Chapter five.
Emily and Victor had become exhausted from Mrs. Plum's tasks. She had them peeling apples, rolling pie crusts, running down into the basement for extra flour and sugar (Victor had fallen a couple of times) and running all over the pub doing other chores. When she was finally done with them… they dragged themselves up the stairs and sat in the den. Victor laid on the couch and put a pillow over his head head and groaned.
" Is she…always like that?" He asked.
" When she's baking….yes." Emily walked over to the couch and laid down on her back in Victor's lap. He took the pillow off of his face and put it behind his head. Wrapping his arms around Emily's waist and pressing her hands lightly to her abdomen… they lay on the couch together, both too tired to move. Emily began absentmindedly playing with Victor's fingers. He chuckled slightly and closed his eyes as she rolled onto her side and did the same. Once again, her hand wrapped around his index finger. He was wondering to himself why she didn't just hold his whole hand, but he dare not ask. He was thinking to himself how adorable it was, as he looked at her hand around his finger… almost the way an infant grabs the outstretched finger of it's mother or father. Emily was similar to an infant in a lot of ways. She was a bit on the needy side, and with one look he could tell anything….he could tell if she was in need of comfort or love… and to be honest… that was what Victor preferred… someone he could always keep close to him… it made him feel needed, and like he had a purpose in life. Victor's heart swelled with love as he looked down at Emily, who was too tired to move. Her eyes fluttered open and she tilted her head up to meet Victor's eyes. She smiled, and Victor turned to a blob… she seemed to be good at making him liquefy.
" the next time we bring back any sort of fruit you can bake into a pie….drop it off….and run…. It was only a couple of pies and I'm exhausted… I can't believe it…" She said, stretching and shifting slightly in his arms.
" It is rather strange…. Ugh… I don't think I've ever worked that hard…."
" I have….. The LAST time she cleaned the whole place… " Victor laughed at her.
" I can't imagine… oh dear I don't think I'd be able to last."
" I don't know how I did… but I sure slept well that night."
" I slept well last night." Victor said, remembering how nice it was to be cuddled up next to Emily, with only the isolation of the forest surrounding them.
" So did I." Emily shifted in Victor's arms like a child wrapped up in her security blanket. Their little tender moment was soon interrupted my Mrs. Plum's voice.
" Victor? Victor can ya come down here for a second?" Victor groaned audibly and rolled his eyes. Emily giggled and sat up to he could get off the couch. He did so and walked grudgingly out the door.
" Have fun!" Emily sing-songed. He shot her a playful death glare and walked down the stairs.
" yes Mrs. Plum?" He called out, but when he received no answer, he walked the rest of the way down the stairs.
" Victor I need you to go back down to the basement and fetch me a new keg of ale…these pub rats are bleedin' me dry." Victor opened the door down to the basement and walked down into it's dank depths. His pupils took a short time to dilate and adjust to the dim light, and he stumbled over a box as he made his way to the wine cellar. Above him, he could hear dainty feet striding across the creaky hardwood floor. They made a sort of "Creak, Click Creak click." sound, and it sounded like a steady walking pace. He identified those feet as Emily's by her skeletal foot making the sharp clicking noise. He opened the door to the wine cellar and shivered at the low temperature. He saw many many racks filled with bottles of fine wine, bottles of all types of assorted liquor, and kegs of beer and the much milder ale. He could smell the age in the basement…mixed with musty wet earth…
He walked over to an ale-filled keg and hoisted it up over his shoulder, almost toppling backwards from the weight. He figured it would be easier to work of he took his jacket off, so he did and put on another keg. He hoisted the keg over his shoulder again and began the climb up the stairs, grunting with each stair, as the keg weighed almost as much as he did…
" Thank you so much Victor… I would have never gotten that up by myself." Mrs. Plum held the door open for him
" I…." He grunted from the weight. " I honestly don't know How I did either… this weighs a ton!" He deposited the keg in the kitchen and arched his back, hearing it snap in it least four places. He then walked back down the stairs to the basement to retrieve his jacket. He slipped his jacket back on , and went to climb up the stairs for the final time… when something caught his eye. It was a curtain of some sort. It was covered by cobwebs and looked as if it was intended to blend in with the wall. Victor thought it was best to leave it alone, but his curiosity got the better of him and he walked over to the curtain. Pulling it aside, he stepped in and was surrounded by total darkness. He was so unnerved that he yelped and jumped with the cord attached to the light bumped against his nose. He yanked the cord and gasped again when the light flooded the room.
He was standing in a small alcove, big enough to fit maybe five or less people. It had a small bench on one wall…The walls were covered with shelves, and the shelves were jam-packed with all sorts of knick-knacks and other items. They were all in good condition, indicating that someone kept regular maintenance… Victor was in awe at the many items perched upon the shelves. He walked closer to one of the shelves, and picked up a withered book. He carefully opened its moth eaten cover to find that the pages inside were not so tattered. His eyes widened at the words within the book, they appeared to be poems, and they were written in the most beautiful calligraphy he had ever seen. He stopped at one poem and began to read.
Ageless death… I lie here in wait
Alone….
