“What? I don’t believe that for a second.” He turned to me, walking sideways down the little ribbon of dirt road, watching me. “I bet your parents are crazy proud of you,” he nodded his head in an exaggerated way at the thought.
“Proud? Uh-uh.” I shrugged and chewed at the inside of my mouth, not really knowing what to say when the spotlight was on me. I had been doing the listening all night, which was just fine by me. Now that I was about to start talking, my mouth went Sahara dry. I sighed, puffing my lips out so the air hummed through them like a motorboat.
“My parents are…..bored...disappointed...pre-occupied...probably excited that I’m finally leaving for college.” I shook my head as I searched for the words to describe what my parents were. I knew they loved me, but I also knew they would change me if they could.
“What are they like?”
“My mother’s a social butterfly. My father’s a workaholic. Things were fine until my visions started. I didn’t know how to handle that. I ended up pulling away from everything, and they let me.”
The gravel and stones crunched under our feet. I thought about how different my life might have been if those visions had never started. My life would have been so much easier, but I also would have been busy making one more summer of memories with my high school friends instead of meeting Dayne. Stealing another peek at him—watching our shadows sway along the gray road—I knew it was totally worth all the horrible things I had endured.
“Did you ever think about telling your parents?”
“Gosh no.” I shook my head quickly back and forth at the horrifying thought. “If I would’ve gone around telling people I could see the future, everyone would have thought I’d gone insane.”
“But you could easily prove your visions were true?”
“And then I’d be a freak!” I shrugged and tried to pull my hand away. He didn’t let me, holding on to it and pulling me ever closer. “Teenagers are cruel. They don’t forgive stuff like that. I’ve spent years trying to hide what I am from the world and trying even harder to forget it myself.”
“Why would you want to forget it? Clairvoyance is an incredible gift in my world. Few possess it.” Wonder, and maybe a bit of adoration, intoned his words, causing my head to snap toward his. I searched his face, expecting to find that he was teasing me. He wasn’t. He really thought my handicap was a gift.
“It’s a curse in my world. I feel like a criminal, knowing the things I do when I can’t do anything to stop them. Do you have any idea how horrible it is to eat dinner with your best friend’s family knowing her father is having an affair and is about to leave them?” My mind froze on a distant scene, remembering the weight that had pressed down on me during dinner at Amber’s house so many years ago. Watching her father shovel forkfuls of food into his mouth and knowing each bite was one less he would eat with his family. I’d cried all night when I got home, knowing how crushed Amber would be when he left. But through it all, I never told her. When I saw her tear stained eyes at school the next week, I locked myself away in my own jail of isolation to pay for my unpardonable crime against my best friend.
“No, but I can imagine.” His voice was full of compassionate understanding. He leaned into me and wiped at a tear that had escaped over my cheek when I pulled out the pain of those old memories. “Did you ever try to change the future?”
“Once.” I nodded, bringing my sleeve up to dab at my eyes as we walked by a bend of flowing water, snaking close enough to the road I could fell its cool mist. “When my pet rabbit died.”
“Did it work?”
“No.” I wiped at another silent tear. “I can’t change anything I see. I just have to suffer through it and find a way to deal with the guilt.”
“You might not can change it, but have you ever tried to use it?” He tucked his head down to look at me.
“What’d you mean?”
“Well, take your friend?” He asked, being sure I followed. I nodded. “You knew her dad was leaving, maybe you could have encouraged her to take up kick boxing or karate or some other contact sport to work out her aggression down the road. And with your rabbit? You could’ve made every minute you had left count. Some people would say that’s a gift, to never have regrets over what you didn’t do.” He squeezed my hand and I had to smile at the goofy grin he was giving me. The trees bowed over us, giving the moment a heightened sense of intimacy.
We were both silent, nothing but our footsteps echoing into the stand of trees huddled along the roadside. I nodded and took a deep breath, looking up at him.
