Fallen Elements

by Heather McVea

  “She’s a whore of the devil, and her kind must be ended.” Goody Payne’s tone was vicious, and though I had always thought of her as a soft spoken kindly woman, her eyes shone with a rage I had not thought her capable of.

  All I could do was stand and watch as a woman I once considered a friend and her family were held up to the light of God for the town to pay witness to their heresy. I cannot recall the entirety of the proceedings for they seemed so very distant to me, only that tomorrow at first light the women are to be taken to the river and drowned.

  I pray that God’s light protect this town and its citizens!

  ***

  Sunlight peered through the slats of the wooden blinds in the back office of the Portable Magic bookshop. Spring was in full bloom, but in spite of the optimism inherent to the season, the mood inside the office was bleak.

  “We have three appraisals scheduled next week. Are you available Tuesday?” Marty looked up at Leah. The two sat in the office of the bookshop, Marty at the desk looking over their calendar on the laptop, and Leah slouched on the sofa with a cup of coffee in her hand.

  “Leah? Hello.” Marty waved his hand in front of him. “Are you with me?”

  Leah looked up, her eyes still unfocused. “What?”

  Sighing, Marty closed the laptop and turned his full attention to his distraught business partner and friend. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Leah sipped from her coffee cup. “Do what?”

  Pushing with his legs, Marty rolled the office chair across the small space until he was sitting directly in front of Leah. “Don’t bullshit me, and don’t play dumb. You’ve been like a zombie for the past three days.”

  “Not really.” Leah sighed.

  “I’m going to skip past all this subterfuge crap – if you miss Ryan, call her.” Marty pivoted around in his chair, and scooted back to the desk.

  “I’m fine.” Leah said flatly. “She overreacted and that’s not on me.”

  Marty hung his head as he turned back around to face Leah. “You’re still lying to her, and bless her, she can tell, and called you on it.” Marty shook his head. “How is that overreacting?”

  “I’m not lying to her, I’m omitting.” Leah sat up, and put her coffee on the end table next to her. She couldn’t imagine the truth would suit Ryan any better than a lie, and at least – even if Ryan didn’t realize it now – there was some comfort in maintaining the lie.

  “You’ve got a nice little game of semantics going on in that pretty little head of yours.” Marty tapped his temple with his index finger for emphasis. “But you should know, omission, lying - it all feels the same to Ryan.” Marty was trying to keep his irritation with his friend out of his voice. The last thing he needed was for Leah to be both defensive and angry.

  Leah frowned. “You were right. I never should have gotten involved with her.” Leah ran her palm over the cushion of the sofa, the memory of her and Ryan together sending a rush of heat to her face and stomach.

  “As much as I like hearing you say I was right about something, I think you could have – and maybe still can – make this thing with Ryan work.” Marty got up from his chair, and closing the short distance between him and Leah, sat on the sofa next to her.

  Leah looked over at Marty as he gently laid his hand on her knee. She appreciated his concern, but what he understood about her situation was based on empathy and stories. He couldn’t truly understand what she had gone through with Ryan’s family, and the immeasurable fear it left in her heart.

  “In my defense, the fact I managed to get into it at all with Ryan once she told me Lucy was in town is nothing short of a miracle.” Leah chewed nervously on the inside of her lower lip. “I can only imagine what crazy that woman is selling.”

  Marty leaned back, an exasperated sigh escaping him. “So it’s Lucy’s fault you’re omitting with someone you care about?”

  “Maybe.” Leah answered quickly.

  Marty turned so he was facing Leah. “Why don’t you fight for this? Why don’t you tell her everything?”

  “And risk losing even more in the process?” Leah’s tone was a mix of accusation and dread.

  “You said it yourself, Ryan isn’t Karen.” Marty took Leah’s hand in his.

  Leah laid her head back on the sofa. “Maybe I was wrong. I mean look at how quickly she doubted me just based on whatever nonsense Lucy spouted.”

  “She doubted you because she knows you’re lying about something. I remember when we first met and you hadn’t told me about your family or your history. I got to a point with you that I assumed you were lying to me about any number of things. It’s a cancer, Leah, that can’t be isolated to one thing, no matter how badly you want it to be.”

