Page 20 of Brax

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, you won’t, and I wish I could change that, but I can’t. I know it doesn’t make you feel any better, but there are a lot of folks here who didn’t have that. Trak, Winter, even your fellow geniuses.”

“That’s true,” she whispered. “I didn’t think about them. In fact, we’ve never talked about it. They must feel terrible sometimes as well.”

“Yeah, I reckon they do,” said Irene. She nodded toward the maze, watching as Hayes and Victoria walked hand-in-hand, disappearing between the hedges. Stephanie laughed.

“I think they love one another.”

“Oh, there’s no doubt,” said Irene. “That young man has changed considerably since he got here. So has she. She’s just doing it more slowly.”

“Slow is okay. Right?” asked Stephanie, nibbling her lower lip.

“Are we talkin’ ‘bout Victoria or you?”

“Maybe me. I mean, Brax and I haven’t been intimate yet. I know it’s new, but I’m not sure when it’s okay to ask or to do, or, well, you know what I mean.”

“I know what you mean,” nodded Irene. “It’s okay when you feel like it’s okay. You and Brax. You’re adults, and you know when it will feel right. There’s no rush for either of you.”

“What’s my flower or plant or tree?” she asked Irene.

“Oh, that’s easy,” smiled the older woman, leading her down the rows of gorgeous flowers. “The Helena Rose. It’s one of my own creations. See, I took parts of several different flowers and merged them together to create something completely new and different. There will never be another like her.” Stephanie smiled at Irene.

“Are you telling me that to make me feel better?”

“Does it make you feel better?” smirked Irene.

“A little.”

“Then, yes. I’m telling you that to make you feel better. Ain’t nothin’ that’s perfectly original, Stephanie. Everything was created from or in the image of something else. You’re no different, honey. You just came out a whole lot smarter and prettier.”

“Thank you, Mama Irene. I suddenly feel much better.”

“Good. Then how about some tea and a piece of lemon cake in the gardens?” She waved toward the old, ornate iron furniture. It was already set for tea, with cakes and sandwiches and several different teapots.

“A tea! I’ve never been to a tea,” she squealed. “This is so lovely!”

“Then let’s enjoy this beautiful day. Stormy weather will be here soon. Then we’ll have to take cover.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Stephanie spent the afternoon with Irene, enjoying the beautiful summer weather. Until it wasn’t so beautiful any longer. The thunder was so loud and intense she felt her bones shaking. Then the lightning started, and the rain came down like a waterfall had been turned on somewhere in the heavens.

Most of them were in the cafeteria when it started and saw no reason to rush home, only to get wet. Many years ago, the cafeteria staff decided to line one wall with books, videos, and games to entertain anyone stuck in the space during storms.

The children played some games while a few adults grabbed a book and tucked into the seats or booths. Stephanie sat with Brax, Pax and Deanna, Mav and Katelyn, and Saint and Marilisa. Trevon was sitting with Nash and Jenna as she was contemplating returning to Arizona.

“I feel so terrible for her,” said Stephanie. “Do you think she’ll be alright?”

“I think Nash is going to make sure that she’s alright,” said Brax. “It’s what we do around here. Care for those around us, especially the women we love.”

“He loves her?” asked Stephanie.

“You can’t tell?” smirked Deanna.

“No. I guess I’m still not very good at that. I wish they would have taught us about emotions, love, hate, all those things when we were in that school,” she frowned.

“In a way, they did,” said Katelyn. “They taught us what not being loved felt like and, in the process, showed us what hate felt like. It wasn’t ideal, and whether or not it was intentional, they damn sure showed me a few things.”

“When everyone left the school, I looked for anything that would tell me where I was or who everyone was that had been there. They didn’t leave anything. No letterhead, no business cards, nothing with an address, city, or state on it. I was terrified to speak with anyone or to attempt to find anyone. I just didn’t want to chance it.

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