Chapter 51

When I was a little girl, the other children in the tribe would make fun of me. They called me cruel names and sometimes pushed me down or hit me, all because of the star on my chest.

The elders in the tribe weren’t sure what to do with me, I could tell. Some seemed to think I was some kind of prophecy, a sign from the gods and others considered me a bad omen. Either way, they appeared to fear me.

Grandmother loved me. She treated me like I was her own. She was all I had.

Considering that I had tragically lost Amy, my only friend in the outside world, I hoped with all my heart that my grandmother was okay.

After discovering that I indeed had a white star emblazed upon my chest, Tanaka insisted we go straight to his vehicle and then to the location of my tribe. He refused to talk about how he knew about my birthmark until we got to my grandmother.

“How much further?” Tanaka asked as we sped along the Arizona highway. The headlights shone like two moons on the black asphalt, guiding us through the dark.

“Make a left up here and it’s about twenty miles from there.” My voice shook with anticipation. We hadn’t seen any sign of the Majestic 12 since the helicopter incident and I kept feeling like they were going to jump out from behind a tree or bush at any moment.

Keanu curled and uncurled his fist beside me. Staring out the window into the pitch of the night, his aura exuded stress. I could see how he would be tense, I looked like I was going to pop at any moment and we could literally be driving directly into the arms of his fiendish former employers.

Sandwiched between the two silent men, I couldn’t stand it anymore. Leaning forward and switching on the radio, I breathed a sigh of relief as Johnny Cash began serenading me with one of his classics.

After the song ended, the radio announcer began his top of the hour spiel.

“Good evening everyone. That was the one and only, Johnny Cash with his number one hit, Walk the Line. On to the weather, we’re expecting rainfall for this evening and into the morning. Tomorrow should get to a high of 86 with the occasional cloud in the sky. Sunday will be smokin’ with a high of 95 degrees, but cool down by Monday to 84.”

Waiting for the next song to start, I smiled at the jolly newscaster’s weather report. He continued.

“That’s all for the weather. I hope all you lovebirds are prepared for tomorrow. Valentine’s Day is upon us and if you men out there want to keep your ladies happy, you best be hurrying down to the local flower stores tomorrow!”

“Valentine’s Day!” I exclaimed with a twinge of excitement. The men on either side of me jumped with my spontaneous outburst. “It’s my birthday tomorrow! I’ll be twenty-one!”

With the all the upset and upheaval in my life over the last few months, I realized that I didn’t have clue what day it was…let alone what month.

I’d always loved my birthday! Grandmother made it such a special event that it warmed my heart.

Keanu turned and grinned at me but Tanaka’s entire body stiffened and his face fell like he’d heard disturbing news. Slightly offended and annoyed with his reaction, I chose to ignore him and enjoy the fact that tomorrow was my birthday.

Resting my head on Keanu’s large shoulder, I closed my eyes and let myself drift off a little.

I enjoyed the peace of the moment, which was good, because it would soon end.