  Leah’s eyes filled with tears. “You know what happened before, you know what I lost.”

  Marty wrapped his arm around Leah’s shoulders and pulled her to him. “I do know, but only because you trusted me enough to tell me the truth.”

  Leah laid her head on Marty’s shoulder. “I’ve already lost so much, Marty.”

  Marty pulled Leah closer. “So has Ryan. She lost her mother – twice.”

  ***

  Leah’s house was set off the main road that wound through Oella, Maryland. The historic town was a few miles outside Ellicott City, and had been founded near the turn of the nineteenth century by mill workers. The area was heavily wooded and hilly, lending to privacy even if your neighbor was only several hundred yards away.

  It was shortly after sundown as Leah stepped onto the covered patio of her house. Her conversation with Marty had eventually dissolved into a series of worst and best case scenarios, and Leah was no closer to deciding what to do about Ryan and her than she had been before.

  Leah frowned as she turned the key in her front door. She didn’t hear the click of the deadbolt, and she was certain she had locked the door when she left for the shop that morning.

  Opening the door, Leah realized one of the lamps in the living room was on, something she knew she hadn’t done. The faint scent of jasmine and vanilla filled the room.

  “Come in, Leah. After so many years, to see you twice in as many months - what a treat.” Lucy was sitting in a leather recliner with her legs crossed. She was wearing a pair of black slacks, black Cole Haan heels, and a baby blue cashmere sweater. If not for the wicked sneer on her face, and the fact Leah knew the woman was diabolical, she might have found Lucy attractive.

  Leah quickly took stock of the situation. Lucy’s son Andrew, who she had met at the funeral, was standing next to his mother with his hand resting on the back of the recliner. Lucy’s husband Derek stood motionless near the kitchen entrance. Leah thought to simply run, but knew eventually this scene with Lucy would have to unfold.

  “I don’t recall asking to see you either time, Lucy, and certainly not in my home - uninvited.” Leah tossed her keys on the small wooden table next to the front door. “Leave.”

  Lucy sighed. “But we have so much to catchup on, Leah.” The woman leaned forward. “For starters, I want you the hell away from my niece.”

  Leah’s heart began racing in her chest. Their past told Leah that engaging in a full-on argument with Lucy wasn’t useful. “Fine. Done.”

  Lucy leaned back in the chair. “Done? You always were good at throwing people away.”

  Leah’s shoulders drooped as she shut the front door, walked to the sofa, and sat down. “I’ve never thrown anyone away, Lucy. Karen and I -”

  “Don’t you speak her name!” Lucy jabbed at the air with her finger. “You don’t get to do that!”

  Leah’s posture stiffened as the other woman became incensed. The two men seemed unfazed by the outburst, as they both continued to stand perfectly still. “Okay - your sister and I were friends, and then –”

  Before Leah could complete her thought, Lucy looked up at Andrew and nodded. The heavy set man took several quick steps toward Leah, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her to her feet before wrapping his m
eaty arm around the front of her throat.

  Leah gasped, and pulled at the man’s arm. “What are you doing?!”

  A split second later Leah felt the man behind her heave. A second after that and his arm loosened from around her neck as a series violent sneezes burst forth from Andrew.

  “Fuck!” Andrew managed as he flung Leah back on the sofa, and covered his mouth.

  “Goddamnit!” Lucy gestured to her husband as she sprang from the chair. “Grab her!”

  A vise-like grip wrapped around Leah’s neck as she was once again pulled up from the sofa. Derek spun her around to face Lucy, pulling her tightly against him as he wrapped one arm around her throat and the other around her waist.

  “Get out of here if you can’t manage!” Lucy seethed as she hit her still sneezing son over the head with her open hand.

  “For fuck’s sake, son, get out!” Derek bellowed, the sound causing Leah’s ears to ring.

  Stumbling to the front door, Andrew’s sneezing subsided somewhat. “I can’t help it if I’m allergic to that bitch!” He threw open the front door, and stomped out, the walls of the house rattling as he slammed the door behind him.

  The only sound in the house now was Leah’s breathing as she forced herself not to cry, not to give Lucy the satisfaction.

