Midnight's Song (6 page)

I leaned into him
and cried equally as hard. We’d gone over this endlessly for a week
now, and yet we still couldn’t feel closure. It didn’t seem like he
needed to apologize to me, but I didn’t know if there was much I
could apologize for myself. Things couldn’t be changed now. It was
set in stone now, a circumstance that just simply
was.

“Don’t apologize to me. It can’t be
changed,” I sobbed. “I just don’t know how I’ll be able to do this
without you!”

“Elissa McClellan, ya
better not dare say things like that! I know you’re a strong one,”
Papa firmly told me, tears still in his eyes. “The stubbornness
only proves it. Now, ya must promise me that you’re gonna use that
strength of yours to bear through this!”

I tried to nod, but I couldn’t. Not
this time. Papa eyed me again.

“Elissa, promise
me!
Promise me that ya won’t simply give
up. Promise me that you’re gonna
live!”

“I promise,” I told him,
the uncertainty apparent in my tone.

“No, you must
promise
!”

“Alright,” I came to
a resolve, sucking back my tears. “
I
promise.”

After that there was silence. There
was an abrupt knock on our front door that didn’t need to be asked
about, for we both clearly knew what it meant. Nothing more needed
to be said. We exchanged looks of understanding, wordlessly saying
goodbye. This was it. Unless the sky opened up and carried us both
away to a new world among the clouds, a cabby was standing on our
doorstep that would soon carry me away to a place that Papa could
never follow.

When another knock
came, Papa unhesitantly but grievously opened the door. A stocky,
balding fellow stood on the other side. There was another man
standing a short distance behind him, this one more familiar. It
was the dark-complexioned 12
^th
caste fellow who always
wheeled Grandmamma around when she journeyed. The bald one
cordially bowed his head before addressing us.

“Hello, I’m
Archibald Higgins of the 9
^th
caste. I’m Lady Abilene’s
driver of many years. This is Jackoby Nielsen, my assistant. The
Lady has commissioned us to bring you to the Estate. Do you have
your belongings in order?”

The man was nice and all-around
humble, but I still let out a small sniffle. “Perhaps just a few
more moments –” I began, though my Papa suddenly stopped
me.

“No, Lissie. We’ve said our goodbyes.
If ya turn back now, it’ll never end!”

“But I’ll worry…” I tried to
argue.

“You’re gonna worry all
the same,” Papa looked me sternly in the eye. “I’ll be alright, and
ya know that there’s a many good people who’ll care for me if I’m
not.”

“Yes, I know,” I quietly replied. “Una
promised to write.”

Papa tearfully nodded
before kissing me on the cheek and discharging me into Archie’s
hands. As soon as he did, Archie cordially took me by the arm and
led me to the carriage. Jackoby took my one small bag and threw it
on top of the carriage before jumping to my aid and lifting my
short-statured body into the main cabin. The moment I caught a
glimpse of the inside, I saw myself stepping into a world that was
beautiful but unsettlingly foreign.

Everything about the
carriage was elegant and refined, more than anything I’d ever seen
before. The seats were plush and the windows lined with brass. I
would soon take off my shoes in the most unorthodox fashion and
discover that the carpet was luxuriously soft, too. The entire time
I couldn’t help but feel the choking dryness of a huge lump in my
throat.
What have I gotten myself
into?

The driver got into his
seat at the front, and Jackoby closed the door. I noticed him oddly
climb to the top of the carriage. I wanted to ask why – but before
I could do so the driver cracked his whip and the horses began to
tread down the lane.

“Goodbye,” I called as the carriage
turned and began down the opposite side of the lane.

I leaned out the
window and began waving until I saw the face of my old house. Papa
had gone inside and left my doorstep sadly deserted.
This is it
, I realized
as I withdrew my arm back inside. Now I was truly on my own. I
nearly started crying, but I ended up gathering some resolve and
attempting to put it behind me. It seemed I had already cried
myself dry, anyway.

After I made my
resolution, I sat back in the cushiony seat and attempted to think
of other things. It was of little use. Riding in the cabin alone
was such a monotonous and dreadful thing that it only caused my
burdens to creep back up from within me. The fact that the cabin
was so luxurious wasn’t of much comfort, either. All of the luxury
in the world couldn’t have satisfied my need for human
companionship. After an hour of unbearable silence, I needed
someone…even
something
that I could talk to in order to ease my
discomfort.

I was suddenly reminded of
the young man who had accompanied Archie. Jackoby – wasn’t it? I
looked around the cabin in sudden confusion. He had come with us,
hadn’t he? I wondered why I hadn’t noticed it before, but it was
apparent to me now that the young man was nowhere in sight. I
thought again and quickly remembered seeing him climb on top of the
carriage earlier. Curious and wanting an escape, I called out to
Archie.

“Archie,” I called.
The clinking and clanking of hooves drowned me out at first,
rendering Archie completely deaf to my words. I decided to speak up
again – this time a little louder – but perhaps a little too
loud: “
ARCHIE!
”

“Yes miss!” Archie jumped up in alarm.
“I do apologize! I couldn’t hear ya over the horses! Is anything
the matter?” He kept his eyes on the road, but leaned back just
enough to playfully show me his ear. “You have my full ear this
time!”

“I was just wondering when we’ll be
stopping to rest.”

“Well, the Northern Country is a good
day’s drive. If we want to make it by sundown we mustn’t stop much.
Just enough to make sure that the horses are rested and fed.” He
glanced over at me and then out at the road. “If you would like, we
can stop now for an early lunch.”

