章 5: Change of Plans
Jardan took a raised cattail and pulled the door apart. The dining room they walked into was something out of a movie. It was enormous with a table that could seat dozens of people at it. Around it were tall straight chairs that matched the dark wood. Placed every three feet down the table was a vase of fresh flowers.
The room was decorated in an old ornate design that Callie had seen in many historical houses with raised carvings and painted a bright gold. Behind it on the walls, a rick burgundy covered them. Before Callie could examine the room further, a noise from the far end drew her attention.
Two people stood up to greet them. Callie gasped. They looked like they had stepped out of the portrait over the fireplace.
Callie followed Jardan as he walked toward his parents. She still couldn’t believe how much they looked like their portraits. It was only when Jardan spoke that she pulled herself out of shocked stance. She realized her mouth hung open and closed it quickly as her face warmed.
Jardan’s mother moved toward her. The long white dress rustled as she moved. Her long dark hair was pulled to the side in an elaborate braid. A bright smile lit up her face, giving Callie a small sense of relief.
“Callie, I’m so glad to finally meet you. We’ve heard so much about you.” Her voice had a musical quality to it. She took Callie’s hand in hers. Callie felt a strange sensation move up her arm from the connection. It swept over her body causing her to be lightheaded for a second.
“Thank you, Mrs. Laurent.” Callie practically whispered the words as the feeling faded.
“Oh, please, call me Joyceta. I insist.” Joyceta had a satisfied look on her face as she released Callie’s hand and stepped back.
“Hello, Callie.” Jardan’s father had a deep voice that would have had heads turn no matter where he was. She smiled as he took her hand, also.
Another strange feeling coursed through her though this time it didn’t cause her to feel faint. It almost made her giggle. Callie’s smile tightened as she tried to hide her feelings.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Laurent.”
“Please, as my wife did, you can call me by my given name, Remedio.”
“Yes, sir.”
He let go of her hand and nodded approvingly at his wife. Callie took a deep breath as she tried to compose herself. She didn’t want to look like a fool in front of Jardan’s parents and have them think she had no social graces whatsoever.
Remedio motioned them to the table where a large amount of food waited on them. Callie hadn’t even seen the buffet when she had originally walked up. Remedio sat at the head of the table with Joyceta taking the seat to his right. Jardan took the chair on the other side of his father after he pulled out the one next to it. Callie looked down at the long empty table and wondered if they ever entertained the entire town.
The plates were passed around for everyone to take from. Callie was unsure what any of it really was. It all looked delicious and smelled even better. One plate held little sandwiches with a bright pink filling. A bite of it reminded her of cotton candy. Another plate had little tarts that tasted like honey and raspberries, but she couldn’t see a single raspberry. Callie filled her plate before she knew it. Embarrassed that she had taken so much, she looked around. Relief hit her when she saw the other plates just as full.
The food was delicious. As they ate, the family talked. They mostly asked Callie about her life before Shadowfort.
“How do you like living here in Shadowfort?” Remedio asked.
Callie swallowed a bite of food and smiled. “It’s alright.” A wistful look appeared on her face. “I haven’t met many friends yet. Jardan has been the only one to really talk to me.” She gave him a warm smile.
“They’ll get used to you. I think all kids have trouble adjusting whether they are the new ones or the ones with a new kid in their group.”
Joyceta nodded. “Yes, that can be difficult. Do you like Jasper?”
Callie shrugged. “He’s okay. I guess I’m still getting used to having someone around. It’s always been just been me and my mom.” She lowered her head to hide the flash of irritation at the talk of Jasper. Having him in her life was not a blessing so far.
He had been nice to her. In fact, he had been very nice to her, giving her space to accept a new man in her mother’s life. She couldn’t complain about how he treated her. It was just he was there. Her and her mother were doing just fine on their own.
“Was it just you and your mother before you moved here?” Joyceta gave her a reassuring smile.
“Yes, I never knew my dad. He died before I was born. Or that is what Mom says. I always think there is more to the story, but it might just be my wishful thinking.”
Joyceta smiled and gave a quick glance at her husband. “How did your mother meet Jasper?”
