Chapter Two
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This time is different than the others. It’s almost painful, like I am being ripped apart instead of dematerializing. Whatever it is in my portal is slowing me down. I ignore the pain and notice how peaceful the portal seems. It has a pink glow to it, allowing me to see everything that I pass clearly. I taste GODIVA Chocolate covered strawberries and I can smell fire lilies as if my face is smothered in a bouquet. Finally I exit the portal tumbling to the ground with dust clouds all around me. Still, I am not the only one who lands with a thump. I search through the dust for the source of the fall, “What in the name of…”
The dust is starting to settle and I hear, “Owe…” It is the guy who grabbed my wrist. He came back in time with me? I turn toward him and help flip him over onto his back.
“Bradley? What are you doing here?” I should have recognized him. Over the past four years we’ve seen each other a lot. Whenever I happen to get back from a mission or if I’m just around in our time, I tend to run into him. Sometimes I wonder if his father has assigned him to me. He is training to be a Navy SEAL but somehow he has the time to shadow me.
I see a deep reddish-brown liquid dripping from his face. It’s blood. He puts his hand up to his nose finding the warm liquid, “I don’t remember what it is I’m supposed to tell you.”
Trying to cover up my worry, I say, “Great. You slow down my time traveling and you forget what you have to tell me. You’re a real help.”
“I think you broke my nose,” he states with watery eyes.
It’s strange but I feel something for him. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but seeing him, knowing he just experienced what I go through, makes me feel some kind of connection with him. I almost show my strong emotions toward him but instead I say, “Oh you’ll get over it. You are a Navy SEAL in training; you aren’t supposed to be a cry baby.”
“Stuff it Miss East. You cry when you get hurt,” he plugs his nose making him sound funny.
“Yeah, but I don’t whine about it. Besides I owed you one, since you almost killed me, remember?” I give him a little wink. Suddenly I feel like that’s corny.
“Come on, I didn’t know you were allergic. Besides I helped you then and you know I feel bad about that. When are you going to pay me back that courtesy Miss East?”
I wrinkle my nose, “Stop calling me Miss East. It makes me sound old.”
He raises an eyebrow, “What do you want me to call you then?”
“Lily…that’s what my friends call me.”
“Fine, Lily, will you help me with my broken nose.”
“Fine,” I say liking that he called me Lily considering that is what my friends call me therefore inclining that he thinks of me as a friend. I smile slightly to myself.
“What are you smiling about?” he asks as I stop his nose from bleeding and clean it up.
“How funny your face looks with a crooked nose.” I laugh at him.
“Stop making fun. It hurts!”
“Here bite this!” I say handing him a stick.
“What for…”
“Just do it. Trust me.”
With that he takes the stick and puts it in his mouth. Then I adjust his nose into place with a loud crack. He doesn’t scream but the stick makes an awful cracking sound leaving Brad with a mouthful of bark. He groans and spits the bark out of his mouth. When he is done he goes to touch his nose and I smack his hand away.
“What did you do that for?” he asks.
“I am not done yet.”
“Haven’t you caused me enough pain already?”
I smile at him tilting my head to the side and say, “Just one more thing Bradley.”
I lightly set my fingers on his nose and very gently massage the nerves. He doesn’t say anything, which is good because I would probably press too hard. I am a little distracted when I notice how close together Brad and I are but don’t show it. Instead I plan to just concentrate on his nose when I notice he is now smiling.
“Now, what are you smiling at?”
“Nothing.” He says putting his hands up showing he has no weapons at hand.
“It is apparently something. You are smiling bigger than Jim Carey on the How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
“It is nothing really,” he smirks.
“Fine, come back over here, wipe off that grin, and let me finish fixing your nose.”
“Okay,” he says smiling even bigger.
I roll my eyes and massage his nose a little longer. When the swelling goes down and his nose almost looks normal I get a Bio-Freeze sample packet out of my jacket pocket which now smells like sweet pea and open it up. Although Brad cringes at the strong smell of the cream he says nothing. I rub some on his nose carefully and massage it a little longer. When the Bio-Freeze is rubbed in I notice Brad has his hand on my leg. How long had it been there? I push it off and I turn away.
“Lily wait… I’m sorry.”
“You are just like every other guy, can’t keep his hands to himself.”
“Don’t be so confident about yourself Lily. I didn’t mean for my hand to be on your leg. It was a complete accident. I don’t look at you that way and I am not like other guys, just like you said you are not like other girls. Don’t act like you can read my mind Lily, even though you are special…” he does little quotes with his fingers around special, “doesn’t mean you are a mind reader.”
