Perception

by A. L. Waddington

  I picked up my phone and stared at his name on my screen curious as to what would happen if I woke him up in the middle of the night. Does it affect his day in 1878? Did my being awake right now mean that I’m soulless there? Does my body collapse there when I am abruptly awoken in the middle of the night here and my soul returned to this body? How does all of this work?

  I thought perhaps Jackson may have some answers, but I really wanted to speak with Robert and Emily. They were more likely to have the answers I was seeking. Still, it was two thirty in the morning and I couldn’t justify waking them up over something that might well be as simple as a nightmare.

  I pushed the button and waited for Jackson to answer. I wasn’t sure what repercussions our being awake may have, but I felt I had to talk to him before I started screaming myself.

  “Hello,” a sleepy voice finally answered.

  “Jackson, I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “Are you all right? What happened?” My heart ached for the concern I heard in his voice.

  “Don’t worry, I’m fine. It’s Sidney.”

  “Sidney?”

  “Look Jackson, I need you to do me a favor. I know you and William used to sneak in and out of my house undetected. I really need you to do that now if you will. Please?” I felt terrible thinking of the consequences my selfishness might bring about.

  “All right,” I heard the hesitation in his voice.

  “I’m sorry to ask, I know it’s late, but this is important.”

  “I will be there in a moment.”

  “Oh, wait . . . Jackson?” I gushed.

  “Yes?”

  “Be careful, my parents are up and about.”

  Jackson chuckled softly. “Not to worry, they will never know I am there.”

  I tossed my cell back on my bed and stared back out the bay window, waiting to see Jackson run across the yards. I curled up in the window seat and leaned my head against the cold glass. Several minutes passed with no movement around my yard or Jackson’s. Maybe it’s just taking him a few minutes to get dressed or perhaps he’s misplaced his shoes. Yeah right, I laughed to myself, like that would ever happen. Jackson and his family were notoriously neat and organized, so unlike my own family.

  “See anything interesting?” The sound of his voice caused me to jump out of my skin.

  “Oh my goodness!” My hands leapt up to my chest. “You nearly scared me to death.”

  He laughed softly. “William and I are very talented.” Jackson walked over and put his arms around me and kissed me gently.

  “I should say so,” I kissed him back.

  “You never even saw me cross did you?” His smiled widened.

  “No,” I shook my head in disbelief. “I’m impressed.” I kissed him again.

  “So what has got your house in an uproar?” He crossed over and sat down on my bed. I walked over and peeked out my door quietly. “Oh, do not worry, your parents are still upstairs with Sidney and Ethan is asleep. I checked,” Jackson whispered.

  I closed the door without a sound and breathed deeply. This was going to be a long night, I thought, crawling back up on my bed and under my comforter. I was freezing. I situated myself, pulling the blankets up around my neck and snuggling into Jackson’s chest. This is where I belong, either here or there, this is my home.

  “Better now?” His voice was warm and soft.

  “Much.” I smiled up into his eyes and held them for a moment before he leaned over and kissed my forehead.

  “So . . . explain,” He wrapped his arms tightly around me.

  Jackson and I cuddled in the dark while I explained Sidney’s ordeal and my concerns thereafter. I told him about my fears and the feelings that were aroused in me seeing her like that. I confided in him all my thoughts, apprehensions, doubts, and skepticisms about everything that was building up in me. He remained silent listening to me rant and rave in a calm but dramatic fashion.

  “Now do you think I’m insane?” I sighed loudly and thought of how crazy he must believe me to be.

  But he only squeezed me tighter against him, “Not at all.” He kissed the top of my head again. “I believe you have every right to be concerned about your sister especially after all you have been through recently. And yes, there is a chance that Sidney inherited the same gene you did. Perhaps Ethan did as well, I do not know. But I do know that if Sidney did inherit EVE she is at the right age for the barrier to begin disintegrating naturally.”

  “What are the odds of her having it?”

