Soul Control

by C. Elizabeth

  She glanced down at the table, sad. “We’re not very good.”

  “What do you mean ‘not very good’?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve been trying not to think about it, hoping the Christmas party will turn things around, but it’s getting harder. He calls, but doesn’t really come around because he’s always busy. I think he’s blowing me off.”

  I smiled. “He’s telling you he’s doing things with his family. Right?”

  “Yeah!”

  Though I wanted her to think he was trying to dump her so she’d get away from him, it’d be a lie. I reached out and touched her arm. “Angie, they are doing things with the family. Nathanael is too. It’s Christmas, you know how busy everyone is.”

  Her face lit right up. “Are you sure?”

  Nodding, I assured her, “Mm-hm."

  Becky bounced in her seat. “That means Joshua is too?”

  Again I nodded.

  She clapped like a little kid. “Yay! Then I don’t have to talk to you.”

  Playfully I pouted. “Oh, okay.”

  She flapped her hands in the air. “No, no, I mean, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about too, how Joshua was acting the same way.”

  If they only knew what family things the Braxton boys were doing, they’d freak.

  Then out of nowhere, Job plunked himself down beside Angie. “Hey, sweets.”

  Her face lit up. “Hi!” she said a little too squeaky like. He smooched her hard.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” Joshua said, sneaking up behind Becky, tickling her.

  “Joshua!” she squealed as he planted one on her too.

  I looked at Norma. She was lost somewhere else and he was coming up fast from the rear. Todd sat down beside her and it was great that he didn’t acknowledge me and went right to Norma.

  If you weren’t a student, you were not allowed on school property. After the other two unlocked from each other, I asked, “Job, how is that you and Joshua haven’t been busted yet?”

  Joshua laughed. “We were, twice, but they let it go. It was cool.”

  They always managed to get out of it. For me, it wasn’t rocket science how. “That’s cool! I don’t know how you guys get away with it so often.”

  “I think most of them think we do go to this school,” Job said seriously, popping a piece of fruit in his mouth.

  Then everyone’s eyes moved up behind me and all smiled. I twisted around to see what they were looking at.

  “Hi all,” Nathanael said. “Sorry I’m late.” Putting one leg over the bench and the other on the outside so his chest was facing my side, he smiled at me.

  He was so very strikingly gorgeous, all dressed up in his suit and tie. I was sure my jaw hit the floor. He chuckled, surely knowing how he affected me, simply because he had me so flustered I forgot to hide my feelings. Putting a tray food down in front of us, he moved in to gently kiss me. “Mmm. How are you today?”

  His nose tickled my neck. I pulled my shoulder up, giggling. “I’m good.”

  “Hmm. Good.”

  “You look like a teacher,” Job provoked Nathanael.

  Nathanael didn’t miss a beat. “If you made as much money as I do, you’d dress up like a teacher too.”

  His brothers laughed.

  “Today is Christmas list day, correct?” Nathanael asked.

  I shrugged, looking around the table. “Well, I don’t know. It got really busy all of sudden.”

  “It did, didn’t it?” he said, confirming it.

  “Mm-hm.”

  He put a plate of fries in front of me and then put his arm around my back, shoving a handful of fries in his mouth. I wrinkled my nose at him. He laughed, pulling me closer into his chest.

  “So Nathanael, why are you gracing us with your presence today?” Todd jabbed.

  I glared at him. Why?

  Nathanael shrugged, unaffected. “Things are slowing down at the office with Christmas and I thought I’d meet my lady for lunch and sneak a peek at her Christmas list.”

  “Well, there’s no Christmas list, so you can mosey along your merry way,” Todd pushed.

  Norma was watching between the two of them and so was I.

  Nathanael’s mouth twitched up but his voice stayed smooth. “Like I said, I’m here to have lunch with my lady.”

  Everyone at the table sat at attention, fully aware of Todd being stupid and pushing just the right buttons on Nathanael. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.” Todd smiled at me. “Won’t I, beautiful?”

  Norma flinched.

