by Karen Binnie
Chapter 33
I eventually prized myself away from Kate, it was hard explaining why she couldn’t come back with me, I wanted to stay for longer but it would have only meant more lies. It was hard enough convincing her to stay away from the house for now, it was so damn frustrating having all this knowledge and no-one to share it with. Kate’s talk of the party had made it obvious she had no recollection of what happened but the memories could still be there, hidden in the deep recesses waiting for anything to re-awaken them, what would she do if that happened? What would I say? I would love to tell her the truth but how do I explain how I thought she was dead, how I gave the gift to a boy I didn’t even know. I hate lying to her but for now I have no option, at least Kate is alive.
I look down as I open the front door and find a note, it was from the Police, they want to meet with me and Gran, I can’t do this!
Instinctively I reach for my pendent for comfort, in the despondent gloom earlier I had forgotten all about it, how could I? I had become to rely on the power of the triquetra, how it helped me to control my own, how had I forgotten all about it. Those last moments flash before my eyes, the necklace draped over the globe as Jez made a grab for it before the boy. Who was that boy anyway? Where had he come from?
Leaning against the wall I close my eyes on my dilemma, my heart is drumming uncontrollably in my chest, the pressure will surely be too much, where are all the others now when I need them?
A shuffle from the other room interrupts my panic. “Who is it? Who’s there?” I whisper, to afraid to shout.
No-one answers, Shit! Do I have a burglar now on top of everything else? I didn’t check if all the doors were locked when I left. I could creep along the hall to my room and grab my cell phone but who do I ring, the Police? Maybe not such a good idea, they’ll have too many questions, besides my phones in my bag, I left that behind in my other room, in ancient Scotland.
I can see through the window of the back door from where I’m standing by the laundry, the ranch slider is wide open, I don’t remember it being open before but I suppose it could have been I hadn’t really been paying too much attention. My thoughts are racing, what if it’s not a burglar, what if it’s a killer, what if it’s the demon? I silently slump to the floor out of sight, perhaps it’s Al’ice? My heart leaps, come on Julianne, get a grip, he would not hide in the shadows.
I begin crawling back towards the front door and take the door on the right to the dining room which leads into the open plan living room/kitchen. If I can just get to the sliding glass doors and peek through, then I might see what I’m dealing with.
A week or so ago I would have not been so brave or stupid but a lots happened since then. I’m on my hands and knees and crawling along the edge of the wall, the dining table and chairs are to my left, covered in dads new books for the shop and piles of old ones he couldn’t bear to chuck. Just as I reach the edge of the open glass doors, I flinch as the TV flicks on, whoever it is they plan on staying put, I edge forward and peek around the edge, the glass doing nothing to hide my body. I can see the side of a body sitting in dad’s arm chair. I don’t know who it is.
Am arm reaches out towards a glass of water on the side table, blood drips from the exposed skin, my scream betrays my presence.
The cracked voice calls out in the silence that follows, “Jol, Jol is that you child?”
That voice has me scrambling to my feet and rushing forward, my visitor sits, a broken form, crippled, burned and bleeding in the chair.
“Where have you been child, I waited, I need your help” pleads Cooper.
“Oh my god, what happened, look at you, let me get you some bandages.”
Cooper catches my arm in a tight grip, “No bandages child, your hands, you must use your hands.”
Gulping back the bile, I look at her chest, her bodice and flesh ripped open, exposing muscle and ribs, I don’t know where to begin, not without my triquetra.
Cooper tugs on my arm and forces my hand into the wound, through gritted teeth she snarls at me, “do it now child before I bleed to death.”
I close my eyes to hide my tears and place both palms onto the wound, Coopers soft, warm flesh, hot and sticky to the touch. I try to concentrate, search for the snake like calm to wash over me, here it comes, faster than before. The congealing blood begins to run freely through my fingers as it dilutes, escaping the wound as the cavity creeps shut. I raise my hands a fraction when I feel the skin begin to knit back together. Opening my eyes I survey the damage, Coopers elbow sits at an odd angle, I place both hands either side of the joint and start the process again, with a crunch and groan from my patient I can only hope the bone has rejoined properly. I don’t know where my confidence has come from, I used to hate the sight of blood, yet through the bloodied skin on her leg I can tell the bone beneath is shattered, I am feeling weak already and there is still her face to fix.
Cooper has closed her eyes, the white scarring on her chest puckers, her breaths short and shallow, she is still alive at least. It sickens me to see the state she is in, it must have been the flying beasts she chased back to the village. Al’ice, oh my god Al’ice, he sent Jez to help me he must have returned to the village. I stare at her leg, I mustn’t think the worst, there is still a lot of work to do here.
The power ebbs from my fingertips as they dance across her leg, my great aunts amazonian body destroyed and her face, once so beautiful is now covered in huge welts, pus infecting her skin.
My crude attempt at healing so many injuries is taking its toll, I do not fly across the room as I did when healing Dallon, I just collapse, the life sucked out of me, my energies drained, there is nothing more I can do.
I wake to the chinking of cups, I am lying on the sofa, the first thing I see, the dark stain on the floor beside the chair. The large blot of hazy blood stares back, the chair now empty of the gross memories, I raise my head in search of Cooper, my head is throbbing and I cannot focus.
Cooper hobbles over towards me, “I’ll clean that up in a bit, first I need tea.” She places a mug of steaming tea on the coffee table, I can’t help but stare back at the hazy yet horrific image in front of me, the healing process would be long and have to take its natural path.
“Are you ok? I mean you should be resting not making tea.”
