The exterior of the house was beautiful. It was a plantation house just like those that Meghan had seen back at home, the kind where you would pay to tour the interior and the surrounding grounds. Meghan turned to study the house, taking it all in.
“So we’ll have this whole house to ourselves?” She asked.
“You have the top floor,” the female cherub said. “The bottom floor is occupied by another couple. There are several of these houses here in Fractus, each of them are shared by two married couples. Here,” she held a bouquet out to Meghan.
Meghan took the bouquet from her and sniffed it. It was the green of garlic and chives that had been tied together with a white ribbon. “It smells like dinner,” she said, “but let me guess, it’s -”
The female cherub spoke up. “It’s to scare away evil spirits and it represents fertility.”
The cherubs led Meghan around the house. Through a set of camellia trees there was a path that led to the garden. The garden was lush with greenery and flowers. A dozen or so hummingbirds darted past. There was what Meghan thought were clear string lights draped along the branches, but upon closer inspection she realized that they were small glass jars that had been tied onto a length of twine. Each jar had a lightning bug inside. Several people were standing around. Each of them was holding a copy of the same paper that had been slipped underneath her bedroom door. Meghan knew that some of them were probably Durori and others were the ones that had been marked to fall in love with them. It was impossible to differentiate one from the other.
Underneath a canopy of flowering honeysuckle there was Embry. He was wearing a long, deep blue frock coat. Underneath that coat he was wearing a waist coat and a white shirt. His tan breeches were tight across his thighs. Tall boots were up his calves. A top hat rested on his head. A red bird feather was tucked in the band. When he looked up at Meghan, even from the distance, she could see the sparkle of his blue eyes. He smiled at her and she felt herself smile back. It was the happiest moment of her entire life. Even through the happiness, she had a quick jab of remorse that Shane was not there to witness the union of his two friends, but reminded herself of what the cherub had told her earlier, to enjoy this moment, and she intended to, but briefly wondered why she was so willing to go along with everything that seemed to happening with the speed of light.
Everyone else that was standing in the garden turned to look at her. Upon seeing her, there were gasps from the women as they marveled at how perfect she looked. Meghan watched as one man elbowed another in the side. They smirked, obviously happy with the sight of her overflowing bosom.
The cherub with the scar motioned for Meghan to walk. Meghan stepped across the ground. She walked slow, savoring the moment. She noticed a small dog that was tied to an azalea bush. Jericho. It made Meghan even happier than she already was to see the canine there with them. Soon she was face to face with Embry. He took her hands in his and they kissed.
After the ceremony, a banquet was held in the dining room that was on the bottom level of the house.
After Embry carried Meghan across the threshold of the house, they walked into the room, and everyone else was already there. All of them were standing around the perimeter of the room, several feet from the table, rigid against the wall. Several lighted candles were lined along the walls, and a few were centered on the tabletop. A cherub was perched on top of each of the high chair backs. Like most weddings, seating arrangements had been preplanned. Place cards had been placed in front of each chair. Of course Meghan would be sitting by Embry. All at once, the cherubs burst into flight and pulled the chairs out from the table. The chair legs screeched across the hardwood and everyone sat.
To Meghan’s left, there was a woman by the name of Valerie. Valerie had brown hair that was crimped and teased to outrageous heights. Similar to Meghan, she was wearing an 1800 era ball gown, but hers had been cut and was dropping off one shoulder. The other shoulder had a large, fabric flower attached. Meghan assumed that the flower had been constructed from the fabric that had been removed. The dress resembled a tacky bridesmaid’s dress or outdated prom gown. Valerie’s makeup was way overdone with blue eye shadow and red lipstick. Meghan learned that Valerie was the last person before her to be marked. That had been back in 1987. After telling her the year, Meghan understood the makeup and hair. Valerie and her husband, Darren, were the couple that lived on the bottom floor of the house where she and Embry would be living. Darren was a tall and stocky man with a handlebar mustache that perfectly matched the shade of his blonde hair. He wasn’t dressed as fancy as Embry, but in a similar style with a white shirt, black vest, and trousers. A pocket watch’s chain was attached to the front of the vest, and the watch itself was slipped into the pocket.
Dinner was wheeled into the dining room on a large serving cart that was being pushed by one of the cherubs. The cart held a platter of thinly sliced veal, a tray of large, multicolored heirloom tomatoes that had been roasted whole, stem and all, and finally a separate platter of plump, red strawberries. There was a separate cart just for the amazing amount of ale and beer that was being offered.
After serving each course, dinner itself was a loud and raucous affair, full of clapping, laughter, and loud voices that were no doubt fueled by the alcohol. Meghan watched Embry interact with his friends. It was good to see him act so comfortable.
During the meal, Embry excused himself to go to the restroom, and Valerie leaned over to whisper in Meghan’s ear. “If you think he was good before, wait until tonight,” she said. “Being married is a whole other ball of wax if you catch my drift. It won’t be as often, but whoa,” she said. “When it does happen, it – is - worth it.”
Meghan looked from Valerie to Darren. She felt herself begin to blush at the thought of the two of them together.
