Esilee and Aiden looked at one another, unsure what to do next, both desperate to stay together, alone. She mouthed a word to Aiden and he nodded, looking away from his friend.
Softly, she began to sing a song about deep rivers and secrets beneath the rushing water. Jared swayed as if caught in the imaginary current, and drifted towards the door. Without looking back he left the shack, Aiden heard the truck start and pull away into the night.
“Will he make it home okay?” He asked.
“Yes, he’ll be fine, I promise. In a few days he’ll remember you were both here, but he won’t remember leaving you here, or anything else about tonight.”
Aiden looked towards the door one last time as she led him towards the stage, towards the same dark portal she’d taken the man earlier, the man she’d devoured.
“Goodnight Rocco.” She called to the bartender. He only nodded and headed for the parking lot.
“Does he have any idea what goes on here?” Aiden asked.
“Not really, I keep him in a fog when he’s here. He knows he works here, he knows not to let the men get out of hand and he knows to go home. Once he’s home he’s normal until I see him again. It’s safer for him.”
She pushed open the large wood door and Aiden couldn’t help looking around anxiously. The room was large with natural wood walls and deep aqua marine decorations. A circular rug covered most of the floor. It was a deep blue with thin gold strands running through it. In the far corner sat a king sized canopy bed, a deep blue curtain hung all around it. In the corner across from the bed sat an antique chifforobe and a dressing curtain. Esilee stepped behind the curtain and Aiden waited patiently for her. With the curtain between them he couldn’t tell if she was saying anything. Often people forgot when talking to him that he had to be looking at their face to understand them.
Her dress appeared suddenly as she slung it over the curtain, followed by a sheer lace bra. The idea of her naked behind the thin sheet made him ache. He wanted to gaze endlessly at her flawless skin, to watch her move, to taste her lips. He’d never wanted anything more in his whole life.
Esilee peered around the curtain watching with amusement as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. There was something so pure and kind about Aiden. She let the white T-shirt she wore every night to bed fall over her head just before she stepped out into the room. The tiny sound of Aiden sucking in air made her smile.
“Teach me to speak with my hands.” She asked, walked seductively towards him.
The sight of her in just a shirt nearly floored him. He pulled her close, kissed her deeply before moving around behind her. He let his fingers traipse up her arms towards her hands. Slowly he moved her fingers, her hands, her arms fluidly, as if to music. Esilee lost herself in the rhythm of the unspoken words he guided her through. She could feel his heart beating against her, picking up pace as the gestures became more pronounced, as he added more flourish and feeling into them. She leaned back into him relishing the moment. Their bodies again melding together, he pulled their hands to her chest, held her against him, kissing the curve of her neck.
She turned wanting to see his eyes. They shined, as he continued to sign. A sweet silence enveloped the room around them.
“I want to try something.” She said. He nodded his hands falling silent at his sides.
Esilee stepped forward and kissed the soft skin behind his right ear, sucking gently, her tongue pressing against his flesh. She did the same on the other side, before stepping back and opening her mouth wider than he thought possible.
“AIDEN!” The power of her voice shook the tiny shack almost knocking him down.
“Oh my god. I … I think I actually heard you! Do it again.” He begged.
She began to sing, quietly at first, her voice rising like the tide.
“Come to me, oh come to me
All ye lost men at sea.
Follow the sound til your feet reach ground
And know you’re safe with me.
Oh come to me, oh come to me
All ye lost children at sea
Hold my hand and we’ll play awhile
Follow me I’ll set you free.” The words burrowed into his ears and rang inside of his head. His face lit up as the sweet sound of her voice filled him.
“Come to me, oh come to me
All ye lasses who’ve jumped in the sea
I’ll take you home in the briny foam
To become a witch of the sea.”
His eyes filled with tears as he clung to each note. It was surreal watching her lips move and actually hearing the sound that came from them.
“Say my name.” He asked.
“Aiden.”
“Say your name.”
“Esilee.”
He cried at the sound of her name.
“Esilee.” He repeated.
“I love you Aiden. Stay with me. Stay with me always.”
He nodded at her, signing yes repeatedly, too overwhelmed to speak.
“It won’t last Aiden, the hearing, I can’t make it stay but you’ll always hear me singing.”
“That’s all I’ll ever need.”
Aiden pulled her to him, kissing her roughly, his hands gripping her shirt tightly, threatening to never let go. She motioned towards the bed and he obliged by picking her up and carrying her there, his lips never leaving hers.
Aiden knew he would never leave the swamp.
Three days later Jared came through the door of the Boondock’s bar looking for his childhood friend. The bartender eyed him suspiciously. Jared stepped towards the stage just as Esilee was stepping from her room. She closed the door quickly behind her.
