The small clothing boutique was empty as Wesley and I entered, the bell attached to the large windowed door piercing the silence oddly. I glanced around, seeing no one in sight I moved towards the ladies gowns in the window that had caught my eye as we had passed by. I listened carefully as Wesley brushed by making his way to the great oak counter that lined one of the shop's walls.
"May I help you sir?" A deep-male voice spoke from somewhere behind me, causing me to turn slightly.
A short-stocky man moved towards Wesley, smiling as he stepped behind the counter to offer his aide.
"The lady would like to try one of the gowns in the window." Wesley replied, smiling back as he gazed momentarily in my direction.
"Ah yes." The man cooed as he came out from behind the counter towards me.
I turned to look at the man, my sapphire eyes flashing at Wesley briefly before looking at the man.
"You must be new in town." The man mused as he held out his hand to me, his eyes watching me intently. "I'm Rupert. Rupert Jenkins."
"Catherine Lancaster." I replied softly as I took his hand in mine.
"It's a pleasure." The man beamed as I released his hand. "It's not often we have newcomers. It's always nice to meet someone new."
The man turned to Wesley who had moved closer to us and held out his hand.
"Wesley McGraw." Wesley murmured, shaking Rupert's hand.
"You're not from around these parts." Rupert mused as he began to pull the wicker mannequin down as I stepped to the side slightly.
"No." Wesley answered, brushing his hand through his hair as he winked at me from behind the man's back. "We just moved here from Virginia."
"Ah, Virginia." The man cooed as he slipped the dress from the pins that held it in place. "Lovely place."
"You've been?" Wesley asked as the man turned to face us.
"Oh yes." Rupert laughed as he nodded excitedly. "I grew up there. Just near Richmond."
"Oh how lovely Wesley." I cooed, trying not to sound too sarcastic as I smiled excitedly. "Someone from back home."
Wesley smiled casually as he looked at me and then looked back at the clerk.
"Whereabouts do ya'll hail from?" Rupert asked, smiling widely as he stared intently at Wesley.
"Near Clarksburg." Wesley replied, smiling back as he slipped his hands into his coat pockets.
The man stared at Wesley blankly, his lips slightly twitching.
"Do you know it?" Wesley asked, looking at the man insistently.
"I know of Clarksburg, yes." Rupert replied finally as he looked back at me, a smile forming on his lips. "Ready?"
I stared at the man, my smile frozen in place as his thoughts rushed at me all at once causing me to idle in place momentarily.
The man's a liar, Rupert thought as I gaped at him. There is no Clarksburg, Virginia.
"Ma'am?" The man asked inquisitively as I began to blink.
"Yes, I'm ready." I replied, finally finding my voice as the man moved past me towards the dressing rooms.
Rupert's thoughts bombarded me once more as I followed silently behind him, my heeled shows clicking softly.
Perhaps he doesn't know West Virginia joined the union, the man mused inside his head as he opened a small wooden door and hung the dress inside. He turned to face me, amusement evident on his face.
"I believe my cousin might have misspoken." I murmured gently, smiling back at the man. "It was a long drive you see, he must be tired."
Rupert stared at me, the smile still on his face as the wheels clicked inside his head slowly.
"I'm sure you figured he meant West Virginia. For everyone knows it is its own state now." I laughed softly as the man's eyes lit up. I could see Wesley turn to stare at me in surprise for a moment out of the corner of my eye before turning back to his inspection of the brass buttons laid atop the wooden counter before him. "Although some of us would wish it not so." Rupert just stared at me as I continued. "Being separated from the Commonwealth like that. It's barbaric, don't you agree?"
"Of course." Rupert answered with a slight laugh as I turned towards the small room before me.
Ain't that the truth, his mind agreed as I closed the door with a soft click. I stared at the silk garment before me as I listened to Rupert's heavy steps move towards the front of the store.
I took a deep breath as my nerves calmed, thanking my lucky stars that I had actually paid attention in school for once.
"What was that all about?" Wesley hissed in my ear as we walked briskly down the freshly cleared sidewalk, my new paper-wrapped purchase under his arm.
"Apparently you're from West Virginia." I laughed gently as I looked at him in amusement.
"I don't understand." He replied, his face scrunching up slightly.
"West Virginia joined the union in 1863." I answered quietly. "Two years after—"
"I died." He finished as he stared at me in disbelief.
"Good thing I was paying attention." I laughed again as his face began to soften.
"Damn." He cursed, staring straight ahead as we continued to walk. "I could've ruined everything."
"It's not your fault." I giggled as he looked at me calmly, his face smooth as marble. "It's not like you could've known."
He just stared at me, trying not to laugh.
"You were dead when it happened." I laughed hysterically as I ran ahead of him, spinning as he tried lunging for me. "A dead man couldn't possibly know that."
I heard him laugh slightly under his breath as I caught the twinkling amusement in his eyes.
"You better run." He growled as he bared his teeth in retaliation.
"Or what?" I prodded, turning to face him once more as we began to enter the snow enchanted forest.
"Run!" He laughed as I turned instantly and bolted into the trees, snow blowing wildly at my back.
I could feel him close behind as I weaved in between the trees, the wind blowing harshly in my face as I moved. Our movements were insanely fast, even for the most perceptive human eye. We seemed to be just blurs amidst the white forest, as if we were blurs in time itself. We were manipulators of time, bending it to our satisfaction. We moved so quickly through it and yet we didn't move at all.