Innocent Darkness (2 page)

The old “bug eye” two-seater convertible possessed giant headlamps in the front. A mesh grill underneath looked like a smiling mouth. The flying car’s black retractable wings reminded her of bat wings.

She and V had reupholstered the interior with scraps from her mother’s dressmaking shop and painted the car’s exterior purple. They’d also scrawled the auto’s name on its side in silver paint.
The Big, Bad Pixymobile
. The brass gleamed; the wood refinished and waxed. She worked behind the dilapidated shed in her backyard, away from prying eyes who might tell her mother. V wouldn’t tell.

Fishing another pair of goggles from her toolbox, she threw them at him.

Catching them, he turned the goggles over in his hands. “I can’t drive that.”

V couldn’t drive worth a lick, but was an ace hoverboarder.

“I can.” She was an ace driver and an even better hoverboarder.

His expression contorted to one of utter terror. “Remember what happened last time?”

An escaped strand of hair out fell into eyes and she blew them out of her way. “That was a hoverboard. Stop being a fussy old bodger. You have an operator’s license. All you have to do is sit in the passenger’s seat. Please?” She cast a glance at her beautiful, rebuilt automobile. “And if someone tells your mother?” V pulled the goggles on.

“She’ll restrict me to my room. Again. She’ll hide my tools. Again.” Noli loved her mother, even if she didn’t always obey her. But after Jeff left, she got difficult to live with.

“What if she sells the Pixy for scraps?”

“It belonged to Papa. Put it in the shed with a lock, perhaps. But to the scrap yard it will never go,” Noli replied. Her mother treasured everything of her father’s. Jeff ’s things, well, one day her mama threw her brother’s thing away without a word of explanation. Noli hid what she’d rescued in the back of the shed.

“Do you have a spare leather cap?” V eyed the one covering her mop of chestnut curls threatening to escape from her braid. Her never cooperated in this sort of weather.

“You are such a girl, V.” Rolling her eyes, she took off her cap and tossed it to him.

V pulled the leather aviator’s cap over his wayward blond locks, and repositioned the brass goggles, which looked peculiar over his spectacles.

“Don’t I look handsome,” he teased.

“Wear that and your card will be full at the next ball,” she joked back. His being odd, bookish, shy, and a repository for useless information put many girls off, despite his looks, skill at writing poetry, and good family.

She, being part of the distressed gentry, would be lucky to find a suitor, even if she left Los Angeles. Not that she wanted one. Why did she need to marry well to save her family? Really, she was perfectly capable of saving it herself. It just might take awhile. Besides, tinkering was always preferable to stuffy balls.

Noli climbed into the driver’s seat, adjusting her own goggles.

V hesitated, one hand on the passenger door.

A noise of exasperation escaped from her lips. “If you don’t get into this automobile right now, Steven Darrow, I’ll take it for a drive all by myself.”

He made an annoyed noise. “You know you can’t.”

Women couldn’t hold full operator’s licenses. If they wanted to operate an auto or an airship, they must have a provisional permit and ride with a male over eighteen with a full license. Given they were one-operator conveyances, women couldn’t operate hoverboards. The woman’s equality movement had yet to reach Los Angeles.

Not that she ever let that stop her. She nodded to the passenger’s seat. “Then get in.”

The fact V hadn’t turned eighteen wouldn’t stop her either—or that fact that when she’d gone to get her provisional permit she’d been denied one. With a sigh, he climbed into the passenger’s seat.

She grinned. “Thanks.”

He shook his head in mock despair. “I don’t even indulge my sister the way I do you.”

“Elise can grow up properly. I’m a lost cause.” She adjusted the mirrors. Her chance to grow up properly ended the day her gently born mother had to go to work. It enabled them to keep the house. Upkeep proved another matter entirely. But honestly, she had no problem with the idea of going to work … or even going to the university like her father had.

Unfortunately, the people like her mother
did.

“Ready?” She pulled the lever that ignited the boiler. When she saw puffs of steam she tugged on the lever that started the engine. It only sputtered. She caught a jubilant smile on V’s face. Gritting her teeth, she pumped another lever furiously. Resetting the first lever, she tried again.

“Come on, come on. Please?” she pleaded at the car. This time the sweet sounds of a rumbling engine greeted her. The rough grumble sounded more like a hungry beast than a kitten. But it ran. What a blissful sound.

