by annie nadine
“He is still alive?” She clarified. He simply nodded. “Where is he now?”
“He contacts us. No one has ever met him in person but he helps with our research,” he informed.
“How old are you?” She asked trying not to look him up and down. He laughed at the expression on her face.
“I am as old as I seem. I was born in seventeen-eighty but I will look like this forever.” He watched her as she took it all in.
“So I am assuming that because you were born like this then your father or possibly mother was one?” She deduced.
“My father was. He and my mother were killed by a snatcher when I was a young boy and Garrick took over guardianship. The only reason why my father died was because it was at the hand of a snatcher, that is the only way any of us can die.” He pushed away the hurt he had spent so much time hiding.
“Eli, I am so sorry. I…”
“You were not to know,” he said. She still felt awful and considered her next words carefully.
“If trackers live forever…well…what about their wives?” Annie could feel the sadness in Eli before he answered.
“That is the problem. Having an enemy that in effect created us and lives forever means we do too. So the person we chose will eventually…” He let the sentence hang.
“Or they could be used in revenge by one of those enemies,” Annie added. Eli looked down to his tea regretfully. “Why do you not do the same to other newly made snatchers that you did to the first? They may all turn into a tracker.”
“There have been experiments tried on rare occasions but the snatcher either ended up escaping and people were killed or they perished. As I told you they need the bane subdued or they burn. We do not know what was so different with the first man and he has not given any insights to it either. We look into it as much as we can but there is only so much we can do,” he explained.
“Are there any other trackers in this area?” Annie asked.
“There was once but…they were taken from us.” Eli’s eyes almost welled with tears from the memory but he blinked away the tears and changed the subject. “It seems that when a tracker procreates, each male child in that family is born a tracker. When they have had another child with another woman they are human. Of course, there are some trackers who just choose to live their own lives, having no association with our cause.” Annie took a sip of her tea as if that would help her swallow all of the information better.
“Well, that is all very fascinating,” she said through a small laugh. She sounded very overwhelmed. “From one woman’s selfish ambitions she created a whole new species that seem to have to battle with her burden. And through the mistake of one of them, they created an eternal enemy that would always seem to aim to destroy them. Ironic really.” Eli couldn’t help but laugh at her summation.
“That is quite the synopsis, Annie,” he said. “There is one more thing I would like to address.” He waited until he had her full attention. “Would you be willing to learn some ways to defend yourself against snatchers?”
At first she thought she had misunderstood what he said but then she realised he was completely serious. She had never felt more frightened and exhilarated at the same time. Of course she wanted to!
CHAPTER 12
Eli was called out of town for two days to attend to a land dispute regarding one of his many properties. He instructed Annie not to leave the house and not to invite anyone in, under any circumstance. He promised to return as soon as possible and they would begin their training then.
After two days and still no Eli, Annie started to become restless. The real reason was because she hadn’t seen Baden since she had practically thrown him out. To try and pull herself out of her slump she started reading book after book on whatever she could. It was hard to take it all in when she didn’t have Eli there to question but she took in as much as she possible. To her surprise he didn’t have many books about snatchers, they were mainly about trackers and other myths that seemed irrelevant. The books he did have on snatchers were vague and unhelpful.
One afternoon there was a knock at the library door and Garrick came in. She smiled at him as soon as he came in but her smile soon faded when she saw how serious his face was.
“One…he said his name was Micah, is here to see you, Miss Belle,” he informed. She placed her book down immediately and went straight for the front door. Why would Garrick be so worried about Micah?
“Thank you, Garrick,” she said on her way past him. When she got to the front door she paused, she wasn’t meant to invite anyone in. Why hadn’t Micah just come in after Garrick spoke to him? She hesitated a moment before she opened the door.
“Annie,” Micah said as soon as he saw her and to her relief he stepped through the doorway without invitation and wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes in a silent prayer of thanks.
“Micah, I cannot believe you are here. Do you have a day to yourself?” Annie asked stepping back when she felt the hug had persisted too long. When he held onto her hands she pretended to busy them so he had to let go.
“Miss Danes is away and I have been left to attend to things,” he explained. She was shocked that he had been left in charge, he usually only dealt with the stables. Garrick subtly came around the corner to offer them some tea.
“Would you like some refreshments for you and your guest in the parlour, Miss Belle?” He asked politely though she didn’t miss his look of concern.