  “I wish I could tell you, but I have no clue.”

  “But what about the time period thing? I don’t ever remember seeing Sidney or anyone to her likeness there, do you?”

  “No.”

  “Is it possible that her time period differs from mine?” I looked up into his eyes pleading for answers.

  “I suppose it is possible. Anything is possible. I wish there was more I could tell you. I wish I had some answers or facts, something that would make you feel better.”

  “Would your parents know?” I asked with hope.

  “Maybe,” he sighed heavily. “I would bet one of my grandmothers would know.”

  “Can you ask them?”

  “Sure,” he chuckled slightly. “Do you have an Ouija Board or we could hold a séance on the next full moon.”

  “Thanks, glad to know your sense of humor is still intact.” I rolled my eyes, trying not to laugh out loud.

  “I’m sorry. They both passed away a long time ago.” He settled back down. “I do wish we could ask them. There are still so many things about all this that I don’t understand. I’m afraid it can be quite frustrating in the bigger scope of things.”

  “I wish there was a way to get some real factual answers,” I complained.

  “I know. Maybe that is why most of us avoid asking them. Perhaps knowing the truth is more harmful than the not knowing.” Jackson sighed deeply and was quiet for several minutes, lost in his own thoughts.

  “Doesn’t it bother you not knowing how many people have this . . . this EVE thing?” I leaned up and looked at his silhouette in the dark. His face appeared troubled in the dark shadows.

  “It did in the beginning. I was just like you and questioned everything. Now I think I have just accepted my life . . . or lives, as they are. But I have to admit I was so thrilled when I learned that you had inherited it as well. I was considering what your Uncle Monte did because I could not imagine loving anyone like I love you and I really didn’t want to only spend half my life with you.”

  “You know, after talking with your sister I do understand her reasoning, but I don’t believe it is something that I could do either. I couldn’t fathom sharing my life with or loving anyone as much as I love you.” He gave me a gentle squeeze but said nothing as I rested my head back against his chest.

  I closed my eyes and listened to his heart’s strong steady rhythm. It was like a lullaby luring me off to another time and place where we would still be by each other’s side. The idea of our parallel existences still felt rather absurd, yet strangely I was becoming more and more comfortable with the bizarre feelings, visions and moments of déjà vu that encompassed my life daily.

  ***

  The blinding morning sun blazing though my window woke me shortly before noon. Jackson, of course, was long gone. I had no idea what time he left but it was comforting to know that he’d stayed until he was sure I was sound asleep. I rubbed my eyes and listened to the sounds of everyone moving around downstairs. I wondered how Sidney was doing in light of her horrific slumber. I wondered if I should try and talk to her about it and see if she would give me any details behind what caused her to wake up screaming in the dead of night. I seriously doubted she would. If she was experiencing anything remotely close to what I had, there was no way she was going to admit anything.

  After a hot shower I went downstairs in search of my morning coffee. My dad was at the kitchen table looking tired and reading the morning paper.

&nbs
p; “Good morning,” he muttered without looking up.

  “Good morning. Where is everyone?” I inquired, pouring myself a fresh cup.

  “At the store. They left about an hour ago.” I sat down across from him and he finally lowered the paper. His eyes were dark and heavy.

  “Did you get back to sleep after all that?”

  “I wish. I don’t know what she was dreaming about but it clearly scared the life out of her. I’ve never seen her like that before.” My dad shook his head slightly.

  “Me neither. Did she ever tell you what it was about?” I casually inquired, sipping my coffee.

  “No, she wouldn’t talk about it. I asked several times and so did your mother, but she refused to say anything.”

  “That’s strange.”

  “Yeah, well, she’s stubborn, just like you,” he muttered. “So what are your plans for today?”

  “I’m heading over to Jackson’s.”

  “Of course,” he mumbled from behind his paper. “Like I even needed to ask.”

  “Funny, Dad,” I got up and put my mug in the sink. “I’ll be home later.”

