Ageless

by Cege Smith

  Blinding colors stung her retinas, and everything was in sharp focus. Whatever had happened to her eyesight appeared to be resolved. She was lying horizontally on a soft surface. Violet found herself looking up at a canopy of voluminous blue and green fabric rippling in a breeze that she could also feel skimming her skin. She sat up. It took her a moment to realize what she was seeing, because at first she thought she was looking at the edge of the world. But then her eyes adjusted to the twilight outside, and she saw that what she was actually looking at was a vast body of water. Her ears perked up hearing the waves break against the sandy beach.

  Peering out from beneath the canopy, she could see stars starting to appear in the night sky. After days of feeling like her world had been consolidated into luxurious, yet confining spaces, the vastness of the empty beach and endless ocean made her feel small. She looked around her. She couldn’t see anything other than the ten-by-ten area covered by the canopy shade, and the beach chair she had recently exited. Behind her, she could see sand dunes rising up to tall grass, but there weren’t any houses or signs of civilization to be seen. It was just Violet, the sand, and the ocean.

  She felt disoriented. Then she looked down at her hands and sighed in wonder. Her skin glowed again in the shiny gold swirls and strange symbols. As she examined them, she found she wasn’t afraid of them. Seeing them there, even though she didn’t know what they meant, comforted her. The symbols twirled up her wrists and forearms to her biceps, and then on her right side they continued upwards. She looked down at her chest and saw that they were there too. Stepping out from underneath the canopy, she used the weak moonbeams to examine them more closely.

  In the moonlight, she laughed in delight as she watched the color alternate between gold and shimmering silver. She lost herself studying each one in minute detail. She slipped down into the sand and fell onto her back. She giggled and then that turned into a deep belly laugh. It seemed absurd. A good third of her body was glowing, but she didn’t care. It felt right and natural. Her laughter finally subsiding, she let her arms fall to her sides and gazed up at the full moon. Violet felt at peace.

  She didn’t move. She allowed herself to be present in the moment for the first time in a long time. She didn’t care where she was. She didn’t care what had happened to her. She didn’t even care much about what had happened to her grandparents. There was nothing for her to worry about, and her body completely relaxed.

  When the shadow fell over her, blocking the moon, she wasn’t startled. She had been expecting someone to eventually turn up. The moon threw contoured shadows over his face, but she reached up for his hand.

  “Hello, Jonah,” she said in a lilting voice that she barely recognized as her own. “Do you see?” She nodded towards the symbols on her hands. “Aren’t they amazing?”

  She saw the frown on his face as he took her hand and then settled onto the sand next to her. She sat up, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

  Jonah pulled his knees up to his chest. He wrapped his arms around them and then settled his chin on top of his kneecaps. He stared out at the water. In that moment, Violet saw nothing but a young man who was as lost as she had felt just a short time before. Her heart ached for him. She reached out and stroked the back of his hair and she felt him tremble at her touch.

  “He didn’t trust me. I could have killed you; I almost did. For a thousand years I’ve done everything he’s ever asked, and still he views me as nothing but his kid brother who needs to only be on a need-to-know basis,” Jonah said. There was venom in his voice. “I’m sorry, Violet. I had no idea.”

  Violet knew that she should be angry with him, but she wasn’t. Everyone made mistakes. She kept stroking his hair. “It’s all right, Jonah. I forgive you. Even if you guys did almost kill me by blowing up the train in the first place. You would have thought there would have been an easier way to sneak me out of there.”

  Jonah’s head whipped around and he stared at her. The movement was so sudden that it took her breath away. “We had nothing to do with that. Elysa was going to kill your grandparents and take you away and blame it on Jeremiah so that she could turn everyone against us. She set your grandmother up, Violet. I swear that we had nothing to do with that. Of course, the whole thing is really all Jeremiah’s fault. If he would have handled things a bit more delicately with Elysa, none of this would have happened.”

