“I loved hearing your laugh this afternoon. It brought back so many fond memories.” He whispered, softly with his sweet breath grazing my cheek like the lightest feather.
I looked into Evan’s eyes. They were warm, honest, and full of what I perceived was raw desire. His eyes would leave mine every other second to gaze at my slightly parted lips. The warmest feeling washed over me. He had a way of looking at me as if I was the most interesting thing on the planet. I was forced to look away; his eyes were too intense as they bore through me, searching for the love that I couldn’t remember feeling and the love he so desperately craved. We both sat quietly for a moment listening to the birds chirping. Evan broke the silence.
“I treasure the time I spend sitting out here. It's peaceful. It helps to clear my thoughts, and I have a fresh outlook for the day. It is likely my most favorite part of the entire house.” Evan admitted.
“The garden is beautiful.” I declared in just above a whisper. “The flowers are intoxicating,” I added, as I quickly stole a glance of him – perfection embodied in human form.
We were quiet again. Evan almost appeared to be meditating, then he spoke again in a very low whisper that was barely even a voice. “I want to tell you so much; how I feel. What I miss. I want to kiss you so badly, and remind you of what you used to feel. I’m trying so hard right now not to. I don’t know how or why, but no one has touched me so deep inside. Sweetheart, I love you so much.” I was blown away by Evan’s admission. His feelings for me were intense. He wanted to kiss me. My face was warming again.
“What is it that you want to tell me so much? I asked.
Now he was looking at me again; looking at me oddly. “I’m sorry what do you mean?”
“You just said that you wanted to tell me so much and that you wanted,” I said, as I cleared my throat. “To…um…tell me how you feel.” I barely got out the last part. I had to turn away slightly just to say it. Evan looked at me with his head cocked to one side and his eyebrows furrowed in the middle, almost causing them to form a unibrow.
“I didn’t actually say that.” A crooked smile crept across his Evan’s face. “I thought it,” he smiled, and blushed all at once. “Cordelia, you read my thoughts.”
“Wh – what? But… I heard you… are you sure? I mean how?” I half spoke and half stammered.
“It’s just one of the powers you possess.”
“Right, of course, I know but how did I do it?” I couldn’t believe that I had read Evan’s mind. It was just like listening in on a conversation; rude and intrusive. It was wrong. Besides that I couldn’t get past his actual thought.
“Would you like to try it again?” He looked at me earnestly.
“I … I don’t know… if I can.” What was he doing? I couldn’t read his mind.
“Try it right now, please.”
“Um… ok.” I said.
He looked like he was meditating. I concentrated for a moment. His mouth didn’t move yet the words came out in the same whisper like voice and stunned me the moment I heard them. “May I kiss you?”
Evan hadn’t said a word. He gazed at me, his blushing expression, and the smoldering look of his eyes, indicated that he knew all too well that I had heard his question loud and clear. I wasn’t sure if he was expecting me to answer it. I couldn’t, so I pretended to have not heard anything.
“I’m waiting for your answer.” I heard his thoughts again. I looked down at my hands. This time when I heard his voice it was from his lips.
“It’s alright if you would rather that I didn’t.” Evan looked me in the eyes.
I tried like hell to fake it.
“Didn’t what?”
“It’s alright, you’re not ready. I’m prepared to wait for you to come to me when you are.” I gulped but said nothing. I was overwhelmed by his feelings for me. But I still didn’t feel what he was feeling. I just couldn’t reciprocate what I didn’t feel. He knew that I wasn’t ready.
“Cordelia, you and I both know the truth. You are what we say you are. You can’t deny that now with what you’ve just experienced here with me.” Evan wasn’t upset just stating the facts.
I nodded. And he was right. I couldn’t deny what had just happened. For some reason, I’d been able to read his mind. It was nothing short of incredible, although at this very second, I couldn’t hear anything. I wondered if he were able to block me from reading his thoughts. Was I being intrusive by attempting too? Sadly, I didn’t have any control over it at all. It just came and went. The fact that it comes is mindblowing. But it seems like every time I display some form of power, it’s not within my control. I sighed with frustration.
