by Laury Falter
When he pulled his eyes away, he finally addressed those standing around me. “All of you came,” Jameson stated, nodding. “Good. It’ll be helpful for everyone on both sides to meet.”
Aunt Lizzy, who was now carefully stepping across the dock’s rotting boards, her arms spread eagle for stability, said, “Thank you for the ride.”
“Here,” said Jameson hastily climbing out of the boat. “Let me help you.”
“Oh…pish,” she said in frustration and a second later her feet were lifted up over the bow of the boat to her seat.
Vinnia chuckled in awe before following Aunt Lizzy’s example and simply levitating into the boat. She, Aunt Lizzy and I then lifted the rest of my cousins to their seats.
My mother and I, being the last ones on the dock, gave each other a fleeting glance before she asked, “You don’t need my assistance, do you?”
“No,” I replied, briefly stunned that she knew I had the ability to levitate. We’d kept that information hidden from Aunt Lizzy and Miss Mabelle. I’d also been careful not to use it since my mother arrived. But she had her ways of learning details about others which she had no qualms about applying to me. “How long have you known?”
“A while,” she replied coyly, gave me a wink, and levitated herself to her seat.
I could have levitated. Everyone knew this. But standing alone on the dock, I bent down and accepted Jameson’s hand. Knowing our touch would be limited under the eyes of our families tonight, I was going to take advantage of every situation I could. And as his hand came around mine and our eyes met, the heat of exhilaration settled in my stomach and I was glad to have decided on it.
Then Estelle threatened my plan by suggesting, “Think we should just levitate everyone there?”
Jameson came to my rescue by mentioning, “I need to get the boat back anyways - for my family.”
“Okay,” she shrugged and settled back against the boat’s edge, to my relief.
Jameson winked at me and then sat down. It was a calculated move so that he landed with our thighs pressed together. He must have known we would need to act with restraint too because he didn’t move the entire trip.
As we passed smoothly through the village I noticed that it was back to normal. Lanterns were lit outside the stilted homes. From within, light and laughter flowed out. As I watched, the heat from my stomach rose and settled in my chest, warming my heart.
Behind me, it remained silent and I knew my mother, aunt and cousins were studying the village. Then we reached our destination where people I assumed to be Jameson’s parents had congregated with Isadora at the end of her dock.
“And here we go…” Estelle chortled beneath her breath.
Mrs. Caldwell, a stout woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and a defined chin, was assessing us as we approached. She looked like someone who knew how to handle just about any situation, someone my mother could relate to. She was holding hands with Mr. Caldwell, a man with kind eyes, notably long legs, a stocky torso, and graying beard. He looked like Jameson might in fifty years if someone were to tell Jameson that his son had fallen in love with the enemy. In other words, he accepted it with poise and dignity.
Once we were tied to the dock and everyone had disembarked, Jameson ushered his parents forward and introduced us each by name.
Very carefully and with a great amount of hesitation, Mrs. Caldwell offered her hand. Only when my mother stepped up and took it did it seem like everyone breathed again. From there, the timidity lessened as hands crossed and genuine salutations were extended.
At the end of our introductions, Mrs. Caldwell hesitated just before admitting what was going through her mind. “I’ll be honest with you, Isabella. My initial instinct was to reject this meeting. I was also inclined to refute what Jameson has said about you and your family. But I think you can appreciate our sense of prudence.”
My mother smiled knowingly in response. “I’m glad you came.”
“We can thank Jameson’s persistence, the insistence of his brothers and sisters, and Ms. Veilleux for it.”
“Ah,” said my mother, realizing they’d made efforts to verify her story. “I would have met with her too.”
“We needed to…feel comfortable,” explained Mrs. Caldwell with a quick tilt of her head.
“Understandably. I imagine you’ve met with Isadora as well?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent,” sighed my mother. “I won’t have to repeat myself then.”
They laughed together and then fell into an awkward silence, each staring at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Jameson and I stiffened, both wondering if we’d need to intervene and then Mrs. Caldwell spoke.
“And all this time we considered you to be the enemies,” she said reflectively.
“You weren’t alone in that perception,” my mother replied.
“And this is the young woman who helped redefine that perception?” asked Mrs. Caldwell, turning toward me and assessing.
“Yes,” my mother answered before I could. “You can always count on Jocelyn to disrupt the norm.”
“Thanks,” I replied, sarcastically.
While others laughed, Mrs. Caldwell took my hand in hers. “It’s us who should be thanking you…you and your mother.” It was genuine and receptive and not something I would ever have expected a few weeks ago.
I gave her an appreciative smile which she returned before spinning around before beginning introductions with Aunt Lizzy, who accepted her hand with some reticence. My aunt was an emotive person who would take a little more time to sway. And I was sure she wasn’t the only one. Mrs. Caldwell appeared not to notice her reaction and casually suggested, “Shall we?” before strolling toward the door.
Jameson and I exchanged a look of relief then as we followed our families into Isadora’s home, his fingers playfully entwining with mine, tickling my palm softly, enticing me.
