by Shelly Crane
“Trudy, it’s ok. I don’t think this is a bad thing,” I said, reassuring her but, myself as well. “This could be just what we need. Think about it, this is more of an upper hand that we’ll have on them when it comes down to having to fight them.”
She jerked her head up.
“You think we’ll have to fight? I just...I just assumed we’d stay down here forever...I see now that’s stupid and naive. Of course we have to fight. I hope you’re right, Sherry. I hope you are. Thank you, honey.”
Then she leaned down and whispered in my ear.
“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”
I gasped then smiled at her crookedly understanding what she meant. She knew we were married as she knew everything.
Trudy let me go from our almost excruciatingly tight embrace and sat back down on one of the few couches. Merrick handed her a tissue then looked up at me.
You are the sweetest woman I’ve ever seen. Everyone here thinks so not just me so don’t start saying I’m biased. I’m so proud of you. I love you, wife.
I rolled my eyes and smiled at him sheepishly.
After a long silence, it looked like no one else was ready to fess up so Jeff began to try to ease their minds.
“So, it looks like all the gifts are of the mind, nothing physical so far, just enhanced senses. Is there anyone else who would like to share?” Jeff looked around at the confused and drained faces.
No one came forward but, that may just be because there was no one else with powers. Maybe I would have reacted the same if it had happened to me. You never knew how you’d react until you were in the situation yourself but it still stung that they didn’t trust us to know.
That night we headed out into the pitch black yard for some fresh air and exercise. It was breathtaking still after all this time seeing the stars so bright in the moonless sky.
Merrick, who lived somewhere out there in the stars, of course knew every constellation and had been slowly showing me their positions over our few night outings.
To me it was a mystery. I wanted to see them, I really did. I saw the obvious ones; Orion, the Big and Little Dipper but nothing else beyond grade school mystification.
It’s like one of those 3-D pictures, a stereogram or stereograph, where you stare at the center and another picture comes into focus out of the gibberish.
Not once in my life had I gotten one of those to work for me but I tried still. Merrick loved talking about it and I loved listening as we laid with our heads touching, side by side on a pallet in the sand.
“So there’s Draco Dragon. See the long tail that curves around the Little Dipper?” he asked, willing me to see it and pointing.
“Hmmm. I wanna say yes, I do but, I still really enjoy you telling me about it.” I smiled at him and shrugged my shoulders, looking innocent.
He laughed and I felt him shake his head in mock disappointment before continuing.
“Ok, here’s an easy one. Only six stars make up this one. Camelopardalis Giraffe. There, see it?”
“Yeah! Yeah I see it!” I yelled.
“Really!?”
He jumped up with excitement.
“No. No, not really.” I laughed and I assumed he was scowling at me in the dark. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. Some of us can’t be perfect know-it-alls like others can.”
“Oh yeah?”
He reached over me on our blanket where we were laying and pinned my wrists down, straddling me in his jeans. He pushed himself against me in the pitch dark and kissed me good and hard, interlacing our fingers.
The sand moved under the blanket beneath my shoulders and head giving it the feel of a bean bag. It was surprisingly comfortable and relaxing for someone being pressed into the ground.
I didn’t mind, of course. Every kiss was deeper than the one before it, sweeter than the one before it. Ah, he was so good at it. How was he so good at it? He always knew just what to do to drive me the right amount of crazy.
He released my hands and moved his into my hair and neck, holding the sides of my face in his palms. He rubbed his nose back and forth against mine as he spoke.
“Mmm, you feel so good and real. Everything about you is better than I could have ever imagined. You know, I never told you this but...I used to dream about what your hair would smell like...and what your skin would feel like.” He ran his hand down from my face down my neck. “And what color your eyes were up close.”
“And? What’s the conclusion?” I asked trying to keep the lightness of the mood up as we are in the public eye and I was one step away from ravaging the man.
“Well, your hair smells like vanilla and is always soft. I love the way the curls wrap around my fingers and how it lays across your shoulder at night. Your skin is...” He ran his fingers down my neck again giving me goose bumps and making me shiver. “...soft and cool to the touch. It feels tingly when I touch you, like static or electricity.”
I gasped, barely. Wow! He felt that too?
“Your brown eyes are gorgeous and inviting. You always look people in the eye when they talk to you and when you look at me, I get completely lost in those eyes if I’m not paying attention,” he whispered.
It took me a second to get my bearings back. How had he come to all those conclusions? That didn’t sound like me at all. He left out a few things like the bad stuff.
Ah, but him. He was the perfect one and he loved me.
“Wow, Merrick.”
That was all I could say after a long pause of shock.
“Does that upset you? That I used to dream about you?”
“No! No. I just...it’s not fair. You got to see me all those years and you know everything about me. Everything. I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of you.”
“Honey, there’s not much to know. I don’t have any family. All my earthly experiences I’ve told you about, well, the ones worth mentioning. We’ve even pondered favorite foods...” He smiled against my cheek.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I love things about you too, but we don’t have time to list them all,” I said smiling for him to see in the dark. Trying desperately to stop the tears that were begging to be released. “Thank you, Merrick, for telling me that. I love that you...love things like that about me.”
