Page 67 of Suncatcher

“Then I will be here.”

19

Too Honest

Pearl lay awake as the sun peeked over the horizon. She should have been sleeping, and she’d had precious little time in her bed.

Her body remembered the night too well, sensing Driz all over her. Touching her. Holding her. Pearl had gotten carried away. She should not have done that, but she had a hard time regretting it. Driz had been so sweet.

Pearl huffed in bitter amusement at her ceiling. She’d expected it would be good, but she hadn’t been prepared for Driz’s passion. For the feeling of being consumed by her and begging for it to happen.

Giving up on the idea of sleep, Pearl rose and reluctantly cleaned up.

Her eyes fell on the pendant that rested on her dressing table, and her stomach dropped. She had wondered before, but after what Driz revealed last night, Driz must have been that child Sheriff Oak had spoken of.

The story was tragic, the thing with Driz was overwhelming, and together, the situation was fucked.

Pearl went about her day in a haze, avoiding her mother. She hid in Molly’s kitchen instead of facing the saloon. Molly questioned her, but Pearl didn’t answer, and Molly didn’t press, just let her stew in quiet peace, sitting out on her back porch, the drum of the rocking chair on the wood soothing and lulling.

As the sun went down, Pearl stared at the horizon. Driz would be awake now, all alone. Was she thinking of Pearl? Reliving their night together too?

Pearl shouldn’t meet her tomorrow. They’d already spent too much time together. Any more would be dangerous, and this could only end in disaster. But Pearl would meet her anyway. How could she not, when she knew Driz would wait all night?

Pearl finally fell asleep curled up near Molly’s feet with Buster, but she woke sometime late at night to find a blanket draped over her. As she stood on tiptoes, Molly stopped her.

“Come here. Sleep,” Molly instructed through the open door, lifting the corner of her quilt.

“I’ll go home.”

“I’m comfy and don’t feel like getting up to chase you. Get over here.”

Pearl relented, sliding into the space Molly indicated, letting the warmth seep through her, the familiar, comforting presence of Molly at her back.

Pearl didn't sleep around others. She shouldn’t give in. But she was so tired, which was always her goal. If she fell asleep exhausted, her mind had less time to think.

The weight of sleep dragged her eyes down, but it didn’t save her tonight.

She dreamed of Driz being ripped from her. By a river. By a dust storm. By blood, Driz’s body jerking with the impact as bullet after bullet hit her.

And by nothing at all. Driz simply turned and walked away. Pearl dashed after her, but she couldn’t catch up, no matter how hard she ran. She reached out, almost touching, and then Driz opened her wings.

Pearl jolted awake. It wasn’t quite dawn yet as she stumbled from Molly’s bed.

She needed to end this. The guilt of what she’d done, and what she needed to do, gnawed at her.

She headed out toward the fields and mines. Someone always needed an extra set of hands for something. Pearl was good at being hands.

And still the thoughts chased her all day, through the sweat and the sunburn and gritty wind, knotting tighter in a noose around her neck as the sun approached the horizon.

She slipped up to her room to change into her favorite blue shirt. Then she shrugged it off again and swapped it with her second-favorite yellow shirt and the brown waistcoat. After taking extra care brushing and braiding her hair, she dabbed on a trace of her expensive perfume from the city, and scrubbed and burnished her teeth until they gleamed and her fingers wore red indents from the wire.

It was well past sunset when she entered the ravine.

“You came,” Driz said, her voice deep and rumbly and loosening Pearl’s insides.

It was so strange to look at what was once a terrifying face and find it welcoming, Driz’s sharp grin of happiness soothing instead of frightening.

Driz hurried forward to meet her, wings twitching once, and Pearl smiled too. She couldn’t help it.