“She worked at an insurance company back home. Jasper got lost and saw her company was one of the few places open after five. She was working late. He asked for directions. A few weeks later, he came back through town and took her out for lunch. After that, he came through regularly. That was a year ago. He asked her to marry him three months ago. We moved here last month the day after they got married.”
“You’ll like Shadowfort once you are comfortable. You are welcome here any time. We enjoy entertaining Jardan’s friends.”
Callie’s mood had been lowered with the talk of Jasper. She could only smile a little in response.
The meal was over. A door located against the far wall opened that Callie hadn’t seen. It was flush with the wall and couldn’t be seen until it actually opened. Through it walked a woman dressed in a long black dress with a starched white apron over it. She was very short. Callie estimated her to not even be five feet tall. She was dark skinned as though she spent a lot of time out in the sun. Callie had only seen someone with the same coloring in a National Geographic Magazine from an island in the Pacific. Her hair was snow white despite the young looks she possessed. It was pulled back into a tight bun at the base of her neck.
She gathered up the dishes and put it on a rolling cart that was located against the wall. When she picked up Callie’s plate, her eyes moved to her. They were jet black. Callie gave a small gasp as the eyes bore into her hers. It felt like hours she gazed into them before the other woman blinked and the connection was broken. The small woman gave her a tiny smile before disappearing back into the kitchen.
Callie looked around but found the others talking as though nothing had happened. They were commenting on how they had met her mother at the police station where she had gotten a job as a dispatcher. She really didn’t have to work but wanted to. She had argued that was how she was going to get to know people in the community. Because of the job, she had met most of the town. She didn’t feel so new anymore. Callie wished she could say the same.
“Callie, I love your mother’s name. Indigo is so beautiful.”
She couldn’t help but bristle at the name. Her mother had always been called Ann which was her middle name. Having her change it back to her given name ruffled Callie’s feathers. The move to Shadowfort had caused too many changes, and she was not happy about it.
“Yes, it is.”
“Was she named after someone?”
“I think it was a great-grandmother. I’m not sure.”
“And is your name Callie or is that short for something?” Joyceta inquired.
Callie was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. She didn’t like her mother’s new name. She despised her own name. Now, it seemed that she was going to have to let everyone know about it. It did cross her mind to just lie, but something told her that they would know it was one. Her mother probably already told them what it was.
“It is my nickname.”
“Oh, what is your birth name?”
Callie could have sworn the woman knew and was forcing her to say the name out loud. She gritted her teeth. “Calista.” Hearing the name, made her skin crawl.
“Oh, that is so beautiful. Where did your mother get it?”
Callie shrugged. “My mother always said my father named me.”
Callie could feel both of Jardan’s parents watching her. She squirmed in her seat and looked down at her plate.
“Was it hard growing up without a father?”
Callie couldn’t understand why they were prying so much into her life. She just wanted to get out of there. The fun she had been having had vanished.
“No. We did just fine.” Her words were clipped.
A cough from Jardan changed the topic to their school project. The rest of the meal was centered around safer topics. Callie relaxed once again.
After dessert, Callie noticed the late time. “Oh, my. I need to get back. It’s getting late.” She turned to Jardan as they all stood up. “Thank you so much for your help. I feel more confident about the assignment now. Mr. and Mrs. Laurent, thank you for having me and for a wonderful meal.”
“It was entirely our pleasure, Calista.”
Callie frowned slightly at the use of her given name. She didn’t like the fact that Jardan’s mother was determined to use it. Out of politeness, she couldn’t say anything.
“Yes, it was entirely our pleasure.” Mr. Laurent shook her hand.
They all followed her to the door. A loud rumble shook the house. Every head turned up as though they could see the impending storm through the roof of the house.
“Sounds like trouble brewing,” Mr. Laurent spoke softly as he moved to the door and opened it. The rest of the group followed him out and looked at the quickly-darkening sky.
Callie had never seen a stormy sky so active. The black, grey, and purple clouds moved around in a complicated dance that had them swirling around the sky back and forth. Lightening shot from one end of the sky to the other. It was as though a dance of forces had gone into play.
Mr. Laurent reached out his arm and placed it as a barricade between the sky and the others. “I think we need to get back inside. Calista, we’ll call your mother. You’ll be spending the night.”
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