Immortal Storm (10 page)

Dori stood for a long time, trying to reach a decision. Eventually, her cunning ears settled on the breathing patterns of the people within the small house. She stayed there long enough to pick out each person individually. Layla’s weak snore overpowered Dahlia’s shallow breaths. Amir’s breathing was irregular. She could hear him tossing, clearly fighting a fitful dream or struggling to find sleep at all. Many nights she lay awake listening to her family’s slumber. It was on those nights that she would sneak away to find her box. That was exactly what she wanted to do now. Having her fingers caress the small satin corner of Layla’s first baby blanket would be balm on her wounds. If she couldn’t have her family, shouldn’t she at least have those tiny trinkets which wouldn’t be fully appreciated by anyone else? What would become of them now? It didn’t seem right for anyone to rifle through them or worse, to dispose of them. Dori couldn’t let that happen. She resigned herself to breaking in to the house to collect her memories.

Dori approached the back door and pulled the spare key out of its nearby hiding place. She silently let herself in the house, pausing to listen as she shut the door behind her. Everyone was still sleeping so she took a moment to look around. It was clear that something tragic had happened; the house had been completely neglected. Dori was beginning to think that coming in was a bad idea.

She went quickly toward the closet to get her box and escape, but found that she was being lured toward her children. Stopping in front of Dahlia’s door, Dori wrestled her desire to touch her baby one last time. Before she realized it, she was tiptoeing toward the sleeping cherub. There she lay, a sleeping ball of perfection, the nightlight casting a warm glow over her smooth cheeks and long eyelashes. She was crammed into the corner as always, completely uncovered. Indulging her instincts, Dori grabbed the covers and pulled them over this flawless creature for the last time, tucking her in tightly. She ran her fingers through the disheveled curls. She bent down and kissed Dahlia’s forehead, inhaling the scent of soap and baby lotion. She let her lips linger on Dahlia’s silky skin, trying to memorize the moment for eternity. How could she say good bye to this innocent child?

“Mommy loves you more than you could know, my Angel. You are the rainbow after a storm to me. You will always be in my heart.” Dori sweetly kissed her again and reluctantly backed out of the room. She took Dahlia’s pacifier with her. It crushed Dori to close the door on her child. No punishment could be worse than this.

Standing in the hallway trying to contain her sobs, she knew Layla was next. Nothing could keep her from entering the pink princess room, although it would make her pain complete. She took a deep breath, set her jaw and moved silently in the dark as she opened the door on Layla.

Dori smiled as she found the three year old twisted in a position that couldn’t be comfortable. It was as if Layla had been jumping around and just slept as she fell, limbs askew. Dori gently pulled Layla to a more comfortable posture, tenderly laying her head of golden curls on the pillow. She stood for quite some time, drinking in Layla’s beauty. Eventually, she approached the bed and leaned down to kiss her Sleeping Beauty goodbye. Without waking, Layla reached up and wrapped her arms around Dori’s neck.

“I like you and I love you and I love you and I like you, Mommy.”

“I like you and I love you and I love you and I like you, too. You will always be my Princess. You taught me how to love. Mommy has to go now, but promise to take care of your sister. You will always be in my heart.” A fat tear rolled down Dori’s cheek. The little girl’s grip relaxed and Layla was settling back into her dream when the errant tear splashed on her nose. Layla’s eyes fluttered as she awoke with a start. Her eyes caught Dori’s

“Mommy!?”

Dori ran so fast it must have seemed to Layla as if she had disappeared. Dori couldn’t leave; she didn’t have her box yet, so she settled for hiding in the bathroom while the little girl fell back asleep.

“Mommy! Mommy! Come back, Mommy! I miss you.” Layla’s calls were melting into sobs and soon Amir awoke and stumbled to the grieving child. He sat on the bed cradling Layla and trying to soothe her while she wept in his arms.

“Daddy, I saw her, she was here and she ran away. Why won’t she come back Daddy?”

