The Curious Swan

by Kenzie Hart

  “I’m not sure if that’s the reason I’ve chosen it as my favorite. But everything has some darkness in it, and we have to accept that.” Klara doesn’t want to admit that it was always the book her mother read to her. Her mother and father. They would read part of it to her every night before bed, saying that, as long as they did so, Peter would come to Klara in her dreams and take her on adventures. But her mother always told her that, when morning came, she must return home to her, to her family. Klara’s stomach twists.

  “But you don’t,” Eddie states, turning to look at Klara. And he truly means it.

  Even if she feels heaviness on her heart, Klara is a ray of sunshine. She can brighten up anyone’s day.

  “Everyone has some darkness in them. But I’m pleased you think I don’t.” And Klara is pleased. If she’s learned anything from her father, it’s that darkness can consume you. And she doesn’t want that for herself.

  “Darkness caused by what exactly?” Eddie questions, trying to understand the hidden meaning behind the words Klara seems to be sharing with him. But he is failing to understand what seems to have a deeper meaning for her.

  She ponders his question for a few moments and reaches a conclusion. “Well, it can be caused by many things. For one, it can just be there. Certain people have more darkness within them than others. But I think the point is that it probably comes from somewhere outside of ourselves. Most people aren’t angry or hurt all the time. But they can become that way.”

  “Do you feel that way?” Eddie asks, his eyes scanning her hardened face. It scares him, to be honest. Ever since he met Klara, he’s known she is the most loving and kind person he will ever know. And he never thought he would see such sadness in her eyes. Or hear her talk about it in a way that makes him sure she feels more than just joy within her. There’s something else there, too. Something that haunts her.

  “I, um … I think everyone does at some point,” she says honestly.

  “And you connect with Peter because of that, yeah?” he says, moving his hand onto her knee.

  Klara shrugs, trying to brush off the dark ways she’s feeling, but she answers his question. “I suppose I do. We actually have quite a lot in common,” Klara says, thinking about the complex character. “Peter doesn’t want to grow up.”

  “Isn’t that because he is scared? Scared to grow up?” Eddie barely breathes out, rubbing his hand across her knee, trying to comfort her.

  Klara just nods because Edward’s right. Peter is scared. And, sometimes, she feels that way, too.

  She drops her head and looks up at Edward through her lashes. “Peter doesn’t have parents. And neither do I,” she says, barely getting out the words.

  Eddie’s heart breaks for her. He watches her body slump lightly, and she looks the youngest he has ever seen her. Her face is that of a child. A hurt child. And it makes his insides twist.

  “You’ll always have me, Klara,” Eddie says, gripping her knee a little tighter.

  Klara looks between Edward’s eyes, and her insides drop at the look on his face. His words were kind, but they were said out of pity. Such conversations bring no happiness, and so she can’t seem to find the point in having them. She doesn’t like to feel this way—to have pain pulling at her heart. So, she decides to shut the door on it and let back in the light. The light that is Edward. The light that is her grandmother. The light that is where they are at this exact moment, sitting below a beautiful tree, reading stories to one another.

  “But enough of that.” Klara opens the book and runs her hand over a creased page. “The real question is, where is Neverland?” she says, a bright smile back on her face. She hopes a change in conversation will wipe away the disturbed look resting on Edward’s face.

  Eddie quickly catches on, even as his thoughts are still on their previous conversation, but he goes along with her. “Neverland is a specific place, yeah?”

  “Of course not! I think Neverland is all up to the imagination.” Klara laughs, a small weight lifting off her chest.

  “So, where—excuse me, what is your Neverland then?” Eddie asks her.

  “This is it,” Klara says, looking around. The woods are calm around her but always alive. The trees dance slightly in the breeze. Birds sing in the sky above them, and twigs give in as creatures move about, crossing the forest floor. “This is our Neverland now. Our escape.”

  “Our escape from what?”

  “Reality, of course.”

  “Your reality seems pretty wonderful to me,” Eddie comments. He isn’t sure if Klara will actually agree, but he wants to see what her thoughts are on it all.