  “Those tells my family have can be brutal.” Lucy smiled broadly, her perfectly white teeth seemingly iridescent in the dim light of the living room. Tapping her chin with her finger, she took a step toward Leah. “My sister had a tell. Do you remember what it was?”

  In spite of her efforts, a single tear trickled down Leah’s cheek. “Yes.”

  Lucy nodded, her eyes shifting to Derek. “Can you imagine something as refined as a biological warning about this – thing – being misinterpreted as literally getting hot and bothered?” Lucy snarled at Leah.

  Derek shook his head, the stubble of a day’s worth of beard growth rubbing against Leah’s neck. “Disgusting.”

  Lucy clasped her hands together. “So, you and I know exactly why your comingling with my family cannot be tolerated.” As she spoke, a single drop of blood ran from her right nostril. Pulling a white handkerchief from her front pocket, Lucy dabbed at the blood. “Speaking of warnings.”

  Leah’s eyes widened. “Lucy, I told you, Ryan and I are done.” Saying the words made Leah’s stomach sour.

  Pursing her lips, Lucy shook her head, the blood running steadily from nose. “Somehow I don’t believe you.” She stepped back from Leah. “Let’s take stock of what we know, shall we?” Lucy sat back down in the recliner, the distance between her and Leah causing the stream of blood to lessen. “Ryan is beautiful, smart, and in spite of her tendencies – or perhaps because of them – is quite a catch.”

  Leah set her jaw, forcing confidence into her voice. “Do you really think I could ever be attracted to another Myers woman after what you and your sister did?!” Leah strained against Derek’s arm.

  Lucy’s expression flattened as did her voice. “The only thing Karen did wrong was lusting after you, and thinking generations of legacy and sacrifice could be forgotten.” Lucy pushed herself up out of the chair and walked to Leah. She brought her face to within a few inches from Leah’s, and blood began streaming from her nose, over her mouth, and onto the floor. “Father corrected her.”

  Leah tried to shift, her right shoulder and throat aching from the crushing pressure of Derek’s grip. “Ryan and I are friends. Nothing more.” She forced the last part out, her heart breaking from the denial of her feelings for Ryan.

  Lucy pulled her head back, a shocked expression on her face. “Then you don’t even know that you’ve done it again.”

  “Done what again?” Leah squirmed.

  “You’ve bewitched another Myers woman. I assume you’re in need of money.”

  “You’re wrong. Ryan and I are just friends, and she knows that.” Leah struggled to keep the pleading out of her voice.

  “I’ll tell you what, Leah, you stay away from Ryan and I won’t tell her about the absolute filth you come from, or the filth that you are.” Lucy took a deep breath in through her mouth as she looked up at the ceiling. “But, if you keep seeing her - friend or otherwise - you’ll be forcing me to correct her in much the same way my father corrected Karen.”

  There was such venom in Lucy’s voice and rage in her eyes. Leah thought in that moment Lucy would kill her, or worse, that she truly meant to harm Ryan. Then the scowl on Lucy’s face turned into a twisted, perverse version of a smile as the flow of blood from her nose continued.

  “Regardless, I’ll have you killed.” Lucy’s full lips were pulled back in a semi-snarl, the blood from her nose running downward, staining her perfectly white teeth a pinkish red as she spoke.

  Leah felt the pressure of Derek’s arm tighten around her throat. The man smelled of stale liquor, nutmeg, and cardamom. Leah’s heart pounded in her ears, and the surge of blood drove shards of electricity into her hands.

  Spreading her fingers wide, Leah laid her right hand across Derek’s forearm. The coarse texture of his skin and arm hair set off a tingling sensation in Leah’s palm as she closed her eyes, allowing the electricity to shoot out of her hand.

  “Fuck!” Derek flung Leah to the floor as he grabbed his arm. “The bitch burned me!” The imprint of Leah’s hand had left the man’s skin red, swollen, and blistered. Using the bottom of his foot, he kicked Leah in the hip, sending her tumbling against the front of the sofa. “Cunt!”

