Chapter 1:
I didn't know where I was.
Waking up in the back of a barn I did not recognize, completely naked, was enough to startle anybody.
As an instinct, the very first thing that I did was rapidly cover my body with an abundance of hay. It was a disgusting thing to do, I realized, but there was a lot more to think about at the moment. My first instinct was to scream, but I didn't know where I was or if I was there on purpose. Had somebody taken me? Was I knocked out? Why don't I remember anything?
The last place I distinctly remember being was in my bedroom, asleep.
Realizing this, I wondered for a second if I was in a dream. Normally when I dream, I realize that I am dreaming and then I wake up. But nothing of that sort was happening.
I could hear an old couple laughing and bantering amongst themselves over chores and other typical things.
There were gray clouds forming along the previously radiant sky. The old couple's laundry hung from a thin line, waving frantically in the wind that was now starting to pick up.
It was warm and I could feel the moisture in the air, and the presence of the pigs and the horses, and the little chickens... their existence, and the fact that they were watching me...
So many leaves and little wisps of hay twirled about. For a second, one split second in time, I tried to catch a certain red leaf. It was a gorgeous thing, the most beautiful leaf I had ever seen. Full of such life, and promise... but the leaf was already dying. It was only so beautiful because it was still alive. It was intimidating, but yet so gentle- radiant with the color of blood.
It was also young.
It had fallen away from the tree too soon, and it was dying.
This thought occurred to me, and it felt very familiar. It felt important, even though my moment with the twirling leaf was brief and interrupted. For one second, or even half of a second, I wasn't scared.
But now, I was back to reality.
Lightning flashed across the sky. It made no sound, but the burst of light startled me.
I didn't care that I had no clothes on.
By this time, the drying laundry on the line was dancing and running about, trying to fly away. I knew that the wife would come and try to retrieve it all before the rain came.
I ripped a bed sheet from the line and ran.
"Please help me! Please!" I banged on the smooth wooden door frantically. It was dark out and raining heavily, not to mention quite cold. After only a couple of seconds, a startled woman wearing a simple, light blue dress answered the door.
"Oh, bless me! Are you okay, miss?!" she cried, surprised.
"I'm so sorry... I don't know where I am!" I continued to shout breathlessly. "I have no idea where I am!"
"It's okay, child! Please, come in!" The woman told me.
I stepped into the house, dotting the smooth floor with water droplets. This seemed incredibly noticeable and it caused me to panic and cover the drops with one bare foot. The house, from what I could already see despite the chaos, was kept very clean and well taken care of. I felt very out of place at the time- a distracting smudge against a clean white canvas.
"I'm Skye." I blurted. There was a strange safety in using this fake name, as I couldn't recall my real one.
"Oh! I'm Ms. Abigale." The woman replied, somewhat taken off guard, as she looked me up and down. I was a sight. "Please, follow me! It'll be aw'right."
I knew that I probably looked very strange, running into a stranger's home with a bed sheet wrapped around my body, my hair soaking wet. From my slight base knowledge of history, I knew that this African-American woman who allowed me in probably didn't own the house itself, but was instead somebody who helped take care of the family that lived in it. I still wasn't very sure what the exact year was, but it was very evident that slavery was either still legal or recently abolished. The woman, Ms. Abigale, seemed comfortable and content in her surroundings. I could tell she enjoyed living here; the spark of life was clearly represented though the way she held herself. Another clue was that America was obviously a blooming country, judging by the far distance between houses, and the fact that nearly everywhere I turned, there was an immense amount of untouched or farmed land. I decided this to myself as I was led into a tidy bedroom by Ms. Abigale.
"Now, miss, I don't want you to go 'round worryin'." Ms. Abigale explained, very sympathetically, as she allowed me a seat on a very comfortable looking bed. It felt very strange, and almost ironic, sitting on a wet bed sheet while at the same time sitting on a dry bed sheet. "This farm is owned by a very nice family. They would be happy to help you out in any way they can."