After dinner, the guests left, and Embry and Meghan retired to their room. After shutting the door, Embry turned to Meghan and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her passionately on the lips. He eased her backward across the floor and pushed her onto the bed. Jericho was lying in the fluffy pile of pillows that had been tossed onto the floor.
Meghan sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Embry undressed in front of her. First he removed his coat, then waistcoat, then shirt. Piece by piece, he tossed the clothes to the side where they landed in a rumpled mess on the floor. He sat on the edge of the bed where he unlaced his boots and pulled them off his feet. When he stood back up he was only wearing the breeches and top hat. He reached his hand to the waistband of his pants, but Meghan stopped him.
“Come here,” she said and held her hand out to him. He put his hand in hers and she tugged him closer to her. “Let me,” she said and finished what he had started.
Embry pushed Meghan so that she was lying flat on her back. He climbed on top of her and hoisted the full dress all the way up to her waist. He pulled at the top to the dress, wanting to cover her with kisses. When he pulled, there was the sound of ripping fabric. Both of them paused in their endeavor long enough to laugh. Meghan’s chest was exposed. Like he had intended, Embry covered her flesh with his hands and mouth.
Meghan was smiling beneath him, enjoying him enjoying her, and pretty soon they had fallen into a rhythm that was thrumming and caused the bed’s massive headboard to slam against the wall.
Embry paused. “Let’s make a vow to do this every day from now on,” he said in between pants of warm, alcohol covered breath.
“Whatever you say,” she said. “Just don’t stop now.”
And so he started back up again. Below them the bed creaked, and once again the large, solid headboard banged against the wall in cadence with their bodies.
“I HEARD you last night,” Valerie said the next day and winked at Meghan. It was a little over midway through the First Twelve. They were sitting in a pair of rocking chairs that were on the front porch. A white bowl of strawberries sat on the small table that stood between them. Embry and Darren were at a meeting with The Master where it was
to be decided what their next assignment would be.
Meghan turned bright red. “You heard that?” She said and laughed.
“How could I not? It sounded like the piston of a steam engine, and if Embry is anything like Darren, it probably felt like it too,” Valerie said as she put one of the strawberries in her mouth and bit it off at the leafy, green cap and stem.
“I heard something last night too,” Meghan said.
“Not us,” Valerie said with a shake of her head. “Darren was out like a light.”
“No. It was outside my window, a growling. But it sounded -,” she searched her mind for the right word, “pleasurable,” she said.
After Embry had dozed off, Meghan had stayed awake, unable to sleep in the strange place. As she had lay there, thoughts of everything spun tornado like through her mind. Embry, Shane, Fractus, The Indescribable, and her life back on Earth; all of it had kept her up. Outside the window there was a growling. It hadn’t been a growl of fear or anger, but more of one of fulfillment. The sound had scared her and given her chills. She had already seen first hand the strangeness of Fractus and was terrified of what could be on the other side of the wall.
“That’s The Master,” Valerie said, nodding her head. “During the First Twelve, while everyone else is sleeping, he goes to the tree on the other side of the wall. I used to hear him too. It used to keep me up, but I guess you get used to it.”
“What do you mean he goes to the tree?”
“The tree gives him power or something like that. Nobody really knows. It’s a big secret among the Primordial.”
“Have you ever seen him?”
Valerie shook her head. “He stays to himself. He makes the rules and we follow them. He is the law and order of this place, but he stays out of our way and we stay out of his.”
“Where does he live? One of the cherubs mentioned something about how he used to live in this house.”
Valerie nodded. “He and The Mistress have a palace that is much bigger and elaborate than this.”
“Where is it?”
“It’s like everything else here. It’s through the woods,” Valerie stated matter-of-factly and pointed toward the stretch of wooded area that was in front of them. “The path in the woods always takes you to wherever it is that you need to go, no matter where it is.”
Accepting the explanation of the magical woods, Meghan asked another question. “So how big is Fractus, anyway?”
“OK, this might be hard to comprehend, but what around here isn’t? Anyway, it is only the size of this,” Valerie motioned around at their surroundings. “It is the size of this piece of land that the house is on, the woods, and the overlook that is past the trees. It’s just those three things.”
Meghan looked at her, confused.
“I know, like I said, it is kind of hard to comprehend, but don’t forget that just like the woods, the whole thing, all of it, was created with magic, so really anything is possible. Anyway, when you go into the woods it’s like you travel through a lapse in space. You end up on this same piece of land, but it is different. Like I said before, it’ll be where you wanted to go. The overlook is where the portals always open up.”
Meghan nodded. She remembered that when she and Embry had come out of the portal they had been on the stone overlook.
“I’ve told you about the woods and the overlook, but this piece of land is what changes. There are thirteen houses just like this one. And when I say just like, I mean just like. The Master simply replicated this house twelve times. Each house holds two Durori and their True Loves. Just like ours. There is The Master’s palace and the laboratory.”
“The laboratory?”