  “It is,” she replies. “But I don’t mean escape in a bad way. I mean, escaping into our imagination. We can do whatever we want. Create whatever we want. I hold this spot closely to my heart. I come here and am instantly moved into my own Neverland. It’s filled with all the characters from my favorite novels. Their adventures, their travels. And, now, we can create our own story here.”

  “So, you’re allowing me into your Neverland,” Eddie says. Even though she’s speaking lightly about it, he understands the seriousness of what she said. And he can’t hold back the smile that it brings to his face.

  “I’m letting you into a place I hold dear to my heart,” Klara says, looking at Edward, her eyes focusing in on his. She watches as he looks down at his hand on her knee and then back up to her through his lashes. Her heart starts to beat harder, especially when Edward licks his lips.

  “I’m glad you’re letting me in,” he says seriously. Today, Klara has shared more about her thoughts and fears with him in the way she best knows how. Though she doesn’t say things directly, he is starting to understand more of the things Klara holds within her. Eddie wonders if he can let Klara in more, allowing her into his own head.

  “I think that means, you’re in my heart now, too,” Klara says in a whisper. She closes her eyes for a moment, absorbing the feeling of Edward’s hand dancing across her skin. As she reopens them, she’s greeted with Edward’s eyes upon hers. They’re darker than normal, and she knows those eyes. There is longing in them, and she is starting to feel that same longing. She moves her face just inches from his and lightly places a kiss on his lips. She will always cherish that moment at the beginning of a kiss. When your whole body is still and you’re in this moment of waiting. Waiting for it to deepen, for a response. But it’s in that time when you’re most vulnerable. But it’s the most wonderful of feelings once you get that response. And Edward gives it to her. He moves his hand to her hair, running his fingers through it, while he deepens their kiss.

  Eddie feels like his insides are turning to mush and being set on fire, all at once. It’s a contradicting feeling that makes his stomach twist but in the most pleasant of ways. Eddie grabs on to Klara’s elbow, and he lightly brings her forward, toward him. Klara lets the book slip off her lap, and she moves herself, so she is seated on top of Edward. She presses her body as tightly against him as she can. It makes her feel like she is home when she is with Edward. As though everything is perfect, and even if it isn’t, it doesn’t quite matter because she has him.

  Eddie slides his hand up her leg, and his body tenses as he lets his fingers glide against her bare thigh. His fingers dance at the hem of her dress, and his heart feels like it is going to leap out of his chest as his palm moves farther up her leg, under her dress.

  A moan escapes Klara’s mouth at the feeling. Their lips are still on one another’s, and she moves her fingers to his shirt, fumbling with the top button. She wants to get closer to Edward, and she doesn’t stop until his shirt is open and she can press both of her palms against his warm skin.

  Eddie’s mind can’t seem to stay focused on one thing. Klara’s palms on his chest make his insides burn, and his hands moving against the skin of her thighs seems to be driving him mad.

  He slightly moves his head back, looking Klara in the eyes. She meets his gaze with a mixture of fire and tenderness, but she moves
her hand onto Edward’s forearm, urging him on. It makes Eddie shudder, but he slowly slips a hand farther up her dress, between her legs, and drops his lips back down onto Klara’s.

  The moment his fingers move across her sensitive skin, Klara tenses, but as quickly as she does, she relaxes against Edward. The feeling is a completely new one to her. It’s as though her stomach has dropped and is moving back up. Like she’s on a carnival ride, spinning around. She moves her palms to Edward’s shoulders, grabbing on to him.

  He can’t help the slight moan that escapes his mouth. Klara feels wonderful under his hands. His body is quite literally freaking out, and he wants nothing more than to have himself pressed against her, feeling her sensitive spots, but he slips his hand back down her thigh and laces his hands around her back.

  “You’re extraordinary,” Eddie breathes out against her lips.

  Klara places kisses across Edward’s nose and cheeks and over his eyelids. She kisses every part of his face, warmth spreading over her. She can’t help but spill that same warmth to Edward. Her whole body feels like a shining beacon of light, and she knows it is Edward who makes her feel this way.