  The intensity of his gaze was as unsettling as the accusations that he was making against his brother. Violet didn’t want to be part of any of that. She just wanted to be happy and bask in the moment, but she didn’t know what to say to tell Jonah that without making it sound like she was ungrateful that he saved her.

  Her ears caught the sound of movement coming from the dunes and she turned her head. Jonah pulled her hand to his lips and that drew her attention back to him. “Whatever happens, Violet, just know that I care for you more than you could ever know,” he whispered.

  Violet realized that she was going to have to let Jonah know soon that she liked him, but only in a friend kind of way. He was handsome, charming, and fun, but he wasn’t the one that set her heart aflutter.

  Then she saw a spark of fire in the tall grass and that brought her to her feet. The words of a familiar song reached her ears as the grass parted, revealing Margo coming down the sand dune. She was carrying a large cake. The sparks Violet had seen were the lit candles on top.

  “Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you!” Margo had a wide grin on her face, and Violet was delighted to see her. Then two more voices joined Margo’s. Although Jonah still grasped her hand, she found herself looking to find his brother.

  “Happy Birthday, dear Violet.”

  “Happy Birthday to you.”

  She finally narrowed in on his husky voice alone, and then there he was standing off to the side of the canopy. He seemed hesitant, which surprised her. Then she saw the scowl on his face when he saw her fingers intertwined with Jonah’s. She tried gently to pull her hand away, but Jonah held it fast. She couldn’t yank herself free without possibly causing a scene, so she waited.

  Then Margo was in front of her with the candles inches from Violet’s face. On the dark beach, the candles illuminated little but Margo’s face, which was a picture of delight even though Violet could sense a smidgen of wariness in her eyes. “Happy Birthday, Violet! Make a wish.”

  It was a loaded request. Past and present collided and Violet could almost see the future there in the dancing sparks. She was uncertain about many things, but she knew from the depths of her soul that she had a purpose far greater than she ever imagined. She needed to live and survive to fulfill that, and so that was her wish. She took a deep breath and blew out the candles. All went out but one, and as she raised her hand to wave air across it to extinguish it, she could see that the glow of her skin wasn’t as bright as before.

  “Did you bring the plates like I asked?” Margo shot over her shoulder to Jeremiah. Violet was surprised to hear Margo’s tone, but then Jeremiah stepped forward with a bashful look, holding out a plastic bag.

  “Men just don’t know how to coordinate anything,” Margo said under her breath to Violet with a wink. “C’mon, Jonah. Help me cut this up. I’m sure Violet is starving!”

  Violet looked at Jonah and saw a moment of regret in his eyes. His warm palm finally left hers, and he stepped under the canopy to take the bag from Jeremiah. Margo had already set the cake on the chair and was barking orders in Jonah’s direction.

  Violet held her breath as Jeremiah stepped to her side. “Happy Birthday, Violet. I am relieved to see that you appear to have made a full recovery. Jonah was very concerned about your welfare.”

  “Was he the only one?” she asked lightly.

  “We were all worried,” he said solemnly, not taking the bait. “How are you feeling?”

  Violet had minimal experience flirting, and knew she was horrible at it. That left just being herself. “Honestly, I’m still trying to sort out what happened, bu
t it’s fine.” Her glance fell on Margo and Jonah bent over her cake. Then her eyes were drawn back to Jeremiah’s. “I admit that this isn’t exactly how I saw my birthday celebration in my mind.”

  He frowned. “We can go wherever you want. Margo thought that you may appreciate celebrating in a familiar setting that held pleasant memories for you.”

  “No, no, it’s not that,” she tried to reassure him. She remembered the long conversations with Margo at the coffee shop talking about her family’s summer vacations at the beach. It warmed her to think that Margo had remembered. “It’s just...a lot has happened over the last few days. I mean, I’m glowing, for Pete’s sake. It takes awhile to adjust.”

  She could hardly believe that she was eighteen. It seemed like the whole of her life up to that point was meant to prepare her for these next steps. She wanted to experience everything all at once, and she tried to keep a tight rein on her emotions.

