Mireya wasn’t a fan of cold weather, but she felt she needed to comply with Jeff’s "selfish" request. It was a chilly winter morning, and the sun was still hidden below the horizon; then again, Jeff seemingly felt at home during clear nights, where the Moon could be seen. Was that a thing with all Sulvas, or just a quirk of his?
Compared to him, however, she was uncomfortable. It wasn’t the heavily padded jacket, the thick leggings or the scarf on her neck; it wasn’t the ear muffs or the woolen gloves or the winter boots. It was standing in the dark, trying to draw as little attention as possible. However, it was what Jeff wanted. His nerves had been on edge since his arrival.
But of course, who wouldn’t be on edge, returning to his home town after three years ago?
It was the day before New Year’s Eve. Mireya had been visiting her father, Domingo, over Christmas, while Jeff and Marty spent theirs in Olympia. She had almost dared to call Jeff, to ask if he could bring Marty and have them spend the Three Kings’ Day with her, but before she could make the offer, Jeff had countered with one of his own.
A couple of friends back home, he told her, were getting married, and he wanted someone to accompany him to the wedding—as his "plus one", as he put it—before he left for China to continue his apprenticeship. Mireya could hear the hesitancy in his voice, but he insisted he had to return, at least for the sake of his friends.
They were tied to his tragic story. The groom was someone that Jeff, in his old life, had stumbled upon while experimenting with the book that changed his life—the same book that Dr. Gustavo asked him to look for, and that Rick was hunting down. Though Jeff and Taylor had started out on the wrong foot, they wound up collaborating in order to fight a warlock, and it was during that time, according to Jeff, that they had met Lucy. After Jeff and Marty’s tragic loss, she felt like a big sister to them, and Taylor became the only hometown friend he could rely on.
That was enough to convince Mireya to make the trip. Given that they knew some of Jeff’s secrets—and even knew Frank and Joe—it was natural that he’d want to share their big moment. And so, as soon as she could—and skipping the Three Kings’ Day, promising she’d bring the Harrisons afterwards—she made the long drive to Olympia to pick him up.
It seemed that, every time she met the Harrisons, they were more and more different. She had seen Jeff only seven months ago, but he had still changed. His straw-like blond hair, was still shoulder length, but now it had a bit of shine and body to it. The chin goatee and painter's brush mustache had acquired a shape that contrasted with his youthful face, making him look older. And his eyes were now behind a pair of glasses. Marty, on the other hand, was now a tall, handsome and muscled young man, sporting a short mop of frizzled reddish hair with shaved sides, a clean face and a built physique fit for a linebacker—which fit, as Marty had made the football team and was excelling at it. She took the time to speak to the brothers, though she showed more interest in hearing how Marty was doing at school. (He was fully applying himself, he told her, though he definitely preferred Physics and Chemistry over English or Social Sciences, and his attention was split too thin between his studies, his duties as a junior varsity player, the projects he did for his science club, and his training as an associate of the Stellae.) Marty had also turned into a crack shot with a rifle, something she noticed as she took him for a spin—something that Jeff still was wary at—and he was no slouch in hand-to-hand combat, seeing moves she had only seen from the likes of the Stellae’s loudest and brashest fighters.
And now they were in Saratoga Falls. They hadn't even checked into their hotel yet, for Jeff had asked to visit his old neighborhood first, to see how it had changed.
The house in front of them was anything but modest, though it was hardly a mansion either: a two-story house whose earth-toned clapboard siding contrasted with a pebbled facade and gravel-hued gable roof, and highlighted with white stripes. One side wall was softened by a tangled curtain of ivy that trailed down a crisscrossed white trellis. It was well-kept, behind a freshly mown lawn, and Mireya noted tire tracks on the driveway. Lights shone faintly behind the lacy curtains.
This was Jeff's childhood home and his face clearly showed he was uncomfortable with the fact that strangers now lived in it.
Mireya let him steep in the moment, then tried to bring him back. "You finished?" she asked.
"Yeah," he sighed. "I figured my uncle would sell it or something."
"You still don’t want to talk to them?" MIreya escorted Jeff to the car, stopping to make a remark. "I’m pretty sure they miss you."
"I bet they do, but—" Jeff looked over his shoulders with fear in his eyes. "I don’t think it’s the right moment. Too many questions, and I don’t know what to tell them."
Mireya took the opportunity to start the car as she weighed her response. "They’re still your family, though," she said.
Once again, Jeff hesitated. "Right now, the only one I feel like my family is Marty. And you, I guess."
"Hey," said Mireya, as she rubbed Jeff’s back. "I’m always here for you, if you need me for something. You’re not alone on this."
"I know." Jeff sighed again. "And thanks for accepting. It means a lot to me."
"I bet. Say, you had more friends here? Not just Taylor and Lucy?"
"Oh sure." Jeff’s tone continued melancholic. "I was friends with these two guys, Caleb and Keith. But I cut my bridges with them. Too focused on dealing with the professor, trying to understand the notes on the Summa, and I neglected them. I mean, it's not like they'd recognize me."
"I’ve seen you, and I barely recognize you." Mireya flashed a cute grin as she glanced at Jeff. "You look a lot better now. Kinda like ... I dunno. Johnny Depp?"
"Yeah?" Jeff snorted at the comparison. "You think so?"
"Yeah," said MIreya as she slapped Jeff’s shoulder. "See, you only needed to take a little care with your appearance. And—" She touched the strands of his hair, marveled. "What’s with your hair? It feels a bit sleeker."
"Something Nash and I worked on, after my ends burnt off." As Jeff explained the incident while on the way to their staying place, Mireya noticed that Jeff thought very highly of his last mentor, Nash Carnes. Known for being a genius gadgeteer with a nearly indecipherable accent, his ability to understand how magic works is second to none—and it seemed that Jeff liked that, as he remarked he couldn’t wait to finish his training and return. She felt immense joy hearing that the lost young man she met had finally found his calling, seeing the gleam in his eye as he spoke of it. He only stopped to yawn, as the trip was long and they had barely slept. "Sorry about that."
"It’s alright. I’m also tired. How about we continue this little trip after a good rest-of-the-night's sleep?"
"True. I gotta call Taylor and tell him I arrived. I wanna see him before the wedding; otherwise, they’ll think I’m a stranger."
"Right. Lead the way, then? You’re the one that knows where La Quinta is, after all."
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