She sits beside me and dismisses my comment with a wave, “I am as strong as an ox girl, not a bad job you have done child, ok so now I have a limp and a tightness in my chest as I breathe and a face and body that have seen better days, but I am alive. I have even placated the Police, I saw the note, took me a while to remember how to work that damn phone contraption but I have explained what happened, they seem happy enough, told them we have both gone down with the flu, so they’ll not be round to bother us. I have the number for the solicitor, he will be staying in town for now, says he’s off to see the sights of Wellywood and we are to call when we are ready. I believe he is using this trip as an all expenses paid holiday can you believe!”
I realise my mouth is wide open as I watch in wonder as she prattles on as if nothing bad has happened, here she is larger than life and putting all our troubles to rights with a mug of tea! I can barely stand to look at her face, the once statuesque beauty, now half of her face a mess, white and puckered from the burn.
“Cooper, what happened?”
“The winged beasts sent from the fiery depths of hell? I do not wish to recall.”
“Cooper I must know, is Al’ice ok, did you see him?”
She downs the last of her drink, avoiding my question. “This is a truly awful mixture, this is not tea!”
My stomach flips as my tea returns to the air, bringing with it the omelette from earlier, the putrid smell exacerbating my aching head.
Cooper begins rubbing the small of my back, “I believe he is alive, yes, though where he is I cannot say, we parted, broken but alive, he sent me to you, said he had to collect Eldeen’s scrolls first, wha
tever they are!”
“So he’s alright, he’ll be here soon.”
Cooper winces as she pulls me close to her, trying to give comfort, “I hope so child, I hope so.”
There was something lost and foreign in her statement which seemed to echo my fears, in my heart Al’ice is alive but the ache and longing feeds my anxiety, did he look like Cooper, was he lying alone, broken and dying. No she said he is alive but I can’t rid myself of the nagging doubt that he is still in danger and that it will be a very long time before I see him again.
I look up into Coopers eyes, they were lost in the distance, hope did not linger, only despair and from the acrid depths of my heart came more tears, after all we had been through I could not lose him now.
I didn’t like the train journey into Wellington, it seemed to take ages, too much time to dwell on things. The return journey was even worse, I am drained from the days experience.
Mr. Croyden seemed like a nice man, he spoke in a monotone voice devoid of emotion, turns out he had worked with mum on several cases. So I inherited everything, not really a surprise really as I’m the only one left, the surprise was just how much it all added up to. A sizeable sum from mums estate, the house is already paid for it seems and dad had the foresight to buy it in my name, the only real problem I have is his bookshop. The lease is paid up until the end of January, after that I have a big decision to make, what to do with the business, by all accounts it is not doing so well. Do I really want to run a business with another year of college to do? If not I will have to pour over the antique books and decide which to keep before selling the rest off at auction. At least it’s something to concentrate on for now until school starts up again, anything to keep me from worrying all day long and Kate might even give me a hand.
I rest my temple against the window of the train as the tracks of my tears streak my face, the beautiful scenery a blur. In my lap sits the plain metal urn which now houses my dad, I can’t believe he’s gone, my last words ‘sorry’ as I slammed the car door.
Cooper sits beside me quietly, staring straight ahead, she wears a small pill box black hat with veil to conceal her face, although healing slowly, her ghastly image still betrays her once young features, the old gravelly voice she manages with ease.
The emptiness of the past three days seems hard to bear, with no sign of Al’ice and no contact from either Jez or Tadge, I wonder what the future holds for me. In just over a week my world has been turned upside down and not for the first time, now all that waits at home is an empty future.
Cooper was going to leave soon, of that I am certain, we can’t just sit at home and wait, the others had to be found, we had talked long into the night. Although reluctant to tell me I know Coopers future does not include me, I only hope she tells me before she leaves.
Kapiti island does not hold the splendour as usual for me today as I switch my gaze to the urn on my lap, since discovering I can see the dead I find myself waiting for him to appear, to at least say goodbye, but no sign of him yet. Cooper has no explanation for me, she does not know what happens to the human spirit, only Tadge will know, she tells me. I stroke the sides of the urn, wishing him to materialise, expecting him to appear like the genie of the lamp, am I crazy?
Mr. Croyden explained it was dads express wishes that I stay in New Zealand and finish College, then I would be free at the age of eighteen to follow my own dreams, his only request that before I embark on life’s journey, I return to England and bury his ashes beside those of his beloved Vyvien, mum.
If only dad had known my fate, life’s journey had already begun, my body already that of an eighteen year old and what of my life, how long will it last? With part angel, part alien blood coursing through my veins even Cooper has no idea.
My great aunt does not move during the train journey, she does not like the public transport that rattles along disturbing her thoughts. She sits stony faced like a statue, her once comforting arms crossed neatly across her lap, her gloved hands in a determined clasp. I foolishly asked her to stay with me, a selfish act on my part, I realise that now. I asked if she could at least stay until my return on Wednesday from my trip into town with Kate.
Cooper suggests I ask Kate to live with me, to help keep my sanity during the coming school year. I can’t help but smile, if only she knew what Kate was like, keeping me sane was the last thing she would do but the company would be a blessing.
Cooper’s words from the night before are like hot pokers stabbing my mind, “fate led me here to you child, I promise you this, once we have dealt with your fathers affairs, then I will find the others for you, all of them.”
It will soon be Christmas, some Christmas that will be, Margaret and Bill from next door have insisted I spend it with them, they’re a nice old couple and they mean well. A Christmas alone must be the worst thing ever, with the memories of the past, Cooper even found three presents for me when she offered to clear out dads room, he was always pretty organised.
One week in a lifetime and everything has changed, my life, my emotions, my body and soul, there is only hope on the horizon, hope that I must cling to with Kate to maintain reality as my mind battles with the anguished waiting game ahead.
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