“I do. I always have.”
I brought him to me for another kiss, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. It was a sweltering tongue melding kiss. His sweet true words were searing through my restraint like a knife. Most everyone had gone back inside…
Wait! I was thinking like some crazed teenager! I was still so thankful I hadn’t go through that phase. The phase of making out with boys, sometimes random boys, in random places, being completely overwhelmed and helplessly in ‘love’. More like in ‘like’.
No wonder there was so many teen pregnancy’s and such. How could any sane person have some gorgeous guy over you, spouting his love and devotion while you kiss and not wanna go further? I was glad I had the sense not to put myself in this position until now.
Soon I realized I may not need my restraint as I saw a flashlight beam creeping it’s way across the lawn.
With a quick sobering thought I realized that we were the only ones of our group left outside. I didn’t hear anyone else talking or moving, only this lone light approaching us. Merrick noticed too and shh’ed me, quietly placing his fingers on my lips. The light was coming from around the front of the building not where we go, for fear of being seen.
We didn’t move. They couldn’t hear or see us. It wasn’t one of ours or they wouldn’t be so quiet and sneaky. Suddenly the beam came up from their path in the dirt and pointed straight to us. I gasped and heard Merrick’s grunt in disapproval as he began to remove himself from our embrace.
I felt my blush growing redder and redder. Even if it was the enemy, I couldn’t help myself. Whoever this was wasn’t saying a word and they caught us laying on each other, on a blanket, under the stars, in the dark
.
A clothed embrace but an embarrassing one nonetheless and they were just standing there, looking. Then the flashlight went out and I heard running and muffled noises and shuffling. Merrick leapt off me and I heard him grunt.
“Merrick, what? What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry, miss. We’ve got him,” a strange mans deep voice assured me in the dark.
“What? Merrick? Let him go!” I yelled.
The flashlight beam returned, pointed directly in my eyes, blinding me and I threw my hand up to shield my face.
“Miss? You ok?” a young scruffy voice asked.
“Yes, I’m alright, except for the fact that it sounded like you were hitting my husband.”
They pointed the light on Merrick and there were three of them who had him on his knees, holding his arms back with a wad of cloth in his mouth. How in the world did they manage all of that so quickly? I gasped in anger.
“Ah! Let him go right now! What’s the matter with you?”
I sprinted to him, took the cloth out of his mouth and he choked and coughed. His lip and nose were bleeding too. I was fuming and it took everything I had to keep my composure and not slap someone right there.
I ran my hands over him to inspect, stopping on his face, using the cloth they had him gagged with to wipe away some of the blood. I turned back to the men who barged in half cocked and half brained. Nobody hurts Merrick, he was mine
“What the hell is wrong with you! Who are you? Answer me!” I yelled and cursed which I never do that but I could not stop myself in my sudden anger.
The same voice, the first one, answered me.
“We came because of the flyer. And we thought he was hurting you, miss.”
“Why would you think that?” I asked but heard only silence. “Why?” I repeated louder.
“Well...he’s a Keeper and you...aren’t. We assumed... We have a...”
Serious problem. This guy can’t think anymore because he was trying to get his lies straight.
“Wait, you said you came because of the flyer? For the store?” I asked suddenly intrigued.
“Yep.” That young scruffy voice was back. “Our Keeper told us about it, so we decided to come on out and see what was up. Our own, uh, hideout wasn’t working out that good anymore so...”
Something more important than that springs back to my memory.
“Merrick? Are you ok?” I asked, turning, remembering him in my arms and hating that fact that I couldn’t see a thing since they pointed the flashlight away.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s take them downstairs. We can get better... acquainted.” He sounded peeved and I didn’t blame him, I was too. Who just started beating up on total strangers? “Come on, if you’ll let me hold that flashlight, I’ll lead the way,” he finished through clenched teeth.
Suddenly we heard a screeching from above. A very familiar screeching to me. I froze remembering the pain as if it was happening right then, every tear and scratch, every kick through the dirt with it’s hideous claws. I remembered Merrick’s face after rescuing me, twisted in pain and the days of recovery and nightmares. The Marker.
Wait- it was happening then, the pain, just like before. It wasn’t just a memory as I fell down in the dirt grabbing my shoulder and gasping. Merrick grabbed my arms and pulled me up and held me up against him. I could hear other screams and shuffling but, couldn’t see the source. I could only hope the Marker hadn’t gotten someone, even though I was still furious with them for attacking Merrick.
Merrick didn’t ask me what was wrong, he just understood. When you encountered a Marker, just like with Bobby when he was marked with the badge, the pain returned.
I was starting to understand these things more without Merrick’s explanation. Pretty much, if they could come back to get you for more when you thought they were done with you, they would.
I stumbled and tripped, falling to my knees. Merrick scooped me up into his arms and carried me against him as he ran still guiding the rest of them in with us.
The bouncing flashlight beam headed towards the open door to the back of the store. I felt Merrick shaking as we make our way through the door. The others follow us into the store room as well. Slamming the door we could still hear the Marker outside but it soon faded and a few grateful sighed were let loose.
