Jacinda Cross

[Jacinda]

       

As things went, Page wasn't bad. Quiet little town, not too big. But enough stores, theaters, and places for eating. And the lake formed by Glenn Canyon Dam was gorgeous, with all the little inlets and islands and twisty winding red rock canyons.

It was the early spring and the tourists hadn't shown up yet, so the town was mostly quiet. Mostly. Jill said the place swelled up on weekend as folks out on the reservation came into town to do their shopping. Cities like Page, Farmington, or Flagstaff had their populations almost double, those days.

Of course the first thing they did was get a hotel room in the center of town. Jacinda laid on the her bed while Jill showered and got cleaned up. She wasn't kidding about the bed, either. At some point she nodded off. She woke to Jill sitting in her sweats on the other bed, combing out her hair, the smell of floral shampoo and steam filling the air. Jacinda eyed the cloud of fog that still seemed to come from the open door of the bathroom. "Hope you left me some hot water," she said jokingly. She could do with cold just as easily- not that she wanted to.

Jill laughed. "Nope. I got out about 30 minutes ago. I've just been letting the shower run."

Jacinda smiled as she stood and started rifling through her bag for her own stuff. Over her shoulder, she said, "Good. Glad you washed away all that mud and grime that was on you," big grin on her face as she turned around. Jill smirked at her. Jacinda looked at the door. "It probably doesn't know where we are or even that we are here, but it's probably good we keep the door locked and only open it when we are together."

Jill nodded as she headed into the washroom. Once she was in her skin she stood there, looking at herself in the foggy mirror. The outline wasn't bad. She ran a hand over the thing to clear part of it. Not a lot of wear and tear. Some scarring, which was to be expected. A far cry from the little girl she used to be. She looked at the tattoo on her arm, smiling at the memory, an old song playing in the back of her mind. Ah Julie. She was out there somewhere. Probably at college. Maybe a boyfriend. Hell, maybe a husband. She'd be in her early 20s. Maybe even a kid. It was nice to imagine for her.

Not Jacinda's life. The hunt was hers. She doubted there would every be any family she belonged to. It just didn't seem to be her lot. Things could be worse, she knew. So Julie was out there, living. That was good enough.

She jumped in the shower. The water was plenty hot. When all done and mostly dressed- she only had a tank top on over her bra and she wasn't gonna go out like that in this weather- she came out. Jill looked up from her wallet and for a moment, their eyes locked. She was puzzled. Was there a question there? "Oh....the water? Yeah, it was fine." She looked at Jill in her sweats and said, "Alright, get dressed. Let's get some food. We're not gonna hear anything locked up in here."

They left the room and walked to The Dam Bar and Grill a block over. Haha! Get it? Damn? Dam? Pretty risque for a predominantly Mormon town. At least in the government anyway, from what Jill said. One third of the population was anglo, one third native, and the rest a mix of everyone else. Lot's of religions too, if  church row was any indicator.

Still, the restaurant was laid back and relaxed and the 24 ounce mug was icy cold, beads of water dripping down the side of her Dos Eqquis Amber. Jill ordered some kind of light beer. The waiter was cute and he flirted with them a bit, which Jacinda didn't mind in the slightest. He was a bit young, but then again, it wasn't like she was ever looking for anything long term anyway. Not that she was gonna do anything. Jill was with her and they had to keep alert. Though she doubted the skinwalker was currently working as a waiter at the moment.

Steaks ordered, she held up her glass in toast before taking a good long pull. God it tasted so cold and crisp, the lime cutting sharply into the carbonation. "So, does your family come to Page for shopping?"

Jill shook her head. "No. Farmington is just as far and is bigger. So they usually can take care of more things. Flagstaff is the best though. Even if it is too far from our home."

"Yeah? Why?" She'd never been there.

Jill smiled. "Good memories, It's up in the San Francisco Peaks. A mountain town. And a college town too. NAU- Northern Arizona University. Which makes all this weird hippy country energy. That's where I was going to school." Her smile was definitely warm. It brought a feeling of joy to Jacinda to see it.

"What were you studying?"

"Anthropology. It sort of made sense, given where we live. All the ruins and stuff. The history." Her voice dropped a bit. "And what my father does. What I do, now."

Jacinda nodded. "Do you miss it?"

Jill looked whistful. "I do. But I also miss just living there in the dorms." She looked around. "It was all just so....free." She stopped, frowned for a moment, and then went on, voice quieter. "So....I told you about...me, right? Well, my mom and sister knew. I, uh...when I was 14 there was a girl at school I liked. Like really liked. And I think she liked me. So...I made her a card for Valentine's Day." Her voice was quiet. "It took all my courage, but I gave it to her." She smiled a bit. "And she liked it. She even kissed me. My first ever." Her voice fell flat. "Her parents found the card. Came to my mom- her mom did, anyway. That's how we do things. And suddenly we were in different classes and couldn't hang out anymore. And my sister started taking notice of everything I did. It was all just....stifling."

