Chapter Three
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“Mr. Cunnington, what have you done to our guests?”
“Guests, what guests? We have thieves in our midst,” the ammonia guy says.
“They aren’t thieves Alfred they are our guests. They are new in town! Be careful with her. She is allergic to franincense who knows what else she is allergic to, poor gal.”
Elaina waves her handkerchief in front of my nose and I pretend to come out of unconsciousness. “Where am I?” I ask.
“You are at the Cunnington home my dear. Remember? You and Bradley met me in the market today.”
Then I pretend to really wake up, “Brad…Brad…where is he?” I say frantically looking around. I let tears stream down my face then when I look down and see him, I throw myself on the floor next to him. “Brad…” I sniffle “Brad…wake up…” I let a tear fall on his cheek. Then wiping it away, “What is wrong? Why won’t he wake up?”
“I am sorry dear I thought you and your husband were thieves. I only gave you and him a whiff of ammonia. Just wave Mrs. Cunnington’s handkerchief in front of his nose and he will be alright.”
I take Mrs. Cunnington’s handkerchief with a thank you and start waving it in front of Brad’s face.
When he opens his eyes and sees my teary face he gets a worried expression. He sits up quick holding my arms, “Lily, are you okay?”
I nod and wrap my arms around his neck pretending to cry endlessly and whisper in his ear what happened, “We need to watch out for these two. I think they have something to hide.”
“It’s okay, we will get to the bottom of this!” He says in a normal voice. Thankfully it is still understandable in the happenings of things for him to say that. We don’t want it to look like we know anything or are hiding anything ourselves.
We are like a young couple madly in love that will never let anything separate us.
“I thought we were supposed to be welcomed guests?” Brad says to the old lady, as if he is really mad at them for making me cry. Maybe he is. No, he has no reason to be. He is probably mad that he didn’t see it coming.
Elaina looks like she is going to cry, “You are, it’s just, my husband didn’t know who you were. I am very sorry. I should have told him right away. Please forgive us, we didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Alfred clears his throat, “Yes, we are very sorry. Allow me to show you around. Maybe a glass of wine would cheer you two up?”
“We don’t drink,” Brad says.
“Oh well, maybe a glass of water and cucumber sandwiches then?”
“Would that be alright Eileen?” Brad asks me.
I nod, still sniffling but no more tears coming down my face.
“Wonderful! Would you like to eat, then we can show you to your room?” Alfred asks me.
“That would be nice, thank you,” I say.
We follow them into a sitting room that, I guess, is normally for teatime. We sit down around a little table and are immediately served the sandwiches and water. I am eating very small bites as Elaina is also doing. My feet are crossed and under the chair with my back straight like my mother taught me, but I notice the old lady doesn’t. Strange to have a woman of this status, not have good posture. “The sandwiches are very good.” I half listen to Elaina tell Alfred all she had learned about us so far stopping a couple times to ask Brad if she was correct. My eyes are inseparable from the wall next to me. It is filled with books. Books I have never read before. My mind is telling me to snap out of it; where my heart says to grab a book and read it.
“I see you like my small collection of books,” Alfred says noticing my lack of attention in the conversation. “Too bad most women can’t read. Maybe I could teach you.”
“Oh, I know how to read, four different languages actually. But I am not much cleverer than the dry pages I so studiously cleave.”
Brad chokes laughing at my Harry Potter reference.
Alfred looks a little flustered then recovers with, “Yes, I see you are different from most girls your age. But that is truly wonderful. Reading opens you up to a whole new world. Would you like to see my whole collection? It’s a real eye opener.”
“I would love to.” Okay, so books are a weakness of mine.
Alfred then turns to Brad, “Would you like to come as well?”
Brad looks at me with that brilliant smile and says, “That is one of the many things my wife and I have in common. Yes, thank you.” He stands up offering me his hand to help me rise from the seat.
Did I hear wrong or did he really just say we have many things in common? And why did he offer me his hand? I feel like I’m blushing. I need to stop. I’m sure Brad is just playing the part, like I am.
“What is that?” Alfred asks him.
