Protecting Emma

by ML Michaels

  “You won’t lose me.”

  She stepped up onto her tiptoes and kissed his big lips with a passion that Darby could just tell would precede recklessness. Her breasts pressed up against his chest, and her blond hair tickled his arms, and he got lost in the kiss, forgetting that any danger lay ahead of them.

  “Everything is going to be fine,” breathed Jana as she pulled away slowly. She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the forest. An owl swooped right alongside them as they raced through the trees. Darby pushed in front of Jana and began leading the way. He never let go of her hand.

  As they approached camp, they slowed down. Silently, they tiptoed along the outskirts of camp. The firelight cast a glow on an awful scene. Jana almost raced forward, but Darby caught her around the waist and told her to wait. He wanted to get his bearings before jumping into a dangerous situation.

  Ronan crouched down, bent over an old man lying on the ground, his head bent at an unnatural angle. Homer stood off to the side about ten paces. Josef hung his head by the fire. Again, Ronan let out a thunderous wail and began weeping helplessly over the body.

  “I don’t recognize the old man,” Jana said in a hushed tone. “It must be his grandfather.”

  Darby noted that Josef had a terrible look on his face, as if he’d just seen something he never wanted to see. He took slow steps backwards, towards the fire pit, and took a seat on the tree stump, his head hanging down between his shoulder blades. Homer stood in place, obviously in shock.

  Jana pulled against him, but he whispered, “Wait,” in her ear one last time, trying one more time to keep her safe.

  “What have you done?” Homer’s voice finally boomed.

  Ronan looked up and him. Through a stream of tears, he wailed, “I didn’t do anything. It was an accident.” He lifted the old man’s head into his lap. “If you hadn’t come at me, I wouldn’t have swung, and my grandfather wouldn’t be dead.”

  Josef shook his head. People were beginning to pop their heads out of their tents. Celeste and her three boys appeared by the fire pit, and Roxana soon followed. She hurried over to Josef, and he welcomed her into his lap, seeming to have lost any drive he had before.

  “Your grandfather is dead, Ronan, because you killed him.” Homer’s voice was low and powerful, the voice of a public speaker, the voice of a politician, a voice that couldn’t be argued with. “And Winifred is dead because you killed her as well.”

  Now that more people had woken and were out of their tents, there was a small crowd. Everyone gasped when Homer accused the young boy of both murders. Jana shook her head and whispered to Darby, “There is no way that Ronan is capable of either of those things. Something is up. Homer is up to something.”

  Darby pointed out Josef’s behavior.

  “And Josef, he is usually Homer’s right hand man but look how he is hanging back.”

  Jana noticed that Ragul was nowhere to be seen, which was rare when big things were happening at camp. Jana had a feeling she knew where he was.

  “Follow me,” Jana whispered to Darby.

  “Be careful,” Darby instructed her. He was still worried about the legend of the purple ladies, even though Jana seemed to have forgotten all about it, concerned more with the chaos at the circus. She led the way through the trees, until they reached the side of the camp where Homer’s tent loomed over them.

  “Look,” Jana pointed out. “There is someone in Homer’s tent.”

  A flickering light emanated from the cracks in the fabric. Jana stepped forward and flung the door flap back. Ragul stood in the middle of the tent, standing over a bag full of money. It had to be over a thousand dollars, more even. In his hands, he held Winifred’s necklace.

  “Ragul…” Jana croaked. “What are you doing?”

  “Winifred’s necklace,” Ragul hissed. The anger was written across his face. He grabbed a handful of money and then threw it on the ground. “And he has been stealing from us. How could he do this? He hasn’t paid any of us in so long! And he sits here on a pile of money!”

  “This must have been what Winifred was talking about,” Darby realized. “The thing she shouldn’t have seen. Whatever it was that put her in danger.”

  “You’re right,” Jana agreed with him. She looked up at the sky. It was almost daybreak. Suddenly everything clicked in her mind. Homer was stealing money from the circus. Winifred must have known somehow. She gasped as she realized what that meant. It meant that Homer must have murdered Winifred, and her necklace was the proof.