Once we entered, he dropped his arm, knowing as we crossed the threshold that it would be time again for solemn discussion.
Isadora’s small home had been converted into a meeting room with half as much space as was needed. Therefore, windows had been opened to relieve the stuffiness and floor space was scarce.
The Caldwells watched us file in and find a seat where we could. Charlotte watched everyone especially close. “You met outside already?” asked Charlotte, astutely, not bothering to hide her distress.
“Why?” asked Mr. Caldwell, taking a seat at the table along with the rest of the adults.
All eyes were now on Charlotte but she didn’t seem to care. “Well I wanted to see how it would go over.”
Jameson gave her a glare while their mother replied crossly, “It went over fine, Charlotte.”
Charlotte opened her mouth to speak but, knowing this, Mr. Caldwell cut her off. “So The Sevens have perfected the art of keeping us apart. What do we do now that they’ve failed?”
Blank stares were passed around the room then we all began to speak at once. In the midst of it, I heard Jameson’s voice in my head.
“Fresh air?” he asked.
I glanced down and noted that our knees were touching. Trying to hold back a smile, I replied without speaking, “Definitely.”
“I’ll go first,” he said, already moving to stand.
He left without anyone becoming aware of it. The discussion had turned heated but for the first time the Caldwells weren’t pitted against the Weatherfords. The dissenters were intermingled. So I left a few minutes later.
The voices from inside were unabated in their travels outside so the swamp was no longer peaceful tonight. As I stepped away from the door, I wondered if the farthest home could hear us.
“Jameson?” I called out in a hushed voice because he had disappeared into the dark. Even the lantern beneath Isadora’s rafters casting a glow across the dock did little good.
“Jameson?” I said again, a little louder.
When I came around the corner he was there at the
end of the dock, gazing out across the swamp, his shoulders square, his legs standing slightly apart.
I moved down the dock toward him, stepping on a loose board and drawing his attention. He rotated at the waist and finding me there his eyes brightened.
“I didn’t hear you come out.”
“I guessed that,” I replied teasing.
He strode the two steps to meet me and then taking my hand pulled me back to the edge of the dock.
“I was…thinking.”
“About what to do?” I asked, nodding my head toward the shack.
“No, fate’s already determined that.”
“I know what you mean. Looks like they’ll need to figure it out on their own.” Because there was no way I would ever initiate the conclusion they would inevitably come to. I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it.
He smiled sadly in response, understanding, and then changed the subject. “I was thinking about when I first came here…the smells, the sounds, the people, everything about it was like a foreign world to me…a refuge to me. The people here have built a home based on a common bond that The Sevens created.”
“And if they can do it so can we,” I replied, inferring his message.
“Right. The Sevens failed to truly punish these people. Because the villagers found a way around it. And now so have our families.” His arms wrapped around me in a solid grip, amazement playing with his features. “It’s the first time I’ve recognized the kink in their armor. And it’s all because of you.”
“Me?” I asked, jerking my head back.
“You challenge my logic, make me question theories, ideas, and things that I’ve never bothered to see before. You make me see the world in a different way. Because of you, I have awakened.”
He dropped his lips to my forehead, kissing there gently and then left a trail of feather-light kisses down the edges of my temple to my ear. From there, he whispered, “Jocelyn Weatherford…”
“Mmmhmm?”
“Do you know how unwound I am around you?” he asked in awe.
I pulled back slightly, stunned. “Really?” I hoped but I wasn’t certain.
“Really,” he said soft but emphatic. Then his lips were on mine, a perfect match to the contours of my own, tenderly discovering me in ways no one else had.
A clearing of the throat gave us the hint that we weren’t alone and we found Isadora at her door. Her expression was blithe but her actions, the point of a finger toward the inside, told us we shouldn’t push our luck.
“Funny, I was just wondering how much more time we would have together.” Without bothering to elaborate, we walked back inside, hand in hand.
Mrs. Caldwell was in the middle of asking my mother a question so she was the only one who seemed to be unaware that we were back in the room. “So you believe that Vires will begin to appear…”
“…Within a day or two,” my mother confirmed.
“We’ll need to warn others…” said Mrs. Caldwell.
My mother nodded in agreement. “That is under way. Dissemination has begun from neighbor to neighbor.”
“That’s good,” said Mr. Caldwell. “It’ll take time to reach the entire province.”
“Yes,” my mother agreed, “and very soon we will find Vires in every public area that those in our world frequent…including Ms. Veilleux’s school.”
“Once it’s repaired,” Burke commented.
“That is under way as well,” my mother replied. “Should be complete in the next few weeks.”
“And now…” Mrs. Caldwell said pivoting her body in her chair. Apparently, she’d just found a need to address Jameson and me. “There is the question of how to handle the two of you.”
“Yes.” My mother shifted to face us as if the two of them were sharing the same thought. “And they may not like what has been proposed.”
