In Talkeetna, Lemon was going to the ballroom to watch Louie play. Luna decided to tag along.
"I didn't know she played live now? I thought she hated that shit?" Lemon asks Luna.
"Well she knows her mother loves to hear her play." She gushes.
"What's the rest of the band like?" Lemon asks curiously
"Basically what people describe as Alaskan bush, but just your regular old Talkeetna kind."
"This is a banjo band isn't it." Lemon laughs.
"Well what the hell else does a person play a harmonica with Lemonade."
"Son of a bitch things never change here." Lemon laughs.
They walk into the ballroom, Lemon in a sweatshirt flannel and a corduroy jacket; buttoned up. It was still relatively cold outside in Alaska she did however have new boots she bought in town. She also had on a fleece flannel ear flap cap that she also purchased.
"Lemon honey it's like you never left us Bush people up here." Luna laughs and pulls Lemon's ear flaps down over her ears.
Lemon turns red.
"I knew if I packed all my clothes from colorado you all would have said I needed to change my wardrobe before I looked like a tourist."
"Probably true but where's your overalls?" Luna asks
"I figured id wear them tomorrow when I go to the sap taverns"
"Oh yea, whatcha headed there for Lemonade?"
"Figured I'd catch up with some people and read."
"Well they have a fun new patio now, and a distillery attached. But don't you be drinking that dark shit over there Lemonade."
"Oh yea?" She says, her mouth nearly watering.
"Lemonade I will call over to the snyder's and have you banned."
"Fine, I'll keep it clear."
"Yes, their moonshine basically tastes like tequila anyways."
"You've been giving me moonshine Haven't you." Lemon laughs
"Oh shush you take what you're given Lemonade." She scowls.
Louie comes walking in with a girl. She was a red head. Freckles covering her face. She was wearing leggings and leg warmers and a big heavy coat with ear flap hat.
"Is that Louie's girlfriend?" Lemon asks Luna.
"Yup that's Rosie. She owns the husky kennel up about an hour north of here."
"Oh." Lemon says
Louie walks up and introduces Lemon.
"Rosie this is Lemonade, long time friends, used to live here about a half a decade ago before she bailed on us to regular civilization."
Lemon blushes but reaches out her hand, rather confidently. "Lemon." Only these two people call me Lemonade." She laughs.
"Really nice to meet you Lemon."
They both head to the bar and Lemon tags along behind with Luna.
"Lemonade."
"Yes Luna."
"I know it's weird."
"What's weird."
"She's a ginger version of you."
"She's so much more girly."
"True." Luna laughs.
"And I'm strawberry blonde like my dad." Lemon says strongly.
"Okay Lemonade. You win."
Louie heads to the stage and Lemon sits with Luna, sipping what she now knew was definitely Talkeetna Moonshine "the piss of the land" is what she knew it as. Rosie heads and sits with what appears to be their friends.
Things had changed. It wasn't just Lemon and Louie adventuring anymore. It made Lemon slightly sad, remember how much adventuring they had done up there in Alaska, while her parents believed her to be in Connecticut.
The ball room was wood lined, floor and walls. The ceiling white textured. Along the walls were an array of different taxidermy. "The art of Alaska" there were also different signs that said a mixture of weird sayings, stop signs, and such.
Louie band was in fact a banjo band. There was even a person playing an old wash board.
"Is this West Virginia or Alaska?" Lemon thought to herself.
Louie was pretty talented at the harmonica, she remembered listening to her play for hours as they sat in the trees waiting for Louie to probably kill nothing. She was in fact pretty blind and harmonicas don't exactly attract animals.
Lemon remembered at night after she removed her contacts how big her eyes were in her glasses. She used to poke her nose and watch her go cross eyed, teasing her.
Louie was special to her.
They began playing and Luna hands Lemon another drink.
"Drink up my colorado-an" she laughs.
"Yes ma'am."
"Ya know, are ya ever gonna bring this Carson here to meet us? Or are you embarrassed?" Luna asks basically screaming over the music.
"I will bring her here. If we ever get away from Buffalo shit"
"What if you never do?"
"Then I hope she finds a happy life without all my struggles following her."
"What if she wants to follow your struggles, Lemonade?"
"No one wants to follow my struggles, not even me." Lemon frowns.
"Well, before I grow to old, wild, and Alaskan I'd like to meet her."
"Well okay then." They cheers yet another glass of shine.
"It really does resemble tequila." Lemon says
"Whatever you say Lemonade." Luna laughs
"So this dude."
"It was him wasn't it?" Luna asks.
"I have no idea. Not even sure if it's a guy" Lemon asks
"Could be a girl?" She asks with a weird face
"Was their a pocket knife clipped to there shirt pocket."
"Um, yea actually, it looked like bone, like animal bone."
Lemon reaches for the bottle of shine.
Lemon frowns.
"We can find them if they are here." Luna says.
"I know, that's what I was hoping for." Lemon smiles evilly.
She was shaking still, not as confident as she was proceeding.
"I'll find out where they are staying." Luna says.
"Louie and I will venture tomorrow to the sap taverns. If they knows where I am, Louie and I will take the trail to go hunting from the taverns."
"Will they follow you?"
"Depends how angry they arethat I ran away."
"So theyve known about this place for a long time?" Luna asked?
"I left mail and a tourist pamphlet at the studio Carson bought for me."
"You lead them straight here."
"Yes."
"Well okay then Lemonade. Let's give em the good ol Talkeetna bush welcome."
"It's like we've done this before" Lemon laughs and winks.
"Yes, yes it's like we have." Luna smiles and winks back.
They cheers.
YOU ARE READING
Coneflowers
Mystery / ThrillerLike coneflowers or otherwise known as black eyed Susan's.. Lemon has moved from place to place trying to survive. Her past has mostly come to the surface of everyone she knows. Will she stay safe on the west coast from Marcus? Will she have planted...
