Blacken

  “I called your friend Sandra, she helped me with purchasing materials,” he stated, a little sheepish.

  “She what? You what? How did that happen?” Bewildered, Avie’s eyebrows went into her hairline, trying to envision a scenario of Sandy meeting Rhulle where it wouldn’t be made into a big deal. She wasn’t trying to sound accusatory in her questions, more rather confusion slipping through her statements.

  “Do not worry, she did not see me, I only conversed over the phone. She seemed happy to know a little bit about me, and when Sandra dropped the items off here, I was in the bathroom. I think she figures that I am just shy.”

  Avie laughed, “Now she really won’t stop hounding me to meet you. I don’t know how I’m going to get around this one… That was a huge risk to go through, but I’m glad you did; this is even more beautiful than your last work. Will you open yours?”

  Rhulle returned to his proper spot, playing with the ribbon, admiring the wrappings before clawing at the striped paper in anticipated excitement, lifting open the lid and discovering folded material within. He pulled the garments out, turning them around in his hands, blinking at them in a stunned silence before meeting her eyes in the twinkling light.

  “Avie… How did you… do this?”

  In the past, Rhulle expressed to her, only twice, the importance of insignias to his race—to bear symbolism of who they were, their family, and their values in lettering and crests with their tunic-esque clothing.

  In drawing out various items from Celisc, he sketched a rough outline of an outfit; the block pattern on the chest detailed from his pen more than the feathers on his fictional truxen—adding in a quip that it stood for family. Avie saved all his drawings, admiring them, learning everything about him, his culture and even history. She worked off of the details he drew day and night, trying to get everything perfect.

  “Mrs. Harris let me borrow her sewing machine. I made it a little bigger just in case my measurements were off, I had to guess a lot, but I can make it fit nicer now that you can actually put it on. I know it isn’t the same as the ones on Celisc, I made some adjustments for your new life here on Earth instead.”

  “I renounced them. All of them. My whole race the night I crashed into the forest here. The old clothing that fastened my ties with them, I stripped and buried somewhere out there to be forgotten. For years I lost who I was, not knowing my identity outside of the colony I grew up in. But this? It only shows that you are supposed to be my family, that I truly can start over with a new life. Darling, this is the most amazing gift, would you be willing to dress in one as well?”

  Her fingers steepled over her mouth, reveling in his appreciation, for weeks she fought over the conflict of it being a terrible idea or a fantastic one.

  “Look again,” she whispered.

  Rhulle looked down, back into the box, finding another feminine matching garb in a smaller size. He hiccupped, “Family. My family. My vovii.”

  He pulled her into him, kissing with passion, leaving delicate pecks over her face and crown.

  “Would you try it on? See how it fits?”

  He was up in a flourish, threading his wings through the gap and lowering the cotton material onto his body as he stepped into the matching shorts with their hem reaching just over the knee. The tunic was a bit loose, but she was glad to see it could be easily adjusted to fit properly.

  “How do you like it?”

  He spun once, trying to see all the detail in the yellow lighting. Rhulle moved to the full-length mirror in the bedroom, seeing most of himself and the outfit as Avie trailed after him. “It is stupendous, it is the best gift I have ever received! I love you, dear Avie. This is so exciting; we need to celebrate every year.”

  “I love you too, Rhulle. We will then, every year together, forever. You have made Christmas truly feel like Christmas, thank you.”

  “Y’all are eloping away, aren’t ya?”

  Sandra’s question hit Avie from left field. She was over at her house for coffee, the first signs of sunshine and warmth showcasing in the late February month and the young woman was conversing pleasantly with her friend until the out of the blue statement.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You and Rhulle. The both of you are moving away, aren’t you? A few of the townsfolk were startin’ to. And you kids are all but married on paper, it makes sense you’d be leaving to go somewhere better than Blacken.”

  Well… she was right, in a way. “I haven’t even mentioned anything about it, how did you know?”

  Sandra had a knowing grin on her features.