I had to avert my eyes from Evan, so I looked up at the vines that intertwined with the strips of iron which made up the top of the gazebo. I felt Evan take my hand, and turn it palm side up. I couldn’t breathe as I watched him lower his head. He placed a kiss as delicate as a warm breeze on my wrist, and then gently kissed the palm of my hand. They were innocent, yet sensuous kisses that sent ripples of soft waves throughout my entire body. Evan wove his smooth fingers through mine, and we sat there like that, quietly, for what seemed like a long time. All the while I felt totally comfortable with Evan, for the first time. It was as if his kiss had the power to calm my nerves.
I watched him out of the corner of my eye and he stared forward, seeming to take in the lovely landscape of the garden. I refused to read his thoughts the entire time and more importantly, he couldn’t read mine.
I wasn’t sure what I felt for him, but what I was sure of at that very moment was that I didn’t want to let go of his hand, so I didn’t. It felt right, as if our hands belonged intertwined, as if nothing was ever going to be powerful enough to pry them apart. Perhaps, it was the comfort of being intimate with someone that clouded my mind. I didn’t know for sure, but I enjoyed sitting here in this romantic gazebo with Evan. I wondered if he could sense that.
We left the gazebo, with our hands still interlocked, slightly swinging our arms to and fro. Upon entering the house, it was quiet. Too quiet, like no one was home, and Evan and I were alone in the world. Realizing that two hours had gone by; Evan said that he needed to catch up with his father and Nikolas. With a languid kiss on my hand, Evan was up the stairs and out of sight.
There was no doubt in my mind that they would be discussing a strategy to stop Victor and that Apolluon Vampire named Matthias. I felt so helpless, and guilty of the mess I had made of things. I decided to stay in the sun room for a while. I listened to the only sounds in the room; two love birds swinging separately on two mini swings. They swung in unison in their oversized, gilded cage. I walked over to the cage, and peered at the two birds, wondering if they were truly smitten with each other.
Eighteen
Town Trip
After only a few solitary minutes, Bethany dashed into the sun room with an invitation that I couldn’t resist. A trip into town. I was pleasantly surprised that she would want to venture out after the strict reprimand she and I had received for the early morning ride, but she was ready to go. Bethany had on a matching bonnet, and was fastening the single pearl button at the wrist of her lace gloves.
“We’re going into town to choose the fabric needed to have our Masquerade Ball gowns made.” She ignored my look of concern and fear. “Oh don’t worry. Night Wind will escort us.”
“No, it’s not that, well it’s not only that. I don’t think that I’m ready for my anointment as the Empress of this empire.”
“You will be.” Bethany assured. “Shall we?” She prompted me, impatiently as she motioned to the archway leading out of sunroom and into the foyer. I ignored her.
“No I don’t think so. My memory, whatever it is that I’m supposed to recall, hasn’t returned.” I argued, and unconsciously grabbed my medallion.
Somehow it always seemed to calm me with its cool temperature.
“Your memory should be restored by then.” Bethany said, smoothing her dress.
“How do you know that?”
“Look, blocking it, won’t help, Cordelia. Please allow it to happen,” Bethany snapped. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was blocking the memories. Maybe, unconsciously, I didn’t want to remember. No, that’s not true. I was desperate to remember. She’s wrong. Bethany’s dead wrong. I’m not the reason that I can’t recall anything from my past. Something else must be blocking it.
“Just don’t think about it, alright,” Bethany advised. That was easier said than done. Impossible really.
Bethany summoned Night Wind, who besides being the stable hand, was also our driver. She instructed him to bring the carriage around, as Sun Paw brought me my matching accessories; a bonnet, a pair of lace gloves, and a parasol. In no time, we were seated in the dim, yet lush velvet interior of the completely enclosed carriage.
The ride was fairly bumpy due to the uneven sandy terrain of the dirt road. Behind the fringed velvet curtain, I spied the busy town below. I felt consumed by an eerie feeling. It was hard to believe how different and how similar the streets looked compared to how they will look a century later.