  “There is so much that I want to tell you, Violet. Your whole life is opening up before you. I am honored to be part of this day with you. It’s the day that your destiny is revealed,” Jeremiah said.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Are you a fortune-teller now?”

  A wry grin flitted across his face. “I’ve lived a long time. It should relieve some of your anxiety to know that you will be able to benefit from my experience.”

  “I want to have my own experiences, Jeremiah,” she said. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like a chasm opened between them as she said those words. Something in his eyes flickered, and then he stiffened.

  “The cake appears to be ready,” he said, gesturing formally toward Margo, who practically shoved a plate of an enormous piece of cake into Violet’s hands.

  “Thanks, Margo,” she said. She was secretly pleased to see that it was a rich chocolate cake; her favorite. It was like a dream. She was standing on a beach on her birthday with her best friend and two totally hot guys, one of whom she was definitely interested in. She shoved aside the fact that the trio were all vampires. It was her birthday and she wasn’t going to let a little thing like that ruin it.

  Although she saw that Margo had thoughtfully cut several pieces, no one except Violet seemed to be eating it. Remembering Margo’s earlier comment about how good she smelled, Violet decided it was a safer course of action to study the stars. As the wind whipped across the dunes, she felt her hair float above her shoulder blades and she shivered.

  “You’re cold,” Jonah said. “Let’s make a fire.”

  Before Violet could protest he was already gone. Violet caught a frustrated expression on Margo’s face before her friend wiped it off. Her suspicions were mounting that Margo’s feelings for Jonah weren’t really ancient history. She felt like she had done nothing but blink when she found a fire pit at her feet, and Jonah was pushing her down onto a makeshift chair made out of a piece of driftwood. Jonah had placed three other pieces around the fire, and although she watched Jeremiah and Margo settle onto two of them, Jonah gestured for her to scoot over so that he could sit next to her.

  She flushed, feeling the heat of Jeremiah’s gaze over the waves of warmth now floating over the fire. Whether she liked it or not, she appeared to have two men vying for her attention. Most girls would probably kill to be in that situation, but she had no idea how to deal with it. She wanted to know if Jeremiah was interested in more than just what he thought she’d do for him, and she had to find out a way to gently let Jonah down. It was exhausting to think about, so she decided to put it from her mind. Today was her birthday, and tomorrow she could worry about bigger decisions about her future. Today, she just wanted to be.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Margo produced a bottle of champagne, and everyone toasted to Violet’s birthday. Violet saw the surprise in Jeremiah’s eyes when she downed her first cup right away and asked for more. She felt ready to take on the world. Letting her thoughts wander, Violet realized that the three sitting around her had all lived lifetimes longer than her short time on earth.

  “What did you do for your eighteenth birthday, Margo?” Violet asked, sipping out of the plastic cup and looking up again at the stars.

  “My parents threw me a very grand party,” Margo said with a bemused smile. “Tommy Roden proposed to me that night.”

  Violet almost choked on her drink. “You were engaged?”

  “It wasn’t that unusual back then, Violet,” Margo said. “Eighteen was an appropriate age to get married.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I said no,” Margo said with a laugh. “Tommy Roden wasn’t my only suitor at the time. Plus he was dumb as a box of rocks. Sweet though.” Margo picked at her jeans and Violet wondered where her thoughts had gone. Then Margo looked up and squealed. “Presents!” She clapped her hands.

  Violet was taken aback. “Oh no, you guys didn’t have to get me anything.”

  Jonah leaned in and knocked her shoulder with his. “It’s your birthday. Of course we did.”

  It felt natural, sitting there joking with the three of them. Violet wondered if that had to do with her past, and the fact that the Ward and Montrose families had lived side by side so long ago. She felt herself drawn to wanting to know more about them. But more importantly, she wanted to know how her past was going to impact her future. Based on the fact that her skin, which had now returned to its normal state, seemed to be ready to glow at any time, it was clear there was a lot that she needed to know.

