Illusive

by Diana Nixon

  I chuckled. "Is it a bit too late to say I missed her?"

  "How did you find her? I mean, my parents adopted Eden after the police told them no one was looking for her, and the lack of her memories was not helping at all."

  "I have no idea what the police were thinking if they couldn't match the missing girl with the description that my grandma and I gave them when we came to report Eden's disappearance. We didn't know if she was alive or not, or just missing." And then I told him the whole story. Needless to say, the poor guy was as shocked to hear it as I was to find out about Eden's disease.

  We talked for hours. He told me about their childhood and their school years. Turned out he was five years older than my sister. She got a diploma in chemistry and now owned a flower shop not far away from where they lived. Judging by how much love radiated from Ian's every word, my sister was lucky to have a stepbrother like him.

  "Has she ever asked anything about her biological parents?"

  He shook his head. "Not that I can remember, even though she always knew we were not her blood family. But the absence of questions shouldn't surprise you. She didn't remember her life before the adoption. We were the only family she knew. Maybe… If she saw you…" His thoughtful eyes met mine.

  "Do you think she would remember me?" Tiny sparks of hope warmed my heart pleasantly.

  "Anything's possible."

  "Then I only need to wait for her to wake up."

  Ian's face darkened. As if a prayer he said, "Yeah… Let's hope for the best."

  CHAPTER 1

  Eden

  Three months later

  I couldn't breathe. Either my lungs refused to accept more oxygen, or I was overdramatizing things and my fears about the upcoming meeting with the unknown were getting the best of me.

  I stood at the wrought-iron fence, not sure why I couldn't make myself press the button of the doorbell. Something was stopping me, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

  I inhaled deeply, telling myself to calm down. It was just another job interview, nothing to be worried about. Even if I didn't get the position of babysitter, I could always get back to my flower shop and work there with my mom. Yeah, but…

  The shop wasn't doing well. After being closed for months, it lost its permanent clients and now mom was doing her best to give my lifework a second chance. And I, meanwhile, needed to find a well-paying job to help my family pay the bills. My brother and I swore to always support our parents, no matter what. He did his part of the job, and now it was my time to prove I was a big girl too.

  "Hello?" A female voice said.

  Only now did I realize my index finger was at the doorbell button and the lady from the speakerphone must have been talking to me.

  "Um…hello! I'm here for a job interview upon the recommendation of Mia Johnson."

  "Finally! Come on in please."

  I looked at my watch to check if I was late for my interview. But it turned out I was a few minutes earlier.

  After a click, the gate opened and I walked through it.

  "Wow…" The house in front of me was beautiful. A white and brown, two-story building, with a long terrace on the first floor that drowned in flowers of all the known shades, and huge windows that opened to the balcony of the second floor. The house looked very modern and cozy. Mia didn't tell me much about its owners, but she said they were good people.

  "Eden Shelton, right?" A woman in a dark-blue knee-length dress walked out of the house. "Follow me, please."

  And so I did.

  We walked through the terrace and entered the hall that was full of light coming through the windows.

  "You can leave your bag here," said the woman in a dark-blue dress. She was around fifty. Her silver here and there brown hair was in a bun and she looked like someone who knew everything about the place. "I'm Mrs. Reagan," she said, opening the door to what I thought must have been the house owner's office. She walked to the desk and sat down. "Please, take a seat." She motioned for one of the chairs across from her.

  I nodded and did what she said, feeling a little out of place. Even my freshly ironed white blouse that I bought just a few days ago, felt too old-fashioned for a place like this. Everything around me screamed style and good taste. The furniture, the books sorted by color and size, and even the crystal vase on the desk looked as if taken from a home design magazine's page.

  "Is Mrs. Bowen going to join us?" I asked, trying to stop my hands from shaking.

  "Who?" Mrs. Reagan looked confused.

  "Ariel's mom. I thought she would be interviewing me."

  "Her mom died a couple of months ago. And Bowen is not the girl's name. It's Perry, Ariel Perry. Mr. Bowen isn't her biological father. He's her Godfather."

  Could my humiliation get even stronger? I didn't think so.

  I felt as stupid as ever. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

  "It's okay. Now that you are here, I'm going to tell you everything you need to know about your job. Since you've come here upon Mia's recommendation, I think we can leave aside the questions about your degree and personal qualities. I trust Mia's words. She's a good friend of Mr. Bowen. The only thing that you need to remember is that personal questions are taboo in this house. If you do your job well, you will be paid very well. If you fail, we will need to find someone else to replace you." Mrs. Reagan sounded frustrated.

  My guess was I wasn't the first candidate for this job. "How many babysitters have you changed so far?" I dared to ask. It wasn't a personal question, was it?

  "Ten. You are the eleventh."

  "Oh… I see."

  She hurried to explain herself. "Ariel is a good girl. But her mother's death was a shock for everyone, including her. Losing a parent when you are five is not easy at all."

  "I can imagine... What about her father?" On the second thought I added, "Sorry, it's none of my business."

