A Kiss in Time (17 page)

I did, of course, with no intention of wearing it. I note that several other young ladies
also appear unable to swim and are simply standing in the water, talking, almost as if the pool is the dance floor. But I am not about to wear such an immodest garment.

I do not have one with me, I lie.

He frowns. Sorry to hear that. Dont suppose you want to go skinny-dipping?

I do not know what this means. Perhaps he can see this by the expression on my face, for
he looks annoyed, then away. But I cannot let him leave me, for then I would be all alone
while Jack kisses another girl. My head is spin- ning like a whirligig, I suspect from the
beers I drank. I feel about to cast up my accounts like a common drunkard. Still, I must
keep Robert with me.

It is a lovely night, I say. Perhaps we could go for a stroll.

He looks back at me, smiling. Someplace dark?

I blink my weary eyes. Dark would be nice, indeed. As I say it, I stumble upon my own
feet. Robert reaches his hand out to steady me.

You are so kind and helpful. I glance over at Jack. I have no idea what I would do without
you.

Thats meMr. Knight in Shining Armor. He laughs.

It is true.

We pass the young lady with the Jell-O shots. There is one remaining on her tray, and
Robert picks it up and hands it to me. For you, milady.

Oh, no, I protest. You have had not even one. I insist. He holds it out to me. It is as
blue as a peacocks feathers. I take it. Thank you. I am excessively grateful for your help.

Maybe we can figure out a way for you to show your gratitude later.

I am certain we can.

He looks so happy about that that I begin straightaway to come up with a plan. Of course,
back in Euphrasia, what he is doing is little more than common civility, but this seems to
be a century completely devoid of manners and consideration. Therefore, common civility
should be rewarded as heroism. If I return home (for it seems I may do just that, if Jack
is not to be my husbandhorrid Jack!), I could arrange a knighthood for this young man or,
at the very least, a medal of some sort.

Jack will be beheaded.

But it is hard to think about it, with my own head so light and floaty. The only time I
have felt like this before was once, when Father received a case of that special bub-
bling wine from France. I consumed almost an entire bottle and, in the end, felt wonderful
and terrible and nothing at all like myself.

Ah, you dont have to do that, Robert is saying. Do what? Arrange a knighthood for me. Im
happy to help out a beautiful girl like you, especially when mean old Jack ditched you.

Did I say that aloud? Has the beer done me in?

We stroll through the crowds of people, Roberts hand still steadying my elbow. I swallow the Jell-O shot, allowing it to play upon my tongue as
it falls down my throat.

Where are you from? Robert tightens his grip. Your accents really hot.

Im from Euph . . . Europe. Belgium. My head is spinning, and I am barely able to place one
foot before the other. Were Robert not supporting me, I would surely fall. I begin to,
anyway, or perhaps it is more like floating, flying, jumping from an airplane and landing
in a jewel- colored cloud.

And then I feel his mouth upon mine, Roberts mouth, this stranger whom I have barely met.
His mouth is upon mine!

I begin to voice my displeasure, but with his tongue in my mouth, it comes out as a moan.
We are standing at the far side of the pool, away from the boys and girls playing ball.
Robert kisses me again. My brain is in a fog, like the momentI now remember itthe moment
after I touched the spindle when I was falling and helpless to prevent it.

Youre so beautiful, Talia. Another kiss. It is too diffi- cult to fight him in my tipsy
state. He kisses me, and then I feel his hand traversing inside my trousers toward my
nether regions.

No! Stop it! My cries are almost soundless. He means to dishonor me!

No! I shriek, although in my fog, I fear my shriek is weak. No! Indeed, he ignores my cries, his hot, rough hands search- ing where they ought not search.
I hear sounds around me, people conversing. Does no one notice or care that he is
disgracing me before their eyes?

No! I pull free of him, raising my hand to slap him, and then I am falling down, down into
the cold shock of water.

Water! Help! I cry. The icy water sobers me somewhat but not enough. I cannot touch
bottom. Help! I cannot swim!

I reach for the wall, but in my beer-drenched muddle, my fingers slip away from it, over
and over, scraping. Then I can- not see. All I can see is Robert above me, a surprised
expression on his face. Does he not understand that I am drowning?

