This Blood (34 page)

I let the water stream down my body, cool veins of moisture soaking into the soft nightshirt I didn’t remember putting on. It was white and smelled like herbs. I’d have to say that the smells I’ve enjoyed here will be missed the most.  I opened the door. Lucian almost fell into the room. He looked startled, and a laugh bubbled up from his throat.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing, well, it’s just… Why don’t you just
wish
yourself well? Can’t you just zap yourself better or something? You are an all powerful Madea now. The change is all over you.”

“God, I must have been talking to myself when I spoke about balance. I feel like shit because I should feel like shit. I did a huge thing. I don’t really know if it was the wisest thing in the grand scheme, but I did it. I made the choice. I uprooted over a hundred women from God only knows where and brought them to a new world, a new life. I altered the fragile fabric of the universe to save a small race of endangered people. So in answer to your question, I feel like shit. And I’ll keep feeling like shit until it is natural to feel otherwise. Okay?”

I turned to him, flinching a little at his wounded face. I guess I was being kind of a jerk.

“You did a good thing,” he said as he leaned into me, before his huge arms engulfed me in a crushing bear hug. “Eat with me, then we’ll go home. Sound okay?” He released me, taking a step back and smiled.

I searched his beautiful eyes and smiled back, he made me feel better and that was the most natural thing in the world.

We dined. Well, at least it felt like dining. The juice was a beautiful pink color and tasted like sweet berries. We also ate tiny quiches from a silver platter, and strange fruits displayed on cake stands, their juicy pulp perfuming the room. 

I sat across from him; our eyes meeting as I reached for a pear. “This is great, but I must say, I have a real craving for one of your delicious, cheesy omelets. Any chance I’ll ever eat breakfast with you again?” 

His eyes widened. Berry juice spurted out of the corner of his mouth and he coughed, trying to catch his breath.  “Are you flirting with me, Gracie?” he asked in a suspicious tone. “Not that I’m complaining, but I know the water no longer has an effect on you.”  He lowered his eyes; the look was so young, so innocent. He made my heart swell.

“No”, I said, “I’m not flirting.  I’m stating a fact. I love this healthy stuff, but I need my junk food, I want cholesterol and pasteurized, processed cheeses and foods with words I can never pronounce.”

“Well,” he said.  “Go for it. Why not? Breakfast isn’t abusing your powers, you are what you are. Do what you do. There are no penalties, Grace, no one will think worse of you.” He sat back, regarding me, like, yeah, I was really having a moral dilemma about a few omelets. I just never thought about it. I mean, I’ve been all powerful for less than twenty-four hours… It’s bound to take a while to get used to. I stared at his smug know-it-all face and laughed. How ridiculous!

The omelets tasted great.  Not as good as Lucian’s homemade version, but I did my best.

We spent the rest of the meal in silence. I was wondering if Ann was coming home with us, or if the enigmatic Tobias had thoroughly enchanted her. Well, there was only one way to find out. I would have to hunt her down.

I conjured clothing for us, choosing a more casual look for our trip home. For Lucian, a pair of faded jeans, a dark blue sweater over a plain white t-shirt. I added a thin platinum chain with a tiny cross to his neck. The cross was neatly hidden under the collar of the t-shirt.  My outfit was equally comfortable, faded jeans and soft V-neck sweater in pale pink.

“Ready?” I asked. “What?”

“Don’t I get a say in what I wear, or am I now your doll, to dress as you please? He left the room in a huff. I followed him, noticing that he had already laid out what he planned to wear home. 

Shit. I wasn’t doing this, was I?

“Oh, God, Lucian, I’m so sorry. I guess I just pictured you in something I thought you’d look nice in and, zap! You’re all ready to go. It was very rude of me. You’re not mine and I’m sorry I treated you that way. I’ll curb it, unless you ask me otherwise, okay?”

I made a gesture toward him, intending to reverse what I had done. But when I did, I accidentally thought “remove” not “replace” and that made matters so much worse because, now he was nude. Yes, remarkably, blessedly nude.

I stood there staring at him, my mouth hanging open and my head spinning. He was too stunned to speak, which I was supremely thankful for. I should fix this, I thought, but I couldn’t form the notion.

