
“Uh, yeah,” Jamie managed. “Not used to the snow.”
The man nodded, “Lots of things changing. It’s good you two are looking out for each other. You live in that building?”
“Uh, yeah,” Jamie said again.
“My friend lives there,” the man confided, leaning closer. The air in front of his face was hazy with his breath. Elisabeth was having trouble seeing him clearly. The man turned to look at Jamie. “She’s about your age. You keeping an eye out for her, too?”
“Who?” Jamie asked, but Elisabeth could tell he wanted out of the conversation.
“Thanks again for your help,” she said.
“Always a pleasure, ma’am,” he replied, sketching a small bow.
Unbelievably, she felt herself blushing.
“Well, good night, then,” her brother said, grabbing her arm and letting them into the building. Arthur wasn’t at the front desk, and they took the elevator to the sixth floor. Her brother knew better than to suggest the stairs.
“He looked familiar.”
“I know,” Elisabeth said. She’d been trying to remember where she had seen him. “He seemed nice.”
Jamie grunted outside their door, searching his pockets for keys.
“I had a lot of money in there,” she said. “I’m surprised he didn’t just keep the wallet. He must not have looked inside.”
Once her brother got the door open, he sat down on a stool and pulled off his boots. Splotches of water discolored his khakis. Elisabeth kicked off her heels and sat on the edge of the couch. She let herself fall back, happy to be home.
Philly was as strange as any of the other cities they’d lived in. The homeless guy had been kind, helping her when she didn’t even know he was there, while the horrible girl from the store had been weird and rude.
Elisabeth shrugged as her brother shut his door with a mumbled, “night.” Maybe if that guy was still on their street tomorrow, she’d bring him some lunch or something. Her brother had given him some money, but she wanted to do something herself.
She pushed herself off the couch, fighting her eyelids, and hit the lights. Inside her room, she crawled into her sheets, clothes on. She needed sleep, everything else could wait.