Entwined, page 5
Syn drove their rental through the city of San Antonio and though subdued, Cameron pointed out the landmarks he recognized from childhood. They used GPS to find the street Cameron had grown up on, but once they came to the neighborhood, Cameron excitedly started to pepper them with memories: his walks to school with other groups of children, racing down the street with his big wheels bike, playing at his neighbors’ houses and wondering what happened to his childhood friends. It was a time before his abilities had come, an uncomplicated time for growth and exploration—a time for birthday parties, tree climbing, and playing games of hide-and-seek and make believe.
Cameron sat in the passenger seat, not wanting Syn to feel like a chauffeur to them, but he welcomed Nathen’s awkward hug across the division between seats and allowed tears of mixed emotion to escape. “I didn’t realize how this would hit me,” he said in a hush, swallowing thickly.
“It makes sense. It’s Maria, alive…” Syn said softly, her tone one of disbelief.
They drove to the end of the block, parking where an ancient partially rusted metal divider stood warning drivers of the ravine on the other side. The block continued in a U-shape. Cameron explained the end of Bikini Street led to the creek where he and his friends had played and had been the best place for picnics when he was a kid. They exited the car and Syn pulled out her phone to act as a flashlight as they navigated a pathway leading into a copse of trees that were overgrown and untended. Cameron barreled ahead in the darkness, pointing as the packed dirt walkway opened up into a huge field to the right that held large transmitter towers.
“That’s owned by a radio station. Or at least it used to be.” Cameron showed Syn and Nathen memories of the field becoming a sea of blue in the spring, the bluebonnets growing up to knee height and protected from being mowed because of being the state flower. Cameron paused, grinning at the memory of running through the field flying kites. He looked down and chuckled, noticing Syn grasping his left hand and Nathen his right. He kissed each of their hands in turn. “Thank you both.”
“Okay,” he said aloud, surprising all three of them and letting go of their hands. “We’re early, and I don’t feel her—just the minds of the people in their homes.” He gestured with his chin toward the housing development behind them. “Come on. I’ll show you the creek.”
The three of them explored the wooded area to the left. Had it always been so overgrown? The creek had expanded into a small river over the years, and he was disappointed to find the place his mother and he used to enjoy for picnics now lost to rolling waters. Though it was only just past 11:00 p.m., Cameron suddenly seized, choking, and fell against a tree. “Mom,” he whispered aloud. Through their empathetic bond, a surge of recognition hit Nathen and Syn.
Mom! Scanning almost frantically since they turned down the street, Cameron dove into minds of each person in their homes, surprised to find a few familiar people from his childhood, which fueled the memories of his youth. None of them were Maria Molina. But now, getting out of a car with another woman who was familiar…Julia, one of the women from his mother’s coven.
“Mom!” he mentally shouted to her and started out of the wood toward the path. And then he was running, Syn and Nathen chasing after.
Pounding down the path, Cameron crashed into the dark-haired woman who was crying just as hard as he was. Nathen and Syn drew up short, stunned as they were bathed in the emotional flood from Cameron, who was curled around his mother, sobbing. Suddenly a child again, his knees weakened, and he sank down before her, burying his head in her belly as he wrapped his arms around her back. It was Maria’s turn to fold down onto her son, holding his head to her and taking as much comfort from him as she offered. A long time passed before Cameron was able to pull back and look up into his mother’s tear-stained face, still so beautiful and not aged at all—as was typical of mages.
He choked and then realized he was no longer standing and offered an embarrassed laugh before getting up. “Mom?” he gently caressed mentally, feeling her relax her defenses so he could talk. He communicated questions and emotions through pictures, the picture of seeing her dying and curiosity as to how she survived, where she had been; the picture from Nathen’s mind of her in the house a few days before and concern about the “fae war” and why she had to flee, coupled with guilt over having put her in danger; the picture of his home with Syn in San Francisco and a desperate need to protect Maria, bring her home with him and rescue her. Everything was communicated with the speed of thought and Cameron opened himself for the download of answers, but frowned when his mother’s mental defenses reared and, though gentle, he was met with a push back.