“Reading. We both love it and can barley set a book down until it’s finished.”
“Then you must come. You both will love my collection.”
We walk back to the foyer and up the stairs. We turn left and go down a long corridor. There are many doorways on the walls to our left and right. We walk all the way to the end of the corridor and find two very large double doors. Alfred opens them into a big two-story ballroom with a mural painted ceiling. “Welcome to my library”
This room isn’t for dancing. There are thousands of books lining the walls. There are bookshelves in the middle of the floor in the shape of octagons. There are doorways in four of the eight walls and books on both sides. There are little study tables and couches scattered with shelves of books built into the sides. The ceiling even has bookshelves hanging from it with hundreds of more books. There is a skywalk that goes from bookshelf to bookshelf. I feel like I am in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. This is unreal, it is huge, and it is…it is perfect.
The house may look smaller outside but in reality it is huge and I could really get lost. I’ll have to be careful.
“You can come back here anytime you would like. You can even take some books if you’d like. Just let me know which ones. Right now let me show you to your room,” Alfred says as he sadly closes the doors.
We leave the library and go to the other side of the house. There we find a small staircase that leads up to a tower. The room is very nice. It has a king sized bed, an armoire, a washbasin and table, a nightstand, a fireplace, and a bathroom.
“Will this room be okay?” Alfred asks.
“It is lovely. Thank you Mr. Cunnington,” I say politely enough.
“Please call me Alfred. And it’s my pleasure!”
With that he leaves Brad and I to do as we wish until dinner.
“I am not sleeping on the floor,” Brad says.
“Yeah, I know,” I say. Why would I expect him to sleep on the floor?
“Just making sure. My back hurts from being in that tree.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t just the fact of climbing it?”
He laughs at that, “I think it was both.”
“Good point,” I say laughing myself. I go into the bathroom and slip my hand into my pocket under my dress to get some bobby pins for my hair. I make two swags with my hair and put some lip-gloss on that I have in my other skirt pocket. I look in the mirror…Good enough.
Stepping outside the bathroom, I see Brad staring off into the distance pondering something. I don’t want to distract him so I leave our room closing the door quietly behind me.
In the kitchen, Alfred is sitting down reading the paper and Elaina is cooking dinner with the maid Nana.
“I am going to get some fresh air if you don’t mind,” I say sweetly.
“Oh of course you can. Go ahead. Dinner is still going to be a while. I will let you know when it is ready,” Elaina says with a smile.
“Thank you.” I walk out to the side yard into the gardens looking at the different flowers. They are very elegant, but they are not what I would want in my garden. I personally like fire lilies.
I walk over to a bench facing the next-door neighbor’s backyard. There is a little girl playing there. She has red hair in pigtails and she is wearing a pink dress that looks familiar.
I used to have a pink dress with a hooped skirt, white polka dots on it, and a little hat with a whole in the top, so you wore it like a crown on your head. I never wore it in public except on Halloween. My mom and I used to have fun little tea parties and we would dress up.
This little girl has freckles all over her as I do. She is running around in her back yard being followed by a fluffy white cat. How sweet? I stand up to go inside. Then I hear a thump, and a sent all too familiar, meets my nose.
I turn to look at the little girl. She tripped. She gets up, brushes off her dress, and walks back to the middle of the yard. She is stumbling like she is getting dizzy and she is clenching her chest as if she is having trouble breathing. Then I notice I am doing the same thing. She looks up from the ground to look at me. That is when I notice, the dress is mine, and she is…me.
I hear someone that I know is close, but they sound so far away, “Mrs. Trinity…Mrs. Trinity…” gosh that sounds good. I feel my shoulders being lifted off the ground. Someone is breathing next to my ear. Their face is warm against my cheek. “Lily…come-on Lily…wake-up”
I take a deep breath. The person moves their head away from my ear. I open my eyes. It’s Brad. He is kneeling down next to me; one arm around my shoulders, my head leaning on his arm, all while his free hand softly caresses my cheek. Is he crying?
“Where am I?” I ask Brad.
“The Cunnington’s house, remember?” He has that look in his eyes again. Will I ever be able to place a name to that emotion?
