Chapter Nine: Love Forbidden by Death
"Why are we going to Moesko Island again?" Rachel, Aiden's mother, asks as she drives through a finally sunny day. I'm in the car too, in the front seat, even though she can't see me. Sarah and Aiden are in the back, with Sarah and I having a telepathic conversation.
"WE, as in Sarah and I, are going because we have a summer project dealing with... horses. We're going to the Morgan Ranch," Aiden says quickly, reading my thoughts so he knows exactly what to say.
"The Morgan Ranch," Rachel says with interest. "Isn't that where all the horses went crazy and drowned themselves?"
Aiden looks subtly at me for help. I tell him Yes.
"Yep. That's it," Aiden says.
"Hmm. Maybe I could do a story on that," Rachel says thoughtfully, tapping the steering wheel. "It'd be interesting."
"Rachel," Aiden says softly. "I'd really rather do this alone."
Rachel looks hurt. "Are you sure?"
Aiden nods.
Rachel smiles a sad smile. "Mm. Okay." We drive all the way to the ferry in silence. I can hear Aiden's thoughts, thinking about his parents. Yeesh. His mother a disappointment, and his father he barely even knows.
Finally, we're at the ferry. Rachel smiles, turns around, and pats Aiden's hand. "Have a good time. Call me when you're done," she says.
I open the door and get out. Rachel's eyes go wider than anything.
"The... the door just opened," she says.
"Yeah, I forgot to tell you, it's been doing that a lot," Aiden lies quickly. "See ya, Mom." He shuts both mine and his door.
"Thanks for the ride," Sarah says sweetly to Rachel. Rachel nods numbly, then drives away.
"You're really subtle," Aiden says to me, rolling his eyes.
I ignore him. I feel nervous. It's the first time in 45 years I'm going back to Moesko Island. I'm going to relive all the pain...
We board the ferry, and five minutes later, it goes. We all look out into the ocean, weaving into each other's thoughts silently.
"You know," Aiden says, turning to me. "What's so bad about these powers? I mean, they're useful, helpful. And staying on Earth isn't really that bad. Is it?"
I look down. "You have no idea."
"Oh, so you really don't like being here, with me," he spits out, a look of anger crossing his face.
Sarah touches Aiden's arm. "Aiden, leave her alone. I'm sure it must be rough for her. We're going to solve this, no matter what."
Aiden jerks his arm away and stalks off, his thoughts heavily guarded. But I can sense his anguish and stubborness.
I turn to Sarah, sighing. "Am I doing the right thing?"
"Of course," she says fiercely. "Don't pay any attention to Aiden. He's being selfish. We'll find a way to stop all this. We're going to."
I nod, trying to convince myself, but that doesn't stop the guilt pulsing through me. "Hopefully."
She becomes silent again, then she turns to me, a look of pity in her eyes. "Samara..."
I glare at her. "Don't look at me like that. I don't need your sympathy."
She ignores me and continues. "What was your life like?" Her eyes look eager, as if anticipating what I was about to tell her.
I stare at her. Finally, I sigh. "You really want to know?"
"Yes."
I tell her. I tell her everything. I tell her about how my father detested me, my mother loved me, and how I was a "curse". How everyone on the island believed I was the cause of all the bad things. I told her about being sent to Dr. Grasner, then Eola, having everyone question me and believe I was crazy. I told her how I slept in a barn, never sleeping because of horses. I told her about how I caused pain for everyone. Finally, I told her about my 11th birthday, and Enna.
She is silent for awhile. Finally, she looks up and says, "My father never loved me either."
My eyes widen.
"The memory you saw... was with my mom's grandparents. She had an affair with some famous actor, and she divorced the man she was married to and married the actor, my father. But the actor said he didn't want any children, and he would leave my mother if she kept me. So my mom sent me away to her parents. I haven't seen her once." Tears fill up her eyes. "But she writes letters. She constantly tells me she loves me. I want to believe her, but I can't." A tear spills down her face. "If you love someone, you don't just throw them away so easily like that. It takes time, patience, and sacrifice. My mom never did any of those. Except for sacrificing ME." She gave a horrible laugh.
I don't know what to say. I had no idea how sad Sarah's life was. Now I really regret ever forcing her to be under my command.
She stands up, wiping her tears. "This is dumb," she says. "I'm crying over something that happened fifteen years ago. I'm such a baby."
"Sarah," I say softly, but she shakes her head.
"I'm going to go freshen up," she sniffles. "I'll be downstairs. I'll be back in a sec." She walks below deck.
I sigh and decide to look for Aiden. I see him on the other side of the ferry, looking out into the water. I float over to him, enjoying the wind's caress on my ethereal body.
I tentaviley put a hand on his shoulder. He turns around.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, saying the first words coming to mind.
He shakes his head. "Nothing to be sorry about." He turns back around, still looking at the ocean.
"You really want me to stay?" I ask him, standing by his side.
He nods, still silent.
"Oh." And that's about as far as I can drag the conversation. I start to glide away when he suddenly reaches out and grabs my arm.
"I love you."
I stop dead. (No pun intended).
His eyes look serious. He takes a step closer, and softly presses his lips against mine, kissing me slowly.
