Branoc said, “It’s taken care of. We are done with the whole thing. All paths led back to Aravant. I’ll keep watch on the labs and extraneous facilities. Garin will monitor his businesses. But without Aravant the pockets of lab technicians and other workers at the fringes of this will disperse. My department will keep files on any potential problem areas and deal with them as they arise. But the leader and his key people are dead.”
“Thanks Branoc.” I dreaded the thought of the funerals ahead.
“I’m going to get back to finishing details on closing this case. A tough one. I’m sorry Anna.”
Like a ghost I walked from the house, through the quick drips of the rain and found a bench in the shed to sit on and look out the open doors that still swayed from an unseen touch. Being here alone calmed me. Too much life and death in that house. I’d never relinquish these feelings for Brett. Like my feelings of friendship with Bethany stayed a part of me. Wretched arrow barbs piercing my heart.
The rain continued through nightfall.
-:- Twenty-Five -:-
The end of summer came quickly. I debated starting classes again. My grades from the summer obviously reflected my lack of attendance and I’d need to retake that class. Probably next winter and better I learned fresh content now. I gave notice at my old apartment of my intended move. I found a new efficiency apartment over a clothing store but I waited on the response from their credit check approval before I signed the lease. A busy weekend ahead to move if it worked out. I’d have to tackle my crazy clutter closet finally and get organized for once. I’d have help though.
I rolled down the sidewalk with my in-line roller skates. Not sure why and not believing it entirely healthy I bought my first pair of skates since I skated as a kid, a week after the whole plant thing. I felt Brett with me when I skated.
A car came toward me on the other side of the street, passed by and slowed. It turned in the middle of the empty street. I spun as it roared close and the car whined down, halting a few car lengths ahead of me, a newer Camaro painted a metallic indigo blue that matched the indigo bunting nail polish I have been wearing, initially because I wanted something whimsical but I came to like it. Garin did not like the color but said we could change it any time the novelty wore off. We put a little more chrome on this car plus installed a new interior – I loved driving around swallowed in the scent of fine leather. Nothing scary about the basic chassis of this previously white car. It had been turned in after completing a lease held by a salon owner. Garin bought the car for cash and then we painted and added the other changes. Garin got out, sliding his sunglasses from his face, “Are you about ready to go back? I have our reservations for dinner at Napoleons Cat.”
“What’s the rush? I didn’t think you got hungry anyway.”
“We don’t want to brush them off. It’s hard enough getting a reservation there.”
“The time got away from me. Isn’t that a fancy place? I thought we wanted to keep things simple?”
He opened the door for me. “Watch your head; you’re taller in those skates.” He took my hand and helped me in.
I half rolled and half walked down the hallway of my apartment. After kicking the skates into the back of my closet I grabbed one of my nice spaghetti strap dresses, this one in red. I dug out the shoes that went with it and found the heals more comfortable after my skating and I felt like dancing in them. But stopped at remembering the events at The Vacuna Club. I hit the shower, dressed, and tidied my face and hair. I put my hair up rather than deal with a lot of drying. Some hair gel made the wet hair look wet but dry. The wisps of hair framing my face already dried and their recently cut ends looked good. A part of me wanted to repaint my nails to match the rest of my outfit but I knew Garin paced out there and I did want to keep things simple.
Garin dressed in the living room and stood watching me come out of the hall. His eyes widened approvingly as he took me in. I still fiddled with an earring. He wore a suit, the base admission for Napoleons, and he looked fabulously hot. I wasn’t ready for that and almost dropped my earring. His dark hair neat and trimmed. His beautiful face scanned me. He held out his hand. His coat touching thighs wrapped in tailored fabric down to his brightly shined shoes. Holding himself there with that hidden strength and agility of an athlete that would always be his no matter the century ahead of his long future. Topped with those sharp intelligent eyes.
“You clean up well.” I said, aware and worried my heels might catch on the carpet.
“‘O! She doth teach the torches to burn bright!’”
I smiled, “Trying your trickery a little early in the evening?” I protested, but secretly I loved it. I took his hand finding it slightly warmer than normal.
He asked as we got closer to the car, “Hear back from the apartment yet?”
“Not yet. But I’m not too worried; they seemed willing to extend my lease at this place if I want.”
“That’s good.”
Late August in Livix could be either hideously hot or grand. After all the rain the weeks before now the weather turned wonderful. Perfectly warm but not too hot and almost a clear sky with a comfortable breeze. I had my window down and played my hand in the wind drafting by the car as we drove into town.
Parking came easy. And we walked up to the smiling restaurant host at his station. “Party for two?”
“Reservations under Ramsburgh.”
“Yes. Impeccable timing Mr. Ramsburgh. Would you like a booth or one of the tables to give you a little more elbow room?”
I suggested, “Cozy would be nice.”
“This way.”
I looked around. I had never been at Napoleons Cat before, typically branded as stuffy but other than the fancy attire, known for becoming exotic around the Victorian Festival, it didn’t seem too bad. More of a reputation than a reality. Richly detailed wallpaper covered the wall next to our booth carved from some deep onyx stained wood.
