by Carol Riggs
Without much hesitation, I nod. I’m wearing out in short order, and though I could drop off to sleep in any chair here, a bed sounds much more comfortable. Karim made a good point about that. But I’d rather spend the evening with Cherie while I’m trying to sort out my feelings about Karim.
After another minute, all of us walk back down the halls. When we reach the outside, a crisp salty breeze hits my face. I take a deep breath. Fresh air. Being out in the open as a vulnerable human is energizing in a strange way, along with a little frightening.
Nathan gives me a sideways hug, and Beagley mock-punches my shoulder. Mrs. Turner gives me a full, lovely hug. I walk with Cherie to her car, which is sky-blue and smells of vanilla inside. We get in, and she drives us away from the hospital.
Buildings and trees flash by my window. Here I am, a fragile human once again, subject to illness, disease, and injuries for the rest of my relatively short life. No one will be able to understand me when I speak unless I learn English or move to Arabia. My fortress-prison of a bottle is destroyed, along with all my drawings of Karim. The Magic Cube is gone. So are my cards, my Chinese domino tiles, and the butterfly necklace Beagley gave me.
I’ll never again sip sage tea in an automatically filling cup, or have my lamb and pita replenished before my eyes.
Yes, I’m powerless. I’ve lost a lot.
But I’m free.
Chapter 26
When I arrive at the hospital the next morning with Cherie, I find Karim waiting for me. He leaps up from a chair by the entrance doors, wearing shadows around his eyes as if he didn’t sleep well.
“Good morning, my love.” He clasps my hand between his in a brief greeting. “Where have you been?”
“I stayed the night with my friend, Cherie,” I say, marveling that I’ve just labeled her as a friend. And yet it feels right to do so.
Karim introduces himself to her and shakes her hand. She goes bright-eyed hearing him speak English, and launches into a relieved-sounding stream of words. However, the more she talks, the more Karim’s eyes go glassy and his eyebrows lower.
When she finishes and waits with an expectant air, he addresses me. “I informed this girl you ran out of money and lost your apartment. Since she knows you have no family, she wants to know if you’d like to stay with her and her parents. Her older sister is in college and has a summer job in Arizona, so her parents have offered for you to stay in her room. That’s the room you stayed in last night. I told her you might be leaving for Riyadh instead.”
I smile at Cherie, unable to believe her generous offer, and address Karim. “That was a little presumptuous of you. I believe the last time we spoke I told you I hadn’t made up my mind.”
“I did say ‘might be’ leaving,” he says with a trace of irritation.
I suspect there’s hurt behind his bristly words, so I reach over and give his hand a gentle squeeze. “That’s fine. Tell her it’s a wonderful idea, and I’ll definitely consider it if I stay in Bandon.”
He relays the message, and the three of us take an elevator to the next floor. I catch Cherie throwing careful, breathless glances at Karim. It’s obvious to see she’s impressed by his appearance, but she’s intimidated at the same time. I can see why. He has the aggressive grace of a leopard. Bold, fierce, and compelling.
We stop in to see Ted first. He lies on his bed in a white gown, a tube running from a needle taped to his wrist up to a bag on a pole. His face wrinkles into a smile.
Karim speaks to him in English and he answers, reaching out toward me. I move forward, and he clutches my hand.
“He’d like to express his thanks,” Karim translates. “You saved his life, and you were very brave.”
Me, brave. That’s sweet of him. “Tell him I was glad to do it. He was brave too, coming back into the house for David. Be sure to let him know you helped save him, in case he didn’t see how you tried to keep your father from attacking us.”
Karim lifts his eyebrows, clearly pleased, and relays the message. Cherie chatters to Ted for a few minutes before we say our goodbyes. We walk to the room across the hall. When we enter, David’s eyes are tired, but he’s alert. His body is small on the white-sheeted bed, his skin paler than Ted’s. His light brown hair is fuzzed against the pillow.
“Adeelah!” he cries, and adds a long string of other excited words.
I go limp with relief to see him so alive and animated.
“This boy says you’re awesome, and he loves you,” Karim says with an indulgent half-smile. “He also says when he looked up and saw you in that stinky basement, he said ‘Adeelah, I wish for you to save me.’ And then you did.”
I stand, speechless. Is that what David mumbled when I removed his gag? And stars above, I guess I did save him and Ted. It didn’t matter that I’d lost the powers of my bottle. I saved him without the aid of magical wishes or intervening creatures. Maybe I’m not so powerless as a human after all. The idea of that buoys me, invigorates my heart.
David chirps out more words, and Cherie adds some too.
Karim nods. “David said he told the police how you and I were fighting with Father in the kitchen, trying to save his life. That’ll help convince the police that we had no involvement in the abductions or killings.”
