by Allison Sipe
“Or something.” He smiled at me. “I’ll be staying here and watching over you until this is over.”
“You’re what?” I asked in disbelief.
“I can crash on the couch,” he said, fluffing a pillow.
“Excuse me, but you are not crashing on my couch.” My voice sounded a little squeaky and I bit my lip, bewildered at the thought of him staying here.
“Be reasonable, Violet,” he said, looking back at me. “You don’t honestly think I’d leave you unprotected while you’re in danger, do you?” He shook his head and turned toward the TV.
“You didn’t seem to have a problem leaving me unprotected for the last few weeks. Why the sudden concern for my safety?” I shot back.
“You think just because I wasn’t here that we weren’t watching over you?”
“Who’s we?” I shivered, self-conscious at the thought of being watched without my knowledge.
“My family, and others we trust,” he answered nonchalantly.
“If that’s true, then why are you here now? Why can’t you just continue the way you have been?” I bit back as he sat on the couch.
He sighed. “Will you have a seat?” He gestured to the spot next to him but I didn’t move. “Look, I know you’re struggling with all of this, but…”
“But nothing, Robert. If you want to protect me then do it from a distance.” I turned away and walked toward the sliding back door. “I’ve been fine this whole time without you so I don’t see the point in you staying here now.” My reflection looked pained in the glass, my eyes red from holding back tears.
“Violet, please. You don’t understand how important you are,” he said.
I could see him stand up and walk toward me in the reflection but I did nothing to acknowledge his presence. His words reminded me of my Aunt Beth and how she always said how talented and special I was. His voice rang with the same sort of intensity. The thought of my sweet, loving aunt broke down some of my defenses.
I sighed and covered my eyes with my hand. “Then help me understand,” I said, turning to face him.
“Come here.” He placed his hand on my arm and guided me back to the couch. “We’ll start with the prophecy, where it all began.”
I sat beside him without saying anything. I felt my heart accelerate and my palms begin to sweat. I knew I wanted answers but wasn’t sure I was prepared to hear the answers Robert had.
“In England, back in the late seventeen-hundreds, there were five very powerful families in our community: the Deardons, the Ainsworths, the Landons, the Patridges, and the Maxwells. In the middle of the night, one member of each family was summoned to meet with Belinda, a very gifted Soothsayer,” Robert began.
“Soothsayer?” I interrupted.
“It means speaker of truth. It’s a person who can see the past, present, and future. You would call her a psychic.”
“A psychic.” My eyes practically bulged out of my head. I couldn’t believe this mess stemmed from some lady who claimed to be a psychic hundreds of years ago. Robert couldn’t believe in that stuff, could he? I felt like I was reliving the past all over again and Robert was about to tell me he was a part of some 'group' just like my ex. Why did I always attract the crazy ones?
“It’s not what you think. The world has taken a sacred tradition and corrupted it into a money-making machine that feeds on the desperate and insecure. Now just the word psychic means cheap parlor tricks and lies but a true Soothsayer would never use their gift in such a disgraceful way.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and looked at me a little embarrassed. “Anyway, Belinda told those five men a war would come about in the Magical world and the only way to stop it…” He paused and looked at me, struggling to find the right words. “The key to peace would be a woman named Violet, who would wake The Lady and stop Morgana before it was too late.” He blinked, looking at me with admiration. “Each person was instructed to pass this information down to their heirs, making sure that when the time came, you wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.” His mouth formed into a hard line. “Which almost happened once already.”
Robert looked at the palms of his hands as a shaky breath escaped his lungs.
“You said Magical world?” I asked, frowning in confusion.
“You’re jumping the gun a little,” he noted, looking back up at me. Not a trace of the sorrow gripping him a moment ago remained.
“I’m in charge of what I think I can handle. I want to know,” I said as calmly as possible, but frustration laced my voice. I was really getting sick of only being told bits and pieces.
“I know you are, but like I told you this afternoon, I want to gain your trust first so you’ll believe me when I tell you everything.” He stared into my eyes, making that primal instinct hum deep in my core.
“Fine, but if I’m so important, how come I’ve never heard of any of this before?” I did my best to stay focused on the topic at hand, but the nervous energy inside me made it feel like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to take some terrible leap.
“That troubled me too at first. I would’ve thought your family would have told you about who you are,” he reasoned, not looking at me.
“My parents died when I was young.”
“I know that now. That’s part of what I found out while I was in England.” He paused and finally looked me in the eye.
“Oh, well what else did you find out while you were there?” I asked, not wanting to talk about my parent’s death.
He accepted my avoidance of the topic and continued, “My family needed me to make sure you were The Waker before we did anything else.”
“And how did you find that out?”
“I spoke with a few people from the other families to make sure they didn’t have any other prospects, and then I spoke to a Soothsayer who happened to be in town and she confirmed what I already knew.” He chuckled.
“What?”
