Remembered (11 page)

“Your father is very nice,” Annie said.

“Father is a great man,” he agreed proudly, “and my mother
is an angel.” He handed Annie a cup of tea and sat in the other upholstered
chair next to her. He looked at her pensively for some time before speaking
again. “I can’t help being impressed when I think of what you have accomplished
with the twins,” he said. “It must have been hard for you, giving up your
childhood prematurely.”

“Please, don’t be impressed. What choice did I have? This was
thrust upon me, so I simply did what anyone would do in the same position. I
had two twelve-year-old siblings to care for. They were so young, so scared
that they would be left completely alone.”

Kellus stared into her face with a mixture of pity and awe.
“You are truly amazing,” he murmured, “so selfless, and yet, unaware that you
are.”

“I don’t know if that’s true,” she replied, feeling her face
flush.

“What do you complain about, then?” he questioned.

“Complain? I don’t understand the question.”

“What bothers you?” he rephrased.

“Nothing,” she replied, still not understanding his
question. “I have nothing to complain about. We have enough to eat, we have
each other, and we have a warm home—”

“It’s as I thought,” he broke in, shaking his head. “You are
a good person. I knew that you were. A face that beautiful could only be a
reflection of what’s inside.”

She looked down at her hands, feeling her face turn warmer,
embarrassed by the compliment.

Kellus suggested they play cards, so they settled at the
kitchen table and talked the night away. They told each other everything about
their lives, their childhoods, and their families. He explained that his
brother Markum was ten months younger than he, and his sister Zifini was eighteen.

By the end of the night, she felt that she’d known him for
years, and loved everything she knew.

As the sun began to rise, she stood over the stove making
another cup of tea.

A blood curling scream came from where Cora slept.

Annie froze.

Kellus ran to the bedroom.

Lack of sleep took over her body and she started shaking all
over. She could feel tears building in her eyes. She didn’t know if she had the
strength to deal with any more bad fortune in her family.

Moments later, she felt a strong hand slide down her arm and
fold over her right hand that still held the handle of the pot. Another strong
hand rested on her left hand that gripped the side of the stove.

Kellus leaned over her left shoulder; his chest pressed up
against her back. “Nothing’s wrong. It was merely a nightmare,” he murmured.

Without thinking, she leaned back into his chest, tears
rolling down her cheeks. He moved her right and left hands, wrapping her arms
around her waist, his arms on top. “Please don’t cry,” he whispered soothingly into
her ear. “Cora had a bad dream, nothing more.” He pulled her backward onto his
lap, sitting down on a chair. She placed her head on his shoulder. “Shush,” he
cooed, rubbing circles on her back. “Shush, Annie,” he repeated.

She must have fallen asleep because she suddenly became
aware of him calling her name repeatedly. She lifted her head up quickly. “How
long was I sleeping?” she asked, covering her mouth to hide a yawn.

“An hour or so,” he answered. “I regret having to wake you,
but I’m expected back at the Citadom soon. I would have carried you to your
bed, but I didn’t want to wake Cora.”

“I’m sorry for falling asleep like that,” she said,
blushing.

“Don’t be,” he answered. “But I must insist that you go to
bed immediately. I can let myself out.”

She said a quick goodbye and walked up the tiny hall to her
bedroom. “Are you sleeping?” she asked Cora.

“Not really,” Cora mumbled.

Annie lay down next to her sister, noticing that Cora still
looked very pale. “Are you sure that you’re alright?” she asked, grabbing Cora’s
hands. They lay facing each other.

“I feel a little weak,” Cora admitted. “Are
you
alright?”

“What do you mean?” Annie asked suspiciously.

“I may be only seventeen, but I’m no fool,” Cora replied.
“It appears that you and the apprentice have more than just a casual attraction
for each other.”

“How so?” Annie questioned.

“Annie, I think you’re falling in love with him,” she said
quietly.

“No, Cora, I can’t fall in love with him. He’s an
apprentice,” Annie answered. Nevertheless, she knew at that moment it was too
late, it had happened. She was in love with Kellus, and it was obvious to Cora,
at least.

