Water's Threshold

by Jillian Jacobs

  Destiny was for fairytales and children’s books, not Elemental girls and human boys. The night they spoke at the stream, he’d made clear what he believed, but she had maintained her presence by his side. Attempting to keep him safe, yes, but also because she refused to walk away. Now, once more, his choice was clear.

  Terran spun her around. “Friendship? We were never friends. Friends have a certain level of trust between them. You are incapable of telling the truth. I don’t know if you are so wrapped up in this world you can’t see that, or what?” He paused for a moment, and when he continued, his words sliced across her heart. “One thing is clear, though, you are completely insane for letting them do whatever they did to your body. You should have seen yourself. You almost died.”

  This last was shouted out, and she, mentally and physically, eased away from his fury.

  Her heart gave one last thump before it squeezed dry and wilted in her chest—dead just like her. Wasn’t this what she deserved? She’d lived her life in deceit, both as a human and as an elemental. She played with people’s minds and their lives freely. Actions had consequences. Mother had asked her to prepare him, and she’d kept him in the dark. Her tendency to strike her own path foiled her once again.

  “You are right, Terran, living this Elemental life I did almost die. But not in the way you think. I was supposed to prepare you and I failed. So let me tell you the truth now—all of this isn’t a game or magic.” In her palm, she formed a pool of water, and then dripped the trickle down her fingers and onto his arm. “We are real. Our gifts are real. I did heal in the water.”

  “Enough!” He knocked her hand away. “I don’t know why you picked me for this little farce, but I’m not falling for any of it. If anything, get help, Maya. I’ll admit you had me going, and for that, I doubt I’ll ever forgive you. You’re a misguided mess.”

  His words struck like ice picks against her frozen heart. “What mess?” She pulled her hair back from her face until the pain tore at her scalp.

  “Nodin, Flint, and the tall lady.”

  “You’ve met Mother and you still doubt?”

  “Doubt is too small a word for how I feel, believe me.”

  “And you think I belong in a white jacket in some asylum. Well, welcome to the loony bin, Terran. Believe me, you’ll fit right in.” She shouldered past him. Weak from the fight, she sought solace in her pool. In here, he couldn’t see her falling tears. Couldn’t see that with each word, her heart iced over, layer by layer. As she plunged into her pool she wondered, why was there no cure for heartbreak when it’s the mostly deadly disease of all?

  Chapter 29

  The blessed smell of coffee alerted Terran to another presence in the cave. He ignored the visitor and finished laying out his still wet work clothes.

  Nodin appeared by his side with a paper cup in his hand, shaking a fast food bag. “Burger?”

  Terran reached for the huge coffee cup. The warmth instantly heated his cold fingers. After removing the plastic lid, he blew against the liquid’s dark surface.

  “Need some help with that?” Nodin offered with a chuckle.

  “No, I’m good.” Terran refrained from rolling his eyes before biting into the semi-warm sandwich. Hamburger, cheese, and a sesame seed bun had never tasted so good.

  When he got out of this freezing hole in the ground, he’d grill an enormous steak and savor each juicy bite. He’d follow that with a monster brownie, covered in hot fudge. For now, a second burger would have to do.

  Rejuvenated with food and caffeine, Terran deliberated the best way of convincing Nodin to deliver him from this well.

  Yet, there were still so many unanswered questions. And doubt, that slippery slope, had wheedled its way into his brain. Maya had seemed so genuine. Unshed tears had shimmered in her eyes before she’d escaped into her watery isolation. How was she breathing in that pool? He hadn’t located any air tanks. No apparatus was attached to her nose or mouth. So how?

  And how had her body healed from its previous deathlike state? He’d been here the whole time, so how had they cured her? What if they were telling the truth? Earthmen, water-girls, flaming firemen, tree ladies, and wind funnels—in this reality two plus two did not equal four. He’d turned this puzzle over in his mind for hours. What am I missing? Did I depict them as live-action role players to keep my sanity? His head ached from overanalyzing his situation and caffeine-deprivation. One cup of coffee barely scratched the surface of his addiction.

  Terran wiped his mouth with a napkin from the bottom of the bag and glanced at Nodin, who watched him with a quirked grin and raised brow. “All right, Nodin, let’s say for a few minutes I’m willing to swallow this tale. I’d like some answers if you don’t mind. That’s the least I can ask after being kept here.”

  Nodin waved his hand before him, indicating his wish for Terran to proceed.

  Terran paced in the late-afternoon sunbeam pouring down from the top of the well. “I’m unclear how I fit in all this. Why do you keep calling me Earthman? How do you know what I’m thinking? Where do you go when you leave? How does the water heal Maya?”

  “The answers I can give you will never compute in your rational mind, Terran. You must look into your heart. Close your eyes and feel your connection to the earth and to each of us.”

  “Do you realize how insane you sound?” He stopped pacing and gripped his hair in his hands. He didn’t want to look into his heart, the rawness and ache of duplicity was blocking the red pulse. Because Maya, she…hadn’t she…he deleted her from his thoughts, took a deep breath, and focused on Nodin. “I don’t process concepts in an irrational manner. Facts are real. I need some way to classify this information in my mind.”