“Mom? This is the fastest and most secure way to talk,” he whispered, searching her eyes.
Maria smiled, taking Cameron’s hand and twining their fingers, studying the back of it and the ginger hair of his arm before her gaze returned up to his face in awe. “You’ve gotten so big.” She cupped his face with her free hand, her fingers moving over the new growth of his head. “So handsome.”
Cameron’s tears were renewed, this time for all of the time lost for them. He quickly wiped his face on his shoulder, but accepted a tissue offered by Julia, and then started, having obviously forgotten about everyone else in the area. “Oh, hi. Thanks,” he muttered, his voice thick.
Maria also accepted a tissue and said, “You probably don’t remember, but this is one of my oldest friends, Julia.”
“I remember,” Cameron said with a small smile.
Julia briefly placed a comforting hand on Cameron’s arm before stepping back. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Oh, and this is Syn,” he introduced for the sake of Julia. “And—”
Cameron paused as Syn rushed into Maria’s arms, her own tears coming. Maria had been more of a mother to Syn than her own family, and from the age of ten, Syn practically lived at Cameron’s house, only returning to her own home to sleep. Between her mother’s alcohol use and string of boyfriends, Syn never felt at home there. But Maria had always been welcoming and kind. Cameron swallowed hard, having rarely seen Syn cry. She always put up a strong front. I’m such a fool! For the last few days after learning Maria was still alive, he had been so wrapped up in his own anguish he hadn’t even paused to pay attention to how Syn was feeling. As he studied her now, he realized her emotions were as raw as his, that she was just as relieved, curious, and even afraid. Unable to stop himself, he grabbed both Syn and Maria up in a hug.
“Now I have both of my children back,” Maria said softly, finally pulling away.
Syn choked, and he realized when he thought his mother had died, she had died for Syn as well. And he had been in such shock he had never realized she had grieved Maria’s loss too. Suddenly it made so much sense. Why Syn had followed him to California. Why they lived together and had unconsciously always known they would be together forever. It wasn’t just that Syn was his best friend, she was also his sister for everything that mattered.
“Maria,” Syn croaked and Julia was there with another tissue, which Syn accepted with a laugh at herself.
Maria cupped Syn’s face and kissed her forehead. “Always such a beautiful girl. Thank you for taking care of each other.” She stepped back and peered curiously and expectantly at Nathen, with recognition from his projection a few days before.
“This is Nathen, Mom. My—” Cameron had never had a boyfriend before his mother had died when he was sixteen. Maria knew her son was gay and had fully supported him, talking about his future finding some man to love. But over the years, Cameron had mourned! He would never be able to share his adult life with his mother. Never be able to share with her his love for someone, or a life they might create, or grandchildren. Cameron was struck with the realization he had quietly mourned, stuffed down, and tried to ignore because acceptance was the best solution, and now, all of his sorrow had evaporated in an instant, and he was introducing his mother to the man he loved. With a halted exhale, suddenly nervous and joyous at once, he managed to say with pride, “—boyfriend.”
Nathen extended his hand smiling. “It’s a pleasure to meet you…in person. Cameron has told me so much about you.”
Maria took Nathen’s hand in both of hers, but her warm smile froze when she made contact. Her eyes grew large and a deep intake of breath was followed by her falling back away from him.
“Madre de Dios, vampiro…” She shot Cameron a questioning glance.
“Yes,” he said, hugging Nathen to him. “He is. But he’s not a monster. And it wasn’t his fault.”
Cameron sent waves of calm over everyone in the area, particularly to Nathen, who he knew would be upset by his mother’s reaction. “She’s a life mage,” he reminded him mentally.
Nathen didn’t say anything but waited for Maria’s reaction. “I hope she won’t be too upset. I can leave you to talk in private if you want?”