  Ragul brushed past Jana and Darby and marched towards the fire pit. He looked angrier than Jana had ever seen him look. The cool, calm and collected Ragul she knew was gone, replaced with a livid, vengeful man. They followed him towards the fire pit. A crowd had formed around Homer and Ronan. Ronan was still on his knees, his dead grandfather’s head in his lap. Homer stood about ten paces in front of him continuing to accuse him of murder. Tears were streaming down Ronan’s face, but Homer kept raging at him.

  Ragul snaked through the crowd until he stood in front of Homer, visible to the entire crowd. Jana and Darby followed behind him. Homer froze when he saw the bag in Ragul’s hands. Silence fell across the entire scene. Ronan looked from Ragul to Homer and back again.

  “This man,” Ragul began, speaking louder than he ever had before, “has been stealing from all of you!”

  The entire crowd gasped and then fell silent again.

  Ragul continued, “I found this money in his tent. This money that he has been keeping from you is the money you all—we all—worked hard to earn.”

  Then Jana stood up and pointed her finger at Homer. Rage swelled in her, a fierce storm. She held Winifred’s necklace up high, for all to see. “Winifred knew he’d been stealing from all of us. She intended to reveal his treachery.” If looks alone could kill, Homer would be dead on the spot, as the entire crowd began to realize what all of this meant. Jana felt their realization, and it gave her courage to go on. “Homer killed her to keep her silent and made it look like the legend of the purple ladies to cover his tracks!” She was almost screaming by the time she finished, out of breath and nearly crying with fury. Darby put both arms around her and she collapse into his strength.

  Josef stood up and yelled, “You betrayed us all, Homer. You killed one of our own. You are a murderer!”

  The whole crowd chanted, “Murderer, murderer!”

  Josef grabbed Homer by the wrists, and forced him to the ground. The crowd was beginning to get unruly. Jana looked around and saw Ronan looking helpless, huddled over his grandfather’s body. She motioned to Darby, and they both went over to help him.

  “We need to get you out of here, Ronan” Jana told him sympathetically. “Do you think you can walk?”

  Ronan nodded.

  “I’ll carry your grandfather, and we’ll go to the field. Okay?” Darby asked, and Ronan nodded again.

  Jana looked around for Ragul but couldn’t see him amidst the mass of people rioting around Homer. They managed to slip out of the chaos unnoticed. By the time they got to the field the sun was up. Jana looked at Darby and pointed towards the horizon, and cried, “I’m free! No more curse!”

  “No more curse,” Darby echoed, and kissed her on the cheek before lying the old man down in the grass.

  Ronan looked away. “Someone still died tonight,” he croaked, looking down at his grandfather.

  Jana led the way up the hill to where they had buried Winifred. Ronan followed behind her carrying a shovel, and Darby behind him carrying the dead old man.

  Silently, they made their way past the village of Lancaster. It was early still, so no one saw Ronan’s grandfather slung across the large man’s back like a slab of meat. Ronan felt terrible. There was a ball in the pit of his stomach and a knot in his throat. His grandfather was dead, and Ronan had killed him. Of course, it was unintentional, but it had still happened. Ronan was a killer after all.

  When they
reached the gravesite, Darby gently propped the old man’s body up against a medium-sized boulder. He was posed in a way that made it appear as if he was gazing out across the valley, over Lancaster and the vast forest. Ronan tried to start digging a grave, but he was crying and couldn’t see. Darby took the shovel from him, and began to dig. Ronan collapsed next to his grandfather and wept. Jana sat next to him and rubbed his back until all the tears were out, and he could cry no longer.

  When the grave was finished, Ronan picked up his grandfather and set him gently into the grave, a simple hole dug into the earth. Darby handed him back the shovel, and Ronan buried his grandfather. About half way through the burial, Jana realized that Ragul was standing next to her. He had approached so silently; she didn’t notice his presence until he was right there. He began to hum a solemn tune.