I am drowning, you fool! I yell, but the last words are lost as my mouth fills with water.
I emerge again, fighting my way up. I am . . . I submerge. Is this the end of me, then,
the end of Princess Talia of Euphrasia? Shall I meet a watery grave three hundred years
too late but not a moment too soon? Will I lie forever on the bottom of this man-made lake
with no one to mourn me, no one to know what has become of me?

I submerge for the third, and what I believe shall be the final, time. I lack the strength
to fight my way back up. This is the end. This is the end.

And then, all at once, I feel a strong grip upon my arm, someone pulling me up. Once
again, I can breathe. I can breathe! Then I am unceremoniously dumped upon the patio. I take many great, gasping breaths. I
lean forward, choking on great quantities of strange-tasting water. There is a hand on my
back, hitting me. I choke and inhale, choke and inhale many times before I feel well
enough to look upward into the eyes of my savior.

Come on, Talia, lets go home. I open my eyes. Jack. I collapse against him, feeling his
warmth against my cold skin.

C
ome on, Talia. Youre drunk. Im trying really hard not to hit Robert. Im in enough trouble
without coming home with a black eye I got at some party.

I nodrunk, Talia slurs. Ihadtreebeers. Wehad wine evy nighat home.

See that? Robert says as Talia falls on the floor. Shes not drunk.

Well, shes going home, anyway. Im taking her home.

Home! At the word, Talia begins to sob. Idonawanna- gohome! She clutches at the patio
chairs.

See? Robert says. She doesnt want to go home.

You really know how to pick them, dont you? Amber comes up behind me. What a ho.

Shut up. I look at her. You honestly think this is all about you? She shrugs. Who else?

I get down on Talias level and start to pry her fingers off the chair. I dont mean
home-home. I mean home with me, my parents house.

Shes staying at your house? Amber screams. What do you care? I say. Buthey haaate me.
Theymakemesleeponairmattress. Finally, I manage to get Talia up and headed toward the door. A bunch of people are standing around, drink- ing Jell-O shots, and Talia says,
Ooh! I want another one!

Another Jell-O shot? Yes. Hungry. Did you have one before? Three, she says, reaching for
the girl whos carrying them. Well, that explains that. I do a quick calculationthree beers plus three Jell-O shots. I try to remember the movie we saw about alcohol poisoning
in health class. Ill get you something to eat. I pull her away from the group and toward
the door.

If you walk out of here, it is over between us! Amber screams after me.

I turn on her. It was over a long time ago! I put my arm around Talia and lead her out the
door. Im feeling pretty sober myself, considering I spent most of my drinking time with Ambers tongue down my throat. Still, I drive through McDonalds. What are we doing here? Talia says. Shes not slurring so much anymore, but shes really,
really loud.

Its called a drive-thru. You get food here.

You get food in the car? She screams it so loud that the drive-thru guy asks me to repeat
my order.

After I do, she starts screaming again, You can drive your car up to a window and get
food? We have nothing in Euphrasia! Nothing! It sucked! Sucked, I tell you! I reach the
pickup window, and when the guy hands me my burgers and fries and two large, black
coffees, Talia begins to jump in her seat. This is so cooooool! Did you like how I used an
American word? Coooooool! And sucked, too.

I laugh. Shes so cute. Yeah, youre a real American. Have some coffee.

But shes already eating fries. These are so cool, too! What are they called?

French fries. They definitely do not suck. By the time we get home, shes eaten her way
through her fries and my own, sticking me with just the burgers, and shes fast asleep.

Im in luck because my parents are asleep, too. I try to help her onto the air mattress.

Good to know: Its not easy to get a trashed person onto an air mattress, especially when
its not blown up enough. But finally, I get her onto it and tucked in. She closes her eyes again, and she looks so beautiful and innocent, like a little angel, and not at all
like a girl who just had three, count em, three Jell-O shots and quite a bit of beer. I
stand there for a minute, just looking at her. Then I start for the door.

