by Linnea Hall
Dot looked into Collin’s eyes as she laid her hand gently on his leg. “No, honey. Your Uncle isn’t crazy. We’ve all wanted to tell you for years, but your uncle was just so sure that you would be a skip. He wanted so badly for it to be true. You don’t know how hard it was for him to admit that you were afflicted.”
Collin nodded. “You? Are you immortal, or whatever, too?”
Dot nodded. “We all are. Everyone in the Family.”
“So then, if this is genetic, are we all really related?”
“No. It’s like any other genetic disease. Many people can have it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re related.”
Collin sat quietly for a moment, thinking about what Dot had told him. “Why…why do you all talk about it like it’s a disease? I mean, isn’t immortality what everyone wants? Isn’t it humanity’s ultimate desire; to achieve immortality in some form or another? Isn’t that why we have religion?”
“Maybe some people want it. The grass is always greener…” Dot shrugged. “But that’s what it is Collin. It’s a genetic mutation, like a cancer. It’s not normal. And it’s not…” Dot trailed off.
“It’s not as wonderful as you thought it would be?” Collin finished for her.
Dot shook her head and started to get up.
“Wait.” Dot paused as Collin called her back. “How many are there? How many of you…of us?”
“In the Family there are not quite two hundred. We tend to stick together. That’s enough for now. Finish up.” She walked quietly from the room, closing the door behind her.
Collin carefully set the tray on the other side of the bed and got up. He didn’t feel too bad. He walked to the window and pulled the curtains back. The view was breathtaking. He stared across a desert landscape, beautiful in its bareness, against a backdrop of majestic mountain peaks. He turned when he heard the door open.
“Do you feel well enough to come downstairs?” His uncle was standing in the doorway.
“Yeah, sure. I guess.” Collin walked into a hallway painted in light earth tones. He followed his uncle through a large kitchen and into a sitting room with a large fireplace on the far end. The window shades were open displaying a yard with a pool, landscaped to look as if it was a natural oasis in the desert surrounding it. Everyone was waiting, an impromptu meeting. He sat down in an overstuffed suede chair and looked around the room.
“Well, what do you want to know?” Kendryck started the conversation.
“Where are we?”
“Just outside of Tucson.” Carl answered. Collin nodded, surveying the group surrounding him.
“And you all feel the same? That coming here was necessary?” Everyone nodded. “When can I leave?”
“What?” His uncle was clearly surprised by this question.
“When can I leave? I need to get back to Jewell.”
His uncle was momentarily speechless. “Didn’t you listen to anything we told you? You can’t go back. You need to forget about Jewell.”
“I don’t see how that’s your decision.”
“It’s not yours either Collin! If I hadn’t been selfish, Avelyn wouldn’t have died. You have no right to do to Jewell what I did to Avelyn. If you truly love her, you’ll let her go now, before it’s too late.”
“That’s between me and her Uncle Percy. I think she has a right to know the truth and make her decision based on that.”
“That’s not all. You’re putting her in danger by being with her. We think the man stalking her is one of the Obsidian Knights, the same group that killed your parents.”
“Excuse me? The who?” Collin was getting exasperated. He needed to get back to Jewell.
“The Obsidian Knights. They were formed in the 1300’s by order of King Phillip IV with the specific task of obtaining evidence to prove the accusations of heresy brought by the King and supported by the Catholic Church. The Obsidian Knights continue to look for people like us. We…” he gestured around the room, “are summarily executed for drinking from the Holy Grail to obtain everlasting life.”
“Great. So you’re saying that my girlfriend, because of me, is being stalked by some religious fanatics that think I drank from a mythical cup? How do they know I didn’t just go swimming in the Fountain of Youth?” The more Collin heard, the more he knew that he had to get back to Jewell, at least to warn her. “So what about these Templar Knights? Where are they?”
“Sheriff Payne is overseeing Jewell’s protection. The Obsidian Knights will probably lose interest in a week or two when they don’t find you.”