“That would be much appreciated for my guest and I, as he has dropped in unexpectedly and managed to come in without invite,” she dropped the hint so he could relax. Even with her reassurance Garrick didn’t look relieved in the slightest but he left to make tea anyway. She turned back to Micah who looked almost horrified.
“You seem to be settling in quite nicely,” he commented with a hint of agitation.
“It is a long story. Come with me and we shall reminisce and enlighten each other.” She took him to the front parlour and they made themselves comfortable. Micah made himself a little too comfortable, sitting rather close to her on the davenport.
It was a small parlour compared to the others but still comfortable. With just a few chairs, a small table and a cabinet with various things on display.
“So are you and Mr. Brighton engaged or have you gambolled past that part?” His tone was curt.
“Micah, that is impolite of you to ask in such an atrocious manner! Eli and I are in no such relationship,” she defended herself immediately.
“I am sorry but there are rumours running about town and through the manor and I do not know what to believe anymore.” He looked like a man lost.
“Well believe me as I am the source informing you.” She couldn’t help but feel offended that he could believe anything like that about her. He knew her better than anyone else.
“It has been terrible since you left. Everything feels so empty without you, Annie.” He looked as if he could cry.
“But you are heading the house for a time. Where is Rosemary?” She had asked to derail the conversation from awkward territory but then she was suddenly panicked at Rosemary’s whereabouts.
“She is travelling with Miss Danes,” he explained. “Since you have been gone she has made Rosemary her personal maid.”
“How long will Miss Danes be gone?” Annie wondered, still concerned about Rosemary.
“Apparently a month or so.” Micah seemed rather uninterested in the topic.
“A month! What on earth is she doing?” Annie had no idea how to take that.
“Shopping and buying new land. Annie there is a specific reason I came here today,” he changed the subject quickly.
“There is?” She was getting a bad feeling about where this conversation was going.
“Yes.” He took her hands in his and moved closer to her. Where was Garrick with that tea? “Annie, I know that I cannot offer much but there is one thing I can offer you.”
“Micah, I think it may be time for you to
leave,” she said trying to pull her hands away from his tight grip. She managed to free one but the other was stuck.
“Annie, please hear me out,” he pleaded. Seeing no use for it she prepared herself to crush her best friend’s hopes. “I am in love with you. I have always been in love with you and I will always love you until the day they bury me. Will you be my wife so I can love you for the rest of my days?”
His eyes were wide and filled with yearning but the longer she took to answer, the more deflated he looked.
“Annie?” He said sounding dismayed. Why did he have to do this? Her heart beat hysterically as she tried to gain the courage to speak. There was no more time, she had to answer and it broke her heart.
“Micah,” she said through swelling tears. “Please do not let this come between us.” Her voice came out husky. It was hard to talk not only because she was crying but because she was about to lose her best friend. “But I do not love you like that.”
Micah’s face became crestfallen. After the words sunk in he let go of her hand and stood to leave.
“Goodbye Annie,” he said the words empty of emotion then moved to leave. He made it through the parlour door before she went after him. She couldn’t just let him walk away from her.
“Please, Micah do not take away my best friend. We can still have what we had,” she begged. She grabbed his arm but he brushed it away as he stormed out. He opened the front door and she walked out after him. Finally he stopped walking and turned to face her. The afternoon sun almost blinded her as it glowed through her tears.
“You may not love me now, or it may be that you do not know you love me, but it does not have to be this thing that just falls into your lap, Annie. Love is so much more than just some feeling, it is work and it may be hard sometimes but you choose it.” Micah was crying now, which hurt her even more because she had never seen him cry about anything.
“Can we not choose our friendship?” She felt he was being unreasonable, surely they could move past this.
“No, you must choose. I cannot take it anymore. For years I have loved you and now it is time to approach this fork in the road. If I cannot have you then I need to walk away from you or I will spend my life wanting something I cannot have.” He sounded desperate and wild.
His horse stood outside the ground gates, the horse that she had ridden for years in his lap. She thought of all the times he had made her feel safe and special. Would it be so bad to be with him? In herself she knew it would not be fair to him if she settled because he would not have all of her and he deserved more than that. He deserved to be loved more than anyone else she knew.
“Micah, I…” She faltered through the tears. She knew she may never see him again and all she wanted to do was see his face one more time. She frantically wiped away the teary mess.
“Just choose, Annie.” His voice broke as he said her name.
“Micah, I will never be able to love you the way you deserve to be loved.” She bit her lip after she said the words but that still didn’t stop the tears. He stood and looked at her for a moment or so, almost as if he was memorising everything about her.