“Where is he?” Jared demanded.
“Who?” She asked innocently.
“You know damn well who, where’s Aiden? I’m not leaving here without him.” He planted his feet defiantly. Esilee felt a strong connection with him that Jared would never understand. They loved the same man, they both longed to protect him and do what was right by him. He made them both better people by knowing them and neither wanted to ever lose him.
“Look you lousy swamp witch, tell me where he is or I’m calling the police.”
Esilee looked at him sadly. Jared didn’t know how right he was. Before he could speak again her arm shot out and her fingers locked around his neck in a vice like grip. He was shocked at how strong she was.
She dragged his kicking body into the parking lot and around the back of the shack. When they reached the water she began to sing, Jared’s body became limp. She tossed him like a rag doll towards the water, where she watched him sink.
As she turned to go back inside Aiden turned the corner.
“What are you doing out here?” He asked.
“Where’s Jared I saw his truck out front.”
Esilee bit her lip, she never wanted to hurt Aiden; he was her one saving grace, her one good thing. So she did the only thing she knew, she sang, and her voice washed away his memories until all he knew was her.
And while it meant that he would belong to her forever, it also meant she would have to live never knowing if that’s the life he would have chosen on his own.
That night she drowned her sorrow in the souls of eleven men while Aiden slept soundly in their bed.
Esilee kept him, loved him, and sang to him well into his 90’s. When she could finally see death in his eyes she led him to the water and sang to him his favorite song. He followed her fire red hair down into the depths of the swamp. Her voice was the only sound he ever heard, and it was the last sound as well.
You Belong With Me
By: Kate Marie Robbins
© 2013 By Kate Marie Robbins
To Jimmy, for always helping me with my writer’s block and giving me the best ideas for my stories. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Today is my first day at my new school. My parents moved us halfway across the country for dad’s new job. Not a big deal, right? It wouldn’t have been, but
it’s my senior year of high school. My senior year and I have to start at a new school. As hard as it is going to be, I decide I’m going to make the best of it.
I pull into the parking lot. It is already getting full. Lovely. I’m going to be invisible here, I think to myself as I glance around the lot. I knew it was a big school, but I hadn’t realized just how big until seeing it now. I get out of the car and walk slowly across the lot towards the school. No one says anything to me, but I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. Talk about awkward.
I had no idea what it would feel like to be the new kid. I have always gone to the same school, with the same kids, since pre-school. This is all new to me. I pull one of the glass doors open and walk inside to find the office. The receptionist sends me to see the principal, Mr. Breymann, right away.
He looks up from his desk when I enter. “Ah, you must be Emaline Quan.”
I nod, too nervous to say anything else in response.
“Good, good, I’ve asked one of your fellow classmates to show you around. Just one moment, and I’ll pull her out of homeroom.” He picks up the phone and dials a number. “Please send Victoria Barrowman to my office.” There is a slight pause. Then he says, “Thank you.”
A few minutes later, a tall, dark haired girl waltzes into the room. She looks at me and smiles. “You must be Emaline. I’m Victoria.” She extends her hand to me.
I shake it gingerly, and say, “Thank you for offering to show me around.”
“It’s no problem at all. I know how overwhelming it can be. I was the new girl back in 10th grade. C’mon, I’ll show you to homeroom.” Then she turns to Mr. Breymann. “It’s alright for us to go?”
“Oh, yes, of course. I hope your first day goes well, Emaline. If you need anything, my door is always open.” He gives me a warm smile.
Victoria and I walk towards homeroom in silence. It is just so awkward for me. I don’t know what to say to her. It isn’t that I’m shy; I just really don’t know what to say.
“This is where we have homeroom,” Victoria says, pointing to a door. She pushes it open and we walk in.
An older lady looks up at us when we make our appearance. Her name is Mrs. Tsugane, at least that’s what my class schedule states. “Class, this is Emaline Quan. She moved here from… Where is it you moved from?”
“Washington,” I reply.
“Would you like to tell the class a little about yourself?” she asks.
“Um, there’s really not much to say,” I admit, “but sure, I guess I can say something.” Everyone’s eyes are on me. I take a deep breath, and start. “Well, I’m Emaline, like Mrs. Tsugane said. My parents and I just moved here from Washington. I like to write poetry, play tennis, oh, and I’m really big into indie rock music.” I must sound like a complete nerd to them. There are a few snickers from the back of the room, but Victoria is grinning at me.
In the hall, walking to our next class, Victoria turns to me and says, “You and I, we’re going to get along just fine!”
