Twilight Hours

The drive back turned out uneventful. Franca talked a little about various cafés, and Kim's thoughts drifted away from Quinn's delusions about the teenager’s image, back to a weekend gone by. Back to the night she had spent with Robert.

They quickly left Spalding behind. The short drive through Downtown reminded Kim of the two photos of her and Robert. It disgusted her, but she wasn’t really surprised that she had become the target of such creeps.

Kim had already put two and two together. The flashing lights in the restaurant, that must have been him. Or her? Probably him. It didn’t matter. But she would be more vigilant in the future.

After they had left downtown dusk was very slowly falling over Trinity Falls as they drove through its valley. The low sun bathed Fortune Hill and the other elevations surrounding them in twilight. The sky was shining an almost purple color. A new thought drew Kim back to Franca's chatter.

“What is with the other two hills? Is it nice up there? And what’re their names?”

“Liberty Hill and… Prudence Hill. Yes, that’s right. I’ve only ever been to Liberty Hill. Really old neighborhood, red brick, lovely alleys and guess what?”

“Equally lovely cafés?”

“Clairvoyant! A colleague invited me on a date there once. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the top, but if it's anything like the rest of the neighborhood, it should be worth it. However, it's certainly more densely populated, and its little shops and cafés probably attract more people from the city than some old monument.”

Meanwhile, they had arrived in West Green. Franca's stories led away from Liberty Hill to other cafés, and her narration became background noise to Kimberly's thoughts once again.

When they finally came to a halt in front of the dormitory, the anticipation of the cold already made Kim feel somewhat listless. But after a moment's hesitation, she left the warm car. Kimm still had a good chunk of the day ahead of her.

“See you on Wednesday. Take care, Kim. And don’t worry about what Quinn said.”

“I'm staying on track. Bye, Fran.”

“Bye.”

Kimberly slammed the car door shut and, with the fading hum of the Cadillac behind her, trotted back to the room she shared with Eve. Her roommate seemed to be out and about. A quick shower later, she slipped into more casual clothes.

It was time to get creative. A thought that quickly faded as the textbooks on Kim's desk beckoned her. After a few moments of indecision and a deep sigh, she set off for the library.

Kim studied on the weekends, but her schedule was always packed and she had been falling behind in biology and world history ever since her arrival at the academy. Songwriting would have to wait until later that evening.

The sun was now even lower in the sky. There was little more than an hour left before darkness would fall again.

The library was well attended. Maybe Kim would catch Eve here. But after looking around a bit, she couldn't find her, or anyone else she knew. A sliver of disappointment lingered in her mind. Who was she expecting? She had never seen one of the three boys in the library.

Kim found a good spot by one of the windows and started with biology. But intrusive thoughts kept gnawing at her concentration. The cycle of learning, distraction, and self-admonishment repeated itself countless times until a small silhouette appeared in front of her study spot.

Kim looked up, exhausted from the effort of keeping her thoughts together. It was Abby.

“I checked your room first, but Eve wasn't there either. Figured you'd be around here somewhere.”

All plans for the remaining Monday were quickly forgotten. Kim grinned without even realizing it.

“You’ve got his number?”

“Maybe so. But I need to ask you a favor.”

“What is it?” Kim wondered.

“You know, the thing with Gail and me should remain our little secret.”

“Huh? Did anything happen?”

“It's a bit complicated. Our families don't get along very well. At first, I thought it would be funny to go out with him without him knowing my last name and then tease him a little, you know? But I think I really like him. It was a special night for both of us, wasn't it?”

“Seems that way.”

“I know we never really talked much before, but may I sit with you for a moment?”

Kim was surprised by Abby's sudden openness towards her, but smiled at the smaller girl anyway.

“Sure.”

“Eve had told you a little about Gail's family. They are like rich-rich. My father used to work for his father. But for some business reasons, there was a huge fallout between them. After that, Dad started his own company. It's been 15 years, but even if I were to date Gail after all this time, he would probably still disinherit me, and I don't know how Gail's father would react. Hell, I don't even know how Gail would react if he knew who I was.”

“You didn't tell him anything?”

“At first it was just funny, until it suddenly wasn't anymore. I had given him a false name, and now I would just look like a bitch if I told him.”

“I don't know, he seemed totally relaxed to me. You can't start dating and keep lying to him.”

“I know.” Abby whined.

“What if I just ask Robert if he knows what Gail thinks about this argument? If I do it discreetly, he probably won't even notice.”

“Maybe…”

“But I would need his number, and your last name. We hardly share any classes and you've never told me.”

“Esher.”

“And the number?”

“Here.”

Abby placed a note on the table and slid it toward Kim.

“It'll be fine.”

“Thanks, Kim. It's nice to talk to you like this. Never knew how to approach you. I find it hard to figure you out somehow. No offense or anything. Sorry.”

“It's okay, I just don't like big groups, and you're hardly ever out on your own.”

“Now that that's settled, what are you studying?”

“Biology, and I still have to tackle world history after that.”

“Phew, didn’t choose either. But I still have to deal with macroeconomics.”

“That sounds like a lot of numbers. Good luck.”

“You too. See you later, Kimmy.”

“Kimmy, really?”

“Not good?”

“It's just that no one has called me that in a long time. Whatever. See you later.”

Abby quickly disappeared from the halls of learning, and Kimberly was able to devote herself to her studies again. Inside, she trembled like a lovestruck middle schooler. She had his number. They would see each other again. Wouldn't they?

With newfound determination, she overcame enzyme kinetics and the political and economic revolutions of the Long-19th century. By now it was almost 9 p.m. and darkness had completely enveloped the campus' surroundings.

She would call him. Tomorrow after school she would call him. But first, it was time to put her musical talent to work.

Kim quickly left the library and jogged the few feet through the cold spring night. She paused right in front of her door and listened. Silence. Eve didn't seem to be back yet. Time to herself. Time to follow her calling.