by Allison Sipe
“Uh huh, and are you going to see him again then?” I asked, standing up and walking over to Jessie’s desk, pretending to look for something.
“I don’t know. I mean he’s nice and all and we had a good time but I don’t think I can see it going anywhere. Violet, are you listening to me?” Becky asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.
“Of course I’m listening. So you don’t think it’ll go anywhere.”
“What’s with you? What’s so important that you can’t take five minutes to look at me and have a conversation?” She hopped off my desk and made her way to where I stood. I kept my head down and started opening Jessie’s file drawers.
“Violet seriously, what’s going on?” Becky demanded. She grabbed my arm and spun me around. Her expression transformed to a look of pure shock.
“Before you freak out, it’s nothing, I’m fine,” I said, trying to pull away from her, but my body was too tired and sore to put up much of a fight.
“What happened to you? Who did this?” Becky asked, gently pushing my hair behind my ear so she could get a better look at the damage.
“It happened at the Maxwells, after you left.” I sighed, defeated. I was hoping I could bypass seeing Becky until I looked a little better; I didn’t want to lie to her.
“Did that Robert guy do this to you? I saw the way he was looking at you all night, I swear if he-”
“Would you calm down, of course he didn’t do this to me. Stop jumping to conclusions, I was just mugged,” I interrupted, stopping her train of thought before it ran off the rails. Once she got going it was hard to stop her.
“Just mugged?” Becky yelled.
“Yeah, come here, sit down.” I motioned her toward the chairs at the front of the studio. “It was the end of the night and I walked out to my car to put my gear away. When I went to open the trunk someone came up behind me and attacked me.”
“Oh my god,” Becky gasped.
“I yelled for help and Robert and his sister were able to run the guy off before he could do anything more than this.” I pointed to the cuts and bruises on my face.
“What do you think he was after?”
“Not sure.” I suppressed a shudder as I thought about what my attacker did want: me.
“Have you gone to the police?”
“No, there’s nothing to say to the police.”
“Nothing to say,” Becky yelled, standing up.
“I didn’t get a look at the guy and he didn’t take anything. What exactly would I tell the police?”
“Still, Violet. I think you should at least go talk to them.”
“There’s no point, so just drop it,” I yelled back at her.
“Fine.” Becky crossed her arms and looked out the window. I followed her stubborn gaze to a man standing across the street who appeared to be staring right at us. My heart jumped in my chest like a child on a trampoline and I gripped the edge of my chair. Leaning forward to get a better look, a woman came bouncing toward him smiling and pointing up the street. She wrapped her arm around his and they walked out of sight. Get a grip, Violet. I thought.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Becky, I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted and on edge with everything that’s happened.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She shrugged. “Are you okay though?” She turned toward me and grabbed my hand. Becky always stroked the back of my hand when she was concerned and I smiled at the small comfort.
“Yeah, I think so.” I kept my eyes averted from hers.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Becky asked.
“And ruin all your fun with what’s his name?” I laughed, trying to lighten the situation.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Don’t try to blow this off like it’s no big deal. You’re hurt and you have every reason to be totally freaked out. Do you know how lucky you are that Robert and his sister heard you yelling for help?”
She had no idea how right she was. If anyone other than Robert had come out to help me, Becky would be planning my funeral right about now. I suppressed a shudder at the thought of how close I’d come to dying that night.
“Why don’t you go home and relax?” Becky suggested.
“I can’t, I have work to do,” I said, standing up and heading back over to my desk.
“Oh please, what’s the point of working for yourself if you don’t take a little time off when you need it? Have you even gone to the doctor to get checked out?”
“No, but I told you I’m fine.” I sat back down at my desk and grimaced after hitting the chair too hard. I really wasn’t making a good case for myself.
“Are you? Are you really fine?”
I looked at her for a long moment, trying to decide what I could tell her without giving too much away. “Physically yes,” I admitted. I sighed and put my head in my palms. My skull felt like a twenty pound frozen turkey in my hands. I was so tired and hated not telling Becky the truth, hated being alone in this. “I was so scared, Becky. I thought he was going to kill me.” I kept blinking to keep myself from crying as I spoke. The frustration and anxiety that had been building in me since Saturday night boiled over as a single tear escaped down my cheek.
Becky knelt down and put her arms around me. “It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay.”
“What if it’s not?” I whimpered through uneven breaths. “What if he comes after me again? What if someone’s not there to stop him the next time?” I really was afraid my attacker would find out I hadn’t died and come after me again. Especially since Robert had disappeared into the night. Even after all I’d seen it still felt crazy to think he had some kind of Magical power but I was too tired to think of a more rational explanation.
“Come on, I’m taking you home. You shouldn’t be working today,” Becky said in a stern voice as she stood and pulled me up with her.
“But…”
“I don’t wanna hear it; I’m taking you home.”
I took a deep breath and said, “Alright, just let me shut down.” To be honest, my muscles cheered with relief. I hadn’t slept well over the weekend. Every time I closed my eyes I saw myself lying in the street bleeding to death.
