Through the Windshield Glass

by Kristen Day

  Kinga's superstitions had been somewhat correct. True names were powerful, but not because using one was like uttering a spell. It was more like by knowing someone's real name, a person could really begin to understand someone. Memories could be shared and closeness would make eventually make them vulnerable. Kinga had been unable to see that the vulnerability she so feared could have been her biggest asset. She might have tried kissing Daman for the shock factor, it would've saved a lot of lives.

  Every day I watched for a sign of James or Rebecca, but my search was in vain. I felt almost certain James was still trapped in his hall and there was no telling if Rebecca would be in any kind of shape to travel. Dozens of the smartest and bravest minds we could find were working on figuring out how to get rid of the halls, but to no avail. It seemed as though the hateful things might be in place permanently.

  Maria was heading up a new search party for the lost door when she bumped into a woman in the courtyard. I watched from a high window as Maria and her mother embraced and fell crying to the earth. I had to turn away before my own tears of longing blurred my vision and someone caught me staring out a window again.

  I hadn't seen much of Michael since the day at the graves. He'd been extremely busy helping Katelyn find newcomers places to stay, and making dozens of trips back to the compound to urge more people to leave. I understood that he had more important things to do than keep me company all day, but I couldn't help but miss him. I still had doubts about our relationship, each time anything had happened between us either he or I had been in such an emotional rut it was hard to say if the happenings were true feelings or an outlet for our overflowing emotions. Or simply Leigh's artful persuasion.

  My questions were all answered in one whirlwind moment one day as I was helping Maria and her mother clean up after a meal. A tap on my shoulder pulled me from the intoxicating movement of my own hands scrubbing a nasty stain off of a long table.

  "What is it, Mrs. Cole?" I asked agitatedly. Wendy Cole had made it a habit of tapping me on the shoulder before asking my permission to do just about anything; she had even asked my leave to sneeze once. She still hadn't made it to the point where she was able to think for herself and had taken to using me as her informant in all things.

  "Last I checked, I wasn't a Mrs.," a familiar voice said. I coud hear the smile in my brother's voice before I saw it on his face.

  "Jamie!" I squealed before hugging him tightly and refusing to let go, "Where were you? You didn't go through all the doors did you?" I shot my questions like bullets into James' chest.

  I felt James draw breath as though he were going to answer, but someone beat him to it, "We figured out the hallways. There was a door in Daman's room that connected to all of them. As soon as we opened it people started pouring through by the thousands."

  I hadn't noticed Michael standing behind James, "The door?" I asked.

  Michael shook his head, "It's just an entrance, not an exit. As long as we leave it open people just have to walk through it; no extra doors."

  "You found Michael?" I asked James.

  "No," James replied, "He found me. I was asking about you and he brought me straight here."

  I walked over to Michael and beckoned him with a finger down to my level, "Thank you," I said. I kissed him on the cheek and watched as his face turned red where my lips had touched him.

  "It was--I didn't really--" Michael stuttered out. I made my decision right there in that moment. I didn't care if Michael didn't know how he felt or what he wanted; I knew. I threw everything, caution, dignity, pride, shame, to the wind and moved from Michael's cheek to his mouth. He was so surprised he drew away for a half a second and I had the sickening feeling of plummeting to the ground with a faulty parachute.

  "I--" I started, then something caught me in my free fall. First, just a tentative pull as my parachute struggled to open before blooming explosively, jerking me up before allowing me to float gently to the ground. The kiss wasn't earth shattering, it was life-saving.

  James began whistling nonchalantly behind me and I felt myself begin to blush, "Um, I--" I started, but I was cut off by Roan rushing into the room.

  "We think we found it!" Roan announced breathlessly.

  "Where?" Michael and I asked in unison causing us both to blush again. Roan raised a curious eyebrow before he answered.

  "It's in the courtyard," Roan replied.

  "Impossible!" Maria exclaimed throwing her rag down on a nearby table, "I went over that place more than a dozen times, there's nothing there but ash!"

  "Ash and flowers," Roan said. Understanding jolted each of us into running from the room and down to the courtyard.

  The whole time I was silently criticising myself for not realizing sooner. The courtyard was the only logical place in the palace to put something like the door; and where better to hide it than in plain sight? I'd stood right in front of it while Daman and I were married.

  The courtyard was already flooded with people, all staring at the arch covered in flowers at the end of the charred aisle.

  "What are they waiting for?" I asked Roan, "Why hasn't someone taken the flowers down yet?"

  "They're waiting for you," Roan replied, "Everyone agreed you should be the one to do it."