Leaves shimmered and danced behind him like a water ballet of silver slippers, but everything beautiful in the world would have paled in comparison to Dayne at that moment. Never had I felt more loved or more accepted. He wanted to be a part of my life, to make it better even. However insane that was after hearing about the fantasy world that lay on the other side of Ennishlough, just waiting for him.
“We’re here,” he whispered, pulling my sleeve to stop me so we could say goodbye without waking Rose and Phin, if that was even possible after his encouragement.
“Dayne?” I fingered his buttons, staring down at the shiny little discs in the moonlight, wondering how he would react to my next question.
“Yes?”
“Do you think….is there anyway...would you be willing to try this without any magic. I mean, just see if we can do this as two normal people?” I was afraid he would worry I was changing my mind about the whole being-okay-that-he’s-a-fairy-thing. I didn’t care what he was. What I needed to know was that the boring tedium of a normal life would be enough for him after lifetimes living in the fantastical reality he was used to.
“You’re worried I won’t like being normal?” He asked, knowing my concerns immediately.
I nodded and sighed.
“Faye, I’m kind of an outcast in my world, thinking the way I do. I never dared to hope I would have someone to share life with. That doesn’t happen in my world. You have made so many wishes come true for me tonight. And if you need normal? I can do normal forever.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling like the word was totally inadequate after the beautiful words he had poured over me. My brain had forgotten how to work again, so I just slumped against his chest and sighed, breathing in the fragrance of him. I could’ve stayed there forever.
“It’s late. You’d better go,” he nudged me from my little nook in his chest.
My eyes fluttered open, having almost fallen asleep against him. I was totally exhausted after the day I’d had. The shadow of Rose and Phin’s cottage blotted the horizon and I let out a sigh, sad to be leaving him.
“Wait. How am I supposed to get back in?” It would be impossible to sneak in the normal way and not wake Rose and Phin.
“I don’t know. I can’t use my magic anymore,” Dayne said helplessly as he looked at the little cottage with me. “Wow. That window is really high, too.” He pointed to my bedroom window shaking his head as if her were at a total loss.
“Dayne!” I whispered as loudly as I could, grabbing his finger and pulling it back down to me.
“Okay, but just this once,” he said like a magnanimous ruler granting an appeal. “You made the rules. I’m just following your orders.”
My mind went blank and when my eyes opened I was tucked in my bed. He kissed me gently on the forehead and was gone, leaving nothing but my curtains billowing in the breeze.
Chapter 18
Days Like This
I woke up in my bed with a start, hoping I hadn’t dreamed him again. His single white rose rested on my bedside table, its sweet aroma greeting me good morning. I smiled and pressed the fragrance to my nose.
Downstairs, Rose was busy at something in the kitchen and didn’t hear me until I was right beside her.
“Oh, Faye!” Rose threw her arms around me. “We were so worried about you. How do you feel? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, slowly remembering that I had jus
t been in a horrible bus crash. I rubbed my head for effect and fell weakly into a chair at the table.
“Oh, you poor thing. What happened? How did Dayne find you?” She poured a cup of tea in front of me and sat down beside me, close enough to fuss over me like a mother hen, checking everywhere to make sure I was okay.
“I honestly don’t know, Rose. I can’t remember a thing after waving goodbye to you and April. I was walking down the road when Dayne found me and brought me back here.” I really hoped I was telling the same story Dayne had.
“Do we need to take you to the hospital?” She looked worried.
I shook my head and took a sip of the hot tea.
“Do you feel okay? I think you should go get checked out. You seem fine, but I just don’t know.” Rose felt my forehead, shook her head and looked to her herbs for help, turning back to me when she failed to see an answer there.
“No. I’m fine. Where’s Phin?” I looked toward the bedroom.
“He’s at work. I just can’t believe all this. You come back and Phin gets his job back and it’s just like yesterday never happened.” I was glad to see the smile back on Rose’s face after the tear streaked sadness of yesterday.