“Probably?” Collin looked at his uncle unconvinced.
His uncle shrugged. “The point is we need to think of the Family first.”
Collin had had enough. He got up from the chair and started walking around the house looking for his keys. He was in an unfamiliar place so he quickly became frustrated. Gladys found Collin sitting in the dining room with his head in his hands. She walked up to him and put her hand on his back. He looked up at her, his eyes glistening with tears. She placed a set of car keys on the table in front of him and walked away.
Collin slipped the keys into his pocket and went back into the bedroom where he had been when he first regained consciousness. He looked in the drawers of the bureau and found his clothes, neatly arranged. He pulled out a clean set of clothes, and wandered down the hall looking for a bathroom. After he had showered, he felt a little better. He pulled the keys out of the jeans he had been wearing and slipped them into his pocket. He looked around the room and found a small suitcase in the closet. He placed it on the bed and packed it with as many clothes as he could fit in the bag. He set the bag inside the closet, and walked back into the living room where his family was watching television. The TV was on the far wall, facing away from the doorway, but the living room was adjacent to the front door. He wandered around the house until he found a side door, leading into a huge garage on the opposite side of the house.
He went back to his room and picked up the suitcase. He walked back to the garage and slipped out of the house. His car was parked in the driveway behind the other cars. He got into his car, and started it, wincing at the sound as the engine revved. He sat for a moment, watching the front door. When no one came out, he shifted his car into reverse, and backed out of the driveway.
Once on the road, he didn’t know which way to go. He turned right, driving until he found a service station where he purchased a map of Tucson and asked directions to the nearest airport. He was back in New Orleans by eight. He rented a car, opting for something nondescript rather than his usual choice. He had noticed that he still had a key to the New Orleans House on his keychain so he drove there. He half expected someone to be waiting for him, whether his uncle, or one of the mysterious Obsidian Knights. But when he arrived, the house was empty, looking just as it had when he had last been there two days ago.
He went to the back of the house, to the servants’ quarters where he stayed before. He set his alarm for five, planning to drive to the hospital in the morning to wait for Jewell. If she wasn’t there, he would drive to her house. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
Collin fell asleep quickly, despite having been asleep for over twenty-four hours the day before. Collin dreamed of Jewell. Initially, his dreams were pleasant. He dreamt of the two of them together. They were happy, they were both young. Soon however, he began to sleep more fitfully, his dreams unpleasant. They were running, huge black shadows chasing them. As fast as they ran, the shadows moved faster, always gaining on them. When the shadows reached them, they were plunged into blackness so deep that he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. He called for Jewell, there was no answer. Abruptly, the scene changed. He was sitting in front of an old woman. She was crying, apologizing over and over again. He held her hand, trying to soothe her. When she looked up, he saw that it was Jewell; she was apologizing for growing old, leaving him behind.
As he drove to the hospital the next morning, he though
t about his dreams. Then he thought about the story his uncle had shared with him. If he stayed with Jewell, would he put her in danger? Would he put her family in danger? Would he put his Family in danger? As he drove into the garage at the hospital, he no longer had the resolve of this morning. Instead, he realized that his uncle was right; he had to leave her, to let her live a normal life. But first, he told himself, he would make sure she was safe. Just look at her one more time, but without letting her know he was there.
He parked his car near the employee entrance and watched as employees filed out the doors. Jewell was not among them. She must not have worked last night. He was a bit disturbed that no one had asked him why he was there, but he thought that perhaps it was because Jewell wasn’t working, and since she was the target, security was not as careful. He left the garage, turning towards the Causeway leading to Jewell’s house.
Chapter 33
“He’s only been gone for three days. What do you mean ‘get over it’?” Jewell was irritated that her best friend wasn’t even supporting her.
