As she'd stood there listening to Clair tearing Lauren to shreds, Jessica only had one real thought running through her mind on endless repeat.
Good lord, I'm so glad she's on my side and not pitted against me.
It wasn't the first time that Jessica had thought that either. As much as she loved her surrogate sister, there was a side of Clair that was as cunning and as merciless as a serpent. When she decided she wanted her pound of flesh from someone, she was relentless until she got her way.
It had been that way since they'd become close in childhood. Jessica's love for her friend was also tinged with a little fear.
But it's never been me in her crosshairs, Jessica reassured herself. She actually cares about me. Let's keep it that way.
When the ice pack lost its biting cold, Clair took it back to the kitchen. Jessica got undressed and into the pair of pyjamas she was borrowing for the night. Then she headed down the stairs, her stomach growling nonstop.
Cheer practice always made her ravenous, much to her mother's dismay. And now, the heavenly scent coming from the kitchen was making her mouth water.
Mom's not around tonight to police my portion sizes or to warn me about the eighth deadly sin: getting plump.
So what's a hungry girl to do, she asked herself? Lupe will take it personally if I don't eat her food.
Jessica climbed onto a barstool next to Clair. The housekeeper gave both girls a warm smile as she heaped generous servings of the delicious looking casserole onto their plates. Lupe then served herself.
They began eating at the large kitchen island in relaxed silence. It was something the three of them had done countless times before over the years.
Jessica closed her eyes to better savour the food. "Honestly, Lupe. What do you put in your dishes to make them so addictive? Is your secret ingredient crack cocaine or something?"
"Miss Jessica, you always make me laugh so much. But I'm glad you're enjoying the food. You know I'm happy to share my recipes, so you can make them at your home too."
"Um, maybe. Thanks." Jessica said vaguely. It was a kind gesture from Lupe, but there was no way it would ever work. There was a greater chance of rusty pocketknives being served for dinner in the Heath household than a rich, bean based casserole.
Her mother had an aversion to starchy foods - or any food that she thought might add a single pound to her trim figure. Jessica wouldn't have really cared too much, if it meant her mother didn't always watch Jessica's diet like a hawk as well.
"I do it because I care about you, Jessie." Suzanne would say over and over. "I saw how the fat girls in my year were bullied and I don't want that for you."
Thanks for nothing, Mom.
When Lupe asked if she wanted seconds, Jessica held out her plate without thinking twice.
"How has school been, girls?" Lupe asked.
"The usual. Dead boring. Even the teachers can barely be bothered to do their jobs this late in the year." Clair grabbed another piece of freshly baked cornbread. "I can't wait for school to just be over and done with. So I can graduate and not look back."
The housekeeper pulled her heavy brows together and gave Clair a strict look. "That's if you graduate. You've never taken your studies very seriously, Miss Clair. You know your parents would like you to."
"Dad would actually have to be home for more than two days in a row to know how I'm doing at school. And Lara May would need to put the bottle down. Besides, I'm going to graduate without a hitch. You'll see. This clever girl," Clair nudged Jessica with her shoulder, "will make sure of that. She's here tonight to help me prep for an exam."
"Help you by studying with you, or by letting you copy off her answers?"
Clair grinned without even a tiny bit of shame. "Different paths, same results. A passing grade is a passing grade."
Lupe sighed and looked at the pair of friends with concern. "And are you alright, Miss Jessica? You're moving very stiffly. Are you not feeling well?"
"It's nothing. I took a tumble at cheer practice." she mumbled, then quickly shoved in a forkful of food as an excuse to not say any more.
"Nothing to worry about, Lupe. Just an immature stunt one of the girls tried to pull on Jess, but it backfired on her." Clair added. "Idiot girl won't be trying that again anytime soon."
Lupe nodded thoughtfully and was quiet for a long pause. To Jessica, it sometimes felt like Lupe heard more in the words that weren't said, than those that were.
The housekeeper finally replied quietly. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Jessica. The cruellest creatures in the world are teenage girls."
Jessica looked up at Lupe, as if suddenly seeing her through new eyes.
The woman had been born and raised in Abbot Springs to immigrant parents. In a small town where everyone made a point of knowing everyone else's business, Lupe would've likely seen a lot.
I wonder if she remembers my mother? Or my runaway father?
Probably not, Jessica shrugged to herself. Lupe's quite a few years older than Mom. It's not like they would've gone through school together or anything.
Still, though… something in her voice when she'd spoken…
"Hey Lupe. What do you know about the legend of the Desert Fae?" Clair suddenly piped up.
Jessica was so startled by the change of subject that she accidentally swallowed too big a mouthful. She quickly gulped down some water to stop a coughing fit from starting.
She suddenly remembered snippets of the night before, at the cave. Clair had been talking about the Fae then too.
In the cold, sober light of day, Jessica had written them off as just meaningless ramblings. People said all kinds of stupid things when they were drunk, didn't they?
Lupe also looked taken aback. "Miss Clair, why are you asking about such a silly thing?"
"If you call it silly… does that mean you think all the stories just a made up fairytale?"
"They're not fairytales. There's a measure of truth in all those old stories. Everyone whose family has lived long enough in this town knows it. The local tribes who were here before the white man, also knew about the Fae. And they feared her too."
Clair's eyes were gleaming with interest. "Tell us what you've heard, then."
Lupe hastily crossed herself, then pressed her lips together into a thin white line. As if she knew she'd said too much and wished she could take back her words. "I don't really know many of the stories myself, Miss Clair. I'm afraid I can't tell you much."
Damn, Lupe. You're a terrible liar, Jessica thought with a groan. She knew the older woman was trying to discourage Clair from digging more into the subject. She appreciated Lupe's intentions.
Unfortunately, her words would be like a red rag to a bull as far as Clair was concerned.
"The Fae's supposed to bestow wishes on those she favours." Clair pressed on eagerly. "The stories say she has the power to grant wishes and they'll always come true. Even if they seem impossible. What so scary about that? It sounds pretty amazing to me."
Lupe put down her fork and stared hard at Clair. For a moment, she almost looked afraid. "My advice is for you girls to stay away from all that. It's dark magic. The things you'd have to do to earn those wishes, would never be worth it."
"Oh come on, Lupe! You obviously know something about it. Just tell us. I'm dying to know."
Without another word, the older woman crossed herself again and walked out of the kitchen.
Jessica pushed her own plate away, struggling for words. Finally, she had to break the silence. "I think your questions really bothered her, Clair."
"Yeah. She'll get over it."
"That's all you have to say about it? The woman who say has been more of a mother to you than your real mother is upset, and you just say she'll get over it?"
"Lupe knows something. So she might as well tell me what it is, instead of giving off all that holier than thou crap."
Jessica gave her a sideways glare. Had she really expected Clair to respond any differently?
She knew her friend had been born without a mouth filter. Clair was infamous for her brutal honesty.
Brutal sometimes being the operative word, Jessica thought wryly. But now her curiosity had been piqued, as much as she didn't want to admit it. "What's with this talk about being granted wishes, anyway?"
Clair gave her a slow smile. "So now you want to know, huh?" Hopping down from the barstool, she opened the doors to enormous double fridge and pulled out two cans.
Jessica was relieved to see the cans were sodas, not beer. Her stomach turned at the thought of more alcohol, after her little bender the night before.
"Let's go back up to my room, bestie. I'll tell you everything I know."
Jessica obediently followed Clair back through the kitchen and towards the staircase. "Everything you know? You're making it sound like some thesis you've been researching."
"Well, it's a hell of a lot more interesting than hitting the physics books, I'll tell you that." Clair laughed.