  “I feel quite the same about you,” Klara says, still placing light kisses on his skin.

  Eddie tickles her side, and she giggles, jumping at the sensation. He needs something to lighten the mood and distract himself from the way he is feeling. Things were getting intense—and fast. He wouldn’t have minded doing more with Klara—or everything with her for that matter—but not there. Not like that. Klara deserves the best, and that isn’t a quick roll around in the woods. What surprises Eddie even more is the fact that he stopped what they were doing while Klara seemed content to continue on. She didn’t have any reservations, and that scares him a little.

  “So, are you going to read me a chapter?” Eddie says, a lightness back in his voice and eyes. His insides have settled, but he remembers the way Klara was against him, the feeling of her under his hand. It’s something he couldn’t forget if he tried, and a small blush rises back to his cheeks.

  “Of course!” Klara says, delighted. With the passionate moment that they just shared, she almost completely forgot that they were seated against her favorite reading tree in the woods. She slips off of Edward, leaning back against his side, and picks up the book. “Let’s start it from the beginning.”

  As Klara walks Edward to the front door, she slips a journal off the table in the entryway and tucks it along her side.

  “Are you going to be all right, riding your bike back in this weather?” Klara asks, taking in the darkened sky.

  Eddie nods but knows that he will get soaked along the way, and it isn’t something he is looking forward to. “I should have probably brought my raincoat.”

  “Make sure you bring it with you tomorrow,” Klara says, lightly eyeing him.

  “Tomorrow?” Eddie says, a grin on his face. “Want to see me again so soon?”

  “Of course,” Klara says. “And I’ve got a little surprise for you.”

  Klara wonders if she should tell Edward of her conversation with her grandmother just moments earlier. Cordelia pulled Klara into her sitting room and told her quite quickly that she would be leaving for London first thing tomorrow. Her grandmother was quite vague on the details, other than she would be gone for a few days, and it sparked curiosity in Klara. She wanted to immediately tell Edward, but something stopped her. She isn’t sure what exactly it is, but she pushes it aside and holds tighter onto the journal tucked beside her.

  “Oh, yeah?” Eddie says, dipping his head down and running his lips across Klara’s delicate neck.

  Klara flushes, momentarily distracted by Edward’s lips moving against her skin.

  “Here,” she says, the flush not leaving her face. “This was my grandfather’s. I talked to Grandmother, and she would like for you to have it.”

  Eddie takes in the worn leather journal, and a ball forms in the back of his throat. He clears it, trying to rid himself of the sensation. “Klara,” Eddie says, backing away slightly, “I can’t accept this. It is too much. This belongs with you.”

  “No,” Klara says, cutting him off. “Grandmother and I spoke about it, and she would like you to have it. I would like you to have it. It deserves to be in the hands of someone who will really appreciate it. It is what Grandfather would have wanted,” Klara says seriously, not dropping Edward’s gaze.

  Eddie suddenly feels a heaviness in his chest, and he has to suck in a thick breath. “Thank you,” he says as emotions feel as though they might topple him.

  Klara just nods at him, a small smile pulling on her lips. Eddie places a kiss on her button nose.

  “I don’t want to get it wet though,” Eddie says, noticing the delicate book and worrying about the rain that has started to come down.

  “I will keep it here for you, and you can take it home with you tomorrow,” Klara says as Edward places the book back into her hand. “Just don’t forget to bring a basket or coat, something to keep it dry in this rain.”

  “Have a good afternoon. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says, pulling Klara up against him.

  His fingers wrap around her waist, and Klara’s hands move around Eddie’s neck. Their bodies are pressed against one another, and it has never felt so right. Klara pulls back, feeling slightly light-headed, an ever-growing grin on her face.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says happily, watching as Edward goes out into the rain and hops onto his bike.

  As he rides down the gravel drive, she wonders what tomorrow will mean for them and if it is possible to burst from happiness. Her whole body is filled with delight as she skips back into the house, a smile still on her face.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Klara,” Cordelia cries out, her voice cracking as she tries to make it loud enough for her granddaughter to hear her.

