Past Truths

by Em Pitts

  "Come here, pretty girl." Nick dropped his chair onto all four legs. "You can sit on my lap."

  "Not if she is going to be Isa—" Raynor started berating his brother before Ollie cut him off.

  I knew what his deep voice was going to say though. The elephant in the room. Isaake’s shoulders stiffened at the reminder as well.

  "Enough. We need to finish this up before our guests get here." Ollie stood from his chair. "Here, sit." He demanded of me. I complied and sat facing Raynor with Nick to my left and Isaake to my right.

  "Guests?" I questioned.

  "Not important." Ollie stated. I shook my head in bewilderment.

  I let it go, because Ollie was right, it wasn't the point of me being here. Even if part of me was curious as to why the four would be meeting anyone in this hidden room.

  "Why did you say I was going to marry you?" I looked at Isaake and got straight to the point.

  "I didn't see any other way out of the situation." His voice was muffled as his head stayed buried in his arms.

  "I could have told Judge no," I stated still not believing the only option was for me to marry him.

  "Yes, you could have disagreed with courting Judge.” Ollie spoke in Isaake’s place, seeing that Isaake was busy in his own thoughts right now. “But then, the issue would have been pushed for you to have more permanent housing. Either the minister would have tried to marry you off or sent you away. You weren't bringing any money into the village, neither did you have a husband with a trade skill that could be used nor a gift that could help. Not even Bridget could vouch for you if the minister made his mind up that you needed to leave." He seemed to lean further into the wall behind me as I glanced his way.

  Raynor and Nick looked glum at the words coming out of Ollie's mouth but didn’t bother to change them. It sounds bad, but still I had hope there could be another way.

  "And if I was sent somewhere else? We could still work on getting me home, right?" I wasn't expecting the downturned mouths to frown harder at my question.

  "What do you think a single woman with no family or home needs to do to make a living here? Especially if you relocated to a bigger town. If you don't find someone to marry you, then your future will be bleak." Ollie's words haunted me.

  Not only did I have no power here, but I was essentially being told that I was useless unless I was married...or a woman working in a different profession. I wouldn't have believed there were prostitutes here with the way everyone stays on their toes to avoid sins, but I'm positive that was what Ollie was referring to.

  "It doesn't matter," Raynor stated ending that train of thought. "You'll be under Isaake's protection now." He nodded firmly as if the decision was made. I cleared my throat because the decision was not made, not by me.

  "I appreciate you looking out for me, but that can't happen. I'm not even meant to be here, much less married to someone. You know that right?" I questioned disbelieving of the direction my life was headed in.

  "Why are you here?" Isaake's head popped up with his direct question. I looked at him affronted.

  "Because you guys dragged me into your secret underground room after deciding to marry me!" I raised my voice his way. He shook his head at me trying to stop where the conversation was going.

  "I mean why did you come here? To this specific time. To this specific place. If you were to time travel, why not any other time or place in the world? It seems oddly specific." He questioned while switching his gaze to the wall getting lost in thought.

  "I didn't very well have any choice," I added dryly. "I touched a clock and then there was a fire around me, and I was here. That's it."

  "What kind of clock? Was it different in some way?" He pushed giving me his full attention.

  Sure, now that you are stuck in a position to marry me you want to do anything you can to help me. I shook off my negative thoughts, because it didn’t matter the reason, help was what I needed.

  "Just some seventeenth century clock." I waved my hands as I spoke and tried to remember anything specific or different about it. "It was broken, and I was trying to fix it. There was an inscription on the inside, but I couldn't read it." I snorted out a laugh. "Hell, I cut my finger on it. Maybe I'm actually in a coma right now from infection and just making all of this up in my head."

  I knew the truth though. The pain I had felt when I was burnt was real. The soreness from my muscles aching after hours of work was real. The slight cramp in my side from laughing today with the children was real. My mind is not nearly imaginative enough for me to have created a whole new world and be living in it this way. I would have probably made up some naked tango sex dream that lasted for a night, then dreamed of Disney movies and unicorns the rest of my coma life. Don't judge, unicorns are pretty.