“Don’t you have to open the bakery?” I blew at the steaming teacup.
“April opened for me so I could look after you. You need to call her and your parents. Everyone is worried sick.” She patted my hand.
“How are the other passengers?” I asked, remembering the horrible scene from the night before.
“They’re all fine. Thankfully, everyone was belted in. The bus and the car barely grazed each other, but the bus crashed into the stonewall along the roadside. There are a few who don’t remember anything like you. Doctor says it’s probably shock. Nothing to worry about.”
“Thank goodness,” I said with such great relief Rose gave me a curious look. “Rose, I’m fine. You can go to work. I’m going to take a shower and call everybody and then head to the barn,” I nodded at her, assuring her I was okay, and hoping to distract her from my odd reaction.
She patted my hand again. “I knew it,” she said winking at me. “We owe Mr. Dayne everything. I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t found you.”
Rose left for work, satisfied that I was okay, but made me promise not to do anything too strenuous at the barn. I was sure she would call Phin and insist he enforce her rules.
After a call home to Georgia to assure my parents I was okay and deciding not to call April in order to avoid the inevitable questions I knew she would bombard me with, I made my way upstairs to get ready for the day.
My hands trembled as I pulled on my riding clothes. Last time I looked forward to seeing Dayne after kissing him in the moonlight my world had crashed down at my ankles. I couldn’t be wrong again. Not now. Not after the whispered secrets we’d shared.
Bbbrrrriiinnngg…. The phone rang in the hallway below, snapping me back to reality. I ran down the stairs to pick it up, sure it was my mother calling again to be sure everything was okay—she was a total control freak.
“Oh….my…..gosh!” April’s voice bubbled into my ear before I said Hello. “I cannot wait to hear every detail about your night with Dayne. Rose told me you don’t remember anything, but I know you are holding out. No one could spend an entire night with him and not remember.” She was talking so fast I could barely keep up.
“Hey. Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for asking. The bus crash wasn’t too horrible,” I answered her sarcastically, unable to believe she had forgotten about the accident and was only thinking about getting the dirt on Dayne.
“Whatever, we both know you are fine and that a night with Dayne is way more interesting than a bus crash where no one got a single scrape.” She couldn’t know how right she was. It was way better. I wanted to tell her everything, to gush about my crush the way girls do, but I couldn’t. There were too many secrets to keep now, and I didn’t know where I should stop the truth and begin to fill it with lies. I wasn’t the only one I was protecting now, and that changed things…a lot.
“Yeah, it was pretty amazing.” I was glad this was a phone conversation so she couldn’t see me blush at the thought of him. April had gotten to know me pretty well over the summer. My blush would have totally given me away.
“April!” Rose yelled in the background.
“Gotta go! Meet me at the tavern after work.” It wasn’t a question, and she hung up before I could protest. At least I had the day to come up with a good story.
Phin ran out to meet me as I walked into the paddock yard. He wrapped me up in the biggest hug, quite unusual behavior for him. The booze from last night still hung heavy on his clothes.
Lucas breezed past us. “Glad you’re ok,” he said it more for Phin’s benefit than mine. I stared at his back as he walked away. Part of my heart sank at his dismissal—he would never forgive me now and I feared our friendship was lost.
“We’re making a run to Shannon today,” he excused Lucas’ rude behavior. Phin nodded toward the barn. “Mr. Dayne’s been asking about you all morning. Seems pretty concerned.” Phin eyed me suspiciously.
My eyes fell to the ground and a hand instinctively shot up to cover my smile. “Thanks,” I mumbled through half closed fingers.
“No use hiding it. The whole town’s buzzing about you and Mr. Dayne. Rose lit up every telephone line this morning, turned Dayne into a regular hero. Wouldn’t be surprised if she has a holiday named after him by the end of the week.” Well at least the people of Clonlea would be saying good things about Dayne for a change.
