“Why?”
Angel came at me. “Why, you ask? Do you want to know why I’ve been called to High Dominion?”
I shrugged and said, “Hopefully it’s because of Charlotte.” Angel tossed her hands into the air. “Alixia, Charlotte has nothing to do with this. The High Dominion has a curiosity about you.”
“Why?”
“Because of your father.”
“My father?” I looked at Mother for an answer. “What’s this about?”
“You’re unique, Alixia, and they all know it. As I told you, there’s never been a child born from an outsider with the Ambrosine symbol or the abilities you possess.”
Angel took a couple of steps toward me. “I will handle this, Lucida.” Mother quietly moved to the side.
“What we’re all trying to tell to you is the Dominion has concerns with you right now. Being raised as an outsider and having attachments to them is not acceptable in the family.”
Now I was ticked off. “You know what? I really don’t care if they disapprove or not. Right now, my concerns are with Marcus, and I will never turn my back on a friend!”
“Alixia, please!” Mother cried out. “You must accept what Marcus is now and let go of your obsession with saving him.”
“No.” I said, annoyed that she even would ask me to do such thing. “If you think I’m going to let you destroy him.” Mother grabbed my shoulder. “Enough, Alixia! We’re finished with this.” Mother looked at Angel. “Let the Dominion know Alixia will be ready for the trip to France as scheduled.”
Angel moved close enough to me so that I could feel her breath on my cheek. “Alixia, we’re just trying to help you, that’s all. It’s time for you to let go of the outside world.” She stepped back. I stared at her.
They will never understand. My father was an outsider and his world will always be a part of me...
“Alixia, are you listening?”
“What, Mother?!”
“Do you understand that Angel just wants to help you?”
“Yes.” I said with bitterness. It was no use to argue with them anymore. I knew I had to be more secretive when it came to Marcus and how I actually felt about their world. I had to pacify them with deception, as they did me. I turned to her and said, “You’re right, I know you all are just trying to help me. I will try to be more understanding, I promise.”
Millie interrupted anxiously, “Angel! It’s time for us to get going. I have a meeting and you need to pack for your trip.”
Angel glanced at her watch. “You’re right.”
Madame Cecilia said, “We will all stop for today and go up together. We can work on more tomorrow. We all need to take a break and compose ourselves, right, Alixia?” She asked, eyeing me carefully.
I bit down lightly on my lip. “Yes, tomorrow will be fine.”
As we headed for the stairs, Angel took hold of my shoulder and stopped me. “I want to speak to you, Alixia, about something before we go up.” Everyone looked at us. “It’s all right,” Angel assured the others, “I just want a few more minutes of Alixia’s time.”
“Well, don’t be too long.” Millie said, looking at me with worry. Mother touched my hand and continued upstairs.
After I heard the door shut, I asked, “What is it? I hope it isn’t going to be another sermon on how I should conduct myself as an Ambrosine.”
“It’s about the vision, so don’t be sarcastic.”
“What about it?”
Suddenly, her face had the same anxious look as it did when I first told her about the flashes. “Do you think you could take my hand and try to have that vision again?”
“I can do it without taking your hand. But why? I told you what I saw.”
“It’s not about what you saw. It’s what you didn’t see.”
“What do mean?” Now she had my full attention.
“Remember when you mentioned….” She hesitated momentarily, and then she finished her sentence. “There was something close to us and you couldn’t make it out?” I nodded. Now I was becoming more curious.
“Well, that’s why I want to take your hand. Maybe between the two of us we will know who or what it was.”
“Okay.” I reached out my hand to hers and she took it. “Give me your other hand, too.” Angel instructed. We turned to face each other. I closed my eyes and began to focus, trying to get through to her thoughts. One thing I could sense as I went through her mind was that her power was unbelievable.
“Alixia!” She pulled at my hands. “Stay focused, please.”
“I’m sorry.” I relaxed and again thought of Phillip and her by the car. I began seeing an image of a tall man, muscular in build, in the shadows. The flashes kept coming. He was watching them intently as they spoke. Then he moved slowly back into the darkness. I could feel Angel tense up. “Who is he?” I asked. She let go of me and mumbled something in French. I could tell she was enraged about something.
“Alixia, this is not good.”
“Tell me, who is he?”
“Marcel Levesque.”
“Marcel Levesque? Why was he watching you and Phillip? How did he get so close to you?”
“I don’t know.” She said. I’ll have to talk with Madame Cecilia about this.” She grabbed my hand and we headed up the stairs.
“Angel, what’s going on?” I asked nervously.
“He knows.”
“He knows what?”
“He’s…” She stopped. Angel saw Madame Cecilia and bolted toward her, speaking rapidly to her in French. Mother came up behind, listening. “What is she saying, Mother?”
“She’s worried about Marcel knowing their plans about leaving.”
“Angel.” Mother said. “Marcel knows you are leaving?” Madame Cecilia and Angel stopped in mid-sentence. Angel’s eyes were dark as she looked at us and said, “Yes, he knows we’re leaving and he heard Phillip and me discussing how to handle the situation with Charlotte.”