I sit up and put my head next to his. “I saw me at the age of six. Just in the yard over there. She was having trouble breathing and walking too. I think she tripped over something that had Glycytocine. It is in a lot of mushrooms around this area. My guess is the powder went in the air.”
“First, are you okay?” he looks me over as if to find a sign saying otherwise.
I nod, “Yes, I’ll be fine.”
“Second, how did you see yourself at the age of six if you aren’t born yet?”
“I have been able to time travel all my life. It is possible that twelve years ago, I traveled back to this time and just forgot about it. They are going to want someone who is young, maybe a six-year-old, and if it is supposed to be me, then why not the six-year-old me?”
“So we have a lead. Let’s get you back inside. I don’t think they know you fainted,” he says as he helps me up.
“I didn’t faint. I simply…”
“Passed out,” he says finishing my sentence.
“Exactly.”
At that we both laugh. He puts his arm around my shoulder hugging me tight then steers me to the door.
We walk back up the tower and go to our room. I let myself drop down onto the bed. Lying on it so that my feet are hanging off, I cross my ankles, and stare up at the ceiling. Brad sits down on the bed next to me.
“You need to stop passing out or else someone is going to think something is wrong with you,” he jokes.
“That’s nothing to worry about. You should come to my school. Practically everyone thinks something is wrong with me.”
“Okay well, I will give you a real reason to stop passing out.”
I turn over on my side to look at him, “And what would that be?”
“If you don’t stop passing out I am going to go into cardiac arrest.”
“You wouldn’t let that happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re too busy worrying about me,” I wink at him.
“Well I guess I will just have to do something for pay back. You know for all the times I have worried about you.”
This is so silly but I play along, “What could you possibly do to for pay back?”
“Oh nothing really…just this…”
He starts a tickle fight. The thing with me is I am not very ticklish. Only my dad ever seemed to know where to get me but I guess Brad got lucky, because I am laughing up a storm.
“Stop it…” I laugh.
He stops and rolls over back onto the bed lying next to me.
I laugh a little bit more then say, “Now you made my stomach hurt from laughing so much! I don’t remember the last time I laughed like that.”
“You should do it more often.”
“Why’s that?” I say still laughing.
“Because you have an adorable laugh.”
I roll my eyes and cover my head with a pillow in embarrassment.
“You really are adorable.” He leans over and lifts the pillow away from my face, “You make me smile when you smile.”
At the comment, I smile and so does he. Then I know what he meant when he said he could tell if I was really smiling. At that moment I look into his eyes. I feel a powerful emotion swarm over me. My heart is beating so fast. He has to be able to hear it. My nerves are going wild. Our lips part…the scent of peppermint and cinnamon lingers in front of our noses. I feel his warm breath on my face…
Alfred walks into the room. He sees us on the bed and turns around immediately. “I am so sorry! I was just going to tell you dinner was ready. I will let you two be. Next time I will be sure to knock.” With that he runs out the door closing it behind him.
I slide out of Brad’s arms and cross over to the seat at the foot of the bed.
Brad walks over, “I am sorry Lily. I shouldn’t have…”
“What was I thinking?” I can’t believe I forgot my own rule. Never be alone with a man in a room, ever.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
This conversation was difficult enough with Jared. I turn to him trying to explain, “I can’t do this. I told myself I would never do this. I…”
He cuts me off, “Look nothing happened. You didn’t cheat on your boyfriend. It was my fault.”
I shake my head and take a step toward him, “Brad, it’s not like…”
He cuts me off, “Let’s just go to dinner.” He takes sturdy determined steps out the door and down the hall.
“Okay,” I say even though he probably won’t hear me. I feel so ashamed. It wasn’t Brad’s fault why that happened. I should have turned away or pushed him away. I think the real problem is that I enjoyed it. I wanted him to kiss me. I don’t even know if I would have stopped at the kissing. That scares me. I think I really like Brad. I should have told him I don’t have a boyfriend, but it seems easier to let him assume that instead of explaining to him my rules that I have set to protect myself.
