When I Cry: Chpt. 1

Chapter 1: Taxi!

Tessa stood on the street corner, waiting for the taxi. Stupid driver, called him thirty minutes ago and he can’t even manage to get here on time. She could have walked there faster than this. Now she was going to be late. She gritted her teeth in frustration and brushed loose strands of hair out of her face, glancing up and down the road for the delinquent cab. Not seeing it, she huffed and held her watch out in front of her, jerking away as the crystal reflected the light into her eyes. So, the watch was going to be a pain, too. Never mind, she didn’t want to know how many more minutes had wasted away, waiting for the cab. Her skin tingled from the muggy humidity, reminding her of the last time she waited for a cab- an hour spent in freezing rain. A car whizzed past, scattering dust into her face and hair. Great, now she was coated with a thin coat of dirt, which had stuck to her sweat. She was hot, she was miserable, and now she was officially going to be late. With a growl she scuffed the pavement with her shoe, a strap threatening to break from the abuse. After regaining her balance, she rechecked the street for signs of the cab and then leaned against the street lamp to her left. A cloud crept across the sky, briefly veiling the sun and wrapping her in shade. Okay, so this wasn't as bad as last time. At least she wasn't freezing her panties off without an umbrella, being drenched to the bone with ice water. Another car lumbered down the street, and Tessa absently watched it roll past as she felt the outline of the ivory whistle hanging around her neck and hidden by her blouse, wondering for a brief moment what the driver would think if she summoned Kass. After toying with the idea, she cast it aside and shook her head. No, the FUN Council was very strict about keeping dragons out of the ‘real world,’ and she was already on probation as the first female Dragonmate. She shook her head. Seriously, who came up with that? The FUN Council. The only thing fun about that Council was seeing how much distance she could put between herself and them. The car rounded the far corner of the street and was lost from sight, so she simply enjoyed visualizing all the ways her friend would blow it up, if she ever gave him the chance. After a minute or so of leaning against the post, her shoulder went numb, so she pushed herself up off the streetlight and flipped her cellphone open, dialing Brook’s number. Three rings later, Brook answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Brook. It’s me, Tessa.”

“Hi, Tessa! Hey, are you coming to the meeting tonight? You know Max wouldn’t be very happy if you didn’t,” Brook said.

Tessa chuckled sardonically and glanced up and down the road again. “Well, I’d love to, except my ride isn’t here. Could you make sure they don’t start without me?”

“Sure, Tess! So, the taxi didn’t show?” Brook asked.

“No, it didn’t,” Tessa huffed. “You would think the cab company would send another taxi, right?”

“Yeah, you would think. Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll come get you,” Brook said, her voice mixing with the sound of rustling papers.

“Really?” Tessa said.

“Yeah, yeah it’s fine. Really. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just give me a second to call Max and them first.”

“All right. Thanks, Brook.”

“Hey, no problem. I’ll be there in a minute.” The line clicked, and Brook hung up.

Tessa clapped the phone shut and slid it into her handbag, and then tried to wipe some of the moisture off her palms onto her jeans, but only succeeded in sticking her jeans to her thighs. Great, now she had two damp palm streaks down her jeans from her pants sticking to her legs. Could the day get any better? She tugged on her white blouse, trying to keep her shirt from giving a repeat performance of her pants’ sudden desire to be clingy. Oh well, at least she could live with the humidity for another hour while she waited for Brook to drive in from the suburbs. Which reminded her, she had an hour to burn. She started up the street, and then stopped when she realized she hadn’t told Brook where to pick her up. Rifling through her handbag, she didn’t hear the two men walk up behind her until the first tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, miss,” he said gruffly, tapping a little harder than necessary.

“What?” Tessa snapped, spinning around and away from him as she pulled her cellphone out and held it up like a weapon. The man’s partner stepped back, but the speaker held his ground. The pair were taller than Tessa, both with thick, dark arms left exposed by thin tank tops stretched over their torsos. The smaller of the two stood behind the speaker, avoiding Tessa’s glare beneath a flat-bill, a diamond earring glistening in his left ear. The closer man had his hair braided close to his head, and dark, baggy jeans with a thick, silver chain dangling out of his right pocket and looping to his back pocket. Both held their thumbs hooked into their jeans, backs tilted back slightly as if they were ready to lash out at any moment. Tessa took another step backwards, flipping her phone open as she warily eyed the pair.

“What do you want?” she demanded, shifting the phone so she could dial with her thumb if need be.

“Hey, we don’t got no beef with you,” the leader said, holding his hands up placatingly. “We just want t’know if you know how to get to the bus stop from here.”

“To the end of this road, take a right, and go two blocks,” Tessa said, the back of her neck tingling.

“Cool. Thanks,” the man said, glancing back at his friend. They sauntered past her, and Tessa stepped close to the glass storefront beside her, lowering her cellphone to her side but keeping a watchful eye on the pair as they walked on. The guy with the hat looked back over his shoulder at her several times before they reached the street corner, but every time he met her eyes he quickly looked back ahead. Tessa let out a breath and tried to slow her heart rate, leaning against the shop window and letting the warmth of the glass soak through her shirt, folding her phone into her palm as she dropped it to her side. Calm down, girl. They were just asking for directions. Honestly, she was getting so suspicious lately, probably too suspicious. But then again, that was what kept her alive, especially during the sparring sessions at FUN. Which she was going to be late for, again.

“You okay, miss?” She pulled her head off the glass and glanced at the shopkeeper, a wiry, thin-faced man who appeared in the doorway of his shop to her left.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she told him, glancing quickly down his wax-stained apron, and then at his gold-rimmed spectacles, which he had perched on his nose above a thin, brown beard. His light brown eyes were soft with concern, but bright as well. He reminded her of a scarecrow, especially with his straw hair matted on his skull. All skin and bones, but quaint in a soft, friendly, unassuming way. Just what she needed, another elderly gentleman fathering her under his protective wing. Well, they could keep their pity. She could take care of herself.