I walk outside the floorless shed and run around to the back. Could my life get any worse? What was I supposed to say after that? I am not that confident about myself. What else am I supposed to think about a guy when he is laughing; saying its nothing, then his hand is on my leg? Doesn’t he know I hate having this thing everyone calls “a gift”? I do a corkscrew kick into a tree making myself fall into a pile of leaves. I lie there for a little while then say to myself, “Screw emotions, I have a job to do.” I stand up and head over to a water basin. Looking at my reflection I say to myself, “This is definitely not what they wore in 1823. Oh well. People are going to stare, but I got a kidnapping to stop.”
I walk though the woods because I don’t want to walk back around front and see Brad after that embarrassing speech he gave. Brad really pulls a lot of emotions out of me I never knew I had. Feelings like anger, fear, and embarrassment. I keep on walking, thinking about everything, when I stop and look around. “Great I didn’t want to see Brad and for that I get lost.” I try to look at the sky, but the trees block my view.
While I am trying to see in between the branches, something craws from the back of my neck, onto my face. It is a black widow. Instead of freaking out, I bend down, grab a stick, lift the spider off me and hold the spider towards a web. The spider crawls up onto it with no harm done to me. Looking back up to the hidden sky, I say, “It looks like someone cares about me.” Then I look at my feet thinking about Brad, “I guess I can’t say that for everyone.” I sit down against a tree and close my eyes. There is nothing else I can do. I am pretty much stuck here, as I would be if I were in the spider’s web.
I must have fallen asleep for a little while. The forest seems darker. The nocturnal animals are out and about. “I wonder if there are wolves or coyotes here.” I hear a howl, which answers my question. I climb up into the tree, praying there are no creatures in it. I look down and see someone walking through the foliage. As he gets closer, I realize who it is. “What do you want Bradley?”
He pauses looking up at me, “Lily, are you okay?”
“I was until you got here,” I grumble.
“Look Lily, I am sorry, okay? I was way out of line back there. I don’t want you to get hurt. I am worried about you. Come on Lily. I have a reason to worry about you. Remember when I said there was something I was supposed to tell you?”
Has he remembered what he was to tell me? “Yeah, what of it?” I say as nonchalantly as possible.
“I wa
s supposed to tell you who gets kidnapped,” he says loud and clear.
So he does remember, “A name would be nice thanks.”
He stays quiet as if in thought and then shrugging his shoulders he says, “Eileen Lillian East.”
“You’re funny! First, you make me feel like a complete idiot, embarrass me, then remind me how much of a freak I am, and now you’re telling me I’m about to be kidnapped?”
Brad sighs, “The person that is kidnapped is you. That is why I was worried about you, came looking for you.”
Gazing up at the stars I wish I could be anywhere else but here.
Bradley climbs up the tree to sit behind me, but I don’t bother to look. He puts his hand in mine, pulls me towards him, and wraps his arms around me. I resist for a moment until I realize I’m glad to be in his arms.
He whispers in my ear, “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”
I pull my head back from him. He doesn’t look away from me. Instead he holds my gaze waiting for me to speak. I don’t say anything at first. I just sit there and watch him. I should be kissing him, not staring at him. He holds my eyes barely blinking. I finally break our stare leaning against his chest, “No; I’m not afraid.”
After I say that, he takes a deep breath and holds me that much tighter. I don’t know what I should do. I am just sitting here hands in my lap, his arms around my waist, and leaning against his chest.
He laughs and says, “I guess now would be a good time to tell you I am afraid of heights?”
“Well aren’t you full of surprises?” I say laughing with him. “What are you waiting for? Let’s get back down to the ground.”
Brad climbs down first and puts his hand out to help me down. I feel myself blush at the gesture and hope he doesn’t notice. When my feet touch the ground I try to pull my hand away but he tightens his grip slightly, hinting he doesn’t want me to let go. I smile and rub the back of his hand with my thumb lost in thought. I don’t even remember what I was thinking about, but when I come out of my dazed state I look down, and to my surprise, I am still rubbing the back of his hand. Smiling, I gently step a little closer. Then I wrap his arm around my shoulder and keep holding onto his hand. The sun glimmers on the leaves, as I watch it rise through a hole in the canopy. It is a beautiful sight that I want to hold onto. Of course I prefer the stars. They are majestic and mysterious as they map the skies beholding secrets in their light. Besides their beauty, the sun also means I have to get to work and leave this moment with Brad. I don’t know why, but this just feels…right.