  “Have a good day,” he hollered after me as I headed to the front door.

  “You too,” I yelled back, closing the door behind me.

  Despite the bright sunrays beaming down upon me, the air was cold and tore straight through my clothes. I zipped my sweatshirt the rest of the way up and pulled the hood over my head to block the wind from echoing in my ears. I descended the steps slowly, absorbing the ambiance around me and considered briefly the vast difference the view from these steps looked between the times. How wonderful and strange the passage of time affected all things in this world. It still amazed me and I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever stop feeling in awe of it. I hoped not.

  Jackson was reading by the fire when I arrived. He appeared well rested despite having spent half the night over at my house dealing with my hysterics. His dark tan shirt complemented him nicely and he looked as handsome as ever. I paused in the archway of their family room and watched him silently for a few minutes, waiting for him to notice my presence. I still could not believe how fortunate I was to have him in my life. Not only was he unbelievably gorgeous, he was kind and sweet with a heart of gold. His minor flaws were only those that actually enhanced his character of being old fashioned in his beliefs and treatment of me.

  Adjusting to the differences between my two worlds was so bizarre. It seemed to me that the only stable characters were Jackson and his family. Their behavior never wavered no matter which plane we were on. I, on the other hand, was drastically different from one place to the other. Although that gap somehow seemed to be shortening with the passage of time the larger the holes in my consciousness became.

  “Hello, beautiful.” Jackson looked up and smiled. “How are you?” He got up and walked over to greet me properly.

  His lips pressed against mine as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer to him. Instantly, heat soared through my body and butterflies danced around in stomach. I draped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through the back of his curls.

  Reluctantly, he pulled away and took a step back. “You have got to stop that.” A devilish grin slid across his shapely lips.

  “I could say I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t mean it.” I smirked back while he took my hand and led me over to the couch.

  I snuggled into the nook under his arm and rested my head against his chest, picking up the book he was reading. “Pride and Prejudice.” I glanced up at his face surprised in his choice of literature.

  “Yes, Mrs. Runyon has a strange sense of humor.” He half laughed, half snorted.

  “Oh, you got Runyon,” I giggled. “I feel sorry for you. She’s notorious for being strict and rude. I was so glad that I didn’t get stuck with her.”

  “Thanks,” he smirked. “Who did you get?”

  “Mrs. Killian. She’s fabulous. I love her. We just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I loved it. I’ve seen the movie. Well, we’ve got it on DVD. It’s one of my mom’s favorites and I’ve seen it so many times I’ve got it memorized. But I was really shocked the book was nothing like the movie.”

  “I know, but I really love them both.”

  I flipped over the book and started reading over the paragraph on the back. “I’m surprised you haven’t read this before for another course at least.”

  “No, I have been lucky so far.” He sighed deeply and tossed the book onto the coffee table. “I normally love reading, but I cannot get into the way her writing is structured.”

  “Really? I love her writing. This is one of my favorite books.”

  “I never do this, but I think this time I will have to rent to the movie.” He rolled his eyes.

  “No need. I have it. The version with Keira Knightly. I’ve watched it a million times.”

  “Great. Can I borrow it?” He tightened his grip.

  “Of course, but I do believe you should really finish the book first before you watch it. It honestly is a great book.”

  “I am sure it is. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I have a beautiful, sexy lady to read it to me.” He flashed his mischievous lop-sided grin. “Would you like to volunteer?”

  “To read to you?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Bae, you expect me to spend my time, neglect my own studies because you don’t like her style of writing?” I teased.

  “Please.” He stuck out his lower lip in a pout.

  “I’m sure Taylor would love the job.” I gave him a playful shove.

  “I’d rather not, thank you very much. Used equipment is really not my style,” he quipped.

  “Wow . . . I can’t believe you said that!” I busted out laughing, completely stunned by his words. “Even though it’s true . . . still . . . wow!”