I wait for the one who will bring me out of the shadows.
Slowly, steadily…my spirit withers on the vine Like the roses set in my bridal bouquet.
My image decays… a shadow of what it once was
Alone….
Ageless death….that is my fate
It was a small poem… but it moved Victor… at this point he already had an inkling… but the letters "E.J.H" Signed at the bottom told him that this was Emily's writing. He closed the book and put in back on the shelf, and jumped out of his skin when a voice sounded form behind him.
" I see you've found my treasure trove." Emily's voice was low, and she sounded neither happy nor upset. Victor did not turn around, he didn't want to know if she was angry with him for intruding.
" Emily…. I-I'm s-sorry… I didn't know these were your things until I saw your signature at the bottom of the book… I'm sorry I shouldn't have been snooping around."
" Victor… it's alright… I was going to show it to you sooner or later… but I see you've done my job for me. She chuckled, and Looked curiously at Victor. "why aren't you turning around?… I'm not angry darling." He turned around to face her, and found her smirking slightly.
" H-how did you know that that's why I wasn't turning around?"
" I know you." She giggled. "now… which book did you pick up?"
" This one." He held up the book, and Emily took it gently from him, staring down at it's cover… her expression melting away and her eyes seeming to travel back in time to the prime of this book.
" This….was my mother's journal. She gave it to me when I was about fifteen… it wasn't until about a year ago that I started writing my poems in it…"
" You write beautifully… why didn't you ever tell me you could write?"
" well for one… you never asked… and… Look through that book Victor, if you'll care to notice… not one of the poems in this book is pleasant in any way."
" Ahh… I see…" Victor began flipping through the book some more until he found the end of her writings, and flipped back a page to find the last thing she had entered…and it was dated to about five days ago.
"You wrote this one recently….the day you returned here wasn't it?" She glanced at the book and nodded, a certain disdain in her voice.
"Yes… it's the only entry in that book that isn't a poem." He looked at her.
" Looks an awful lot like a poem to me." She gently took the book form him."
" You didn't read it then… the verses keep repeating…. It's a song." She reread her lyrics, a pained look on her face.
"Sing for me... I do so love hearing you sing." He knew the song was sad, but he loved hearing her voice.
" But it's such a sad song….and… when have you ever heard me sing… I don't quite remember ever singing in front of you."
"w-well It was a f-few nights ago, before our reception… you were showering and I had to go bring your clothes down to Mrs. Plum…and y-you were singing and I s-sort of stopped to…listen" Emily blushed, as did Victor.
"You heard that?" She felt awkward about being caught singing in the shower.
"y-yes…." Emily blushed. " So are you going to sing this for me?"
"Oh I'd rather not." Victor closed the book then, smiling lightly.
"Alright then, that's fine."
"You're not too disappointed with me?"
"Disappointed that I didn't get to see you cry? I think not."
"Who says singing it would make me cry?"
"Looking at these lyrics of yours… I just took a guess…"
"Yes…and you were probably right." He chuckled.
"So anyway…"He said while setting the book back in its proper place. "How on earth did you get all these things down here? Surely you didn't take them with you when you-" he stopped.. "…on…that… night."
" I went up and collected them… I caused a community-wide fiasco because they couldn't figure out who had pilfered my belongings…. But I couldn't leave them behind… they've been all I had for so very long…" She took another book from the chest and handed it to Victor.
" That's a photo album…." She walked over and stood behind him as he opened the page. The first few picture showed a man and a women, smiling widely and waving into the camera.
" Those are my mother and my father." She pointed to each and explained everything about the picnic they had been on that day. They flipped through the book, she showed him pictures of her house and where she used to live, and as they reached the last page… Emily suddenly jerked her head away.
" What's wrong?"
" N-nothing…nothing… go ahead and look if you will." He turned the page, and almost dropped the book because of what he saw. It was a picture of Emily…the living Emily. She was no younger than sixteen, her curvy body accented perfectly in a pastel purple dress. Her dark, chestnut brown hair fell in bouncy curls over her shoulders, reaching her mid back. No flesh was missing from her body, and her skin was colored a milky fleshy color. She was smiling in the picture, her hands clasped neatly in front of her…and as one could expect, she looked like a goddess, yet even so, her beauty did not faze victor as much as it did now. He looked at the other form of his wife, who's head was turned away in shame. He closed the book…and hearing it's cover close, Emily's head lifted slightly.
" Did you see it?" Her tone was extremely flat.
" I did… but you know…. You're more beautiful now than you ever were." He wasn't trying to flatter her, he was being utterly serious… but something snapped inside of Emily, and she couldn't see that.