I watched as Ms. Abigale smoothed out her apron and lit a few more candles so that she could examine her rain-washed visitor in a better light. It sometimes scared me when people looked me in the eyes, as she was doing. I always felt that they could learn things about me from doing this that I didn't mean for them to find out. Ms. Abigale was only trying to help though, so I didn't look away from her.
"Now let's see... you don't look hurt. You aren't hurt, are you, child?"
"N-no. Well, I mean... I'm not experiencing any sort of... displeasure." I swallowed and looked up. I delicately made sure to sound as proper as I thought I possibly could. I didn't want to sound like a fool.
"Any kind of pain is normally the best way to tell if something is wrong. You jus' seem scared to me."
"Oh, I'm, uh... I'm certainly shaken up, for sure." I agreed. My voice shook a little from cold. I looked down at my toes, perhaps the coldest part of my body, and noticed that they were pink with numbness.
"Jus' stay here. I'm goin' to get Mr. Martin. He's the owner of this house. He's suppos' to be resting at this hour, but he might be reading." Ms. Abigale held up a single candle to take with her. "Of course, it would be rude of me to not go and find out. I'll be right back, child."
As Ms. Abigale left, I felt a small wave of anxiety wash over me. That, combined with already feeling chilly, was moderately discomforting. I clutched my bed sheet and rubbed my damp palms together. It dawned on me that Ms. Abigale made me feel a bit safer and a little less confused, like everything was going to be alright. I felt a motherly vibe from her that must have been admired greatly by this Martin family that lived in the house.
Now that she was gone for a brief moment, however, the candle light seemed a little dimmer and the darkness seemed stronger. Nearly everything in the room was carved out of wood or crafted out of metal. Natural light or light from a fire had to be utilized in order to see anything, because electric inventions were not yet invented, from what I could tell. There was a simplistic beauty to everything that both intimidated and calmed my mind and body the more I dwelled on my situation and observed my surroundings. My eyes began to slowly adjust to the beautiful furniture and other decorations that were scattered about the room in such an organized fashion.
"Miss Skye!" I heard Ms. Abigail call from a distance away. Her voice echoed off of the ceiling. "Mr. Martin and I are here!"
I tried to sit up and look presentable as I noticed Ms. Abigail and a man enter the room after a brief moment. The man, presumably Mr. Martin, stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Hello, miss. I've been told that you came here scared, looking for help. Is there any way that I can assist you?" Mr. Martin asked in a pleasant tone. I was amazed at how non-judgmental he was towards my unsightly appearance.
"Well..." I said, shaking his hand. "My name is Skye, as... as you know, I'm sure."
Ms. Abigail nodded. She probably told him everything that she knew herself about me, which wasn't much, but it was enough that he didn't have to ask about my attire, or lack thereof.
"And, um... sir... to tell you the absolute truth, I have no idea where I am." I took in a breath and Mr. Martin nodded. "I woke up in this town with absolutely no clothing on. I was in... in a barn, or something, and I heard people coming so I stole... well," I added in embarrassingly, "I guess I ended up stealing this older couple's laundry, as you can see. I wasn't thinking much about what I was doing at the time."
Mr. Martin smiled and nodded. Behind his eyes, I noticed a small source of worry. He was very good at hiding it though... I wonder if he had trained himself to do that?
"My main concern," I continued carefully, "is that this isn't a place I recognize. Where I come from... um, where I come from, things are a lot... different."
"What do you mean, Skye?" Mr. Martin asked, concerned. "I might be able to help you find out where you should be."
"It's very hard to explain... I don't think you would believe me."
"It all seems very believable so far, if not very strange, and I would really like to help you out if there is any way."
"Well... I don't think I'm from... this time." I tried to explain carefully, but it came out rather blunt. "By 'this time', I mean... this year."