  “Be careful what line you cross, Todd,” Job warned.

  If Todd heard him, he ignored it and stood with his hands on the table leaning in. “You’re fighting a losing battle. Saydi has been...”

  Nathanael snapped his head toward him, his voice deep and raspy like it was before when he grabbed Todd. “Do you really want to go there, Todd?”

  Todd darted his eyes around the table and slowly sat down.

  Grabbing a couple more fries, Nathanael kissed my cheek, answering for Todd. “I thought not.”

  “So, ladies,” Job started, “Do we all have our dresses picked out for the party?” He was digging for info.

  Angie smacked him. “Yes, and you can’t see it!”

  Nuzzling up to her neck, he begged, “Please, with sugar on top?”

  She pushed his head away. “No!”

  He laughed.

  Sometimes it was hard to believe who they were.

  Nathanael tapped the paper in front of me. “Come on, get the list going.”

  I smiled. “Why are you so anxious to see it?”

  “How else am I to know what to get you? You never tell me anything.”

  “You’re never around,” I muttered under my breath and instantly regretted it.

  His forehead landed on my shoulder. “You’re not going to bring that up again, are you?” he whined.

  I kissed his head. “No.”

  Thirty-nine

  The following Saturday was the Braxtons’ Christmas party. The town was abuzz with activity, everyone ran about, people rushed to the City to buy new clothes, and gifts were purchased to present to the Braxton boys, as they had come to be known. There were even a few women in town that had their eyes on Nathanael’s dad, and I also heard through the grapevine that those same women would gladly tag any of the Braxton boys. Those foolish women were sure to be the life of the party, but only if you enjoyed watching people make fools of themselves.

  “Mom,” I yelled from my room.

  “Yes, Saydi! There’s no need to yell,” she scolded.

  When she walked in, my eyes popped out of my head. She wore a gold sequined gown, with a slit up the side, showing off her curves and cleavage. Her long blonde hair was in an updo, with some curls falling around her face and she wore...new diamond earrings!

  I whistled. “Wow! You look gorgeous. And where’d you get those puppies?” nodding toward her ears.

  “Thank you. Your father, he gave them to me tonight, said he couldn’t wait for Christmas.” She was as red as a tomato.

  Then it was about me. “Mom, I can’t find anything to wear. Everything I have is so kiddish, nothing elegant like...”, fanning my arm up and down at her. “That.” Then I flopped down on my bed, completely defeated.

  Giggling, she called, “John!”

  Only his hand jutted through my door holding a dress bag. Mom took it from him. “Thank you.”

  “Welcome,” he said.

  “Here, honey.” She smiled, handing it to me. “You’re all grown up now.”

  My insides jumped with excitement, then fell down. “What if it doesn’t fit?”

  “Oh, it will. Now hurry, Nathanael will be here any minute.” She left me alone.

  It was a red silk dress, with a halter top tie and a low neckline, but not too low. It snugged up to me, but it wasn’t too snug, not like Mom’s, and it sat above the knee, almost classified as a mini-dress. Mom had curled my hair into big curls that
fell down my back and around my face. She also did my makeup.

  There was a knock at my door. “Saydi, your knight in shining armor is here,” Dad teased.

  “Be out in a minute.” My nerves were shot; it was a good thing I put my guard around them earlier. It was nice to be able to feel each other, but it was also nice to have surprises too.

  With one last look in the mirror, twisting to see if everything was in place, I took a deep breath and sailed out of my room—well, what felt like sailing to me. Whether that’s what it looked like outwardly remained to be seen.

  Nathanael was talking to Dad when I came around the corner. My feet froze in place, my breath caught—he wore a dark blue suit with a silk blue tie against a white shirt. It hugged his body perfectly. The curls of his jet black hair fell softly around his face and his cheeks were kissed with rose from the cold outside. His eyes sparkled.

  He glanced at me, then did a double take, his smile lighting up the whole room. Quickly turning, he held Dad’s shoulder for a second and said to him, “Excuse me, sir.” Then approached me. You’re ogling again.