" Oh… stop… Just STOP!" she hissed, moving away from him, and purposely shoving him slightly in the process. "that's just a lie… she snapped. " Look at me." She glared at the picture . " I was beautiful…and now look at me… I'm nothing but a shadow….."She threw the book to the ground. Victor walked up to Emily and pulled her into his arms… Her head hung dangerously low, her blue hair hiding her face. Victor took his finger and put it under her chin, and pushed it upwards to make her look at him. Her eyes were filled with that same teary, forlorn confusion they held last night. Hoping to change this, he brought his face close to hers and kissed her…As the effect, Emily's entire body relaxed, her hands went around his neck…and for a minute or two, neither of them moved… but when Victor deepened the kiss their bodies began to gently sway back and forth, in a rhythmic motion that neither of them as aware of. When he finally broke the kiss he gently guided her head to his shoulder, still caught in the rhythmic swaying. He heard her sigh quietly, a sad look still caressed her features
" now… are you going to show me more of this wonderful collection of yours?"
" Yes… pick a wall and I'll show you everything… but first…" She blushed "Please….. Kiss me again…." He nodded and gently pressed his lips to hers again. She smiled into the kiss… and they wished how they could stay like this forever… lost in each others kiss. Emily pulled away slowly, her lips lingering on Victor's for an extra second before he pulled her into another hug. .. As he held her, he couldn't help but let his mind wonder….why did Emily still continue to have these outbursts?… it was almost as if something was still bothering her…It was as if she could never avoid the hobgoblin of her past.(hobgoblin…love that word xD) He shrugged it off and rested his cheek on top of her head.
Emily smiled in Victor's arms, and her eyes traveled around the room, they widened and she smiled. She gently pulled herself out of Victor's arms and moved over to the shelf on the back wall. She pulled a thin black case off the shelves. It a couple of inches longer than Emily's hand in length, but when she opened it, Victor's jaw dropped. Inside the case was a wooden flute… carved of the most beautiful mahogany
" This is among my most favorite possessions…. My father gave it to me…here." She began to take it out of the case.
" Emily… don't trust me with something so precious…" He attempted to push it back into her hands, but she seemed to want him to hold it. She placed it in his hands and closed her fingers around it, as she had done with his wedding ring….
" I trust you with anything… just look at it… isn't it beautiful?" She said, gazing in awe at the tiny instrument. Victor had to admit it was beautiful…. An ivy vine was etched into the side of the flute…and instead of regular circular keys, there were small roses. Victor felt a sense of pride knowing that Emily trusted him with such a delicate object, and he turned it over in his hands once more before handing it back to her. She put it back in the case and set it on the shelf.
" I have another flute in here somewhere that I play every now and again…… my father always loved to hear me play…sometimes my mother and would play duets…she'd be on the piano and I'd be on the flute… oh it was great fun… I do so miss it."
" Well… you can play the flute…and I can play the piano…. I…will… play with you if you want." Victor said shyly. Emily looked at him, and her eyes lit up, that kind of ethereal glow that made Victor warm and happy from the inside out.
" What a fantastic idea!…we can do it after I show you some more of my things!" The excitement was bubbling up from her soul again. She spun around in a complete turn before finally coming to the shelf on the east side of the wall. She took a small, shoe sized box off of the shelf.
" Remember how I told you that my father sent some things back from the war? These are some of them." She opened the box and took out a whole stack of parchment paper. Setting it aside, she peered into the box, looking for ideal conversation pieces. Something seemed to catch her eye. She took out a black case and set the box down on the floor. She moved closer to Victor and opened the case slowly. She took out a half-dollar sized pendant attached to a long gold chain. She wrapped the chain around her hand and held the pendant. Turning around so her back rested on Victor's torso, he looked over her shoulder as she clicked open the front of the pendant to reveal a golden compass. The detail was beautiful, and in the middle of the compass rose was a spinning dial. One half was an amber yellow and had the sun and clouds inscribed on it, and the bottom half was a deep blue and bore a picture of the moon and stars. She closed the compass and turned around to face Victor and dropped the chain over his head, so that the pendant lay nicely on his chest. Emily thought to herself how handsome he looked with the pendant around his neck…Victor looked at her with a confused face, and she smiled.
" I want you to keep this with you…. My father gave this to me before he left for the war… he always told me that if ever I needed to find him… this compass would show me the way…. I never understood what he meant… to tell you the truth I still don't…" Victor looked at her and put his two hands on the compass and slowly began to remove it.
" Emily I can't take this from you… it means too much to you… god forbid I lose it…or damage it." Emily put her hands over Victor's.
" I wouldn't trust it to anyone else but you…if ever I'm not with you, remember me when you wear this necklace. Keep it always, and don't give it to another soul as long as you exist in this afterlife…for you carry around you neck… my most prized possession." Emily brought Victor's hands, still clasped in her own, up to her cheek, and looked up at him with a solemn face. Victor smiled and wrapped his arms around her, filled with pride and love. ( I… am SUCH a cornball… gawd I write too much sap xD… but ya know what? I like it hahaha)
" I promise." He tucked the pendant safely away inside his shirt. Emily happily bounced over to the back wall and began showing him some of the other things she had… She eventually came back to the stack of parchment paper she had taken out of the box. She picked it up carefully.
