Essence

by A. L. Waddington

  “You truly are a cruel, heartless young woman!” William spat at her but Maryanne only laughed — a sickening, eerie sound.

  “Nice. Thanks for the confirmation, William.” She turned to walk away, but Dimitri remained in place. “Come on, Dimitri. I guess we are not welcome here.”

  He looked at Maryanne with pure disdain much like the rest of us.

  “I cannot believe you can say something like that to someone whom you have known your entire life.” Dimitri shook his head in utter disgust.

  “Honestly? Look at what she did. She betrayed her best friend, and now is going to ruin her wedding. How is that a friend?”

  But Dimitri only shook his head. He glared at her with hateful eyes. “I have put up with your gossip and sometimes even cruel statements about people behind their backs because I blamed it on your mother. I honestly wanted to believe that you would not turn out like her. She seems to enjoy finding faults in others and using it against them. But I cannot do this anymore.”

  “Dimitri, what are you saying?” She looked at him coldly.

  “I am saying that these are my friends also, and I cannot allow you to treat them in such a manner. I am saying that the wedding is off, Maryanne. I do not want to spent my life with someone who is enjoys making others miserable,” he said flatly.

  Maryanne’s jaw dropped open, but she could not find any words to reply with. She stared at the group of us sitting there, witnessing the exchange, pleading with her eyes for one of us to say something in her defense. No one did.

  “Fine.” She took off her engagement ring and threw it at Dimitri and stomped off.

  He slowly bent down and picked it up, watching her leave. “I am so sorry, Miss Olivia, Mr. Timmons. There is no excuse for her hurtful words.”

  Olivia nodded slowly with her eyes still turned down toward the table, but we could all see the tears running down her face. Her secret was exposed for all to see, and both she and William knew it.

  William angrily shook free of Jackson’s hold and sat back down beside his wife. He wrapped his arms protectively around her and pulled her closer to him. He whispered something softly in her ear, and she nodded without looking up. The rest of us remained silent, having no idea of what to say. Dimitri slowly sat down next to Theodore, looking extremely uncomfortable. Jackson rejoined me taking my hands in his.

  “Mr. Dimitri, I am so sorry.” Elizabeth reached over, touching his hand slightly.

  He returned her words with a slight smile. “It was something I should have done a long time ago. I honestly wanted to believe that I could change her and she would stop behaving like her mother. Are you all right, Miss. Olivia? I am truly sorry.”

  Olivia wiped her tears away with a handkerchief and smiled up at all of us. “You have nothing to apologize for, Mr. Dimitri. I knew people would be gossiping about me, us, but I thought that perhaps my friends would have enough class not to confront me about my shortcomings.”

  “We do, Miss Olivia. Miss Maryanne obviously was not your friend. None of us are judging either of you.” Elizabeth quickly responded. “None of us are perfect, and we all have done things we are not exactly proud of as well.”

  “At least not everyone knows about them.” Olivia gave a small laugh. “Everyone now knows about mine.”

  The table went silent again.

  “Well, I suppose you all should know that William and I are now married.”

  Those simple words changed the atmosphere in the short time it took them to be spoken.

  “Congratulations!” A chorus rang out amongst the others.

  “When?” Christina’s upbeat voice inquired.

  “Last weekend.” Olivia thrilled at their acceptance, glowed.

  “How wonderful. And you knew about this and you did not tell us?” Christina teased, looking over at me.

  “How could I? It was not my news to share.” I laughed. “And yes, I am very happy to have Ms. Olivia join our family. We are now truly sisters.” I beamed across the table at William and Olivia.

  “Well, I see that the hayrides are now starting up. So is everyone coming?” Thomas nodded over in the direction of wagons lining up.

  The eleven of us piled into a wagon by ourselves. For the first time in the last two years, Dimitri, instead of Elizabeth, was the odd man out; but he did not seem to mind.