I shut down my computer and went into the back room to switch off the printing equipment.
“Ready?” Becky asked.
“Yeah.”
Becky refused to let me ride my bicycle home so I threw it in the back of her Jeep. When we pulled up to my place, she offered to stay and keep me company but I told her I was just going to lie down. I got my bike from the back of the car and headed inside. The closer I got to opening the door, the harder it was to keep the exhaustion at bay. By the time I stumbled into my room I could barely focus on anything other than getting into bed. One near death experience and two sleepless nights finally took their toll.
>>>><<<<
I woke up gasping for air, my heart pounding. It felt like I was drowning in my sleep. I tried to remember what I had been dreaming about but nothing made sense. Only bits and pieces of the nightmare remained, I could still feel the cool rain on my face and the burning in my lungs. Rolling over, still gasping for air I faced the clock: 5:27. I’d slept most of the day away, but at least I finally got some rest. Relaxing onto my back and staring at the ceiling, I stretched my arms and legs. My body ached all over, every muscle was sore from being thrown around like a rag doll.
I felt under my shirt for the larger of the two scars just under my right breast. I traced the scar back and forth, trying to remember exactly what happened when Robert saved me. It just doesn’t make sense, I thought. The memory of that evening remained blurry, but Robert’s voice was crystal clear in my mind. I closed my eyes and let the sound of his voice wash over me and calm my nerves.
With my breathing back to a normal tempo, I got up and walked to the bathroom to wash my face. The water splashed cold against the faded white porcelain sink, reminding me of how much I needed to clean my condo. While I waited for the water to he
at up I looked myself over in the mirror. The blood had dried in the cut across my temple, the edges pink and swollen. The bruising around the gash had faded to a dark blue and purple that measured from my hairline down to my eyebrow. It would be a few days before the bruise started to heal and even longer for the cut to heal. The tear in my lip wasn’t very big to begin with and was now just a small slice on the left side of my bottom lip. Splashing warm water on my face, I was careful around the cut on my temple. After drying off with a nearby towel, I put some antibacterial cream on the cut, careful not to push too hard on the open wound.
As I changed into a baggy sweatshirt, my stomach rumbled in protest at not being fed since breakfast. Grabbing my cell off the nightstand, I ordered a small pizza and sat down at my computer in the living room.
I wished I could talk to Robert about what had happened. Not having any answers was driving me crazy and it was clear, Brett didn’t want me asking questions. But why? Wasn’t the cat already out of the bag once Robert healed me?
Frustrated, I pulled up a fresh internet window, I felt insane for what I was about to do, but what choice did they leave me?
The curser blinked in the narrow search bar, taunting me as I tried to decide what to search.
Miraculous healing from fatal wound. I typed hesitantly and pressed enter.
Spells for video games and bible links littered the front page of google. It’s not like I was expecting to find a link titled, So Robert Maxwell miraculously healed you and now you want answers, but this wasn’t getting me anywhere.
I clicked the next button, something I rarely did and began to search through the depths of the internet.
The pizza arrived about twenty minutes into my search when I found something that looked promising.
Clicking on the link, titled, King Arthur and Magical Healing, I braced myself.
There was a short story on the front page and as I skimmed it, I ate my pizza.
Arthur was born prematurely and they feared he wouldn’t make it through the night. Three days after Arthur came into the world, a visitor arrived. It was Merlin.
Merlin was not only a Soothsayer but he had the ability to heal fatal wounds. Arthur’s parents let Merlin examine the premature babe and he told them he could save the child, but Arthur would be changed forever. They agreed wholeheartedly to give their son a fighting chance and Merlin saved Arthur's life that night. From that day forward Arthur had a Magical soul.
I scrolled down the page a little further as I stuffed another piece of pizza into my mouth.
Merlin foresaw that Arthur would end the clan wars and bring everyone together under his rule. Without Arthur, the tribes of England would destroy each other and in turn destroy the future of Britain.
Interesting, It was at least a better story than the Disney version, I thought.
His parents didn’t have the slightest clue how he was different. After all, he looked and acted like any other child. But when Arthur turned sixteen, Merlin return for him.
He explained to Arthur that Magic was real and that he had a destiny to fulfill, but in order to do so, he would have to leave his family behind and become Merlin’s apprentice.
The words, magic was real, made the back of my brain tickle. I had never believed in Magic, but how else could I explain how Robert healed me.
Arthur grew into his Magic and became a fierce warrior under Merlin’s guidance. Some say, their Magic was linked and they moved as if they were an extension of one another.
Scrolling a little further, I continued reading.
Once Merlin deemed Arthur fit to rule, they returned to his home town and he pulled the sword from the stone, becoming King and ruling over all of Britain until the day he died.
I sat back in my chair as I came to the bottom of the web page. This wasn’t exactly what I had been looking for, but I had to admit, something about it felt familiar.