"These are the letters my father sent me… I would always wait for them… every day I would get home from school and go directly to the mailbox." She thumbed through them, and Victor grabbed her hand as she began to read one. "Dear Emily..." She read. " we're marching through a town today… you would love it, I'm positive you would. There are flowers every which way you turn…and the people are all so nice….although I fear it wont be like this for too much longer. By the time you read this letter, Emily, I am already in battle… pray for me my darling. Say hello to mother for me, and take care of things around the house. Now Emily…. Please understand that in the peak of war…there may be instances in which I may not be able to come back to you." Victor could hear Emily's voice begin to weaken. "Should that happen, take good care of you and your mother… but above all know this….Y-" Emily swallowed hard "You are my pride and joy. And I couldn't be prouder to have you as my daughter." Emily sobbed. "Know that I'll always love you…and I'll always be watching over you…even if you can't see me. Love….Daddy." Emily shut her eyes and tilted her head back, not surprised to feel it hit Victor's chest. Her body shook. The next few minutes were very slow and somber… but eventually They were walking around the room again, Emily showing off her belongings…each one of them a marvel and a story in its own way. A good hour was spent in Emily's alcove….until they decided to go up and play some music.
" let's go." Victor said, and Emily went rooting around on the top shelf, and she took another black case off the shelf, and along with it an old red folder. She led him up the stairs and into the lounge of the pub. They got to the top of the stairs, and Emily ran into the kitchen. Victor took a seat at the piano and flipped the lid open. Emily came out with a glass of water. She set it down on a small table and opened the flute case. Victor was astonished at how shiny it was, he figured that she polished it nearly every day to keep it in such fine condition. She began piecing the instrument together, taking the utmost care in making sure that it was perfect. After she was done she stood over Victor, who was seated at the piano. She sat next to him and opened the folder. Just as they were about to begin, a slight scratching was heard at the door. Both of them dismissed it at first, but when it got louder they opened the door to reveal a raven. The raven was lean and well built, and a deep, healthy "craw- craw!" sounded from its throat as it flew up to Emily and perched on her shoulder. She moved the bird to her finger, and it ruffled its feathers.
" Well hello there Archimedes… I haven't seen you in a while, it's been almost a year hasn't it? You've gotten so big." She giggled. The raven cawed happily and stuck up its left foot, revealing a letter tied to it, along with a small grey leather bag.. Emily gently untied the letter and bag from Archimedes' leg, and Victor walked up to her, filled with curiosity. She unrolled the letter and revealed the black ink, no doubt written with a shaky hand.
Emily and Victor
Word got out that you are going to be making another trip upstairs… so I figured that these would be of use to you… this will save you a lot of walking to my house. Although don't hesitate to come visit, my door is always open.
Warmest regards,
Elder Gutknecht
P.S- if you're wondering how exactly the word got out…let's just say a little birdie told me….
Emily pictured him saying that in her head and it made her chuckle. She opened the bag, inside it were two more silver rings, both with an eerie aura about them. They were identical to the one they had given Victoria. They already knew what they were for. She handed one to Victor, and they both put them on their right ring fingers. Archimedes cawed a farewell and took off from Emily's shoulder and flew out the door. Victor put his hands on Emily's waist and she spun around to face him.
" We have got to watch what we say around the birds." Emily giggled and kissed him sweetly, although it didn't last long as Bonejangles walked into the room and they pulled apart. He saw this scene and said nothing, only spun his skull around and walked out of the room….backwards.
"Bonejangles? What are you doing? I thought you were goin' to check on Emily and Victor…" Mrs. Plum said with a raised brow.
" I was… but they're right out there and they were gettin' all smoochy so I decided it'd be best if I didn't hang around too long ya know?" His skull spun back around. Mrs. Plum chuckled and nodded in agreement and went back to her cooking.
Victor still held Emily close to him, both of them blushed a light shade of blue, and Emily had a strange look on her face.
" How many times do you think they're going to walk in on us?"
" well we are kind of out in the open…. And come now…It's not like it was a once in a blue moon thing." He smiled and kissed her again. She smiled and giggled.
" I guess not…." She smiled. The two kept in this position for a moment before breaking apart. Victor looked at the clock.
" So… it's about three o clock… if we go up now my parents should be in…." Emily remained silent "w-…whats wrong?"
" No… it's nothing… I'm just a bit nervous is all…. I want to make a good impression…. But they might not like me…. looking like a half decayed zombie and all…"
Emily I'll not have any more of that rubbish… You are most certainly not a zombie…my parents will love you, I promise… and even if they don't… I still will" He said. This seemed to help a bit, and Emily smiled.
" Let's go then… I'll just be a minute to let Bonejangles know where we're going." With that she ran into the kitchen, and within minutes she ran back out and was at Victor's side. He took her arm and they walked out.
" Oh William! Why did we ever agree to let our boy go?" Nell Van Dort Sobbed rather obnoxiously as she paced around the study in their lavishly decorated house. William tried to keep up with her pacing.
" I don't know why you're all a flutter about this Nellie… Victor's fine now that he's passed on… as a matter of fact I think it'll do him some good… from what I hear it's a lot of fun down there.. It might strengthen his nerves a bit…and I'm sure the girl he found is wonderful…. Nothing's going to be different… the only thing different about him'll be the color of his skin" He comforted his wife, but she slapped his hand away with her fan, still sobbing. This continued for a little while until the large brass doorbell tolled throughout the house.
