Dark as the Night

20

Odessa groaned as she stirred melting beeswax and olive oil in a double boiler. This was her third batch of healing balm – she had ruined the first two because she just couldn't pay attention. She wondered if Leila would be angry with her. Knowing Leila, she was more likely to scold Odessa for not resting than for the ruined balms.

James, however, was another story. He was going to be furious after she snubbed him today. Maybe I can play it off, she thought, like I had to hurry back to my testing and didn't have time to talk. It was true that she did have to hurry, but she could have at least stayed long enough to actually greet the boys.

Suddenly Odessa snapped out of her wayward thoughts. "Crap!" she called out as she caught herself right before boiling the oil and wax again. She took it off the double boiler and set it aside to cool while she measured out the vitamins and essential oils to stir in it.

Since she had to get up early the next day, she'd decided to go into work an hour early today and had missed her usual afternoon nap. Furthermore, she had not been able to get back to sleep after breakfast this morning, so she was beyond exhausted when she walked into the medical center. Leila had noticed of course, and before leaving for her dinner break, had put Odessa on "light duty." That is, sitting around making healing balm.

And apparently she was failing even that.

"Is melting wax too difficult a job for you?" Odessa startled at the deep, biting voice. She jumped and swiveled to look at James, still dressed in his school uniform.  He was leaning against the doorway with his arms folded across his broad chest and a major scowl plastered on his face. Her heart began to race. Yup, she thought, he's pissed.

She tried to school her face into nonchalance and, ignoring his question, smoothly asked, "How long have you been standing there?"

James' scowl turned into a smirk, but his eyes remained hard. He took a step into the room. "Since right before you yelled 'crap.' I've had to do that for Leila before, and I have to say, this is the first time I've seen someone botch it so badly." He looked down at her poor first attempts in a bowl on the counter and chuckled rudely. "Can you explain to me how someone burns beeswax in a double boiler? The thing is made specifically so things can't burn."

Odessa turned away, pretending to test the temperature of the cooling wax and oil mixture to hide the flush creeping up her neck. She managed to keep her voice neutral as she replied, "By nearly falling asleep. Why are you here?"

The back of her neck burned with the force of James' glare behind her. "You're avoiding us," He said in a flat voice. She winced. What had she expected? Subtlety seemed to be a foreign concept to the boy. She sighed wearily and turned around to face him.

Yes, he was definitely glaring. His eyes glowed with green fire in his anger. Odessa kept his gaze as she said, calmly, "As you can see, I'm not avoiding you."

"Cut the crap," James snapped. "Obviously you're not right now. But you sure as hell avoided us this afternoon."

"I had to get back to my testing. I don't usually get a lunch break but since I'd had breakfast really early today I was too hungry to concentrate. So my instructor agreed to give me a few minutes to eat."

James' glare softened, but only slightly. "And last night when you ran away from me before I could say hello?"

"I had other errands to run for Leila..." Odessa's voice trailed off and she glanced away. She hadn't thought he'd noticed that.

James' face hardened again as he leaned ever so slightly toward her.  "And what about how you haven't answered Tai's calls nor have you called him after promising to?" He took a breath, his jaw tight, then ground out, "I understand if you're busy or whatever, but I didn't peg you for the kind of person to break promise or spend a week ignoring your friends."