The Key to the Oleander

Chapter Four - Athena

"Now would you mind explaining what the hell happened last night?"

Ace showed up at my front door right in the morning, not really giving me the option to, 'go out for ice cream with him', when really I knew that it was for what happened last night in the woods.

We've just started the drive to the ice cream shop and I don't even know where to start.

"Who goes for ice cream at nine am?" I ask. His jaw clenches.

"Do not change the subject, Athena." He grits between his teeth. I roll my eyes. "You're lucky I didn't go to the damn police when I just saw those fucking... flowers, come out of you- how is that even possible?" I've never seen someone so confused.

"Do you want me to start from the flowers or from when the weird stuff started happening?" His neck snaps over to me, he looks at me like I'm crazy.

"There's more? What weird stuff?" He demands.

"I had a weird dream a few nights ago."

"Okay, so what? Everyone dreams." He taps his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently.

"No, it wasn't a normal dream. This woman told me that I had an important decision or something for my destiny? Flowers grew through the room and I just woke up." I zone out as I explain.

"Okay... were they the same flowers as the ones from-"

"Last night, yes." I cut him off, already knowing the rest of what he was going to say.

"I saw them again when I was with my friend, Amber. That's when I decided I needed to do some research on them so I took a picture and went to the library. All I could get on them was the meaning," I stop when he bites his lip, focusing on the information that he is taking in. I shake my head, trying to bring my focus back onto explaining. "Love, desire, caution, and destiny." I tap each of my fingers indicating each one as I list them off.

"Destiny, like what the woman said?" He connects the two quickly. I hum in response. "What happened next?" He asks.

"Nothing, except for what happened to Cole..." I trail off.

"Hey, that wasn't your fault." His voice softens as he parks the car in a parking spot.

"Except it is my fault, did you not see what I did?" I turn my body more toward him. "If it wasn't for me, Cole would be alive." My heart is suddenly in my throat, I feel as if I might cry.

"I took care of it, Athena, don't worry." I'm curious about what he means but I decide to trust his word on it. If I want to get this marriage thing down I need to treat it as a real loving marriage. Marriage is trust, right?

He gets out of the car, walks over to my side and opens my door for me. I give him a quick thank you before walking by his side and into the ice cream shop.

"I'll have two scoops of chocolate." I say with a smile, acting as if I didn't just talk about a murder a minute earlier. Ace reaches his hand into his pocket and pulls out his wallet.

"I'll have the same thing, thanks." He says, giving the man a twenty dollar bill before we make our way to a table in the back where no one else is.

"How long were you with Cole?" He says as soon as we both sit down.

"Um... a little under a year, why?" I ask. I really don't want to talk about the man that made my body count go up to the one last night, and not the 'good' kind of body count.

"Nothing, I was just wondering." He shakes his head. A waitress comes over and hands us our cups. Is he jealous?

"So do you like, have magic powers or...?" He asks once she's gone. I sigh loudly, overwhelmed with everything.

"Look, I know you're confused, but I'm just as confused as you are. I still need to look more into it." He nods.

After we finish, we make our way out the door, ignoring everyone's eyes and the flashing lights of cameras as we get into his car.