Eternal (Eternal series) (9 page)



Micah knew that he was getting in way too deep. 

It had all started out quite innocently, but it had gotten out of hand somewhere along the way.  He had found ways to justify the amount of time he was spending with Emma, but now she wanted him to show himself to her. 

That would not turn out well.  If she saw him, if he became that close to her, things would change.  Besides, he knew it was wrong, just like he'd known it was wrong to speak to her the first time, but he couldn't make himself stop. 

He wanted so badly to be close to her, but he was starting to realize that it was for all the wrong reasons.



Destry had searched the local telephone book but it had turned out to be useless.  There were three Baker’s listed and he didn’t know Emma’s parents’ names.  It wouldn’t have mattered anyway because only post office boxes were listed, not addresses.

He’d considered just driving through the whole town looking for her car.  There weren’t that many houses, surely it wouldn’t be that hard to find her crappy old navy blue Chevy citation.  There couldn’t be very many of those around.

Following her home from school would have been the easiest option.  But she seemed overly paranoid and probably would have noticed that she was being followed.  He didn’t want to totally freak her out.

The last resort was to ask Chuck where she lived.  He really didn’t want to do that, but he was out of options.  That’s when the perfect opportunity presented itself.

“
Hey Destry,” Chuck called out as he jogged to catch up with Destry in the parking lot after school.

Destry turned and smiled.  He hoped Chuck hadn’t noticed him watching Emma as she got into her car.

“I was wondering if you’ll cover my shift today at work,” Chuck said breathlessly.

“
Why would I want to do that?” Destry countered.

“
Because, I got some stuff to do.”

“
Stuff?”

“
Yeah, stuff.”

“
It’s not illegal again is it?”

“
It’s better if you don’t ask questions.  Let’s just say the less you know the better.  But I really need you to cover for me.  If you do this I’ll owe you big time!” Chuck was pleading.

“
So if I do this for you, you’ll do something for me?  No questions asked?” Destry said with a sly smile.

“
Yeah, sure, anything you want,” Chuck said happily.

“
I want you to tell me where Emma Baker lives,” Destry said flatly.

“
What?  Why would you…”

“
Uh, uh, uh,” Destry cut him off.  “I said no questions asked.”

“
Fine, I’ll tell you where she lives, but I don’t understand why you care.”

“
Well that’s not for you to understand, just tell me and then get out of here before I change my mind.”

Destry slowed as he passed the little house.  “So this is where the mysterious Emma lives.” He whispered to himself. He didn’t know why he was whispering, it’s not like there was anyone there to hear him.  It must have been because he felt sneaky driving by her house for no reason.  But this was something he had to do, even though he knew it was a bad idea.  He’d never have thought he would stoop this low.  He was an official stalker now. 

After that, driving by her house became an obsession, even though it was out of the way and on the opposite side of town from where he lived.  At first it was enough just to drive by.  He told himself he was just checking to see if she was home.  Then he started trying to figure out which room might be hers.  Pretty soon he had started driving by after dark to see if her light was on.  He’d wonder what she was doing.  The longer he did this, the closer he wanted to be.  But getting caught looking in windows was out of the question.

He had no idea what he would do if she saw him.  There was no escape out here in the open, no place to hide.  It was all quite maddening and it had gotten out of hand but he couldn’t make himself stop.  He wanted to know her, to talk to her.  Why was it so hard to get close to this girl?  What was it that he was afraid of?



It was April.  Micah had been withdrawn over the last week since Emma had brought up the whole seeing him thing.  Emma didn't understand it.  She knew there had been people—even if they were ancient ones—that had seen angelic beings.

So why couldn't she receive such a gift?  She was different, wasn't she?  There was evidence that she was at least a tiny bit special.  She could feel Micah's presence, she could hear his voice.  He'd been spending everyday with her for over a month now.

Why did this have to be so complicated?  Unless...maybe—her heart fell at the thought— he didn't want to be seen.  Maybe she wasn't as important as she thought.  

As she shuffled quickly into school that morning, she headed straight to her locker to drop off her jacket and backpack before heading to English class.  She spun her combination lock without looking at the numbers and lifted the latch on her locker.  As the door swung open, a pink piece of paper floated out and landed at her feet.  She quickly bent down and snatched it up.

She unfolded the pastel colored note:

Happy Birthday Emma,

I hope you have a great day!

It was handwritten.  Below the writing there was a delicate white daisy blossom that had been dried and pressed inside the paper.  She couldn't resist lifting it up and smelling it.  Even though it was dry she could still smell the sweetness of it.

Emma's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and she looked around for any sign of the culprit.  Her eighteenth birthday was on Saturday which was tomorrow, but who would know that.  And who at this school would even care?

The hallway was full of teenagers hurrying in different directions, but none of them gave her a second look.  Could it have been Micah?  She didn't see how that would be possible, but who else could it be?

Emma folded the note gently and placed it between the pages of her book to keep it safe and hurried to English still wondering where it had come from.

Chapter 7:  FLESH AND BLOOD

Sunday afternoon was dinner at Gram’s after church, just like always.  Gram had made Emma’s favorite cake in honor of her birthday.  Emma picked through it and tried to look pleased but it obviously wasn’t working.

“
What’s the matter with you?” Gram asked, raising an eyebrow in Emma’s direction.  She could tell that Emma’s mood sucked; she'd always had a sixth sense about those kinds of things.

“
Nothing,” Emma sighed.