  "But why? I didn't kill anyone or do anything, I just got a few broken ribs and a scratch on my throat," I protested.

  Roan threw his hands up in mock innocence, "It wasn't my choice, and these people don't seem like they're going to change their minds."

  I looked around at the surrounding crowd to test Roan's theory, I was disappointed to see he was right. The faces of the people were set, and unchanging. They had been through so much they weren't in the mood to fight any longer about who should be the one to reveal their salvation; they just wanted someone to do it and get it over with so they could finally have peace.

  I swallowed and approached the arch. The aisle crunched excitedly under my feet, the sun wafted gently down onto the flowers, making them look ethereal and untouchable. When I reached the arch and touched the petals I was amazed to see that despite the fire and time that had passed, the flowers were still blooming in a spectacular array of colors. I couldn't name a single bloom, but they were all at once beautiful and eerie.

  "Pull it down!" a voice shouted from somewhere. The request was met by many seconds and cheers of encouragement, but a small voice stopped me.

  "If you tear it down, you will have no way out," the voice said. A sudden rustling behind me caused me to turn around in surprise, I hadn't thought anyone else heard the voice.

  Katelyn was leading an elderly man down the burnt aisle. He was leaning heavily against her and looked like death had just woken him from his afternoon nap. There were no whisperings from the congregation and I gradually realized they were all bowing, even Michael. It had to be the king. I hastily bowed to, but was immediately reprimanded.

  "Oh, all of you stand up," the old man said feistily, "I'm not your ruler here anymore, she is. She's your new queen."

  "No, I'm not," I responded immediatley. I had thought about the possibility in my many ours of recovery and had decided it was completely impossible, "Daman wasn't the rightful king, I'm not the queen. I'm not," I finished weakly. The argument I had made up in my head had disappeared the moment I opened my mouth, resulting in a flimsy denial of what seemed like truth coming from the wrinkled man.

  "I say you are, Daman was my son-in-law and therefore rightful heir to the throne should I become unfit to rule. Running away with Leif made me unfit. Daman made you his wife and now I'm making you the queen. I'm done here, I have other places to attend to and I'm not delaying those obligtions. It's you or no one and just a hint, no one doesn't usually work out," the king said. He spoke with such dignity and authority that even though he looked as though he could keel over at any moment, no one dared doubt a word he said, no one dared contradict him, and no one dared bow again.

  "Well then you have to teach me," I said quickly, "You ha
ve to stay king for a while and teach me, maybe once you get even better and start ruling again you'll realize you don't want to leave."

  The king laughed, he changed before my eyes. Katelyn smiled as he straightened and suddenly I recognized him, "You were the officiator at the wedding!"

  A smile, a face change, another gasp as I recognized Gregor, "I told you, I have other places and many faces to be. Now, I'm going through this door to take care of those. You are all welcome to follow, when you're ready of course."

  "But you still need to teach me! I'm not a princess, I have a temper, I'm not married! You have to stay!" I yelled fearfully.

  The king just laughed again, "All of those are irrelevant as you will soon realize, immersion is the best teacher. You will do well, especially if you don't let strangers marry your children."

  "Wait! How were we able to kill Leif with just an axe? Shouldn't it have been harder?"

  More laughing, "Fools believe they are more powerful when they can rule fools. I let him return here knowing he would exercise his power and that someone would stop him, but I could not intervene or all would have been for naught."

  I tried to protest again, but the king just held up his hand and walked past me, "Farewell!" he shouted with a wave of his hand. Gregor stood regally alone in front of the arch before simply allowing himself to fall face first into the flowers. I lurched forward as if it were possible for me to catch him, but he was already gone.

  "No one said the door looked like a door," Katelyn said, "I don't think Leif or Daman even knew what it looked like, they just knew they posessed it."

  Katelyn's words seemed logical. If Daman had known where it was he would have done more to control it, used it as incentive, or just destroyed it to ensure his total power. Kinga must have known where it was, but to keep its location safe she had taken it with her to the grave.

  Katelyn curtsied to me and walked down to join the rest of the group. I was left alone, standing in front of the door that led to what I hoped was something better. I should have said something inspirational, or tried to accept my calling gracefully, but I just wanted to run. And not in Beyond, I wanted to fall through the door and never look back. But then I looked at James standing in the back, he looked happy for me, but still distant and sad. Suddenly, the realization I was queen and had royal power hit me like... well, like a very cranky demon.

  "Where's Rebecca Patterson?" I asked loudly.