A rustling noise outside made me sit up and look around the living room. My heart raced as I watched for movement. I heard another noise that sounded like someone was trying to unlock the front door. What if it was him and he was back to finish the job? I went to grab my cell off the desk and realized I must have left it on the night stand. Damn! I jumped out of my chair, heart pounding and mind racing, and made my way as quietly as possible to the hall closet. Opened the closet door, I grabbed the baseball bat I kept as a crude alarm system.
I held my breath as I edged toward the front door. My hands were clammy as I gripped the bat, ready to strike. I waited for another sound but heard nothing. My knees locked in place as I stood frozen in my entryway, trying to listen for anything that might sound out of place. After a minute or two, I built up enough courage to take a quick look through the peephole. There was no one there. I kept one hand on the bat as I slowly unlocked the door and opened it. I peeked my head out the door - both hands back on the bat, ready to swing.
Everything seemed perfectly normal, the ocean breeze rustled the trees and a few crickets chirped from some dark corner.
“Violet, what are you doing?” Harriet asked coming out of the shadows.
My heart leapt into my throat and I jumped backwards at the sound of her voice. Harriet came into the light from my right side, looking at me as if I was crazy.
“Shit… I thought you were…” I sighed and tried to collect myself. “I thought I heard someone trying to… wait, what are you doing out this late?” I asked, confused. It wasn’t like Harriet to lurk around in the dark.
“Couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged. “Thought I'd go for a walk.” She smiled and looked up the full length of me to the Louisville Slugger I still held above my head.
“You didn’t see anything did you? Anything that looked out of place?” I asked, looking around her into the darkness, still jittery and my fingers white on the bat.
“No, not at all.” Her voice was light but I noticed she kept her distance from me.
“I could’ve sworn I heard someone,” I said under my breath. I relaxed ever so slightly and lowered the bat a few inches.
“It was probably just one of the neighbor’s cats. Why don’t you go back inside and get some sleep? It’s late.”
“You're probably right.” I lowered the bat to the ground and self-consciously rubbed the tiny scar on my stomach. “Night, Harriet.” I turned to go back into the house.
“Goodnight, dear.”
As I walked across the entryway, a cool breeze ruffled my hair. My feet froze and I looked in the direction the breeze had come from. The living room looked empty so I edged forward with my bat once more ready to swing. The palms of my hands were sweaty and my stomach felt like it had bottomed out. Something was definitely off but nothing looked out of place.
An ocean-scented breeze ruffled the drapes over my patio window, the cool air freezing me in place. I couldn’t remember opening the window but it was possible I just forgot to close it earlier. I moved cautiously toward the opening. With one hand still gripping the bat, I closed and locked it. I relaxed some, but I still had the feeling something wasn’t right.
“Pull yourself together, Violet,” I told myself.
Looking over at my computer, the King Arthur webpage was still up and I immediately felt ridiculous. Glad that no one was around to make fun of me, I turned the computer off and threw the empty pizza box away.
I’d had enough crazy for one night and my full stomach was sending me straight into a food coma. Bat cradled in my arm, I went to bed and fell asleep thinking about Arthur and his destiny to rule Britain.
Chapter 5
The next few weeks went by without incident. I did a little more research on King Arthur but came up empty handed. If some sort of Magic was behind Robert healing me, the only way to confirm it would be to confront Robert, who had mysterious vanished.
My cuts and bruises slowly started to heal so, on the outside I looked more like myself every day. But on the inside, I had been forever altered. Nothing felt the same anymore. I didn’t know how I was
supposed to slip back into my life as if the attack and Robert had never happened.
Becky, on the other hand, thought she had the answer to all my problems: a double date. She told the guys to meet us at the Mexican restaurant, Cantina, at eight. True to form, Becky had made us about ten minutes late. She spent so much time fussing over what I was going to wear that she barely had any time to get herself ready. As we walked up to the restaurant, Becky pointed out the guys and informed me the tall brunette was my date. We stepped onto the curb and Becky gave her date a quick kiss before turning to introduce me.
“Violet, this is Daniel,” she said, looking at her date and patting him on the chest. It reminded me of a new owner scratching her freshly adopted mutt’s belly.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, extending my hand.
“You too. Beck never shuts up about you,” Daniel said with a laugh as he shook my hand.
“And this is Ian. Ian, Violet. Violet, Ian,” Becky said, waving her hand between us with a big smile.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” I extended my hand to Ian.
His cool blue eyes crawled over me and the corners of his mouth turned upwards.
“The pleasure’s all mine,” Ian cooed. He took my hand in his and raised it to his lips.
I smiled and politely removed my hand from his grasp. This is going to be a long night, I thought. I’d had my share of sweet-talking, suave types of guys and learned the hard way to stay far away from them.
I had to give it to Becky, though. She told me he’d be good looking and he was. In a very obvious way but handsome nonetheless. His dark jeans and white button-up clung to him in all the right places, accentuating his fit physique. It was a warm summer evening so he’d rolled up the sleeves of his shirt just below the elbow, leaving the top few buttons undone to show off the hollow of his neck. He was tan, but the faded orange color of his skin betrayed it as a fake tan.