The Love of a Stranger
Ob1MegOb1
Chapter 15
(Erik)
When I woke up the next morning it was alarmingly clear why I had never slept. My night, besides having the warm body next to me, had been an absolute hell. Damn my dreams for being so miserable. Damn my life for being so miserable. That I could not even enjoy this one night because of my past. I lay there on the bed trying to get the usual abused memories out of my head but it was no use. No matter how happy I was those memories were always there to haunt me.
(Jasmine)
I had felt him tossing and turning all night. I had heard his labored breaths as he woke suddenly from the dream which had plagued him all night. I had felt him turn his body away from mine. And I listened as I never felt his breaths return to those of sleep. He stayed up all night.
(Erik)
I turned back towards her and watched her back slowly rise and fall. I leaned up on my elbows and looked down on her and I was surprised to see her eyes open. "Yes, I'm awake," she muttered turning back in my direction.
I looked at her confused, "For how long?"
She looked at me eyebrows raised, "How long were you awake last night?"
I glared at her forgetting she could not see my face and I only got up out of the bed, "All night if you must know."
She sat up, "Erik you were tossing and turning all night. I believe I received a hand in the face which woke me up. What was in your dream that caused you to sleep so restlessly?"
(Jasmine)
He was silent for many long minutes. Finally I felt his weight return to the bed as he sat down and he sighed, "I believe that is none of your concern Jasmine. Besides why would you want to?"
I softly pulled the covers off the lower half of my body and patted the area next to me. He came over a few seconds later and sat beside me. "Okay," I muttered, "I think we need to set something straight before this relationship we are trying to pursue happens." She gently reached for my hand and gripped it gently, "We need to start trusting each other. And I know that we both have things in our past which are neither glamorous nor godly. But I know that if we aren't honest with each other this relationship will spiral into a downward circle into nothing. Now maybe you don't need to talk now, but your going to have to eventually okay?" She got up slowly putting her robe around her night dress.
"Now if you will excuse I'm going to prepare for the day. William is usually up by now so maybe he can keep you company."
(Erik)
I walked sullenly out of the room feeling absolutely mad with frustration. Why is it every time the past came up with Jasmine I always left like a dog with its tail between its legs? I walked downstairs and proceeded to walk around the house to try to clear my head. I finally made my way to a room I had not seen the past few days and it contained my heaven on Earth.
It wasn't an organ but it was a piano which right now I was going to take whatever I could get. I sat there and noticed that there was a good layer of dust on the instrument which always infuriated me to the bone. What was the point of having an instrument if you were never going to use it?
(Jasmine)
I stepped out of my room still tying the final strings of my dress, for I had ceased to wear a corset since the day I became blind. It inhibited my performance and movement so it was very easy for me to dress myself in the morning. Besides it made me feel so inferior to have someone wait on me. I would never let it come to that, never.
(Erik)
I pressed my fingers to the keys after giving the poor instrument its first dusting and tuning in ages. The sound came out so pure that I could not ever believe it had ever been in poor condition. I sat there pounding away for quite a few moments and then words and tune started coming to me. I struggled to develop the tune around the words.
In a life dominated in darkness
I had come to find no light or likeness
Of heaven on this Earth and ground
I had always feared that dreaded mound
That unmarked grave which would soon
Be my own
I stopped closing my eyes in pain and putting my forehead in my hands and tried to control the tears that wanted to break forth. Nobody knew how lonely the life of a wicked person was. There was no consolation for them, just like there had never been any for me.
(Jasmine)
I stood there at the doorway of the piano room. The room which had been my place to be alone. Although many had not believed it I had once played piano. There were small notches on the keys which told me where to place my hands initially and I had been able to somehow figure it out myself. I had pounded away at the keys forever but did not have the voice to accompany the tune. So many of the words I had always wanted to get out never had because my voice never could bear it.
But as I listened to his beautiful baritone voice belt out his fears I had waited a week to hear I felt my own eyes begin to tear. I knew his life was troubled but his playing and singing showed a wound that went much deeper than the scar on his face. I slowly walked forward and placed my hand on his shoulder.
