Annabelle's laugh was infectious. Even in the face of horrific tragedy, she remained cheerful and upbeat, and he suspected that her positive attitude was rubbing off on him.
Throughout his life, he had been overcome with feelings of hopelessness. Those bouts of depression had been dark and inescapable, often crippling him for years at a time before he could find some sign of hope. Annabelle had become the brightest sign of hope he had ever experienced. When she looked at him, he didn't feel as if she was looking at who he was, but at who he could become. No one had ever made such a profound impact on him.
"It's okay, Leo," Annabelle joked as she recovered from her hysterical laughter. "Your hair looks better with a little white in it. You look way more distinguished and respectable."
Leo snorted with amusement and rolled his eyes. "Well, I was gonna wash it out, but after hearing you say that, I think you may have a point. I think I'll leave it in... Permanently!"
They both laughed happily together before falling into a stark silence as they stared into each other's eyes.
Leo quickly became uncomfortable, and impulsively broke the silence. All the humor was gone from his voice and replaced by sincere interest and concern.
"How are you always so happy, Annabelle? Abusive father, trapped on a space station, acid attack, end of all humanity... You've got all that to bear, and yet you can still laugh, and make me laugh?"
Annabelle shrugged her shoulders and was silent for a moment before answering.
"I don't know... You have to stay positive to stay alive, I guess. If I couldn't keep my spirits up, even when life was tough, I probably wouldn't be here."
Leo listened expectantly as she paused for a few seconds, then continued.
"Things with my father, I dunno... If I had let him bring me down, like he did with my mom, I might've taken the easy way out. A few too many nanograms of one drug or another, just trying to forget about it... I saw too many friends go out like that, though, and I knew that if I was gonna overcome my problems, I needed to find a better way..."
Leo nodded. "We all have our ways of coping..."
Annabelle blinked a few times, then continued. "I've seen people purge their pain in so many ways... Drugs, debauchery, and violence... I could have done them all, but I didn't. I think I just got lucky, you know? I found a better way. It's all just one big cosmic joke to me, and I'm always looking for the punchline."
Leo listened with interest. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew it wasn't something she needed. He had a feeling that Annabelle could handle almost anything thrown her way.
"I mean, look at what happened to me with the acid. That was pretty bad, I'll admit it. At that moment, I was terrified, embarrassed, and guilty... I felt all of it. Looking at it now, those psychos on Osiris got me good. They got me good, and there's no way around it. I was their punchline for a little while, yes, but in the end, the joke was on them. Look how the Universe sorted it out. They're all dead now, thanks to you!"
"Alice and I," Leo corrected her. "And you too."
Annabelle shook her head dismissively. "No, Leo, you killed them. You paid for it with a couple of pounds of flesh, but you got them. All Alice did was show up, and all I did was blast a few lame security officers. You did most of the work..."
Leo was embarrassed by her appreciation, and he said nothing. Annabelle accepted his silence and gave him a look of sincere gratitude. "Thank you, Leo. Without you, I never would have gotten off Osiris. Without you, I never would've seen past those cold walls..."
Leo was deeply grateful for the look in Annabelle's eyes, but the feeling was tainted.
"The only thing I've ever been thanked for is killing..." Leo sadly revealed.
Annabelle stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, then leaned her supple, warm body into him.
"But I know you can do so much more, Leo..." she whispered into his ear as her soft, warm breath sent electrifying tingles up his neck.
He knew he should stop himself. He knew he should control his emotions, but Annabelle's eyes called to him, and he couldn't resist.
Without hesitation, Leo pulled her chin upwards with a gentle touch of his finger. Then, he fell willingly into the depths of her bright violet eyes, brought his lips to hers, and kissed her slowly, deeply, and passionately. Her lips welcomed him, and their breath became one. In that timeless, yet fleeting moment, they finally released the spark between them through the slow, smooth dance of their lips.
Cascades of pleasure bathed Leo's being, and he felt a joyous warmth blossom within him as he felt her heartbeat press into him. Her heart was beating faster than his, but the two rhythms found beauty within their chaos and joined to create a divine melody.
