Chapter 2 – Company in my Back
Their two-day journey began before the sun peered up over the Santiago Mountain Range. At five in the morning, Lane and Apollena left their apartment nestled beside UCI’s main campus and headed north toward Washington. The first leg of their journey would end up taking just under thirteen hours with a break in downtown San Jose. They enjoyed a light lunch at a little poke bowl place Luna wouldn’t shut up about, and it was absolutely worth it.
Detours weren’t Lane’s forte. He enjoyed the simplicity of the straight shot up Highway Five without interruptions. His driving was the opposite of his investigative process. Unlike their adolescence, the novelty of a straight path from ‘A’ to ‘B’ was delightfully simple. He tried not to think about the absurd amount of paranormal encounters they’d endured. He enjoyed the amber waves of grain and browning farmland beside them until the scene transitioned to redwoods and junipers.
In addition to swinging through San Jose, they planned their first night’s rest at a beach side campground near Red Wood National Park. For those long hours in between rest stops, their 2011 Jeep Compass Apollena coveted since high school ran smoothly across the long stretch of uncongested highway that blanketed Central and Northern California.
Lane wasn’t a stereotypical car guy. He knew how to drive. He knew how to fly. And with the exception of one crashed catamaran, he could pilot a handful of seafaring vessels competently. Luna, on the other hand, loved cars. Their middle sister, Katrina, was a gear head and responsible for most of the maintenance and unique upgrades on the Compass. But Luna? That girl was a completely different animal behind the wheel of a car. There was something about the rush from the driver’s seat, the leather wheel clutched within her grasp, and her foot anchored on the accelerator that gave Luna a spiritual experience. Suffice to say no amount of sex satisfied Luna compared to the thrill of driving. (With the noted exception of having sex while driving.)
“Last call, Ursa Minor. We save two hours if we keep going into Oregon. You’re sure you won’t change your mind?” Lane asked for the third time as their exit came into view.
Lane was the navigator. Apollena was the pilot.
That was their typical rhythm. However, this mission to capture a missing piece of their childhood, or whatever, was Luna’s conception. Lane had agreed to make an attempt at being flexible. This wasn’t a mission. This was a vacation and the journey was supposedly greater than the destination. Even so, Lane found it difficult to push past his tendency to enjoy an efficient journey.
“Two hours out of our way is more than worth the price of camping at this spot, I guarantee it,” Luna said emphatically, tapping her bare feet on the dashboard. An open copy of ‘Things Fall Apart’ rested face down on her chest. Astonishingly, she’d kept most of her clothes on for nearly the whole journey. A welcome surprise for Lane. Her light blue denim cutoffs paired with a loose kiwi spaghetti strap midriff.
Somebody was feeling their early 2000s pop era, Lane chuckled.
A few hours later and the burnt umber Jeep pulled onto the beachhead of Redwood State Park. Looking over the pale blue waters of the West Coast, the afternoon sun irradiated their surroundings in a beautiful golden glow. Salt air, fresh pine, and gentle waves lapped up the shore should have eased even the deepest of Lane’s anxiety. Instead, he let the distraction mask the years of unresolved issues he’d let pile up; another rug thrown over layers of ignored filth.
Lane pulled into their reserved spot, opened the door and stepped out onto the sand with a satisfied smile. He breathed in a lung full of ocean air and sighed. “Luna, you were a hundred percent correct. For my penance, I promise not to question you for another twenty-four hours.”
“Oh? That’s a dangerous promise,” his sister admitted with a feral grin.
—
They had their fill of barbecue. The fire pit had been snuffed out safely and the sun had set over Golden Bluff. The last light faded into the ocean. Working under the glow of their electric lantern, the twins pitched their six person tent with time to spare.
It was the same tent the six of them had grown up with. Before their parents disappeared, before Katrina went into the air-force, before Robyn graduated and moved out to attend New York University, they’d camped as a family. An odd family, but one that met every adventure and danger head on. Sure, like the tent, their family could be cumbersome and difficult to handle. But, whatever insurmountable obstacle veered into their path, they’d always managed to overcome the challenge, mostly unscathed.