  Elizabeth leaned over to me shortly after we took off. “I understand if you would still like to have Mrs. Timmons stand up for you now that the secret is out,” she whispered in my ear.

  “I want you both to stand up with me if you are still willing.” I whispered back.

  “I would love to.” She smiled.

  We arrived at Foster’s Orchard as twilight set in. We all unloaded the wagon and strolled over to the barn. The smell of apples was thick in the air. Jackson walked with his arm around my waist as he guided me through the rows of apple stands and pumpkins. People were clustered in the aisles, gathering various types of apples to purchase for different desserts. I wandered around, looking at the numerous items from jugs of freshly made apple cider, candles to homemade noodles, jellies and jams.

  Jackson bought me a beautiful, blue candle before we sat down at on a wooden bench to each enjoy a caramel apple sprinkled with nuts.

  “Do you think it is going to be all right now that everyone knows the truth?” I asked him.

  “I believe so. I do not think that any of them will say anything about this to their families. I believe they have too much respect for Olivia and William.”

  “I agree.”

  “I think Olivia feels much better now. She no longer feels she has to hide in your parent’s home, at least from her circle of friends.” He took another bite of his apple, dropping some bits along his vest.

  I laughed as he shook them off.

  “You cannot even eat without making a mess. What am I going to do with you?” I teased.

  “Marry me.”

  “Yes.”

  Jackson leaned over and kissed me on the cheek with his sticky lips.

  “Oh, Jackson!” I laughed, wiping my cheek. “How could you?”

  “Easy. It made you smile.” He continued laughing.

  We spent the next hour touring Foster’s before we loaded back into the wagon to head back to the main festival. The incident earlier was not forgotten but was momentarily pushed out of mind for the majority of us with of course, the exception of probably Dimitri. He tried to put on a good front, but it was easy to see he was still upset.

  The dusty ride back was much darker than the one to the orchard. The sun had completely disappeared, and the stars were now covering the sky. The air had cooled off a few degrees, adding more of a chill to the night. I snuggled in closer to Jackson and closed my eyes, not really paying attention to the conversation taking place between the others. Instead, my mind wandered back to the scene earlier in the day when he and I were sitting on the porch. I tried to make some sense out of what it all meant, but there was nothing to connect the dots.

  If I told him what his gift was doing to me, he would certainly believe I was losing my mind. I was positive of that, because I would react the same if he approached me with something so absurd.

  Upon our return, the crowd had gotten larger and even more festive. There were now several bonfires scattered about, shortly off the main areas and I could see the haunted maze built from hay stacks off to the side. People were also now adorning various masks of different creatures in fiction and fairy tales. Their homemade creations gave off an eerie atmosphere in the dark world around them with just the glow from the fires to give light. It seemed very surreal the way everyone embraced these childish traditions one night a year, when this type of behavior was considered normal.

  Gathered in the foreground was a small group of local musicians playing various melodies for a large group of dancing couples. Everyone was in high spirits celebrating the pagan traditions.

  “Do you and Jackson want to try out the haunted maze?” Elizabeth
and Mr. Miller walked up beside us.

  “We would love too,” Jackson eagerly responded.

  “I have never tried it before.” Elizabeth’s voice was a bit apprehensive.

  “Really? Why not?” Mr. Miller asked.

  “I have never had someone to go through it with. I was always too afraid to try it alone.” She blushed.

  “Understandable.” I nodded, looking over at the line of people waiting to get lost in the maze.

  Community members dressed up in terrifying costumes waited eagerly inside to scare the life out of us. Of all the traditions, this seemed like the most ridiculous but certainly one of the most fun. Mr. and Mrs. Sutton, who ran the haunted maze every year, were only allowing people in by twos and spacing them a couple minutes apart to add to the effects.

  Jackson and I followed Elizabeth and Mr. Miller while William and Olivia waited behind us. I wrapped my arm through his, holding tightly to his bicep. We slowly crept around one corner and the next, occasionally hitting a dead end or someone jumping out of the shadows, screaming at us, scaring us within an inch of our lives. We would burst out laughing at our own silliness and attempt another direction.