" Now who could that be at this hour?" William walked over to the door and opened it, and who he saw standing there made him jump. He took his glasses off his nose and cleaned them, and then put them back on. His jaw dropped and he finally found the words to speak.
" Victor." Was all he could say.
" Hello father…" Victor waved
" Victor!"
" Yes…. It's me." Victor raised a brow.
" VICTOR!" WIlliam shouted, and caught his son up in a hug. Victor smiled and hugged his father back.
" Nellie! NELL COME HERE!" he shouted as loud as he could. Nell walked in from the study.
" William quiet your bellowin I can here you all the way from in-." Her jaw also reached an all-time low...
" MY BABY!" she cried, running…or more or less waddling over to her sun and scooping him up…or down in victor's case… in her arms… mussing his hair and showering his face with sloppy kisses. " Victor you're here…and you haven't changed a bit." She was blind to the fact that his skin was blue.
" No mother… I haven't" He said through a chuckle, immensely embarassed.
" Oh… Oh victor how is everything? Are they feeding you? Are there any mean bullies beating you up? Do you change your underwear every day?" She was getting ahead of herself. Outside the door, Emily was in tears trying to keep from laughing.. But she had to regain composure fast before he introduced her.
" Yes of course they're feeding me… no there are no bullies and mother… I'm nineteen years old…please…. I'm not five anymore." Nell stepped away from her son
" My baby…. Oh my Victor." Nell turned around and cried into her handkercheif… walking to leave the room, but Victor stopped her.
" Mother…wait… don't leave just yet." He walked out the front door and left both of his parents in confusion.
"Are You ready Emily?" He asked her, and took her hand, but he found it shaking pitifully. He looked at her and she refused to meet his eyes.
" I-im so nervous." She said, and he pulled her into a hug.
" Oh come now…. You remember what I said… even if they don't love you, which I'm positive they will adore you… I'll still love you no matter what… their impression of you means absolutely nothing to me." He squeezed her a bit tighter then released her and he walked back and she stayed a bit behind.
" Mother….father… there's someone very special I'd like you to meet." William fixed his glasses and Nell walked up to her husband. They saw him take the hand of someone and lead her in through the door. " this….. This is my wife, Emily." Emily looked scared enough to die a second time… but still she had a gentle smile on her face. Both William and Nell advanced on Emily, and Victor gently shoved her forward so they could look at her. Nell was the first to speak.
" Ohhhh… what a lovely thing you are!" she exclaimed, gently pawing at Emily's arm. " oh don't look so frightened my ducky… I'm not going to hurt you… oh are you a pretty thing." She was sincerely bewildered by the beautiful young lady standing before her...dead as she was… Nell and William circled around Emily.
" You are quite the pretty thing Miss Emily I have to agree…" He said, unsure of how his wife would react to him saying anything.
" Oh how silly of me." She waddled over to Emily and kissed her cheek "Welcome to the family love… I'm Nell… but you call me mom if the spirit compels." Nell had the bounce back in her step and she grabbed a hold of Emily's hand.
" And I'm William… or dad… whatever works for you is fine with me Emily.
" T-thank you…" She said quietly, blushing bright as a blueberry.
" And listen to you! You sound like an angel you do." At this, Victor wrapped his arms around her from behind, making his parents even happier.
" So when did Emily become a part of our family?"
"formally…about a day and a half ago." She still spoke quietly, but soon found her place among these people, feeling the weight lift from her shoulders.
" well then you probably have much to tell… won't you join us for dinner Victor? We were just about to begin preparing it." Victor looked at Emily and she smiled.
" We'd love to." He stated.
" Wonderful! Then why don't you go show Emily around the house and we'll get right on it" Victor took Emily by the arm and they walked up the stairs together. Nell stayed back and watched the pair.
" He's afraid to even look at a woman with us… and then you leave him alone for a while and he comes back with the most gorgeous young lady I've seen in all my years… she's perfect."
" Absolutely… except for the fact that she's a bit…decayed."
" William! Don't say such things…" She smacked him tartly upside the head with her hand. "she still as gorgeous as I'm sure she ever was…that matters not as long as she's a respectable woman… she could be a live beauty or a poised skeleton... It doesn't matter as long as you're worth giving the time of day….and she's as beautiful now as I'm sure she ever was." With that they disappeared into the kitchen. Upstairs, Emily sighed with relief and her shoulders dropped as she relaxed her nerves. Victor took this moment to scoop her up in his arms… and she muttered a small "Eep!" as he did so.
" see? I told you they'd love you." He said.
" I like your parents… I'm so glad to finally have met them." The two naturally moved towards Victor's bedroom… their ideal room had a bed, or sofa, or just anywhere they could snuggle up close to each other. (I love that line… .) Victor opened the door and let Emily in… she gasped. Victor's room was a modest one, but it was quite large and well decorated, a whole bookshelf was filled with knick-knacks and books, and a desk was stationed just below the one window… the other window had a seat built into it, stuffed with a myriad of pillows…and a large teddy bear ( I had to do it w) . Emily walked in, her eyes wide with wonder, and she walked over to the sundial near the desk. She gazed wide-eyed at it, with a cute smile on her face.