  The four of them walked down the hill silently. Ragul led the way, followed by Ronan, and then Darby and Jana, holding hands. When they reached the bottom of the hill, Ragul turned around.

  “This is where I must part from the lot of you,” he said gravely. “I don’t recommend you go back to the forest,” he informed Ronan.

  “I don’t intend to,” Ronan replied. “There is nothing left for me in Lancaster.” He looked out over the forest and the rolling hills beyond. It is long overdue that I leave this godforsaken town and begin my own adventure. Who knows what the world out there holds for me.”

  And with that, he hopped off down the path and was gone around a bend before any of them knew what to say.

  Ragul looked to Jana, and said, “Well, I’m off on my own adventure as well. It’s time for me to go home, back to the desert for me. I haven’t seen my family in nearly a decade.”

  He turned to leave, but Jana stopped him. “Be safe, Ragul,” she said, and gave her old friend a hug. They’d been through a lot together.

  “Goodbye, Jana,” he replied. He nodded at Darby, and then he too was off down the path and around the corner.

  Jana was suddenly struck with how much had happened. She looked at Darby and asked, “What now?”

  “Well,” he mused, “now I suppose it depends on what you want to do.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You can either go back to the circus, or you can come to my town by the sea and live with me.”

  He looked at her hopefully but didn’t want to seem desperate. It was a big decision for Jana. She had been with the circus almost her entire life. She didn’t know what it would be like with to live normally, but she wasn’t scared. It was time for her to move on, and she knew it. She’d always known it. With her dearest friend gone, there was nothing holding her back. It was time for her to leave the only family she’d ever known and start a life of her own just like Ronan and Ragul.

  She turned to face Darby who was gazing stoically out over the forest, awaiting her reply.

  “I will come with you,” she finally proclaimed, confident in her decision. She loved Darby. She couldn’t wait to live with him in his little home by the sea. Darby smiled, and kissed her deeply.

  “I love you, Jana. I’ve loved you since I first laid eyes on you.” He picked her up and spun her around. She smelled of wild flowers from the field.

  “I love you too, Darby. I love you too,” she sighed and rested her head on his chest as he carried her off down the path.

  Ragul hiked back up to the top of the hill. He needed to think. Everything had turned to chaos with the death of Ronan’s grandfather. He was deeply sorry for the old man’s death, but it did help to get Homer’s crimes out into the open. Ragul put his hands inside his pockets and checked to make sure the money was still there. He had taken enough to make the mighty journey all the way back to the desert and hopefully still have enough to share with his family. He was done with the circus forever.

  From his perch on the top of the hill, he could see Ronan in front of him and Darby and Jana behind. He was sad to say goodbye to Jana, she had been a good and loyal friend to him these past years, but it was time for both of them to move on from the circus and see where their lives would take them next. He wondered about Ronan, and whether or not the boy would find what he was looking for. Adventure! Was there such a thing? Life is the adventure, Ragul thought to himself, with its many twist and turns, its ungraceful unraveling, and its moments of poignant peace.

  Ronan trudged down the path, barely picking up his feet. He mourned the loss of his grandfather but also felt a deep relief. Always he had felt pressure from his grandfather to be somebody that he wasn’t. Somehow he knew that his grandfather would forgive him for the terrible accident. And now that his grandfather was gone, Ronan could walk away from Lancaster and never look back. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do or how he was going to get by, but he had an unwavering faith that he was going to figure it out. He felt lighter than he’d felt since he was a little boy, and his parents were still alive. He felt optimistic. He felt like his life was just beginning.

  Jana decided to leave her things behind so they could avoid going back to camp altogether. Darby grabbed her hand, and they began their long journey back to Sheridan. They didn’t talk much all day, slowly growing accustomed to each other’s pace and reflecting on all that had happened. Darby took long, steady strides while Jana’s were more spontaneous as she would speed up when her eyes landed on something interesting and slow down when she got lost in her thoughts. Darby watched her out of the corner of his eye, and admired the way she interacted with her surroundings, so inquisitive and fresh and inspired. He thought she was the most beautiful creature in the world. He couldn’t take the silence anymore and suddenly swooped her off her feet, carrying her to a patch of grass a little way off the path.