  “What about this doesn’t feel real?” Nodin raised his hand and delivered a blast of air across his face. “Your denial does nothing but waste time. We are at war.”

  A strong wind whipped through the cave beating against him, but not a single hair stirred on Nodin’s head. “War against whom? And I’m cold enough as it is, I don’t need the special effects.”

  “Maya did not have time to properly prepare you. But, that is irrelevant now, we must move forward. Our basic life facts have been shown to you. I was not given the same opportunity to reject or embrace this life, and yet, I have walked this earth a very long time. Think long on accepting this offered gift. As Earthman, you represent our core. Embrace your power. Acknowledge fate. You’ve been given a perfect mate in Maya. I would be proud to walk beside her through this life, but she is not for me.”

  A mate? “And if I refuse?”

  “Then we will walk away from you forever.”

  “You’ll leave?” Terran walked over to the pool and checked on Maya.

  What is she doing in there?

  “We will have no choice. I ask you to consider how much more you can give back to the earth. Your intelligence, added to a peri-mortal life, strength, and the ability to transform, will be an advantage. The capacity to glean the actions of others and their intentions will also be given.” Nodin stood beside him at Maya’s pool. “Using your mechanical mind to process the most strategic step forward will be an asset to our team. With each passing day, our environment grows worse. Take the tools offered to stem the tide of destruction. You may say no and walk away. We can make you forget. Another Earthman will be born. The cycle always repeats.” He swirled a circle in the water with his finger.

  Terran turned away and walked back to the warmth and link to reality found in the sun’s beam. “You think you’re immortal? And you can detect, or ‘glean’ as you say, what I am thinking right now? On top of that, you believe you can change my thought patterns?”

  “Not immortal, we are peri-mortal. Do you know what a “Peri” is?”

  Terran shook his head.

  “The mythology has been misinterpreted. Peri’s are thought to be spirits who have been denied paradise until they have done penance three times. Not completely accurate, as we were chosen by Mother
Nature, but our mortality is perpetual. Our elemental sustenance is required to sustain our life force. If Maya were to go without water for a time she would die. If I were placed in a vacuum, I’d cease to exist. As for redirecting your mind, we’ve done so on a few occasions.”

  “We?” He narrowed his eyes at Nodin. “When?” He’d consider this peri-mortal notion later.

  Nodin laughed and shook his head. “The night you and Maya stopped at the stream. I made you forget a few minor details. Delving into your mind and switching your gears wasn’t easy. And now, your mind is full of human concerns and disbelief. Maya and fears for her health also weigh heavily.”

  “So my role in all of this is as this Earthman character? What happened to the last one?”

  An air of sadness crossed Nodin’s face, and he pursed his lips before glancing away.

  A ripple and faint splash came from the pool.

  “Maya stirs. I’ll leave you to learn your answers.”

  “Wait. One last thing, why did you take me through the ocean when you first brought me here? You could have dropped me down from the well.”

  Nodin slapped him on the back. “After all those dreams of yours, you were expecting water, so I gave it to you.” Nodin’s deep chuckle vibrated off the walls as he spun into an air funnel and whipped up and out.

  This Elemental thing just might be worth it for payback alone.

  # # #

  Maya opened her eyes and swallowed a deep gush of water. It filtered through her body, washing away pain, but sloshing right past her heart. Terran was still here. The tingle thrumming through her body in his presence had not dissipated. Her worst fear had played out, like a bad horror movie before her eyes. She was different—not welcome in his arms. And yet, she could not stop the need to soak up every moment with him before everything was erased from his memory.

  Can I request the same clean slate?

  Rising from the water, she glanced around the cavern, anxious to see him. Life coursed through her body, and the water droplets streaming down enhanced awareness of Terran on every level. She shook off the lingering liquid and flipped back her dry hair. Her absorption levels remained high and would until all the murky matter delivered by Quint was cleansed.

  Terran stood with his face tilted toward the sky, his view transfixed by the exit above. Keeping him here so long was unfair. He had a human life outside of her world.

  She stepped out of the pool and padded to his side. “Terran? Are you all right?”

  His gaze took in the entire scope of her body, and then locked on her lips. “You appear much better.”

  A cloud of sexual awareness surrounded them. A very vivid picture projected into her mind of them entwined together. His kiss in the vision was not gentle, but punishing.

  She gasped; surprised he could desire her still. Her fear he would not chose this Elemental life remained, but her greater fear was for his safety against Quint’s twisted plans. She shuddered at the reminder of Quint’s plan to use her as a pawn against Terran.

  “Terran…” She stepped forward. Ready to answer the need in his eyes, in his mind.

  But once more, he held back. “Maya, please don’t.” He turned to speak, but just huffed out a breath. “Right now…I’m unclear on a lot of things. And you…whatever you think you are, whatever this is, you are still the biggest…the most… I’m at a loss of how to even speak rationally at this point.” He ran a hand over his stubbled chin and shook his head. “I just want away from this place.”

  Every bit of her wanted to turn him to ice, strike back against his rejection. But, none of this was his fault. Innocent, he was so innocent, and only a bystander in this hazy existence.