“That’s a girl,” she cooed at the car. Steam poured out of the little smokestack on the hood. She pressed the button on the dash, which started the wings. The gears creaked, making her wince. After a moment, a pleasant mechanized hum replaced the squeal of grinding metal and the wings flapped. Elation and excitement bubbled inside her. “Here we go.”

“I’ll drive.” V’s hand covered hers. A gentleman’s hand, large, strong, smooth, and pale contrasted with one small, rough, and a most unladylike shade of tan.

“Too late.” She flipped switches on the dash covered in an assortment of lights, buttons, switches, and gauges. Finally, after nearly two years of work, her beloved automobile could set off on its maiden voyage.

Cranking another lever and pushing on the thrust, she took off. The auto zoomed forward with an awkward lurch. When it appeared as if they’d hit the fence, they angled up, taking off into the air. She pulled up on the steering wheel and gave the engine more power. The flapping of the wings and their ascent caused her hair to whip in her face. Maybe she shouldn’t have given V her cap. “Look.” Leaning over the side of the car, she looked down. Her house made a stark contrast to both his and the other houses in the wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood. Even though V had no mother, his house always looked impeccable.

In contrast, the shutters of her house sat askew, paint peeling, awning sagging. The neighbors complained, though it was hardly Miss Havisham’s. Loose shingles dotted the roof. Tomorrow after school she’d fix them. Perhaps V would help. They could only make repairs on the house while her mother worked at the shop—and they could only do things requiring no money or that she could barter for. Maybe she could fix something for someone in exchange for house paint.

“We’ll just go once around the block.” She switched gears and pushed on the thrust. The Pixy flew. Even V said she couldn’t make it fly—and she had.

V bit his lip, green eyes darting around like a fly in the kitchen. No one stood on the streets below. No hovercops loomed in the distance. “We know it can get airborne. Let’s take her down. Give me a land lesson in how to fly and I’ll take you for a ride tomorrow.”

“What did you say?” With a grin, she pressed the thrust, going even faster. “I can’t hear you.” Laughing, she zoomed though the air. A single auto puttered away on the street below and Noli waved. Flying autos didn’t have quite the popularity regular autos did, well, not among old people like her mother. She couldn’t imagine why. Flying was so much fun.

She pressed too hard on the thrust, making the auto jolt into a higher gear.

“Slow down. Please? We should return home before we get caught,” V told her.

Caught? She hadn’t thought about that. Her driving becoming erratic, as she pushed the engine, rushing to get home.

“It’ll be fine, just ease up and steady your wheel. We’re nearly home.” V laid a cautionary hand lay on her arm, voice even and soothing.

Yes, ease up on the thrust and steady her wheel. That was it. Her backyard came into view, the garden next to her favorite climbing tree the nicest part.

Red and blue lights flashed in her rearview mirror. Her hands trembled as the hoverboard appeared, causing the automobile to shake and she forgot to go easy on the thrust. Dread made her palms sweat.

“This is the Los Angeles Air Patrol,” a voice boomed though his megaphone. “I command you to pause your vehicle in the name of the law.”

Consequences

Panic coursed through her as her foot slammed on the thrust, mind screaming at her to go faster and flee the officer. The engine squealed as she pushed the limits of the Pixy’s speed. A bug flew straight into her goggles, leaving a brown smudge in the center of the left lens.

A siren pierced the air, the hovercop pursuing them. The Pixy couldn’t outrun a hoverboard, which was why hovercops patrolled the skies
and
the streets below.

“Pause your vehicle,” he ordered again, voice booming though his megaphone.

“Pause, Noli, pause!” V gripped the side of the car, knuckles white.

The engine thumped. She eased on the thrust. Nothing happened.

Her heart skipped a beat. “V, the pedal’s stuck.”

The gears shrieked as the metal ground together and she lost control. The Pixy plummeted towards the ground. She pumped the lever, and flipped switches. Nothing. Paralyzed with fear, she could only stare at the rapidly approaching ground.

“Cut the engine, cut the engine,” V shouted.

V’s instructions brought her back to her senses. Cutting the engine, she locked the wings, then pulled up on the wheel to keep them from crashing headfirst. Her backyard loomed ahead.