  “Darby!” she squealed, and buried her head under his chin. When he sat down in the grass, he didn’t let her go. She nuzzled even closer into his lap and sighed. He felt like home.

  “Are you excited to go back to the sea?” he asked her, deeply excited to explore the beach with her, and to swim, and to lie in the sand.

  “Yes! And I’m excited that it’s almost summertime! It will be so warm that we have to go swimming everyday!” Her exclamation, though honest, felt too joyous, too innocent, for how intense and gruesome, the morning had been. They both fell silent again. The sun warmed their tired bodies and lulled them into a peaceful slumber, providing much needed rest.

  Darby was woken by an itching on his nose. A piece of Jana’s long, dark hair had been tickling him. He’d been dreaming of rolling waves and salty water. He rolled onto his side and watched Jana as she slept. She lay on her back with an arm stretched out above her head. Her soft belly rose and fell with each breath, and her lips were slightly parted. A knot in Darby’s chest untangled as he allowed himself to love her fully and unconditionally. She was the best thing that had happened to him in years. He’d been stuck before, closed off to the world. Jana had come into his life and opened up his eyes and got his heart pumping again.

  He let her sleep a few moments longer, and then he caressed her cheek softly. She stirred slightly, and her eyes fluttered open.

  “Hi,” she said, and her voice was the sweetest sound Darby had ever heard.

  “Hi, my love,” he replied, and kissed her lips with tenderness. “It’s you and me now. You think we’ll make it?”

  “I think we can do anything we want to,” Jana said. She was suddenly wide awake. The grass tickled the backs of her arms, and a warm breeze swept across her shoulders. Darby traced the tips of his fingers up and down the curves of her body, and then lay back on the grass. Jana straddled him, her legs on either side of his hips, she sat up straight, throwing her long hair over her shoulder. Darby looked up at her and nearly fainted from her beauty.

  Jana untied his leather pants, smiling as she did so. Slowly, she took him inside her. Darby sat up, and Jana wrapped her legs around his back. They melded together as the breeze swirled around them, and little butterflies landed in their hair. Darby pulled her down on top o
f him; they were as close as humanly possible. Jana felt her past falling away behind her, and her future opening up. She thrust her hips against Darby, and he rocked with her as the sun blazed down on them. Sweaty and flushed, they rocked together in unison. They breathed and became one. And finally, when they were both full and satisfied, their longing quenched, they lie side by side, hand in hand, gazing up at the high clouds drifting by. Their future was a blank piece of paper waiting for a story. They stood up and walked hand in hand down the path, heading off towards their new life.

  The End

  *****

  Afraid to Tell: A Sports Surprise Pregnancy Hometown Romance

  By Bess Hart

  On a bright and sunny afternoon, the local train had just departed from the station around 12:30 p.m. with a vast amount of passengers inside of its cars. One of them was a young woman around the age of 26. She sat by herself, her hand cupping her chin as she gazed out the window with her hair falling in front of her face as she watched the scenery roll by, listening to the sounds of the other people inside of the train car. The woman was going back to her hometown. She hadn't been there in a little over three years now ever since she left with her husband. Well, ex-husband now. How much had changed since she left? With her hand resting on her stomach and her thoughts wandering around, she sat quietly as the train rolled along and brought her closer and closer to her old home.

  About half an hour later, the train pulled into the station and the doors opened. People poured out of the train cars, the woman being among them. She stopped with her luggage and looked around the station.

  Her eyes caught an older couple standing off to the side with a sign that read, "Welcome home, Maya!" A small smile came across her lips as she made her way over to them. As she got closer, she could see their eyes brighten and smiles form on their faces. The older woman stepped forward and pulled the woman into a hug, squeezing her tightly.