  “I’m sorry. That was a horrible thing to say, even if it is true. I just get so tired of her behavior. I hate the way she acts. I swear the girl has no self-esteem whatsoever.”

  “I know. Don’t worry about it. I’ve said worse about her and she’s said much worse about me,” I giggled.

  “Anyway, will you help me?” he pleaded with those adorable green eyes that I was totally helpless against.

  “Of course,” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “But first I have some questions for your parents. Are they home?”

  “Yes, they are in the study. Excuse me for a moment. I will get them.”

  My eyes followed him out of the room and lingered even after he had disappeared. His grammar and manners never ceased to amaze me. Strangely enough, I was getting so accustomed to them that it really didn’t seem foreign anymore. Stranger still, with the barrier decreasing, slang was sounding so wrong in my ears and it stuck out whenever I heard it, especially at school.

  Robert and Emily followed Jackson back into the living room and greeted me with warm smiles. Robert, even on a lazy Saturday afternoon, was wearing slacks, a dress shirt, and a sweater. I smirked to myself thinking of my own father who was home tinkering with God only knows what in his stocking feet, sweatshirt, and flannel pajama bottoms. How different the two of them were. Emily was wearing a pair of fitted jeans, stylish brown boots, a silk cream colored shirt with a dark brown vest over it with a couple scarfs, one light tan and the other a pale teal, looped elegantly once around her neck and hung slightly uneven down her front. She looked beautiful.

  “Hello, dear. How are you doing today?” Emily asked, sitting down on the loveseat with her husband.

  “Wonderful, thank you, and you?”

  “Relaxing, finally. Everyone headed home this morning so I started cleaning as soon as they left.”

  “Yes, it was so nice of you to start vacuuming at 6 a.m.,” Jackson smirked.

  “I said I was sorry. You should have been up to see them off anyway.” She smiled sweetly at her son.

  “I’m sorry, but they decided to leave at five in the morning and I was dealing with someone’s overac
tive imagination until four.” He gave me a playful nudge.

  “Hey, it was not my fault. Blame Sidney. She was the one screaming in the middle of the night, not me.” I playfully shoved him back. “Why did they leave so early?” I turned back towards his parents.

  “They wanted to do some Christmas shopping in New York on their way back to Boston,” Robert replied.

  “That would be fun.” I rested back against Jackson.

  “Phoebe loves New York and shopping is her favorite past time,” Emily offered. “I am glad she has a successful career to go with her expensive taste.”

  “My sentiments exactly,” Robert chimed in. “Her college education was less expensive than her wardrobe.”

  “You only have yourself to blame for that. You spoiled her rotten. I do not believe I have ever heard you say no to her,” Jackson said with a grin.

  “What?” Robert attempted to look innocent glancing between his son and his wife. “She is my only daughter,” he explained, shrugging his shoulders.

  I giggled softly while Jackson rolled his eyes and remained silent. Emily took a deep breath and sighed. “Anyway, Jocelyn, Jackson tells us your sister had a rough night. Did she confide in you about what happened?”

  “I’m afraid not.” Both his parents nodded, but said nothing. “The weird thing is, looking at her, well . . . it was like looking in the mirror of my other self. I know it sounds strange, but what I can recall . . . the look in her eyes, that terrified uncertainty, was staring back at me again.”

  “Have you tried in a round-about way of bringing up the subject?” Emily asked, leaning a little forward.

  “No. I don’t know if it is possible if she could have inherited EVE as well.”

  “It is possible. Your uncle passed it on to you. She could have very well inherited it also. Maybe even Ethan too. Plus, Sidney is the right age for the barrier to start naturally disintegrating,” Robert noted.

  “But wouldn’t there have been signs before the onset of the nightmares?”

  “There probably was, you just weren’t around her to notice anything unusual. She lives on campus after all and rarely makes it home,” Emily offered.

  “True,” I said in a low voice more to myself than either of them.