Immortal Embrace
Page 2
Chapter 2
The Move
I’ve never imagined happily ever after. Happiness isn’t in the stars for me. How can it be? I ask myself. I saw how it destroyed Caspian. I won’t let the same thing happen to me. That is why I try to distance myself from others. Now, after years of entertaining and educating myself, working meaningless jobs, I have to return to high school as a spy and babysitter. I guess this will be a true test for Danika, but I am not interested in watching her every move and all the questions that come with being the new kid in town. Flopping back on my bed, I try to imagine what it would be like if I was normal, if I was mortal.
The past week has been spent unpacking. Moving is a big job, and we are taking the time to set up our house and make it our home. Walking around the house, I feel a sense of belonging, but it is overwhelming to return to the town where everything changed, where we learned a new way to survive. The memories overwhelm me with a variety of emotions, and the lump in my throat makes it even harder to fight back the tears. Things improved for us because of a few magickal women we had the privilege of befriending, but I fear now that Danika will jeopardize it all...but I guess I should have a little more confidence in her and in our training.
When I’m finished preparing my room, I decide to help Alexander and Matilda with theirs.
“Why don’t you two ladies enjoy a walk around the grounds while I set up the electronics?” my brother Alexander asks. “Sophia, can I assume you still need yours installed?” Alexander gives me a playful nudge.
“You assume correctly,” I reply with a smirk across my face. The two of us leave the room.
Matilda and I take solace in our little walk around the grounds, familiarizing ourselves with the area.
Taking a seat on the bench in the back garden, I confess, “I think I may like being back here in Massachusetts. We already have history in Wenham, and I believe it’s going to prove to be an interesting place for us to live.”
“You’re right, Sophia. I remember the last time we were here. This is the place that made everything possible, the place where I became part of this family.” A slight twinge of pain flickers in Matilda’s eyes as she recalls a time so long ago. “That seems like forever now.”
Trying to forget about the bad stuff, we look around and lounge in the overcast weather. We are fortunate to have found this amazing house. It has to be the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen. It reminds me of an old-style colonial mansion. It’s just on the outskirts of town and slightly secluded, and is more than large enough for our entire family, all eight of us. Our family enjoys nice things, but even better than that, we love a good deal. I have to say this is the nicest house we’ve ever had—and at a price we couldn’t beat. We all love it, so even when we move again (as we surely will have to someday), maybe we’ll keep the house for future use.
I’m excited to be here again, we’ve been gone for years. I feel comfortable here, as if I belong. When I start to feel this way, the logical part of me takes over my mind and I start to wonder how long it will last. We never stay in one place for more than a decade, and then it is on to the next town.
“How do you feel about going back to school?” I ask while twirling my long brown hair around my fingers. “I was nervous, but I am getting a little excited,” I confirm.
“I think it’ll be fun. I’ve been getting a little bored and look forward to challenging myself. I think the curriculum has changed since last time,” admits the Barbie doll blonde. In true Matilda fashion, she retouches her lip gloss while admiring herself in a compact mirror, before we wander back to the house.
I spend the rest of the night organizing my school supplies. I pick out a plain outfit in an attempt to fit in, as if they won’t realize we’re the new kids. Small towns like this have lifers. Most of the kids we’ll go to school with will have known one another since birth. My biggest concern is Danika. We’ve been easing her out around town all week, and she’s done well. I just have a bad feeling about her—a worrisome feeling the others don’t seem to sense. Maybe it’s the pessimistic side of me emerging yet again. Either way, I hope we do not draw too much attention. I don’t like getting close to people because of what happened to Caspian. I guess I should just relax and see what the day brings.
In the sitting area of my room, that’s exactly what I do. I pick up a book on Wenham history. Page after page, I learn more about the town history. This was the first town to break off from Salem in 1643. The first settlers of the area were Agawam Indians, and they later sold the land, though a few Agawam decedents still hold a presence in a nearby tribe. It is rumored that they are indebted to the land and still protect the area and the inhabitants. The next section discusses Wenham citizen Sara Good. During the Salem witch trials of 1692, Sara was hanged for being a witch. I think Matilda will be intrigued by this story because of her brush with similar witch trials back in the day. I dog-ear the page; I will share it with her later. There was also a deadly outbreak of small pox in 1776, causing all the town children to be homeschooled. I always love learning about the towns we move to. The last time I was here, I learned very little, so I’m glad to have this book. I rest it on my table to read more later. My brain is in historical overload, but I hope to have time to learn more before we are forced to move again...Oh how I hope we get to stay longer this time.