From the looks on my cousin’s faces and Jameson’s siblings, I could tell that was an understatement. It wasn’t until they spoke up did I know just how much they had seen of us proclaiming our love in the courtyard.
“Good luck with that…” Burke muttered under his breath.
“Yeah,” agreed Vinnia. “What they have…you can’t hide easily.”
Charlotte, who’d been fiddling with a loose splinter in the floorboard, simply snickered as if she were about to watch an attempt at something fail miserably.
They received hard looks from their mothers while my mother delivered the news. Standing and strolling to a stop in front of Jameson and me, she said, “Given that Vires will be lurking around every corner, we think,” she waited for Mrs. Caldwell’s nod of support before continuing, “that it is best if you two were not to see each other for a while.”
“We need to give them the impression that they’ve succeeded in keeping you separate,” Mrs. Caldwell added hastily after seeing my face tighten.
Jameson and I glanced at each other, conveying in that brief second that neither of us was surprised by this change in course. We’d both faced the reality of our situation already. We knew it was coming.
He turned toward me, tenderly cupping my cheeks, his crystal green eyes gently evaluating me.
“Looks like fate has determined it,” I whispered so only he could hear.
“We both knew it was coming, didn’t we?” he replied, channeling his thoughts to keep them private. He waited for me to nod, which I did, dejectedly. “We can do this, Jocelyn.” I nodded again but not before swallowing back tears. “We were told the first day we met…”
“Fated lovers,” I channeled back to him.
“Yes,” he replied feverishly, drawing my face toward his in a moment of passion. “We are meant to be together. I waited for you all these years, not really knowing it. And now that we found each other, something that was never supposed to happen, we aren’t going to let it fail. I love you, Jocelyn. Forever. No amount of space or time will change it.”
“No…” I said back, my lips remaining still, letting him feel the intensity of my response. “No, we won’t let it. The Sevens will not win.” He grinned at the flat refusal in my tone, which deepened when I stated, “I love you. Every part of you, including the part that makes you a Caldwell.”
Only then did I notice our families watching but not trying to be noticeable.
With Jameson’s gorgeous clear green eyes warm and yearning, he released me but not after a long hesitation.
Mr. Caldwell cleared his throat uneasily. It seemed we’d caught him off guard with our display of affection and he wanted to get back to business. “It’s important that everyone behave as usual. Behave as if the status quo remains. No obvious camaraderie, no signs of cooperation.”
“Oh, I think it might take more than that to convince others,” Burke said while Oscar nodded agreement.
“In other words,” said Alison, snickering, “let’s not let our audience down.”
“Which means more fights in the hallways,” Estelle called out, gleefully.
“More dirty looks,” Charlotte added, just as loud and with far too much exuberance to keep the adults comfortable.
“More snide remarks,” said someone else.
Before long, the room was full of entertaining ways to act with vengeance against one another. While it was all done with humor eventually the adults in the room quieted us and responded in their own way. They all condoned our ideas but none were thrilled in giving the approval to act disobediently. It was better than the alternative which meant dealing with The Sevens’ reprisal.
Jameson and I were the only ones who didn’t participate. We stood back, watching, holding hands, knowing that the longer they talked the longer we could stay together. Jameson and I didn’t leave each other’s side for the duration of it as we listened to our families build a friendship we didn’t think possible. The conversation did go on but eventually the moment came. And as everyone else said their goodbyes, Jameson and I waited, rebellion against time.
Being the most qualified to maneuver the
boat Jameson would need to take us back to the bank where we’d left my car, which granted us just a few more minutes. It was tight but we managed to fit everyone in. Again Jameson and I sat with thighs pressed against each other, causing sparks of excitement to shoot through me. They competed with the sorrow I felt at inching closer to the dock. Soon Jameson and I would need to part completely and for an indeterminate length. My only consolation was that the motor ran slower from the sheer weight it carried. When I saw the sliver of wood in the distance I actually felt my heart sink deeper in my chest.
After Jameson pulled up, tied the boat, and our families stepped out, he and I made certain to be the last to leave. Our legs carried us slowly down the dock and up the small embankment. Then Jameson’s arms were around my hips, pulling me close to him, and our chests were touching.
Knowing that in some moment’s words fail, we stood in silence, the intensity of our stare, the set of his jaw, and the struggle to contain my tremble conveyed everything we needed before our separation began.
Our families gave us time, a testament to their understanding of what this was going to do to us.
Then someone cleared their throat and we painfully pulled away. Our feet moved with the weight of cement blocks toward them, our hands releasing only at the very last possible moment. My heart wrenched with each step as they carried me away from Jameson, toward beginning the illusion that he and I were strangers.
Only then did I see the two figures standing hidden in the shadows below the trees.
I recognized them instantly.
The Vires had arrived.
Brief Biography
Laury Falter is the author of the bestselling Guardian Trilogy. She lives with her husband and two stray dogs in Las Vegas. She has been secretly writing for most of her life and only released her first novel after the insistence of her sister, Babs.