“So, what does that mean now?” I asked. Mother touched my shoulder and interjected. “That means he will protect Charlotte and won’t let any harm come to her.” Madame Cecilia and Angel nodded agreement.
Then Angel added, “The High Dominion will have to be made aware that Marcel was close, without us being aware of it.”
“What?” Mother asked, walking over to her.
“He got close, and now we all know it will become dangerous.”
Quiet
Sitting out on the veranda, Mother, Madame Cecilia and I watched as Angel and Millie left down the road toward New Orleans. “Alixia?”
Mother touched my hand. “During Mardi Gras, I know you were planning to be with your friends.”
She didn’t have to finish. I said, “I’ll take care of it tomorrow. I would never have my friends around me now knowing that Charlotte is still out there.”
“Good. I am glad you understand. I just don’t want to go through another episode during Mardi Gras like we’re having with Marcus right now.”
Madame Cecilia added, “I agree.”
There was silence for a moment. I looked up into the night sky and noticed the stars were out in clusters, shining in contrast against the dark sky.
“Alixia.” I looked back at Mother. “I want to let you know we’re going to town tomorrow to get our costumes for the ball.”
“What? We get to wear costumes? I thought we were wearing those white robes and masks?” She smiled. “It’s a masquerade ball. We’re not all business, you know. We do join in on the festivities of Mardi Gras when we’re done with all the requests.”
I couldn’t believe it. We were actually going to do something that was normal. I stood up. Excitedly, I rushed over and kissed Mother on the cheek. Then I turned to Madame Cecilia and kissed her, too. The questions started pouring out of me. “What time are we going to town for our costume fittings? Are we going to attend some festivities in town during Mardi Gras?” Mother broke out with laughter. “Alixia, slow down. Are you going to let me ans
wer any of your questions?”
I looked at her devilishly and took her hands, pulling her up to me. “What are you doing, Alixia?” I laughed and said, “It’s time to practice some of our dance moves.”
“Alixia, you’re being foolish.” She giggled. I swung her around and reached my hand out to Madame Cecilia. She smiled and took my hand and joined in. We danced around, being completely silly, and enjoyed the rest of the evening together without an argument. It was a nice change to see everyone smile again.
The next morning I hurried to get ready for the day. I did not want to miss Mother and my usual morning time together. I washed, got dressed and went downstairs. I found her having her morning coffee as she read the paper. “Good morning!” I said enthusiastically, as I sat across the table from her.
“Good morning, Alixia.” She took a sip of coffee. “I have some good news for you.”
“You do?”
“Yes, they’re going to stop the investigation on Marcus.”
“They’re going to what?”
“Stop the investigation.” I came behind her to look over her shoulder. She opened the paper for me to see. I skimmed over it quickly, reading that his family had heard from Marcus and he was all right. They wanted to apologize to everyone for the inconvenience involved in his search. But, there wasn’t any mention of where he was or where he had gone.
I walked back to my seat at the table, conceding that Mother had been right. Marcus did contact his family. I wondered if I should call them. “Mother, do you think I should call his parents and talk them?”
She abruptly put down the paper and frowned. “No! It’s done now and we’re not involving ourselves any further with the outsiders in this matter, am I understood?” Her voice was stern.
“Yes.” I said reluctantly.
She continued reading the highlights of the paper to me, but I kept thinking of Marcus and wondered where he was right now. Suddenly, flashes of Marcus entered my mind. I froze. I heard my name. Mother repeated it again, “Alixia, are you okay?”
“Yes, I am fine. I was just in deep thought, that’s all!” She looked at me with suspicion and then said, “Were you having a vision?”
“No, I wasn’t. I was just thinking…of…Phillip, that’s all.” She knew I was hiding something. I could read her thoughts.
“Okay, I was just concerned, that’s all. You had a look on your face of panic, but never mind. Anyway, I was trying to get your attention to tell you we will be leaving for town soon.”
“What about Madame Cecilia? Is she coming with us?”
“Yes, she’s coming.”
“All right, I’m ready. All I need is my purse.”
Finally I was getting do something that wasn’t bizarre.
Driving through New Orleans, I noticed the city was already filling with tourists as we pulled to the curb and stopped in front of a dress shop.
As we walked in, a bell on the door announced our entrance. A stout woman with ruby-red lips came from behind the counter and walked directly to Madame Cecilia. “Bonjour, Madame Ambrosine. What can I do for you today?”
“Bonjour, Madame Doriane. We are here to pick out our costumes for Mardi Gras. You know my daughter, Lucida.”
“Bonjour, Lucida. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Bonjour, Madame Doriane.” Mother kissed the woman on her cheeks and then looked toward me. ”This is Alixia, my daughter”
“Yes, Alixia.” She took hold of my hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“I hope it’s all been good.” I said jokingly.
“Oh, it has been very good. I’m from the Gautier Family.”
“You are?”
“Oui, Phillip, he always talks about you. I don’t think he would ever say a bad word against you. But Charles, on the other hand, is a different story.”
“Yes, I know, but he will warm up to me eventually.”
Madame Doriane laughed heartily.
“All right.” Mother interrupted. “I thought we were here to try on costumes.”