  A sharp pain, followed by a dull ache, radiated out from Leah’s hip. Grabbing the injured area, she quickly got to her feet. Derek now stood next to Lucy, his arm clutched to his chest.

  Leah held her hand out in front of her, her body trembling as she forced air into her lungs. “Just leave, Lucy, and that’s all this has to be.”

  Lucy and Derek stood shoulder to shoulder near the front door. Lucy held the now blood soaked handkerchief in her clenched fist, wiping at her face before speaking. “I miss the days of burning your kind at the stake. For generations we have settled for financial ruin and ostracization of your whorish ancestors - but know this, if you don’t leave Ryan alone, I will personally gut you and put your head on a pike in my parlor.”

  Leah wanted this woman out of her house. The anger and frustration she had been managing throughout their exchange came surging to the surface. Leah focused her attention on the glistening blood that still clung to Lucy’s nose and lips.

  “Get out!” Leah shrieked. A split second later, Lucy’s nose, upper lip, and chin were cocooned in a thin layer of ice, leaving the skin underneath swollen and red.

  Lucy scratched at the ice with her manicured nails. She cried out in pain as she pulled the icy, red substance away, a layer of skin coming with it.

  Covering her mouth with her hand, she backed toward the front door. “End it with Ryan, or this was just a warm-up, Leah!” Derek opened the door, and the two disappeared into the night.

  Leah rushed toward the door and slammed it shut, locking the deadbolt and securing the chain. Moments later, Leah heard a car’s engine revving in the distance, and then the night fell silent.

  Collapsing onto the sofa, Leah began to sob. She placed her hand over her swollen throat in an effort to soothe the burning sensation. Laying her head back on the coach, she grabbed for the box of tissues that sat on the end table to her left.

  Jesus Christ, she’s insane and homicidal. Leah wondered if she shouldn’t call Ryan, but then what would she tell her? The truth was abhorrent. Leah had no intention of being the one to out Ryan’s family to her, and in the process bring to light her own history.

  Leah tried desperately to convince herself that she could just let Ryan go. After all, they had fought at St. Martin’s, and that could just be the end of it. The oppressive and violent weight of Derek restraining her paled in comparison to the suffocating feeling she had when thinking about pushing Ryan away.

  In the end though, she couldn’t put Ryan in danger. Leah had
no way of knowing how many of Lucy’s threats were empty. But if Ryan’s safety was dependent on them not being in each other’s lives, then Leah saw only one choice.

  Chapter 13

  “Hi, Marty.” Ryan’s smile was forced and nervous as she closed the bookshop’s door behind her. There were several patrons standing among the rows of books, but she didn’t see Leah.

  Marty was leaning on the wooden counter next to the register. “Hi, Ryan. How have you been?”

  Ryan assumed, given Leah’s affection for Marty, that she had told her friend about their argument. Ryan hoped Marty wasn’t as hostile toward her as no doubt Leah was.

  “I’m doing well. How have you been?”

  Marty offered Ryan a genuine smile, and stepped out from behind the counter. “I think I’m doing a lot better than you.”

  Ryan looked down, her courage faltering. “No doubt.” She glanced toward the back of the shop. “Is she here?”

  “She isn’t.” Marty said plainly.

  Ryan waited, hoping the man would divulge Leah’s whereabouts. After several awkward seconds Ryan cleared her throat. “She isn’t answering her phone. Do you know where she is?”

  Marty sighed deeply. “Ryan, I don’t want to get in the middle of this, but I’ve known Leah for a long time, and she’s really struggling right now.”

  Ryan stepped forward eagerly, seeing an opportunity to start setting things right. “I know. The exchange at the church was just – well, shitty. That’s why I need to talk to her.”

  Marty shook his head and stepped back around the counter. “I shouldn’t get in the middle of it.”

  Ryan clutched the edge of the counter, her arms tensing. “Marty, please. I – I really care for Leah and I can’t have it end like this.”

  Marty’s eyes narrowed as he considered what Ryan said. “Lord, she’s going to kill me, but I believe you.” He pulled a scrap of paper from a drawer next to him, and began writing out Leah’s address. “She’s taken a few days. Here is her home address.” He handed Ryan the paper.