Eternity (Circle of Light) (3 page)

I felt like getting a little fresh air. Stale air seemed to linger in my lungs. Nothing smelled right.  My nose didn’t seem to work accurately.  It wasn’t a dirty smell, but it reminded me of burning wood and flowers. Not strong or overpowering. It was light, just barely noticeable with my window closed. One of the neighbors must be burning brush.

The scent of the wood rushed in my bedroom as I opened the window.  It was relaxing. I laid back down on the mountain of pillows, looking out the window at the trees. I heard the leaves rustle as the soft breeze whispered through them. A few restless birds chirped nearby. Everything
still seemed to be normal outside. Normal enough for night time.

As the cool evening breeze blew in the window, I pulled the blanket up over my shoulders and rested my head on the pillows. My eyes grew heavier after a few minutes. Slowly, I drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER 2

I woke to the smell of fresh cut grass. The air felt moist. I had slept on the platform all night with the window open. I laid there looking out. I was so comfortable I didn’t want to get up. 

I had a lot of chores to do around the house today and I was in no hurry to get started doing them
. I reluctantly dragged myself off the platform. First things first, I had a date with my toothbrush. Staggering to the bathroom, I began my morning rituals. 

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, I brushed my teeth and put my hair up. I gathered the few towels from the bathroom and tossed them into the hamper. I left the hamper lid in the floor and headed to the utility room. 

That was another detail my Dad had to do for my mother. He says it makes absolutely no sense for the utility room to be downstairs when the majority of the laundry goes upstairs. He didn’t want Mom to have to carry the heavy baskets up and down the stairs.  It was a great idea. Mom really appreciated it and so did I. Dad really does spoil Mom. He will go to any length to make things easier for her. The only thing he can’t figure out is how to make her job easier.

I hope when I manage to actually get a boyfriend
that is as considerate and loving as my father is. I don’t think I could want anything different.  He is so good to my mother and even after all the years they have been together, I can still see the love in their eye’s for each other.

My mother is the owner and head attorney of Sims and Associates Law Firm.  Besides my mom, there are two other attorneys and a small team of assistants at the firm. They have a tremendous caseload, so mom works a lot. When she finally makes it home, I hear her on the phone in her study downstairs. She also works on most weekends.  She rarely complains about anything, except the laundry not being done of course. She is just as wonderful as my father. She’s extremely caring and isn’t afraid to love with her whole heart. I just hope I can be as happy as they are someday.

She had placed ads in several newspapers for new attorneys to join the firm. A large number of people have responded to the ads. She was optimistic and I hope mom will find someone that has the experience she is looking for. I feel bad for her. She tries to find time outside of working to be with my dad and me. That doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, we always have a great time and I’m grateful for every minute I get to spend with her.

I do most of the chores around the house to help her out. It’s not hard to keep our house in order. Both my parents work a lot and are hardly home long enough to make any kind of mess. I’m the only one here that makes a mess. I think sometimes I do it on purpose just to have something to do.

After loading the washer, I returned to my room. I had realized how much it needed cleaning. I headed to the bathroom cabinet to get cleaning supplies. Mom always keeps it stocked for me. I got the window cleaner and furniture polish out and made my way to the window.

As I sprayed the window, something caught my eye. There was a quick movement in the trees. I scanned the tree line for minute, but I didn’t see anything. It was probably just one of the neighbor’s dogs chasing birds again. 
But I can’t help wondering if something bad was out there. Just waiting for me in the shadows.

I finished cleaning the windows
, occasionally looking around to see if anything was not the norm. The dreams that I have been having, honestly, have me scared to death. I find myself searching my surroundings for anything out of the ordinary.

Now that my room
is clean, I decided to watch a little TV until my clothes got dry. I channel surfed for a few minutes until I found a rerun episode of Charmed. My mother and I had watched the show without fail until the series ended.

This episode made me miss her. It was her favorite one. It is too bad she had already left for work. She would be in here with me, lying on the bed with her eyes glued to the television.

