The Last Keeper

by Michelle Birbeck

  The best scenario I could come up with was telling Liz everything. But Ray would be in enough danger as it was; dragging Liz into my world wasn’t an option.

  “Serenity, I’m sor—”

  “Stop. Please, don’t blame yourself. I should have been more careful.”

  “No, I should never have asked you . . .”

  “Ray, please. You couldn’t have known I would fall asleep. Even I didn’t know.” Yet, looking at him, sitting in his bed, smiling, it wasn’t so much of a surprise. I smiled back. “Perhaps I should go down, try to explain.”

  “Let me,” he suggested. “I got us into this.”

  “Don’t be silly.”

  “Fine, how about we go down together?”

  I nodded and offered to wait outside his room while he dressed.

  Pacing the short space between his door and the opposite wall, I stewed over what had happened.

  How could I have fallen asleep? More precisely, how had it happened so easily?

  It was something I’d need to ask William about. He would have the answer. I also needed to ensure it never happened again. That was, if we managed to get through this incident unscathed.

  Yet, even as I strengthened my resolve, I had to admit I liked the sensation of waking up with Ray. More than liked. It was something I could happily get used to. Waking up alone did not compare.

  “Ready?” he asked once he was dressed.

  Nodding, I took his hand. “For what it’s worth, I rather liked waking up in your arms.”

  “As did I.”

  We were apprehensive as we descended the stairs. I heard Liz humming in the kitchen. Humming? That couldn’t be right. Yet, as we came to a stop in the doorway, there she was, busily finishing the eggs.

  She spotted us hovering and laughed. “Oh, stop looking so scared. I’m not about to shout at you.”

  Taking our seats, we were silent, waiting. I wrung my hands anxiously. Surely what had happened went against almost everything that was expected of a young couple.

  She placed our plates on the table then sat opposite us. “I’d like to tell you a story, and if you ever repeat this, I will deny it.”

  Ray nodded, tucking into his breakfast.

  “Before your father and I married, he used to sneak out of his house and over to mine. Every night, after our parents were asleep, he would creep in through the front door and not leave until morning. I would wait up for him, and we would talk for hours.” She smiled at the memory. “He continued making the trip to my house every night until we were married. It wasn’t until our wedding day that our parents took us to one side and said: ‘Now you don’t have to sneak into each other’s beds.’ I cannot tell you how mortified we were, but they weren’t angry. Apparently they had discussed telling us earlier, but they knew we were behaving ourselves. Unbeknownst to us, they had been checking up on us since they realised.”

  Of all the things I was expecting to happen when we walked down the stairs, that was not one of them. Both of us had stopped eating, opting to stare open mouthed at Liz.

  “I do have one request,” she said after a moment.

  “Anything,” Ray agreed quickly.

  “I assume that you,” she said, looking at me, “sneaked in the front door sometime after I went to bed and that you came on foot.”

  When I nodded, she changed her focus to Ray before continuing, “Then I suggest that you, young man, act like the gentleman I raised you to be and not let Serenity roam the streets at night. I’m not going to forbid you from sharing each other’s beds. Lord knows, you’ll find a way to do it anyway if I did, but it is not safe.”

  “I promise.”

  That was something we would have to talk about. It was all well and good promising not to let me wander the streets, but there was no chance in hell I’d let Ray wander them alone. If he insisted on keeping his promise to his mother, then I would follow him on his way to my house and then all the way back to his again.

  “Good, now eat up before it gets cold.”

  She left us in the kitchen and headed out to the garden.

  “That went well,” I said once we were alone. “Better than.”

  Ray laughed. “I can’t believe my father used to do that.”

  “I think I might be able to.”

  “Why is that?”

  “If you are like your father, and I think you are, then you must have gotten your disregard for the rules from somewhere.” I smirked, just for a moment, then went back to eating my breakfast.

  I felt much better about the situation as I washed our dishes. There was still the niggling little voice in the back of my mind that told me I could never be so unaware of my surroundings again, but it was fading. Fast.

  I kept sneaking glances at Ray as we washed. Every time I did, I saw him smiling brightly.

  I was home.

  Ray was my home.

  He was everything I could have wanted and more.

  “Do you think you’ll be allowed to spend the day with me?” I didn’t want to upset his mother.

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “Perhaps we should ask first,” I suggested, “in light of this morning.”

  “Perhaps we should. I should get you a shawl for our walk anyway.” He shuffled to the back door.

  Liz was happy to see to her gardening and let Ray spend his time with me but insisted he be home for dinner. It was a condition I was quite willing to accept.

  Our stroll was pleasant. It was the first time I’d walked with Ray to either of our houses. Though he was competent enough with his cane, it was slow going.

  And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

  There was a chill in the air, and though I barely noticed it, I would have looked strange had I not borrowed a shawl. There were few people on the streets and we quite happily talked the entire way. Hand in hand.

  It was how we spent the rest of the morning, and most of the afternoon.

  When we got to my house, I apologised to Helen for not letting her know where I was. All was forgiven, however, once she heard what had happened. She would have a good laugh over that for quite some time.