My own nod is slight. Except Karim did turn a blind eye to Faruq’s crimes in the past, allowing him to carry out other killings.
While Cherie adjusts David’s pillows, Karim moves closer to me. He trails his hand down my arm, his fingers light on my skin. In his eyes I see a reminder of our kisses and stolen moments in his estate garden long ago. Those were wonderful times. Even so, his touch feels different now.
Can it be? Now that I finally have it, I’m not craving his touch anymore.
Which means I’ve already made my decision about our relationship. I came near to it yesterday when I fell apart in Nathan’s arms. I’ll never be able to forget Karim’s past lovers or the fact that he was dishonest with me. I won’t ever be able to trust him again. We may share a love for each other, but we don’t belong together.
I pat his hand and give it back to him. “Karim. I’d like to speak with you somewhere private.”
His face clouds over, as though he’s aware of what I intend to say. I’m sure my refusal of his hand is a major hint. He tosses out a brief English sentence to Cherie, and we walk down the hall until we find an empty waiting room. I close the door behind us.
Karim starts to fold his arms across his chest, but his bandage is in the way. He grunts. “I don’t think I’ll like what you’re going to say.”
I take a deep breath. “It won’t be enjoyable for me, either. So let’s not prolong this. I wanted to tell you that I’m going to remain in this country and learn English. I’m not going back to Riyadh with you.”
His face sags as if I’ve punched him. “Adeelah. Please believe me. Like I told you, you mean much more to me than any of those girls. I was willing to risk djinns and prison and Father’s controlling ways for you. I searched the world over to find you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” I say in a near-whisper. “I understand how you could’ve given up after all those years, but your actions have altered our relationship. The way I feel about you has changed. We started out with something enchanting and wondrous, but there’ve been too many other things in between then and now.”
“No.” He rakes his hands through his hair. “I can’t believe you’re giving up. Not when we’re finally together and you’re human again. Not when I’m fully human and not immortal anymore. It isn’t fair. You can’t do this to me, Adeelah.”
I stand by him, motionless while my thoughts whirl. No, life isn’t fair. It never has been. Marauders killed my family, and my love with Karim was meddled with by a wicked and manipulative father. I was imprisoned in a bottle for ten centuries while my beloved broke his promises and aligned himself with corrupt principles—while he had other lovers and then lied about them.
“You’re courageous, en
ergetic, and far beyond handsome,” I say, caressing his shoulder with a light hand. “A part of me will always love you.”
His eyes are sorrowful, as if I’ve wounded his soul. “You’re sounding pretty certain you want us to be over.”
“I am.” I let my hand fall. He moves toward me, and I take a step back. If he touches me, I might not have the strength to finish this.
His expression darkens. “This is ridiculous. You shouldn’t be making important decisions like this after all the stressful things you’ve been through. Give it some time, my love.”
I clench my teeth so hard my jaw aches. What I want to do is break off our connection, not break his heart. But I have no choice. “Time won’t change anything. I’m sure of it.”
“You can’t be serious. It’s bad enough I had to report my own father to the police and lose him. He’ll go to prison now, because of me.”
“No, he’s going to prison because of the crimes he committed,” I say, none too gently.
After a tense pause, Karim whirls and stalks to the door. “You’re so stubborn it makes me crazy. I expect now you’ll stick to your decision to end our relationship, just to spite me.”
“I wouldn’t do that.” It’s so hard for him to accept loss. He’s used to achieving whatever he desires. That much hasn’t altered over the centuries.
He takes a pen and paper from his pocket, and jots something down. “This is my phone number. You can borrow someone’s phone if you want to talk. And if you change your mind about us later on, you know where to find me in Riyadh.”
I take the paper. He yanks open the door, throws me a quick backward glance, and strides out.
Panic grips me. Is it really over? My feet carry me to the doorway, as though persistent strings of attachment still connect me to him. I watch him walk. He turns a corner, and then he’s gone. It’s a cheerless thought to imagine I’ll never see him again. Maybe I should’ve embraced him one last time for old times’ sake, and held him as I yearned to do for so long.
Too late.
I take deep breaths until my stomach settles and my nerves stop jangling so much. What next? I’m lost, floundering like a tiny boat on an infinite sea. My gaze slides to the end of the hall where David’s room is located.
No, I can’t go there yet. My heart hurts too much, even though I’m certain I’ve made the right decision.
I slip back inside the waiting room and step to the large window that overlooks a tidy garden area. Patches of morning fog nestle around shrubs, not yet dissolved by the sun. A gull perches on a bench for a few moments before crying out and taking to the sky.