  The residents of Blacken slowly came to the realization that those who travelled here, were no longer bound to stay. They could leave without the overwhelming affliction plaguing their blood and body, and a fraction of those with the affected blood type decided to return to the cities they left—or move on to bigger and better things. A majority still stay in town, becoming accustomed to the lifestyle over the bulk of years.

  “Sugar, I can see it all over your face. You’re movin’ on from this small town, starting a life with Rhulle probably somewhere that I won’t be able to see ya. That’s why you look guilty, you don’t want me to know.”

  “It’s not like I didn’t want you to, Sandy. You have been amazing to Rhulle and I, but you know he can’t stay out there forever.”

  Sandra took a sip, agreeance in her nod and twinkling eyes.

  It had been a full month since Sandy officially met Rhulle. The couple had lengthy discussions about the event and if another person learning of his existence would have any benefit. Her vovii finally gave his answer; agreeing to meet the Sandra he had only verbally communicated with and finding that there was indeed value in their meeting.

  Avie asked if he had been absolutely certain in the decision, he nodded.

  “She will meet me with a proper introduction and plenty of precaution. Sandra is a kind and understanding woman, having the preconceived notion of me from your actions and words. She knows of my character before meeting me properly, I think that will help a majority of the shock.”

  And the brunette was incredulous when they wandered the woods a sunset, coming up to the abandoned manor, thoughts and cognitive connections written over her features as Avie once again made sure she was alright, and to subvert her expectations.

  “Sugar, it’s fine, I’m fine. If I was worried, I would have turned back before you led me into the woods and to this place. I’m excited to meet this mystery man, honestly. Y’all are lettin’ me in on whatever it is you gotta keep hush hush. I trust you.”

  They entered, seeing the fire lit and casting warmth into the room.

  “Rhulle? It’s us. Sandra’s here to meet you.”

  He rounded the corner from the dining room, walking into the light for Sandy to properly observe. She gasped, grasping the forearm beside her, but she wasn’t frightened, she didn’t scream, she didn’t run, she didn’t try to hide; she simply observed.

  “It is nice to finally make your acquaintance, Sandra.”

  Sandy breathed out, heavily. Turning to stare wide-eyed at Avie, and then back at him. She shook her head, steadying her breath and closing her eyes for a beat, releasing her grip.

  “I can see why ya took so long, I had my suspicions, but I really was not expecting anythin’ like this. However, it is nice to meet you all official like, Rhulle,” she raised her hand out in front of her, ready to greet properly.

  He only pressed his palm to hers in the greeting.

  “Are you, alright? I understand this is a lot, would you like to sit?” He conveyed calm much better than Avie could attempt, beckoning them towards the chesterfield.

  They sat and talked hours into the evening, Sandra warming up to the truxen more and more as the minutes ticked by. The redhead felt reassured, having the pair’s meeting go infinitely better than how Rhulle and Owen started off. Hell, Even Rhulle and Avie in their first meeting.

  She snapped out of her reverie as she realiz
ed Sandra was talking once again.

  “—And even if he stayed out in that glorified shack, that’s no life for either of you. So, I do understand, and I support your decision. Are you guys plannin’ to live off grid, livin’ off of the fat of the land?”

  She coughed once, trying to disguise that she only heard part of the speech, “Right, he knows everything about what we would need to do. We were going to start building soon now that the snow is melting. It would be somewhere in these woods, though I don’t know exactly where, or how well I could maybe even come back to find the town.”

  “I want to help, any way I can, sugar. You need tools? I got 'em! You need food or blankets or anythin’, I can be there. I want to still see you grow, you and Rhulle. If you’d let me, I can take time off and assist with some of the building, that way I can know where y’all are and visit every month… Discreetly, of course. I used to be quite the outdoors woman in my prime!”

  Avie could have dropped her cup. She so desperately wanted that connection to Sandra, wanted so badly to keep her friendship after everything. The woman was tempted to ask if she wanted to live out there too, to have her own cabin in a sanctuary of woodland. To hear her avidly wanting to help the couple in building and even visiting, she couldn’t pass it up!

  “Sandy… Would you, really? That sounds amazing, it’s not too much?”