  My mistakes were so rare that they were well documented when they occurred. It would be like the broken toe incident all over again. Something I’d never live down.

  And it was worth it.

  Waking up in Ray’s arms had been heaven. Why had I even considered fighting this?

  We were sitting in the library, having had lunch in the garden. Ray was attempting to decipher the first of the stories I’d given him. It wasn’t going very well. He was still on the first page, and I hadn’t shown him the expansive records yet.

  “Would you like some help?”

  I’d been watching him, knowing exactly what he was struggling with. Three of the letters had the same symbol, and another two also had the same. Common letters that could change the entire word. The only way to tell them apart was minute, almost invisible differences in the characters.

  “I think . . . am I seeing things or are some of these the same?” He frowned as he tapped his finger against the pages.

  “Some of them are almost identical.” I bit back a laugh.

  His frown deepened. “How do you tell the difference?”

  “Do you see the tail of that character?” I pointed to what was supposed to be an E.

  “Yes, it’s the same as the others.”

  “Not quite. Do you see how it’s longer, thinner?”

  He squinted, leaning closer to the page. “Oh yes. Now I see it. It is longer.”

  “That one is an E.” I pointed out the next one, which was almost identical. “The short, fat tail is the A, and the short, thin one is the I.”

  “How do you ever remember the differences? How can you even see them?”

  “My eyesight is sharper than yours, and I’ve been reading and writing that language since I was little.” It was a shame we’d stopped speaking it by the time I was born. “Why don’t you take
a break? Tell me something about you.”

  “What would you like to know?” He set the book aside, placing his reading glasses on top of them.

  “Anything, something that no one else knows.” Despite our endless hours on the same subject there was still so much about him I had yet to discover.

  “All right, I have something. You must promise not to laugh, though,” he said, with absolute seriousness.

  “No laughing.”

  “Before I was born, my mother did a lot of knitting. She was off her feet a lot with me, and she cannot abide needlepoint. Anyway, she knitted me this toy in the shape of a hedgehog. His name is Herbie, and I still have him,” he said, looking at his hands again.

  “Why would I have laughed at that?” I thought it was quite sweet that he’d kept it.

  “Most grown men don’t have their childhood toys hidden away in their rooms.”

  “I happen to think it’s rather sweet.”

  “He lives in a shoebox I turned into a bed when I was ten.”

  “And? It’s something you’re sentimentally attached to. I’m sure that if I’d had anything of the sort, I’d still have it.”

  “Tell me something about you?”

  “What would you like to know?”

  “Tell me a dream, something you’ve always wanted,” he asked, his eyes sparkling.

  “There is one desire I once had.” More of a wish really. “But I need to explain some things before I tell you.”

  There was something I’d always wanted, but it had been pushed to one side after my sister had passed. For a fairly simple dream it was a complicated story.

  “There has been much that I’ve seen in my life, as you know. More than anyone could ever understand. Everyone I have ever loved has grown old and died. Yet, since I matured, I haven’t changed. My hair hasn’t grown, I haven’t gotten any taller, and I haven’t aged. I can remember a number of details from my life and have had everything I ever wanted—except a love of my own. I never had someone to love the way I love you.

  “The only things I have ever dreamed of, ever wanted, are children of my own and someone to raise a family and grow old with. It was the one thing I could never have. The one thing I had to put on hold until the right time. Until I met you. Yet, now that I have, I’m torn. On the one hand I have everything I have ever wanted. And on the other, I have everything I cannot have.”

  “Why?”

  “Do you remember when I told you our descendants had stopped maturing?” I waited for him to nod before I continued. “Before that happened, it was a simple case of finding our partners, settling down, and raising the next generation. We retired, so to speak, when we found our partners. But then The Seats discovered how to kill us and everything changed. Now there are only two of us left. I cannot stop doing what I do, and yet, part of me tells me I have to. I have to protect you above all else.”

  Ray sat beside me and spoke softly. “There’s more you aren’t telling me.”

  “There is, but that’s for another day.” There was a lot more to the story, but I wasn’t ready to tell him. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready to tell him.

  The story of my twin sister, Lona, was not one I enjoyed retelling. It was with her death that our children had stopped maturing. We still had no idea how to reverse the effects of her death. None of our records held any clues, and our psychic hadn’t thought to check so far into the future before her own passing. There hadn’t been a need to, not until it was too late.

  “So, may I meet Herbie?” I asked, as I walked back to Ray’s house for dinner. Apparently the invitation had been extended to me, as well.

  “As long as you promise not to laugh when you see his bed.” There was such concern shining in his eyes.

  “I promise.”

  I almost broke my promise the second the words were uttered. I’d never make fun of his sentimentality over his toy, but I came very close to laughing at the desperate tone of his voice and his expression. He was so adorable.

  “You promised!” he cried as a small chortle escaped me.

  “Ray, I’m not laughing about your Herbie. I promise.” It was hard not to chuckle as I spoke. “I laughed because the look on your face is too cute for words.”