  As we rounded a black corner, I tugged on Jackson’s arm halting him.

  “Do you believe in magic?”

  “What?”

  “Magic, do you believe in it?”

  Jackson looked confused by my line of questioning. “In what sense?”

  “In the sense that it exists.”

  “Yes. I believe there are some things that occur that seem to be unexplainable. Why do you ask?”

  His eyes narrowed in the dark, confirming to me that he knew something more than he was letting on.

  I tried to shrug it off casually. “Just curious.”

  “Jocelyn, what is going on?” Jackson cocked his head slightly to the side and eyeing me closely.

  “Nothing.”

  “Something has been bothering you all week, and I do not believe it has anything to do with the dress,” he stated.

  “Do not be ridiculous. Tonight of all nights, when everyone is celebrating various pagan traditions, it is a perfectly normal question or pursue a conversation out of the ordinary.”

  “Perhaps, but you do not normally ask questions.”

  I could hear William’s voice behind us. They were getting closer.

  “Come on.” I pulled his arm a little, making him follow me around the corner.

  “Have you ever experienced magic or something you cannot explain?” Jackson whispered in my ear. I only smiled and shook my head.

  We emerged on the other side of the maze to find Mr. Miller and Elizabeth waiting patiently for us. She was huddled in closely to him. Both were laughing.

  “You made it,” Mr. Miller greeted the two of us.

  “Finally.” I was still trying to regain my footing.

  “We made several wrong turns as well.” Mr. Miller laughed. “I had never been in a haunted maze before. It was great.”

  Elizabeth smiled but the look in her eyes betrayed her, she looked on the verge of tears.

  Mr. Miller looked down at the young lady in his arms. “You are shivering, sweetheart. We should get you some hot cider to warm you up.” He kissed the top of her head then looked at us. “Would you like to join us?”

  “Of course,” Jackson responded while I nodded my head.

  William and Olivia came into view from behind us, laughing. Mr. Miller invited them also to join us for some hot cider.

  The eleven of us gathered around one of the bonfires, sipping hot apple cider and laughing at our own childishness as we regaled tales of our experiences in the haunted maze.

  ***

  My room seemed especially cold, and I could hear the wind hollowing outside my window and around the house. The fire was burning brightly off to my side, taking the edge off the chill in the air.

  I rolled over to my side, snuggling down into the covers. The little, blue box sat waiting for me on the night table. I squeezed my eyes together tightly and rolled over in the other direction, putting my back to it. A part of me was so tempted to see what it would show me this time, but the other part of me was too terrified to risk it. I tried to ignore it calling out to me. Its power felt so strong. In my mind, I could see each of the earlier visions. I tried to force myself to concentrate on something else — anything else. Jackson. His words earlier ran through my head. Why did he not believe me about the magic? Why did his face hold that smirk when he whispered those words into my ear? Did he know what his silver trinket was doing to me? No. It was not possible. Or was it? What is he hiding from me?

  CHAPTER 29

  Saturday, October 31, 2009; Halloween

  I JUMPED OUT OF BED shortly before nine. I was beyond excited about the costume party at Cody’s. It had been so long since I really got all decked out for the Halloween, and Jackson and I were going to look so perfect together. Emily had done an outstanding job on our costumes. They appeared so authentic. She had even offered to fix my hair and makeup for the party.

  My costume had a full, floor-length, amethyst, taffeta skirt and a wide black belt with a gorgeous white lace blouse. Jackson had told me he was wearing a charcoal, double-breasted suit. I hadn’t seen it on him yet as Emily wanted to make sure every last detail was taken care of before I got to see him in it.

  I headed over to Jacksons’ at five minutes to three with my wet hair still wrapped in a towel from my shower, wearing old sweats. Emily had asked me to come over with it still wet. However, I felt extremely silly running across both our large front lawns and the street with a bathroom towel wrapped around my head.

