The Heart of the Sea- A supernatural thriller

can I go

The auto shop connected to her grandfather's house hustled with more than a dozen people. The parking lot wasn't its peaceful self like it sat during the weekdays, like a group of old women coming out for a night of bingo with drinking. 

Within minutes Talia was inside the building and away from the whirring of torque wrenches and the curious eyes of patrons young and old. But not away from the prying eyes of the customers sitting at the wooden coffee table.

The auto shop had once been an old nineteen twenties style car shop that her grandfather had refurbished with wooden floors and a long wooden desk on the left side of the building. The rest of the store left a huge space to fill with the waiting area (equipped with a snack and drink machine), Tires for patrons to examine and want.

It had become Edmund's jewel after the lumber company had laid him off and his father had given him the title of manager.  what had been a small auto shop for cars expanded into fixing the very lumber company's trucks that had laid him off. It had become the place for everyone in town to go. Everyone that knew it was back in this small corner in the heart of town.

Here, the birthplace for her father's need to build his own company that his children could inherit one day. Here was something Talia knew she would be proud to own and run one day if Edmund gave it to her. Here had been the place she'd spent her summers learning in with Edmund wiping grease across his t-shirts and her cheeks until she'd burst into protesting laughs for him to stop. And for years Talia had been proud to know Edmund considered leaving the shop to her. Then she'd left and her plans for this place had vanished. Just like her relationship with Edmund.

Emily Peterson leaned on the counter taking care of a young woman with long black hair tied in a braid with the same mahogany skin Jason coveted. 

"Thanks, Emily," the woman spoke, collecting the bunch of keys from the counter. "Jason is going to be ecstatic that his truck is working again."

"These boys and their trucks," there was a happy laugh shared between them. " I had heard that boy of your opted to go to forks again this year,"  She pushed some papers and a pen over to the woman.

"He told me he knew enough about our culture that he needed the white school to help make him a doctor," she said signing a paper and moving to the next one. "You know Jason. Always wanting to take care of others. " she swiped the next paper towards Emily and signed the last one. "Last year one of the tourist groups had a kid almost drown and Jason was the first one out in the water and saving that little boy,"

Talia only knew her mother had known people here because they had lived her when she had been four. They never talked about why her father had moved them to Seattle abruptly and Talia didn't want to know. The past didn't matter like her present did.

"How's your Talia?"

Emily turned from filing the papers in the sleeves hanging from the wall and sighed. "She's been a tough one, but we haven't been the best parents either."  Emily leaned on the counter, lines filling that face that usually looked youthful. "She always did better when she spent time here. And sometimes I wonder what happened two years ago to make her quit coming. Sometimes I wonder if she feared she's love this place and Edmund more then us. And I wouldn't blame that girl,"

"Did she ever tell you why she didn't want to come back?" the directness of the question had Talia pause at the arm of the waiting room's couch.

Had Edmund told everyone in this town about her choice to make him come to the San Juan islands with her the last two summers? Had the town guessed when he'd left the store in Brian's care and was more than happy to be with Talia? Even if they didn't surf or go fishing. But it was the caution in the woman's tone that had Talia wondering why this woman, Jason's mother, wanted to know.

"She says she doesn't remember why. That those memories come off foggy." Emily said with a shake of her head. "A therapist couldn't get her to talk about it. Said she told him the same things. I was just happy that Edmund went with her to those islands instead of ignoring her,"

"He loves her Emily," she responded. "You two should come to dinner sometime,"

"Only if you make your famous catfish," Emily said smiling and the woman chuckled. Her hand touching Emily's "I'm sorry for your loss. Even though I am happy you have come home,"

"I doubt Talia is happy to be here," Emily said. "But thank you,"

It was the first time Talia had heard anyone tell her mother they were sorry for their loss. No one had recognized the Peterson widow in this town and when they did the formalities were in the past. Talia rounded the corner and saw her mother's eyes catch her.

Jason's mother was a small-boned woman with a delicate oval face, high cheekbones that jutted out, and the sharp point to her chin that resembled her son's. She looked a lot like Jason and caught Talia with the same Seattle grey eyes. Except she had steel in hers where Jason's were a storm.

"You've grown all up Talia Peterson," his mother gushed. She didn't look a day older the thirty-three. "And into such a beautiful young woman,"

Talia slipped on a name tag. Muttered a thank you and clocked in. As much as her shift at the coffee shop had strung out her last nerves with the public Talia wanted to earn going out tonight.

"What's going on?" Emily asked.

"Most likely she's been invited to the pizza and bonfire night," the woman said. "It's a group of kids from forks that go over to Pacific Pizza for dinner and then hang out on first beach until eleven or so." She gave Talia a smile and a wink. Talia mouthed thank you. The less explaining she had to do, the better, "Jason's going. I could ask him to keep on eye on Talia for you,"

Talia's heart stopped a beat before it pounded in her chest. If she could talk to him...

"They behave at these.... get together.... Amala?" Emily asked.

Amala slipped Jason's keys into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"Jason has never come home drunk or smelling like any other substance. Plus that...." she snapped her fingers. "Oden boy... Liam. He's big on keeping the party safe for the girls," Amala tapped on her phone screen. "If you're okay with it Emily Liam and Jason can pick up Talia,"

Part of Talia didn't want to be stuck in a car with Jason. Especially for the fifteen minutes or so, it took to get down to La Push. She knew that if he acted like he had at Riverside she wouldn't be able to keep her cheap shots to herself. Even if something tugged inside her when it came to him and she knew it wasn't just the dream that screamed in her veins.

Talia didn't believe in fate or true love. She didn't even watch romance movies because they seemed so... fake. Every book she'd read when she was younger had gone in the trash to be replaced with books that made sense. Books that held murder, death, and sex. Because sex didn't have to be love to engage in. It was the most primal thing she was okay with.

So this tug towards Jason... She knew she started to hate it. This was something coincidental. Nothing that would bring out fate or true love. Emily told Amala that would be okay.

Talia tugged off her nametag when Emily turned around. "You can donate one hour to this counter and your grandfather and then these boys can come to get you," Emily smiled as Talia nodded, slipped on her nametag and watched her mother walk Amala out the front door. Chatting about what they would do with two teenagers. 

It was a long hour.

Does Amala know something? Will Talia be able to talk to Jason? What happened two years ago? Comment and like please and stay tuned for the next chapter where a new player comes in. Thank you all for reading!