I moved along the new city streets with care. I had heard of the terrible crimes that had been done here only days ago. My ship was swarming with new people, ones I had never met, and never will. I had sailed all the way from England to here, America. The small village smelled badly of the sea and rotting fish in markets. I had already gotten enough of that lately.
My copper hair was whipped wildly around my face when the chilly wind blew through the houses that lined the village like a wall. This would be my first night, the hardest night, of my entire new life now. Would America be a good place for me? Would I have to go back to England any time soon? Probably not. The worst thing that could happen is I could die. Well…no, dying would not be the worst thing ever for me. The worst thing on the planet had already happened to me. And I was still living through it, but only for him. Only because he would have wanted me to live.
My heart stung as I thought of him. Kartik, the only man I had truly loved. Sometimes, I heard him in my thoughts. Sometimes, I saw him in new visions, happy ones. And the best part of all was, he was still alive, somewhere in the Tree. His voice still came to me in dreams. I could see him, hear him. I could feel him. I knew he was the only thing that stopped me from jumping off of a bridge, or locking myself in a metal box to die.
If only he had lived. If only he had not given himself up to that greedy tree. But it was over. I was positive he would not come back anytime soon.
"Gemma Doyle! What a surprise." A low pitched voice said. I turned around and nearly had a heart attack. Two feet away from me stood Simon! He must have come here for his marriage! I smiled a bit.
"Hello, Simon, it's great to see you here, after so long." I managed the words. They came with difficulty though. Simon strode up to me. He seemed to be taller than the last time I saw him. But why would a grown man grow longer?
"You simply must visit our house. Now wait a second, you still have your bags! You must have just gotten here!" Simon said, his tone was not as formal as mine was. I think we both knew why.
"Yes, I have just gotten here." I said, venom twined in my words. Simon reached out to take the three overflowing bags I had.
"You must stay at our new Inn then! It's only one fence away from my mansion." He said. He snapped the bags out of my hands and started to walk in the direction of an enormous house, away from the village, but easy to see. It was one out of two large buildings in a long field of green grass and neatly trimmed bushes.
"Alright then, this is your room. I hope you find everything that you need in there. I'll see you at dinner tomorrow." Simon said. I had visited his house for a few hours, not willingly. Then he had dropped me outside of my room in his fabulously designed Inn. I unlocked the door with a key he had given me.
The room was splendid. The tables were made of a very dark, expensive type of wood I couldn't seem to name. The bed's covers were blue with intricate patterns on it. the curtains matched. All in all, it was perfect for me. It was only missing one thing. The person I loved, Kartik. If he was here, I actually never would have come here to America. But if he had come here, then it would have been a great place to stay.
It was night now. I had spent the last half and hour thinking of Kartik. But now I decided it was time to sleep. I slipped into the Inn bed. It was not as comfortable as I'd thought it would be. But it was alright. I forced my eyes closed. But when I did, I saw Kartik. My eyes flung open again.
"Gemma, are you alright?" The voice I'd yearned to hear asked me. I shook my head. Was I insane? I sat up in my bed, causing some bones in my back to crack.
"Here, I'll got you some warm milk. It usually helps me sleep faster." I heard his voice somewhere near me, but it was as dark as a moonless night. I heard the clang of a cup hitting the bedside table. I cringed. I really was insane!
"Are you mad at me?" Kartik asked me. I heard his voice right beside me this time. I extended my hand to see if he was really there in the darkness. I screamed when my hand hit something that felt like flesh.
"What's wrong?" He asked me. My hand reached for a gas lamp. I lit it up. The light bounced off the walls and then illuminated the figure next to me. It was him, the same dark, thoughtful eyes. The same curly black hair. The perfectly curved lips. He smiled at me.
"Kartik, is that really you?" I stammered. My heart accelerated. He nodded. His hand rested on mine.
"But how-?" I asked, unable to finish the question. His lips were already on mine. But he quickly withdrew them.
"Well, I did what no one has ever done before. I called all of the lost souls in the tree, and we did it! We cut the tree from within. I let the souls go free. But I found my body and came back! I came for you." He whispered enthusiastically. My heart leaped. Now my world had changed for the good! In my happiness, I kissed Kartik again. Feeling warm and cozy with him here. It filled up the empty darkness in my mind and the room.
"Never leave me again!" I whispered. I snuggled closer to him. And he held me tightly against his chest. He smelled like jasmine flowers from India. It reminded me of my mother and father in the old days. So much happiness had been lost since then.
"I will never leave you, I promise. But you're going to have to do something for me first." He smiled. I laid my head against his strong chest.
"You will come with me to India. We can go to a city, or we can live in a village! Whatever you like! And there, we can get married! Just like the marriage you saw in your vision!" Kartik explained. I looked up into his deep eyes.
"Of course, Kartik! I'd love to! We should go soon. Let's leave tonight. No one will know. They all think you are dead, especially Simon. He came extra happy to the funeral! And only Felicity and Ann will know!" I said, nearly jumping in excitement. He laughed.
"Exactly." He said. Then I jumped out of the bed. I picked up all of my bags. Kartik hurried after me. I flung myself out the door. Kartik and I sped down the stairs and out the main door, luckily, the guards were sleeping. We ran through the town. Kartik led me to one of the loading boats. He blended in with the moving crowd. And he motioned for me to do the same. I moved through the bustling crowds with him.
I was in India now. The journey from America to India had seemed very short with Kartik there with me. The days flew by. Some, we spent talking. Some days we spent watching the water flow past us. But most days, we spent together, in our bed at sea. We would let our yearnings take control of our minds and loose ourselves in doing so.
Kartik and I were going to get married soon. And it would be a quiet marriage. Nothing big. But just perfect for us. Soon, my greatest vision would be complete.