Burn It and Move On

Part 7: Fall 1995 - Ohio

Democritus looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel. "You want to stay here?"

"Yes."

"Here? In Ohio? In 1995?"

"Yes." My voice was sure, even though my hands had started to tremble. I folded them in my lap and tried to avoid looking Demi directly in the eye.

We were all packed, ready to move out of our crappy little apartment. All of our things, neatly folded and tucked away into two suitcases each. Mine were packed, sitting gently at my feet.

The plan was to head back to Dallas in 1963 but I didn't want to go. Something about Beatlesmania and a country in morning wasn't as appealing as staying here.

I didn't want to go.

"No, absolutely not." Demi paced in front of me, while both Aella and Galenos stood against opposite walls to watch. "It's fall, we have to go. You know we can't stay."

"I wasn't asking."

"You are out of your mind if you think I'm letting you stay here!" Demi's voice was rising violently, his face flushing a pepper red.

"Democritus, please, we have neighbors." Aella wrung her hands.

1955. Poodle skirts with strawberry milkshake spilled down to the hem. Manicured hands uselessly clutching pearls as leather-clad boys throw punches.

Demi turned to plead with our siblings. "Will one of you please step in and help me out here?"

"Will one of you tell Democritus to just mind his own business?" I snapped.

"Christ, Xenia." Gal ran a hand through his hair and his curls stuck up in unruly puffs. "You want to stay in Ohio?"

"I want to stay here."

"You want to stay here with Christopher."

"Democritus, just let her stay a little longer." Aella shrugged. "It'll be fine."

"I am not going to her risk our secret and waste her time on a guy she thinks she loves who is going to die by forty."

"Just let her stay," Aella pleaded. "It won't hurt."

"Wait, forty? Did you say my boy is going to die by forty?"

Democritus shot us both a withering look. Anger. Pity. Knowing.

I sprang to my feet, shouting at him in a jumbled mix of Greek, Russian and English before I could even think of the words coming out of my mouth. "How could you?"

He grabbed my hand before it could make contact with his face and held my wrist so tightly that I felt it start to bruise. "I am just trying to help you."

"I don't need your help!"

"Enough." Galenos pried the two of us apart. "Both of you."

"If you don't need my help, then get out."

"Demi, stop," Gal warned.

"No." Demi pushed Gal off of him. "If she doesn't want our help then she can leave. I pay for this apartment, I make our IDs, I keep us safe. If she wants to go off on her own, then she can go off on her own."

Demi marched over to my bags, picked both of them up, and tossed them to my feet. Daring me to take them and go.

So I did.

"Xenia!"

I picked up my bags and walked out of the apartment, letting the door shut firmly behind me.