I sensed she was agitated because we were talking about Charles. I knowingly smiled at her. Her cheeks reddened. She knew I was in her head. She took my hand and said, “Alixia, come on. We’re here to pick out dresses, remember? And we have a lot more to do today, so we must hurry along.”
”You’re right, Lucida. Enough talk. Let’s go look at some dresses.” Madame Doriane said jovially. She took us to a back room where racks of beautiful dresses lined the wall.
“What do you ladies have in mind?”
Madame Cecilia spoke up, “We were thinking maybe the 1860s for the costumes this year.”
“Good choice. Let me see what I can find.” She disappeared into the racks and then she came back with several dresses for each of us to try on.
A little while later, Madame Doriane was pinning my dress to fit me, and she asked, “Alixia, are you going to the Ball with Phillip?” I stared into the mirror, remembering that Marcus had already asked me. Madame Doriane tugged on my hem line, to get my attention. “Alixia, is there something wrong?”
“I am sorry. I was just thinking that he hasn’t asked me yet.”
All three of them simultaneously asked, “He hasn’t asked you yet?”
“No, he hasn’t, but I am sure he will.”
Madame Doriane gruffly said, “Well, he better ask soon or somebody else might swoop you up.”
The only one I want to swoop me up besides Phillip is Marcus.
I sighed, knowing that would never happen.
When we finished with our fittings, Madame Doriane told us our dresses would be ready in a couple of days and that she would have them delivered to the mansion. We said our goodbyes and continued on, following Mother’s list of things to do.
Finally we arrived back at the mansion just before dusk. Mother and Madame Cecilia went inside. I didn’t go in with them, but instead decided to stay outside and watch the sunset. I sat on the veranda steps and watched the sky turn a beautiful, bright orange and red with touches of yellow. I enjoyed the quietness. Then, I heard a car coming down the drive. It stopped in front of the mansion. The driver got out and opened the passenger’s door. Charles stepped out and made his way up the steps.
“Bonjour, Alixia.”
“Hello, Charles. What brings you out here tonight?”
“I am here to see Lucida, I mean your mother. Is she here?”
“Yes, she’s inside. Have you heard from Phillip yet?”
“No, and I don’t think either of us will hear from him for a couple of days.”
“Why?”
“They are in an isolated area of France and the High Dominion insists that it stays hidden, so there’s no modern technology allowed.”
“Oh.” I said a little disappointed. He leaned down, put his hand on my shoulder, and said reassuringly, “But you know that you can send Phillip a message anytime you want, don’t you?”
I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean by that?”
“Alixia, you’re an Ambrosine. You can get into anyone’s mind, no matter where they are. Actually, you surpass even your grandmother’s abilities. You’re very exceptional, you know.”
Whoa, where did this come from? He’s actually paying me a compliment.
I stammered, “Well…thank you. I’ll have to try it later. Oh, by the way, Charles, can Phillip answer me back?”
“Yes, sometimes.” Then he smiled at me and added, “He will be glad just to hear your thoughts in his head.” I smiled slyly, but didn’t reply to his comment. I stood up and walked to the door. He opened it and said, “After you.” I walked past him. “You’re not as arrogant as I thought, Charles. You can be nice when you want to be.”
“Thank you, I think.” He shook his head and laughed.
We went to find Mother. She was in the den with Madame Cecilia. “Mother, Charles Gautier is here to see you.”
“Bonjour, Charles. I’ve been waiting for y
ou. Did you bring what I need?”
“Yes. Are you ready to discuss the guest I am bringing?” She took his arm and said, “Yes, let’s get to it.” She glanced at me. “But let’s go into the library.”
They left the room and I flopped into a chair across from Madame Cecilia as she sat and read a book. “Well, what was that all about?” I asked.
She looked up from her book and said, “It’s about a guest who is going to need more privacy during his request for our abilities.” Puzzled, I asked, “So, you’re telling me some of these guests have private audiences with us?”
Madame Cecilia stood and walked slowly to the bookshelf. She slid her book into one of the open slots and with her back toward me, answered, “Yes, Alixia. Sometimes there are very prominent guests, so we take extra precautions to make sure the other guests are not aware of their presence.”
“Are they brought in secretly?”
She turned to face me. “Yes, you will see during Mardi Gras.” She returned to her chair and continued in a more serious tone, “Remember, Alixia, we never talk about what happens.”
“Yes, I know.” I said in a slightly insolent tone of voice. “Keep our beliefs cryptic, I understand. Okay?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Alixia, there’s no call for that attitude.”
“I‘m sorry, I didn’t mean it to come out that way. But, I’m getting tired of hearing it.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. Nevertheless, we will keep on reminding you and you have to stop this disrespectful mindset of yours.”
“I will work on it.” Madame Cecilia bit down on her lip and shook her head slowly. “I hope you do.”
I got up, walked to the window and gazed out. “I think I’ll give Millie a call and see how she is doing.” I said.
“You don’t have to call her. She’s staying here with us for a couple of days while her husband’s out of town.”
“She is?”
“Yes, she came over today while we were out shopping.”
“I’ll go upstairs and see how she is.”
“You do that. I am going to see how your mother is getting along with Charles.” She winked at me and left.
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