For years, they’d been a team of six unique warriors.
Now, only the twins remained together.
“Your move,” Luna spoke calmly without giving herself away.
Lane gritted his teeth and looked down at his hand of cards. It was abysmal. He’d played Unstable Unicorns with his sisters before and had never once managed to win a single hand. Now, with the stakes raised, he wasn’t looking forward to losing again. The game was tied six to six. It was match-point, but there wasn’t anything in his hand to secure a victory this round. All Lane could do was try to hold back the inevitable.
“I play Tiny Stable, that takes off three points from your…” Lane glanced up to see Luna’s poker face crack. He quickly backpedaled, “No, I mean– ah, shit!”
Apollena slapped the top of her brother’s hand. “Nope. No take backs.”
Readjusting herself on their air mattress in the center of the tent, Luna leaned forward and laid down her card, “First, I’ll play my Neigh, Bitch! Card. I’ll go ahead and remove that trash Downgrade card from my stable. Thanks. Next, I’ll play Queen Bee Unicorn.” She threw off the sleeping bag that had been draped around her shoulders and stood up with arms raised. “The game is mine, along with your clothes. Hand ’em over.” She gestured impatiently.
Lane was a man of honor.
He’d made a bet, a promise, and he’d keep it. That didn’t mean he would enjoy it. “Fine. Could you, ya know? Step outside maybe?”
Luna scrunched up her face like she’d swallowed a bag of sour candy, “How do you still get embarrassed so easily?”
“I’m not… Okay, I am embarrassed and it’s cold, and you’re my sister, and everything else! Could you get out or toss me a towel?” Lane tried to keep a stern face, but he could feel his cheeks burning. Apollena’s impatient gaze while she waited for him to disrobe was sweltering.
Luna huffed, “You’ll get your towel after you get wet and naked. Honestly, you were in the Coast Guard for how long? Don’t be a pussy; it’s bad for our reputation.”
“I’m not walking outside in the buff all the way to the ocean. It’s freezing out,” Lane protested, but he knew Luna wouldn’t relent.
“It’s only sixty degrees out, you wimp. And you won’t be walking. You’ll run your bare ass to the ocean. Now, you get naked or I’m taking those clothes off myself, Ursa Major,” Luna thrust her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. Her face dipped from mock scorn to compassion, but only for a moment as she whispered, “I’ll be right behind you. Promise.”
Lane could feel Apollena’s eyes on him as he ran from the tent. She’d grown up alongside him during most of his formative years: witnessed his attempts to become a capable man, a partner, a detective, but never a lover. A few girls had come and gone, sure. Sadly, none seemed to have any lasting impact. It obviously had nothing to do with the lack of toned muscle definition or obvious erogenous parts currently exposed in the moonlight. He wasn’t vain, but there was a reasonable amount of pride in taking care of his body. That wasn’t the problem.
As his feet effortlessly dashes across the cool sand, he remembered the responsibility that weighted on both he and Apollena. Months before graduating, when the door to a world of possibility opened, that’s when his parents had disappeared. Over the course of several months, Lane and Luna had been pulled into the role of co-parents to their two younger siblings. Then again, that was a role they’d often shared for most of their adolescence even when their mom and dad were physically present. Two teens who couldn’t look more unalike presenting themselves as the “Responsible Adults” often gave the first wrong impression.
But, the problem wasn’t simply external. Somewhere in Lane’s heart and mind, he’d set the bar far too high for any significant other to clear. His relationship with Apollena was complex, problematic, and simply easier to navigate than it had any right to be.
Sooner or later, he’d have to accept reality and the flaws of others. It would take longer still to accept his own flaws. Why am I waiting for perfection when I know it doesn’t exist? Lane lamented while he ran across the sand toward the ocean. Why can’t I just be happy with normal? Even if it’s messy?
