Touching Eden

Julian took us into the city and there was a big party of people I didn’t know there and it was very overwhelming. Court argued with Annabelle and they made a big  scene, he was careful not to hit her I noticed. Anyway me and Alice ate cake and tried to avoid everyone. Then the next day I found a note on my pillow. “Sister I will be gone for a few weeks, watch your ass,” that’s all it said. I felt dejected that day at school. I was real quiet at lunch with Alice.

“Something wrong?” she asked while we ate our muffins on the back lawn. It was cold that day, almost bitter for the deep south.

“Court is gone and I don’t know when he’ll be back,” I said smashing my muffin to crumbs.

Alice looked grim. “You got it bad for him, he’s my cousin and I love him but he’s bad to the bone Eowyn,” her face brightened.

“What you need is a new beau, I know there’s a few guys that watch you in the cafeteria.”

I wanted to tell her that I wasn’t interested but something stopped me, I could feel his hands wrapped tight about my neck while he killed me, she was right, my brother was evil. And me wanting him was a dead end street. I hadn’t seen Julian at all this morning so I still didn’t know where Court had gone. I pushed him outta my mind and I knew Alice had spread the word because certain boys were saying hi to me. Some were outsiders which surprised me, I hadn’t thought she’d be that rebellious.

Around lunch the next day, a real handsome fellow approached us. He flashed me a cocky smile. “Beauregard Butler,” he said plopping down beside us, it was too cold to eat in the maze. His hair was dark and he had dark blue eyes and the Butler mouth.

“Eowyn,” I said holding out my hand, he looked around first before shaking it.

“Alice said you were on the market,” he said flashing me a boyish look. “There’s a rumor that Court dropped out…” he trailed off and I got what he was saying, my brother had been keeping him and others away from me.

“So if you wanted to go out tonight… we could go see a movie,” he said and I felt all awkward. I’d never been on a date before, not unless you call night fishing with Tommy Tucker a date.

So he picked me up after school and we drove into our little town’s plaza and parked. We went to a diner and I had me a milk shake with real strawberries in it. He was watching me hungrily like he knew what my clothes hid, I wiped some suds off my mouth and he smiled. “You’re very new to this all aren’t you?” I shrugged and said I was.

“I come from the fifth most powerful line,” he told me chewing a fry. I wondered which line I was in and as if he’d read my mind he frowned. “You come from the primordial line, the first of us,” then he smirked. “Of course you’re not a full blown Butler,” that seemed to ease his mind.

I was starting not to like him, maybe I hadn’t ever. But I told myself that I needed to do this and he hadn’t gotten fresh with me, yet. We saw a scary horror movie which I got the sense that he’d picked on purpose so I’d grab him while we watched, but he didn’t know that not much scares me and so my hands stayed in my lap. He kept glancing over at different parts to see my reaction. I can’t say it was a well-made movie, not that I really know about movies all that much, I’d only seen a couple over at Nanny’s, but it really didn’t do all that much for me.

He was annoyed with me afterwards and dropped me off after I moved back from when he came in for a kiss. I realized I didn’t want to date anyone of the blood as I walked home from the corner where he dropped me off. But what did that leave me? An outsider? Julian would be disappointed, Court would be furious. But I’m a teenager and someday soon I would be full grown and it was time to start living for myself.

I saw Julian the next day in the dining room at breakfast. “Where did Court go?” he was quietly reading his paper.

“Away,” he murmured without looking up at me.

“For how long?” I wanted to ask where to too but somehow I didn’t think he’d tell me.

“A few weeks,” he said sipping is coffee. Breakfast was delicious, a ham and cheese omelet with something called Crème de Bello on top.

“I been doing real well at school,” I said and to my relief he looked very pleased but not surprised.

He took a bite and wiped his mouth with one of our monogramed napkins. “I knew you would, you are like a storm on a blue day,” he said softly. His eyes twinkled at me in a ray of bright southern light coming in from the window.

“What’s that mean?” I shoveled in some eggs.  

He drank coffee. “Because no one sees you coming, you will be underestimated and all the more devastating because of it.”

That was flattering and I flashed him a smile which he returned. “Do you love me yet?” his question stunned me, I didn’t think he cared one way or the other.

I drank some of my creamy sugary coffee before I replied. “That’s a heavy question, I guess I’m starting to.”

He was satisfied with that I could see. We finished our plates and the maid came in and took them away. I’d tried getting to know her a few times but she’d been real aloof to me, saying that I was a Butler and she wasn’t. He took me to school that day himself, well the limo driver did but he was with me. I wanted to ask about my brother again but didn’t.

