Penflower

Chapter 4

It's been a month since I first met Trillium. Things have been going well, except one thing: although the penflower sprout is growing quickly, it's missing some of its leaves and Trillium keeps hearing rustling in the bushes. 

We're working outside when Trillium glances up sharply. "Doorbell!" 

"Mmm?" I only look up in time to see her disappear into the house. Oliver. 

When I reach the back door, he's coming into the kitchen with Trillium close behind. "Hello, Shiloh," he says.  

I nod back. "Hi." 

He turns back to Trillium and says, "I need to tell you something, Trilli." He sits down at the kitchen table and Trillium hands him a cup of tea that she just happens to have ready. He nods in gratitude and says apologetically, "Mayor Burke sent me here to arrest you." 

I'm stunned, but what surprises me even more is that Trillium rolls her eyes. "Again?" 

Oliver tilts his head to one side, his sandy hair falling into his eyes. "That's why I came. To warn you and to bail you out." 

Trillium smiles wryly. I can't contain myself any longer and blurt out, "How many times has this happened before?" 

She glances at me, one eyebrow raised. "Two. This would be the third." 

Oliver puts in, "I don't actually know if I have the power to bail you out, but if I refuse to, Mayor Burke will have to come here himself and I know he's a little scared of you, Trilli." 

She laughs shortly and leans forward, elbowing one of the cats off the table so she can put down her teacup. "I know. And it's good that he's scared of me, or else I'd never be rid of him. But that's just about the only thing I really don't like about living like this." She stares at her hands, which are clasped on the table in front of her. "Living in isolation means I can't deal with my own problems. I have to wait in my house for people to come to me, and they almost never do." She bites her lip like she's thinking hard. "In fact, you two are the only two people I think I've ever had in my house, at least in the past several years." 

Oliver frowns, a worried look in his eyes. I ask, "Trilli, how long have you been working on your backyard?" 

"I've worked on it on and off, of course. But I started it almost eighteen years ago." She stares distractedly into the middle distance and nodding slowly as if lost in thought. 

Eighteen years? No wonder she runs to the door when Oliver comes. My head moves up and down like a puppet as I try to hide the surprise in my eyes. 

I only thought I had her fooled for a second, because that knowing look soon comes into her warm brown gaze. "I know, long time, huh?" 

"Hmm?" I raise my eyebrows in my best pretend shocked look. It must not be very convincing because Trillium continues to stare at me as she turns her head to Oliver, snapping her gaze to him at the last moment. His eyes widen slightly like they always do whenever she looks at him and he pushes his sandy hair out of his eyes with his free hand. The other is clamped firmly onto the arm of the chair like the intensity of her gaze is going to tip his chair over. 

"Oliver," Trillium says, "can I show you something? It's in my backyard." 

He nods shortly. "Sure." 

I trail behind as we go outside. I can see they're having 'a moment' and I don't want to mess it up. 

"This," says Trillium as she picks up the brown flowerpot, "is a penflower." Oliver's eyes reveal polite interest. She continues at a whisper, "It can cure all kinds of cancer." 

At the mention of cancer, Oliver leans forward, his face a thin veneer of self-control. "How much do you need? You know, to cure someone?" he asks, eyes fixed on the remaining leaves. 

"Not much. You crush it into a pulp and feed it to the person you want to cure. Works within hours." Trillium is busy glancing at the side gate and doesn't see Oliver's fixation with the plant. 

"That's wonderful!" he exclaims. "With it you could-you could eliminate the suffering from people's lives! You could put families back together! You could save people from terrible deaths! You could-" Oliver's eyes glisten with possibilities. 

Finally he sighs, collects himself, and says, "I should be getting back to the mayor. Burke can't know that I was having tea with you two when I was supposed to arrest you." Grinning, he asks, "What should I tell him this time?" 

"That I attacked you and you barely escaped with your life," replies Trillium as she leans back against the cabinet and scratches her chin like she's plotting. "Actually, no." She leans forward again. "Just tell him that no one came to the door when you knocked. The other story would be slightly excessive." 

Oliver laughs. "Okay. Sure thing, Trilli." He turns to me and his blue eyes lock onto my green ones. "And it was nice to meet you, Shiloh. I hope I'll see you again sometime." 

As we walk through the house to the front door, they're looking at each other so intently that I feel awkward and hang back, edging toward the back door. Oliver calls over his shoulder, "Thanks again, Shiloh!" 

I only have time to turn and shout back, "Anytime!" As I step into the backyard, I realize how much I like how he says my name.