“The wine menu, sir … and madam.”
I glanced at Garin.
“You are twenty-one now.”
“In that case …” I squinted at the menu. Thousands of tiny lines spread down the page.
“They have a reputation for wine.”
“I can see that.”
“I’ll order us a white wine to start.”
I closed the wine menu and our server appeared. Garin made the wine order, something from Traverse City. I caught the server winking at Garin. I thought that somewhat rude but maybe they knew him here.
She returned with a pair of sparkling wine flutes and carefully set them near us along with some appetizer that I have since forgotten.
Watching the tiny bubbles spring from the bottom and sides of the glass in tiny dotted streamers to burst through the top of the golden liquid I realized my risk. The panic of danger set in. Trying so hard to simplify my life, I realized a possible huge decision could be approaching.
The setting, the reservations, and two possible questions that Garin might seek my answers. I had purposefully avoided one but knew a big elephant still stamped the air around us. The other question did not slink away with any less trepidation.
The server stepped away. Garin smiled and looked into my eyes quite seriously, leaning toward me he reached into his coat. His hand came out holding the little magical fuzzy black box every young girl dreams of getting someday.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how much I love you and I wanted to ask you, will you give me the honor of marrying me?” He thumbed the box open revealing a sparkling diamond sitting on a simple ring inside the black velvet.
The diamond showed effervescent like the bubbles in the sparkling wine. I needed to think. Too fancy of a restaurant to flee without a huge scene. “Just like that?”
“It’s probably more formal to get through to desert and I know a lot is going on –”
I whispered close to him, “Maybe I wanted to keep things simple for now?”
He held the ring firm before me.
His gaze warm and hopeful, yet serious, “I love when you tilt your head like that, or when you brush your hair behind your ear, or how your beauty comes out when I catch you completely focused on drawing. I love how you can be brave in the face of real danger, how you are tenacious, how you have your own opinions, and that you have talents I respect. Then I love how I can still smell your perfume on me hours after being around you.”
My knees softened. The empty hollow in my chest became less bleak.
His tone changed, becoming deeper, “When you truly understand what Forever means and appreciate the frailness of our special life I cannot imagine not having my True Love by my side and not beginning that life as soon as possible.”
All of those prior discussions we had on vampires, love, and obsession over this tumultuous summer flooded back. Forever. True Love. But it could never be Forever for me as for him. I would not become a dangerous predatory killer forever undead. I would not be a shadow between life and true death. “I will not last, I am not durable, and my beauty will not endure.” I will be old and wrinkly one day.
“But you are so much more than that. You’ll improve and change. I am willing to have you for any time that I can, however brief or enduring.”
That drew me closer to an answer. Willing to relinquish permanence to participate in the fleetingness of my life. To have me for only a short breath. A whiff of fragrance that lingers but fades with time. It made me stronger, braver, and more desirable. How could I give any other answer?
“Yes.” I smiled, my eyes rising to his, a smile alighting my face, “Yes, Garin Ramsburgh, I will marry you.”
-:- Twenty-Six -:-
I didn’t want the big fancy wedding that I had dreamed of as a little girl. I played then with cutouts from the stack of bridal magazines left over from my sister’s wedding and created elaborate lists of dreams about the Big Day. Drawing and sketching the perfect dress. Thinking about color schemes and bridesmaids gowns from the merely inoffensive to the terribly gaudy. Now my sister brought a new stack of bridal magazines and clippings from her planning archive while my mother wanted to come over and direct. Already I saw it will be too much but I guess that’s the point of weddings.
My sister’s wedding had been nice and well done and it took more than a year of planning and interviewing bands and photographers and a whole raft of decisions. I made too many decisions this summer about life and death and at some level; this wedding thing seemed pointless bordering on trivial. But how would I make these decisions? Making decisions to please others or myself? Mourning too many friends to make proper plans? Will I regret not having the big planning and events and glamour a year from now? If I let everyone direct the wedding then it becomes his or her dream. I wanted to wander through my own wedding dream after the horror of this summer.
“I’m going to have a small wedding Mom.”
“Small weddings are fine for second marriages, if you cannot afford it, or if you have a powerful anti-establishment creative bent. None of those apply – we can do a nice wedding Anna.”
“It’s a lot more fuss than I want to do. It’s only one day.”
“But a big important day. You get to make all the decisions that you want and see the coordination happen in your own choreographed ballet. You will have the grandest time and be glad we did it. I remember you used to dress up and play wedding.”
“Yes Mom. I also used to dress up as a princess and as superheroes and space monsters along the way too. I’m not going to have a Halloween party.” But then I was marrying a vampire.
“Honey, it’s too late for that … you need to get in the mood. I’ve scheduled you for some dress fittings downtown. I’m coming and staying with your sister at her new town house while we get started. Then we have shoes and … and start thinking about who is on your guest list for you and Garin. I’m bringing my project management book that we used on your sister’s wedding so we don’t forget to consider any details.”