I close my eyes... and I kiss him back.
"Why are we going to Moesko Island again?" Rachel, Aiden's mother, asks as she drives through a finally sunny day. I'm in the car too, in the front seat, even though she can't see me. Sarah and Aiden are in the back, with Sarah and I having a telepathic conversation.
"WE, as in Sarah and I, are going because we have a summer project dealing with... horses. We're going to the Morgan Ranch," Aiden says quickly, reading my thoughts so he knows exactly what to say.
"The Morgan Ranch," Rachel says with interest. "Isn't that where all the horses went crazy and drowned themselves?"
Aiden looks subtly at me for help. I tell him Yes.
"Yep. That's it," Aiden says.
"Hmm. Maybe I could do a story on that," Rachel says thoughtfully, tapping the steering wheel. "It'd be interesting."
"Rachel," Aiden says softly. "I'd really rather do this alone."
Rachel looks hurt. "Are you sure?"
Aiden nods.
Rachel smiles a sad smile. "Mm. Okay." We drive all the way to the ferry in silence. I can hear Aiden's thoughts, thinking about his parents. Yeesh. His mother a disappointment, and his father he barely even knows.
Finally, we're at the ferry. Rachel smiles, turns around, and pats Aiden's hand. "Have a good time. Call me when you're done," she says.
I open the door and get out. Rachel's eyes go wider than anything.
"The... the door just opened," she says.
"Yeah, I forgot to tell you, it's been doing that a lot," Aiden lies quickly. "See ya, Mom." He shuts both mine and his door.
"Thanks for the ride," Sarah says sweetly to Rachel. Rachel nods numbly, then drives away.
"You're really subtle," Aiden says to me, rolling his eyes.
I ignore him. I feel nervous. It's the first time in 45 years I'm going back to Moesko Island. I'm going to relive all the pain...
We board the ferry, and five minutes later, it goes. We all look out into the ocean, weaving into each other's thoughts silently.
"You know," Aiden says, turning to me. "What's so bad about these powers? I mean, they're useful, helpful. And staying on Earth isn't really that bad. Is it?"
I look down. "You have no idea."
"Oh, so you really don't like being here, with me," he spits out, a look of anger crossing his face.
Sarah touches Aiden's arm. "Aiden, leave her alone. I'm sure it must be rough for her. We're going to solve this, no matter what."
Aiden jerks his arm away and stalks off, his thoughts heavily guarded. But I can sense his anguish and stubborness.
I turn to Sarah, sighing. "Am I doing the right thing?"
"Of course," she says fiercely. "Don't pay any attention to Aiden. He's being selfish. We'll find a way to stop all this. We're going to."
I nod, trying to convince myself, but that doesn't stop the guilt pulsing through me. "Hopefully."
She becomes silent again, then she turns to me, a look of pity in her eyes. "Samara..."
I glare at her. "Don't look at me like that. I don't need your sympathy."
She ignores me and continues. "What was your life like?" Her eyes look eager, as if anticipating what I was about to tell her.
I stare at her. Finally, I sigh. "You really want to know?"
"Yes."
I tell her. I tell her everything. I tell her about how my father detested me, my mother loved me, and how I was a "curse". How everyone on the island believed I was the cause of all the bad things. I told her about being sent to Dr. Grasner, then Eola, having everyone question me and believe I was crazy. I told her how I slept in a barn, never sleeping because of horses. I told her about how I caused pain for everyone. Finally, I told her about my 11th birthday, and Enna.
She is silent for awhile. Finally, she looks up and says, "My father never loved me either."
My eyes widen.
"The memory you saw... was with my mom's grandparents. She had an affair with some famous actor, and she divorced the man she was married to and married the actor, my father. But the actor said he didn't want any children, and he would leave my mother if she kept me. So my mom sent me away to her parents. I haven't seen her once." Tears fill up her eyes. "But she writes letters. She constantly tells me she loves me. I want to believe her, but I can't." A tear spills down her face. "If you love someone, you don't just throw them away so easily like that. It takes time, patience, and sacrifice. My mom never did any of those. Except for sacrificing ME." She gave a horrible laugh.
I don't know what to say. I had no idea how sad Sarah's life was. Now I really regret ever forcing her to be under my command.
She stands up, wiping her tears. "This is dumb," she says. "I'm crying over something that happened fifteen years ago. I'm such a baby."
"Sarah," I say softly, but she shakes her head.
"I'm going to go freshen up," she sniffles. "I'll be downstairs. I'll be back in a sec." She walks below deck.
I sigh and decide to look for Aiden. I see him on the other side of the ferry, looking out into the water. I float over to him, enjoying the wind's caress on my ethereal body.
I tentaviley put a hand on his shoulder. He turns around.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, saying the first words coming to mind.
He shakes his head. "Nothing to be sorry about." He turns back around, still looking at the ocean.
"You really want me to stay?" I ask him, standing by his side.
He nods, still silent.
"Oh." And that's about as far as I can drag the conversation. I start to glide away when he suddenly reaches out and grabs my arm.
"I love you."
I stop dead. (No pun intended).
His eyes look serious. He takes a step closer, and softly presses his lips against mine, kissing me slowly.
I close my eyes... and I kiss him back.