“It’s not a coincidence she was there. Soothsayers can see the future, remember. So it was just further proof you were The Waker.”
“But how can you be sure you have the right Violet. There has to be a million people with the same name as me.” I fiddled with the necklace around my neck.
He moved his head to the side and studied me a moment then said, "Nice necklace." He nodded to the small pendant in my fingers and his eyes crinkled at the corners in satisfaction.
"Thanks, it's a family heirloom," I dropped my hand and looked away from him, "Stop trying to change the subject."
“Sorry, you asked how I could be so sure?" He paused and I nodded my head. "When I healed you I felt the essence of who you are. I knew without a doubt you were who we’d been waiting for.” He smiled and placed his hand on mine.
His hand felt warm and comforting against my skin.
Suddenly I was standing on my front porch with the sun overhead, watching myself and Robert. “It’ll be okay,” he said, pulling me against his chest and wrapping his arms around me. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. “It’ll be okay,” I repeated his words under my breath.
As I watched myself in his arms, he slowly leaned toward me. Closing the distance between us, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He held me tight against his chest, his hand in my hair and slowly bent to kiss me.
Just like that it was over. I was back in my living room with Robert sitting beside me.
I pulled my hand from his and leaned away. My heart pounded in my chest. I could still smell the crisp wetness of the rain. Man, my daydreams were starting to get really intense.
“You okay?” Robert asked. His eyes roamed over me, puzzled.
What was going on with me? It made me shiver, thinking how real everything had felt. It was the same as this afternoon. When he touched me, I could clearly see and feel everything that happened the night he saved me.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just, this is all a lot to take in,” I lied. Something weird was definitely happening to me.
“If yo
u want, we can talk more tomorrow,” he said, smiling reassuringly.
“I’m too keyed up to do anything else. Besides, we still haven’t resolved why you think you have to stay here.” I cocked my head to the side, waiting for an explanation.
“You really are difficult aren’t you,” he chuckled. “Look, I’m not leaving you unprotected so you’re just going to have to get used to it. You almost died once under my watch. I won’t let anything like that happen again.”
“And what, I have no say in any of this?” I retorted.
He sighed then looked up at me. “Violet, if you’re really uncomfortable with me being here then I can send over Brett or Annabel but someone has to stay with you now that we know for sure. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.” His eyes burned into mine, melting me from the inside out. My daydream had left me distracted and wanting to close the distance between us.
“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable with you being here,” I admitted as I finally exhaled.
“Then what?” he asked.
“I just don’t like…” I paused. “I don’t like feeling so helpless.” I looked down, ashamed as my fingers fiddled with the tie on my shorts.
“You’re not helpless, quite the opposite.” He smiled and his russet eyes burned with a quiet reverence that made my heart skip a beat. The way he looked at me proved how much he believed I was something special, that I was The Waker.
“So tell me more about this Belinda person,” I asked, trying to refocus the conversation. “Why does everyone take everything she says at face value?” I still didn’t buy the whole psychic thing.
“To start, she hasn’t been the only one to name you as The Waker.”
“Do you really have to keep calling me that?”
“What would you like me to call you?” An innocent looking smile spread across his face and I faltered at how gorgeous he looked.
“I don’t know, I just don’t like being referred to as The Waker. It’s too weird for me.” I shrugged, trying not to come off too harsh.
“Alright then. Belinda hasn’t been the only one to see…” Robert paused. “How important you are.” His voice sounded strained as he spoke the last few words. He was trying to keep things light for my sake but I could tell by the tension in his shoulders how much it frustrated him that I wasn’t taking him seriously.
“There have been others,” I said and swallowed. “Like Belinda?”
“Of course. A few are born every generation and they’ve all seen you.”
“But how do you know they just haven’t heard it from someone else and then repeated it?” I frowned, starting to get a little uneasy. What if this was all true? What if I was… The Waker. I forced myself to think the words. Then what would I do?
“The vision is passed down from Soothsayer to Soothsayer, but each time the next generation discovers more information that wasn’t known before,” Robert explained.
“More information?” I asked.
“Yes. For instance, the very first vision contained your name and that you would carry the mark of your bloodline." He pointed to my necklace.
My fingers went to the pendant I always kept around my neck. As I looked at the three crescent moons placed back to back and held together by Celtic swirls, the metal felt heavier with the weight of his words.
"The next generation’s vision showed that you would be born in America, and so on and so forth until the most recent vision told us exactly where to look for you.”
“You knew where to find me?”
“It’s not a coincidence my family was one of the founding residents here in Pismo. We knew you’d eventually end up here. It was just a matter of time.”
“But why did you have to ask the families in England about other prospects if you knew I’d end up here?” I asked, hoping that maybe he did get it wrong and the real Waker was still out there.
“We knew you would be here in Pismo eventually but we didn’t know when. You could have been the wrong Violet, except I knew otherwise,” he said with an air of confidence. “I still had to make sure that no one had any other leads.”
