by O. Rose
“How old are you,” she began, “that you’re so easily enraged?”
“At least you’re speaking,” he grumbled. When teeth made contact with lip again he pressed his thumb to her mouth. “I am not as volatile as you think. Compared to my brother? Yes, but he is a master of composure. However, don’t be fooled. Just because you haven’t seen him in wrath does not mean he doesn’t experience it or act on it. He is more secretive than I.”
He was all she could see as he leaned down; their noses bumped.
A moment later he was ripped away and Levi stood with him in hand, several paces back, near the open doorway.
“What promises has he extracted from you?” his tone was hard.
The dynamic between the brothers was abruptly clear to her, along with her role in their lives. She still didn’t know what they’d done to bring her life, but that was in the past and those questions could wait.
“I said I would have you both.” Levi’s sigh was displeased, but she continued anyway. “And I meant it. I know what I said. I understand what you told me about words, about being careful with what I say and the pledges I make. I don’t know half of what you do, especially combined, but I’ve spent all of my lives thrown aside and you won’t do that,” she looked to the hardwood. “That makes me sound so one-dimensional, but when I think about it, and that’s all I did last night, that’s what it comes to. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”
The three stood in silence; Levi released Adam’s arm and they looked to one another.
Levi spoke, “That was not what we intended for you.”
“No! It wasn’t,” Adam added quickly.
“I know what you meant for me,” she trained her eyes on the floor. “I can feel it in my blood. My bones. It’s inescapable. I was supposed to be with you and it explains so much. How could that be my only dream? Shouldn't I have had other hopes? Why didn’t I want to be a singer or a doctor or a gardener? Anything. Something. I never wanted any of that.” She looked to them, teary-eyed. “I wanted to be with someone and even in a classroom full of people I was alone,” a quick swipe of her eyes. “Right now, I don’t care about anything else. I don’t know about later, but-” She was cut off by Adam’s arms wrapping around her and pulling her into his chest.
Holly felt like she could have stayed there forever.
∞
Adam was the one to carry her into the bedroom and lay her in the bed.
“Emotionally drained I’m sure,” Levi’s tone was strained as the brothers stood over her, Levi at the foot of the bed, Adam by her side. She’d fainted in the entrance hall after making her statement. “There are things we need to discuss, but not here. Let her rest, brother.”
Reluctantly, Adam left Holly’s bedside to follow Levi out of the room. The door opened to the rear of the house and the two strode outside into the back garden. The sky above was darkened, clouded black, and the air was cold. Ice crept onto the stone pathway, frost covered unprepared foliage.
“She is right,” Levi spoke first, well aware that if allowed his brother would begin a tirade. “Her purpose was set when our decision was made. There may be a way to change that, but we will have to search it out. For now she needs to be cared for. Regardless of the distant past, her recent history demands it. We need privacy, you will have to-”
“I’ve already dealt with the other one. Put it from your mind, that is finished,” Adam interjected. “For Holly though, keeping her hidden won’t solve everything. I understand that she needs to be the center of our attention, however she won’t be allowed once they get wind of this. That woman in the city, Olwen, already knows and I’m sure others do, too.”
Levi turned his back and paced a few steps.
“Its a matter of time before they come knocking with a variety of stupid requests, drummed up simply to get them here,” Adam said. “They know I’ve returned and they will be clamoring to see us together. You know what that means, what they want,” he sighed loudly, ran a hand through his hair. “And we can’t ignore it. Life has been quiet for a long while, but even while I was away they came. Asking about the one I was keeping.”
“Did she know what we tried to do?” Levi whirled, rounding on his brother. “Did you tell her?”
“No.” His answer was immediate. “She knows nothing of that. I’m sure she’ll learn of it soon enough, perhaps it will allow her to join certain circles,” he cringed at the thought. “Well, that can’t be undone.”
Narrowed eyes glared at Adam, irritation flaring at the reminder of all he’d kept from Holly.
“This would have been easier if she’d not died,” Adam said. “If we’d not been delayed-”
“But we were and she would have died anyway. We might have both given up then. As it was I found her again not long after because I remained in the area. There is nothing we can change there.”
“No, nothing,” frustration.
“We need to focus on the future. Your point is true, they will come here if we don’t go to them. We’ll have the most control if we make the first move and Holly needs to be warned before it gets to that point.”
“We don’t have much time,” Adam took to pacing. “For all the patience you’d think they’d have, having lived as long as ourselves and some longer, they seem very interested in things like this.”
“Of course they are,” Levi said dismissively. “They have nothing better to do. They are bored of living and always in search of something to entertain. You should understand them well.”
The swipe was ignored. “I would rather not drag this out, for all our sakes.” Adam considered the timing and inspiration struck, turned to his brother with an excited gleam in his eye. “We’ll take her to their party.”
Distaste was clear on the others face. “I have no-”
“Do you think I want to go? And she won’t like it either, but we can make the rounds and put them in their places at the same time. They’ll talk, but that’s a far cry from taking action.”