After what seemed to be an eternity, their lips parted, and they broke their embrace. However, they now stood close, and there was no tension between them.
The knowing smile on Annabelle's face told Leo she felt the same feeling he did. He had no idea what feeling it was, but it filled him with joy and energy. He felt more alive than he ever had.
Neither spoke for a while. Instead, they simply looked at one another. Leo was now perfectly content to appreciate the person he stood, within a silence that should have made him uncomfortable.
The moment passed when a seagull suddenly cawed overhead, and Leo reflexively shielded himself from the putrid flow that he was sure would follow. A second soiling wasn't part of Leo's fate, however, as no further bird excrement fell upon him.
Annabelle giggled lightly, played with her hair and watched Leo amusedly as he lowered his hands and spoke with amazement. "You kissed me, Annabelle... Even though I'm covered in bird shit, you still kissed me..."
"I have really low standards..." she quickly replied, and they both laughed together once again.
Leo marveled at the beautiful young woman who was so unexpectedly showing him such undeserved affection. How had they ever crossed paths, much less become romantic with one another?
Leo shook his head in disbelief. "I guess you nailed it. Life is one big comedy. Only someone with a twisted sense of humor would see us and think we would be suited to each other."
Annabelle returned his look. "Yes. And the punchline is that you're ten times my age... Gross, huh?"
She made mock retching sound to punctuate her statement, and Leo smiled widely at her ever-present sense of humor.
His happiness couldn't hold its ground within him, however, and began to yield to his fear.
"Why me, Annabelle? You're beautiful, smart, and funny. I'm just a used-up old spacer with a lot of baggage... What are we even doing?"
Annabelle's expression fell, and she looked away from him. "I'm not really sure 'beautiful' still describes me accurately. Have you seen my face lately?"
Leo heart panged with sympathy. "It's not your face that makes you beautiful Annabelle. I don't deserve you... I don't deserve this...
Annabelle stared at the wall opposite her. "C'mon, Leo. Don't be so hard on yourself. Let's just go with the flow... I like you. You like me. What's the problem?"
Leo hated himself for pressing the question, but he had to. "You are beautiful Annabelle, and smart, and funny. I'm not a good man, and you deserve a good man. Not me."
Annabelle turned back to him, and there was anger in her eyes. "Not a good man, Leo? Have you ever beaten a child?"
Leo held her gaze. "No."
Tears welled in Annabelle's eyes as she replied. "I've spent my whole life around evil men, Leo. When you live alone with an evil man who surrounds himself with other evil men, you learn how to tell the difference. It took me years to even work up the courage to look into my father's eyes, and when I finally did, I saw who he was. I could see it clear as day. And when I look into your eyes, I see who you are..."
It was hard for Leo, but he didn't look away. "What do you see?"
Annabelle jutted her jaw forward and placed her hand to Leo's chest. "I see a good man. A good man who has done terrible things, and who
will never forgive himself for them. That's the punchline of it, isn't it? Only good people feel guilty when they cause harm. Only the good try to make amends. If you're evil, you don't care when you hurt someone. That's not you, Leo. When you hurt someone, it consumes you, just like it consumes Alice. You're not perfect, and neither am I, but we know it. We know we can do better, and we want to. That's why I like you, and that's why you like me."
Leo wanted to believe her. He wanted to take her words as truth, and he felt there was truth within them, but there had been too much death at his hands...
He suddenly felt the need to get solid ground underneath him. His feelings for Annabelle were clouding his mind, and he needed to get his bearings.
Leo nodded. "There's always a punchline, isn't there. Well, what about Exony? What about the Council? What about mass murder? Where is the punchline there?"
Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't sink into despair or anger at Leo's dive into perilous waters.
"You already know, Leo. You warned me about it when we were walking here. It's people ignorantly trying to make things better, then unintentionally causing the extinction of the human race. It's the ultimate punchline played out on a large scale. You live your whole life trying to find some twisted sense of meaning, then one day, you just die. That's it, and the joke's on you."