  "So, you were dabbling with a clock from this time, with an inscription that you couldn't read, and you bled on it. Then you ended up here." Isaake summed up.

  Raynor whistled low. "You think there were blood rituals involved?" He questioned Isaake who nodded slowly. Nick stiffened from the corner of my eye.

  "There was no ritual," I claimed immediately. "I didn't do anything to make it happen."

  "We did not think you did,” Isaake reassured me. “There are people who try to replicate the power of the gifts bestowed using blood rituals and calling demons. If the clock had been used in a ritual as a symbol or a focus of some sort it could have held remaining power that your blood activated. It could have brought you to this time because it was the time the clock was originally from." He started biting his lip deep in thought.

  "So, we need to do some kind of ritual to get me back?" I asked trying to follow along.

  A chorus of "No!" and "Hell, no!" surrounded me.

  "You don't mess with demons, Tess," Raynor stated seriously.

  "It can't be worse than going to receive a gift and possibly die from it," I commented while trying to think over the implications of demons making the clock magical.

  "It is," Raynor said.

  "Much worse," Ollie added ominously.

  "So," I drawled. "Demons, huh?"

  "Are said to be terribly scary. Can we move on from the doom and gloom now? I would much rather get to the fun facts of the night. Like how many wives do you plan on having Isaake?" Nick rested his chin on his hand and blinked toward Isaake who glared back.

  "Or," I interrupted. "We can continue giving me information since none of you normally do. I find that a much more appealing idea." I nodded to confirm my point.

  "Nick doesn't like demons." Raynor throws out casually.

  "I don’t believe in them," Nick comments back. "I figure we may as well have fun with our soon to be sister-in-law instead. There's no telling how many we will get." He offhandedly states.

  "I thought I was his first wife. Am I supposed to have sister-wives now?" I stated sarcastically. I immediately regretted speaking up when Nick looked more intrigued in the conversation. I think he forgot I didn't want to be a wife at all.

  "What's a sister-wife?" His raspy voice peaked in interest.

  I looked to the ceiling in exasperation and vaguely noticed the shadows from the torches moved slightly. Was there wind coming in here somehow?

  "A sister-wife is what women call each other when there are multiple women with one man. In my time they do anyway. I wouldn't be so happy if I were you. I turned my last boyfriend gay. For all you know, Isaake could instead try to get husband-brothers." I looked back down to see the varying expressions.

  Raynor looked amused, Ollie looked exasperated, Isaake raised his eyebrows and I couldn't determine what he was thinking. Nick’s face was carefully blank.

  "Husband-brothers is a thing where you're from?" He asked with little emotion. How strange. Did I say something wrong? I guess demons wasn’t the only subject he didn’t care to talk about.

  "I think anything is possible where I am from honestly. Men love men, women love women, men love both men and women, men turn into women..." I trailed off
. I never really thought about the possibilities before, but it really is anything goes in the future. "If you can think it, it's probably happened. People judge people for things, but a lot of people learned to not care what others thought and fought for what they believed. So, yeah. Anything is possible in my time." I shrugged my shoulders.

  I was watching Nick because I wasn't sure if I was offending him with his strange reaction. At my comment, I watched a range of emotions cross his face that surprised me. I caught relief and sadness. Was Nick gay and not able to be who he wanted to be? I had no idea how to help him, but I wanted to. At that moment I wanted to channel so many strong historical figures before me to stand in defense of Nick because no one should be forced to be someone they are not.

  His happy mask slipped back into place and it saddened me now that I saw a glimpse of something deeper underneath. "So, how many children are you going to have?" He cheekily asked.

  "Zounds it!" Isaake pinched the bridge of his nose while Raynor started laughing at his exclamation.

