She covered his mouth with one chubby hand. With the other she took out a smaller knife, one that couldn’t do a lot of damage unless it hit the right areas, though she knew all those areas. She ran the tip of the blade along his throat, not deep enough to draw blood, but deep enough for him to know she was serious. “Wake up, Davy,” she said.
David’s eyes opened then widened at the sight of the knife. “I’m not going to hurt you, yet,” Veronica said. “I’m here to make you a business proposal. Are you listening?”
He nodded. “Good. You and I want the same thing. If we pool our resources we have a much better chance to succeed.”
She took her hand away from his mouth so he could ask, “What are you talking about? How did you get in here?”
“That’s not important. What’s important is I can help you get the one thing you want most: power.” She pulled the knife back now, balancing the tip on the end of one finger. “I can help you get rid of Samantha Young once and for all. Then you’ll be the king of the island.”
“I don’t need a little girl’s help,” David hissed.
“If you didn’t need help you would have already done it. I need your strength and you need my will. It’s a perfect match.” A smile spread across her face as she added, “Unless you want to be Samantha’s errand boy the rest of your life.”
“Tell me more,” he said. She whispered the plan into his ear. When she finished, he said, “Let’s do it.”
“You won’t regret it.” She leaned down to kiss him on the lips. Then she disappeared down the row of beds, into the darkness.
Children of Eternity #4: When You Were Young
by P.T. Dilloway
Copyright 2012 P.T. Dilloway
Chapter 1: Westbound
The balloon zipped towards the front door as though a hurricane wind were blowing through the house. Samantha leapt down the hall, kicking the door shut in time to trap the pink balloon. She picked herself up off the floor and grabbed the ribbon attached to the balloon.
“A little dramatic, don’t you think?” Joseph said.
“It got the job done,” Samantha said. She tied the rogue balloon to the banister along with its brethren and then kissed Joseph on the cheek. “What do you think?”
“I think she’s going to love it. You’re sure she isn’t going to show up before tonight?”
“Wendell will keep her busy in town. What about your dad?”
“He said he’d come in before dark. I don’t know what’s with him anymore. He’s staying out later and later. What?” Joseph asked as Samantha smiled.
“I think it’s cute that you worry about him so much.”
“Someone has to look after him. Otherwise he’d stay out there fishing until he ran out of cigarettes.”
“I thought he quit.”
“He did, for about two days. Old habits die hard.”
“Have you tried getting him some of that gum or one of those patches they have at the drugstore?”
“He’d never do it. Cold turkey is the only way for a manly man like him. He won’t even take an aspirin unless he cuts his arm off,” Joseph said. Behind the humorous tone, Samantha could see the worry on his face.
“He’ll be fine,” she said. “He can take care of himself.”
“I know, but ever since, you know, the incident, I can’t help worrying about him more. He’s not invincible.”
The incident in question she knew was Joseph putting his father in a coma three years ago using a potion he’d concocted from some relics found in a cave. The incident had almost killed Mr. Pryde as well as Prudence, Wendell, Mrs. Schulman, and even Samantha. She shivered at the memory of the monster Joseph had become—and the monster she had become.
The ding of a bell in the kitchen interrupted her dark thoughts. “That must be the cake,” she said. She hurried into the kitchen to find a stream of black smoke rising from the oven. She threw open the door, coughing and squinting through watery eyes at the blackened rectangle of batter in the oven. She yanked the pan out and opened the window, fanning the smoke outside as best she could. When the smoke cleared, she plopped down on a chair to stare at the ruined cake. Three years of caring for two little girls and she still couldn’t do much more than boil water. “It’s ruined,” she said. She turned to the doorway, where Joseph smiled at her. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. I had a feeling this would happen,” he said. From behind his back he produced a round cake with white frosting. In pink were the words, ‘Happy Birthday Prudence.’ “I bought it from the bakery this morning. And just so you know it wasn’t easy. Mrs. Forman spelled the name wrong so I had to have her redo it. She was none too happy with me.”
Samantha set the cake on the table before throwing her arms around Joseph’s shoulders and kissing him. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said.
“Perish from starvation,” he said and kissed her. They stopped as a car turned into the driveway. “Are they here?”
They went out to the porch in time to see a green pick-up truck turn around and head downhill, a U.S. Postal Service logo on its side. “I’ll get it,” he said. She waited on the porch, watching Joseph bound down the driveway and over to the mailbox. How did she ever get so lucky as to find someone like him?
He let out a whoop and then raced towards her, holding up a white envelope. “I’m in! I’m in!” he shouted. Before she could ask him what was happening, he pulled her close and rained kisses all over her face.
At last she pushed him away. “Joseph, what’s going on?”
He waved the envelope at her. ‘California Technical University’ was written on the top right corner. “They accepted me. Isn’t it great? I’m going to Cal Tech!”
Samantha sagged back against the wall as someone had struck her. California? “I thought you were going to MIT,” she said. “You said this was just in case you didn’t get accepted there.”