"I guess," Leo halfheartedly agreed.
They fell into a thoughtful silence for half a minute before Leo continued. "People have talked about this for hundreds of years, you know? The New Republic preached about it during their revolt, and so did the A.A.I. a hundred years before. They told us that increasing technological advancement would end up killing us all."
Annabelle chewed on her lower lip as Leo continued.
"People knew about the dangers for a long time, but no one did anything about it. Ganymede shook everyone to their core, but even Ganymede didn't scare them enough. The Council should have seen this coming long ago. They should have done more."
"They're doing something... They sent us, at least!" Annabelle interjected.
Leo was quiet as he tried to make sense of the murky swamp of emotions that bubbled within him. What did he genuinely desire? What was the right course of action?
No answers came to him, however, and he had to settle for the best thing he could muster.
"I'm sorry I questioned your part in this before, Annabelle, but I have to say this... Promise me you won't throw your life away. Promise me you'll think things through before you go off on some insane mission. I'm not asking you to abandon Alice if that's what I end up having to do. I'm not demanding you follow me instead of her, because I could be completely wrong too. Just think things through, please!”
Annabelle nodded thoughtfully, then she reached up and ran her finger across his cheek.
Leo's feelings crystallized as he felt her touch. "The Universe is a better place with you in it, Annabelle... "
Then, Annabelle reached toward his ear and lightly flicked his earlobe. "We'll figure things out together, Leo. We're just people trying to figure things out. In the end, all we can do is whatever seems best at the moment."
"Yeah," Leo agreed as he playfully slapped her hand away, "but what if we don't know what the right thing is?"
A wide smile suddenly crossed her face, and it caught Leo off guard. "I already know... Just trust me..."
Though Leo didn't quite want their conversation to end, he still felt relieved when he suddenly heard Alice's voice.
"What are you doing down here? Is everything okay?"
Leo's eyes lingered on Annabelle's for a few seconds. Then, he turned and walked resolutely towards Alice.
Chapter 31
"Randell's place should be right up here..." Leo announced as he led Alice and Annabelle through one of the many dirty back alleys of Rithe Island. "He's had to move a lot over the years, but the last time I was here, he told me he wanted to try to keep a low profile..."
Alice's eyes narrowed. "Hopefully he's still here..."
"Randell's Fine Wines and Essential Provisions..." Annabelle announced as she read a small wooden sign hanging in front of a narrow storefront on the left side of the alley. "Is that it?"
"Yes! That's it!" Leo exclaimed as he sped up and quickly reached the opaque front door.
Leo inhaled a deep breath and pulled the door handle. It opened with a loud squeak, and he exhaled with relief as he stepped inside. Alice and Annabelle followed quickly behind him.
The shop was lit with dim, warm light, but there was no one inside that Leo could see. An myriad selection of wines occupied the antique wine racks that lined the walls and shelves of the small shop. Here and there, beautiful oil landscapes held prime positions on the whitewashed plank walls.
Without delay, Leo approached the charming antique deli case and live-edge bar that stood in the rear of the shop.
As he neared the counter, he heard a door open at the end of a dark hallway behind the bar, followed by the sound of echoing steps. After a few seconds, an older, brightly dressed, and strikingly beautiful woman emerged from the dark hallway and smiled warmly at Leo, Alice, and Annabelle in turn. She then settled behind the bar and leaned against it.
"Welcome to Randell's. I'm Sila, Randell's wife, and I'm happy to help you find something that suits your taste. What brings you in today?" Sila's voice carried the distinct Oberonian accent of soft A's and exaggerated R's.
Leo got right to business. "I'm Leo. I'm an old friend of Randell's, and I'd like to speak to him. Congratulations, by the way. It's nice to see that Randell has finally settled down."
Sila smiled even wider as Leo spoke, and opened her arms as if to hug him from across the bar. "Well, thank you very much! Our marital bliss is something to be grateful for, to be sure... Old friends are very welcome. Almost as welcome as wealthy customers! Are you also a customer, by chance, Mr. Leo?"