  “Ah huh?” I answered out loud.

  Taking my hands, he stood back and looked me up and down. “Wow! You are beautiful.”

  The heat rose. “Thank you.”

  He locked his hand in mine. “Let’s go. We have to be back at the house early so we can greet the guests.”

  Tugging back, I dug my heels in. “I’m not greeting the guests.”

  He tugged and won. “Oh yes, you are. You’re with me and we’ll greet them as a couple.”

  It made me feel good he thought of me like that, but it also terrified me. “No, I’m not.”

  “Yes, you will,” he insisted, kissing my cheek, while helping me put my coat on.

  “No, I’m not.”

  He gently lifted my hair from under my coat and wrapped his arms around me, softly whispering in my ear, “Yes, you will.”

  Then he took my hand. “See you all there!” he shouted out, putting an end to that conversation.

  When we were on our way, of course I had to open my big mouth. “Are you nervous about your mom and dad being in the same room together?”

  He darted his eyes at me with a dark look on his face. “Not until now, thanks,” he drawled.

  “Sorry,” I quickly threw out.

  Kissing my hand, he smiled. “It’s okay. Whatever will be, will be,” he said, awaking the memory of the song, Que Sera, Sera.

  When we turned on his street it hit me... A battle between two realms and two families was inevitable and those two realms and families were going to be confined in one small space, in the name of Christmas. “Nathanael?”

  “Mm-hm.”

  He didn’t seem nervous about it at all. I was. “Are you sure it will be okay tonight?”

  As he pulled into the driveway, he smiled. “Positive.”

  It was nice to know someone was confident, because I sure wasn’t.

  The house was lit up with thousands of Christmas lights. The front porch had candles under hurricane lanterns in the middle of greenery, as well as two Christmas trees with the most beautiful decorations on either side. Inside, Christmas carols were playing and the staircase was decorated with garland running down the length of it, cradling strings of white lights.

  The landing at the top of the stairs had a huge Christmas tree. A fire blazed in the fireplace in the room I had yet to see that was to my left. It too had a Christmas tree. Wow! For being the bunch that should, by rights, dislike Christmas, they sure put on a show.

  “It’s beautiful!” I breathed as Nathanael helped me out of my coat.

  “You like it?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I replied, turning around and around.

  Catching me, he held my back against his chest, his breath feathering across my ear. “I’m glad. Believe it or not, it’s our favorite time of year. Different reasons for me than my father and brothers, but it makes me happy.” Nathanael gently stroked his fingertips down my neck and kissed it. He took my hand...

  ~ * ~

  ...My teardrop crystal was gripped in my hand and the ocean still lay dark between me and the spot of sun, though it seemed closer...

  “You can’t have it alone,” the waves sang.

  ~ * ~

  “Saydi...?”

  I took the shield off my emotions so he could see them. My heart was pounding and the vision scared me, even if it shouldn’t. But they had stopped completely, along with the dreams, for the longest time.

  “Whoa! What was that?” he stressed.

  “A picture,” I smiled, looking at one on the wall and hoping he understood.

  “A vision?”

  “Yes...It is pretty, I like it.”

  With a quick stride, he pulled me into his arms. “Are you okay?” he softly asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, son, are you going to hog this beautiful woman all to yourself?” Mr. Braxton asked from the doorway.

  During the days leading up to the party, the only thing I thought about was how important it was to Nathanael. Never did I imagine how Mr. Braxton`s voice would make my knees tremble, especially in light of the fact that he confirmed when he got me at the mine, he was my enemy. My vision was instantly forgotten, but because it was important to Nathanael, I got control quickly. He didn’t need to know how his dad unnerved me.

  “No, of course not, Father. You remember Saydi,” Nathanael addressed his dad.

  Mr. Braxton came forward and with a swift movement had my hand in his, raising it to his lips. “Of course I do, not that you would let me forget.” He winked at me. “He talks about you constantly. I can’t get him to shut up.” He rolled his eyes. “Thank you for returning the book in good condition.”