“There, there,
Habibti,
it was only a dream...it’s okay, go back to sleep. Mommy is up in Heaven now, she is watching over all of us. Don’t cry Sweetie, you can sleep with Daddy if you want.”

Dori was stunned as she heard Amir comforting Layla. He had even called her
Habibti
, an Arabic pet name. The little girl finally settled down, but it was Amir who continued crying. First it was just the tell-tale sniffle, but it grew louder as the child fell asleep. Dori had never heard him cry openly before. His was a long, mourning cry, like a great wolf calling for his mate through the empty night. She could hear his soul in his pain-filled howls. She had never known he could feel this much pain. She heard him spit out words like “Why...and too soon...” Amir was speaking more Arabic than English, but Dori new the words, “
laish ya Allah”
meant “why, God?” Amir was pleading with the Almighty, struggling for comprehension. His words grew unintelligible but it wasn’t difficult to interpre ct t0">

It had been wrong of her to come in the house. She had been selfish and she had hurt her family even more because of it. Dori had never suspected that Amir cared so deeply for her. He never showed it; he had always been so short with her. Was it partly her fault for not looking harder? If she had looked beyond the surface, would she have found all that she was truly looking for?

Amir was on the other side of the wall and Dori wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him and to be comforted by him. She wanted to press herself into his arms and feel what she had felt when she walked down the aisle toward him. It was too late for that now. Dori found it hard to breathe as she unexpectedly grieved the loss of her husband that night. Her cheeks were again wet with tears.

Creeping out from her hiding place, Dori spotted Layla’s pink hair ribbon on the bathroom counter; she grabbed it. In a second, she was at the closet grabbing her box, and then Dori was headed for the door once again. Something glittered in the moonlight and caught her eye. She stopped to get a better look and realized it was a set of Amir’s prayer beads, the Arabic version of a rosary. He normally carried them wherever he went. She could picture his fingers working the beads as he silently praised God in several different tongues. It would take something out of the ordinary for him to set them down and leave them behind. Dori didn’t think twice; she scooped up the shiny string of amber beads and ran out the door, locking it behind her. When she found the safety of the tree line, she stopped to place her three new items in the box. She nestled the pacifier, hair ribbon, and prayer beads among her other trinkets, where they would stay for the rest of forever.

The night was beginning to wane as the deepest hues of black were being replaced by a velvety, navy blue. It wouldn’t be long before the sun peaked over the horizon and the world would go on without her, as if she had never existed. She didn’t want to be near the house when her family awoke. It would be too painful to be discovered again. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure where to go or what abilities and limitations her new existence held for her. Her mind was full of questions and she wasn’t sure how to survive without some answers. Didn’t the sun burn vampires? She didn’t want to find out if that was true. Michael could give her the answers she was looking for.

“No!” Dori said aloud. She did not want to go back to Michael; it almost seemed like accepting defeat. How could she face him? He had turned her into a monster. He had taken her family away from her. But yet, he had also saved her life to a certain degree. Without him she would have surely died by now. Maybe it would have been easier if she had died, she thought. She wandered among the overgrowth of the forest with no particular direction in mind. She was trying to sort out a thousand thoughts, trying to get a grasp on what had happened in the last twenty-four hours. The night sky was fading to day faster than anticipated. She had to do something quickly or she would find out first-hand if the sun was harmful. Glancing around, she wasn’t sure of where she was. It was impossible to get her bearings. Each tree looked identical and there were no paths worn into the forest floor. Dori’s breath quickened and she began to run.

She wasn’t sure where she was going, but if she moved quickly enough, maybe she would find some indication o c inaken f her location. Dori became aware of animals awakening and scurrying around her. The forest was waking up to another morning. The deeper blues were completely gone from the sky. It was a tableau of pinks and orange. On the horizon, the lightest blue was beginning to show and the sun would soon peek above the trees. Dori was beginning to panic.

“
Go, Ballerina Girl! Run away from the sun.”