" What is this?" she asked, tracing the numerals with her finger. Victor walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her.
" This, is a sundial… it's an ancient way of telling time, you see this pointy thing in the middle.
" Mmm-hmm."
" well, when the sun hits that it makes a shadow, and that shadow points to one of these numerals…therefore indicating the time.
" That's so clever…. Who made this?"
" The ancient Romans I believe." She smiled and looked at the globe, but something else caught her eye and she gasped and walked over to the desk.
" OH MY GOSH! Is this you?" She gazed at a picture of a small boy and his dog on the wall.
"Oh dear I was hoping you wouldn't see that… I hate that picture of me…"
"why ever would you hate it! Look at you! Ooh you're so CUTE!" she was squealing over the picture, and she pinched Victor's cheek… and he flushed blue with embarrassment.
"you should see my baby pi-….oh lord no."
"BABY PICTURES! Oh let me see let me see!" she was seething with excitement…and Victor smacked his forehead. Now he knew he was trapped… he walked over to his bookshelf and disdainfully pulled out a rather oversized album… he opened it and began flipping through the pages. He called Emily over when he had found the pictures he was looking for. He showed her a picture of a tiny baby, himself….
" ohhh look at you." SHe cooed, then squealed. "You're so cute!." He was blushing again. She flipped through the book gently, seeing him in all sorts of situations She laid her head on his shoulder as she was flipping, and came to a page that made Victor groan and Emily squeal with delight….his first bath. His mother was holding him in the bathtub, and he had a giant grin on his face as he was splashing around happily.
"you HAD to stop on that page didn't you." his cheeks were bluer than he ever thought possible
" oh my gosh you've got to be the cutest little baby." she squealed again, and giggled…. Victor could help but smile at his wife's happiness. After a few more minutes browsing through the album…her eye's traveled to Victor's globe…
" Oh, I used to have one of those… I don't know whatever happened to it though…" She looked a bit saddened by this, but that faded as she spun the globe. Victor had never seen anyone quite like Emily… when she saw something she was interested in, her eyes would become fixated on it… noticing everything, her mind would focus on that one object, and become riddled with questions. She spun around and moved back to the safety of Victor's arms. From his room, Victor could hear his mother call him.
" Well.. I don't know what she wants, but for all we know it could take forever… so make yourself comfortable." He kissed her and walked out of the room. Emily immediately missed his presence. She walked around the room, admiring all of her husband's personal belongings. Coming over to the desk stationed just below the window… she was just about to reach out for one of the sketchbooks when Nell's voice sounded again.
" Emily? Emily darling are you in there?"
" Yes… I'm here!" Emily ran and opened the door, she saw Nell standing outside the door.
" Well now that wasn't very nice of Victor to just rush off without you… I swear… he'd lose his head if it wasn't attached… well come with me dear there's something I simply must show you…" Emily followed obediently behind Nell, that oh so familiar nervousness washing over her again. This time, Victor was not there behind her if she made a wrong move or comment…. It frightened her…
Nell led Emily into her bedroom, which was decorated splendidly, with a brass-framed bed adorning the wall straight ahead. Nell waddled into her room and closed the door behind them.
" Now…there's something I want to show you..." She walked over to the closet, and pulled out a long white bag. Emily sat on the bed as Nell unzipped the bag very carefully.
" Now…. I bought this a while back… knowing that I would soon have a daughter-in-law… I think it will fit you… oh I hope it does." Nell lifted the flap on the bag and pulled out a beautiful dress. It was a long dress, made of royal blue velvet. The bodice had straight lines embroidered down, and they came to a point just where the waist began. The skirt of the dress was simple, and it had an ever so tiny train. The cuffs and collar of the dress were trimmed with faux fur, pure white, and the strips trimming it were about three inches thick. Emily gasped and walked up to the dress, gently pawing at it.
" It's beautiful…."
" Well let's try it on you then… I want to see if it fits!" Nell was so excited, she ushered Emily over to the screen, and she went behind it and changed into the dress. When she walked out, Nell put a hand to her chest and gasped. The dress hugged her frame similar to the way the wedding dress did, and the collar of the dress fell just a bit off her shoulders, and it rested on her front in a V shape (the less contemporary way to say a V neck collar.) There was a slit up the left side of the dress, stopping just above her knee. Emily walked over to the mirror and looked herself over. Her eyes were wide and her smile mimicked … it had been a long time since she had seen herself in anything new. Nell was giddy with excitement as she moved over to Emily.
" Oh look 'atcha… just look 'atcha…. My dear there isn't a star in then sky as pretty as you." Emily blushed a deep blue. She couldn't say anything, so she turned her head and focused her eyes on the floor, clasping her hands in front of her and smiling shyly. Nell took Emily's chin and made her look down at her.
" Now don't you go being sheepish on me… "
" I can't help it… you do flatter me so."