  Luckily, Emily answered the door instead of Jackson. I didn’t want him to see me with a towel on my head. She looked more excited than I did.

  “Hello, darling. Come on in.”

  “Where’s Jackson?” I held onto the towel so it wouldn’t fall off. I gave her a pathetic grin. “I don’t want him to see me looking so glamorous.” I laughed.

  “Of course.” She gave me a warm smile and closed the front door. “Follow me.” We walked up the stairs to her bedroom; “I sent the men out for some more candy for the trick-or-treaters to get rid of them for a while.”

  I had never been on the second floor of their house before. I was very curious as to what Jackson’s bedroom looked like, but I didn’t dare sneak a peek. I would have hated it if he peeked into my room when he was upstairs with Ethan. I was also positive that Jackson had too much respect for me to even think of doing something like that.

  “How are you feeling this evening?”

  As soon as she asked, I realized that Jackson must have told her I had another episode last night. Thank goodness I had never shared with him the full truth of what was really happening or he would have had me committed. Anyone would, and who could blame them? I was now embracing deep denial that the voices and images were just a part of my over-active imagination.

  “Fine.” I tried to play ignorant. I wasn’t sure exactly how much Jackson had told her.

  “Jocelyn, darling. It is nothing to be embarrassed about. Jackson told us what has been happening. He merely wanted a woman’s perspective.” She motioned for me to have a seat on her bed, and she sat down beside me. “He is very concerned about you. I believe my son is developing very strong feelings for you.”

  Instantly, I felt my face blush a deep crimson. Guessing how uncomfortable I was with what she had just said, Emily patted my knee. “Come on. We should get your hair started.”

  She got up and walked over to her vanity table, and I followed. Emily placed dozens of rollers all over my head after she had thoroughly soaked my hair with several different styling agents. She commented numerous times how she loved my thick hair with the dark, auburn highlights.

  When she was finished making me look like a porcupine, she wrapped a purple scarf around my curlers and began working on my makeup. She had more beauty products than most stores.

  By the time she ha
d completed my full forty-five- minute make-up transformation, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I didn’t even look like me. The person who stared back at me looked incredibly beautiful. I was stunned by the magic she worked on my eye, and the yellowing blue bruises were all but gone.

  ***

  As we began descending, Jackson and Robert arrived back home. Robert paused at the foot of the stairs smiling up at us.

  “My goodness, Jocelyn. You look stunning.” He grinned up at us.

  “Yeah, Jocelyn. Nice hair.” Jackson teased and stepped around his father and raced up the stairs, meeting Emily and I in the middle.

  But the fog had already set in, and his words were muffled. I reached for the railing but missed it completely as Jackson’s shoulder rubbed against mine. I tumbled straight past Jackson and Emily down ten stairs, landing at Robert’s feet. Thankfully, Robert had the instant to half-catch me before my head hit the slate tile.

  The bright sunlight was all but blinding. It took me a moment to realize that I was standing in a gazebo on a beautiful, sunny, spring day. The sun was warm on my face, and the lilies and violets were in full bloom all around the white gazebo. There were no clouds in the sky, only a brilliant blue. The grass was an emerald green, and there was a cobblestone pathway leading around the park.

  Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around my waist but it didn’t startle me. Instead, it felt wonderful, secure, love. A man stepped around in front of me. He was wearing very old-fashioned clothing; a blue, double-breasted suit, a white shirt, a strange, thin tie that somehow fit with the rest of his attire. His blue derby hat was tilted slightly in a cocky, confident way. He knelt down on one knee in front of me, taking my hand. He was shaking with nervousness and had his head bowed to where I couldn’t see his face from the brim of his hat.

  “Miss Jocelyn, you are everything I have ever dreamed of. You are my heart, my soul, my life. If you would do me the honor of becoming my wife, I promise you that I will spend every day of my life making you happy.” His words were carefully chosen and full of love and desire.