Chapter 4.37

Not too long after Brian had made his phone call, everyone piled in the a car or two to get to the pool. Logan drove his own truck, and since Lauren was just getting off work and right across the street - she rode with him. Brian, Adelaide and David went in one of the other vehicles with Emma. The whole family had carried their bathing suits with them to change into when they got there.

It was already late evening by the time the guests all arrived and the party got going. Brian had brought a radio for anyone who wanted to dance, but he failed to find a place to plug it in so he put it back in the truck. Lauren spotted Velina by the pool almost as soon as she arrived, she made a grimace then a decision. She bid David a very happy birthday but told him that she could not stay. He said that was okay and she left without another word. Every one did a little bit of swimming before the cake was set out for the birthday boy.

David stood by his cake for a good minute or two just listening to the people around him cheering for him. His friends and family, even a few strangers clapped and blew on party favors. 'This is gonna be the best part of my birthday'. He loved, and reveled in, all the cheering that was only for him. Just him, everyone here had come to see him no one else, and they all love him. That was how he liked it. At one point, he heard someone cheering and making more noise than anyone else, he turned to find it to be his mother and gave her the biggest smile he could muster. 'Just one more minute, and I'll blow out my candles'.

Just as he had finally decided to extinguish the flame, Jennifer arrived. She had been running a little late but was happy to make it to the most important part of the party.

David grew into a very stunning teen. Most children, as they grow, their eyes tend to darken slightly and loose that 'baby blue' that every child has. David's didn't do that, he carried the intense, winning blue with him into his teen hood. He posed and flaunted his new form to his adoring audience who all cheered some more for him.

After everyone was done cheering for David, and he was done showing off, they settled down for cake or dinner. David was the first one finished and as he sat there, he notice someone across the picnic tables that he wanted to talk to. He waved to her and got her attention before getting up and going over. It was Laquita, his best friend from school.

He was happy that she had already celebrated her birthday, and that they would be going to high school together. They talked for a few minutes as the rest of the party members did their own mingling. No one felt like swimming much anymore, so everyone just stood around and talked. Some guests had chosen to go home since the important parts of the party were finished. They all said "Happy Birthday" to David one more time before departing.

Brian found his brother in the crowd and had been talking to him, he found out that Dylan was actually dating a woman named Agnes. Brian searched his memory banks trying to think if he had ever met a woman of her description. He realised that Dylan was talking about Ms. Crumplebottom, and thought the relationship odd. He didn't think Agnes was much into the dating world.

Logan was talking to Carla. She had asked him about the woman he was holding hands with earlier, and he told her as much as he could about Velina, without overtaking the whole conversation. Carla could tell in an instant that her cousin was head over heels for this woman and she was happy for him. She was also pleased to announce her own love life was starting to take form. A man named Marc had caught her eye, and they had been dating about two months already.

When Logan heard about her man, he tensed slightly. "Marc? Hmm, Well you will have to introduce me to him, so I may lay a few rules down. He better be treating you right!"

Carla laughed quietly at Logan defending her, wanting to protect her. "Thanks.Yeah, you'll meet him one day, and no worries - He's perfectly honorable."

Logan mumbled something like 'I'd like to be the judge of that' before he said goodnight to Carla and went to say goodbye to Velina. It was getting late and he was tired. He did not have to work the next day but he had other plans, so did not want to party into the wee hours of morning.

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"DAD! What's that on your shoulder? It's a huge spider!!" David said to Brian.

Brian looked down, his eyes about as wide as he could get them, and lifted his hand to brush the offending creature off. There was nothing there.

It was the morning after the party, and the family was just coming into the kitchen to get breakfast. Adelaide was cooking Brian's favorite dish.

"HA! I can not believe you fell for that Pops. That's like the oldest trick in the book." David laughed.

Brian rolled his eyes but couldn't help grinning a little, "I hate spiders, I'll probably panic every time."

"Ahh, sorry dad. I just saw an opportunity and had to take it."

Brian laughed openly and said that even though it was an old trick, it was a good one. "Breakfast is ready kid, pancakes."

After he ate a stack of pancakes fit for a warrior, David made his plans for the day. He wanted to visit the Sunset Valley Graveyard. Into his bedroom he went, and changed his clothes. David felt so giddy today that he couldn't help galloping like he was riding a horse before hitting the trail. He snickered at himself and bounced down the stairs, then out the door. He saw Velina walking up just as he was stepping off the porch, and called back over his shoulder to Logan, who he knew was right in the foyer. David hopped on his bicycle and peddled toward the cemetery.

Logan had heard his brothers call and opened the door to find out what he wanted. He spotted Velina and smiled.

"You're early. That's perfect, I'm glad." Logan said as he wrapped her in a hug.