  Three small boxes appeared at her feet. Margo was practically bouncing in her seat and Violet grinned. It made her feel a bit better that no matter how strange the circumstances, Margo could be counted on to be completely over-the-top normal.

  “Which one?” she asked.

  “The pink one is mine,” Margo said.

  Violet picked up the box and admired its exquisite wrapping. The pink paper was adorned with a white bow that had been elegantly tied on the top. The gift screamed Margo. Violet pulled the ribbon loose and then gently started to work on the paper.

  “Oh, just rip it open!” Margo exclaimed.

  Violet laughed and then she dug her finger underneath the paper’s seam and ripped the paper open. A small blue box was inside. Violet opened the top and gasped. Inside was a pair of large diamond earrings. She looked up at Margo, who grinned. “Diamonds ARE a girl’s best friend, Vi. You only turn eighteen once,” she said. “And now you can give me my rubies back and you’ll have something equally awesome.”

  “Thank you, Margo,” Violet said, reaching up to her earlobes. She had forgotten about the earrings Margo loaned her the night of the party. They were still in her ears.

  “Put them on!” Margo said, bouncing again.

  Violet cautiously took the ruby earrings out and handed them to Margo. Her hands were shaking as she pulled the diamond studs out of the box and carefully put one in each ear. She was afraid that she was going to accidentally drop one in the sand, never to be found again.

  “How do they look?” she said, looking at each of the trio in turn.

  “Smashing, darling,” Jonah said with a fake drawl. Both Violet and Margo giggled. Jeremiah just watched pensively.

  “Here’s mine,” Jonah said, placing a box in her lap. It was gaily wrapped in bright yellow paper.

  Violet was feeling the effects of the champagne. This one she didn’t hesitate to dive into. She was baffled, though, as she opened it. Inside she found a set of keys. She looked at Jonah.

  “Margo may have mentioned that you didn’t have a car on campus,” he said with a sheepish grin on his face.

  Violet’s mouth dropped open. “You bought me a car? I can’t accept that, Jonah.”

  He waved his hand. “Seriously, Vi. It’s not a big deal. You’ll need a car when you go off to college, right? It makes me happy to be able to do this for you.”

  “We’re going to talk about this later,” she grumbled as she leaned down and picked up the final present at her feet. This one was wrapped in a deep scarlet red paper that sh
e thought would have perfectly matched the dress that she had worn to the party. “So I guess this is from you, Jeremiah?” she said, trying to play it off like she wasn’t dying to know what was inside.

  His violet eyes were bewitching. She had a hard time looking away after his short nod. She quickly diverted her attention to the box and opened it. Inside she found a locket. It looked old, but the etching around the edges took her breath away. It was like her body started to hum as she pulled it gently out of the box. Slowly she opened it, and her throat clenched as she saw the pictures of her parents looking out at her. Tears welled in her eyes.

  “That locket has been in the Montrose family for quite some time,” Jeremiah said quietly, but his words carried easily to her. “It is always important to remember and cherish those who went before us.”

  Blinking away the tears, she nodded. Clutching the locket in her hand, she managed a strangled “Thank you” before she practically dashed out onto the beach, closer to the water’s edge. She continued along the beach further away from the fire. She didn’t stop until she couldn’t see it anymore. The desire to celebrate and forget everything that was going on was gone. In its place was just the deep sensation of loss.

  She jumped at his voice in her ear. He had followed her. “It’s not safe for you to be alone. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Jeremiah said. His proximity was alarmingly close, but she didn’t want him to step away.

  Violet shook her head. “Really, it’s lovely.”

  Jeremiah reached down and took her hand, slowly prying each finger away from her palm until the locket was exposed. He took it out of her hand and undid the clasp. “May I?” he asked holding it up.

  Violet nodded. She turned her back to him and lifted up her heavy hair. The metal chain encircled her neck and as soon as the locket rested against her chest, she felt that sense of peace again. She sighed. As lovely as the setting was, she had to face that fact that it wasn’t reality.

  “Jonah said that Elysa was using my grandmother to get to me,” she said without looking at him.