As the questions piled up, Lane ran faster than he’d ever pushed himself before. Sixty degrees beside the ocean at night felt a hell of a lot colder than it should have been. It had only been two years since he’d been discharged, but jumping into icy waters wasn’t something he had fond memories of. There were plenty of mistakes that weighed on Lane and being in the ocean had always reminded him of every single one of them. Those mistakes seemed more cumbersome to bear, especially while running naked in public.
A waxing crescent moon hung in the night sky above him. Trillions of shining stars blanketed the sky. As his bare feet smacked against the wet sand, he heard the rhythmic roar of the ocean grow louder and louder. The smell and spray of surf bit at his nostrils. Soon he couldn’t feel the goosebumps, or even the cold any longer. Adrenaline and muscle memory overwhelmed his senses.
Lane took one long, deep breath.
His toes, his ankles, his thighs pushed through the wet sand and frigid water, but Lane was no longer deterred. He pushed forward. Harder. Faster. As another chest-high wave rapidly approached, he took one last breath, steeled his nerves, arms outstretched, and dove forward.
Lane plunged headfirst into the darkness and felt an unexpected sense of liberation. Surprisingly, he’d never been skinny dipping before. There was a surreal sensation of freedom that came from being stripped not only of his clothes or a wetsuit but the daily anxieties that had accumulated in his life. The monotony, the routine, the regrets; everything simply fell off his naked body and sank into the depths below. While he held his breath, swimming just below the turbulent surface, in this weightless moment, Lane unburdened.
Perhaps this vacation really was what he needed?
Lane’s lungs gently reminded him of a pressing need for fresh oxygen. Letting out the last of his air, he sank down. His feet quickly found the seafloor and kicked up off the bottom. Rocketing to the surface, Lane gasped for breath. He must have been under longer than he thought. His chest burned, but he lingered in the ocean a little longer, moving his feet like eggbeaters to stay afloat. Looking up at the stars and moon, something familiar ignited an old memory. A spark or recognition; a freckled face and wild red hair.
“Okay, your contract is complete. Now get out before you catch your death of cold,” Apollena shouted over the waves. Lane’s concentration broke. That small spark faded away. Standing on the shore, Luna held her arms open wide with a giant purple beach towel outstretched between them, waiting for him.
Sprinting out from the frosty surf, Lane ran into his sister’s arms and towel. A jolt of hesitation caught Lane as he noticed Apollena had also stripped down to nothing. It only took a single sharp breeze of ocean air for him to acquiesce to Luna’s open invitation. He wrapped himself up in the terry cloth and kept on trudging forward to their tent. The cold had caught up with him. Lane continued to shiver and shake as his sister plodded along beside him, smirking.
“Satisfied with yourself?” Lane asked, teeth clattering.
“Always, and never,” Luna spoke with her delicate French lilt and signature grin.
Lane tilted his head and glanced over at his bare sister for clarification, but she was gazing off into the middle distance. Her gait slowed. Fear had washed over her face. Suddenly, she froze in the sand and gasped. Quickly turning his attention to his sister’s line of sight, Lane immediately came upon the terrible vision.
Sitting beside their tent, an adult Leopard stared back at the Mystery Twins with golden, glowing, unblinking eyes. Its black fur seemed to be perpetually molting, falling out in oily, steam-covered clumps. Its paws were as wide as catcher’s mitts, covered in a pool of dark ink and burnt fur. Lane could feel the low bass growl of the animal reverberate in his chest. Instinctively, Lane stepped in front of his sister.
“Stay behind me,” Lane whispered. “I’ll distract—”
Luna whispered, “You see it too?”
Lane glanced back at his sister skeptically, incredulous. Of course, he could see the hundred and sixty-pound jungle cat. It was only twenty feet away: pouncing distance. There would be no escape, no surviving when the creature decided to attack.
Lane shifted his weight, ready to go out fighting when…
Nothing.
The leopard had vanished.
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