12. A Restless Night
TWELVE
A RESTLESS NIGHT
The Butterfly Effect reveals a hidden truth: that the gentle beat of fragile wings can ripple across the fabric of existence itself. It suggests that the very smallest of actions can set into motion a series of events that reshape destiny.
In scientific terms, this phenomenon refers to the sensitivity of complex systems to initial conditions.
It suggests that a butterfly’s wing-flap might, in time, stir the winds into a tempest halfway around the globe.
Yet, in the realm of magic, it exposes something more profound.
There is a connection between all living things and the elements, a web of causality that may be manipulated.
We must embrace the duality of the Butterfly Effect. It reminds us that every creature, no matter how small, wields some power. Every action, however seemingly insignificant, has the potential to shape the course of our world.
–EXCERPT FROM THE MUDPUDDLE MANUAL OF NATURAL MAGIC
Maida hadn’t meant to stay up all night reading.
But after hours of scrubbing sinks, mopping floors, reshelving books and re-hanging her clothes, she hadn’t been able to fall asleep.
Even with new locks on the doors and a soothing bergamot and eucalyptus candle burning, her mind raced, buzzing relentlessly.
She was still awake reading a novel about a psychic detective when the phone rang once at three a.m. A few minutes later, it rang twice.
Maida didn’t wait for the third call. This was Zani’s signal.
She phoned her friend back right away and immediately launched into her own news, sharing all the details of the break-in.
For once, she had something interesting to relate!
And if the break-in had left her feeling anxious, she was sure Zani would be her rock.
Her nomadic friend was fearless. Nothing shook her.
Maida fully expected Zani to respond with some wild story about exchanging phone numbers with a fellow hostage during a bank robbery. She didn’t expect Zani to fuss and cluck at her like a mother hen.
“I think you should go back to Boston for a bit. Maybe stay at your dad’s place? I’m worried about you. You shouldn’t be alone there.” Zani worried. “Is there anyone I can call?”
Her friend’s reaction to the break-in surprised Maida.
“Are you going soft on me, Zani?”
“I don’t know.” Zani paused, and the line crackled, reminding Maida of how very far away her best friend was. “I just have a feeling about this. It’s weird that they took nothing. It’s like what they really wanted to get at was you.”
She’d been so taken aback that she’d completely forgotten to tell Zani about the locket.
After that conversation, it was no surprise she hadn’t been able to fall asleep. She kept being startled by thumps and bangs coming from other apartments. Each time, she imagined it was someone about to bang her door down.
Zani meant well, but her words only reminded Maida how alone she was.
This was the biggest design flaw in her “simple life” plan.
She really had nobody here in California.
Not even a pet. She knew she ought to try harder to make friends.
But the more she thought about having to make small talk with strangers, the less she felt like making the effort.
Maida finished reading the last chapter of her novel shortly after sunrise.
But she tossed and turned for two more hours before it was time to get up and get ready for her meeting with Will and the solicitor.
Now she couldn’t stop thinking about the mysterious inheritance Will had mentioned. Why the sudden urgency?
Questions tumbled and collided like rocks inside her head, polishing themselves smooth without answers.
When it was finally time to get out of bed and make herself presentable, Maida dragged herself to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face.
She tried to wish the dark circles under her eyes away.
Then she pinched her cheeks, trying to coax a bit of color into them.
She couldn’t stop yawning. When she stretched her arms over her head and yawned for the fifth time, her ears filled with the rushing sound of her own blood being forced to move.
The coffee at The Bunny Hole had better be strong, she thought.
Even though she was tired and apprehensive about the meeting, it would be so nice to see a familiar face.
She hoped the paperwork would be simple, so she and Will could send the solicitor back to wherever solicitors went when they weren’t being contentious, and use the opportunity to catch up properly.
Thank goodness she didn’t need to get fancy for Will.
He accepted her just as she was. Maida twisted her mess of hair into a sloppy bun and didn’t even bother changing out of her favorite pajamas.
She simply threw on a cozy Shaker knit cardigan over the nightgown and pulled on some leggings underneath.
Then she slipped her feet into some fuzzy, slipper-like boots.
One of the nicest things about living by the beach in Southern California was that this was a perfectly normal outfit in which to leave home.
There was just enough time to water the plants before she left.
The fresh, cold ocean air slapped her awake as she stepped outside.
She could smell sea spray and wood smoke, plus a hint of the burnt plastic odor that still lingered in the air.
Maida poked a pinky finger into the soil of each plant, checking for dryness before she sprinkled them with water from a small metal watering can.
