Turnings (Southern Vampire Mysteries)

Chapter 9 - Dust Devils

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Sookie would long remember the profound sense of relief she felt just standing in the driveway of the house in Chester. Her flight back from Las Vegas and King Felipe de Castro was delayed in Chicago, and instead of arriving before school let out, it was nearing dark. The lights were already on and the lamps from inside the house spilled their gold gently through the windows as the last pinks and oranges stained the horizon. As Sookie stood and watched, the last light of day slipped away.

Perhaps it was being older, or being in a place that was slower-paced and less involved with jobs and money, but Sookie found she noticed nature with a new intensity. It was more than deciding that the sun made it a good day for tanning (which she never did in a bathing suit anymore). It was standing still for sunsets and lifting her face to the feel of an unexpected breeze. Sookie noticed birds in trees and bees buzzing among wildflowers. It was as if her life consisted now of periods of time interacting with people, and then longer periods of sinking back into a comfortable place where she was part of the natural world around her, moving in a rhythm that was both old and comforting.

Rick came bounding out of the house, "You're late!" he told her. The hug he gave her was brief and then he walked past her to the trunk of their old car to pull out the suitcase.

"Delayed flight," Sookie replied, but her real attention focused on memorizing her son's face and checking for anything new or changed. "Nice uniform," she told him.

"Please tell me I don't have to stay at Chester through high school," he sighed. Chester Academy required their students to wear uniforms. Rick would start in less than a month and his uniforms were ordered before Sookie left for Vegas. Apparently, they'd arrived.

"It does make things easier," Sookie squeezed her son around his waist, walking toward the house beside him. He was growing again and easily reached her eyebrows. There was no doubt with his big feet and long, thin fingers that he would be tall. The doctor put him in the top percentile and always remarked on it when they had Rick's iron levels checked.

"It's like being in the military!" Rick moaned as if that was a bad thing.

"You'll see. Everyone will be in the same boat and that gives you all something to talk about on the first day, how much wearing uniforms sucks." It seemed bizarre. Only a few hours ago, she'd been dodging Felipe de Castro, playing a game Sookie knew had nothing to do with affection and everything to do with power. Now, half a world away, she stood in the growing night, talking with her pre-teen son about school and dress codes.

As they climbed the stairs, her boy asked, "So, how'd it go?" He was making an effort not to look at her, and Sookie realized he was waiting for her to brush him off.

"I'll tell you all about it once we get inside and settled," Sookie replied. He looked up at her then, his blue eyes that she could see were so like Eric's, clear and focused. He smiled, and Sookie saw once more how being honest with him had been the best thing. There were things she would tell him about the trip, but she also knew there were things she would only share with Fran.

Fran had returned to Boston. Lora was here.

Lora had announced she would be relocating to Chester. Of course, she was very close to them. She had been there from the night Rick was born and she was the person who spoiled him most. Lora had been married for a long time, but recently her marriage had fallen apart. There were friends who were Lora's, like Fran, but, as it turned out, most of her friends were 'mutual' friends. When she and her husband separated, Lora found that while her husband was invited to dinners and parties, she was not. In the end, it seemed that having an unattached male at the table was easy. Having an unattached female at the table was awkward.