Palindrome

I was confused, tired, giddy, mad, happy. My mood switched like crazy the next days, trying to come to terms with everything which had happened. William and his siblings continued to come in for coffee every other day, and I was sad to say I looked forward to those stolen minutes. Just to admire him on a distance, or going over to fill up his cup, I felt my heart quicken in anticipation. The only thing helping was the look in William`s eyes when he spotted me, it seemed he yearned for those minutes as much as me.

It was a slow day, there was a travelling amusement-park in the nearest town and a lot had gone away. I wiped down the counters when I heard the bell ring, I straightened my back and turned with a bright smile on my face. Belinda danced in, I overlooked her, impatiently waiting for William to sooth my frenzy. It wasn’t William who followed her. I recognised Mr Adamson, or George/Gomer, he gave me a short nod, his blue eyes glinted yellow. I hadn`t seen the woman towing behind him, but she seemed familiar. I couldn’t see any similarities with any of her children, but it had to be Mrs Adamson. Her dress was expensive, her heels high. I tilted my head, studying her when I seated them, she was the one who`d been in my driveway, I was sure. Neither William nor Benjamin was with them, I tried to wipe my disappointment off my features.

“So, coffee, or do you want something to eat? We have lasagne, and Mary`s just made her famous peach-cobbler.” I knew I ranted, but I couldn’t help it. Belinda smiled a vicious smile and motioned my way, “Mother, father, this is Hannah. She`s the most helpful waitress here.” George didn’t bother to smile back, his voice detached when he talked down to the menu, “I know, I had the pleasure of being served by her the first time I was here. Very good coffee, I think I`ll just go with that and a piece of the famous cobbler.” He turned to his wife, and put a hand on top of hers, mimicking a caress. “What about you, dear?”

I`d thought of Belinda`s smile as vicious, that was nothing compared to the sting Mrs Adamson gave me. I wanted to go and take a cold shower; the smile was nasty. “Oh, I think I`ll stick with the coffee, some of us worries about calories.” Ok, her smile had nothing to her expression. I usually embraced my curvy body, but now I felt like shit.

Hannah, remember who you are.

Supported by the Goddess, I managed to turn to Belinda without coming with a snarky reply. She almost looked distressed, but she wiped it away from her face when she gave me her order. “Ice coffee. And a piece of cobbler, please.” I gave her a genuine smile, the first I`ve ever given her, happy with her order and small uproar. I expected them to do something, but they just had their coffee and pai, chatting stilted between them. More than once, I felt them stare my way, but they never said anything to me. I recalled William’s warning, not to talk to them. They seemed like your typical rich couple, bored with each other. I had to remind myself of the fact they were close to 1000 years old.

And dangerous.

Yes, thank you, and dangerous. George turned abruptly and I hid behind the shelf to avoid his stare. George looked like a man in his best age, maybe a bit after fifty. Mrs Adamson could be ten years younger maybe. I wondered how old she was in reality, and I shifted uncomfortably when I realised she had to be a relative if she also turned into a beast. Or was it contagious? I thought with dread on the times William had bitten me. He would have warned me, right? A hand slapped on the counter, startling me. I focused on the handsome man, with the smile so alike William`s. “Thank you, Hannah. The cobbler deserves to be famous.” I got it together in time to give a shaky smile. “I`ll be sure to tell Mary that, she never tires of hearing it.” From the looks of it, he didn’t know about William and me, his siblings must have kept their mouths shut. Belinda avoided me, fussing around her mother. I overheard some of the conversation.

“We`ll be alright, Mother. It`s not the first time we`ve been alone. We aren`t small kids anymore.” An odd look flickered over Belinda`s face, almost like she regretted her words. “I know that.” Her mother had steel in her own voice. “But these are different times.” I could swear she glanced my way. George started talking, averting my attention. “Tell me, Hannah, do you do deliveries?” I frowned, not grasping what he meant. “My wife and I will be away for a business-trip, but my birthday is coming up, and I wanted to celebrate. I wondered if you guys could cater the food? We`ll be holding the party at our own house though.” I nodded, focusing. “Sure, what did you have in mind? And what?” We discussed the party, and it was so normal I almost forgot I was talking to Noah`s grandson. He said they would be away for two weeks, and wanted the food delivered on the 19th of June. A little devil went through me, and I smirked up at Mr Adamson. “And how old will you be, if I might ask?” I kept my face blank, “For the cake, I mean.” He seemed unsure what to do, but he ended up smiling. “Oh, too old to mention, Hannah dear.” He grabbed his hat and gathered his wife and daughter. “Have a nice trip, Mr and Mrs Adamson.” My voice was even. She just raised an eyebrow and walked out briskly; Belinda smiled secretly before she followed. George looked me up and down, “I must say, Hannah, you are your mother in and out.”