“It’s just that you’ve been standing out in the heat for so long,” the shopkeeper continued, rubbing his thin, spindly fingers together. He unclasped them, and formed a spire again, as if he couldn’t decide if he were praying or not. “Would you like to come in?”

Not a difficult question to answer. Stay out in the heat, or go inside some random shop which hopefully had air conditioning? “Sure. Let me make a phone call first.”

“All right,” the man said, slipping back into his shop. Tessa flipped the phone open on its way to her ear, and dialed Brook’s number without bothering to look at the keypad. She tucked her hair behind her ear and listened to the buzzing on the other end of the line, waiting for Brook to pick up. Finally she did. “Hey, Tessa! What’s up?”

“I never told you where to pick me up,” she told her friend. A yellow car turned a corner, and Tessa’s throat constricted when she saw the taxi sign on top. “Hang on a sec.” She waited for the taxi to slow down and pull to the curb, but it didn’t slow and drove straight past her. “Hey! Hey, taxi!” she called, waving her arms in the air. The cab did not stop and turn around. It didn’t even slow. What was it with her and taxis? “Sorry, had a cab drive by. It didn’t stop.”

“I’m sorry, Tess,” Brook said apologetically. “You were saying?”

“Oh, right. I’m on College Ave, by the…” she looked at the store behind her, “candle shop.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Have you been inside yet?” Brook asked excitedly.

“No, I was just going to,” Tessa said, pushing herself off the window.

“Okay, well just stay inside the shop. I’ll pick you up there. Oh, and say hi to Ezra for me. He’s an old friend,” Brook said. Yeah, old was right. The guy was practically a grandpa. “See you there!”

“Yeah, see you,” Tessa said, closing the cellphone and sticking it back in her purse. She walked to the store entrance, then stopped when she saw herself reflected in the glass. Frizzled black hair was in utter rebellion on her head, and her dark eyes looked sullen in the shadows, probably not improved by her mood. Her thin brows arched above her eyes, and her jaw slanted into a gentle point which, coupled with her smooth, bronze-skinned complexion, gave her a pixie look. Thankfully her ears weren’t too pointy, but her slight build only added to the sprite image. Yeah, a light, delicate woman who couldn’t move without being graceful even if she tried. Beyond intimidating. She shook her head in annoyance and reached for the metal door handle, and was greeted by a shock of static. Yep, her mood was definitely not going to improve anytime soon. She pulled the door open and stepped inside, and almost swooned from the wonderful blast of cool air that lifted her hair off her neck just enough to soothe her. Okay, so maybe it would. She glanced around the shop, taking it in. The store was open and airy, wooden cabinets filled with homemade candles lining the walls. A table, of the same light wood, sat in the center of the room with three levels of planks forming a tier, housing some of the larger, cylindrical candles. Several glass jar candles were lit, filling the room with the calming scent of lavender. To the back of the room sat the front counter, and behind that stood Ezra, a large burgundy candle on a rotating pedestal in front of him. He held a small, scalpel-shaped knife in his right hand, which he was using to etch a design on the candle’s curved surface, while he rotated the candle with his left. A large, oaken relief of a menorah was mounted on the wall behind him, and above the register hung a sign that said, “Harness your inner ch’i.” Oh, the Mages would love this place. Tessa wouldn’t be surprised to walk into the back room and find a handful of them meditating right now. This place was so relaxing. She stood in the doorway, soaking in the coolness and letting all her frustration ebb out, before rousing herself enough to move off the black marble entryway onto the gray carpeting. She definitely didn’t want this moment ruined by someone bashing the door into her back. No, that would definitely spoil things. She walked over to the table, and noticed small bottles with bamboo shafts running through their corks into a translucent liquid inside. More aromatherapy. Could this place get any better? As if reading her thoughts, Ezra paused in his works and slipped a hand under his mahogany-hued counter and flicked a switch before returning to his wax carving. Over in the corner sat a small black box with smooth stones mounted on one side, and a tray of pebbles submerged in water. A gentle stream of water trickled down the stones, softly gurgling as the fountain lapped into the collecting tray. Tessa felt her neck and shoulder relax, the last threads of tension in her spine easing away as she watched the waterfall. Such a wonderful place. She could just stand here for hours, let the world fall to pieces for all she cared. But then her feet reminded her that she’d been standing in those sandals for quite some time, and thank you very much she’d like to sit down now. She felt the tension creeping back in at the reminder of why she was even in this store in the first place, but then shoved the thoughts aside. No, she was going to enjoy this little break, especially with what she would be going through after the meeting…no, no. Bad. Bad thoughts. She shook her head and walked towards the front of the store, intending to ask Ezra if there was any place to sit down, when a gap in the cabinets, an alcove, caught her eye. A slatted wooden bench filled the alcove, two candles flickering softly on the corners of the cabinets at the bench’s end, and right above the bench was one of the air vents, which was pouring out just the right amount of cool air. She sat down, her bag slapping the wood, and let her head thunk against the wall. Okay, so the bench was a little hard, and maybe she shouldn’t have intentionally hit her head against the wall, but hey, she was off her feet, and feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. Yes, life was good, for the brief respite she’d been offered. She wasn’t going to complain. The thought that she should pass Brook’s greeting along flitted across her mind before disappearing entirely as she drifted. Maybe she should stay awake. She grinned and barely moved her head, a tired attempt at a shake. No, Brook would come wake her up if she dozed off. Besides, she was tired. She let her mind wander again, enjoying the reprieve. Before long, she had fallen asleep.