“C’mon Jewell; you know that’s not what I meant. I just meant…you need to keep going. It’s not going to do you any good to stay in bed all day. I want to go to the Aquarium and I don’t want to go by myself. Neither of us has been there since Katrina. Let’s go.” Ashley gave Jewell her most pathetic, needy, pleading look. “I let you stay in bed all day yesterday feeling sorry for yourself. You need to get out and do something.”
Jewell didn’t want to go to the aquarium; she didn’t want to do anything. But looking at Ashley standing there, she knew that if she didn’t go, Ashley would stand there all day; it wasn’t going to change the fact that Collin was gone, but Ashley was right, lying in bed feeling sorry for herself wasn’t going to make anything better. “Fine. It might be good to get out. At least the aquarium is one thing we didn’t do together. Maybe it’ll take my mind off of him for a while. Let me take a quick shower.”
Ashley put down the magazine she had been leafing through when Jewell came back into the bedroom. “That’s my girl!” Ashley handed Jewell a white sleeveless Polo top and a pair of floral shorts.
“Where’d these come from?” Jewell asked pulling on the shorts.
“I’m getting fat. They don’t fit me anymore.” She shrugged.
Ashley put the shirt on and buttoned it up. “Let me brush my teeth and blow-dry my hair.” Jewell walked slowly back to the bathroom.
Ashley pulled open Jewell’s closet and started sorting through her shoes. She sighed at the collection of shoes that looked like they belonged to a twelve year old. Finally she found a pair of cute white strappy sandals. She pulled them out of the closet and waited for Jewell to come back. When Jewell came back to her room, Ashley handed her the sandals, “here, put these on and we’ll go.”
Jewell stared at the shoes for a minute. “No, not these,” she said quietly. She put them back in the closet and pulled out her white Keds.
“What was wrong with those, they would’ve looked cute…” Ashley looked at Jewell’s face. “Oh, you’re right, the Keds are more practical. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Ashley silently scolded herself. She should have known that Jewell would have never bought those shoes for herself, they were too stylish. They must have been one of the pairs that Collin had bought for her.
Jewell pulled on her shoes and they walked out to the driveway. Ashley had parked her Corolla on the street so they could take Jewell’s car. “So when are you going to get a car as stylish as your clothes?” Jewell asked, opening the driver’s side door to get in.
“As soon as I can afford a Nissan Z convertible.” Ashley answered bluntly, pulling her door closed. Jewell carefully backed out of the driveway and drove to the end of the street. Neither of them noticed the silver Mazda sedan pulling into traffic behind them.
Collin followed Jewell’s car as she turned right onto West 21st Avenue. He tried to keep a couple of cars between them so that the girls wouldn’t notice they were being followed. He was happy to see that she was getting out. He had been concerned about how his leaving would affect her. He had sat in front of her house all day yesterday and hadn’t seen her at all. He knew she wasn’t at work, and that she wasn’t with Ashley. The fact that she hadn’t left the house had worried him. He saw Ashley pull up this morning. When Jewell’s dad opened the door, he looked tired and anxious. He spoke with Ashley at the door for a minute before nodding and letting her in.
Collin followed Jewell and Ashley to the Aquarium of the Americas. He tried to stay far enough behind them that they wouldn’t notice him if they turned around as he followed. He knew that if Jewell saw him, she would recognize him immediately.
He hadn’t intended to stay once he determined that Jewell was alright, but somehow, he just couldn’t leave. Part of him knew that it was best for Jewell if he would turn around and walk away now, but part of him couldn’t live without her. He justified following her by telling himself that he was just making sure that she wasn’t be followed by anyone, well…anyone undesirable.
He didn’t have any trouble keeping an eye on the two women. Jewell’s hair practically glowed, sending out its own light, a beacon guiding him home. He looked around the crowd surrounding the shark tank. His eye was caught by two middle aged men staring at Jewell and Ashley. He tensed as the men walked up to them. He watched as the girls listened to the men, then Jewell and Ashley looked at each other, smiling. She saw Ashley shake her head, and gesture between her and Jewell, taking Jewell’s hand. The two men looked at the two girls holding hands and stepped away, holding their hands up as if in apology. When they had dissolved into the crowd, Jewell and Ashley looked at each other and laughed. They moved in the opposite direction as the two men, moving towards the stairs to the second floor.