All the air went out of me as soon as they were out of sight, my adrenaline wearing out at last. Oscar crept up behind me, staring after the family who were getting inside a massive Bentley. How many cars did they own? I realised that the family must be filthy rich, having had so many years to accumulate wealth. “Not your usual Louisville-family.” Oscar stated dryly. I shook my head, agreeing with him. “No, you got that right.” Something was bugging me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I bit my lip as I tidied the table and took the ridiculously big tip they`d left. What was troubling me, other than a family of biblical persons in the cafè? Instead of brushing the trouble aside, I dwelled on it-hoping it would make the disappointment of not seeing Will go away. Why didn’t he come in together with the family? What was he and Benjamin up to? I walked into the kitchen and talked to Mary about the food we were supposed to cater in two weeks, she would be doing the work, so I needed to check everything with her. When I`d went through the courses they wanted, Mary took a step back and started fiddling with a spatula. “Have you heard anything…” She looked around, searching for the correct word, she was a polite, old lady. “Anything weird about the Adamson`s?” I swallowed, not knowing what to answer. “What do you mean, weird?” I hung the paper up on our order-board. “I think they`re very wealthy, if that`s what you mean?” She hesitated, flipping the spatula around. “No, not like that. I`ve heard rumours of strange sounds coming from the house, weird music and shouting at night.” I knew I should have checked out the house. “Really? Shouting?” Mary met my stare square on, “Maybe you should do something about it?” “Wh…” The word got caught in my throat. “What? Do what?” Now she turned away from me, “Clara is a good friend of mine, you know.” Clara was Mrs Jensen. “She`s known your family for so many years, and I`ve seen you grow up, little heart. My family is also from here. I think there`s something weird about the Adamson`s, but I know your family isn’t normal. Never have been. I`ve heard stories about small miracles and wonders. You need to find out more about them.” Right then Oscar came barging into the kitchen and stated dramatically that he needed to eat before he fainted. I took the opportunity and almost ran out in the cafe, flustered by Mary`s words. She didn’t say anything else about it, but I felt her eyes on me from time to time.

When I was due to go home, I walked up to her, having worked up some courage. “You`re right, there is something weird. And you can trust me, I will protect you.” My back straightened as I said the words, filling me with confidence. It was my job to protect the people here, and they needed to know they were safe. Mary gave a small smile and a short nod, as if to say, “good job.”

The day was warm, and I put my sunglasses on when I came outside, wondering what I should do when I came home, maybe I should take the day off and just read a book outside? The thought was tempting, it seemed my life had been so busy lately, I hadn`t had any time to just sit down and relax. I brushed the image of William aside, not today. Just as I had that thought, I heard the sharp noise of an engine coming closer. Not a car- a motorbike skidded down the small alley which led to the backyard of the café. Black jeans, black and red form-fitted leatherjacket and a black helmet. The bike stopped in front of me, leaving me with my heart in my throat. He took the helmet off, leaving his hair unruly-he had to throw his head back to get it out of his eyes before he smiled at me. My whole body buzzed when I saw that loop-sided grin aimed at me.

“Want a ride?”

I smiled at the before-used phrase. Once again, he didn’t need my answer. I ran the last steps over to him and stopped abruptly in front of him, unsure how to behave. He reached for me and grabbed me by the waist, yanking me closer. His breath smelled of liquorice, and his lips were warm against mine when they crashed down on me. The world disappeared; we were the only ones left in the entire universe. The kiss deepened and William turned slightly to get both his hands on my waist, his murmuring voice took some time to get through my haze, “Lift your legs.” He hoisted me up and lifted me over his lap, so I straddled the bike in front of him, facing him. His hands went under my sweater at once, exploring my skin. I held my hands on his face, the stubble making my fingers tingle as we kissed for an eternity.

At last, he withdrew, breathing heavily. “Sometimes I wish you had put a spell on me, it would have been easier to understand the things you do to me.” His hands were on my thighs, stroking me up and down. With a weird flexing, he got me behind him, the right way, and handed me a helmet. “Put this on.” His voice was gruff, emotions pent up inside. I collected my hair in a low ponytail and as soon as I had the silver helmet on, he positioned my arms around his waist. “Hang on.”

He drove fast at first, conversation impossible over the noise. When we reached the road outside town, he slowed down and I could enjoy the ride. I didn’t know where he was taking me, and I didn’t care. I was happy just to be near him, feeling his body between my legs and arms. His hand cupped mine from time to time, like he wanted to make sure I was really there, and I pressed my thighs together to tell him I wasn’t going anywhere other than where he was taking me.

The last turn he made, led us into a road without asphalt, and William had to take it slow so the bike wouldn’t slide on the gravel. He stopped at a small clearing, letting me get off first. I took off the helmet, glad to have some cool air on my warm face and I hurried to fix my hair some while William took off his helmet, I hoped it didn’t look like a bird`s nest. The woods around us were quiet, I could just make out some birds chirping in the distance; besides that, it was just the wind blowing in the trees. We`d driven for some time, I had no idea where we were. William opened the lid on a satchel fastened to the bike, which I hadn’t noticed until now, from that he took out a small backpack filled with something. I raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on his obvious preparations.

“Come, witch. Follow me into the dark forest.” I smiled to the Beast and gave him my hand, along with my heart.