  "You should wear the dress Ellyne let you borrow. It matches your eyes." Nick sighed wistfully.

  Isaake joined in laughing as Ollie cracked up behind me. The dress did not match my eyes in any shape or form. The dress was blue, and my eyes were green.

  "What color are my eyes, Nick?" I asked in humor then put my hand over my eyes when he immediately looked to see. I bet he didn't know what color the dress was either.

  "Nope." I heard Ollie's voice from the wall. That cheater was trying to ask the others. I heard whispering from in front of me.

  "Blue, of course." Nick sounded so smug. I dropped my hand and stared at him to see him shoot a look at Isaake whose shoulders were shaking with mirth. "Laugh it up. You're the fool who doesn't know what color your wife's eyes are." Raynor and I joined in laughing with the men.

  It felt good, cathartic really. I get why Nick does this. He breaks up the tension and the serious moments because he finds other ways to deal with situations. I'm not saying you can always laugh your way through problems, but I know that the hard times become a lot easier when you find something to laugh at. I wasn't ready for it to end even though I knew it would soon.

  "It could be worse," I said as the chuckles died. "I could still have Judge's attention on me." I shivered. "Instead I get the cold and aloof guy." I snorted. "Isaake is still miles better than Judge, even if he looks like he wants to run away from everyone." I chuckled.

  I expected Nick to make a crack at Judge's expense. I didn't expect the table to get silent. I wanted the laughter to continue and I mentally kicked myself for breaking up the fun by bringing Judge's name up. My head shot up at the sound of a chair gently scraping the ground. Isaake's chair was empty and I turned around to see the door shut gently as he left through it.

  "He must really hate Judge." I forced a laugh out as I turned back to the other men. Nick was smiling awkwardly at me and Raynor's eyebrows were raised. Ollie took the empty chair.

  "Judge had nothing to do with it," Ollie said sounding tired now. I looked at all the men waiting for an explanation and finding none.

  "What the hell just happened?" I demanded.

  "You were mean, and he left," Raynor stated simply. Nick's smile seemed to be in pity now.

  How was I the cause of what just happened? I said that it could have been... oh. He might have taken offense to being described as a step above Judge in marriage choices. "But it isn't a real marriage anyway." I did call him cold and aloof too. "But I was just joking," I stated aloud. I didn't realize he would be sensitive to what I was saying. The other’s silence was grating on my nerves and my guilt was weighing heavy in my stomach. I hate this feeling.

  I got up and marched to the door ready to apologize, or demand him to see I was joking, or something. I needed to fix what I just broke.

  When I went through the door, I found a room with eight cots set up, four on each side. There were large holes poked at the top of the walls letting in air and sunlight. I wondered if that was easy to see on the outside or if it blended in with the wooden bridge frame.

  Isaake was sitting on a cot with his head in his hands. His shoulders tensed with the sound of the door clicking shut but he still didn't move. I tried to say something to fix what happened, but my mouth kept opening and closing like a fish. He saved me from making things worse when he spoke first.

  "I'm not..." he looked up, "I'm not cold and aloof. I just don't see the point in getting close to others is all." he suddenly found the wall fascinating.

  "I get it," I said, thinking about how Abby and I lived. We only ever had each other really and I didn't care to let in others who could hurt me. Like my mom…

  "No, you don't." His cold words doused the memories trying to flare up.

  I wanted to be angry at him for snapping at me, but his face wasn't just cold then, it was anguish that looked back at me. I sat on the cot in front of him directly in his sight so he wouldn't look away.

  "Then tell me." I kept my voice soft, not knowing if I was fucking this up more. It was his turn to lose his voice as I watched him try to find the words.

  "I lost someone. I watched their life leave them right in front of me. I still see her face. But it's never a happy smile or angry expression. It's at that moment when she was gone." Isaake's eyes were unfocused and I realized he was reliving the past. I put my hand on his knee to try and bring him back. It worked as he focused on my hand. "There's not really a point getting close after that." he finished.