“
You could have fooled me,” Gram snorted.  “It looks like someone ran over your cat or something, but I know that ain’t it, cuz you ain’t got a cat.  So…give it to me straight, I can take it.” She planted herself on the sofa next to Emma who knew at this point that there was no way she was going to avoid an explanation.

Catherine and Cody were busy in the kitchen, washing up the dinner dishes.  Emma knew she only had a little time alone with Gram before they finished and came back into the room. 

She decided to let Gram in on her inner turmoil. Maybe she could help.  After all, any bit of advice at this point would ease a little bit of the burden.

“
Well, I was just wondering—hypothetically of course—if you’ve ever seen someone, who wasn’t alive…. like a spirit?”  Emma peeked at Gram sideways trying to gauge her reaction, fully ready to be laughed at.  To Emma’s surprise though, Gram seemed to be concentrating real hard, like she was actually considering Emma’s question seriously.

“
I don’t think I could rightly say that I’d seen a spirit before, but I know they’re out there,” she finally said.

“
How do you know that?” Emma questioned, interested in Gram’s point of view on the matter.

“
Well, I wouldn’t want you spreadin’ this around or nothin’, but I often find myself talkin’ to your grandpa. Lots of times I feel like he can hear me, and there are times that I would swear I can hear him talkin’ back to me.  Some people might say that I’m just a crazy old woman, and maybe that’s true.  Maybe I’m just hearing what I know grandpa would say if he were here.” She eyed Emma carefully, trying to judge her reaction too, Emma guessed.

“
So, what do you believe Gram?” Emma urged.  “Do you think grandpa’s actually talking to you, or is it all just craziness and delusions?”

“
I like to think he's really there, talkin' and listenin' both.  Your grandpa and me, we’ve got a lot of history, you know.  I don’t think all that ends just cuz ya die.  He’s still out there, watchin’ over me, and probably still cussin’ me for all the stuff I do that rubs him wrong.”

“
So it’s possible then—in your opinion—to have a relationship with a so-called spirit?” Emma inquired, trying to look innocent in her line of questioning.

Gram looked at her sideways, judging her expression.

“I wouldn’t necessarily call it a relationship,” she snorted.  “It’s kind of one-sided, if ya know what I mean.”

“
It’s not one sided if he’s…I mean if grandpa’s talking back.  That’s two-way communication, right?” Emma was grasping at straws.

“
Take it from me honey; I’ve been without your grandpa for 16 years now.  And while I might be able to placate myself sometimes by talking to the air and believing I hear a response; it’s not the kind of relationship I’d wish on anyone.  I miss your grandpa more than you know.  I’d much rather have his arms around me again, or be able to sit across the table from him and see him smiling at me the way he used to, than what I got now.  Flesh and blood definitely trumps spirit any day of the week,” Gram stated firmly.

“
Yeah, I guess,” was all Emma could say.  She knew that Gram had a point, but certainly Emma’s own experience was an exception to the rule. 

When she talked to Micah, it was as if she could feel his arms around her.  He was no memory of someone she had loved and lost.  He was an angel and he really did speak to her, there was no question about that.

There was still one disturbing thought Emma couldn’t push from her mind.  She may never be able to physically touch Micah or have him touch her.  Could she live through the rest of her mortal life, with someone who couldn’t provide her with the comfort of physical contact?  Would she ever see him smile or look into his eyes? 

Emma didn’t even want to think about it never being a possibility.  She still held on to the hope that she would see him someday and maybe even steal a touch or two. “So are you going to tell me what all this is about?” Gram questioned.

“I was just wondering.”  Emma sighed.

Gram’s words about flesh and blood being better than empty air, continued to ring in Emma’s head.  If she never got to see or feel Micah, would there still be enough to tie her to him?



Emma didn't see it coming.  They'd been discussing her day, and why Calculus was so complicated, when Micah dropped the bomb.

“It’s almost time for prom, isn't it?”

“
What?”  Emma said, blank confusion filling her tone. “I don't know, I haven’t really thought about it.”

"Why not?"
Micah mused.

“
It’s just a stupid dance.  I don’t really like dancing, and anyway, I don’t have a date.”    Didn’t he realize he was the only boy that held her attention anymore?

“
Someone wants to ask you Emma,”
Micah said in a serious voice,
"and I think it’s important that you go."

“
What are you talking about?”  Emma asked, not understanding why this subject had even come up.  “Prom is next weekend.  I’m pretty sure everyone already has their date.  It’s a pretty big deal for most of the kids around here.”

Emma was insulted that he'd brought it up.  She hadn't expected to be asked, but she felt self-conscious now that he was making it so obvious that no one had even considered her as an acceptable date.  He should know her well enough by now to know that she had no desire to go, at least not with any of the boys from school.

“
That new boy, Destry McQuade, wants to ask you, but you’re not making it easy for him.  You’re distracted a lot, and he hasn’t gotten a chance
.”

Destry McQuade?  The mention of that name made her stomach twist inside of her and she began to feel sick.  There was no way that Destry McQuade wanted to take her to the prom; he couldn't even find it in himself to speak to her. 

“I don't even know him Micah, and I'm not sure I want to.  Besides, I don't think he even knows who I am,”  Emma protested angrily, she'd done her best to push Destry McQuade out of her mind and this was a reminder she didn't want.

“
Don’t you think you owe him the opportunity to get to know you
?”  Micah sounded like a practical father figure.  What was he up to?  He was supposed to be on her side.

“
I don’t think I owe him anything,” Emma said honestly, “especially since he hasn’t even asked me anything!”  She folded her arms stubbornly.  She was getting angrier the longer the subject went on.