That strikes me as odd, but it is a good thing. It looks like I have already made a friend. Victoria and I have lunch together, along with a few of her other friends. I’m tongue-tied at first around all the new people, but they are super nice to me. In time, I start to open up. Victoria ends up inviting me over to her house after school to hang out, so after school, I drive us to her house. Once we are there, I realize that we only live a few blocks away from each other.
“I just live a few blocks down the road,” I say to her, pointing in the direction of my house.
“Oh, that was you guys that bought the house?” she stares at me in disbelief. “Did the realtor tell you what happened to the family that owned it before you?” She looks down at the ground and kicks a rock that is lying in the driveway.
“No, not that I heard. Why, what happened?” I’m not sure that I want to know the answer to that question.
“Well, there was this boy in our grade, his name was Koah. He committed suicide, at the school, actually. Mr. Breymann found him lying on the bathroom floor in a pool of blood. After his death, his parents couldn’t bear to live in the house anymore, so they moved away. I guess the memories were just too hard for them to deal with.”
I stare at her wide-eyed, horrified. What if I have the same bedroom as he did? Could I even deal with that? I wish that Victoria hadn’t told me what happened.
“I don’t want to freak you out further, but the locker you have at school, it used to be his.”
Oh, great, another connection to this dead boy. Why can’t things just be normal?
Victoria sees how uncomfortable I am about these revelations. “I’m sorry. I guess I should have kept my big mouth shut. Don’t worry about it. It’s got nothing to do with you. It’s not like he’s haunting the house or the school. C’mon, let’s go inside and get something to eat, then you can look through my music collection!”
I do my best to put the thoughts out of my head. It isn’t so easy though. Those words end up echoing in my mind all night long. I have a hard time sleeping, when I finally do manage to fall asleep, my dreams are haunted by a beautiful boy; a boy I have never seen before.
As I pick Victoria up for school the next day, I ask her, “What did Koah look like?”
She eyes me suspiciously. “Why do you ask?”
I explain the dream to her with as much detail as I can remember. Her mouth hangs open once I am done.
“We need to go to the library as soon as we get to school,” she declares. “I need to show you something.”
After we get to school, we head immediately to the library. Once inside, Victoria heads for a shelf that houses all of the school yearbooks. She pulls one off the shelf and starts flipping through it. Once she has found the page she’s looking for, she holds it up to me, her finger pointing to one of the photos. “Is this the boy you saw?”
I nod, my mouth hanging open. “Who is that?” I whisper.
“That’s Koah,” she replies, barely comprehending the fact that he had invaded my dreams.
I am horrified. “How could that even happen? I’ve never seen him before in my life. I didn’t know who he was until you told me about him!”
“I… I don’t know what to tell you. It’s pretty freaky. Try not to think about it,” she whispers.
Yeah, easy for her to say. Her dreams aren’t being invaded by a dead boy. I sigh. “I’ll do my best.”
It does me no good though; all of my dreams are plagued by Koah. None of them are nightmares, but they aren’t exactly happy either. Mostly, it feels like he is trying to protect me. From what, I don’t know. I decide it is best not to say anything more about them to Victoria. If I don’t know how to react to them, she sure as heck won’t. She never brings them up again either.
“We need to go shopping for the Halloween dance,” Victoria is insisting at lunch, “before all the good costumes are gone.”
I roll my eyes. Maybe it will be good for me though? I can distract myself a bit. “Alright, alright, we’ll go on Friday after school.” Anything to get her to shut up.
“Yay! It’s going to be so much fun! You’ll see. We’ll find amazing costumes. And you’re going to love the dance. It’s one of the best things about going to this school. You’ll see.” She grins at me.
While we are in the costume shop that Friday afternoon looking through racks and racks of costumes, a boy I sort of recognize approaches us. I don’t notice at first, but Victoria does. She elbows me in the stomach. That gets my attention. “What was that for?” I demand to know. All she does is point at the boy walking towards us.
“Hi Victoria. Emaline. You guys shopping for your costumes for the dance?” the boy asks.
I just stare at him.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he says to me. “Where are my manners? You have no idea who I am.” He extends his hand out to me. “I’m Quentin Mossmann, but everyone calls me Quinn. We have trigonometry together.” He smiles at me.
I look at him and realize he
is right. “Oh yeah, I remember you now.” I say, trying to smile. He is kinda cute.
Still looking directly at me, he asks, “So, do you have a date for the dance yet?” He can barely meet my gaze.
“Umm, no, I don’t. Victoria and I were just going to go together. If someone asked me though, I could obviously change my plans,” I quickly add, hoping Victoria won’t be too mad at me for it.
“Well, in that case, would you like to go with me?” He finally looks at me, his eyes beaming.
Miraculous: Tales of the Unknown Page 6