When I arrive in the dining room I sit down and eat dinner in silence. Brad and the Cunnington’s talk all through dinner about things I don’t really care about. All I care about is what had happened, what almost happened, and what I let Brad believe. I have decided I will go to the library to think. It is a good idea because it is quiet there and I can loose myself in a story. Then I won’t have to worry about my problems, for the time being. I know they will just come back full force when I finish a book. I can’t run away behind a cover every time something goes wrong. But, I need a way to just get out without actually going anywhere. Tomorrow I have to find out what to do about the six-year-old me and find out who the kidnappers are. I look at the Cunningtons “Dinner was wonderful. Thank you Elaina. May I be excused?”
“Of course. Have a good night,” she says.
I leave the dining room and go to the library. I decide since Brad is scared of heights he won’t go to the skywalk books. I go up, grab a few books that look interesting, lie down in the middle of the skywalks, and look down at the library. Everything seems so perfect up here. I feel like I am on a cloud. Just floating in the air without a care in the world.
I fall asleep in the middle of reading a book while laying down on the skywalk. I am dreaming about the scene between Brad and I, exce
pt Alfred doesn’t come in. We kiss and keep on kissing. I wake up to the library door opening. It is Brad. I pull my arm away from the edge of the plank I am laying on, and try not to move. Please, don’t look up. Why don’t I want him to look up? Maybe I just don’t know what to say.
Brad walks into one of the octagon shaped bookshelves and sits down on the bench in the center. He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket and takes out a picture. I squint my eyes and lean forward over the plank to try and get a better look. I go too far and slide right off the plank. I grab the edge and catch myself. I don’t scream but the plank movement makes a scratching sound on the wall. Not to mention the three books I took out to read fall and hit the floor. I know he heard it. I don’t look down though. Instead I swing my other arm up and catch the plank. I pull myself up so that my hips are even with the plank then swing my leg over like a gymnastics beam mount. I sit down, bring my knees up close to my face, and sigh.
I don’t make a sound. Why didn’t he even say anything when I was hanging off that plank? I know he saw me. I shouldn’t even think of him thinking of me. I lied to him about having a boyfriend, or at least I didn’t correct him, which is the same thing. I was trying to see who the picture was of. An ex-girlfriend, maybe even a girlfriend? Most likely the second!
Unexpectedly, he lifts my head up, gently sliding his hand under my chin. “You shouldn’t have come up here,” I look into his eyes as much as it hurts me to do so.
He has a face that seems almost to pity me, “You don’t really think all that stuff is true do you?”
Suddenly I’m confused, “What stuff? I didn’t say anything.”
“I know you didn’t.” he gives a small one-sided smile.
“Then what are…” I start to ask then trail off in thought.
“Lily, you aren’t the only person in the world with a gift. I can read minds. I don’t have much practice and I can’t just try to read someone’s mind. I catch most thoughts when people’s emotions are powerful.”
I take a deep breath in. So now he know what I was just thinking? Oh, I’m so humiliated, “Great! Now you have to listen to the stupid words in my head too.”
“They aren’t stupid and it is hard to read your thoughts. They don’t come in a special order. They all seem to happen at once.”
I laugh a little at that, “I always said that if anyone tried to read my mind they never would understand a thing.”
“Yes, but I still got most of it.” He pauses for a moment, “I didn’t say anything because I know how you are when something goes wrong. You don’t want anyone to crowd around you, at least not until something big happens, sometimes not even then. I am worried about you every time I think about you, which is all the time. The picture I was holding was not of my girlfriend or my ex. It was of someone I wish would consider me at least half as much as I think about her. If all your friends call you Lily then I will say it a thousand times to prove how much I want to be your friend. And you lady, are never a waste of my time. Did I cover everything?”
I laugh and throw my arms around him. “Almost. I am so sorry Brad! How could I possibly be such a jerk?”
“I thought I was the jerk?”
“No,” I laugh again.
Brad wipes the tears that form in my eyes. “You know you look beautiful even when you’re crying.”
I wink at him, suddenly feeling better and a little bit more like myself, “I think we have done enough talking about this. How about we get down from here before you go into cardiac-arrest.”