Maria slowly nodded, her tight smile not reaching her eyes. “It is good to meet you, Nathen.”
“Mom, maybe we could go back to the hotel? Talk about all of this? I—”
“No, mi corazón. Julia and I will be going. It’s not safe, and you need to go back to your home.”
“But, Mom, it’s not safe there either. You talked about a war. We have one too. We came here to help you, if we can.” Cameron shook his head, feeling like he was frantically grasping at straws. “Please, just come back to the hotel and talk with us. It’s not safe out here. I can’t feel any other minds near us, but…”
Maria glanced at Julia who had been standing stoically quiet observing the reunion. She gave a brief incline of her head, and Maria turned back with a shrug. “Okay.” Her tone was one of surrender, but her expression spoke volumes of a mother’s love.
Cameron embraced his mother again, holding her tightly, and her hug was just as fierce. He grasped her hand and confirmed one more time. “Follow us?”
Maria’s smile was confirmation and everyone returned back to the cars and drove to the hotel where Syn had already booked the Presidential Suite. On the drive back, Cameron sat in the back seat and watched his mother’s car, his stomach churning. Would the car go careening off and he would never see her again? But they made it to the hotel and all piled out. Cameron couldn’t stop smiling. He had to keep from touching Maria, so he busied himself by gazing at the opulence of the hotel Syn had chosen. This had happened so many times in his dreams—his mom would be there, and he would reach out to her, only to have his hand pass through her image, which turned into smoke.
Nathen said quietly, “I hope I can calm your fears about what I am. I’ve only been this way for a few weeks, and so far, it’s not like anything in the movies or fiction. I still have control of my mind, and I would never do anything to hurt anyone, especially people I love.” He cast a smile at Cameron.
Cameron’s attention trained on Nathen for strength. He wanted to hold his hand or embrace him but reminded himself he was in Texas and not San Francisco. While he could make people look the other way or be invisible to them, there was too much going on with him to be able to concentrate on that level. He was barely able to focus on the conversation between two of the three people in the world that meant the most to him.
“Thank you. Nathen…” Maria stopped, seeming at a loss for words as she stared at him, through him, her eyes having lost focus which Cameron recognized as mage-sight. She was reading his lifeforce.
They were interrupted when Syn came back with five key cards which she handed out before leading the way to the bank of elevators. She explained as she walked, “Maria, Julia, you have your own room in this suite, and I hope you will consider joining us. It’s a very late hour, and I know we can all use some sleep, but after we talk?”
The ride up in the elevator was uncomfortably silent. Cameron’s eyes bore into his mother as he fought to hold back the terror of losing Maria, the delight she was close, the desire to hold her, and the fear of forcing her away, which were all tempered by curiosity of where she had been for the last decade.
Chapter Nine
CAMERON
The presidential suite opened into a large sitting area and was equipped with two bedrooms with respective bathrooms, and a kitchen with bar. Syn announced, “I’m ordering room service. Julia, Maria, that’s your room.” She gestured through a doorway to a room with two beds. “Cam, Nathen, you take the master bedroom with the single bed. I’ve got the couch and no arguments from any of you.”
Syn answered a knock at the door and allowed the bellhop to enter carrying Julia and Maria’s bags that had been in their trunk, obviously retrieved from the valet. The women exchanged glances and appeared to be on the verge of arguing but ended in acquiescence when Syn gestured to the bedroom where the bags should be delivered.
Cameron carried Nathen’s and his bag to their assigned room, with one final glance over his shoulder at Maria’s retreat, to the bedroom on the other side. Once in the room, Cameron fell flat on the huge bed with a sigh.
Nathen lay down next to him. “Are you okay? This must be very overwhelming. What do you expect to happen from the meeting? Did you want to have your mother come with us to San Francisco?”