A new life stretches before me, a life with a Karim-shaped hole in it. But I do have friends here: Nathan and Beagley, Cherie and Mrs. Turner. I know Ted and David. A fresh ache squeezes my heart. Out of those people, I treasure Nathan’s friendship the most. If he’s with Cherie, it will be difficult to live in Bandon and watch them be together. To see them hug and kiss and laugh. That alone is enough to wither my intentions to stay.
Still, her parents’ offer to live in their home is tempting. They’re pleasant folk and made me feel welcome last night. Those arrangements will help me get a good start. I could find work and save money to live in my own home. I’ll discover what I can do to make a difference in the world with my limited human powers. I can only try my best.
And last night, Cherie accessed a machine on her desk and transferred an astonishing kind of magic onto a silvery disc. Anytime I wish, I can insert the disc in a round black device she gave me. Soft buds go in my ear so I can hear a man’s voice, speaking phrases in my native language, followed by the same phrase in English. That will help integrate me into my new life.
After a long while of gazing out the window, I cross to the hall and lean against the doorframe. Nurses bustle from room to room. Sharp medicinal scents hang in the air. A cleaning woman rumbles by with a cart of paper towels, plastic bags, and bottles of orange liquid.
At David’s room, someone backs into the hall. It’s Beagley with his green hair, checking his watch and talking to someone. With his other hand, he’s holding Cherie’s and leading her from the room. He waves into the room. As he leaves with Cherie, he kisses the side of her face, and they saunter down the hall away from me.
I squint at them walking together. What’s happening here? Cherie bumps her hip sideways into Beagley’s, and he laughs. They’re still holding hands.
My head spins. Isn’t Cherie with Nathan? I review her interaction with him yesterday. In the hall when they first walked up to me…while he consoled me…as they ate their meal…no, they were relaxed, but they never acted in any other way besides a friendship. In fact, Beagley threw his potato wedges at her, which I suppose could’ve been construed as a flirtatious action. Boys don’t always do the most romantic things with their lady loves. No wonder she kicked him.
Nathan emerges from David’s room and scans the hall. He smiles when he sees me. With wide eyes, I point down the hall where Cherie and Beagley are about to disappear, and Nathan grins. He places his hands over his heart and bats his eyelashes.
I gawk as he saunters toward me. So Cherie has made her choice. It’s Beagley. Beagley! But Nathan acts accepting of the pairing, and far from grief-stricken.
Profound mirages of Arabia—can it be? Nathan and Cherie are content to be good friends. I take a steadying breath.
“Hi, Adeelah.” Nathan adds another phrase, one I have no idea what it means.
“Hi?” I say, trying his word on my tongue. It must be a greeting.
He holds up something furry and brown, an object I didn’t notice he was holding. It’s Wefler, the bear he gave me. I smile up at him and tuck it under my arm, where its soft fur tickles me.
“Thank you,” I say in my native language.
He says two words in English, which I believe is his version of my thanks. I repeat the phrase to learn it. He nods his approval.
When he points at me, crosses his wrists over his heart, and asks, “Karim?” I know he’s inquiring about our relationship. I make a regretful slashing motion with my hand to show it’s over.
With a sympathetic look, he steps closer and encloses me in a powerful hug. Like yesterday, his arms around me feel right. Solid. Warm and affectionate. Wefler, still in my hand, presses against Nathan’s back to take part in our reunion. A contented sigh seeps from my mouth. I tuck my head under his jaw by his neck, and it fits as though it belongs there. His laugh brushes my temple and tickles my ear.
I lift my head and drink in the sight of his nut-brown hair, his easy grin, his ever-kind and tender eyes. I’m entranced by the curves of his lips.
“Nathan.” It’s all I can say that he can understand, and it’s almost more than I can express anyway.
He bends down and presses a slow kiss onto the side of my mouth. Tingles run from my scalp to my toes. I feel his grin against my face, he’s so close.
“Kiss,” he says, and kisses me full on the mouth. I kiss him back. He tastes of peppermint and tenderness and promises of magical things.
This method of learning English is most enjoyable.
He draws back to run his fingers down my arm. We exchange smiles that stretch as wide as Arabian deserts.
“Kiss,” I say, and put the word into action again.
Here in the human realm, Nathan is what I want as part of my new life.
About the Author
Carol Riggs is a young adult author who lives in the beautiful green state of Oregon, USA. Her sci-fi debut novel, THE BODY INSTITUTE, released September 2015. She enjoys reading, drawing and painting, writing conferences, walking with her husband, and enjoying music and dance of all kinds. You will usually find her in her writing cave, surrounded by her dragon collection and the characters in her head.
@artzicarol
carolannriggs
www.carolriggs.com
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