"You feel that you are from a different time?" Mr. Martin smiled again. I nodded gently and gave him a small smile, feeling that he didn't quite understand what I meant... and how could I expect him to? "Miss, I feel I'm from a different time too. I know that I'm from a different time. Things are happening so quickly these days, and everything seems to be changing. But it's changing for the better."
"Perhaps... my full explanation should be saved for a better time, Mr. Martin." I smiled weakly again. There would be time later to explain to him where and when I was from, if need be.
"You may call me Benjamin, or Ben. Your choosing." He smiled back. "And I understand. Well... I don't fully understand, but..." He looked back at Ms. Abigale and exchanged a smile, "I would be asking too much of you to have you continue your story while you're already so exhausted."
"I'm sorry," I told him, feeling incredibly guilty. "I want to continue telling you, but..."
"It is quite alright. You need rest." Benjamin nodded. "But first... I think Ms. Abigale here could help you find something to wear. Would you?"
"Yes, sir." she chimed in.
"Really?" I asked, excited. I thought olden dresses were very beautiful and had always wanted to try on a well-made one. However, most replicas were very expensive, and never created exactly the "right" way. They lacked a certain feel to them that reminded me of the time I was now stuck in. It felt strange that this was the only way that at least one of my very small dreams could come true.
"Well, yes! Unless you want to wear... laundry, for the night?" Benjamin laughed. I blushed and nodded for what seemed to be the fiftieth time. It was getting a little annoying at this point, but I wasn't feeling vastly expressive. Benjamin didn't seem to notice this, and turned to Ms. Abigale, who was busy looking through various dresses from inside of a closet, and sighed.
"Well, I think I should excuse myself, for now. Please come for me if you need anything." he spoke privately to Ms. Abigale.
"Yes, sir." Ms. Abigale replied politely.
"It's late, but Gabriel and Thomas might still be awake. I'm not sure about the other children, but if they were not already awake before, the noise we've been causing would have probably changed that."
"You have children?" I interrupted. I wasn't good around young children, but if they were older I might be able to manage.
Benjamin turned around and nodded. I felt rude about interrupting, but he didn't seem to notice or mind. "I have seven children who live here with me, Skye."
"Seven?!"
"You seem surprised!" Benjamin Martin laughed. "I guess that's a large number, but they're all very helpful and kind. My eldest sons help with farm work, and my other children are teaching themselves to read, and also to count."
"I certainly wish I knew people with that much ambition..." I murmured, mostly to myself. People from the 21st century are lazy.
"This is a very blessed family. I think you will get along well with my children." he smiled. Nodding to both Ms. Abigale and me, he bid us goodnight and walked back upstairs. Ms. Abigale took out a very simple, cream-colored dress with gentle lace and few beads. She held it out for me to see.
"Would this suit you for now, Skye?" Ms. Abigale asked me.
"That would suit me forever!" I bursted. The simple beauty of the dress made me feel like I was being spoiled, and for a moment I was able to forget feeling anxious about being in a stranger's home. "That's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen!"
Ms. Abigale grinned. "Child, I made this! That is the greatest compliment I've recieved in a long time."
I smiled, scooting closer to observe the dress closely. The beads were small and looked like baby pearls, but I knew that they were probably fake. Either way, it didn't matter to me at all. The dress was amazing. I started to finger the beads and lace as Ms. Abigail set the dress down on the bed. "Who did you make this dress for, originally?" I said, hoping to strike up pleasant conversation. I suddenly felt very talkative, for whatever reason. Excitement does that to me.
"I made it for Mrs. Martin, who is no longer with us." Ms. Abigale said. "God bless her. Sweetest woman I ever knew."
"Oh... I'm sorry." I said, really wishing I didn't ask.
"It's okay, child. Everything happens for a reason."
I nodded and looked down. I had already interrupted Mr. Martin while he was having a private conversation with Ms. Abigale, and then I asked a foolish question. I guess even in this century I still manage to screw things up.