" It's not flattery if it's the truth… Now you listen to me… William and I, we never thought Victor would ever find a girl of his own… well I shouldn't say that… we always knew he would… we just didn't know how long it would take, but we knew that when he did find a girl, he'd find one that was absolutely perfect… you're all we've ever hoped for and so much more." Emily blushed again and smiled.
" It doesn't even matter that I'm…well….dead and decayed?"
" why would that matter? I don't care if you're livin', dead, or some freakish mix of the two…you're a part of our family now, and we love you just as much as if you were our actual daughter." Emily smiled and hugged Nell tightly, feeling tears sting her eyelids. Nell smiled and hugged her back.
" now…if ya don't mind me askin, Love, how exactly did you die?" Emily froze in her spot, and Nell noticed how strangely Emily was acting. "what's wrong?"
" Nothing… I'd just rather tell the story when Victor is present." Emily's eyes focused on the floor again…and as if on cue, there came a knock at the door.
" Mother? Emily? Are you in here?" Emily sighed in relief as she heard Victor's voice.
" In here Victor… you may come in." Victor turned the knob and walked in, he began to walk toward Emily when he noticed her in the new dress. His jaw hung open and his eyes widened.
" Victor…? Is something wrong?" Emily asked, walking towards him.
" Emily…that dress looks absolutely gorgeous on you." He couldn't help but stare at her, but mentally slapped himself and broke his trance.
"I'm glad you like it." Nell walked past them, giggling.
"Well I'll leave my two lovebirds alone…I must go make sure your nitwit father hasn't completely desecrated the kitchen. You can tell me your story after dinner Emily… we'll all meet in the study, alright then? I'll see you in a bit.
When Nell had left, Emily looked away from Victor, and even standing about four feet away from her, her muscles visibly tensed.
" Victor….she wants me to tell the story" Emily said, subconsciously beginning to pace back and forth, the skirt of the dress swishing as she made sharp turns. "I don't want to….."
"What story?" Emily looked at him, and her eyes said everything she couldn't at the moment. "Oh…Th-that story… so don't tell her…"
"But she's already asked me… I feel as if they have a right to know… it wouldn't be fair…. But oh I so don't want to tell it…" She began mumbling to herself almost neurotically, until Victor pulled her into his arms to stop her pacing. She seemed uncomfortable.
" Shhh…. Emily, calm down. I think my parents have a right to know however…would you like me to tell them for you? "
"No! that would make it worse…she's asked me…and she will hear the story from me…. " She shifted in his arms, still seeming uncomfortable.
" You can do it… I don't even have to put any thought into that, but you remember what I said." He kissed her cheek softly and whispered in her ear. "You can cry if you need to… I'll be right behind you….or sitting next to you…or somewhere near you." Emily Giggled and hugged him tightly. Victor silently wished they could stay like this for the remainder of the time. His mother proved that this wasn't going to be the case.
" Victor! Emily… dinner is ready!" They looked at each other, and Victor kissed Emily quickly before leading her down the stairs.
Dinner was a merry time in the Van Dort household, and with Emily there it made it all the more merrier. William insisted on telling a few stories of Victor's childhood… one of which included Victor's seasickness. All of these stories made Victor blue with embarrassment, but Emily found them amusing and quite entertaining. When dinner was done, the dreaded subject resurfaced.
Emily told the story slowly and gravely, making it just as bone-chilling as the night it actually happened. Emily also explained the whole incident with Victoria… but even before that Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort were ablaze with anger.
" That good for nothing bastard!" Mr. Van Dort exclaimed.
" I knew right from the start that that Barkis character was a ruddy scoundrel…you poor dear." Emily had long since retreated to Victor's shoulder, where he was stroking her cheek encouragingly. Mr. Van Dort mouthed an "is she alright?" to Victor, and he gave a slight nod, putting his nose to Emily's and bringing her eyes up to meet his. She looked at him with a sort of anguished yet relieved look. Nell walked up to Emily and put her arms around her, kissing her cheek softly.
" now don't you get yourself all worked up, Love… Come with me after we finish here… we'll go for a walk in the garden."
" y-you have a garden"
" of course we do!" Emily seemed to perk up, and after everything was finished, Victor, Mrs. Van Dort, and a still rather disgruntled Emily. They all exited to the garden, and Victor grabbed a hold of his wife's hand
"It's over darling… now they know… are you going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine… thank you." She locked her arm around his elbow
Once they were outside, Emily's attitude soon faded into one of amazement. As soon as she stepped onto the cobblestone pathway her nose was filled with the perfume of many different flowers, she took it all in, and she could rule out the lilacs and the peonies. She couldn't see the other side of the garden , it was beautifully overgrown with flowers, She smiled and walked around one of the trellises, and victor followed close behind, and within minutes the two were frolicking about in the garden. Splashing each other by the fountain, running around playing tag. They had long forgotten that Nell was standing there watching them, and they eventually stopped the running and started spinning around in a wild dance. Nell walked up next to them as they got so dizzy that they fell down at her feet.
Alright you two… settle down before the neighbors hear… they'll think we've a bunch of escaped monkeys in our garden." Victor, still extremely disorientated, looked in a direction opposite his mother.