  At first nothing happened, everyone looked at each other, asked names of people they didn't recognize, but still no affirmative response. Then, there was unnatural movement to my right, the withered form of Rebecca stepped away from the safety of the masses. She still looked ill, but there was a glow about her like life had finally returned. She no longer looked insane, she just appeared tired, and her face gave off the same sadness as her husband's, at least until he saw her.

  "Rebecca?" James cried hoarsely from the back. His voice cracked like it used to when we were kids and a small smile of remembrance touched my lips.

  The reunion of my brother and his wife was like a scene from a movie. Rebecca stared uncomprehendingly at first before bursting into uncontrollable tears. James raced forward and almost tripped on the uneven ground before reaching his love. They didn't kiss, at first they didn't even touch. In that moment, their love was beyond the physical. Their eyes were locked in the most romantic stare ever witnessed. It put any anticipated movie kiss to shame, it even shamed the kiss of all kisses shared by Wesley and Buttercup. It was pure and wonderful and perfect.

  Finally, the stare broke, James wiped a tear from his wife's face before pulling her into him tightly. I didn't think he would ever let go, he wasn't going to risk losing her again.

  Chapter Fifty-four

  I took the spectacle of my brother's happy reunion as an excuse to scurry out away from the crowd. I heaved deep stabilizing breaths as I weaved my way through halls in the palace and tried to make sense of everything that had just happened. I was happy for my brother, but I was terrified of my new job, I was convinced I would fail miserably at it and someone would rebel against me in my first year and keep me locked up for the rest of eternity. The thought was chilling and I had to stop walking so I could rest against a wall and try not to pass out from the shock of my situation.

  "Are you okay, Alice?" Michael asked. I hadn't realized he was following me, his voice sent me sprawling to the floor in surprise. He helped me up and I looked away from him so I wouldn't look at his lips.

  "I'm fine, I'm just terrified," I whispered.

  "Being terrified is okay," Michael said. He gently turned my face so that I was looking into his eyes. Sunlight bounced joyously through the open windows and off the white marble we were standing on. Michael was illuminated in a heavenly glow, "As long as you don't let it consume you, it's okay."

  "But what if it does consume me?" I asked, "What if I get so scared I become like Daman or Leif and hide my terror behind power and anger?"

  "You won't," Michael said calmly.

  "How do you know?" I asked agitatedly.

  "Because you're Alice Beth Patterson," he replied.

  Alice Beth Patterson, my name, the whole reason I'd started on this crazy journey. Alice Beth Patterson wasn't someone who would give up her good name, she was someone who would fight with everything she had to make sure no one ever had to be afraid of death again. I just hoped I could live up to the name.

  "Thanks," I replied, "Can I ask you a question?"

  "Anything."

  "How come you were able to move to kill Leif," I asked quickly. I was afraid he would tell me it was because Leif didn't freeze him in the first place and he had had to make a life changing decision to betray one of us.

  "Because he was going to kill you," Michael said simply. In other words, it was unexplainable, Michael's sheer will to protect me had allowed him to overpower Leif.

  "Now it's my turn to ask a question," Michael said with a grin.

  "Okay," I said slowly.

  Michael picked up my left hand and looked at the white scar that had been left by Daman's mark, "Can I be your king?"

  Epilogue

  Alice and Michael were married as you probably figured out. The wedding was beautiful, they were married by Leigh's grave side and I'd never seen two people so in love and meant for each other.

  I had my own happy ending as well. After Alice forgave me for my suicide I was able to start to really feel better. I recalled the memories succeeding my death and wrote them down for the history of Beyond and I helped Alice keep herself together when the pressures of being a queen got heavy.

  And she helped me when I fell in love. Roan is a wonderful man who helped me remember who I used to be and marry it with the person I am now. Both of us are still living happily in Beyond and helping the new queen, Alice Linda, to learn the ropes. She was named heir after Alice and Michael decided it was time to move on.

  The whole kingdom turned out to see them off. Neither of them had chosen to age much, but they both appeared wise and regal as they said their goodbyes to family and friends before stepping up to the door.

  Alice turned to bid us all goodbye, tears streamed down her face and I remembered her as my best friend and how she used to be, "Always remember to smile," she said to us all. We all heard a gleeful giggle fly through the flowers behind Alice.

  "Hurry you two!" a young girl's voice called out. Michael and Alice looked at each other in surprise.

  "Leigh!" they both shouted at once. They rushed through the flowers and the last thing I heard from Alice, my queen, my best friend was, "Smile, Maria."

  Remember.

  The end

 

 

 
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