Eleventh Grade Burns(76)

“No. There’s no need to upset her right now. She’ll learn of my death soon enough.” His words seemed so final, like there wasn’t even a remote chance that he’d survive his trial. He withdrew a parchment envelope from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Vlad. “If you would. It’s for Nelly. To explain why you’ve returned home without me.”

“But, Otis. .. ”

“Please, Vladimir.” Otis’s somber gaze showed that he meant business. It also meant that he didn’t want to entertain any far-fetched notions of him possibly surviving his trial proceedings. “For me.”

Vlad gripped the envelope in his hand and offered his uncle a small nod. Just moments ago they were laughing, and now, a solemn feeling hung in the air. He would be escorting Otis to his funeral in just a few hours.

“Who wants cookies? I just pulled some out of the oven, and I thought you boys might...” Nelly’s voice was almost singsongy as she entered the room. Her face dropped as she looked at each of them. “What’s wrong? You both look upset.”

Vlad and Otis exchanged looks and at once, Otis said, “Not a thing, darling. Vlad’s just feeling rather sullen about going on another trip without you. I must admit, I share his troubles. Is that chocolate chip I smell?”

Nelly’s smile returned and she held up the plate of freshly baked goods. Otis plucked one from the plate and took a bite. “Mmmm. Warm chocolate chip cookies. Not even AB negative can compare.”

Nelly practically floated down the stairs and, just before he turned to follow, Otis flashed Vlad a look that said everything, without speaking or using telepathy. Don’t ruin this day for her. Give her one last moment with me to hold onto. Please.

Before zipping up the duffel bag, Vlad slipped Otis’s letter inside and hoped beyond hope that Nelly would never have to see it. He carried the bag downstairs and dropped it next to the front door before retiring to the kitchen for a few cookies of his own. Once he was there, he put on a pleasant smile and endured chatter about the vacation Otis and Nelly had been thinking about. He pretended that Otis was really coming back from New York and that when he did, he was going to propose to Nelly and they were going to live happily as a family. He pretended that everything was just fine, and that he and Otis had years left together, and after he pretended for a while, he began to believe it.

That is, until he saw the sad glimmer in Otis’s eyes when Nelly wasn’t looking.

Then he knew the truth. That Otis really was going to his death. That they would never be a family and that he would be the one to tell Nelly of Otis’s passing. His heart felt lifeless and heavy, hollow and cold. There was nothing to look forward to now. Otis Otis, the strange teacher in a purple top hat who’d stepped into his life as a threat and was now his uncle, his mentor, his friend, was about to leave him forever. And there was nothing anybody could do about it.

“Vladimir.”

Vlad looked up from his tormented, distracted thoughts to Otis, who smiled and squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll miss you too.”

A half hour later, after they’d eaten all the cookies they could eat, Otis kissed Nelly goodbye while Vlad loaded his bag into the car. As if in a hurry to get his demise over with, Otis all but ran down the front steps and slid into the driver’s seat. He barely spoke all the way to Stokerton International Airport. He didn’t utter a word during the entire flight. He grunted V Bar’s address to the cabbie once they left baggage claim at LaGuardia, but all the way there, he did not speak. He did, however, grow paler and paler the closer they got to his trial.

“Vladimir,” he finally managed to say once they’d exited the cab in front of V Bar. “Avenge my death, would you?”

Vlad was still blinking at Otis’s casual tone when Otis stepped into the bar. He’d said it like it was an afterthought. Pick up some milk on your way home, don’t forget to pay the electric bill, and oh, be a dear and avenge my death for me, would you? But then, he couldn’t imagine what must have been going through his uncle’s mind at the moment. Vlad shook his head and followed Otis inside.

Enrico greeted them both with handshakes. He offered them drinks, but neither Vlad nor Otis was feeling particularly hungry. After a small amount of chatter, Enrico said, “It’s about that time, my friend.”

He led them outside and down through the cellar door on the sidewalk, into the cellar. Once Enrico touched the glyph that opened the hidden room, Vlad noticed that something was different. The large table was covered with a black cloth. Several large candleholders stood in the corners of the room, casting a soft glow over the gathered group. It looked as if they were attending a funeral. In a way, Vlad thought with a gulp, they were.