  “Terran, I know I have no right to ask, but I’d appreciate if you would, for a moment, suspend disbelief and hear me out.”

  He crossed both arms against his chest then waved a few fingers in her direction. “I believe I’m a captive audience.”

  “Would you like to know how old I am?”

  “Sure, if that’s where you want to start.”

  “I was born in 1877, and I died in 1898.”

  Chapter 30

  I was the only child of a couple who had me later in life, and because of this, I was spoiled. They gave me trinkets and bought me pretty dresses. My mother died when I was eleven, leaving me to care for my father. I was expected to cook and clean as she had, but I had not been raised doing those chores.

  I was the important one. I was the one who needed care. I grew up as a friend to the children on neighboring farms. One boy in particular, Luke Hastings, had always been enamored of me. When I came of age, he wanted to marry me. I was only interested in what he could give me—an adventure.

  He wanted to head west, and after my father died, we decided to leave together. Luke promised me the world once we got there. I read an employment ad for Harvey girls out in San Francisco. They paid for the transportation and provided room and board once you arrived. Harvey girls worked in Fred Harvey’s restaurants. The company was one of the first to hire women. Some say Harvey girls are what tamed the Wild West. They’d build a train stop, Harvey would put a restaurant there, fill it with girls, and they’d have a civilizing effect on all the rowdy men that came to town.

  Luke and I scraped together some money, and we took the train out of St. Louis, not traveling together, of course. Harvey girls had to remain unmarried. There were always opportunities to sneak time together, though, and we found every one. We were on a real adventure. Rules were made to be broken. However, once we settled in California, things did not turn out as we planned.

  He worked as a brakeman for the Frisco line, and I worked as a Harvey girl. Hard work. I waitressed twelve hours a day, at least six days a week, and I even had to be ready in the middle of the night if a train came in off-schedule. I had to learn cup codes, how to brew coffee, and we constantly polished silverware. The sound of a train coming no longer filled me with excitement, but with dread for the labor that would follow. Although I enjoyed my female companions, I became worn down by the long hours, and I wanted more.

  In 1896, Luke joined the stampede to Canada to find riches in the Klondike Gold Rush. I stayed behind on call as a Harvey girl at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Every time I heard the train whistle blow, I had to be prepared.

  Then, His Grace, the Duke of Rutford, Edward Somerset came to town on business. The English way of life was changing, and forward-thinking men like Rutford came to America to invest in the railroads and steelworks. He set his eye on me to become his mistress. He succeeded and showed me the “more” I had been waiting for my whole life. I had my own apartment, jewels, clothes, and shoes that hadn’t been worn through. As his mistress, I gave my body in return for material things. I set out to please him, and I was rewarded amply. Luckily, he didn’t stay with me all the time, as he had a wife back in England, and only visited when he was in town for business.

  Luke came back from the gold rush. His pockets were heavy with gold. After he learned of my relationship with Rutford, he called me a soiled dove and thrashed me good for not waiting. We were supposed to stick together and build a shop of our own. He left, but returned a month later. He begged my forgiveness, and being lonely, I acquiesced. We rekindled our love affair, but when Rutford came to town, I refused to see Luke. When Rutford left, I explained to Luke how we would continue. The Duke would provide for me, and Luke could stay as long as he skipped out when Rutford was about. The servants were loyal and wouldn’t alert him.

  I didn’t see Luke for a few weeks, but then he visited one evening. He had a picnic basket and asked me to join him on the beach for a late-night rendezvous. At the beach, I opened the basket, which held only a bottle of wine and two glasses. He poured a glass and toasted our future together. Relieved by our reconciliation, I took a deep drink. Then, he refilled my glass.

  My lips numbed and my eyelids refused to stay open. I left the sandy ground, as if floating on air. Cold water washed over me, and a sal
ty spray rushed across my tongue. I could not move—he had drugged my wine.

  I was listless as I drifted into death.

  I awoke in a sea of blue, a school of fish surrounded me, and a woman floated before my eyes. Her face was too beautiful to describe. I could not encompass everything in one glance. She spoke with no voice, but an echo in my head.

  “How much more do you want to be?”

  I couldn’t respond. I started to realize the strangeness of the situation. What was I doing in the water? I couldn’t breathe. I kicked my legs, straining toward the surface, but was held in place.

  “Yes, you can breathe. Free your body and mind.”

  Panic raced through me. Who was she? Had I died? How could I survive so deep in the ocean? Where was Luke?

  Then her musical voice flowed through my mind with each waving current. “Maya Conway, you have spent the first twenty-one years of your life in selfish endeavors. That changes now. I have a plan for you, a journey, but you must put aside your petty wishes and foolish material desires. I expect more, and I will keep you here until you grasp your situation and understand you no longer live for Maya Conway alone. The world needs you. I need you. Drift, rest, and accept the elemental nature within. I will return.”

  # # #

  “Mother’s idea of ‘returning’ was two months later. By then, I had drifted down to a Hawaiian island. I stayed on Ni’ihau, the Forbidden Island, which had been purchased by a Scotswoman in 1864. Her descendants still owned the island, but, at the time, only natives lived there and they frequently walked the beaches to collect shells for jewelry.