Cameron took a deep breath and exhaled jaggedly with his head tilted back. “Yes. I have to convince her to come back to San Francisco. Syn and I have a condo in Jack London Square in Oakland. It’s our safe house if we ever needed to get out of San Francisco but still wanted to stay close. We can put Mom up there. Or maybe buy a house where all of us can live? I don’t know. I don’t care. I—” He turned to Nathen. “—I can’t lose her again.”
Nathen nodded acknowledgment. “I don’t think you will lose her again, but I wanted to know what you were expecting. I think we should ask her what is keeping her here and afraid; maybe we can help with that?”
“You’re right. Of course, we’ll help her here. Whatever it is. There has to be some reason she’s stayed here. That she didn’t come looking for me.”
Cameron went into the bathroom and splashed water on his face, trying to wash away the red splotches his tears had created. “Come on?” Cameron held his arms out, pulling Nathen in for a tight hug which warmed him, strengthening him.
They returned to the living room hand in hand, where Syn was sitting on a chair facing Julia and Maria, who perched on the couch. Syn turned when she heard Cameron come in and called out, “They have a killer late-night dining menu. Figured we can snack and talk and then pass out from food-coma exhaustion.”
Cameron kissed Syn affectionately on top of her head and slid onto the couch next to his mother, leaving a chair empty for Nathen nearest him and farther away from the women on the couch. Maria immediately placed her hand on Cameron’s knee, eliciting a rippling sensation of a child’s yearning for affection tempered with a myriad of other emotions.
“Syn tells me she goes by Syn now and you go by Cameron?”
Redness returned to Cameron’s face, but this time from the heat of embarrassment. “You can call me Aaron, Mom. It’s okay. When you died…when I thought you had died, Syn created a whole new identity for me. I went to Leo’s College, just like you had planned. Then Syn joined me the next year. She got her associate’s and I got my bachelor’s. Then we moved to San Francisco together, and I went on to get my doctorate. But I’ve settled into being Cameron Corazon.”
Maria impulsively hugged Cameron, pulling him close to her. “My son! The doctor!”
Cameron lost his resolve and melted into his mother’s embrace, hiccupping as tears moistened her shoulder. Several people had told him how much his mother would have been proud of him as he earned each degree, as he attained licensure, as he moved forward with his career. It had always been nice to hear, but nothing compared to hearing it from his mom.
“I’m sorry.” He pulled away, wiping his tears on his sleeve and sniffing.
“Oh Aaron…” Maria had been crying too and offered a gentle apologetic smile.
“Why, Mom. Why? Where have you been? Are you in trouble? We won’t leave here until we’ve helped you. And I’m not going to leave without you. Not again. If it’s dangerous, then come with us. If you want, I’ll move here to be with you. I can’t… I can’t leave you again. I won’t.”
Chapter Ten
NATHEN
Maria sat straighter, seeming to struggle with something until she finally nodded. “On that night, oh so many years ago, I was attacked by an arachnoid fae,” she began softly. “But I was saved by the elemental fae of the coastal planes. They are enemies and the land fae spirited me away and healed me. It actually took many months of its ministrations, but once I had recovered, you were long gone. And it was for the best. After I healed, the fae asked for my help. The arachnoids had infested the area and were hunting mages, vampires, and fae, taking their blood for their own power. In addition, they eat humans as a food source. They were upsetting the balance of nature on many levels. I couldn’t accept it, so the fae put me in contact with my previous coven.” She shot a smile to Julia. “Several had already been recruited, but it has been a slow war. We find one of their clusters and just as soon as we’re done destroying it, another crops up. No end is in sight.”
Watching mother and son embrace and cry into each other’s shoulders made Nathen tear up. It’s a myth that autistic people can’t feel emotion. They can, but it’s hard to identify what emotion they’re seeing or experiencing. In situations such as these, the emotions were clear, both from his link with Cameron and from the visual display. He had the same attachment to his own mother, though it was expressed differently. Nathen’s mother was more stoic and less prone to show emotion, though he knew she loved his brother and him.