Jacinda put her drink down, a look on her face. God, how fucked up could they be? Who the hell cared?

Jill brightened a bit, though. "It took some convincing. I was 18 and hadn't ever let on that I still felt that way. I even dated a few boys at school. Grayson was one, though we both were covering for each other. So I was able to go to school in Flag. And just be myself. I was free for the first time! It was like I was a kid. I went to parties. Went with classmates to breweries, hiking, hung out in coffee-shops and bookstores. A Brazilian Wine Bar that turned into a dance hall after 9pm. Concerts. The Grand Canyon. Trips to Phoenix, Sedona. Just everything."

She smiled wickedly. "I even dated. Like really dated. It was amazing!"

And then her face fell. "What happened," Jacinda asked quietly.

Jill snorted, shaking her head. "My sister happened to be in Flag for the weekend. And I was at Beaver Street Brewery with a girl I was seeing. We were just sitting together. it's a popular place, though. Good food and beer. So Sari came in with some friends and saw me. And she just knew. And I knew. So...not long after, I got a call. Mom was sick anyway. Dying, actually. And she was too. So I needed to come home."

"What a bitch!" Jacinda said angrily.

"No. No. I mean, I thought she said something, at first. But mom was really dying. And dad needed help. And Sari had her little ones- and they were very little too. Mom never mentioned it. By the end, she even seemed...apologetic. I think one time...no. I know. In some way mom tried to say she was sorry. I guess dying makes you look at what's important and what isn't. Sari never mentioned what she saw."

Jacinda remembered the way she looked at Jill that first day she was there. She raised an eyebrow and she drank "She needs to work on her look. She's got Resting Bitch Face down cold."

Jill laughed, seeming to dispel the tension. "Yeah, she does that one well. She's still protective. But it's mostly of dad. And of mom's memory. I mean she's not stupid. It's 2031. But dad's old. And family tradition is strong. The cultural pressure anyway. She doesn't want any shame to come to us."

Jacinda only half smiled, not wanting to argue. But you have to pay the price.You make the sacrifice. Instead, she said, "I hope you get to be free again." She held her drink, looking at Jill. Funny. She had been so reserved those first few days. But now the walls were down and she showed her emotion easily, as if the distance itself had loosed the reigns.

The food came and they fell to it, talking of less serious matters. Jacinda told her of hunts and funny stories. Jill did the same, as well as cracking jokes and doing impressions of how teenagers would  flirt at the local 7-2-11 or the chapterhouse. The Navajo sense of humor was a bit more subtle to get, but once you caught on, it was definitely funny stuff.

She was pleasantly full, but not to the point of needing to unbutton her jeans and lie down. No, she had energy to burn. And an idea had formed in her mind, something Jill had mentioned. And  Distance. Freedom.

She leaned forward, conspiratorially. "Let's go have some fun." Before she could answer, the waiter returned. "Just the man I wanted to see. So where would two girls who feel like stretching their legs and dancing go?"

He smiled broadly. "Oh? Plan on breaking a few hearts tonight?"

Jacinda laughed, winking at him. "Well we can't wait here all night for you to get off work, you know. Besides, I think your mommy has to give you a ride anyway." He laughed, knowing it was all in jest.

"Hmm..." he said, as deep in thought. "So you want a place to dance...ok. The senior center usually has dancing. Definitely your speed. And you can still get to bed at 8 like normal."

Jacinda busted out laughing and even Jill joined in. "Yeah, I can't afford to break this hip," she said wriggling a bit in her chair even as she winked at Jill. Just a game.

The guy looked at her with a grin, but there was now a definite hunger there. Yeah, he could be fun. But this wasn't about her. "Well, since you're risk takers, you might try the Top Deck. Just a few streets over. Country bar mostly. They won't even check your ID."

After a bit more flirty banter, he left. Jacinda didn't doubt where he'd be after he got off. Jill looked reserved, maybe nervous. "This isn't Phoenix or Sedona, Jacinda. Or Flagstaff for that matter."

Jacinda blew it off. "No one's saying we go there and start making out." Jill's eyes widened in shock so much that Jacinda couldn't help giggling. "Plenty of girls go places to dance. That's all it is. Just give it a shot."

Jill frowned but there was also a sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

"Ok."

"Hah ha! There we go. Come on. Let's have fun. It may the last time for a while."