Velina had gotten a call from Logan that  morning, asking if she would come over so he could take her out that afternoon. She was more than happy to say yes, since it was her day off. There was no one she would rather spend it with than Logan.

"Yes, I guess I could have told you or something, but I wanted to surprise you. I couldn't wait to see you."

"Well, the plans I  made for us aren't in affect until afternoon, so we have a couple hours. You up for some games?"

Velina smiled and told him that she was. The two of them sat on the living room couch and started up a racing game on their console. Brian joined them before long, not to play but to watch.

After two hours of gaming, which flew by in a flash, Logan saw the clock and jumped up. "Okay, time to go. You ready Velina?"

"Yes. Well, almost. Just give me one minute." She ducked out of the living room into the bathroom.

Within five minutes the two of them were out the door. He drove her to the stadium, and when they arrived he smiled at her. "Do you like sports?" He hoped she would say yes, since he had their tickets already.

She smiled back at him, "Well I saw the Llama's are running a good game this season. I'd love to see their next win in person, as opposed to on the TV."

Logan was elated, a woman into sports. Had he really hit the jackpot? They parked and entered the stadium. He got her some nachos and a hot dog, per her request, and got himself a small pizza. They found their seats and enjoyed the game for a few hours.

David had gone into the graveyard and wandered around for a few minutes. He saw a strange bush toward the front of the place and knelt down to look at it more closely. He knew his mom like to garden, and was always on the lookout for new things to grow. When he saw this one, he didn't recognise it at all so he decided to pick the only flower - a very odd looking flower - so he could ask her about it. Then he would give it to her to grow another plant if she could. After he put the flower in a safe place by the entrance to the cemetery, he went about browsing around again. He spotted a fishing pole left by someone on the side of the pond. He picked it up to look at it, then cast the line into the water. Just to see if he would get a bite, but he didn't really expect to, especially without bait. He was right, he didn't get anything. David shrugged and said oh well out loud before setting the pole back where he got it.

David looked up and stared at the Mausoleum for a moment before going in. 'Only live once right?' He said to himself as he opened the creaky doors. He had heard this place was haunted, but passed it off as scaredy cats afraid of a graveyard, now he was going to find out for himself. He pushed the door open all the way and stepped inside. It was pretty dark. The door slammed behind him. He turned to stare at it for a second, deciding that it was a spring loaded door and turned back to grab the only torch lighting the place.

Around him were nothing but cobwebs, spiders in their new webs, urns, and a few wooden caskets. He thought that his father wouldn't like it  much in here with all these eight legged freaks running around. His eyes drifted to the caskets. 'I wonder how long those have been here.' After only a moments thought, he set the torch on the ground, and place his hands on the top of the box, grasping the edge. It only took a little effort to lift it up, just a few inches to peek. When he did though, something inside exploded, it burnt off his clothes and then was gone. He was covered in soot, and bone dust and his hair was blown out in odd ways, but he laughed. A hearty laugh, filled with nothing but delighted surprise. 'Alright,' he said to himself, 'enough in here.' David went back outside and thought about returning home to shower. When he stepped out the door though, his face was assaulted by a beautiful butterfly.

He had to stop and see if he could catch one. There was a swarm of butterflies just on the side of the Mausoleum, he snuck over there and stood still for a minute. The butterflies took flight around him and he heard the very faint beating of their wings. One of them happened to flutter right in his face, so he reached out and cupped it in his hands. When he was sure he had caught it, and it sat still on his palm, he lifted one of his hands and looked at the butterfly. It sat there for a minute seeming to look back at him. David smiled and straighted his back up, proud to have caught one. Then he let it go and started walking away, toward home. The ash on him was starting to itch, but on his way out he saw some odd stones on the ground, and he couldn't help but pick them up. He carried a few rocks and that odd flower back home with him.

After the game had ended, Logan had taken Velina to the beach to enjoy the sunset and relax in the sand. Just as the sun went below the horizon, Logan pulled Velina to her feet and swayed with her, slow dancing to the music in his heart. He hope that she felt the same music as he. He noticed, that in this light her pink highlights looked purple. Logan kissed her warm lips as they danced.

He smiled at her when his silent song ended, and sat back on the sand, offering her the empty seat next to him. They sat together and watched every bit of light leave the sky, and the stars appear in the absence of it. Not many words were spoken between the new lovers, but neither felt the need to speak.

Velina still felt the shadow of his kiss on her lips as she stood up to end the date. She wished for a moment that she was not the woman of good repute as she was, she would have taken him home with her that very night. Though she was as sure about her feelings for him as she could possibly be, she had to know positively that he felt the same way.

Logan was wishing the night would never end, but he knew that the two of them had to work the next day. He returned the hug that she gave him and kissed her lightly again before he took her home, finally learning where she lived. It was a small house, but perfect for a woman that was pretty new to the town and living on her own. He memorized it's location for future knowledge.




To be continued...