The note she left on the TV in my room was brief as usual.
Sorry I have to work today.  Interviewing more applicants.  Looks promising.  Could take a while.  Here is $50.00.  Use it wisely.  Love U sweetie.

I finished watching the show and checked my clothes.  They were finally dry. I folded what needed to be folded and put them in the dresser and hang the rest in the closet. I sat on the edge of my bed contemplating how to spend the rest of my day. Staying inside was not an option. I was stir-crazy as it is. I needed fresh air and sunlight.  

I had seen a t-shirt I wanted last week at a local clothing store just inside town. With that in mind, I took a shower and got dressed. For some reason I had a good feeling about today. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I was certain something good is going to happen. 

The sun was like gold in the sky. Everything seemed more vibrant than usual. The fog of tired eyes had been replaced with fresh new ones. I seemed to notice every detail of the outside world. It was as if I had been blind and had gotten my sight back. This must be another result of the power I had received. Along with my hearing being better than normal, my eyesight was like something out of a dream itself.
No matter how much I wanted to deny that something had indeed happened to me, I couldn’t. The proof is clear.

The birds were singing happily in the trees. Two squirrels chased each other around the tree trunks. Before I had realized, I had reached the park.  I had been paying so much attention to everything, except where I was going. 
Its a million wonders I didn’t walk out into the street and get ran over by a car. I’m completely out of it for some reason, but I liked it.  The new found fascination was exciting.

Children were playing on the playground as their parents watched.  Swings soared high as laughter filled the air. The park was full of people.  Birdwatchers, parents and an occasional park security guard walked around in the playground area.

Spring blossoms lined the tall black gate that surrounds the park.  Pink and red rose vines climbed the fence.  The sight of it reminded me of something out of a fairytale.  Unfortunately, this is no fairytale.  Just a regular day with regular people leading normal lives.

People filled the sidewalks and shops.  A steady stream of trucks with boats, Jet Skis and ATV’s passed me as I entered the town square. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the beautiful spring morning. I suddenly realized I had been in such a hurry to get out of the house that I had forgotten to eat breakfast. A loud rumble came from the pit of my stomach. I suppose the t-shirt would have to wait.

I was absolutely starving by the time I got to the diner. It wasn’t as crowded as the streets had been. The back corner booth was empty. It’s as good a place as any I thought to myself and made my way to sit there.  It’s too bad none of my friends were home. Sitting here alone made me miss them. 

The waitress took my order. Cheeseburger and curly fries for breakfast, my favorite.  My food came sooner than I expected.  I was glad of it too.  I smothered my fries with ketchup and began eating.

Halfway through my meal, the diner door opened.  A guy walked in slowly and scanned the room for a seat. He walked over to the only other empty booth.  It was right next to mine.  Quietly, he slid into the booth.  I was surprised as to how still he became.  The only movement he made was to get the menu and an occasional blink. He didn’t even twitch or adjust himself in the seat.  I found that to be a little odd. Actually, it is more than a little odd.

My attention was drawn to him and I couldn’t break my gaze.
I stared at him praying he wouldn’t notice.  My face flushed as I recorded every detail of his face in my mind. Every feature was perfect.  His eyes were a smoky blue color that drew my gaze to him against my will.  His slightly tanned skin reminded me of a sandy beach.  Not a single strand of his night black hair was out of place.

His black shirt made his eyes even bluer than when I first noticed them and it seemed to turn his good looks into a devilish gorgeousness.  My face seemed to burst into flames when I realized he was staring back at me.  I dropped my head and tried to finish my cheeseburger, but it was no use.  I felt sick as the butterflies took over my stomach.

I left the waitress a tip and slid out of the booth as quickly as I could.  I wasn’t even sure how much of a tip I had left her.  She looked pleased as she made her way to the booth to clear it, so I’m sure I had left her more than just a couple of dollars.

Looking out of the corner of my eye, I saw he was looking at me.  My whole body felt stiff as I paid for my half-eaten meal.  As soon as the door shut behind me, I let out the huge breath I had been holding.