Jack? Her voice follows me to the door. Shhh, I say. Dont wake my parents. Sorry, she
whispers, a really loud whisper. What is it? I say, coming closer to her so she wont have to yell. I am sorry, she whispers again. You said that already. No. I mean about
tonight. About drinking too much and going off with that boy, Robert, and allowing him to . . . almost allowing him . . .

That wasnt your fault. Hes a sleaze.

And what sort of party was that, anyway? There was no food, no dancing! When Father gave
parties, there was a feast! I do not like your sort of parties.

I laugh. Me neither. But I like your French fries. Are they really French? I dont know. I
lean to kiss her on the forehead. Im sorry about tonight, too. I start to leave the room. Jack? She stops me again. Do you love
Amber? No. I know that for sure. No. I am totally over the Amber thing. Good. She is not a nice young lady. I open the door, then start to close it again. Thats when I hear her voice, real small,
like shes trying to be good and not wake my parents. Do you love me?

But I pretend not to hear her, because I really dont know.

I
am asleep on a mattress of Jell-O shots. It jiggles and wiggles, but when I try to bite
it, it tastes most unpleas- ant. Still, I see it, orange, red, yellow, and blue, and it
begins to break into individual Jell-O shots, which dance before me, laughing and singing.

Princess, in your dreams we creep, To dance by light of moon. Though we may disturb your
sleep, Youll sleep forever soon!

Over and over, louder and louder, dancing dangerously around me. I wish to open my eyes,
to run from the room, to stop them. But my eyes remain stubbornly shut. The Jell-O
mattress holds me fast. Their whirling motion mesmerizes me, turning to a blur of light and color. And through it all, I see Malvolia. I
know it is Malvolia because she appears exactly as I saw her three hundred years ago, a humpbacked old woman in robes of black, holding a spindle
in a gnarled hand.

But gradually her spine straightens and she is young. The spindle fades, and the room
around her changes. It is not a castle but a peasants cottage made of stone with a
thatched roof. Through the windows, I see woods and one lone holly bush. I know that holly
bush! I know where she is, deep in the Euphrasian hills, where Lady Brooke and I used to
picnic when I was small. Could Malvolia have been so close by? Could she have been
watching me all those times?

Ah, Princess, we meet again! You are well, if intox- icated?

I do not, cannot, answer. Is she real or merely a dream?

Cat got your tongue, Your Highness? No matter. I am aware that rudeness runs in your
family.

For this, I have no answer, either. The woman, Malvolia, looms closer until her face is
the only thing I can see.

You were wondering if I watched you when you came to picnic with your governess near my
cottage on the tallest hill. She laughs at my surprise. She is real, not a dream. I am
certain of it, for I can feel her warm, sour breath on my face. Of course I did, Princess.
I watched you from the windows under the eaves. Those who place curses are always curious
to see if the accursed one is turning out well. But that was not the only time I watched. I also watched when you were in the castle. I
watched you as you studied naked drawings behind your art masters back. I knew from that
that you would not be immune to temptationto the spindles lureand on that fateful day,
when you came to me in your quest for more and better dresses, I knew you would be alone.

I gasp. It was my fault for tricking Lady Brooke away. But still, I can say nothing
through my sleep, intoxication, and despair. It is as if I have died and am merely a
ghost, watching those still alive.

Do not worry, Princess. The witchs voice is soothing. You will not have to return to your
cruel father. I shall be there soon.

And then she is gone. The whirling, singing Jell-O demons, the shaking Jell-O bed, return.
I cannot move. I can barely breathe. In the light from the window, I try to examine my
arms and legs. Have the Jell-O demons tied me up? Will they take me away?

Then, suddenly, there is a knock on the door. It is Malvolia! No. It is not Malvolia.
Malvolia would not knock. Talia, are you okay? Jack! The Jell-O demons vanish, wishing to
be seen by no one but me. Talia?

I will my lips to form words. Yes? Can I come in? I straighten the T-shirt and pants I was given in which to sleep. Yes, please. The door opens. It is still dark in the hallway, dark everywhere. What time is it in Euphrasia? When Malvolia appeared, it seemed like morning.
I could see the sunlight.

Did I wake you? he asks. No. I mean, yes, but I am glad you did. Yeah? He lights a lamp. I
try to turn away from him,