Joseph’s celebratory move evaporated. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Samantha, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy for me? For us? This is big. Cal Tech has one of the greatest scientific departments in the country. It’s not easy to get accepted there.”
“But California? Joe, that’s like three thousand miles away. How are we ever going to see each other?”
“What do you mean? You can come with me. There are a lot of great colleges out there. As soon as you take the GED, I’m sure you could get into one—”
“Now you’re planning my life for me too? What else do you have planned that you didn’t tell me about?”
“Sam, don’t be this way. I thought you understood.”
“I understood you were going to MIT so I could visit you on weekends. Do you really think I can just pick up everything and move to California?”
“Why not?”
“What about Molly and Becky? I’m supposed to take them with me too?”
“Let someone else take care of them. They’re your cousins for Christ’s sake. You act like they’re your children.”
“They’re my responsibility. I promised to take care of them until they were old enough to look after themselves.”
“So what are you saying? You’re not coming with me because of them? You’re going to throw everything away for them?”
“It’s not just about them. You should have told me about this beforehand. I thought after what happened before you’d stop trying to run my life.” She stomped down the porch steps to the driveway. “You might have changed on the outside but you’re still the same inside.”
“Sam, wait. Come back. Let’s talk about this.”
“There’s nothing more to talk about. I can’t trust you.”
Joseph ran after her, intercepting her before she reached Mr. Pryde’s car. He tried to put an arm around her, but she seized his wrist and pulled the arm back until Joseph winced. She wanted to keep pulling until she heard the snap of bone; she wanted to hurt him, make him cry for his selfishness. No more violence, she told herself, thinking of
three years ago when she’d broken Prudence’s arm and beaten her friend bloody. She let go of Joseph’s arm. “I’ll be back in time for the party. There’s no need to ruin this for Prudence.” She held up a finger before he said anything. “After that I’m leaving.”
“Sam, please, don’t do this. I love you.”
She bit down on her lip to keep from crying. “If you really loved me you wouldn’t have done this. Have fun in California,” she said. She pushed him away so she could get into the car. He stood there a moment before coming around to pound on her window, pleading with her to stop.
She refused to look at him. She turned up the radio to drown out the sound of his apologies. I don’t love him, she told herself as she backed out the driveway. He’s as much of a selfish jerk as when he was taking that potion.
She reached the end of the driveway and then hit the accelerator. Only after Joseph faded from the rearview mirror did she allow herself to let out the tears she’d been holding back.
Chapter 2: Night Moves
Prudence touched her hair as she left the salon, a breeze nipping at the back of her neck. In eleven years she’d never worn her hair so short, shorter even than most of the boys back in Eternity. Irene—the little old hairdresser recommended by Mrs. Schulman—said it was a good look. “It complements your face,” she said. “You have such pretty cheeks.”
Those cheeks turned red at the mention. In the last three years they, like the rest of her, had gotten considerably smaller. From the measurements she kept in her shop, which she kept hidden from everyone—including Wendell—she had in fact cut her weight in half from three hundred six pounds to one hundred fifty-three at the last measurement. The amount of weight loss in each tally kept shrinking to the point now where it was nearing a plateau. She would always be “big-boned” as Mrs. Schulman said or “husky” as Suzie said.
So busy was she touching her hair that she walked into someone on the sidewalk. “Sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t paying attention.” Only when she looked down did she realize she’d knocked Wendell to the ground.
“That’s all right,” he said, brushing himself off as he stood up. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“You like it? You don’t think it’s too short?”
“No, it looks great. I love it. I love you.” He kissed her one of her pretty cheeks. She blushed again, feeling everyone on the sidewalk staring at them. Sometimes she wanted to tell Wendell to stop being so affectionate in public, especially in Eternity, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He was only trying to be nice.
Still, as he took her hand and they started down the sidewalk, she couldn’t shake the feeling people were watching them, laughing at them. She expected someone to shout a warning about her stepping on Wendell or warning him she might eat him the way kids in Eternity teased them. “They’re just jealous,” Wendell always told her. She wanted to believe him, but every time they went out she felt the stares and heard the snickers.
To keep her mind off this, she asked, “Did you get me a birthday present yet?”
“It’s your birthday? I didn’t know.”
“I told you weeks ago. Don’t you remember?”
He rubbed the sparse red fuzz on his jaw for a moment. “I seem to recall something about a birthday—” he broke into laughter. “Of course I know it’s your birthday. I got your present a long time ago.”
She slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t do that.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing his shoulder. “I think you’re going to leave a bruise.”
“That’s what you deserve,” she said. She realized now they had been walking downhill while talking. Ahead, she saw the Primrose sitting in its familiar slip. Next to it, Mr. Pryde’s lay empty; he must still be out fishing. “What are we doing down here? I need to get my dress from Suzie.”
“There’s plenty of time for that. I thought it’d be nice to take a walk. Get some fresh air. Let everyone see how beautiful you look.”