Adam was right, Levi conceded, but that meant they needed to tell Holly everything and there was a lot to say. Their history was riddled with daring escapades and risky ventures; it was why they’d been cemented in the minds of those like them. People who would live forever.
But not one of them was like Holly.
“She’ll be in danger,” Levi said. “No matter what we do and we knew it would be like this, but we tried to make her anyway. We succeeded and she knows nothing,” he looked to his brother who stood still now. Frozen as the blades of grass. “She needs to know and it will overwhelm her, but there is not time to be gentle.”
Adam snorted. “All we’ve ever had was time and when we need it, it isn’t there.”
“That seems to be the way of the world.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
They compiled journals, stacks of papers. Scrolls. Levi called on Hazel, who retained her sprightly appearance, and asked her to make the words live.
“It will be easier for her to see it,” he told Adam who nodded along. “Rather than trying to absorb it all by listening to us or reading things she doesn’t understand. This will require Hazel to show herself to Holly, but-”
“Ah, I don’t care about that,” the pixie shrugged, unconcerned. “She’s staying, she’ll see me eventually. At least we can be properly introduced! But still,” she turned on Levi, wagged a finger in his face. “I told you this would happen! I told you to tell her!”
“In any case,” the jab went unheeded despite it’s truth. “This is less than ideal, but it needs to be done.”
“Less than ideal?” Adam scoffed. “That’s hardly what this is. I would rather never tell her. If things went according to plan she would have grown up knowing all about us and the role we forced ourselves into, only to instantly regret what we’d done.”
“Foolish,” Levi said. “Younger and foolish, both of us. For awhile we had reprieve, now we need to step back into the fire that is the Assembly,” he ignored the string of c
urses Adam released at the reminder. “Don’t think for a moment this will stop them from making inquiries. All we’re doing is getting one step ahead of them.”
“Should I wake her?” Hazel asked after a moment of silence.
“No, we’ll wait until she wakes on her own.”
∞
Holly didn’t sleep long; it wasn’t physical exhaustion that knocked her out, it was emotional. When she woke she found a meal and a note on her table. It offered a short message, told her the brothers had something to speak with her about once she was fed.
She couldn’t think of what else they could say, would she be surprised by anything anymore? Living forever, back from the dead, twin brothers whose single desire was to have a third companion.
She ate the food without tasting, didn’t notice what she ingested at all, and changed her clothing afterward. She pulled a sweater and jeans out of the dresser and realized she would need to shower soon, but decided to get the meeting over with. Whatever they had to say, she’d rather hear it and be done. Acceptance could come under streams of warm water.
With that in mind she left her room to find a door directly across the hallway and it led to a room she’d never seen before. A sitting room, with a fireplace and couch. A table and overflowing bookcases.
The brothers stood as she entered and her gaze found the hovering fairy who raised a tiny hand and spoke, loudly, “Hi there! I’m Hazel! The one who leaves you food and cleans your room? You haven’t thought about it too deeply at this point, right? That’s fine and don’t mind my appearance, I could change if I wanted to, but-”
“Hazel,” Levi spoke sharply. “There isn’t time,” he moved toward Holly gingerly. “She is something like a spirit of the land. Her high energy can be tiresome, but if ever she seemed less energetic it would be an indicator of an issue.”
“Speaking of issues,” Adam stepped forward without caution, reached for Holly and pulled her close; she wondered if she would ever get used to it. “We have a story to tell you, it is very important and you’ll need to give Hazel all your attention.” He guided her to the sofa as Hazel began speaking again.
The trilling voice instructed, “You will lie down and close your eyes, listening to the sound of my voice. I will reach out to you and we will connect. Then, I’ll show you the story.”
The fairy spoke definitively, but Holly didn’t know what she was talking about.
Levi saw the confusion and tried to clarify. “Hazel will show you, rather than tell you, what you need to know. Like watching a movie.” Her slow nod wasn’t very reassuring. “Don’t worry about the mechanics of it. Lie down and relax.”
A small sigh left her as she took the indicated position; this was just one more thing in a long list of the incomprehensible.
Once Holly was on the sofa, with her eyes closed, Hazel spoke. “Be calm, everything is fine. You’re going to watch the story now. A story of Adam and Levi, of the things they need to tell you. You’re going to learn many things, most of them bothersome, but that’s unavoidable. I told Levi to tell you, you know? But, I guess that was unavoidable, too. Everyone here wants your life to be better, okay? We want that for you. So, keep that in mind as you watch and try not to,” she paused. “Freak out.”
With those final words the story began to play in Holly’s mind.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was the start of a film, darkness clearing into the muted colors of the night. There were so many people gathered, all well dressed for a party and in masques. The ladies wore ball gowns, some with plunging necklines, and carried fans; the men donned suits. The atmosphere was rich with snobbery. Lights hung unassisted, floating bright and dancing.
“They were in the society papers again,” someone said, amused. “Those two brothers.”
At the height of their popularity they were rather lose with their morals.
“What are their names now?” a man asked. “It’s been many years.”