Leo kept his tone casual. "Yes, I'm interested in purchasing some 'essential' provisions."
A glimmer flashed across Sila's eyes, and Leo knew she understood his meaning. "Beautiful! You'll have to excuse me, however, as my husband is currently with a client. You are welcome to wait until he's done, of course. Perhaps while you're waiting, you'd be so kind as to introduce your beautiful companions."
"I'm Alice," Alice grunted.
Leo nodded with satisfaction. He had asked that she not reveal her full role and purpose until he had a chance to explain it.
"Darcy Annabelle Persephone the Third, but call me Annabelle," Annabelle announced as she extended her hand across the bar. Sila warmly welcomed the gesture by clasping it within her own.
"So nice to meet you all!" Sila exclaimed. "Now, Miss Alice, you look like a native Oberonian. Are you a fellow sister of the sand?" Sila nodded appreciatively at Alice's ebony toned skin, which she also shared.
Alice shrugged. "My father was born here, but I never met him."
Sila's expression fell. "Sad stories a many, to be sure..."
Then, she turned her attention to Annabelle.. "Now, Miss Annabelle, you look like someone who enjoys a glass of wine now and then. Might I interest you in a little tasting?" Sila's eyes only briefly lingered on Annabelle's scars, and didn't see fit to mention them.
"No..." Leo stated, but Annabelle's enthusiastic assent quickly overrode him.
"Ooooh, yes! I would love that!"
Leo tried to dissuade her. "We don't have time for that..." Sila ignored him, however, and quickly pulled out three large wine glasses from under the counter, then turned to Alice.
"How about you, sister?" Sila inquired.
Alice frowned. "No, thanks. I'm trying to cut back... I prefer whiskey, anyways..."
"Well, suit yourself, although I do have a red blend aged in whiskey barrels that would suit your tastes quite well," Sila tempted as she turned to the wine racks lining the wall behind the bar and extracted three bottles.
Annabelle confidently approached the bar and pulled out one of the carved driftwood barstools that st
ood in front of it, then sat down gracefully as Sila placed three bottles of wine down in front of her.
Leo was nervous, and although he was in a rush to handle his business with Randell, if there were no way to avoid waiting for him, then a bit of wine surely wouldn't hurt. In fact, he realized with surprise, it had been several days since he'd had a drink.
"You know what?" Leo asked, catching Sila's attention as he sat next to Annabelle. "I think I will join in on the wine tasting, after all. What are you pouring?"
"Attaboy," Sila said approvingly, then turned the three bottles of wine so that the labels were easier to read. "We have a trio of red wines produced locally here on Rithe Island."
Leo turned to Alice to see if she would give any admonishment, but he was surprised when she caught his eye, smiled, pulled out the barstool next to him, and sat down with a tired sigh.
"Oh well. When in Rome... No tasting for me, but I will take a glass of the red blend you mentioned earlier," Alice announced.
"Magnificent!" Sila exclaimed as she uncorked one of the wine bottles, then poured a small measure into Annabelle and Leo's glasses. "This is an Estate Reserve Merlot from DeVine Cellars. 2591 vintage, and nearly ten years old. You'll find notes of ripe blackberries, cocoa and enjoy a velvety mouthfeel and lingering finish. And, I'll pour your little glass and tell you about it lickety-split, Miss Alice."
Annabelle raised her glass and swirled the wine within it several times, holding it close to inspect its color and clarity before bringing the glass to her nose and inhaling the fruity bouquet emanating from the awakened wine. Leo mirrored her actions and prepared to take a much-needed drink, but before he could, Annabelle looked at him pointedly and raised her glass towards his.
"Here's to saving humanity..." Annabelle declared.
Leo reluctantly clinked the rim of his glass to hers. She then reached across him to toast with Alice, who raised her glass of freshly poured wine and clinked it Annabelle's, then looked into Leo's eyes.
"To saving humanity," Alice repeated as she raised her glass to Leo.
The Ganymede Legacy Page 26