Cora shrugged her shoulders under the blankets. “And I think
he’s falling in love with you, too,” she added.

Cora was only half right. Annie was in love with Kellus, but
he did not feel the same way. He would not be foolish enough to let his
feelings get out of control.

On Friday, Annie headed down the hill to town, going back
and forth between hoping to see Kellus, and hoping not too. Once again, she had
made a decision that she would not think about him anymore. She would force
herself to fall out of love with him. She even considered taking a trip to East
Vistira to visit Sul, to apologize for not getting an opportunity to say goodbye
on Saturday. But it was useless; every five minutes, Kellus would pop back into
her head, causing Sul to pale in comparison.

She finished shopping quickly and started for home, trying
as hard as she could not to look towards the Citadom.

Focusing straight ahead, she saw Tol standing outside his
shop. Even the sight of him made her heart race faster, as though she was
somehow closer to Kellus by being near his father.

“Hello, Tol,” she called out.

“Annella, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Come inside and
visit with me for a moment,” he called back.

Annie followed Tol inside the shop and leaned up against the
counter.

“Did you like the hair clip?” he asked, leaning over the
opposite side of the counter from her.

“I love it. Thank you very much,” she replied.

“Don’t thank me, that was all Kellus,” he answered. “He even
insisted on paying full price for it.”

“Really? Why did Kellus do that?” she questioned.

“Kellus did that because he is very fond of you, young lady.
I thought that would have been obvious to you,” he responded.

“I know we’re friends, but still, such a pretty gift…”she
trailed off.

“He remembered you from your parent’s funeral, you know,”
Tol stated.  “You made quite an impression on him all those years ago. He never
forgot. And…he is a thoughtful young man.”

“Who is?” a familiar voice called from the doorway.

“Son, look who came to visit me,” Tol said loudly.

Kellus leaned casually against the doorframe, arms folded
over his chest. “I would advise you not to cross me, father, or I’ll be forced
to tell mother that you were shamefully alone in here with a beautiful, younger
woman.” He winked at Annie playfully, sending her heart fluttering against her
ribs.

“Are you jealous, son?” Tol asked in a teasing voice.

“Very,” Kellus replied, nodding.

“Your mother is well aware of my charms, son. It’s not my
fault that this lovely young lady wishes to spend time with me,” Tol taunted.
“Perhaps someday I’ll teach you the secrets of my appeal.”

Kellus rolled his eyes and smiled. “Pay no mind to that old
coot, Annie. He has an over-inflated ego, apparently.”

“Watch it, son, or you just might find yourself walking home
this afternoon,” Tol said smugly.

Kellus laughed. “How are you?” he questioned her. “How is
Cora?”

“We’re both well, thank you,” she answered.

“What are you doing here again?” Tol questioned. “Do you
have nothing constructive to do in that big building across the street? I
thought you needed to sign out for the weekend.”

“I have twenty minutes to spare before I sign out for
leave,” Kellus replied. “I had no intentions of coming back here so soon, but I
saw an angel walking through your door. I came to see her for myself.”

Annie wondered if Tol could hear her heart thundering in her
chest.

“Are you on your way home?” Kellus asked. “I could walk with
you part of the way.”

“That would be nice,” she answered shyly. “It was wonderful
to see you again, Tol. I’ll visit you next time I’m in town.”

“You had better, young lady,” Tol replied. “If I find out
that you were in town and didn’t come to see me, I’ll be very disappointed.”

Kellus and Annie walked slowly up the hill.

“Do you visit your father every day?” she asked, raising her
voice against the roar of the ocean.

“Yes, every time I have a break from training. I miss the
rest of my family, though,” he answered thoughtfully.

“How often do you see them?”

“I go home one weekend a month,” he explained. “We are also
given two weeks leave in summer and two in winter. Markum and Zifini try to
visit me at least once a week, but it’s hard for them. We are only allowed
visitors between two and four o’clock, and Markum works on my family’s farm all
day.”

“Your family owns a farm as well as the shop?” she asked.