  If I didn’t know who he was, he would be considered, in my opinion, a good man. “You’re welcome.” Then I thought maybe he put that suggestion that he was a good man in my head.

  He stood tall, but always kept his eyes on mine. “You are very beautiful tonight. Now, I understand Nathanael gave you that ring?”

  As long as he kept giving me questions I could answer in one or two words, I’d be fine. Having a real conversation would be another story. “Yes, sir.”

  Taking my hand, he gazed at it...actually gazed at it. “Ah! Good, though it’s a bit small. But then again, he’s frugal.” He winked again. “In other words, cheap.”

  “Father!” Nathanael bellowed.

  Mr. Braxton waved his hands in the air. “Oh son, she’s an intelligent young lady. She figured that out the minute she saw the diamond.”

  I couldn’t help it, it made me laugh. Nathanael wrinkled his nose playfully.

  “So Nathanael tells me that his mother will be gracing us with her presence tonight.”

  Yikes! My brain stumbled, taking my tongue out with it.

  Say yes.

  “Yes, she will.” It literally fell out of my mouth.

  Mr. Braxton put his hand on Nathanael’s shoulder and acted delighted. “Wonderful. It will be nice to see her again, if anything for the boys’ sake. You see, Nathanael is a kind soul and to him it was a tragedy about his mother. Now he knows the truth and hopefully will find peace. As for Job and Joshua, who knows what they might do, even though I’ve advised them of her presence. Would you like a drink, Miss Gardiner?”

  My eyes popped over to Nathanael, especially considering how Mr. Braxton dismissed his underhanded threat. Was it a setup? Was he hinting Job and Joshua would do something to Mora?

  He meant nothing by it. Do you want a drink? mind-talked Nathanael.

  “No thanks,” I answered. Mr. Braxton, who was very flamboyant, sort of reminded me of a drama queen.

  “Very well. We’ll need to take our positions soon. Hopefully, your brothers will be here with their dates.” Again he rolled his eyes. “I really don’t know what they see in those two girls, they’re not too bright.”

  His comment made me mad; it was rude and unnecessary. “Mr. Brax
ton, I’m sorry, but Angie and Becky are my friends. I would appreciate it if you didn’t speak about them like that.” It just slipped out. Nathanael gawked at me, surprised.

  Being the gracious, fake host, Mr. Braxton smiled and bowed slightly. “Miss Gardiner, forgive me. That was rude.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “You’re very welcome, my dear. Now, are you sure we can’t get you something to drink?” He moved toward the room with the roaring fire.

  “Let me get you a drink, or would you prefer a soda?” Nathanael asked.

  The Braxtons were sure pushing the drink thing.

  “A pop would be good.”

  Forty

  The room Nathanael escorted me to was huge. Painted with a pale yellow, it had a very large bar in the far right corner; the furniture was a pale green and dark wood tables accented it perfectly. Six floor to ceiling windows wrapped around the whole room, and built in white shelves were spaced between each window. Crown moldings all around the ceiling set it off nicely. The Christmas tree was lit and underneath sat a whole bunch of presents.

  Mr. Braxton smiled. “This is my favorite room, I must admit.”

  “I can see why,” I breathed.

  “Sir Nathanael, allow me to get that,” a man in a suit said, coming from a doorway in the back of the room.

  It took me by surprise, firstly because I never noticed the door he came from and secondly, it was a butler. Nathanael had told me they had servants, but to have one right there was surreal.

  Nathanael turned and acknowledged him. “No need, Bart. Thanks.”

  “Very well, sir.” Bart immediately turned around and left.

  It was out of a movie scene. I stared at the closed door, then moved my eyes slowly over to Nathanael. He casually poured a soda, peeked up at me, then went back to the pouring with a smirk on his face.

  “I forgot you had servants,” tumbled out quickly.

  He shook his head with a small half smile. “Only three, but for tonight we have ten, all here to be at your beck and call for the whole evening,” he played, handing me the pop.

  Joshua and Job burst into the room. For some reason, it reminded me of the three stooges less one stooge.