  She laughed, “Of course not! I’ll be sticking ‘round here in Blacken, and y’all deserve someone on the inside that can lend a helpin’ hand. You two have been survivin’ on your own for so long, it’s all right ta ask for a lil’ help.”

  “I forget that’s an option sometimes. Sandy, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

  They exchanged a hug, “Do ya ever think about how people will never know?”

  “Never know what?” The redhead returned to her seat.

  Sandra hummed, “Every person who has lived in Blacken knows ‘bout the odd phenomenon that brought people in ta stay. But no one will ever know that it was you who put a stop to it, that you found out what was really causin’ all of it to happen and found a way to fix it all. Do you ever want people to know?”

  Avie smiled.

  Yesterday, with the sun low in the sky, the rays glittered through windows of the library, guiding her to the back. Descending the steps into the restricted area, she used a small key to open the metal door, the hinges protesting loudly at her entrance. Striding in, it became very evident that not a soul tread here since Owen, her footprints leaving tracks in the settled dust.

  His notes scattered about, still unbothered, locked within their own time capsule. The woman picked up a random hardcover, flipping pages to see his handwriting lingering in the margins there too. The room filled with a mystery unsolved.

  She sighed, bittersweet. The silver key used to gain entrance was placed down on a desk beside his notes.

  The mystery of Blacken was never really of anyone’s interest. As long as it had been going on, it suddenly stopped, leaving people to wonder and speculate from the abrupt shift; it had been normal for them after all. There were a few others in the past who also took an interest, who knew how far they got before giving up or being compelled to stop. There were only two that had seemed to find the answer. One embraced it, the other wanted to eradicate it. Would anyone else in the future take an interest in the odd tale about the small city surrounded by forestry, and why so many people came and went?

  It was all just a part of history now, another chapter to be locked away in the archives.

  “No, I don’t. Let it be a mystery, let people be entertained with it if they choose. It’s more fun that way.”

  EPILOGUE

  Taking the well-versed dirt path that guided her home, Avie reached out to her side, allowing the leaves and tall grass to tickle her palm as she walked, her other arm cradling a basket filled with a mix of flowers and berries.

  A babbling brook sang to her in the near distance, sunlight gently touching her skin. The woman paused for a beat, allowing the golden rays to wash over her face, soaking in their warmth as they peeked through the trees. Playing with her hair, she flicked the strands to one side as they kept tucking into the woven basket’s handle as she walked.

  The small cottage came into view, smoke billowing out of the pebble chimney as her vovii dug up potatoes from the garden. He stopped as soon as he saw her, smiling as Avie approached with the happy giggles of their small child being lifted into his arms.

  “Welcome back.”

  “Mama!”

  She kissed both of them while a hand encircled the small bump of her stomach, “There are my two favourite boys. I am thinking about making some jam, can anyone help?”

  “Me, mama, me!” Erik raised his hand, squirming in his father’s grip as he waved the appendage in his volunteering. It caused him to be set down, immediately running back into their home, awaiting to start.

  The couple shared a laugh, before Rhulle turned her towards him, catching her chin to bring her in for a kiss, the other palm meeting hers on her growing abdomen. “Have you thought of any names for this one yet?”

  “I was thinking of Hans if they were a boy, but if they are a girl, I wanted to name her Aubree.”

  Rhulle named young Erik after the pivotal character that helped change his outlook over Avie, ecstatic in the news that they conceived a child together. Even through the uncertainty and concerns, she too was excited to welcome the little one into the world. After all, if they had been able to create life together, there was no doubt that their child would be born perfectly well.

  Sandra, true to her word, came to visit every month to check on the pair, giving all support she could, especially with a child on the way. She brought all the books, passing down all knowledge and gifts that she could carry with her, even staying after the three months term to help with care.

  Then in just a few short years it happened again.

  “My dear Avie, that sounds perfect.”

  She looked back up into his eyes, and then over the house they built and resided in; little Erik, who so closely looked like his father, jumping in the window with jade eyes delighted.

  It was perfect.

  All of it was.