“They are Lewis and Theo nowadays,” sighed a brunette, her hair piled high atop her head as the crowd slowly moved up a grand staircase that would bring them indoors. She turned apart, beckoned her small group closer and spoke softly, “That aside, I’ve heard an astonishing rumor.” She paused long enough for them to urge her on. “They will call for a vote tonight. To elect themselves leaders.”
Gasps.
“How thrilling!”
The scene shifted forward, along the throng and into the building. It was magnificent with crystal and marble. Chandeliers and gold. An orchestra played at the entrance, the sweet sounds of harps and violins filled the air.
Inside, guests milled with flutes of pink champagne, dined on hors d’œuvres of pâté on little seasoned crackers, and a few spun elegantly on the floor.
Holly found herself a third party nonparticipant. An invisible viewer on the sidelines, watching events unfold. She didn’t recognize any of the people around her at first, but she caught sight of Olwen at one point, though she wasn’t a major part of the scene Hazel was showing her.
She didn’t have to wait long though, the brothers soon stepped forward into a balcony box and even then she could tell them apart. Adam basked in the applause and praise, Levi was less enthused, but by all accounts they were treated like royalty.
Glancing around the room, Holly saw that all eyes were on them. They commanded the undivided attention of the room, even when a group of men entered from another door to stand on stage; they were briefly acknowledged and she got the impression, from their looks of antipathy, that they didn’t appreciate being upstaged.
The brothers sat, turned their attention to those at the podium and so did the rest of the guests.
When the man began speaking, welcoming them all to another gathering of the Assembly, she’d heard of that before but couldn’t think where, Holly quickly realized that his words meant nothing to her. It all went over her head. Things about newcomers and previous attendees, about due payments and favor books.
Not everyone was excited to hear the talk either and small chat, whispered, went on among the guests. What caught Holly’s ear was a conversation about the brothers.
“...as you might imagine. Theo is quite wild, while Lewis is one to take his time.”
The quiet gasps alluded to something more than innocent speech. “Surely you don’t speak from experience?”
“Ha,” a laugh behind a raised hand. “Certainly not. How scandalous,” they all giggled at the idea. “Though, I did grow up in Rome and within the cult of Venus that was very accepted. It’s not so these days, but tell me.” She snapped her fan shut. “Why should we follow the rules of the dying?” her voice dropped. “There is no chance of pregnancy, there should be no issue.”
It took Holly more than a moment to catch the thread of their meaning; when she understood she didn’t know how to react.
Another woman placed a hand on the shoulder of the speaker, nodded her head toward the stage. “You know why. They are very,” she paused, “strict. They’ve had power for too long. One can only hope the rumors prove true.”
“Yes, it is high time for change. Things have been so dull for many years!”
Watching and listening, trying to understand, Holly considered the narrative. Those on the stage were in charge, set some kind of rules and the people gathered at this party were all immortals. The rumor had something to do with a power shift, but she wasn’t sure what they were hoping for.
Was it really just about sex?
The idea made her shiver, it was one she rarely thought of. Why should she have? No one would look at her, must less touch her. But she thought of Adam and how easily he approached her; the women were speaking of them as if their preferences were well known.
Were they?
When one of them stood and called for a vote to change authority, when the other looked on in boredom, Holly understood that she really didn’t know anything about them. This whole story was unfathomable. Even when everyone around her heartily vote
d the brothers into a new position, she didn’t understand what it meant.
As her sight returned to the present she sat up, on her forearms, to find Hazel gone. Adam and Levi remained, neither at ease. She could feel the tension in the air. They were waiting for her to speak and she knew she had to.
“I saw and heard things I don’t understand,” she looked to them. They were seated at the table, all kinds of books and papers scattered, yet they gave her their full attention. Their gazes were intense. “I still don’t know what exactly happened and why I had to see that? What does that have to do with now? With me?”
“Everything,” Levi spoke; it was so easy to tell them apart. With him, all things were consuming. A black hole, devouring stolen freedoms. “We took control of the Assembly that night and retain it to this day.”
“... one to take his time.”
“The ‘Assembly’?”
Adam stood and moved to stand behind the sofa. “You’ve probably heard of it. Rumors among teenagers hoping to be socialites, but they believe it to be a gathering of the powerful. A symbol of status and popularity. Many schools end up with a mini-version, woefully uninformed but exclusive cliques.”
That was where she’d heard of it.
“They aren’t wrong,” he continued. “But as you saw it is a group of those who will not die. Were they more than you thought?”
All she could do was nod.
“They’re bored, all of them. They’ve lived too long and death runs from them. The Assembly is little more than a game,” he leaned down, his face inches from hers.
“quite wild...” The description, and it’s context, replayed in Holly’s mind; she shifted her gaze to the wall and tried to keep her heart calm. It had no special meaning where she was concerned, especially if he’d behaved that way for centuries.
“We all play along for something to do. Few take it seriously, but there are always a couple wanting it to mean more. We didn’t, so we took over.”