by Devan Skyles
He didn’t waste time keeping up appearances this time, and instead of walking around to the road, he cut straight through the woods toward Ellie’s house.
He ran up the stairs to the porch and knocked eagerly on the door. When it opened, a smiling Ellie beckoned him in.
“Where have you been?” she asked, throwing her arms around him. “I haven’t seen you in days!”
He held her close and breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. “I’m sorry. Things have been… crazy.” He wasn’t sure what else to say.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” she said, pulling away. She snatched one of the old journal entries off the wall and handed it to him. “Look what I found. It’s an address. I think it’s where this Rose lady lived. I’m not working today. You want to go do some detective work?” She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet excitedly.
Truthfully, he just wanted to relax and forget about everything except her, but he couldn’t bring himself to disappoint her. “Sure! What are we waiting for?”
She smiled wide and collected the rest of the journal pages. When they got to the truck, she stopped, her hand resting on the door handle.
“Hey,” she said. “Do you want to drive?”
Rhydian’s heart skipped a beat. He’d watched her drive so many times and thought he grasped the basic concept, but he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of her. He stammered a bit, trying to decide what to say.
She just laughed. “You can’t drive stick, can you?”
“I— I guess not,” he admitted, embarrassed.
“That’s okay,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know how. If you can handle the plane, though, you can drive stick. Come on, I’ll teach you.” She tossed him the keys and jumped into the passenger seat.
He looked at the keys and climbed into the truck, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He inserted the key into the ignition the way he’d seen her do and turned it until the engine rumbled to life.
“Okay, so put one foot on the clutch and the other on the brake,” she instructed, “and shift into first.”
He did so, feeling the truck lurch slightly as he did. He was shaking like a leaf.
“Good. Now let off the brake and give it a little gas.”
He looked down at his feet. There was only one pedal left, but which foot should he use? He nervously took a guess and withdrew his right foot. Ellie didn’t say anything, so he figured he’d guessed right. He stepped lightly on the middle pedal and heard the engine roar.
“All right, now just ease off the clutch.”
He lifted his left foot off the pedal and the truck lurched violently and died. “What did I do?”
Ellie laughed hysterically, her freckled nose crinkling. The sound of her mirthful laugh filled him with joy despite his embarrassment.
“It’s okay!” she assured him, placing a hand on his arm. “Everyone does that at first. Try again.”
He stalled out three more times before he managed to get the truck to move. Before long, he was driving down the driveway and onto the dirt road. His heart lifted with excitement at the new experience. He felt he might be getting used to it by the time they reached the end of the dirt road and he pulled onto the pavement. Panic set in when he saw other vehicles driving on the road ahead in different directions.
“Um, maybe you should drive now,” he said nervously.
She laughed again. “That’s fine. Just pull over here and we’ll switch places.”
He pulled to the right and slowed to a stop, but the brakes were more sensitive than he anticipated and the truck stopped abruptly, the tires skidding slightly. “Sorry!”
“That’s okay,” she giggled. “It takes some getting used to. Um, but you didn’t leave me much room to get out.”
He looked over to see a large bush just outside the passenger window, blocking the door. He sheepishly looked at the pedals and the stick shift, trying to remember how to move the truck.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, and she unbuckled her seatbelt. “Scoot over here. I’ll just climb over.”
He unbuckled his belt too and did as instructed. She then turned and awkwardly maneuvered one leg to the other side of his lap, placing her knee on the bench seat for stability. Rhydian felt his whole body tingle with warmth as she moved over him. When she moved the other leg, her knee slipped and she fell onto his lap. He caught her by the waist and tried to help her up.
“I’m sorry,” she laughed, blushing bright red with embarrassment. “This is a bit ridiculous, I guess.”
“It’s okay,” he said, quite truthfully. His hands lingered on her waist, her body pressing close against his. She stopped and looked into his eyes, still smiling. He could feel her breath on his lips, her heart beating against his chest. He leaned in slightly toward her as she slid her arms up around his neck.
At that moment, a group of teenagers walked by, jeering obnoxiously as they went. Rhydian and Ellie both laughed, the moment spoiled. She climbed the rest of the way to the driver’s seat, where she continued to blush as she put the truck into gear.
“That was, um, pretty good for your first time,” she said, trying to break the awkward silence that ensued. “Driving stick, I mean! Not, you know… never mind.” Horrified, she avoided eye contact and pulled back onto the road.
Neither of them spoke again until they reached the freeway onramp and merged with traffic. Rhydian had never seen so many vehicles driving together at such a high rate of speed, and he was happy he was no longer behind the wheel.
“I’ve decided I’m going to stick around,” Rhydian said, breaking the ice. “In Clearbrook, I mean.”
She looked at him with a smile. “That’s great! Have you found a place yet?”
“Not yet.” Truthfully, he hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Do you know of any places?”
“I can ask around,” she said. “Will you be finding work here too?”