  Klara joins her in the entryway, taking in the travel cases her grandmother has piled by the front door. Her eyes move to her grandmother, and they instantly go wide as they land upon her. She looks divine. Klara’s mouth slightly drops open when she notices her grandmother’s hair, which is usually up, is combed down, framing her face. Her glasses reside on their usual low spot on her nose, but she has on a beautiful pink lipstick and a navy-and-cream two-piece suit.

  “Grandmother!” Klara exclaims, circling her. “Look at you.”

  Cordelia blushes but quickly collects herself. “This is nothing to fuss over, dear,” she replies, fidgeting with her purse. “I called you down to tell you I was leaving. I will return home the day after tomorrow. Mrs. B will be here to prepare you lunch, and she will prepare dinner, but I’ve given her the night off. She will return tomorrow evening.”

  Klara looks at her grandmother with surprise. “That is quite kind of you, Grandmother.” Klara smiles.

  For someone who has a face of stone, she can be utterly soft underneath it all.

  “I thought it was time. And she deserves it,” Cordelia replies, her thoughts all scrambled.

  “Grandmother, won’t you please tell me where it is you are going?” Klara asks. She can tell her grandmother is nervous, but it isn’t a bad nervous. It is sort of a giddy nervous, and Klara wants to know what is causing it.

  “In time, my dear. But, as I said, I will be in London. Now,” Cordelia says, softly placing her hand against Klara’s cheek, “if you need anything, I’ve given you the number of the hotel I will be at. Do not hesitate to call me or Mrs. B.” Cordelia’s lips move into a smile, but she dare not show any teeth. That would show too much emotion.

  “I will, Grandmother,” Klara says. “Let’s get you out to the car.”

  Klara helps her grandmother out to the town car waiting for her in the drive and gets her settled inside.

  Cordelia looks out the window at Klara, giving her a slight head nod before the engine starts, and then she is moving off down the driveway. As she sits in the backseat, humming to herself, excitement washes over her.

 
“Sorry I’m late,” Eddie calls out as he furiously peddles up the driveway. He hits his brakes so hard, he practically crashes in front of Klara.

  Klara laughs at Edward’s disheveled look. His hair is pushed up from the wind, and his shirt is one button off, one side hanging a little longer than the other. His skin is tan from the summer holiday, and his freckles are more prominent.

  “Relax,” Klara says, watching as Edward fumbles with getting his bike off the ground, pushing it so that it’s out of the way.

  “Work was insane. We had three houses to get to and had to stop every twenty minutes because of the rain,” Eddie huffs. He sounds loony. And maybe he is. At least, for Klara he is.

  “That excited to see me?” Klara teases, wrapping her small frame around Edward. She smells his shower gel, but as Klara stands on her tiptoes to lean her head into his neck, the smell of Edward comes through. Grass and dirt. She smiles against his skin.

  “Of course,” Eddie replies, pulling Klara closer. He places a warm kiss on her lips. He will never get over the pink blush that flares across Klara’s cheeks after he kisses her. Even if it is the most innocent of kisses, her skin gives away her feelings, and it drives him mad. “You look beautiful,” Eddie says, slightly pulling back, taking in all that is Klara.

  Her hair is whisking around her face in all directions, and her bright blue eyes look up at him through those thick blonde lashes. Her long legs poke out of a white cotton dress. The thick straps rest against her delicate shoulders, and her small chest is pressed nicely against the square neckline. Eddie smiles, looking down at her usually bare feet.

  “Thank you,” Klara says, a glow to her face. She loves the way Edward looks at her.

  It’s an unusual feeling to have a boyfriend. Someone who you know openly likes you and someone you openly like back. The simple fact that you like one another and want to share a deeper connection is quite magical. And the feeling it creates in your tummy is exquisite. Klara wonders if she is starting to understand why people die for love. She never understood before why, in books, love makes people extremely dramatic. Of course, it is romantic, and she has always loved love, but she never truly understood why you would say and do those things once you were in love with someone. But the more time she spends with Edward, the more she understands.