Brad starts leading us through the forest, “If it is you they are going to kidnap then why don’t we just go back? Then they can’t hurt you.”
I think for a moment, “I think it is more complicated than that. I don’t know what it is but I have a feeling it is not as simple as taking me. Really, what do they want from me? Would they know in this time period about time travel?”
He looks hurt, “Don’t you believe me?”
“Of course I believe you. I just think that we are reading the answer wrong. And how am I going to catch them otherwise? You know I can’t go back to the present time until I do what I have come here to do, right?”
He shakes his head, “No; I didn’t.”
“Well then I have to do my job if we want to get back.”
“You mean WE have a job to do, if we want to get back,” he says smiling at me again.
I will never tire of that smile. It makes me melt inside. We keep on walking beside each other, which is a little uncomfortable for the both of us. We don’t know exactly where we are, but we know which direction we are headed.
We finally come up to a small town that seems too old to be real. All they have is horses and carriages here. Sounds of hooves hitting the ground while pulling the heavy wooden carriages down the narrow streets. We catch glimpses of people hurrying along the dusty road wearing elegant high-waisted gowns and high-cut coats with tails. We don’t go onto the road yet staying hidden in the shelter of the trees.
Brad says, “We need to change.”
“Yeah question is, where are we going to find clothes before we get caught?” I ask.
“We aren’t,” he says. Then smiling, “I have an idea. Turn around.”
I give him a questioning look, “What for?”
“Just trust me.”
I turn around. There is a rustle of clothes behind me and the next thing I know I have black material all over me and his hands are on my shoulders, he slides them over my arms and down to my waist. Finally I notice he is taking measurements. His hands work fast but are gentle.
“Arms up,” he says.
He slides some of the black fabric over my head. It smells like him. I really love the smell of him, but I’ll never let on.
“Now you look perfect for a 1823 funeral but it is the best I can do.” He puts his hands on my shoulders and spins me around. “You look…” he gulps wide-eyed, “beautiful!”
“Thanks you don’t look too shabby yourself. Where did you get the suit?”
“I have to wear it under my clothes. My dad wanted me to be ready for anything.”
I nod as if that is normal, “Well you look great!”
“Thanks. My mother always liked me in suits.”
“She has great taste.”
“Yeah…” he nods absently then looks up at me, “she did.”
“Oh Brad. I’m…” I don’t know what to say, “…sorry. I didn’t…”
“It’s fine. Can’t remember her if I don’t talk about her, right?”
I look up at him with a smile thanking him for the quick forgiveness, “Right.”
“So, what do you think about your dress?”
“Dress?” I ask absent-mindedly. I didn’t even think to look at what he had done with his clothes. Now I look down at my dress. It’s a full-length skirt with the fabric overlapping in the front. The bottom is bordered with some of the embroidered green leaves from my violet halter-top. The neck straps of my halter-top were made as a belt around my ribs, making an empire waist, and my top appears to look like a corset bodice with black sleeves. Now my stomach and lower back are covered with the black material too. I spin in a circle. It is beautiful. I feel, like I should be able to pass as an 1800’s lady, “It looks perfect…how did you know how to do this?”
“My mom used to be a tailor.”
“Thank you, Brad. Now for hats,” I wink at him.
We snatch a couple of hats from a cart without anyone noticing. We hide behind the cart while we put on our new hats and I notice my hands shaking.
Brad has a sincere look, “What’s wrong?”
“Just nervous,” I say a little humiliated, since I am never nervous, “Let’s just go.”
We walk onto Elm St. which is a very a busy street. There are carts and stalls that sell everything you can think of. I suppose it is a daily market. Everyone will still know we are outsiders.
“Hello Miss,” says a lady of about thirty-years-old with blonde hair braided into a crown around her head with ringlets cascading down the back. Her eyes are emerald with brown lines around the center appearing like a sunflower. She is a slender woman with a medium sized chest and small hips. She is wearing a plain blue dress belted off similar to mine with slightly off-the-shoulder puffy sleeves. “You must be new here. I am Elaina. Where do you and your husband come from?”
“We come from the country-side, by the river, but have travelled a great distance.” I reply. I look at Brad wondering what he’s thinking. It was kind of shocking to hear “husband” directed at me.