He watched them as they moved through the exhibits slowly, pointing to the different animals as they looked into the tanks; they even went to the stingray touch pool.
When Ashley and Jewell turned to leave the stingray pool and head to the food court for some lunch Jewell stopped, staring. “Did you see that?” Jewell asked Ashley pointing towards the sea otter exhibit.
“See what?” Ashley asked as Jewell grabbed her hand and pulled her in that direction.
“I saw Collin.” Jewell said excitedly.
“What?” Ashley pulled her hand free of Jewell’s and stopped, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Ashley, c’mon. I’m serious. It was Collin, I’d know him anywhere.” She started walking, not checking to see if Ashley was following. She searched the area where she had seen him standing and saw him as he turned the corner heading towards the Frogs exhibit. Moving as fast as she could through the crowd, she searched for the figure she had seen watching her. As she came to the corner, she stopped, searching.
Ashley walked up beside her. “Jewell, it was probably just someone who looked a little like him. I know how much you miss him, but you need to let him go.”
Jewell was still searching the crowd. She walked forward into the Frog Exhibit, straining her head to see if she could catch sight of him again. Not seeing him, she turned, walking toward the seahorse gallery. Ashley sighed and followed. Finally, they had made a full circuit of the second floor. “I know it was him.” She said, depressed and frustrated.
Ashley put her arm around Jewell’s shoulders and led her into the food court. They bought a couple of hamburgers with some French fries and Cokes. Finding an empty table, they sat down to eat. Jewell sat, facing the aquarium, watching the people as they passed. She didn’t even touch the hamburger sitting on the tray in front of her. Ashley sighed. She was trying not to worry, but if Jewell was going to see Collin in strangers…She worried about the possibilities if she followed the wrong person.
When they finished eating, they cleared their table and started toward the stairs leading to the ground floor. “You think I’m crazy.” Jewell said, suddenly a hint of anger in her voice.
“No.” Ashley responded. “
I think you really loved him, and you miss him, and it’s going to take time before you can accept that he’s gone.”
Jewell nodded, looking at her feet. After a few minutes, she looked up. “Thanks. For being here, I mean; for understanding.”
Ashley reached around and squeezed Jewell’s shoulders. They walked like that, Ashley’s arm around Jewell’s shoulder as they left the aquarium.
Collin sat on the ground near the parking lot waiting for Jewell and Ashley to leave the aquarium. He had managed to slip into a bathroom, and then leave the aquarium after Jewell had passed. When Collin spotted the girls, he followed them to the French Market in the French Quarter, a sort of large flea market, where they wandered slowly between the displays, picking up an item here and there, putting it back and moving on to the next display.
On their way back to the car Ashley and Jewell walked past Jackson Square where Jewell stopped. Collin could see Jewell gesturing toward St. Louis Cathedral as if she was explaining something. After a minute, she stopped, and he saw Ashley pull her into an embrace. Although he wasn’t close enough to hear or see what was happening, he could tell that Jewell was crying. He took several steps towards the two girls before realizing what he was doing. He yearned to take her in his arms, to comfort her, to tell her he loved her and they would be together forever. He felt guilt wrench at his insides, knowing that he was the one that caused her pain, knowing that he was the one that could end it.
But then he thought of what his uncle told him about Avelyn. How her choice, in his uncle’s mind, had caused her more misery than she would have suffered had she stayed in Bishop’s Lynn with her family. Collin’s uncle also blamed himself for Avelyn’s death; and even though Collin knew that Avelyn would have probably suffered the same fate at home in Bishop’s Lynn, he couldn’t help but think that in those last moments, her thoughts were probably of her family. He also thought about the pain her decision must have caused her family, never knowing of her fate.