He kissed my cheek before the car pulled away. “Keep up the good work,” he said in parting. My cheeks flushed with pride and happiness, he really was a good father now that he didn’t want me like that.

School was abandoned that day and I was confused. The doors were open only on one side and the halls were empty. So I would have to walk home I guessed since I didn’t have a cell phone yet. I got halfway home when a car pulled up. The window rolled down and a pale blond head poked out. “Eowyn right?” he had the brightest prettiest blue eyes and his car was fancy.

“Yeah that’s me,” I said and kept walking. He kept pace with me and I resisted the urge to reach for my knife that I no longer possessed.

“I’ll give you a ride home,” he offered. I said no thanks and he laughed. “They’re right you’re tough,” he said. Who said that about me? I didn’t know but they didn’t know the half of it.

He stopped the car and turned it off and got out. He started walking with me, his hands were tucked into his pants pockets. “I’ve seen you around with Courtland,” he said glancing my way.

“He’s my brother,” I muttered hating to hear his name.

“Yeah I know,” he said. “I’m Michal White,” I stopped walking and faced him.

“Ok what is it you want?”

He was startled. “Just to talk to you,” he held up his hands in sign of defeat, and I noticed he wore a letter jacket, so he was jock. “Forget it, I should have known you’d be a stuck up bitch like the rest of your family,” he started walking away and I felt bad.

“Wait,” I called jogging up to him. “Look I’m sorry it’s just I’m not used to out—people talking to me all that much,” I stumbled over the word I’d been about to say.

So that’s how I got a ride home. He made pleasant conversation with me the whole way. “I’m the star quarter back, the first outsider one in over a decade,” he said when we were a block from the house.

“Stop the car, I’ll get out here,” I said, I really didn’t know what to say about him being a quarter back. And I didn’t want Julian to see me being dropped off by a strange guy.

“Hey hang on!” I pivoted.

“What?”

“You wanna go out sometime?” I thought about it, it was dangerous but then part of me had always been drawn to danger.

“Sure,” I said and when he asked for my number I had to admit that I didn’t have a phone. So he gave me his. I committed it to memory. Julian was gone that night and I had a lonely little meal of meatloaf and red new potatoes with herbs.

I wondered why school had been empty today but figured it must be some holiday that I didn’t know about. I looked around the house for the first time really. There were all kinds of bedrooms, with personal things in them, like photos and homemade quilts that looked ancient, so these were people’s bedrooms for when they stayed here.

I showered and dressed in the jammies father had given me. I combed out my long dark curls and settled in with a book. It was really cool book about this American ex green beret who escapes a Siberian prison, it was exciting as hell and tomorrow was the weekend so there would be no school, so I stayed up all night reading it. The next day I called Michal because I was bored and lonely since Julian wasn’t home.

He picked me up and when he stopped in front of the diner I hated it but said nothing. I ordered a cheeseburger with bacon and he seemed to approve cause he ordered himself one too. The diner was crowded with teenagers from our school and many people stopped by to say hi to him. They ignored me but I could see they all knew who I was.

I wolfed down my burger and he smiled at me. “Let’s go to the park,” he said after paying the bill. Outside the moon was being born all over again. I didn’t really want to go but I was bored sitting at home without Julian and Court so I said yes.

There were lots of cars parked and the windows was foggy in each one. I pretty much knew what they was doing even if I hadn’t ever done it myself. He leaned into kiss me and I kissed him back but really my heart wasn’t all that into it. His hands reached for my small breasts and he squeezed em. I needed this; needed to kill my infatuation with my brother, so I allowed him to. Pretty soon the windows was all fogged up just like the rest of the cars. He was a good kisser, maybe not as good as Court but I tried to forget that. Over the next two weeks we went on a lot  more dates, and we parked a bunch of times, ain’t going to tell you that much about it diary since Court could read this. But that was all a big mistake because he returned. It was storming the night he came home. The front door banged back and he stood illuminated by lightening. He was splattered with blood and his expression was ragefull. He came towards me with a roll of duct tape in one hand, I scrambled up to run but I was too slow.  

Hi! This is the fifth version of this chapter, hope it’s acceptable. Babbette where are you? Thanks to everyone who take the time to review, I slave over this story, and not just for you, I demand my best, it might not be a masterpiece but I am always trying to improve, always reaching for the stars.