  But Mrs. Reagan still responded to my question, "He doesn't know about her existence." Then she gave me a long, thoughtful look. "I hope Ariel likes you. You are our last hope…" She sighed and looked at the piece of paper lying on the desk. "You will need to sign this." She gave the paper to me, and then she asked, "When do you think you can start working here?"

  That was easy. "Today." My family needed money and I couldn't miss a single day at my new job.

  "Great." She waited for me to read the document. Thank God, it was written by Mia; she told me it would be a standard employment agreement and there was nothing to worry about. So I signed it and gave it back to Mrs. Reagan. She quickly checked if I put my signature in the right place, nodded and put the paper in a black leather folder.

  "Now, it's time to meet Ariel." She stood up and started walking to the door, then she suddenly stopped and looked at me. "I'm glad you are with us now, Eden."

  Her words sounded a little weird, considering she knew so little about me.

  Still, I said, "Likewise." I don't know why, but being inside the house made me feel a lot calmer. As if crossing the threshold, I left all my fears outside.

  "What shall I remember when talking to Ariel?" I asked, walking up the ivory marble staircase. Mia told me a little about the girl and she didn't feel like a complete stranger anymore. "I mean, what if she starts telling me about her mom. Am I allowed to talk about her?"

  "There's nothing wrong with it. In fact, talking about mom always helps Ariel cope with stressful situations." We stopped at one of the doors on the second floor. "This is your room. It is next to Ariel's. I'll show you the rest of the house later." Then we came to the girl's room and Mrs. Reagan said, "I will introduce you to Ariel and then give you some time to talk to her. If something goes wrong and you need my help, just press the red button over her bed."

  "Okay."

  She opened the door and called out, "Ariel, dear, there's someone I'd like to introduce you."

  "Go away, Reggie! And take your babysitter with you! I don't need one!"

  I followed the sound of the girl's voice and saw the lig
ht coming from under the bed. I smiled, recalling playing under the bed when I was a kid. My brother brought me snacks and then joined me in my lair to read me books.

  "You can go," I said to Mrs. Reagan. "I'll talk to her."

  She looked doubtfully at the light that I spotted just a few moments ago and nodded. "The red button," she said again, pointing at the thing over the bed.

  "I won't need it," I replied, not sure why I felt like it would be easy to talk to Ariel.

  I waited for Mrs. Reagan to leave and closed the door behind her. With a smile on my face, I walked to the bed and crouched to look under it.

  "Do you think you could find one for me as well?" I asked Ariel, pointing at the pencil in her hand. Her curly chestnut hair was in a messy ponytail.

  Her big brown eyes found mine and she squinted, watching me closely. It wasn't the reaction I expected from her. But it looked like she wasn't going to show me the door. On the contrary.

  "Are you my new babysitter?" She asked, still studying me.

  "Well, I'd prefer to become your friend. What do you say?"

  "Aren't you a little too old to be my friend?"

  "Friendship doesn't know age."

  She gave me another careful look. "Can you draw?"

  "I used to adore drawing. Though I don't think I'm as good as you are. But I can try drawing flowers. Do you like flowers?"

  "I do." She moved to the right so I could slip under the bed and draw there with her. Thank God, there was enough space for both of us.

  "Let's see… What colors do you have?"

  "Pink, blue, violet and red."

  "Give me the blue one."

  "What's your favorite color?" She suddenly asked.

  "I like black, but I guess you think it's too boring."

  "Mom loved black, and dark-blue and red. They are my favorite colors too."

  "Really? I thought most girls your age like pink."

  "I like pink pencils, but I hate pink clothes."

  "I'll remember that."

  "Are you going to stay and live with us?"

  "Would you like me to stay?" Something about the girl made me want to spend more time with her. She didn't look like one of those spoilt kids who didn't care about anything or anyone. On the contrary – she looked a little fragile, but brave and smart at the same time.

  "Stay. I'm sure Blake will like you."

  "Who's Blake?"

  She giggled. "I thought you knew the name of your boss."

  "Oops, I think I forgot to ask for his name. Mr. Bowen – this is how I'm allowed to call him."

  "Mr. Bowen, right." Ariel rolled her eyes.

  "What?"

  "Blake loves being bossy. He fired all ten of my babysitters without a word. One look from him, and Reggie hurried to pack their things."

  "Oh, really? Does that mean I shouldn't unpack my things until I get his approval?"

  "You'll stay. I give you my word." She looked at her picture then at me again and said, "After all, you are my babysitter now and no one but me is allowed to fire you."

  ***

  My first day at work could be called perfect if it wasn't for the fact that I was shit scared to meet Ariel's Godfather. Despite the fact that she liked me and I didn't need to call Mrs. Reagan, not even once, I still remembered what the girl said about her previous babysitters. They were fired without a word…

  "Hey, wanna see the house?" Ariel stood in the middle of my room.

  "I just got out of the shower. I don't think people in this house gonna love seeing me walking in a towel wrapped around my chest."

  She chuckled. "Put on a robe. I'll wait outside."

  "But…"

  "One more thing – call me Ari."

  "Okay, Ari."

  "You've got two minutes," she commanded before she left the room.