As we made our way down the road, I kept my nose pressed to the carriage window. I stared out at all the houses, remembering how aged and deteriorated they were in the future. I was surprised at how pristine they all looked now. People were sitting on their porches drinking beverages, and standing in their front yards waving as they watched us go by. Our carriage made its way onto what could be considered the main street. I noticed some of the town folk gawking at our carriage, and it felt like we were an overly attractive float in a parade.
This town, in the future, had been somewhat preserved with minor renovations for a recent revival to showcase Nickel City's historic lore. But it was impossible to fully capture the atmosphere I saw now. The town was bustling with people coming and going into and out of the mercantile, the post office, the bank, the saloons, the restaurants, the hotel, the lumber yard, and the tinsmiths. It was like being in a whole different town not just era. I don’t remember ever seeing this much traffic by foot or by car on C Street.
“I can’t believe this many people live in Nickel City,” I said with my nose still pressed up to the carriage window. There were more people in town now than there was when the tourist would flock here for the tours on the weekends.
“It’s as my father had explained, we, put silver in the mines and they came. Indeed, they came in droves,” Bethany said, eyeing the town folk skeptically.
“It will be better once we prevent Victor and the Apolluon from destroying this town and the entire west.”
“Everything looks so… brand new.”
“Everything is brand new. I remember when Nikolas and I arrived in the future, shortly after you did. We were immediately saddened by the ruins. It’s a shame really.” Bethany sighed. I’d been so depressed, being stuck in this unfamiliar time, but seeing the town now – all brand new and busy – just knowing how much it will changed for the worse was even more depressing.
The balconies and awnings were partly what made this towns architecture unique due to the sophisticated, carved detailing. The shabby and droopy balconies and awnings, which I was used to seeing every day, where no longer depreciated from time and weather. They were now freshly painted and ornate. It was awesome.
The carriage jerked my body a little as the wheels rolled over the uneven terrain of the main street. It was enough to make a person with motion sickness toss their cookies. There were saddled horses, horse and buggies, although none as ornate as ours, parked like cars along the street. This town was a whole different world to me.
We rode passed dozens and dozens of people dressed in the fashions of the day, milling through the wide and crowded street. Some didn’t wear outfits as fancy as ours. Obviously everyone didn’t strike it rich by mining. But I wasn’t going to make an ass out of myself by assuming that because someone was dressed plainly, and not lavishly that it meant that they didn’t have the means. I knew better than that.
I spotted quite a few AfricanAmericans, Native Indians, and Asians. Everyone milled about as I was amazed at how everyone interacted, and went about their business. The Native Indians were either dressed in their traditional dress, cowhide pants, long aprons over loose fitting tunic styled shirts and moccasins, or in denims, vests, button down shirts, and cowboy boots. Strangely, the Native Indians who did wear denims, didn’t wear holsters with pistols, proving that they weren’t quite ready to adapt to that choice of weaponry.
The Asians which I guessed were Chinese because of their customary bamboo straw hats, wore mandarin neck tunics, pants, and slippers. They worked diligently doing laundry in an alley. The African Americans and the Caucasians dressed mostly either in three piece suits, or leather vests and denims, keeping their guns holstered to their hips as if at any moment they could be challenged to a draw. Practically every man wore a hat of some style. Some little round bowl shaped hats, while most wore Stetsons, except for the Native Indians, who wore nothing on their heads.
Besides riding around on their horses or standing around in small groupings talking, laughing, and tipping their hats as they exchanged pleasantries to acquaintances and passersby, the men spent a lot of time spitting. Chewing tobacco was one of the vices of choice and such a nasty habit. The women chatted in small groups while they walked in and out of the shops; some with children trailing behind. I watched in a daze as people darted in and out of the traffic of carriages that rode up and down the main Street. Bethany snapped her fingers snapping me back from my daze.
“I didn’t realize that there were so many people of different backgrounds living here in this period of time.”
“Of course there are. You can’t believe everything you read in a text book. As I’m sure you already know, the Native Indians, mostly the Paiute tribe, were here first, then around the forties, about the same time that our kind migrated from Europe, mortals of diverse ethnicities began settling here.” Bethany explained. “Except for the Native Indian, everyone settled here in this new frontier, in hopes to strike silver.