“I suppose I’ll have to. My usual job is a bit too far from here.”
“What do you think you’ll end up doing? I mean, there’s not much demand for a sword smith around here.”
He chuckled. “No, I guess not.”
“Well, if you wanted, I could… you know, if you’re interested, I wouldn’t mind helping you get your pilot’s license and you could work with me.”
“You’d do that?” he said, flabbergasted.
“Well, you know, good pilots are hard to come by in this town,” she laughed. “And I think you’ve gone through more than a sufficient interview process, as far as I’m concerned. I mean, you’d have to find something else until you’re licensed, but you’d have something to work towards. What do you think?”
“I don’t know what to say,” he said. “That sounds wonderful!”
“Great! And if you want, we can get you certified to jump solo, and eventually you can be a skydiving instructor.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
They excitedly talked through plans the rest of the way until they pulled off the freeway and navigated to their destination. After over an hour on the road, they pulled up to an old Victorian house in a poor neighborhood. The place was in a desperate state of disrepair, paint peeling from the walls and several shingles missing from the roof. One of the windows was boarded up with plywood.
They walked up a stone walkway, grass and weeds growing out of the cracks between the stones. They came to the door and Ellie pressed the door bell, an elegant chime sounding from inside the house. No one answered.
Ellie looked in the driveway. “There’s no car here. Maybe no one’s home.”
“Are you sure anyone even lives here?” he replied, looking around. “This place looks pretty—”
The door unlocked from the inside and creaked open a few inches. A very old, wrinkly face peeked through the opening at them. The woman, dressed in a nightgown and slippers, smiled as she looked at Ellie.
“Meredith! How lovely to see you again! Come on in. It’s been
such a long time.”
“Um, actually, I think you’ve got me confused with someone else. My name is Ellie Bower.” She was a bit perturbed. Meredith was her mother’s name.
The woman looked confused for a long moment, and then her eyes lit up as though she suddenly became lucid. “Of course. Forgive me. I get confused sometimes. You do look so much like your mother.”
The two followed the old woman inside, which was in stark contrast to the exterior. The place was immaculate. Fine china hung on the floral papered walls. The furniture appeared to be from about the same period as the house, though it all looked brand new. Old, black and white photos in oval-shaped frames were displayed here and there.
“Um, would your name happen to be Rose?” Ellie asked.
“Yes it would, dear,” she replied. “Can I offer you anything?”
“No thank you. We’re sorry to come unannounced. We just had some questions we hoped you could answer.”
Rose chuckled. “Your mother was the same way. In and out like a fleeting storm, always more questions than I could answer.”
“How is it you knew my mother?”
“Oh, first, dear, would you mind putting a kettle on for some tea? Just there in the kitchen.”
“Um, okay. Sure.” And she ventured off into the kitchen.
Rose then turned to Rhydian and became very stern. “Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to? You may have gotten to that poor girl’s parents, but I’ll not allow you to do the same to her.”
“I’m— I’m sorry?”
“Don’t play stupid with me, young man. I know you’re one of them Ilimíri spies.”
“I’m not a spy. I don’t know what you mean.”
“When you see enough of our kind on this side of the threshold, you come to recognize each other. It’s always in the eyes.”
Rhydian lowered his voice to a whisper. “You’re Ilimíri?”
“As if you didn’t already know! Shame on you!”
“But, ma’am, I’m not a spy for anyone. I swear. I—” he looked to make sure that Ellie was still out of earshot. “I’m the son of Warlord Gideon.”
“I’ve never heard of him,” she said dully.
“How long have you been away from Ilimíra? What happened to Ellie’s parents?”
“Never you mind,” she said sternly. “I don’t consort with spies.”
“I told you, I’m not a spy.”
“Then what is it you’re doing with this girl. Hasn’t she been through enough already?”
“I’m here because—” he sighed and looked over his shoulder again. “I think— I think I might be falling in love with her. But I haven’t told her where I’m really from.”
Slowly the old woman’s firm expression melted into a smile and she took his face in her delicate hands. “I never told my Robert, either, God rest his soul.”
“The water’s on the stove,” Ellie said, walking back into the room. “Now, Ms. Rose, I was wondering if you could look at something for us.” She held up the stack of journal entries she had brought with them. “I found these out by my house. They’re all about this imaginary place called Ilimíra. They’re just signed, M.B. Can you tell me… were they written by my mother?”
Rhydian wasn’t expecting this. She hadn’t told him she suspected as much.
“Oh dear, you’re quite incorrect.”
“So— my mom didn’t write them?”
“Oh, she most certainly did,” she affirmed. “I meant you were wrong about Ilimíra. It’s not an imaginary place at all, love.”
“It’s not?” she replied. “So, you’re telling me that my mom was actually looking for a way into Ilimíra?”
“Indeed, she was,” she said solemnly. “For many years. I tried to get her to stop, as did your father, but she was obsessed with finding a way in. I told her it was dangerous with all the spies looking for her.”