  I shook my head. I liked her, I really did. We spent the entire afternoon drawing, talking and playing. She told me everything about her dolls, including their names and what they like doing during the day. After she felt like she could trust me, she let me comb her hair and braid it. She made me feel like a big sister whom she would share her biggest secrets with.

  A sister… I never had one. But all of my secrets were safe with my brother, Ian. He was my best friend and at times, I felt like he knew me even better than I knew myself. Like a few days ago, when he said I was gonna love my new job. How the hell would he know that?

  "Thirty seconds!" Ari called from behind the closed door.

  I smiled and went to find a robe, which turned out to be a real challenge, considering most of my things were still packed. Just in case…

  "So, where shall we start?" I asked Ari a few minutes later.

  "The balcony! I love it. Especially in winter when there's snow and I can play with it." Ariel stopped at one of the doors and pushed it open.

  "Are you sure we are allowed to enter this room?" We needed to walk through it to get to the balcony. The room looked a little lifeless, like no one ever used it. The bed was untouched. And there was nothing in there to know anything about its owner. No pictures, no flowers, no nothing. Just the essentials.

  "No one ever comes here. It was supposed to be the master bedroom, but Blake prefers the one that opens to the backyard. It's on the other end of the hall. And if you care about your job and life, you'd better stay away from it. He hates it when people come knocking at his door. I'm the only exception to that rule. He loves me a lot."

  "That's what I thought." I know I was not allowed to ask any personal questions, but something was telling me Ariel wouldn't give me away. "Judging by your words, your Godfather is a very severe man…" I started, as if testing the grounds.

  Ari giggled, "No, he's a good man. You will like him. It's just that he's very lonely. I think… He doesn't have many friends. And his work is sooo boring. I think he needs to go out more often. Instead, he stays at work until it's dark outside and then comes home and locks himself in his room. He even eats there, and not in the dining room. But he never goes to bed without seeing me first. He always comes to kiss me good night and never leaves for work without wishing me a good day."

  "Looks like you are right after all – he must be a good man indeed." I came to the balustrade and looked around. There wasn't much to see; the trees sheltered the house from the road and the only thing to enjoy were the rose bushes near the gates.

  "I love flowers," I said. "I used to work in a flower shop."

  "Really? Does that mean you know everything about flowers?"

  "Well, maybe not everything, but I know a lot about them."

  "Reggie is crazy about flowers. If it were not for her passion, this place would drown in glass and metal."

  "How long have you been living here?"

  "Just a couple of months. You know, after mom died… Blake asked if I wanted to live with him and I agreed. He's my Godfather after all and he always treated me as if I were his own daughter. Mom and I often came here for the weekends."

  Instinctively, I took Ari in my hands and kissed her hair. "Your mom is always with you, do you know that?"

  "I know. Blake says she has turned into one of the stars over there." She pointed to the sky. "I think she's the brightest one. See? That one is shining brighter than the others."

  "You are right."

  "Is your mom alive?" She suddenly asked.

  "My stepmom is alive, thank God. I was adopted when I was five. As for my biological mom… I don't even remember her face." At times, I wondered if my memories that had been lost a long time ago, would ever come back. A part of me was scared to remember my life before the adoption. When the other part would give away everything just to remember at least a few moments from what seemed to happen forever ago.

  "This is so sad," Ari whispered, touching my cheek with her little palm. "I hope I'll never forget my mom. She was so beautiful. And kind. And she loved me so much."

  "Of course, she did. My new mom loves me too. She never once made me feel like I didn't belo
ng to her family."

  "I didn't know it was possible to get another mom. Do you think I will ever get one too?"

  "Well, it depends on many things." I wasn't quite sure how to answer her question. "How about we go back to your room and I read you a book?"

  "Yay! I love fairytales!" She jumped from my hands and ran back to her room. I gave the night sky one more look and followed Ari. I wished she could have a real family, like I did now, with both of her parents to love her.

  "We still have a lot to see tomorrow. This house is huge," she said, while getting into her bed. After she brushed her teeth and changed into pajamas, I helped her undo her hair and then she found the book that she wanted me to read.

  "Mrs. Reagan was supposed to show me the house, but I don't think she will be against you doing it for her."

  "Reggie is super cool. Just give her some time to get used to you living with us. I know she'd been worried about interviewing you."

  "Really? Why?"

  Ari shrugged. "Don't know. Guess she simply wanted you to stay. Because every time Blake fired another babysitter, I became her responsibility. And she has so much work to do around the house."

  "I see. Now, what story would you like me to read?"

  Ari took the book from my hands and found the needed page. "This one. Mom often read it to me when I was a kid."

  "And now you are all grown up, right?"

  She giggled. "Yep."

  "All right, let's see…" I took the book back from Ari and started reading the story. It was about two sisters who lived on different planets, but once every 100 years they met to spend a day together.

  When the story was over, Ari opened the last page of the book and took out a picture. She kissed it and gave it to me.

  "Is that your mom?" I asked. The picture must have been taken a little before she died, because Ari looked exactly the same as she did now.

  "Yes."

  "She was beautiful…" A very strange feeling crept into my heart, like I knew her from somewhere, but I just couldn't remember our meeting. "You've got her eyes," I said to Ari.

  "And so do you," followed her sleepy response.