“The fence, Noli. Watch the fence.” He pointed at the wooden fence separating their yards.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled harder, struggling to avoid it. It wasn’t enough. She shut her eyes and braced herself as her beloved car smashed through the barrier, crashing into her backyard. The sound of crunching metal roared in her ears and she jerked forward, her chest hitting the steering wheel with a thud. When her eyes opened, the sight of crumpled metal, a broken wing, and smoke greeted her. Her heart still raced.

“Switch places now.” Pulling her into the passenger’s side, V climbed over her, taking the driver’s seat. The hovercop descended. Noli sank into the passenger’s seat. “Go along with whatever I say.” V squeezed her hand in reassurance. His cap sat askew.

She nodded, heart in her throat. As usual, V remained the calm voice of reason while she became the impetuous wreck. With her previous violations she could be in all sorts of trouble. Hoverboarding in the hills was one thing, flying an unregistered automobile over a residential neighborhood without a permit, another.

The hovercop landed his shiny brass and wood solarpowered hoverboard in her backyard. He wore the standard Los Angeles Air Patrol uniform—a black leather airsuit, black aviator’s cap, and matching goggles. A pistol hung from his utility belt, next to his megaphone and other interesting gadgets.

Perhaps Fortuna would smile upon her and they’d get off with a scolding and having to rebuild the fence. They excelled at rebuilding fences.

V fiddled with the gold and green medallion he wore hidden under his shirt. He only took it out when nervous and never around his father.

“Halt in the name of the law.” The officer pulled up the mask of his helmet and her heart sunk. Officer Davies and she went way back.

Officer Davies approached the wreckage. It would take a long time to repair the damage. Her mother’s shrieks already echoed in her ears.
Magnolia Montgomery Braddock what were you thinking? Have you not humiliated this family enough? When will you grow up?

“Names.” He pulled out a pen and pad of paper from a pocket on his airsuit.

“Steven Darrow and Magnolia Braddock, sir.” Answering for them both, V gripped the wheel so tight she feared he might break it. Noli tugged at the navy ascot at the neck of her white blouse, trying to not look too guilty.

At the mention of their names, the officer sighed. “You’re in the wrong seats.”

“No, sir. I drove the entire time.” Reaching into his back pocket, V brought out his billfold, and handed the officer his operator’s license.

Officer Davies examined the paper, brown eyes skeptically. “You don’t have a flying auto addendum.” He returned the permit to V. “Do you even have a permit, Noli?”

Squirming in her seat, Noli bit her lower lip. “No, sir.”

“Registration.”

Her heart thumped like the Pixy’s engine. Opening the glove box, she withdrew the long-expired registration papers and handed them to the officer with bated breath.

“This expired years ago.” Exasperation filled the officer’s face. “Magnolia Braddock, what were you thinking? Flying in a residential neighborhood, without a permit, with an unregistered auto. After everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve talked about.”

“What seems to be the problem, Officer?” Mr. Darrow, V’s father appeared. Noli groaned softly as terror swam in V’s green eyes.

“They took the auto for a ride, sped, and crashed.” Officer Davies shot them a look.

Noli made a face. Obviously, they’d crashed, considering the lack of fence, and the various and sundry auto parts spread about her already cluttered backyard.

“Magnolia possesses no permit, the car is unregistered, and Steven doesn’t hold a flying auto addendum.” The officer shook his head, making a noise of dismay.

“I see.” Mr. Darrow stood tall and imposing, regal even, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His angular jaw held stubble, arms and legs muscular. Maybe when V finished growing he’d look like that. She liked V as he was—not that she’d ever tell him she found him attractive.

“Are you hurt?” Mr. Darrow looked them up and down, scanning both with unspectacled green eyes that always seemed to read their very souls.

She stretched a little, testing for injuries, then rubbed the center of her chest. That would bruise, but she’d live. “A few aches and scratches. V?”

“The same.” Dirt streaked V’s face and he didn’t meet his father’s gaze. He never quite lived up to his father’s expectations and it weighed on him.

“Since it is our property, Officer, perhaps you could remit them into my custody with a warning?” Mr. Darrow’s proposal outweighed going to the station. She’d still get in trouble; Mr. Darrow would ensure that. He didn’t like Noli much and thought her a bad influence on V.