Once inside, he put me down and reached over tugging my arm up easily to look at the scar. When I glanced down I did a double take. The scar was almost glowing red. Not like a light but, like a serious shade of embarrassment red was all around my entire shoulder and the mark itself was bright and angry.
Merrick gave me that pained knowing face. I heard a low gasp from across the room making me look over. One of the men had seen my mark and didn’t look thrilled about it. I assumed he was the Keeper and knew what it was he was looking at.
“Are you ok?” Merrick asked me, framing my face easily in both hands in front of what my quick head count took in as five strangers.
“Yeah. It hurt like...with Bobby looking at me,” I said, trying to catch my breath.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Will the Marker just stay out there all night?”
“They’re mindless, remember? It’ll leave if it’s not gone already. Don’t worry about it. Come on.”
He put his protective arm around my waist and began towing me again through the group of our new...uh...friends over to the trap door.
Moving the shelf he pulled it up and slowly went down the steps.
Once at the bottom he stopped and didn’t let them come any further. I grabbed a tissue from the top of the piano and handed it to Merrick for his nose. Then he spoke to them.
“Sister? I’m not sure why you attacked me out there but...I’m sure there’s a good reason.”
The Keeper came out and greeted Merrick before speaking. I was wrong. The woman was the Keeper.
“Brother. Yes, I am sorry about these trigger happy males. We’ve had a pretty hard couple of days.” She looked grim and looked around at her charges.
“Why did you attack me?” Merrick asked the man standing in front.
“We thought you were hurting her. Racine saw you in the dark and said you were a Keeper but...you were kissing her...I’ve never heard of that. I assumed the worst thing, I’m sorry.”
“Ok. So Keepers won’t kiss girls but we’ll rape them. Hmmm... that’s some shaky logic.”
Merrick was trying to remain calm but the Marker had shaken him up and the bloody nose didn’t help.
“I am sorry,” the man said and then looked at me, almost for help it looked like. I snorted. I didn’t want to save him. Merrick’s nose was still bleeding. “We thought we were helping you. We came all the way from Tulsa and saw your flyer the second day we were here. Perfect timing.” He smiled at me apologetically and I finally obliged by smiling back and nodding.
“Ok,” Merrick started as Jeff and some of the others came around the corner to the stairs, wide eyed. “Well I’m Merrick, a Keeper and this is Sherry, my wife.” I beamed because he said it with no hesitation whatsoever.
I heard gasps from behind us from the ones who didn’t know. I squinted and turned to see Trudy, Katie, Celeste and Paul. Katie jumped over to me throwing her arms around me.
“Oh, Sherry! I’m so happy for you! Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Yeah. Seriously!” Celeste boob hugged me and released me. “I mean, we’re practically sisters and you didn’t tell me!”
She winked at me when she finished to let me know she had kept our secret.
Then Trudy, who also knew but was now allowed to know, hugged me. Trudy’s hugs were intense and tight. She rocked me back and forth as I tried to squeeze out an answer for Katie and Celeste.
“I really can’t even remember why we didn’t tell you. We just...didn’t want any drama I guess. I’m sorry. We should’ve said something.”
I immediately remembered something else. I knew the new Keeper would be just as awed as the others and
start searching Merrick’s mind for answers.
“Hey you.” I pointed at her playfully, bashfully turning red. “I’m warning you if go looking in his head for answers, you’re gonna find...more than that.” The red burned in my cheeks and I bit my lower lip. “Just stay out of his head, ok,” I said as I turned back to Merrick to inspect his nose and lip, trying to hide my smile of embarrassment.
Everyone chuckled but the new group was still wary looking. I was too tired and excited about the newbie’s to be irked anymore. It was just common knowledge that people freaked out about the concept of a Keeper and a human in a relationship. I guessed that was what happened when you were one of a kind.
“Ok, will do,” Racine said as she came around to hug Jeff who had come up behind us but, she still continued to talk to Merrick, looking at the hand around my waist. “I, of course, am curious about this Merrick. How can this be? I mean...I’m sorry. Forget I asked. It’s really great to meet you Sherry and all of you. We’ve traveled far and haven’t had very much luck on the way. The Markers are becoming more problematic. More of them appear every night it seems. We started out in Tulsa with thirteen, us five are all that’s left.”
Wow. It just didn’t seem right. They must’ve been on the move the whole time. From the looks on their faces the wounds were still fresh. One of the young men who looked about nineteen or twenty years old even turned his head away from us but, not before I saw the tears he was trying to hide on his cheek. It broke my heart and my constant need to comfort took over.
We’d had such a big group for so long it just seemed fallible to think about actually losing people. I stepped forward over to him and put my hand on his arm.
“I’m really sorry,” I told him but before I could say anything else he wrapped his arms around my waist and cried silently into my neck.
I was shocked at first but eventually rubbed his back to comfort him and held him while the others started to converse around us. I could only imagine what this group had been through. When I looked them up and down I saw the battle scars, scrapes, bruises and old healed wounds.
