Always Darkest (4 page)

Justin was quiet while she worked.
 
When she was done her looked up at her.
 
Rayburn handed him a spare pair of clothes he had brought for him and Justin quickly dressed in the brown pants and white shirt.
 
The pants were a little too big on him and he was thankful for the suspenders. “That really does feel better.
 
Thank you so much!”

“It’s no trouble.
 
What happened to you?” Willa asked.

He recounted the story about the car accident and waking up at the Tillman’s.
 
The expression on his face made Tori think that he may have been leaving out something.

“Well Tori ended up here pretty much the same way.
 
Where did you live?”

“
Carson
,
Kentucky
ma’am,” Justin said.

“I am from Mercy!
 
This is so weird!” Tori said.

“I thought you were from here.”
 
Justin said.
 
“I mean you are dressed like everyone else.”

Tori looked down at her dress that looked like it came off the set of an old western
and she
blushed
a little. “Oh no, my clothes were, um, damaged when I fell.
 
Willa let me borrow this dress. I am pretty sure I was near
Carson
, when, well whatever happened.”

Willa broke in, “at least you two will have something to talk about on the trip then.
 
Ray, do you think any more people might have come over?”

“These are the first I have heard tale of. I sure hope not, and I hope Thomas can get them back.”

Justin and Tori looked at each other and then at Rayburn.
 
Rayburn got a peculiar look on his face like he just realized he might have offended them.
 
“I mean if you both want too.
 
I was just supposing you might have families back home.
 
No offense.”

Tori looked at him, “None taken, I have a sister, a family and a life back in Mercy and I definitely want to go back as soon as possible.
 
I’m sure my sister is worried sick.”

Justin was silent for a moment as if he were considering the possibility of staying.
 
Finally he answered. “I want to go back too. My mom is there.”

Willa clapped her hands.
 
“Well, that settles it, we better get started.
 
Ray, we can drop you off on the way.”

“Hold on a minute.
 
You not going to take them by yourself are you?”
 
Rayburn asked.

“I surely am. You know I go to Nathis about once a month to see my grandson and shop for special herbs and the like.
 
I take your cart every time and bring it back safe.
 
It only takes four hours. Creator
be
, I’m only eighty-seven!
 
You think I suddenly lost all my wits.”

Rayburn looked at her questioningly, “You know that’s not what I meant.
 
Do you feel safe with these two?”
 
He looked at the guests.
 
“No offense.”

Willa looked at him and then at Justin and Tori, patted a small pouch that hung at her waist.
 
“This here is a nice girl and I could take the boy in a fair fight any day of the week.
 
Besides I know you have work to do and I know you don’t want to be away from Charity if you don’t have to.”

“You want me to send Eli with you?”

“I’ll be fine.
 
Everyone in the cart, daylight is a wasting.”

Chapter Six

Willa made short work of getting into the driver’s seat of the cart and dropping Rayburn back at his home despite any reservations he had expressed.
 
They were moving at a decent clip down the dirt road that supposedly led to Nathis.
 
Willa insisted to both Tori and Justin that she was fine driving the cart by herself and they should both just sit in the back and relax as much as possible since they had both been through a lot.
 
Tori wondered where the old woman got all her energy.
 
Supposedly insanity gave people energy, but then again she was the one sitting in the back of a cart, driven by an eighty-seven year old woman, looking up at three suns.
 
How sane was she? The thought made her chuckle softly to herself.

“What’s so funny?”
 
Justin said.
 

“Oh I was just thinking how ridiculous this entire situation is.
 
I mean for all I know I am in an insane asylum now, in a straight jacket, being prevented from harming myself and others.
 
As soon as the lithium kicks in I’ll be right as rain.”
 
She looked up at the suns again and shook her head.

“Well, I am here too and that should prove something.
  
The thought has crossed my mind that I have finally snapped.
 
I just don’t think I could conjure this up on my own.”
 
Justin said looking at her and smiling.

“Shared delusion,” she said.

“I’ve never met you, so it’s not possible to be sharing a delusion.”

“Good point,” Tori relented.

“So you fell and ended up here?” Justin asked.

The memory of the night before was not something she wanted to revisit, but it wasn’t exactly like she could hide the bandages on her wrists.
 
“Well, I fell while I was running away from someone who wanted to hurt me.”

“Oh,” he said seeing that it made her uncomfortable.

“You were in a car accident?”

“Yeah, the guy came out of nowhere.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.
 
It sounds like we both had a rough night. So, what do you do for a living back home?”
 
Tori innocently asked.

“I used to be an accountant, but my company shut down and I’ve been unemployed for a while.
 
This economy sucks. How about you?
 
What do you do?”

“I’m a high school guidance counselor.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“Not really, but it’s nice to help when I can.
 
I mostly just help the seniors apply for scholarships.
 
There is the occasional drama but nothing Earth shattering.”
 
Tori noticed that the pain had completely subsided and took a moment to peak under her bandages.
 