“No, really, why are we down here?”
“I told you already. Can’t I want to take a walk with the prettiest girl in Seabrooke?”
“Now I know you’re hiding something. You better tell me.”
She pinched him on the arm until he yelped. “Fine, I’ll tell you. There’s something I want to talk to you about.” He ushered her over to a bench and took her hand. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and I talked with Mr. Pryde and, well—”
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. No, this is something very good, I think, but I’m not sure if you’re interested—”
“Wendell, please, spit it out.”
“I think we should stay here this fall and winter. I already talked with Mr. Pryde and he’d let us stay there. He could probably get us in the high school with Joseph if we wanted. I’m sure Suzie would let you stay on at the shop. Miss Pestona already said she’d keep me on as long as business kept doing well enough. I know Eternity is your home and it’s my home too, but I was thinking maybe it’s time for a change.”
“Wendell, we’ve already talked about this. We can’t leave. They need us there.”
“We wouldn’t be gone forever. We could come back at Christmas for a couple weeks.” Before she could say anything, he squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. “Prudence, I know this would be a big change for both of us, but I’m thinking about our future. Do you really want to stay on Eternity all your life? What’s there for you except darning people’s socks?”
“Samantha’s there and Molly and Becky—our friends. We can’t leave them behind.”
“Prudence, please, think about us. I know how much happier you are here. I can see it on your face. Eternity makes you miserable. You know it as well as I do.”
She did know it. She liked working with Suzie in the store, having fabrics of every color and texture at her disposal in an instant. She liked being able to sit on Mr. Pryde’s front porch with Wendell and not have to worry about anyone spying on them. She liked being able to go across the hall in the night and cozy up next to him in bed.
More than anything, she liked the lack of responsibility. She had only to worry about herself and Wendell here, not fifty other boys and girls. For eleven years she had helped Samantha take care of the others, worrying about their needs instead of her own. Here she could be selfish. She knew it was wrong to think of herself before others, to put the best interests of herself ahead of theirs. Yet she couldn’t help wondering like Wendell: why shouldn’t she be happy?
“I can’t do it,” she said. “I can’t betray them.”
“It’s not a betrayal. Don’t you think Samantha and the others want you to be happy? Don’t you think they want what’s best for you?”
“I don’t know—”
“And what about me? Aren’t I as important as Samantha or Molly or Becky to you? Don’t you love me?”
“I do, Wendell. You know that. This is all so complicated. I can’t make a decision right now. I need to think about it.” She gave his hand a squeeze this time. “Can’t we just enjoy my birthday?”
“All right. If that’s what you want.” They got up from the bench and started uphill towards Designs by Suzie. Neither of them said anything along the way; Prudence knew Wendell was still unhappy with her inability to decide.
Adjusting to life here was easier for him. He saw this world as a magic place full of puzzles to solve and wonders to uncover. Though she no longer feared the automobiles and electricity, to her this world still held many dangers. Simple items everyone else took for granted like ballpoint pens or can openers amazed her, reminding her how little she knew. Wendell enjoyed such surprises, but not her.
They reached the store as Suzie was closing up for the night. “Prudence, don’t you look wonderful? I wish I had my camera to take a picture of you,” Suzie said. Prudence never knew whether to take these compliments seriously or not; Suzie gushed like this to everyone who came in. “I hope you haven�
��t come here on your birthday to work overtime? I wouldn’t dream of it, especially not on your sixteenth birthday. That’s the most important one for every girl.”
“I just needed to pick up my dress for tonight,” Prudence said. “I left it in the back room.”
“Of course. I’m sure you have big plans for tonight. I remember for my sixteenth birthday I went to New York with my parents and all my friends. Oh, we had the most wonderful time at this fabulous restaurant—I forget the name—and then a Broadway show. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better birthday.”
Prudence blushed with embarrassment as she said, “We’re not really doing a lot. Wendell and I are having dinner at home with some of our friends.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to carry on so. I’m sure you’ll have a marvelous time.” Suzie eyed Wendell suspiciously as she always did. Prudence knew it required an act of will for Suzie not to comment on Wendell’s wrinkled T-shirt and corduroy pants or his wild hair sticking out at all angles. He took an involuntary step back towards the door, pretending to study a rack of T-shirts.
“I better go get that dress,” Prudence said. She hurried into the back room, where a pile of unfinished garments awaited her. She wished she could sit back here and work on them, losing herself in the steady hum of the sewing machine. She thought of Wendell standing out there with Suzie and grabbed the dress—dark green velvet with gold embroidery—from where it hung.
Wendell looked ready to leap into her arms when she returned. “That is such a lovely dress,” Suzie said. “It will really bring out the color of your eyes.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“If you want to come in a little later than usual I’ll understand,” Suzie said with a wink. Prudence blushed again and then followed Wendell through the door.
“That is a nice dress,” he said. “You made it?”
Children of Eternity Omnibus Page 58