“One hundred and twenty acres,” he replied. “It’s as I told
you, my grandfather was wealthy. The farm was also his,” he shrugged his
shoulders as if it was no big deal. “May I ask you a question before I go back
to the Citadom,” he asked, stopping and turning to face her. “I’m on leave this
weekend…” he’s eyes flickered from hers to the ground nervously. “Would you
mind if I came to visit you tomorrow?”

“I’d like that very much,” she answered, allowing him, once
again, to thwart her efforts at getting over him.

Much of Annie’s night was spent in turmoil. She tossed and
turned for hours, unable to decide if seeing Kellus tomorrow was wonderful or
just plain foolish. She wanted more than anything to see him, but knew that it
wasn’t conducive to squelching the relentless yearning.

Finally, she consoled herself with hopes that he may prove
to have a bad temper, or some other personality disorder that would change her
feelings. Maybe she would get to see a side of him tomorrow that would cure her
of her insatiable longing. She slipped off to sleep, satisfied that this would
be the case.

What seemed like only moments later, she heard his voice
from the front of the house. “Hello, Max,” she heard him say cheerfully.

Her eyes sprung open.

“Kellus, it’s great to see you,” she heard Max reply.
“Please come in.”

She nudged Cora then jumped up from bed. “Get up, Cora.
Kellus is here to see us.”

“See
us
?” Cora said, yawning loudly. “I don’t think
so.”

Annie washed quickly and pulled on a lavender skirt with a tight,
white, sleeveless top. She fixed her hair and, taking a deep breath, opened the
door and walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning,” he said, smiling up at her. He was seated at
the table, wearing tan trousers and a white linen shirt. It was the first time
she had ever seen him in something other than his apprentice uniform, and the
sight was breathtaking.

“I hope you don’t mind me coming by so early. I realize I
forgot to mention a time,” he added.

“You look different,” she said stupidly, hoping that he
couldn’t read on her face just how much she liked the difference. She sat down
on the chair to his right and looked down at her hands.

“I wonder if you would let me bring you out for the day,” he
asked, “all three of you, I mean.”

“What did you have in mind?” she questioned.

“I borrowed a carriage from my father,” he explained. “There
is a beautiful lake in East Vistira. I thought that maybe we could spend the
day fishing or swimming. Then, in the evening, I’d like to bring the three of
you to an inn nearby for dinner.”

She opened her mouth to protest—she didn’t like the idea of
him spending money on them—but Max beat her to it. “Please say yes, Annie,” he
begged. “We never get to go anywhere nice.”

“Please, it would make me very happy,” Kellus added, putting
his hand on top of hers. She couldn’t refuse.

They were ready to leave within twenty minutes.

Max sat up in the front of the carriage with Kellus. Annie
and Cora sat in the back on top of rolled up blankets. They rode through town
and turned on the street to the right of the Bank Building—Sarry Road—which led
onto the Ocean Road further north.

The spring breeze flowed through Annie’s hair. The ocean
broke rough on the sand and birds whistled in the trees. This, combined with
Kellus’s laughter as he and Max exchanged amusing stories, sent her heart soaring. 
She closed her eyes and leaned back, felt the sun on her face, and let the
lovely voice float around her. It was a perfect moment.

In a fit of insanity, she let her mind wander off to
forbidden places. She imagined that she was married to Kellus and that they
spent every weekend this way: riding out to the country together. They would
take Max and Cora with them. Max would be so happy to have a big brother, a
male to bond with.
‘Don’t do this, it’s madness,’
she scolded herself
inwardly.
‘Don’t start thinking of things you can never have.’
A pang of
grief threatened to ruin her perfect moment, so she pushed it away. This was
too beautiful a day for sadness.

She listened to Kellus telling Max about life inside the
Citadom. With so many young men living together, there were all sorts of
mischief, pranks, and practical jokes being played constantly.

She gazed out at mile after mile of scenery, marveling at
the lovely countryside.

Finally, after two hours, they arrived.

Kellus jumped down from the carriage, came around to the
side, and held out his hand to help her down. “Did you enjoy the journey?” he
asked.