My stomach suddenly
grumbled. I nodded, and the driver pulled on his reins to bring his
horses to a halt. Archie came down from his place and pulled out a
wedge of cheese, a loaf of bread and a few apples for us all, along
with some carrots for the horses. The man went to each of his
animals and made a careful check on them before announcing that he
would be taking a short stroll to stretch his legs. As soon as
Archie left, I poked my head out the window to see the
12
^th
caste servant climbing out of a small compartment on the
outside of the cart.

“What are you doing
up there?” I called out the side of the window, curving my neck to
see him climb out of a small compartment at the back of the cart.
It was small and cramped, probably 3 feet wide at most. Both sides
of the compartment were open to the elements. There was an
uncomfortable looking bench wedged between the two walls on which
the 12
^th
caste boy took a seat.

“This is where I ride, Miss.” He
answered back.

“But why?” I took note of the fact
that the space was both incredibly small and partially exposed to
the elements. “It seems awfully cramped and probably
cold.”

“It’s better than
walking!” He told me casually, climbing down the side of the
vehicle. “At least Lady Abilene allows me to ride with her. Some
3
^rd
castes don’t approve of letting their servants ride with them
at all.”

The explanation
didn’t surprise me in the least. I would always be a
10
^th
caste at heart, and those stuffy-nosed aristocrats weren’t
going to change it. The boy came around the buggy and opened the
door as if to motion for me to step out. I refused and motioned for
him to come and sit with me instead. I didn’t care about his caste
– I needed someone to talk to!

“Accompany me in the cabin?” I then
proceeded to ask. A look of cautionary but pleasant surprise
overcame his expression.

“The family may not
approve…”

“I’m sure they
wouldn’t approve of letting a 10
^th
caste ride in here,
either.” I let a small grin roll across my face. “Call me
Elissa.”

His look of cautionary
surprise turned to one of happiness as I watched the same smile
which had rolled across my face in turn roll across his. He came
and took a seat next to me. “You probably already know, but you
might call me Jackoby.”

We happily shared
the lunch of bread, apples, and cheese as he told me all about his
life and I told him in turn about mine. Jackoby was just a few days
short of 19, but to me he seemed years beyond. I thought that it
might have been because of the life he led, and I was right.
Jackoby’s parents where 12
^th
caste grain millers who had
sent him to the Devereaux Estate at the age of 9.

They sent him there
as part of a special program that would allow him a life of safety,
warmth, and a full belly in exchange for service to the
2
^nd
and 3
^rd
castes. From his childhood Jackoby had been
working as a servant at the Deveraux Estate, first starting as a
stable boy and later working his way up to a position assisting
Archie and caring for the carriage, horse, and passengers while the
traveled.

“It also meant that there
was one less mouth to feed and a new pocketful of money each month
to help put bread on the table,” Jackoby dishearteningly told me. I
shuddered at the plain reluctance in his voice – not because I
pitied him – but because his pain was something I knew in
full.

Archie came back from his
walk, surprised to see Jackoby sharing the same space of the cabin.
The man knew that it was off limits, but he didn’t say anything
about it. Desiring to avoid bringing about any disfavor on my part,
Archie unquestioningly sat back in his seat and cracked his whip to
get the horses moving again. Five hours would pass, and Jackoby
actually did prove to be pleasant company.

However, he was also very much human
and highly exhausted from his duties. After an hour or two, he
unintentionally drifted off into a much needed sleep. I immediately
knew that the silence would be monotonous, but I still would have
rather been bored than be cruel and selfish enough to force him out
of a sparsely seen rest for my own sake.

Meanwhile, the scenery was changing.
The salty breezes of my island village disappeared and gave way to
fields of endless, colorful green fields. The further our carriage
went the more colorful and diverse the flora of the countryside
became. Everything that had once appeared so desolate became a
pasture that was green and full of life, masking the fact that
there was still an ongoing draft in our nation.

Eventually I saw
homes beginning to appear on the pastures, each one the carriage
passed by seeming to grow bigger than the last. One-by-one the
empty fields became rows of stately mansions and regal manors for
all to see. I knew that these homes were too grand to belong to
anyone in my caste or below, so it must not have been much longer
until we reached the land of the 3
^rd
’s and
2
^nd
’s.
We were certainly in the land of the upper-castes
now.

The sky paled to its
orange hue, and our carriage began to slow as we reached a stretch
of unending stone pavement. The carriage rocked and bounced around
as we changed surfaces from the soft, uneven ground to a more level
but grittier one. Jackoby woke immediately and prepared to climb
outside of the carriage window as soon as he felt the cobblestone
road jitter the carriage.

“Thanks for the rest,”
Jackoby winked. “We’re getting close to home now, so I’d better get
out of the cabin before someone sees me and decides to ban me from
the carriage all together!”

“That’s probably a
good idea,” I responded, scrunching my nose and smiling in order to
mask my nerves. “Seeing a 10
^th
caste riding in this cabin
alone is probably enough shock for the entire
empire.”

Jackoby winked at me
again and then came to his feet, opening up the door of the
carriage and climbing up the side masterfully all while its heavy
wheels remained in motion. All the while I stared out of the
windows and bit my lower lip in anxious wonder. Each of the homes
we passed seemed to dwarf the last in comparison.
This is it,
I told
myself.
About to enter into a world of
prestige
.