  He looked so lost at that moment. His eyes were glued to my hand but the haunting look in them was miles away. I realized this wasn't about me commenting on his aloofness. This was about him being reminded that he was broken before and he knew he still hasn't healed. I would still be broken myself if it weren't for Abby. Isaake needed an Abby, but right now all he had was me.

  I thought about getting Nick to bring some humor into the problem, but I was the one to shatter the illusion of happiness we created moments ago. I needed to fix it. If that meant channeling Abby and Nick, then so be it.

  Getting up and moving onto the same cot, I threw my arms around Isaake pulling him close. He stiffened making me second guess my move.

  "Well, my husband has to be close at some point." I joked. "How else are we going to make all those babies everyone expects out of you?" He croaked out a strangled disbelieving laugh.

  "With the cold one?" His voice was rasped with emotion.

  "I'm hot enough to melt anyone," I replied indignantly. "Nick said so, I think. He says a lot of things so I'm sure that was in there." Maybe that was too much? You’re not trying to flirt, Tessa! You are fixing the mess you made.

  "Nick flirts with any pair of legs with a dress on. I'm sure he said that and much worse to many besides you." His laugh sounded more genuine and his body relaxed in my arms. Oh, thank goodness something was working.

  I continued to banter Nick's questionable choices while Isaake found himself again. I never let go and although he didn't wrap his arms around me as well, he was leaning into me before we finally got back up to face the guys. It may have only been minutes, but it felt like we just bridged lifetimes together in that vulnerable moment.

  I didn't stay long after that. Ollie pressed me to leave because the guests were supposed to be coming to meet them. Again, I was curious but not enough to stay where I was not wanted. Isaake was kind enough to walk me home. Nick must have been able to separate the water without the grand gestures because it was parted for us as the wall crumbled and I didn't even see Nick move. I was out of my depth with these men.

  12

  There's a squeezing and pounding sensation taking place in the middle of my brain when I open my eyes. The early morning daylight streaming through my window doesn’t help.

  Shit, daylight. I'm already late. I now need to rush through my morning routine getting dressed and finding some semblance of normal before I walk to the Teague's home.

  A knock on the bedroom door startles
me as I'm slipping my shoes on. "Come in," I call out almost falling as I hop on my one foot stuffing my other foot into the stubborn boot.

  Granny slips through the door, looking in a rare good mood. I am on instant alert wondering what happened. Maybe Edward ran away, and a hot young hunk came to comfort her last night? I almost snort at the image, bringing my hands to my lips to hold off my laughter.

  "You'll be helping the Winter’s this morning." My hand drops at her announcement.

  "Who?" I question.

  "The minister and his wife." I stiffen up with the realization, then drop to sit on the bed.

  I figured the minister would leave me alone after finding out about my fake marriage. Judge Snelling seemed to be the one pushing the whole episode yesterday.

  "Why?" I managed to get out. If the minister was someone to keep an eye out for, then being in his home every day did not sound like a good idea.

  "Jayne is refusing to have you back in her home," Granny replied gleefully, rattling me.

  "Is that supposed to be a good thing?" I questioned her obvious enjoyment.

  "That daft girl ranted all evening yesterday when she accompanied Hector in here. Anytime someone causes a problem for the little princess, it's a wonderful day. I'm starting to really like you, Tessa!" She chortles. "Even Hector seemed annoyed with her before the two left here."

  I shook my head and couldn't help the smile creeping up on my face. It was kind of funny that Granny got such a kick out of Jayne's displeasure. I hated that everyone seemed to notice Jayne's selfish and annoying behavior, except Hector. I hoped Granny was right and maybe his honeymoon glasses were slipping off to notice what was so obvious.

  "Alright, how am I getting to the Winter's?" I questioned.

  "I'll walk you, when you're ready."

  "Lead the way." I stand up ready for the day.

  "In your knickers?"