Dori trusted the voice. Only her grandmother had ever called her that. That voice hadn’t let her down yet, so she turned her back to the sun and ran as hard as she could. The trees became a blur around her. She still couldn’t make out any houses or signs of human life. Hopelessness was beginning to settle in and her hand ached from clutching her box so tightly.

Panicked, Dori was traveling much too quickly for a human eye to discern her from the trees, so she was surprised when, at the last moment, something moved right into her path. She didn’t have time to stop before running into it, so she braced herself. A pair of hands reached out and grabbed her precisely at the moment of impact. Michael spun her around to absorb the momentum, never slackening his grasp.

“Easy, Dori, it’s okay. There is nothing to fear. Nothing can hurt you here, Dori.” Michael was whispering in her ear, soothing and calming her. She finally hit the breaking point; her knees went weak and they both sank to the forest floor. Michael cradled her protectively. He rocked her and chanted soothing phrases, trying to settle her down. The crushing weight of the night was too much to bear, and she found herself sobbing in his arms.

Dori was struggling to stay afloat in a whirlpool of emotions. Why had Michael followed her? How was it possible for her heart to break again? What was left for her in this life? What did she have to look forward to now? What was her role with Michael? Were their existences intertwined like he said? From the shelter of his protective arms, Dori glanced up at him. Although the tears blurred her vision, his loving gaze was undeniable. Dori really looked at the man holding her, keeping her afloat, and she saw a deep sadness that mirrored her own. In that moment, she felt close to him, as if he needed her as much as she needed him. Together they could both stand strong against the loneliness that comes from losing all love.

Dori wrapped her arms around Michael, needing his comfort, and he held her closer, soothing her. In this silent embrace, she contemplated the depth of his feelings. She imagined their future together.

He pulled her impossibly closer as he calmly spoke.

“I know you are in pain. I remember realizing the weight of the truth. The only thing worse is the loneliness that comes next. Every face reminds you of your solitude, every smile is a dagger. Just remember that I am here. I want to take your pain away.”

As the words washed over Dori, her sobbing quieted but the tears still ran. “Will it always hurt this way?” she asked, meeting Michael’s gaze.

“I wish I could say that the time will heal your wounds,
Preziosa
, but that’s not true. There is one thing I have found that helps ease the pain.” Michael ran his thumb gently over Dori’s cheekbone, wiping away a tear. “You have to find someone or something th c sos easat gives your life meaning. When you find that person, you will do anything to keep them because they will make you feel alive again.” Michael paused to look into her eyes. “You are the spark that rekindled my soul.”

Michael paused and she could sense the intimacy of his confession. The silence stretched on and as Dori stared at his handsome features, it became apparent that he was wrestling with something. She wondered what truth he could be struggling with, but she didn’t dare interrupt. After an eternity, she drew in a breath; she wanted to encourage him to share more with her, but he cut her off before she could utter a word.

“Dori I won’t go back to a life that has no fire, no light. A life without you in it holds no meaning for me.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A look of submission crept onto his face and she resisted the urge to say anything. His eyes flew open and once again, he was a predator ready to attack his prey.

“Forgive me Dori,” he whispered as his gaze bore down on her with a dangerous force. Between the intensity of his staring eyes and his melodic voice, she didn’t stand a chance.

“You were never in that house, Dori. In fact, you can’t remember who lives there.”

Dori’s brow furrowed under the strength of his persuasion. She wanted to disagree but she couldn’t break his focus. It was as if he had climbed in through her eyes and was tampering with her memories and her soul. Dori puckered up her mouth to protest but Michael continued sternly.

“Dori, that house is full of strangers. You have never met them.”

Dori’s gaze was hollow as she fell victim to the power of Michael’s suggestions. A sea of green flooded her vision. Different memories surfaced flashing like a silent movie in her mind. She was too mesmerized to realize that Michael was weeding through her thoughts, carefully removing all traces of Amir, Layla and Dahlia. She was helpless as the faces of her loved ones faded then disappeared from her recollection. She didn’t notice as the hand-carved wooden box teetered in her hands and fell to the ground. Michael kicked it into the nearby underbrush, removing the last connection to her former family.