LeSheen’s ginormous head poked out of the wash rack when I rounded the corner by Phin’s office. I paused for a moment—the memory of the morning Dayne crushed my heart into a million pieces flying back from the shadows of the barn. LeSheen saw me and bobbed his head excitedly, a low whinny escaping from deep in his throat.
Dayne appeared by my side as if he had materialized from thin air and I fell back against a bale of hay, startled by his unexpected appearance. He picked me up and swung me around as he walked, carrying me against him, into the wash rack with a broad smile spreading across his face.
“Dayne!” I protested weakly, worrying someone might see us.
“Don’t worry, no one’s here,” he said, setting me on my feet. I was immediately distracted when he released me and bent to pick up a brush from the bucket.
Beside LeSheen was a horse I had never seen before. It was the spitting image of LeSheen, a shiny steel gray beside his brilliant white. She was tacked up and ready to ride.
“Who is this?” I reached out and stroked the giant head before me. The horse’s coat fluttered under my hand, just as LeSheen had the night before, recognizing my touch.
“You like her?” He asked. I nodded my head quickly without taking my eyes away from the magnificent animal. “She’s yours,” he said it so casually you would think he had handed me a piece of chewing gum.
“What?” I was dumbfounded. I had ridden plenty of horses in my life, but I’d never owned a horse of my own.
“I thought you two might get along. Always wanted an excuse to get her.” He placed his hand on her muscular shoulder. She recognized his touch, too. This wasn’t a regular horse.
“Is she…” I stopped myself from saying the word out loud, not sure if anyone else was around.
“Yep.” He cut me off quickly before I had a chance to spill his secrets. “Come on. Let’s go. I have so many places I want to take you.” He said unhooking the crosstie from LeSheen’s halter and leading him out into the bright sunshine.
“Where are we going?” I asked in a loud voice to be sure he heard me over the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves ringing down the cement aisle.
“Just a normal ride, like two normal people would do on a normal day,” he said, throwing me a wink over his shoulder.
I rolled my eyes at his joke and shook my head. Normal. That was a stretch for both of us.
With an effortless jump he la
nded in the saddle. I carefully led the new horse to the mounting block and climbed up the mountain of her back. “You can’t hurt her!” Dayne was amused by the delicate way I was handling the horse, like a priceless Waterford vase. LeSheen pranced at the entry to the yard, just waiting for permission to run.
I adjusted my foot in the stirrup and Dayne let out a yelp. Instantly, both horses sprang into a gallop. I scrambled for the reins that had slipped from my hands as I fought to keep my rear end in the saddle. Dayne laughed and I felt the gray horse shift to remain under me while I regained my balance.
We were off, tearing over the golf course green fields of Ennishlough. The horses matched their strides, moving like a trained cavalry line charging out against an enemy. We approached the dazzling white wall that surrounded the fields—the one Lucas had said we never took the horses beyond. The fence was high, at least six feet.
My pulse quickened, I had never sat on this horse and now I was taking a jump like this? I looked over at Dayne. He smiled at me and nodded, a confident expression on his face. He was cool as ice in the saddle. The huge fence grew bigger as we approached. Nerves began to tense my body and the horse beneath me shifted nervously in response. The most fundamental of all riding rules came to me, and I forced my body to relax. Immediately the horse settled under me.
The next second, I was flying high through the morning sunshine. Like a plane taking off from the runway, the horse lifted effortlessly into the air. We hung there, suspended in space and time, for what seemed like forever. Dayne and I turned to one another, my mouth screaming, his laughing. With a gentle bounce we landed on the other side.
We pulled to a stop as I gasped for breath and Dayne looked at me with the same unfazed air he always wore.
“Wow. She’s amazing. What’s her name?” I panted.
“Lisana.” There certainly were a lot of L’s in fairy talk.
“That’s pretty.” I patted her neck, and she shook her head happily, pulling at the bit just enough to let me know she was ready to run again. “Is she related to LeSheen?”
Heir of Earth (Forgotten Gods) Page 26