“I wish you all the happiness life can bring, Annie.” With these words as his parting goodbye he turned away from her and walked out of her life. His boots on the gravel path the only noise amongst the pain filled silence.
Annie watched him as he moved past the gates and jumped onto his horse. The surroundings were perfect, with the flawlessly trimmed grass and blue sky. The slight breeze that blew the white clouds across the sky and the sun shining on the immaculate, colourful flower beds. And as he walked away from her, he too had completed that perfection…but the moment wasn’t perfect at all.
She thought she saw him look back for a moment before he dug his heel into the horse’s flank and sped away out of sight. She stood there for a time to see if he would return but he never did and he probably never would again.
She turned to find Garrick standing at the door, not to invade her privacy but to be there to protect her. She hadn’t even realised she had walked out of the house. He gave her a soft look but she silently moved past him and ran up the stairs. She didn’t stop until she was hidden away in her room, away from everyone.
She locked the door as soon as she shut it to try and escape what just happened. Before she could lose herself to her pain she turned and saw Baden standing at the foot of the bed.
“If you are here to torment me then be on your way,” she almost spat the words. She was hurting deep in her soul and Baden had the potential to worsen her pain or rescue her from it.
Before she could conclude which it would be he slowly walked over and stopped in front of her. He didn’t say a word, he simply placed his hands on her waist and gently pulled her into his arms. She closed her eyes in relief and let him hold her. As she cried into his chest he lifted her into his arms and took her to the bed. He gently laid her down and cuddled in beside her, pulling her close to him and letting her cry. When her stamina gave way, she fell into a fitful sleep against him. His body was warm to the touch and it somehow warmed her heart.
CHAPTER 13
Annie woke in the middle of the night in panic. She took a sharp breath in and tried to ignore the pain that had nestled itself inside her soul. The room was black and she couldn’t see anything but she could feel someone beside her. For a moment she was filled with fright but it soon subsided as she remembered Baden was there. She curled into his side and closed her eyes, even though she already couldn’t see.
“Annie,” he whispered her name and it felt like a caress.
“Yes?” She whispered back. Her eyes felt swollen and her nose was blocked. She thought if she cried anymore her head might fall off.
“How are you feeling?” He asked as he gently bushed her hair away from her face.
“As if my nose has had a pear thrust up it.” She laughed a little but there was no humour in it. Through the night-darkened room she heard a small laugh. “Was that a laugh?” She asked him.
“Your use of words is remarkable,” he explained. She smiled and it made her face feel stretched tight. There was silence for a time but it wasn’t unpleasant, it was comfortable.
“I did not think he would walk out of my life forever.” She opened up to him. This could come back to bite her but she ignored the worry. “He has been my best friend for so long and now he cannot stand the sight of me.”
“I think the problem is more so that he can stand the sight of you, very much,” Baden half joked.
“You know what I am saying.” She still smiled at his effort to make her feel better.
“I do. It is hard to be in love with someone when they do not want you back,” Baden said perceptively.
“Is there a hint of love lost I hear in your voice?” Even with how upset she was she still checked to see if he had feelings for someone. She felt puerile because of it. Baden paused for a moment.
“I am not sure how to respond,” he said avoiding having to answer.
“Is there someone that loves you?” She asked finding it strange that he seemed confused about it.
“I think there might be.” He sounded unsure of himself.
“And do you love them?” Her question was met with silence. After a long time she gave up on getting an answer from him and thought it best not to push him.
“It has been so long since I have felt like me. How can I know?” His question surprised her.
“How do you know if you are in love?” She clarified unnecessarily to give herself more time to think of an answer.
“Yes,” he said quickly. How would she know? She had known of Baden for only a short time and she felt towards him something that she had never felt for anyone but was it love? She had never been one to obsess over men or go from one love to the next, so what made him so different to every other man she knew?
“I assume you just know,” she said, guessing the answer. She really had no idea what to say.
“Are you in
love?” He asked almost shyly. Great, he had to ask her that didn’t he? What if she said yes, would he guess it was him? And if he guessed then what would he think? He is unsure if he is in love but if he is, it most probably wasn’t with her.
“I…” What was she meant to say? Why had she started speaking? Now she would have to say something else. Why was it so dark? If she could only see his face, maybe it would help. Or maybe it would make it worse. “I think there may be…I do not know.” She gave up. He could feel the confusion in her soul.
“What of Micah?” He asked. He was sure she didn’t love him but there might be something.