  He watched me out of the corner of his eye for the rest of the walk, checking for any signs of laughter. He continued all through dinner with his mother. Every time I caught him, I would smile.

  Being with Ray and his mother gave me hope. Though I couldn’t change what I was, or stop what I had to do, perhaps I could still live my dream. Ray would be in constant danger when he moved with me, but that was an inevitable part of my world. I was starting to believe it was possible to have my dream. To be able to live my life with Ray by my side. Making the choice to grow old was something I could barely wait for.

  Not yet, though.

  There were things that had to be put in place before I considered it. Things I’d need to talk with William about. Perhaps a trip to see him in the near future would be necessary, though I was loath to leave Ray in the city alone. William would also have my head for turning up without arranging something safe.

  Before I left for the evening, promising to return when everyone was asleep, Ray introduced me to his Herbie.

  “Do you promise not to laugh anymore?” he asked as we entered his room.

  “I promise.”

  He walked over to his wardrobe and reached for the pile of boxes that were sitting on top of it. It was tempting to offer him some help, but he managed fine on his own. I enjoyed seeing that he could manage most things without any assistance. Leaving the bottom one at the foot of his bed, he returned the others.

  He dusted off the box as we sat on the ottoman, then removed the lid and pulled out the small hedgehog. “Serenity, this is Herbie. You’re the first person to see him in almost fifteen years.”

  “I am honoured to meet you, Herbie,” I said quietly.

  “He seems so tiny now,” Ray muttered as he held the toy in his hands.

  “What are all the bare patches?”

  “I used to gnaw on him when I was little. He was so much bigger then.” He was still looking down at the toy.

  “Ray, what’s the matter?” He’d become very quiet all of a sudden.

  “I was wondering about something . . . something you said earlier.” He paused for a moment, awkwardly shifting in his seat. “You love me?”

  “Yes,” I answered, without hesitation.

  “Is it strange that I love you, too, after such a short time?” he asked, putting Herbie back in his bed.

  Cupping his hands in mine, I said, “Not at all.”

  We sat so still for so long, his face in my hands, his eyes boring into mine. It took only one moment for everything to change. I leaned forward, just an inch, and he reacted, brushing his lips against mine for a fraction of a second. Both of us froze. Hesitant. Each waiting for the other to act. Him wanting to be a gentleman, as he was raised. Me wanting nothing more than to feel his lips on mine again.

  He moved first, just a touch, pressing his lips against mine, and I slid my arms around his neck, holding him close. Our lips moved together, gentle, exploring. It was all so new, and so beautiful. His hands were on my waist, pulling me closer to him, pressing his lips harder against mine.

  It was better than I’d imagined—the delicious taste of him, the feel of his hands on my waist, and the urgency with which he kissed me.

  “Ray, Serenity.” The sound of his mother calling to us was the only reason we broke apart. “Sam is here.”

  I kissed him again briefly. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Neither of us moved for a moment, both of us smiling brightly.

  “I’ll leave my window open.”

  My smile was still in place as I said my goodbyes to Liz, and for the entire ride home. Neither Sam nor Helen said anything about the bounce in my step or grin on my face, but they knew. It was clear from the sideways glances they gave me and their own smiles.
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br />   “Sam?” I asked as everyone was retiring for the night. “Could you have Tara ready in the morning?”

  “Of course.” He furrowed his brow as he fought the urge to ask questions.

  There was something I’d put off, something that had been in the pile of notifications, and I should have dealt with it a lot sooner.

  As I walked through the streets, my mind raced. It was filled with the memory of our kiss and the worries of what I’d tell Ray in the morning. When I reached his garden, he was waiting at his window once more. I scaled the wall without hesitation, appearing at his side before he had a chance to register the fact I was there.

  “You know you could give me a heart attack doing that!” he whispered, clutching his chest.

  “Your heart sounds fine to me,” I laid my head where his hand had been, listening to the steady beat.

  “How can you tell?”

  “I’ve been around for a while, Ray. Though your heart is on the fast side right now, it’s perfectly fine.” I smiled.

  We stood there for a moment as he leaned against the wall. It was the only way he could wrap both of his arms around me.

  When he yawned, failing in his attempt to stifle it, I said, “Time for bed.”

  “Will you stay again?”

  “Not for the entire night.” As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. “I don’t want to get you in any more trouble with your mother.”

  He fell asleep quickly, but not before insisting on a goodnight kiss. A kiss I was more than happy to oblige him with.

  I took extra care not to fall asleep in his arms again, but it was harder than I expected. By the time the first light of dawn shined through the window, I’d figured out what I needed to do to keep him safe while I was away. I just hadn’t worked out what to tell him. Ray stirred as I slipped from his bed. I quickly left him a note to come by after breakfast, and to come alone. That would give me plenty of time to change and prepare everything I needed before he arrived.

  “Go back to sleep, my love,” I whispered before I slipped out of his room.

  There was a spring in my step. I was rather pleased with myself when I got home. Only Sam was awake. I hadn’t fallen asleep and gotten Ray into any more trouble.