“Spies?” said Ellie.
“Oh, yes, wretched Ilimíri spies! My dear friend, Nicodemus, would warn me every time they got too close to your parents so that I could throw them off their scent.”
Rhydian’s heart skipped a beat and he broke into a cold sweat. Nicodemus? Ellie recognized the name as well but said nothing. Surely it had to be a coincidence. Then again, how many people were there with a name like that?
“What kind of information did you give her?”
“Oh, threshold predictions mostly, and what little news I still received from my friends in Ilimíra.”
Outside, a car backfired, and Rose suddenly became very fearful. She hobbled over to the window and peeked through the crack between the curtains.
“What’s wrong?” Rhydian asked.
“They’re here!”
“Who’s here?” Ellie asked.
“The spies!” she hissed, rushing back over. “I’ve said too much already! You need to leave!”
Ellie shook her head, upset. “Wait, I wanted to ask you more about my parents.”
“No time! They can’t see you here! Your parents worked too hard to keep them from you!”
“Ms. Rose, I’m sure there are no spies—”
“No, no, no! No time! You have to go!” And she shoved them out the door in a hurry.
Ellie, who was visibly distressed, tromped back over to the truck. Rhydian went to follow her, but the old woman grabbed him by the arm.
“Don’t let her go to Ilimíra,” she whispered, then closed the door quickly.
Rhydian climbed into the truck, where Ellie was already sitting in the driver’s seat, her head in her hands.
“Look,” he said softly. “She’s really old. She’s obviously a bit senile.”
“But she obviously knew my parents,” she blurted angrily. “And apparently my mother was as crazy as she is.”
“I don’t think your mother was crazy,” he consoled.
“Well, I don’t see any other explanation,” she retorted, burying her face in her hands again.
Rhydian scooted close to her and ran his fingers through her hair. They remained silent for a long time. After a while, she breathed a cleansing breath and laid her head on his shoulder.
“Would you like me to drive back?” he joked.
She laughed and sat upright. “You’re really wonderful. Have I told you that, Rhydian?”
He smiled and kissed her cheek.
They sat in silence most of the way home. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but more a state of contentment with each other’s presence. Ellie reached over and slid her hand into his, brushing his fingers gently with hers. When they pulled onto the dirt road leading to the house, she finally spoke.
“Okay, what if my mom wasn’t crazy? I mean, I knew her my entire life. If she was nuts, I would probably have noticed, right? Sure, it sounds insane, but just hear me out for a sec. What if she was onto something, and Ilimíra really is an actual place? Well, if this place is as clandestine as it’s supposed to be, theoretically, they’d want to keep it a secret, right?”
“Okay,” he said, following along.
“So maybe these— these spies are actually responsible for my parents’ deaths. You know, to keep them from proving their existence.”
Rhydian, not sure what to say, simply nodded.
“Oh my gosh! You think I’m nuts, don’t you?”
“No!” he affirmed. “I would never think that. I think—” He thought long and hard, but couldn’t think of anything to make her feel better, so he finally decided to simply tell her the truth. The entire truth. “Look, Ellie, there’s something I need to—”
“What the!” She cut in, looking down the road at toward her house. Two cars were parked out front, including Desmond’s sports car. “I don’t believe this! What’s he doing here?”
She peeled into the driveway and hit the brakes, spraying gravel across the yard. She then jumped out and stormed over to the house.
“Ellie, wait!” Rhydian called, jumping out to run after her.
“Desmond, what t
he heck do you think you’re doing?” she hollered.
The door had apparently been kicked in, and there was a great commotion coming from the inside, as if everything in the house was being thrown about.
Desmond came to the door with a handful of the old papers, followed by four men just behind him. He saw Rhydian and smiled.
“Rhydian! I knew I recognized you from somewhere!” He held up the wad of papers. “Someone’s been a bad boy!”
“What are you doing in my house, Desmond?” Ellie shouted, storming over to him. “You’ve gone way too far this time! I’m calling the cops!”
“Oh no, we can’t have that,” he said snatching the phone from her hand when she pulled it out to dial.
“You leave her alone, you scumbag!” Rhydian exclaimed, rushing him with fists raised.
Desmond, however, deflected his blows easily and punched him in the face, knocking him off his feet.
“Leave him alone!” Ellie shouted in dismay.
“See,” gloated Desmond, “I’ve had a lot more practice being human than you, Gideonson.”
“What?” said Ellie. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, you haven’t told her? I mean, I just assumed that with all the Ilimíra information in here, you must have told her by now!” He tossed the papers into the air and let the wind scatter them across the yard.
“Stop this!” she hollered, trying to help Rhydian to his feet.
Two of the men rushed in and pulled her away, holding her arms as she struggled against them. The other two rushed in and held Rhydian down.
“So tell me, Gideonson,” Desmond continued, “How did you get through the threshold without a registered timekeeper? Not to mention getting passed the tight security.”
