Free Out Of This World by Annette Mori

them before I ran out of the café in search of Celeste.

    †

     
    I looked all around, but there was no trace of Celeste anywhere. I saw my dad’s car turn the corner and knew that if I didn’t vamoose quickly I’d be stuck having breakfast with my parents. Shit, where are you Celeste?
    I ducked around the corner hoping that I might find her there, but at the very least, I needed to avoid a confrontation with my parents. I walked quickly around the block and waited until I knew it was safe to go to my car. My dad would be pissed that I hadn’t stayed and gotten a table. My parents weren’t the only ones parking their cars and entering the café. The Cottage Café was starting to get crowded and that was a very good thing because it would aid my rapid escape. I was hoping that Celeste would find her way back to my house and we could figure this mess out together.
    I reached for the handle of my car door and felt her presence glide behind me. When I turned around, the frightened look she gave me was all it took for me to shove her in my car and screech off for parts unknown. I just drove because I wanted us to be as far away from Cle Elum as possible. Seattle was a big city—surely we could get lost there.
    “Celeste, you got some ‘splainin to do.” I tried to joke using my best Ricky Ricardo imitation. I loved the show, I Love Lucy .
    She tilted her head. Why did I think she would get that reference?
    “Sorry, I just meant that you left in a hurry without explanation, and I just had a very interesting conversation with Sydney, Hollie, and some guy named Greg. Tell me you don’t know that scary dude,” I implored.
    Celeste looked down.
    My heart dropped to my stomach. I wasn’t going to like whatever explanation she was about to give, but I had to ask. “Celeste, did you check yourself out of the hospital?”
    She nodded.
    I felt sick. What a naïve fool I was. How could I possibly for one minute believe she was some kind of alien from outer space? For one glorious night I felt worthy, maybe even a little bit beautiful. Now I just felt defeated. I was confused and couldn’t decide what to do. Celeste looked so forlorn sitting next to me and I honestly had no idea what to do about this tragic woman I had come to care for. If I asked her about it, would I get a straight answer or would her delusions get in the way? Celeste was still a human being and even though I was completely out of my element, I decided, illness be damned, to ask her what she wanted.
    “What do you want to do now?”
    “Please do not take me back to the hospital. They give me chemicals that stifle my energy. I cannot fight back when they inject me,” she responded.
    She looked petrified. I certainly didn’t have the heart to take her back and turn her over to Mr. Slime Bag.
    “Okay, Celeste. Are you up for a little adventure?”
    “Of course. I am here to learn as much as I can. I knew you were the correct choice.” She smiled and appeared to lose her fear.
    “Seattle, here we come. It’s a great city to visit. Consider me your personal tour guide.” I decided it didn’t matter if Celeste was looney tunes. I liked her just the way she was. She was colorful and if she happened to have an overly expansive imagination, well then so be it. Everyone has their little faults. I could do far worse in a friend or a lover. It’s not like I’d had a whole passel of friends to compare her to and I’d definitely never had a lover—so what the hell.
    Celeste touched my arm again and I felt that immediate flood of warmth. I wondered if this is what people experienced when they were falling in love. “Bella, I know you have your doubts about me and I want you to know I understand. Everything will work out as it should. I will not let any harm come to you, I promise.”
    Okay this was an odd thing to say, but then I considered that her paranoia most likely extended to me. At least she was a protective paranoid schizophrenic and so far she’d