When she got to the end of the line, she spied the newcomer. Stapelia grandiflora. Someone had dropped it beside the pile of pot shards in the middle of the night. The ragged new arrival looked skittish. It hadn’t so much grown, so much as flinched sideways out of its too-small pot.
“Don’t worry. I’ve saved sadder specimens than the likes of you,” Maida said, examining the cactus-like plant. It would be a fun one to sketch, laden as it was with odd black blooms that resembled paper lanterns.
She’d have to be quick about it. As soon as the blooms burst open, the hairy, dinner plate size flowers would stink like the bottom of a festering dumpster. It wasn’t the poor plant’s fault. All the same, she’d have to keep this one downwind of everyone’s front door once it bloomed.
Addy’s door swung open just as Maida was considering where to place it.
“Hey, Maida! You know what you should try with those plants?”
“Hmmm?” Maida answered distractedly, making space for the new plant between a jade and some milkweed.
Addy cleared her throat impatiently.
“I’m sorry,” Maida sighed, “I was distracted. What were you saying, Addy?”
“Well.” Addy glanced quickly back inside her apartment, then closed the door quietly behind her. “I was just about to give you a suggestion to help triage your patients here.” She waved her clear plastic mug of green juice at the mess by Maida’s door.
Maida gazed up at the pretty young woman.
She was young. So young. Like many of Maida’s neighbors, Addy had come to California with dreams of being an actress.
And why not? She was beautiful, but more importantly, she was a chameleon.
She cycled through aesthetics with uncanny ease and speed.
Her features had a certain indeterminate ethnicity.
She was a girl that could go blonder and portray a Viking shield maiden, or dye her hair darker and pass herself as an Indian princess.
With the right accent training, Addy could be almost anyone.
But today she was just Addy, fresh faced, bohemian and barefoot, standing by her front door.
“What you should try,” Addy pressed on authoritatively, bored with waiting for Maida to take the bait, “is some Nocturnaturals plant food! It’s brand new and sold out everywhere, but I bet I can ask Cormac about getting some.”
“About that…I probably shouldn’t have given you his number. I’m not sure you should call him,” Maida warned.
“Why not? Did you change your mind?” Addy’s eyes narrowed defiantly, and she folded her arms across her chest. When she stuck out her lower lip, Maida half expected her to shout, “No take backs!”
“No. I wasn’t interested yesterday and I’m still not interested today,” Maida reassured her. “I don’t think he was actually interested in me, anyway.” She still couldn’t quite put her finger on it but she still felt certain the come-on had been a ruse.
“You really shouldn’t cut yourself down like that.
I mean, you’re older, but there’s nothing obviously wrong with you.
I’m sure if you made an effort you could find someone.
I mean, maybe not someone like Cormac Vorador, but there has to be somebody.
” Addy frowned and picked at the peeling moon-shaped “Be Beautiful” Nocturnaturals patch on her upper arm.
It reminded Maida of the other thing she needed to mention.
“That’s the other thing. I meant to warn you. Someone broke into my place yesterday afternoon. They made a real mess.” Maida pointed out the broken pot shards.
“That’s a bummer, but what does any of that have to do with Cormac?” Addy examined her fingernails.
“Nothing. I just thought I’d mention it because there’s been a rash of break-ins around here. People are claiming that the break-ins have a connection to Nocturnaturals products. You should probably be careful if you’re selling that stuff. And I think you should also be careful with that guy.”
“Thanks for the tip.” Addy cocked a brow. “Your concern is super sweet, but your timing is totally off.” Addy lowered her voice. “Cormac spent the night at my place.”
Suddenly those thumps in the night took on a whole different meaning. She felt herself blushing.
“Sorry if we kept you up.” Addy smiled a little too smugly.
But was she, really? Her slow, confident blink had the effect of a cocked and aimed gun as she waited, daring Maida to comment. Was Maida supposed to congratulate or admonish her on her conquest? She wasn’t in the mood to play Russian roulette, so instead, she said nothing.
This sort of conversation was exactly why she preferred to keep to herself.
“I’m all done here.” Maida stood up and brushed the dirt off her hands. “Nice dress. Got an audition today?” She was already planning her escape.
“I do!” Addy preened. “Cormac insisted I try out for his infomercial.”
“Why don’t you take one of these stones for luck?” Maida plucked an opalescent moonstone from the planter by the stairs and thrust it at Addy.
“Awww, you’re so sweet, but I don’t need that,” Addy said, immediately tossing the stone back into another pot. “I don’t believe in those kinds of charms. I think we all have to make our own luck.”
“Okay…I guess you’re good then. Best of luck!”
With this, Maida slipped past her chatty neighbor and took off down the stairs.