Chapter 4: Deception
"You told her what?" Sara hissed at Jack after Erica left. Jack turned to her. "I told her what I believe: that you are Karen!" Sara groaned. "Jack… what were you thinking? I can't be Karen! There's no way!"
Jack crossed his arms across his chest. "Why?" Sara's shook her head. "Because… because…" She paused, trying to think of an answer. "Because… because there's just no way, okay? My aunt wouldn't lie to me like that!" Jack just looked at her and sighed.
Erica ran all the way home. Her mind was completely blank; it hurt too much to even think of anything.
After running a few minutes, tears stung her eyes, but she wasted no time wiping them away. She had to get home as soon as possible.
She burst into the town and kicked up dust as she ran along the dusty rode that led towards the small house near the edge of town, right next to the Mayor's house.
As she ran, many people stopped whatever they were doing to look at the crying girl and Maria even stepped in front of her to stop her and ask what was wrong. If Erica even saw her, she didn't show any recognition, because she just blew past her without even a glance.
That's how it was the entire way. People looked at her strangely and she ignored them; she had to get home. She had to get within the comfort of her room.
Erica's bedroom door flung open and she fell upon her bed, sobs racking her body. A loud wail escaped her lips and she convulsed as her weeping grew.
WHUMP! She slammed her fist down upon her mattress as hard as she could, ignoring the sharp pain that originated from it. "This can't be—" WHUMP! "happening!" She cried loudly.
She roared loudly. "I hate you, Karen! Why can't you just stay out of our life?!"
She brought her fist down onto the bed time and time again, venting her anger and… hatred.
"Two weeks?" Patrice exclaimed when Jack broke the news to her. "It will be two weeks until the next ferry comes?" Jack nodded and the older woman moaned in frustration.
"This can't be happening!" She said softly. Jack sighed. "If you don't mind my asking, what so bad about it? You're welcome here and if you don't want that, the Inn has plenty of rooms!"
"Actually, yes. I do mind your asking." Patrice snapped. "I don't wish to stay here any longer than I have to."
Jack smirked slightly. "I understand, but there's nothing that can be done." Patrice nodded before letting out another quiet moan.
"Listen, I have to go into town for a bit. Will you two be all right for a while?" Jack asked with seemingly genuine concern. Patrice looked up at him and scowled. "We aren't children."
Jack nodded and started for the front door. Before exiting though, he stopped and turned back around. "Do you think you or Sara would enjoy a tour of the town? You'll be here for a while, after all."
Patrice looked up at him. "No. We wouldn't."
"Well, shouldn't you ask—" Jack began, but she cut him off. "No. We do not want a tour!"
The young farmer gave her a sideways glance and shrugged. He walked out seconds later.
Jack walked over to Thunder's stable and let him out. "Come on, boy. Up for a ride?" Thunder snorted a reply. Jack smiled and put the saddle on the horse.
He rode out of his farm only seconds later and turned a sharp left, heading for Green Ranch.
Once he reached the entrance of Green Ranch, he turned left once more and headed down the path for the beach.
Thunder easily jumped the few steps that led down and landed with a thud in the sand. But the large horse didn't lose it balance and continued to run through the sand and towards the nearby dock and the boat parked there…
"Hey, Jack!" Cried the young blonde-haired ferryman when he saw Jack ride up on his horse. Jack got off of Thunder and walked up to him. They embraced tightly and when they let go of each other, Jack asked, "How have you been doing, Sam? Business is good, I hope."
Sam nodded. "Yes, yes, it's going just fine… Oh! Before I forget to mention this, the missus and I are expecting a baby!"
Jack's eyes widened. "What? A baby! You were just married a few months ago!"
Sam grinned. "I work fast." Jack raised an eyebrow and Sam's grin only grew.
"So, Jack… Any new prospective women around these parts?" Sam asked, only to be given a surprised glare from Jack. "Sam! You're married!"
Sam let loose a loud guffaw. "I'm asking for you, you idiot! I was wondering if you've found anyone yet!" Jack was silent for a few moments, but his face betrayed his feelings.
"That bad, huh?" Sam said softly. Jack sighed and looked at him. "Have you ever loved anyone and then lost that person only to find that she's still around, just out of your reach?" The ferryman just stared at Jack for a few moments. "Um… No. Can't say I have."
Jack nodded. "That's what I'm going through now…"
"Care to talk about it?" Jack shook his head. "No… I'd rather not, if you don't mind."
Sam nodded and stared out at the rolling sea. "I'm going to go on a limb here and say that no one needs to be taxied to the mainland." He stated.
Jack looked at him and, for a second, hesitated. Finally, he answered. "No. We haven't had any visitors for a while now."
Sam nodded and sighed. "I'll see you in a few months then, Jack. Got to go through the ferryman cycle again, ya know? Roberto will be here in another two weeks. And then Michael after him. And then—"
"I get it." Jack cut him off, knowing full well that if he didn't, Sam would have named all the ferrymen off until he got back to himself.
Sam gave him a crooked smile and walked back onto his ferry. "See you in a while, Jack!" From there, he walked into the captain's compartment and the ferry roared to life. It began pulling out and Jack was struck with guilt at his act of deception.
It's an act of love. He reasoned with himself as he sat down on the sandy down, his feet hanging over the edge. Innocent… act of… love. He sighed and threw a clump of sand into the water. "Then why do I feel so guilty?"
"Have you ever met a woman named Patrice?" Ann asked. Karen's mother, Sasha, looked at her strangely. "Patrice? Well… I have a sister named Patrice! She's my eldest sister!"
Ann's eyes lit up. "Is that right?" Sasha nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off as Gotz, Karen's father, came into the house.
"Ann! What brings you here?" He asked in a friendly tone. Ann smiled and shrugged. "Just getting some information!"