Her wrists were all but completely healed and the gashes had been deep.
 
“Look at this.
 
These were bleeding only this morning.” she said completely removing the bandages and holding up her wrists for Justin to see.

“Wow,” Justin said.
 
“You look as good as new.”

“I saw your wounds this morning.
 
Do you feel any pain?”

“As a matter of fact, I don’t.”

“Check your wounds,” Tori said a little excitedly.

Justin gingerly removed the bandages from his waist and then raised his shirt for Tori to see.
 
His wounds were gone. “I am completely healed.
 
How the hell did we heal so fast?”

“It’s amazing.
 
Willa must be one hell of a healer.”

Willa called over her shoulder, “you got that right
girlie
. I’m the best there is.”
 
She laughed as she continued to drive the cart.

“Well, I guess it’s lucky we ended up near you then.
 
Thank you.”

“Everything happens for a reason,” the old lady said and continued to drive the cart toward Nathis.

The rest of the trip was relatively quiet at the cart went along the road.
 
Tori just took in the landscape around her.
 
If it wasn’t for the suns, it would seem almost like Earth.
 
They passed houses set far off from the road.
 
They met several carts going the opposite direction and each time Willa had a greeting and a kind word, sometimes an inquiry about a family member’s heath as of late.
 
It was like she knew everyone.
 
They rounded a curve and Willa called to Tori and Justin that they might want to stand up to catch a view of Nathis.

The city of
Nathis
came into view and seemed to sparkle under the
noon
day suns.
 
The city walls did not hide the tall stone buildings which made a perfect outline against the blue sky.
 
The whole city was set upon a hill, the buildings showing the graduation of the land.
 
At the highest point, looking down upon the city was a castle.
  
A river wound around the city walls making a perfect crescent that the city snuggled into perfectly.
 
Only one massive bridge crossed the river and there was a steady stream of traffic, mostly going into the city.

“Amazing,” Tori said as she looked on in wonder.
 
She had never seen anything like it.
 
Fairy tales could not compare to the sight of Nathis.

“Ain’t it though?” Willa called back never taking her eyes off the road.
 
“I never get tired of seeing it.”

“I understand that,” Tori replied.
 
She was still a little awestruck.

“Wow,” Justin said in amazement and Tori realized that he was smiling.

Before they crossed the bridge Willa stopped and threw a blanket back at them.
 
“Cover up, and lay low.
 
I don’t really want to answer any questions about you two.”

They lay down against the bottom of the cart and covered themselves with the grey blanket Willa had given them.
 
They had to lie close together to fit under the thick woolen blanket Willa provided.
 
Justin’s arms around her were strong and warm.
 
Tori thought he really wasn’t so bad.
 

The cart stopped again and Willa talked to the guards at the gate. “State your name and your business in Nathis,” said the voice of a guard.
 

“Ernest Murphy, you know dang well who I am and who I am here to see.”
 
Willa replied.

“Okay Willa, I still need to see your mark.” The guard said.

“Hasn’t changed since last month,” Willa grumbled. “It hasn’t changed since I pulled you out from between your mama’s legs either.”

“I just have to follow procedure and you know that.
 
Are you here to see Mason?”

“I sure am.”

“What do you have in the back?”
 
The guard inquired sounding more amused by the old woman’s attitude than angry.

“Just a few clothes, and a couple presents for my grandson.
 
Do you need to take a look?”
 

“No ma’am you can go on by.
 
Tell Mason I’ll be seeing him around.”

“I’ll pass it on Ernie.”

The cart passed on through the gates.
 
Willa told Justin and Tori to stay down in a harsh whisper.
 
The cart clopped along for about fifteen more minutes.
 
When finally it stopped and Willa said they could come out of hiding.

Chapter Seven

The house they were parked in front of was four stories tall and was made out of stone.
 
It looked to her like a mix between a small castle and a brownstone that was so popular in
New York City
at the turn of the century.
Tori was
in complete awe until she saw him.

The front door opened and out came a man.
 
He was six foot tall at least.
 
His dark hair was just past his shoulders and tied behind the nape of his neck.
 
He was wearing black dress paints and a silver vest over a white dress shirt.
 
He looked rather Victorian. The posh outfit did little to hide the fact that he had a well toned body beneath.
 
He broke into a jog as he saw Willa in the cart.

“Granny!
I didn’t think you were coming to the festival this year!” the handsome man said as he took Willa’s hand to assist her out of the cart.
 
He hugged her enthusiastically and Tori saw the happiness dance in his blue eyes.
 
He released her and looked up into the back of the cart at Tori and Justin.

“Who are your traveling companions?”
 

“The lady there is Tori, and the man is Justin.” She said pointing her finger at each of them as she announced their names.
 
“This here is my grandson, Mason.”

Mason looked up at Tori, “Pleased to meet you ma’am.”

Tori felt like a teenager on her first date and for a moment she wasn’t sure if she could form words.
 
“Pleased to meet you as well,” she finally managed.