I headed down the sidewalk to the shop.  It wasn’t as crowded as it had been before I went into the diner.  As I opened the door to go inside, I had a feeling like I was being watched.  I turned and looked behind me, but there wasn’t anyone there.  I knew someone was watching me. The feeling of eyes being on me was obvious. I was just unable to see them and the feeling I got from it wasn’t alarming.  It was like comfort was being directed to me.  I shook my curiosity off and went inside.

The t-shirt I had been wanting was on sale now.  I had also found a tank top I thought was cute.  Mom would approve, but I’m not so sure about what Dad would think about it.  It was a little lower cut than my other shirts.  I guess I'll have to wear a button up over it when I’m around Dad.

I paid for the shirts and headed to the door.  To my surprise, the awesomely gorgeous guy from the diner was right outside.  He seemed nervous and I stood there watching him from inside the store.  He was so alluring and all I wanted to do was go outside and talk to him, but I am such a chicken and I would probably end up saying something so stupid that he wouldn’t ever want to speak to me again.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and walked out.  I
tried to pretend I didn’t see him, but it was hard not to acknowledge him being there. As I turned in the direction to go home, I heard him speak.

Miss?  He called softly.  His voice sounded like an angel and it left me absolutely breathless.
I turned to answer him.  Butterflies went crazy in my stomach.  The heat returned to my cheeks and I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t make a single sound come out.  Feeling like a complete idiot, I managed a smile.

“My name is Eric
.” he said shyly. 

“I’m Bailey” I said surprised the words actually came out right.  After an awkward pause he explained that he had just moved to town and he was lost.

“Honestly, I’m just not sure which way to take to get to my house.”  He laughed nervously.

“What street do you live on?”  I
grinned. 

“Center Street, I’m the corner house next to the big house on Pine Street.”

Thankfully, the big house on Pine Street just so happened to be mine.  That was the best thing I had heard anyone say in a long time and I couldn’t believe this amazing guy was going to be living right next door to me. I wanted to let out a sharp, giggle, but I held my composure.

We walked toward the park lost in deep conversation.  We talked as if we had always talked to each other.  I was comfortable with him.  Usually, it would annoy me to be asked so many questions, but today I didn’t mind at all.  It was fun.
Unfortunately, the question of why I am so at ease with him lingered at the back of my thoughts. I pushed it aside and concentrated on the conversation.

He told me about his hometown and his old school.  It was somew
here in the city.  I couldn’t recall the name of it.  I hope he doesn’t think I’m not listening to him.  It’s just that his eyes are so captivating I lose myself in them within seconds.  I can’t help it. He is just so beautiful and the urge to touch his skin was almost too much to handle. 

Taking a big risk, I reached out and pretended to get a leaf out of his hair.  Of course, I accidentally rubbed the back of my hand against his ear.  That was what I wanted him to think anyway. He smiled and gently touched my hand.  The touch turned into him holding my hand until it was back to its place at my side.

“Thank you.”  He said as he let go of my hand.

My heart melted into a huge pile of goop.  I felt weak, my head began to spin and if I didn’t know any better I would swear my heart stopped for a few seconds. He was wonderful and I was drawn to him like two enormous magnets. 

As we walked, I noticed he found little reasons to bump into me as I did him.  It was strange in some ways because we had just met, but there was no denying that he takes my breath away and I wanted to spend every minute from here on out with him and only him. I felt connected to him in a way that I wasn’t familiar with.  The feeling was a bit uncanny, but I tried to not think too much about it.  I didn’t want to do anything that was going to ruin the moment.

His told me his parents traveled often and like me he is home alone most of the time.  That could be a good thing, I thought to myself.  I was so glad he didn’t pick up on my facial expression as
the thought crossed my mind.  That would have been way too embarrassing.

We reached the corner of Pine and Center.  The walk was not near long enough for me.  I had really begun to enjoy his
company.  I pointed to my house. “This is me.”

“Now I feel better.” He said as he pointed to the house next to mine. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to find my way home. Thanks to you I did.”