(Erik)
I jumped at her touch and looked up at her, "Erik are you alright?" she said her eyes staring forward and concerned. I got up pushing her hand away, "Yes I'm alright." I said this despite the tears slowly drying on my face.
She reached forward and gently touched my cheeks, "But your not," she whispered. She pulled me in close and my forehead fell gently on her shoulder and slowly the tears felt. She gently cupped her hand on my neck, "It's okay to be afraid. And I'm sorry about my words before it's just believe it or not a defense mechanism. I don't actually reveal anything about myself unless they tell something as well. I see now the wound goes deeper than I thought."
(Jasmine)
He pulled away gently and whispered softly, "That's anything but a fault." I smiled somewhat and whispered, "It feels like one to me."
He gently walked away and I said to him, "You know that was one thing they got right," I said softly, "Your voice is angelic."
He groaned, "But how I would turn it in for the worst in the world. This talent I wished had never plagued me."
Before I could even ask why he would say such a thing there was a shattering scream which filled the entire house. I recognized it immediately though, "Rebecca."
(Erik)
We both turned at the sound but I took off faster than her. I still managed to grab her hand though and lead her upstairs. When we reached the hallway William was holding Rebecca close to him and Evelyn was sobbing. And when I looked inside I immediately turned Jasmine away forgetting that she could not see what lay inside. She pushed away from me and looked at us all in confusion.
"What happened?" she said her eyes searching for an answer.
I looked into the room and looked at the beaten corpse which lay on the floor of the room. One could hardly recognize the once beautiful girl who had resided in its walls. Her face was ruthlessly cut and beaten in. Dried blood covered her entire face. Her arm was broken at an odd angle and bruises shown on her neck where she had been strangled as well. I only stared at the poor girl and I swallowed as I slowly turned to Jasmine.
"Its Elizabeth," I muttered, "She's dead."
(Jasmine)
I first I didn't feel anything but an emptiness. I wave washing over me and eliminating the pain I should be feeling at this moment. "And Paul?" I muttered my heart burning with anger. It took a while for them to answer. Finally William answered as footsteps slowly disappeared I assumed to be Rebecca's went back to her room.
"No where to be found," he muttered.
And then something exploded in me and I fell to the floor pounding my fist as hard as I could. I didn't even feel the pain in my hand or even register the tormented cry to be mine. "No!" I cried, "Not to her. How could I have been so stupid?" Hot tears poured down my cheeks and I just lay there trying not to imagine what that bastard had done to my cousin.
(Erik)
I watched my heart aching as she lay there her body racked with sobs. I went to touch her shoulder comfortingly but she pushed it away, "Leave me be!"
"Jasmine," I muttered.
"Please Erik," she said looking at me her eyes filled with tears, "Just leave me."
She slowly got up and William went to help her but she pushed him away as well. She felt the wall and went into the room we went to stop her but she slammed the door and locked it from the inside.
"Is this wise?" I said to William. He turned to me his eyes filled with pain.
"Its not the wisest course of action but it's the best."
I stared at the closed door and pressed my ear to the door. From inside I could hear her cries ten fold. It was probably the worst sound I would ever come to hear. "They were very close weren't they?" I muttered.
"A lot closer than you think," he answered.
(Jasmine)
I leaned down next to her body and trembling I reached my hand forward afraid of what I was going to feel. The only thing I could feel though was the dried blood on her face. And then the broken cheekbone and the cut lip the…oh my god…the smashed in forehead. The tears were pouring so the only thing I could taste was the warm saltiness of their sadness.
I lay my head down on her broken body and sobbed. That bastard was going to pay for his actions. I swear to god that man was going to hell. She didn't deserve to die. I should have killed him all those years ago. I should have pulled the trigger. Well this time there would be no hesitation. I was going to do whatever I could to find him. And I was going to kill him.
I got up and turned toward the door, "Your death will be avenged," I whispered to her, "I promise." So I buried my emotions and promised myself I would not release them until the time was right.
I opened the door, "Any word on Paul?" I said softly.
(Erik)
All I had to do was look in her eyes and know something had changed. Her voice and face may mask her true feelings but I knew better. Her eyes showed anger and sadness but also they showed another emotion. I don't know what, but whatever it was, it scared me.
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