Page 33 of Corvus and the Broken God

I hope you’re still paying his phone bill, otherwise it will get cut off.

He was silent. Had I offended him, or was he just this unused to someone giving him advice? And he probably heard me think that. Crap.

“So, where are we going?”

“Don’t worry, Corvus. Soon you will know all my secrets.”

Was that a joke? “I can’t wait.”

About half an hour later, we pulled into a picturesque mountain town, complete with old Americana Main Street. An art gallery sat next to an outdoor clothing store, which was sandwiched in by a coffee shop. Pots hung from the eaves, overflowing with red flowers I’d seen in pictures of European balconies. What were they called again? Geraniums. The same flowers bloomed all over the town.

People filled the sidewalks, busy living their everyday lives. We pulled into an empty parking spot and climbed out of the Jeep. Just like all the normal people around us everywhere. Only I struggled with acting normal. This excursion was seriously messing with my head.

“Are you hungry?” Camazotz asked me.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Let me take you to lunch.” He held his arm out to help me out of the Jeep, and I gaped at him. This day grew stranger by the minute. He nodded toward a small restaurant with tables out on the sidewalk. “This is my favorite place. They have great hamburgers and banana splits.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, but it smelled good, so I followed him inside, to his favorite table back in the corner. At least this made sense. He preferred to sit in the back, in the dark. He pulled out my chair, tucking it under me as I scooted in.

When he ordered a Coke, I started laughing. The waitress gave me a look but agreed to bring me an iced coffee before leaving us with our menus.

“If you take me to the grocery store today, I’ll make you hamburgers. Never mind. We don’t have a refrigerator.”

“We can buy one.”

“And how would we get it up the driveway?”

“We’ll pay someone.”

Okay then. I studied him as he read his menu. He looked like any other person, just a man out running errands. The beard, although trim, hid most of his lower facial features. I could see them there though, the similarities to his, uh, larger form. I liked the way he looked in this form, too, older but like one of those men who get better with age. He put the menu down, and piercing eyes met my gaze. Maybe not so normal. The left side of his lip ticked up.

“I’m glad I amuse you,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“You do.”

Great. I ordered the chicken, and he the hamburger.

Over lunch, we kept our conversation light. The one time I tried to ask him about our upcoming trip to Mexico, he shut me down quickly and silently. Apparently, it wasn’t safe to talk about it in public. So, I stuck out my foot, covered in the heavy boot.

“I need shoes.”

He glanced down and back at his food. “Fine. That is why we are here. What else do you need?”

“You have money, right?”

He gave me a look of pure exasperation and took a big bite of his burger. I looked down at my food. Everything that had happened since I agreed to stay had been unexpected. The Monster on the Mountain, who had inspired local legends, had a playful side. We were almost having a good time together, in fact…

Stop that thought.

What?

Whoever you were imagining at the end of that statement, I am not him. I am not and never have been some romantic hero who could live up to anyone else’s expectations.

I stared at him. Had I been about to think… what exactly? I didn’t know anything with certainty anymore. He looked up, meeting my gaze head-on. When someone was in your head, hearing your innermost thoughts, there was no lying.

Well, I wish you’d get out of my head. Stop listening to everything I think. I hated being this vulnerable, and now I wasn’t feeling friendly toward him. At all.