“Sounds good,” He laughs at my comment as we stand up and get down from the skywalk.
After I pick up the three books I dropped, we sit down in one of the octagon shaped bookshelves and just talk about random things. It is a big relief for me. I feel like the world was lifted from my shoulders. When I think about it I don’t really think that Brad reading my mind is a bad thing. I know I think a lot of thoughts that I don’t want people to know about but maybe this will bring us closer to each other. No more secrets. No more lies. It is going to be a true friendship.
After talking for a long time we finally go to our room. I take a pillow and two blankets so I can sleep on the floor. We both don’t even mention it. Neither one of us wants to ruin the good bond we made tonight. Brad puts a chair in front of the door so that no one will open it. That will give me time to put the blankets and pillow back. Elaina left some nightclothes in front of the door for us. Mine is a full-length Charmeuse Silk lavender nightgown with quarter-length sheer sleeves and a V-neck. Brad has a blue Egyptian cotton shirt and pants. His outfit is not something I would have chosen but he still looks really good in it.
We fall asleep around 3a.m. I wake up at 6 o’clock. Brad is still asleep as is everyone else in the house. I don’t want to move the chair because it might make noise so I just go over to the window seat and look outside. It is a nice day, the birds are singing, the flowers are in full bloom, and only a few clouds cover the sky. The weather makes me want to jump out the window and fly, I want to dance under the sun and feel the grass tickle my feet. I want to lie down on the ground and just relax the day away. I know I can’t do that. I have work to do. At 7 o’clock Brad comes over to the window seat and sits down in front of me.
“Good morning sleepy-head,” I say laughing.
“How can you wake up so early?” he asks groggily while rubbing his eyes.
I shrug, “I guess I am just used to it. At my house no one can sleep in later than 6:30.”
“Why?”
“Our neighbors are hunters and start early.”
“Are you ready to go downstairs?” he asks.
I nod, “Right after I get dressed.”
I go into the bathroom to change. Elaina had chosen an aqua dress embroidered with a black leafy design for me. It was a very pretty dress. I wash my face and find some make-up in the closet. It isn’t much for color, but it gives a nice natural look and hides my blemishes.
Brad is wearing an off white suit and a shirt that is the same color as my dress. I can’t help but notice how nice he looks. We go downstairs and find that the Cunningtons are still sleeping. We sit down at the table and talk about how to bring up the younger me. There really isn’t a good way to bring it up, so we decide to just ask if the Cunningtons know who she is.
Mr. and Mrs. Cunnington finally wake up and come into the kitchen surprised to find us wide-awake at 9 o’clock in the morning.
“Early bird catches the worm,” I say not really wanting to get off topic before the conversation even starts. “Have you seen that little girl who lives at the house next door?”
“Oh yes. She is just a little angel. Poor girl doesn’t have many friends,” Elaina replies.
Brad asks Elaina, “What is her name?”
“Eileen East. Well now it is Presario since the neighbors adopted her. They found the poor thing in the middle of the market place not knowing what to do with herself. The child must have been scared to death with all those young rogues running about the streets.”
“I would love to meet her,” I say.
“I will arrange it. We could even have her over for breakfast. Dear, would you go ask Mrs. Presario if that would be alright?”
“Of course Love. Be back soon.”
“Does French Toast sound good to you? Maybe served with some scrambled eggs. I know it isn’t that grand but that is Eileen’s favorite.”
“How did you know that?” I ask thinking she is talking about me.
“Oh, I am sorry I forgot that your name was Eileen also. I hear Bradley call you Lily and I keep thinking that is your real name. Where did you get the nickname Lily if your name is Eileen?”
“My middle name is…” Brad nudges me under the table. “Lily!”
“Oh. Well that makes sense then. Do you mind if we call you Lily so that we don’t confuse you with little Eileen?”
“No
that is fine. I prefer to be called Lily anyway.”
The maid sets the food on the table and gets some milk and some orange juice. Then Elaina pours some milk in a glass for Alfred and one for herself. “Lily would you like some milk?” she asks me.
“No, thank you, I am lactose intolerant.” I say and so does a little voice behind me.