I let out a long breath. “So everything’s just set in stone? I’m not sure I like not being in control of who I am and what my purpose is. Is there really no free will?”
“Of course there’s free will. You can choose not to believe me. You can choose not to do anything with the information I give you.”
“And what if that’s what I do? What if I don’t believe you?”
“Then that’s your choice, but the world you’re fighting so hard to hold onto, the world you knew before I came into your life, won’t exist anymore. No matter what your choice is, nothing will ever be the same again. So it’s up to you.” His voice was light but his face was cold, hard and deadly serious. He tried to hide how important it was to him that I make the right decision, but I could see it in his eyes that he hoped I wouldn’t walk away from all of this.
“I just don’t know what to do or what to believe anymore. None of this seems possible; you shouldn’t have been able to save me but you did and now all this talk about Soothsayers… How am I supposed to know what’s real anymore?” I gaped at him, completely lost.
“How?” I whispered.
“No one expects you to just jump right in. As much as I’m here to protect you, I’m also here to help you through all of this,” he said and put his hand on my knee. A jolt of emotion ran through me, the same emotion I felt when he kissed me. Well, kissed me in my fantasy.
I took a deep breath and pulled his hand off.
“I’m sorry, I was just trying to comfort you. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he said and shifted on the couch to move away from me.
“It’s not that, it’s just…” I broke off, not knowing how to finish the sentence. What was I supposed to say, it’s just that, I keep having these intense visions every time you touch me. I laughed a short, humorless laugh and shook my head. No, I couldn’t say that.
“What?” Robert asked, half smiling.
“It’s nothing. You don’t make me uncomfortable.” I tried to reassure him. I didn’t feel uncomfortable with him. I actually felt very comfortable and at ease with him. “It’s just been a long day. I think maybe I’ll head to bed.” I smiled, trying to hide the knowledge that I wasn’t going to get any sleep with him in the other room.
“I think that’s a good idea.”
We stared at each other for a few seconds, the question of him staying here tonight lingering between us.
“You can stay, for now,” I said, rising from the couch. “But this isn’t going to be a permanent situation.” I didn’t want to give in, but he wasn’t going to give up and I was done arguing with him for one night.
Even though I didn’t know any of the Maxwells all that well, I felt the most comfortable with Robert. I knew that if anything happened to me he would be able to save me. Which made me wonder what Brett and Annabel were able to do if he was willing to let them protect me instead of himself. I suppressed the thought; I had enough to worry about without adding more questions to the overflowing pile at hand.
“Thank you, Violet. I promise I won’t be in your way,” Robert promised.
“I’ll get you some blankets and a pillow,” I said and moved around the couch, heading to the linen closet.
Even though I still didn’t have very many answers, I felt oddly comforted that I wasn’t alone in this anymore. If there was one thing I could believe out of everything Robert had told me today, I believed he really was here to help me.
I walked back to the living room where I found Robert rearranging the throw pillows on the couch.
“Here you go.” I handed him a couple blankets and a real pillow.
“Thank you,” he said, smiling with sincerity.
“The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the right. Extra towels are under the sink.”
“I appreciate it. Good night, Violet.”
“Night.”
As I passed the front door, habit forced me to make sure it was locked. Unease settled in my chest at the realization that a locked door probably couldn’t stop whomever was coming after me. With that thought fresh in my mind, I picked up the baseball bat and carried it off to bed.
Chapter 8
My alarm exploded into a frenzy of angry buzzing announcing my seven-thirty wakeup call. I groaned and rolled over, turning the alarm off. Sitting up I stretched my arms over my head and my stomach growled at the scent of bacon and cinnamon wafting through the room.
I threw myself back down on the bed. How did I get myself into this mess? I barely knew Robert and already he was staying in my house, making breakfast and telling me stories about psychics and prophecies.
My life had really taken a sharp left turn to crazy town. Reluctantly, I mustered the strength to get up and hop in the shower. I needed to be in Santa Barbara by eleven for The Caltome Vineyard shoot and if I was going to stop by the studio first I couldn’t delay any longer. While I waited for the water to heat up, I went back to my closet to pick out something comfortable for the long day ahead.
The owner of the winery where I’d be shooting was a friend of a friend of Harriet’s. After seeing some of my work, the owner hired me to take some editorial pictures he could use on his website and brochure. I was thrilled at the prospect of my work being the face of this new winery and wanted to make sure my photos were everything they wanted and more.
Hopping in the shower and drowning my worries, I let the hot water relax my already tight shoulders. As I lathered my hair with shampoo, I made a mental list of things I needed to pick up from the studio for today’s shoot. If everything went well today, I might get another job with them or even get recommended to do commercial work for someone else. This shoot could really open up a lot of doors and I didn’t want anything to go wrong.
I probably took a little longer than I should have in the shower so I rushed to dry my hair then threw on a pair of jeans and a casual white button up. Not being able to put it off any longer, I left the safe haven of my bedroom to face Robert.