She puts this big smile on her face as she asks her next question, “Where are you two headed?”
I come up with something off the top of my head, “We are headed North to stay with my cousins but there is a long way still to go, and need a place to stay for the time being.”
Her smile gets even larger, “Well it so happens,
I am very generous, as well as my husband. We would love for you two to stay with us if that is at all optional for you.”
“May I have a moment with my wife?” Brad smiles at her.
I’m shocked to hear him call me his wife. I know he is just playing a part but he is playing it pretty well without any lines.
“Of course dears. I will be right over at that the corner stand when you are ready.”
I smile, “Oh thank you. You are too kind.”
She dips her head graciously, “No, not at all. Thank you.”
I smile at her again as she turns around and wiggles her little fingers at us walking away. I turn to face Brad, “I don’t like her. I feel like she would burn me at the stake if she knew about my gift. I would be accused of being a witch, Satan’s magic. You don’t think she could tell I don’t like her do you?”
Brad gives me a smirk that seems to answer my question.
“Great it showed? Now she will definitely help us,” I say sarcastically.
“No. I don’t think she noticed you were hiding angst behind your smile. I would have known for sure if you copied her twiddled finger wave. Actually I would have burst out laughing.”
“Why wouldn’t she see my smile was fake if you did?”
He pauses to contemplate for a moment as if he isn’t sure he should say anything, “Because I know when you smile for real your eyes smile too, but when you are faking or lying you are like Barbie and your eyes don’t shimmer.”
When he says that, I am kind of startled. How could someone know me like that? No one has ever told me that about my eyes or my smile. I don’t think anyone has ever known me that well. I clear my throat, “So what do you think we should do?”
“I think we should accept. This lady seems like a person who makes it her business to know a lot about everyone. She could be useful in getting information about the kidnapper.”
I nod in agreement, “Okay. Let’s go.”
We walk over to the corner stand where we agreed to meet the lady.
Brad says, “We would love to accept your invitation.”
She smiles at us, “You will be our guests. I am glad you accepted my offer. This is wonderful news. Come, I shall take you to my home.” She smiles and motions for us to follow her to her home. As we leave the market place she says, “I don’t believe I got your names.”
“Oh I am sorry. How rude of me. My name is Eileen and this is my husband Bradley Trinity.” I almost trip on the word ‘husband.’ I wonder if Brad had trouble saying ‘wife.’
“Trinity! What a lovely last name. Is it British?” she asks Brad.
He looks a little surprised she knows the origin, “Yes, British.”
Smiling again she says, “Lovely.”
We turn onto a street occupied by only two houses. They are both at the end of the court with U-shaped gravel driveways. The homes are Victorian, very beautiful and quite bigger than my house. Still they are very cozy looking homes. One is a peach color and the other a cream. They both have cherry blossoms in front of the houses making them seem peaceful enough.
“Here we are. It’s the one on the left. Don’t you just love the color peach? It is so…tasteful don’t you think?” she asked me.
“Very admirable.” I say smiling at her holding down the nauseas feeling in my stomach. Something other than her fake bubbly personality is just nagging at me.
“Thank you. I do love a beautiful home.”
We walk inside and are immediately encountered by a very strong smell of peach and cinnamon. I think I am going to throw up. “What is that…delightful sent?”
“Franincense and myrrh. Don’t you love it?”
I try to swallow, “It is very nice, but I think I am going to be sick.”
“Why ever so miss?”
My throat seems to be closing on me and my eyes are watering, “I am allergic.”
“Oh Lord. Nana! Nana! Put out the franincense and open all the windows! Hurry!” she yells to a maid in the kitchen. “Come on dear let me show you to the bathroom.”
She leads me to a bathroom where I can rinse out my eyes and opens the window so I can breathe fresh air. Brad is standing outside the door with a worried look on his face. He remembers what it was like the last time I was allergic to something. I almost died.
Elaina left the bathroom to help Nana get the incense smell out. I dry my face, look in the mirror to check my make-up, and I am surprised by what I see.
My hair is in loosened curls from yesterday’s ringlets, my eyes have changed to a pacific blue, my skin is tan and my face is clear. I have almost no make-up on, but yet I still look, well, stunning. “It must be the dress.” I whisper to myself.
I leave the bathroom finally calm only to be surprised by someone shoving a cloth in my face. It has ammonia on it. I know it won’t put me to sleep but when I see that Brad is laying down on the floor I pretend to go weak in the knees and collapse into the ammonia man’s arms.