Quite a list. Project management. Like teams of engineers and product designers working diligently on making some product to hit the market five years from now. Now that Garin suggested it and we had talked about it. I wanted the same as he: my True Love by my side as soon as possible. “Bring the list Mom but I have my own ideas for what I’m doing at my wedding.”
I could sense she felt some victory when she said, “I’ll see you Saturday morning at Shannon’s house.”
-:- -:- -:-
The dresses at the bridal shop looked gorgeous. A beautiful swirling ghostly dance of lace and silk and tiny bead-work. My mother took me to two popular shops in nearby malls but we ended back at the shop in downtown Livix where my sister had gotten hers. The owner still remembered my sister and mother and could describe the special hem and bodice work that my sister chose after the owner insisted she would love it – and she did. I looked at long, short, and flared hooped things with poof shoulders out of fantasy stories. But my attention drew to one dress in particular, and more strongly than I ever thought, the moment I saw it, “That one, that is the dress.”
“That one? It’s not too short?” Shannon wrinkled her nose. “You could pull it off though; you’ve got better legs than I had. Try it on.”
I asked, “Can I get it without the train?”
The bridal shop owner said, “Of course. It hooks on here and here because the train is used for the ceremony and then it’s removed at the reception before dancing.”
Dancing. I’d have to learn some steps to keep up with Garin. Ugh. “This dress is it.”
“You should try it on.” Shannon urged.
My mother said, “Why don’t you put it on the short list and we can try these others too and then come back to the two or three you like best. There are probably others on these racks,” she took her first sip of the complementary Pinot Gris wine, “I feel like we only recently arrived.”
“Let me see what this looks like.” I asked the shop owner, “Do you have any hair pins? And antique white ribbons.”
“Yes we do. I’ll get a package of each and give them to you in the changing room.”
I put the dress on and looked in the mirror. I definitely didn’t want the train since the train made it look like I should have fairy wings. It took more time to do my hair up. I’d do a better job on the big day, probably take me a few tries even with help, and needed to remember to start early. One of the ribbons tickled my ear and I tugged it into a better position. This is the dress. I stepped back into my short heels providing the same height I wanted for the ceremony. We’ll look for the actual shoes later. I pushed through the door.
My sister took a quick breath when she turned at hearing my shoes on the old wood floor, “Wow Anna – that is the dress. I love it!”
My mother brought her hand to her face and gasped, “Oh, that dress is you. You are so beautiful. Garin will forget his lines.” I saw tears on her face. I thought I might cry as I turned in front of them and before the coven of mirrors reflecting every angle of myself in the dress. The little girl in me leaped for joy and twirled with rose petals flowing from her fingertips.
Of course the bridal shop owner told me I looked wonderful and great and lucky to find it after comparing so few dresses. Then a few business details to finish up and they would have the dress ready in a couple of months.
“That won’t do. I’m getting married in a week.”
“So soon? Oh.” she looked at me skeptically. I let her wonder about a forced wedding. “We can expedite the order but that still takes a few weeks. Or we can clean this one and get it sized. You are luckily close to the stock size so those changes will be quick. You have the wedding venue picked out? I have some planning books on the table over there.”
I nodded, “I have a place chosen and booking is done.”
“Ok.”
“– you already have the booking?” my mother looked at me surprised. I knew she anticipated the fun in that whole selection thing. The venues treated everyone like a queen, sitting ther
e tasting fancy cakes and sipping tea. “And a week?” She might have fainted had she not been holding wine in a room full of wedding dresses. She gulped down the last of the wine and set the crystal on the glass counter-top.
I thanked the bridal shop owner and lead my confused mother and sister onto the sidewalk. “Mom, I know what I want. That dress and we’re getting married by a river in the forest.” I didn’t tell her the significance of the river for Garin and me. We would face the river as we made our vows. A small group of family. “Maybe a reception nearby. I see white covered tables and white chairs. Flowing over with greenery from the forest.”
“That’s not what I would have expected, Anna. I remember what you used to want for a wedding.”
“Mom.” I stopped on the sidewalk. “I’m not that little girl. I’ve had experiences that have forged me differently than even a year ago. I’m sorry because I know you’ve had this plan for me for a long time too. But I cannot give in and let things happen. As you said, I have to choose my own choreography. And this is what I want.” I hugged her, “I love you and you must understand?”
“Yes,” she set her smile, “I have dreamed of doing this a second time for you. And a little of the princess dream.” Tears came to her eyes and she reached to hug me, “You’re so grown. Not my little girl anymore. I’m sad for that loss but I really love the woman you’ve become.”
“Thanks Mom.” I wish my path here had been different and less violent. I might have stayed that little princess a while longer.
In a whirling week we completed the important details for my wedding including the weather cooperating throughout the day.
-:- Twenty-Seven -:-
The Vampires Of Livix Twin Pack (Volumes #2 & #3) Page 31