He reached for me. I searched his eyes looking for the anger, the violation, but there was none. I came back to myself and yelled, “I’m sorry. I’ll go,” and ran out of the room at breakneck speed. 

THIRTY-SEVEN

The sprint to the village was refreshing. It didn’t have the same effect as a cold shower, but it helped.

“Lovely morning,” a young woman called as I passed her domed, little house. She was watering flowers with a wooden pitcher. I waved as I passed, smiling. She smiled back warmly and went on with her chores.

This really was a paradise. Everywhere I looked there was beauty. People were happy (infinitely more now, thanks to yours truly) and content. They lived simply. The grime of city life was hell compared to this. It was the weirdest thing, but even with all of this peace and beauty, I still wanted to go home. I knew I couldn’t live here.

“Grace!”

It was Ann. I spun in a circle, trying to locate the direction of her voice. I spotted her. She was leaving the yard of one of the pearly houses. It was pretty sparse compared to the ones around it. Oh, God, she looked remarkable, happier than I had ever seen her. I swallowed my sorrow. It looked like I might be saying goodbye to my best friend today.

“Ann! Honey, I thought I might have to hunt you down. Have you been with Tobias this whole time?”

She stopped short, “Holy shit! Your eyes!… Cool.”

“
Cool?
Well, okay.” I laughed. Such a small reaction!  Clearly, she was distracted, all I got was “cool.” Leave it to Ann. I looked into her eyes, “So you’re in love?”

“You bet your sweet ass, and guess what? He wants to marry me, or the equivalent to marriage, I guess. Can you believe it? He wants to spend the rest of his life with me?”

I painted on an instant smile. I was happy for her. She’d found love. But Tobias saying he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her was impossible. I knew that he would live a couple hundred years longer than she. Maybe, what he should have said was that he wanted to spend the rest of
her
life with her. I mentally slapped myself. That was a shitty thing to think.

She was so giddy. I knew I’d lost her.

“I’m happy for you, Ann, but are you sure? He’ll want a baby, that’s a guarantee. Are you up for that? What about your home, your life? She looked stricken, me and my big mouth.  I felt like an instant shit. “I’m sorry, sweetie, it’s just hard for me.” I pulled her into a hug. “I’ll miss you like nobody’s business.”

“I know.  I know it’s not like me to take such a big leap, but I’m ready. This is my home. I’ve been given a great opportunity and I won’t pass it up.” She studied my face, “Really, Gracie, don’t worry. Tobias is wonderful. He’s my fantasy, my dream come true. This whole place is.” She spun in a ridiculous circle.

“Okay,” I sniffed. “I wouldn’t let you go for anyone less worthy.”

“There’s one other thing, Grace.” she said soberly. “In our world, I’ll be legally dead.”

Ugh. Yeah, that whole bloody scene at her house.

“Ann, that was pig blood. They’ll know you weren’t murdered in your bed. They’ll be looking for you. You won’t be dead, you’ll just be missing.”

“Well, that’s where you come in. Could you fix it so that it wasn’t pig blood?”

I stared, dumbfounded. “What? Why? Don’t you want people to believe you’re still out there? In case you decide to come back?”

“No, this is a final decision for me. I spoke to Tobias and he agrees. I should be dead to my former world. Not a missing person.”

I knew it was a huge invasion and I knew I had no right, but I had to make sure, so I took a little peek into her mind. She was in love and she was also pregnant. She didn’t know it yet, but how else would you describe two minds in one body?

“Okay,” I smiled, “I’ll do it. I’ll change the facts, not the blood, but the results will be the same. According to the State of Nevada, you’ll be the late Miss Anna Amelia Tate.” For God’s sake! It made me ill just saying it. Tears streamed down my face and I felt a shudder of unease.

“One more teensy thing, Gracie, you’re my beneficiary. You have been for the past five years.”

My eyes could have fallen out and rolled away, they bulged out so far. “What? Why?” I found myself repeating. “I thought you still had some distant family somewhere.”

“Nope, how do you think I came into so much wealth? It was my inheritance when my folks died, and since I won’t need it here, I want you to have it now. My death will be my gift to you.”

“Ann, don’t ever say that again.” I sat on the ground. She was really sending me over the edge. “I don’t know what to say. Five years? I don’t understand.”

