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Kellen interrupted and said, “How many sports cars do I have in Brooklyn?”
“Sir?”
“Make plans so that I can sell them all.” Nothing else mattered. His money, his business, his stupid cars and watches, and his mansion…  Nothing, and I mean nothing, could bring back what he had lost in his craziness.
He looked at the floral store one final time before getting into the automobile. He saw brilliant, fresh lilies. He turned away, his eyes stinging with tears as he remembered the last time he was turned down and was ready for more pain.
“Yo, Lena, look at my masterpiece,” Lola remarked, brimming with enthusiasm and pride as she held out the toy she had crafted.
“It’s an owl,” Lena said, looking at the toy blankly.
“Good job figuring it out.”
“And it has a p***s.”
Selene’s shoulders drooped. “You told me to make them look real!”
Lena groaned deeply and rubbed her forehead. Her bandana slipped a little from where it was supposed to be, but she had more important things to worry about, like making sure that the toys they were stitching together to sell as fundraisers and other homemade items didn’t have body parts that were controversial.
“Yes,” Lena said, throwing her hands up. “Realistic, like… not putting a third or fourth eye on a stick figure’s forehead. You scared little Nancy, the poor girl.”
“Have you ever not seen Collin Harper, Lena? You know, his half-brother?” Lola was becoming angry now as she cut a piece of material into a spherical shape. Lena hoped they weren’t breasts or anything like that.
Lena said, “That’s it, Lola. You won’t make s****l organs.”
“Don’t be silly, Lena. I’m also making them pants and camis!”
“No,” she said in a hard voice, with her eyes set.
“Fine, you win. I lose!”
Lena was happy, so she turned back to put the threaded needle into her own toy, which was a really lovely giraffe.
They were in Gwen’s house, sitting on a mat on the floor. Getting ready for the brunch celebration on Monday was in full swing. Lola and Lena worked hard on the things they were greatest at here, such as making toys and table mats for the home. Some of the sisters were preparing crafts, while others were in the kitchen baking cupcakes. There were also a lot of volunteers, like Lola and Lena, who came out of love for the kids.
Damien had dropped them off in the morning and then gone to work, leaving Lola in charge of Lena.
Damien had eased down a little about his nurse duties after his previous appointment with Dr. Robert when he was told that she was doing better. Lena was thankful. The guy had been spending practically all of his days following her, ignoring his business and his own life.
She would have to go through a week of radiation to get rid of the rest of the tumor tissues in her brain that were still there after the operation. Doctor Robert had said that he thought that would be the end of her illness, at least until it came back, which they were assured was not unusual.
Lena was happy for now that she would be getting rid of the tumor very soon.
Even her visit with the psychiatrist, Dr. Bistro, was unexpectedly helpful. Lena found it quite simple to talk about her nightmares and the sadness that had previously made her want to die more than anything else. The man was ancient and had a twinkle of peace and friendliness in his eyes that were getting smaller and smaller. When she stepped out of his cabin, she was attracted by the sense of a wonderful kind of emptiness within.
Lola remarked, “Are you going to faint?” as Lena bid farewell to Dave and the other youngsters in the hall. The sisters were putting away the handcrafted goods in boxes.
Lena turned and frowned at Lola. “Why should I?”
Lola shrugged, lifted her arms, and rolled her wrists. Her face crunched as she heard a few little cracks. “You look… like you’re really tired.”
Lena hit Lola’s arm and said in a sing-song voice, “Same to you.”
They strolled across the big, grassy front yard of the orphanage where the brunch would be hosted. There was only one day left till the big event. Teenagers from nearby schools and some guys from the area were busy building up a stage on one side of the grass near the ancient oak trees. Seeing all these individuals of all ages and social classes come together for the same reason—to support these kids—really broke my heart.
Lola was standing on the curb and mumbling to herself in irritation.
They had asked for a cab around half an hour ago, but it still hadn’t arrived. But it wasn’t odd for a cab to show up this late in the city; some drivers liked to show up late to seem cool. No one has yet figured out why this person was acting this way.
Lola said, “We should have said yes when Damien offered to send his office car for the day, like always. But no, you had to point out that we weren’t doing office work and blah blah blah.”  “There’s just too many mosquitoes here, and I’m wearing a f*****g maxi dress. Those nasty blood suckers are all partying inside!”
Lena could really see Lola moving about like a crazy person. Lena thanked the heavens that she was wearing trousers.
“Why don’t you take a walk?” she advised.
Lola lifted the dress to her knees and stomped away angrily, screaming, “I was thinking just that.”
Lena groaned and waited patiently at the curb. She could have walked home, which wasn’t too far, but she still hadn’t gotten back to full strength. It would be really unjust to physically fall to her knees on the way home and make her pals even more worried. They had already done a lot for her.
The sky was gloomy at the time, and the wind was blowing in a strange way on a hot day, which was nice. The cricket bugs on the shrubs and trees behind her kept squeaking in time. If you listen closely, the insect song might make you feel dizzy.
She was tapping her foot on the ground and looking at Lola, who was still stomping and pulling her dress away, about fifteen feet away. When she heard a vehicle squeal, she turned her gaze to the road.
There was their cab.
It was moving slowly toward the side of the road to pull over. She took a step forward, smiled, and yelled for Lola at the same time.
There were also screeching sounds coming from the other side of the street. The difference was that it was ten times louder and sounded really scary as it quickly drifted closer. Instinctively, she jerked her head towards the sounds.   She was scared and shocked when she saw a truck coming straight toward her at a crazy, diabolical speed. People were screaming all around her, but her gaze was glued to the metal monster. She remembered a time when a car almost hit her in the same way, and it was the most terrifying thing that had ever happened to her.
The taxi driver’s angry obscenities and Lola’s ear-piercing cries faded into the background.
But suddenly, someone yelled “Lena!” practically in her ear and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the way of the truck in a way that wasn’t very kind.
She gasped as she saw the quick movement, and the next thing she knew, she was slamming into a body that struck the ground with a scream of its own, bringing her down with it. She was out of breath, and so was the person who had pulled her out of the way of death. She understood that he had intentionally softened her fall with his own body, which was now resting beneath her.
She blinked a few times to clear the dots in front of her eyes as she raised her head. As she focused her eyes, she saw that the face looking back at her was not one she had seen before.
Kellen was it.
And much like hers, his heart was pounding in his chest. His face was as white with fear as hers was. He moved them both about to straighten them up, and she sat up, feeling like her world was a little off balance.
The vehicle screeched angrily and turned toward the road, then sped away.
“Damn it, the bastard ran away!” Kellen swore, shivering. She couldn’t tell if it was from anger or terror.
Lena was still a little dizzy as she watched the gently settling cloud of dust that the truck had left behind. Kellen looked at her with worried eyes.
He questioned, “Are you okay?” while breathing heavily and wrapping one of his arms around her shoulder to keep her at his side.
Lena murmured, “Yes,” as she came out of her daze. At that moment, her body became aware of how close they were to each other. She could feel his muscles pressing against her and his strong grip around her shoulders, holding her stable while her knees shook at the stench of death that was so close again.
She was starting to wriggle out of his arms, but he didn’t seem to notice or want to let her go. Lola was strong enough to pull her away from Kellen, which was a good thing.
“Oh my God! Lena!” Lola yelled, making Lena jump. She hugged Lena so tightly that it hurt her bones, then let her go just as soon, keeping her at arm’s length. “Let me see how many bones have broken,” Lola murmured, looking down at her body. “At this rate, you’re going to be the most broken person in the whole world!”