"Yes mother." Emily was lying on his lap, and if one looked close enough they would see her head rocking slightly.
"So….dizzy." She muttered, She tried to stand up, but collapsed on top of victor again, and as they sat there trying to regain their bearings. Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort watched them.
"Have you ever seen him like this William?" Nell asked her husband.
"No…. not since he was a boy."
"He's become a bit unruly..."
" He's become the boy we hoped he'd be as a child… it just took a little longer." William said defensively. Emily and Victor finally managed to stand up, and were now sitting on the bench. Emily was picking daisies that were growing out of the ground, and braiding them into a chain. She put the chain around Victor's head like a crown.
"Now announcing… the king of daisies!" Emily bellowed.
" Thank you Emily, and as my first order as king…" He took the crown off his head. "I appoint you as my queen of daisies!" he put the crown over her head…and he couldn't ignore the buzzing in his left ear. The next thing he became aware of was Emily's laughter.
"It seems you've made a friend." She pointed to victor's left, and he turned to find a rather large bee buzzing around a daisy stuck behind his ear.
"wha- Hey! Cut that out... You- you-re' tickling my ear!" He swatted at the bee as it continued to buzz around his ear, and begin writhing on the ground, laughing. He finally took the daisy out from behind his ear and threw it, and the bee followed.
Some time later, Emily and Nell began walking around the garden, talking about the different kinds of flowers.. And Victor was about to follow, when his father's hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around, and William gestured for Victor to follow. Victor walked behind his father.
"It's going to be awfully lonely without you around…" William said sadly, and Victor became a tiny bit guilt ridden. "But we'll get over it… I just want you to know…..how proud I am of you son."
"Father….?"
"You mother and I… we watched you grow up… from the little baby you were, into the exceptional young man standing right in front of me. You've had your fair share of hard times, and I think some of them contributed to your shyness… you mother and I began….and it shames me to say this… we began to lose hope of you fitting into society. We never thought anyone would accept you, simply because you were so timid… and now, you've proven to both of us that we were wrong. You've earned a father's eternal love and blessing. I feel honored to have you as a son… and I feel that I can grow old safely with someone like you watching over me…" William turned around to face his son, tears of pride lacing his eyes. Victor embraced his father tightly.
"Thank you…" he whispered (sniff sniff….) The two got into a light conversation for a good hour, when victor noticed the sun had gone down.
"It seems we've lost track of time father…. Where do you suppose mother and Emily went?
"I'm not sure son, but my guess would be they've gone back into the house." Victor and his father went into the house, and Victor was told that Emily was upstairs. He ran up the stairs, and opened his bedroom door, to Find Emily curled up on his bed, asleep. He smiled and walked over to her sleeping form. She was laying on her side, and her arms were wrapped loosely around the pillow.
"Poor thing… you're exhausted." He thought to himself, brushing loose strands of hair from her face. His smile widened. "you're so beautiful when you're asleep…" He said quietly, when he heard footsteps walk in.
"I thought she was awfully quiet up here…" Nell said. "She's a doll…..I take it you're spending the night then?"
"I don't think she's in any condition to go home right now." He chuckled. "But I'll have to return home and tell Mrs. Plum that we're staying."
"Tell who?"
"The lady we live with… she owns a pub, and we live in the house above it." Nell gave him a somewhat skeptical look as he walked out of the door.
Victor returned about a half an hour later. Nell and William were in the study, he could see the fire still ablaze. He walked up the stairs to find Emily still asleep. Quickly he went into the washroom and changed into his night clothes. Hanging his suit jacket on the hook, he extinguished the lamp in the room and walked towards his bed.
"Emily darling…" He whispered. Her eyes opened, but he could tell she was still asleep.
"Mmmm." Was her reply. Victor chuckled.
"I'm sorry, you looked comfortable, but why don't we move under the blankets?" He gently helped her to the bedside, and she had started to realize what was happening.
"Victor?….did I fall asleep? W-" she yawned. "what time is it? Are we home?" Her eyes were half closed in sleep. A finger to her lips silenced her.
"Shhh… I'm sorry to have woken you, Love. We're still upstairs, you did fall asleep, and it's around ten-thirty, and now I'm going to sleep too." He smiled at her as she fought to keep her eyes open.
"Okay." She mumbled. She got under the covers and rolled over. Victor climbed in next to her.
" Now you can go back to sleep… sorry for waking you." She curled up next to him and closed her eyes…and was asleep in seconds. Victor kissed her cheek softly, and it was only when his head hit the pillow, that he realized how tired he was….
A/N- WOOOOOOOOOOO! It's finally done! YAAAAAAY! I'm so sorry for takifn forever to finish this chapter…. I've just been so busy…. So yea this chappie was kinda crummy, but trust me…while I was working on this chapter… I have many many more things written and almost ready to go in…as well as another idea for a three-part chapter similar to chapter 4! So I thank you all for sticking with me thus far…..what is in store for Emily and Victor? Find out, in chapter 6 of "If immortality unveil!" until next time, this is griffin-queen saying Peace out!
