Something in the Way You Move [O'J]

The Grand Scheme

Callie's POV

I wake up late on the 8th when Danny shakes my shoulder. "Wha---?"

"You couldn't possibly have forgotten your own birthday? You probably would've slept through the day if I hadn't waken you," Danny states.

"Why, what time is it now?"

"Just noon."

I sigh and close my eyes again. "I'm scared, Danny."

"Don't be, love. We'll be right there. Soon you won't have to worry about hiding or running into him ever again."

"What if they're dead already? That this is just a huge waste of time?"

"Don't think like that, Callie. It's not going to end up that way." He strokes my cheek with his thumb. "Come now, are you hungry?"

Just the thought of eating turns my stomach into the world's best acrobat. "No. I don't think I could stomach it."

"Okay. Well, at least get up, then. Maybe if you're moving around you won't be so nervous and scared. Maybe if you're not thinking about it." I give him a skeptical look. "All else aside, everyone wants to see you, birthday girl."

A half-smile forces it's way onto my face and I climb out of bed. Danny puts a hand between my shoulders and escorts me downstairs. Everyone we meet greets me with "Happy birthday!" and a hug. It puts me in an immensely lighter mood and I'm feeling much better by the time we get downstairs. We have a small lunch before gifts are thrown at me. Nothing huge, mostly cards with some money or a small game. Danny gives me a set of rainbow Sharpies to draw with and a fluffy stuffed toy husky from Jessie---how'd she know huskies were my favorite? I mean, sure, I've mentioned that I had two huskies before the fire, but just in passing... I smile and thank everyone with bear hugs before going for a walk outside.

I walk absentmindedly in circles for a few hours, stopping here and there. Eventually, I come across the place I must have been looking for subconsciously: a small clearing surrounded by tall evergreens with a stream cutting lazily through the middle. I sit down on a large rock in the scant October sunlight and ask, "Is this what I'm supposed to be doing, Da?" Maybe talking to my Dad will help ease my nerves. "Am I supposed to be here, basically living with an internationally-famed musician, about to go and bust out my cellmates and risk everything in the process?" I look up at the sky, half expecting an answer. A gentle breeze blows and I shiver once, getting goosebumps. "I'll take that as a yes, then?" The wind blows stronger and I decide that it is. "Alrighty, then. Glad that's cleared up. I guess...I guess I'll talk to you later, then. Love ya, Da. Say hi to ma for me."

I get up and walk out of the clearing as the children are being called inside to wash up for dinner. I run as fast as I can and I'm just on time for dinner. I wash my hands quickly and sit myself down next to David. I don't eat much at all. I manage to eat a single sausage and a few mouthfuls of potatoes before my stomach hardens to an iron knot. Someone eventually clears my plate---I didn't realize I had zoned out for so long---and sets a mug of steaming hot chocolate in front of me. I don't even respond. I can't. They soon take my hands and wrap them around the mug, resting their own over mine. The warmth brings me to my senses and I quickly drink the hot chocolate, the heat easing the tension in my belly. After about half an hour and several mugs of hot chocolate and tea later, there is a sharp knock on the door. Dara answers it and calls to us that it's time to go. I get up reluctantly and follow the others out of the door.

"Callie, don't be so nervous. You can do this. You are a very strong young lady, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, ya hear? If something goes wrong, just holler and one of us will be right with you," Dara tells me. I nod once, sliding between him and Danny in the backseat of a Ford Mondeo. Danny takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. The rest of the short ride is done in silence. The Garda officer pulls up in a clearing a quarter-mile from the house. We all get out of the car and I turn and jog around the edge of the forest until I'm looking at the back of the house. Now I just have to wait...