She smiled as she plopped down beside me. “You’re a good person. Maybe a little goofy and bumbling at times, but a genuinely good person. I recognized that a long time ago. I love you, Grace, and, besides, I knew you were the one when you refused to take any money I offered you so many times before. I knew I’d never marry. Well, not any of those doorknobs I latched onto. The money is yours. Live well, honey.” 

I watched her as if from a million miles away while she hugged me and kissed my cheek goodbye. She stood, beaming. “Come back to visit, or maybe we’ll come to see you. I don’t really know how, but after all, my best friend is a Madea.” And with that, she skipped away. Her body disappearing into the white orb she would now call home.

I sat on the warm ground. My brain was swimming with the reality of life without Ann. She was my one true friend. She was always there for me. She was the one I turned to when things went bad, or when I needed to vent. She was the one constant in my life and now she’d be gone. To the world, I’d have to say that Ann was dead. Could I do that?

“You look like you could use a friend.”

I jumped. The sound of Lucian’s voice startled me. I watched him as he approached. Funny, my embarrassment was long gone. I guess my body had room for only one emotion right now, and it was grief.

“Hey, sorry about that clothing thing. I didn’t mean it, really.” I tried to look sincere, but I was too depressed.

“That’s okay. Many women have tried to get me naked. You just went about it better.” He sat beside me and nudged me with his shoulder. I had to laugh at his smiling eyes. He was screwing with me. What a sweet man.

“You know, if I wanted you naked, I would have just asked.” I nudged him back. Amazing how he could make me feel better; maybe I had more friends than I thought.

“Gavyn wants to see us before we leave for home. Are you excited?”

“Yeah, more than you know. But I have a feeling it’s going to be a pretty big roller coaster ride when we get there.” I saw the question forming. “’I’ll brief you later. Let’s say farewell to the beautiful people and skedaddle.”

We walked close together, exchanging some meaningless small talk, the kind only close friends can share. I was feeling better with every step, and Lucian seemed to be enjoying my company as well.

The Great Hall was filling fast. “I hope we aren’t interrupting another meeting. Should we wait outside?”

Gavyn shouldered his way through the crowd and jogged toward us.

“It seems word has spread about your departure. The people wish to see you off.”  He placed his arms behind Lucian and me and ushered us toward to door.

Once we entered the hall, Gavyn began to speak to the gathered crowd. “We owe a great debt to Grace. She is leaving us now to return to her world.” He turned to me and gently grasped my hands in his. “We have gathered to thank you. We hope that you feel our sincere gratitude. You have saved us. We will never forget you.”  Shouts and well wishes rang out all over. I was speechless, Lucian looked weepy.

I had to say something, and, for a change I knew just what it was. “Thank you all,” I began. “It was my honor to be able to help you. I’ve never had the pleasure of knowing so many kind and wonderful people. I will miss you. I hope to come back and see all of your beautiful children. I hold this land and everyone here close to my heart. Thank you for allowing me into your lives.”

I was still so sad. I thought of Ann and looked around for her. She was all the way in the back, her face red and puffy as she waved frantically. I blew her a kiss and turned to Lucian. “Are you ready?”

He grasped my hand and held it tightly. “As I’ll ever be.”

“Goodbye, and thank you again,” I called. I felt such sadness. My heart was breaking over the loss of Ann and my tears began to flow freely. I didn’t want Ann to see me cry, so I conjured a thick mist like fog to conceal our departure. It filled the room and Lucian and I faded from their sight.

THIRTY-EIGHT

I’d been home for two months before the paperwork to Ann’s estate was finalized. I was staying with Lucian, totally platonically, I’m almost sad to say. I just couldn’t bring myself to go home, not with so many people pestering me about Ann. Mostly well wishers - wishing to help me invest her millions out of the kindness of their hearts. It was disgusting.  

I was using Lucian’s house as a sort of home base slash hide-out. I‘d go home after the excitement of my inheritance blew over. I knew I’d have to look for a new place to live.

Ann dropped me a letter, (don’t ask me how), to tell me she’s getting married. I was so happy for her, I only cried for an hour. I really miss her.  Lucian tries to fill in the gaps, and he does a great job. I’m lucky to have him.

I haven’t heard from Seth or the Council. He hasn’t once entered my dreams, not since being reunited with the ring. I haven’t taken it off yet, even though I know it’s powerless.