Valerie nodded. “It’s where they experiment and perform the procedures. Most of the experiments are done on foxes until they get it right and then they’ll implement them on the Durori. Sometimes even then it doesn’t go exactly as planned, and the result is undesirable. There’s a legend of a hairy, wolf-like creature that roams the woods. It’s supposedly a failed attempt from when they first tried to make it so that the Durori could retract their horns and wings, change in and out of Durori form. At the time, all they had to go off of was the idea of werewolves. You know how they can change and all. Anyway, it didn’t work out, and that creature supposedly wanders around out there.” She looked toward the woods. “The laboratory is where they change the humans into Durori when they are first brought here.”
“What do you mean they change them when they are first brought here?”
“When they are brought here from Earth they change them and -”
“Wait a minute. Are you telling me that all of the Durori were once human?” It made sense. That would explain the human-like qualities that she had been seeing in Embry. It would explain the compassion and the need to help that he exhibited for the stranger that night at the motel. This new information made it more promising than ever that it would be possible to change him. If he had been human at one time, there has to be a way to change him back, Meghan rationalized.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. You didn’t know?”
Meghan shook her head. Embry or Shane had never mentioned it.
“But as soon as they are brought here they start forgetting their previous life. Just like me and you, it doesn’t take long for us to forget all of it.”
Meghan thought about how everything from her life before she had been brought to Fractus had slowly been slipping away from her and realized that it had been since the moment that she had stepped foot onto the overlook. She could barely even remember what her own mother and father looked like. She didn’t want to forget. She wanted to hold on to those memories as long as she could. But forgetting would explain why she had been so easily accepting of her new life, why she had been so willing and eager to go through with the wedding when Shane had just been taken away.
“Why does he do it? I mean, what does The Master get out of it all?”
“I think that the knowledge of it is enough,” Valerie said. “Just knowing that he has created the Durori and that they are at his beckoning call is the primary reason. For him it’s all about control.”
“Can you take me to the laboratory?” Meghan asked. “I want to see it for myself.”
Valerie nodded. “What about tonight? At around the quarter of the way through the First Twelve? It’ll be safer then. The rest of Fractus will be sound asleep, and The Master should be at the tree doing his thing.”
THAT EVENENING, over half of the way through the Second Twelve, Meghan bolted into the kitchen where Embry was busy preparing dinner. She knew that he would be there and was certain that he would be alone. Cooking was something that he liked to do in solitude. It was the perfect time to bring up the subject.
The kitchen was enormous. The walls and cabinets were white. Butcher block counter tops stretched all the way around the perimeter. There was only the white stove and the old, ice-box type of refrigerator to break up the stretch of wood. A large island stood in the dead center of the room. A metal rack was above the island with nice copper pots, pans, and utensils hanging from it. There was already a huge pot resting on the stovetop with the thinnest plume of smoke rising up. A blue flame was underneath. Embry was standing at the counter next to the stove, chopping vegetables on a thick, solid wood cutting board. Meghan saw bell peppers, onions, and okra. The entire kitchen smelled divine.
“What are you making?” She asked from behind him.
Without pausing in his work, Embry spoke up. “Ever since we were in Emecheta I’ve been dying for a good pot of gumbo,” he said with a chuckle.
Meghan walked over and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. “Valerie said that you and the other Durori were brought here as humans.”
Embry stopped cutting and looked at her. He was speechless.
“Why haven’t you ever told me about that?” She sounded more confrontational than she intended, and realizing how she sounded, she apologized. “I’m sorry, I don’t
mean to sound nagging or anything, I just -”
“None of that matters, Meghan.” He started back to chopping the vegetables and was obviously frustrated. “I don’t remember any of it anyway.”
“Yeah, I know. We start forgetting as soon as we get here, she told me that too, but the fact of you once being human opens up a whole new range of possibility, Embry.”
“Meghan, why can’t you just accept things for what they are? All of that is in the past. Like I said, none of it matters.”
“Do you remember anything at all?”
“Meghan.” He held the knife still and shook his head. “It’s like,” he searched for a good way to describe the situation. “It’s like being reincarnated.” He looked at her. “If you were reincarnated into someone else, do you think that your previous life would mean anything to who you are as that new person?”
“Actually, I do. I think that bits and pieces would ripple through. I understand that you think that since it is all in the past and you can’t remember any of it that it doesn’t matter, but it does. The past holds a very important role in the present. I mean, have you ever thought about where your love of cooking comes from? Maybe that is from when you were human.”
“Why does it have to come from anywhere? It just is,” he told her. “This is what I was created to be.”
“It’s not,” she shook her head and wondered for the first time if he was experiencing Stockholm Syndrome, a psychological condition where the people that are affected by it refuse help from others. “This is not the way it’s supposed to be, Embry. If what Valerie said is true, you were changed into this, and I believe now more than ever that every one of you can be changed back to what you were before, back to being humans.”
Embry placed the knife flat on the cutting board. He scooped up the chopped vegetables with his hands placed together and dropped them into the large pot that already had a deep brown roux cooking in the bottom. There was the aromatic sizzle of the vegetables hitting the heat. “Well, what if it was our choice,” he said. “You make it sound like we were forced to come here and become this, but the truth is that since we can’t remember, we don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a wooden spoon from a bucket of utensils and began stirring the vegetables into the roux.
Indescribable: Book Two of the Primordial Page 11