Gotz walked over to the two. "What kind of information?" He asked with a smile. Ann's smile didn't falter. "Just asking about some names and such. No biggie."
The large man nodded and Ann walked past him. "Thanks, Misses Roberts!" She exclaimed as she walked. She stopped at the front door and turned around. "Will I be seeing you two at church on Sunday?"
Sasha smiled. "Do we ever miss it?" Gotz finished for her. "Of course we'll be there!" Ann grinned and left the house before she could be drawn into a conversation.
As she walked, she couldn't help but feel like she had just solved the entire mystery.
"So," She said as she walked out of the vineyard and onto the dirt road that led to the Ranch. "Sara is Karen. Patrice is her aunt and also Sasha's sister! Three years ago, Karen was in that storm and somehow she lost her memory. Patrice found her and she—"
"Ann!" She stopped when she saw Jack riding Thunder up to her. He had come from the direction of the Ranch.
"What's up, Jack?" She asked once he stopped beside her. "Um… Nothing much. I was just taking a walk at the beach."
Ann immediately saw that he was lying, but chose not to pursue it. "Well," she began. "If you'd like to know, I believe I've uncovered some evidence for, well… Karen!"
Jack's eyes widened but he didn't reply. Ann continued. "Well, I hear from very reliable sources that Sasha just so happens to have a sister named Patrice!"
Jack didn't reply for a few seconds. When he did, it seemed like it was hard for him to.
"Patrice is… Sasha's… sister?" He jumped down from Thunder's back, former silence replaced with a goofy grin and what looked like tears.
"Do you know what this means?" He said, his grin never leaving his face. He didn't give Ann a chance to reply. "This means that Sara is Karen! There's no doubt! That was the last connection that was needed!"
He rushed forward and embraced Ann. "That's it!" He cried as the first tears of joy began to run down his cheeks.
Ann politely pushed him off of her, not because she felt any less ecstatic, but just because she didn't feel like explaining the compromising position to any passersby.
She soon grew sober though and her grin turned into a slight frown. "Don't forget, Jack, that Kar—err… Sara still doesn't remember anything. We can tell her all we want to, but I don't know if it will change anything."
Jack's grin didn't falter. "Ann, let me fill you in on something I found out about our Sara. You know how she has that black and green hair?" Ann nodded. "Well… that's dyed. Coincidentally, her hair used to be brown with blonde bangs. And when I showed her a picture of Karen… well, let's just say that with this new tidbit of information, it won't be hard to convince her of the truth."
Erica finally rose from her bed and left her house a few hours afterward. All evidence of crying was long passed and now she just looked… depressed.
But somewhere in her mind was something that wasn't depressed. It wasn't angry or hating. Instead, it was plotting. It was plotting a plan to get Karen or Sara or whoever she was out of her life once and for all. And get Jack in her life once and for all…
Jack shot up from his bed, feeling a familiar pull to the meadow. No… I haven't had these dreams for over three years! Not again! He cried in his mind.
But it was no use. He had never been able to resist the dream. So, almost mechanically, he rose to his feet, got dressed and left his room and out into his living room where Patrice and Sara slept soundly on their respective cots that Jack had bought years ago for just such an occasion.
He quietly began tiptoeing past them. He was just about past them when Sara shifted in her cot and her hand was flung out. It hit Jack's leg with a SMACK and her eyes opened.
"Jack?" She whispered quietly. "Where are you going?" Jack looked down at her. "I'm… taking a walk. Fresh air."
Sara rose from the cot, dressed in her nightgown. "Let me get dressed and I'll go with you!"
Jack hesitated but then sighed. "If you want to."
Sara smiled in the darkness then walked into the nearby bathroom, only stopping to grab her clothes that she had worn the day before.
The two stepped out of the house minutes later and were greeted with the humid summer air. "Wow, talk about tropical! I can't believe how hot it is! New York isn't too far from here, yet, it never gets like this!" said Sara with a feeling of awe.
Jack smirked. "Welcome to Flowerbud. The place of hot springs and summers, mild falls, and freezing winters.
"Our weather varies more than any other place I've ever been too! Completely uniform. Winter has snow season long. Very few days are seen without a blanket of snow on the ground. Summer is scalding hot and rain is too little."
Sara looked at him. "It's a weird place. But… I find it strangely… satisfying. Comforting, even."
Jack smiled at her. "Yeah, it's what attracted me to this place in the first place."
The two reached the meadow soon after and they felt the difference immediately.
"Brr! When did it get so cold?" Sara asked while rubbing her hands along her shoulders to try to create friction heat.
Jack handed her a jacket that he had brought along. He had known the temperature would drop once they reached the meadow. After all, it did every other time.
Sara accepted the jacket without question and the two continued along the path.
They soon reached the second portion of the meadow and directly in front of them was the Goddess clearing.
Jack turned to Sara and put a finger to his lips. "Shh…" He began creeping closer to the clearing, ignoring the look of surprise from his companion.
He knelt behind a bush and Sara knelt next to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a voice from the clearing.
It was a familiar voice to Jack. Deep and powerful sounding. He knew it well. It was the voice, the real voice of the Goddess.
"You fool! Do you realize how much you've failed me?" She said angrily. The next voice, a meek sounding man, one Jack now recognized as the pastor of the Goddess church, said, "My Q—Queen! I can't be blamed. It's these accursed Christ—"
The Goddess hissed loudly. "That's where you have failed! If you had done your job and rid me of that original one, we wouldn't be in this mess! But you disobeyed me!"
"N-no! My Queen! I meant to do it, but he expanded his ministry before I had the chance!"
"Shut up!" There was a smacking sound and the pastor cried out in pain. "You have failed me for the last time, Brown. You have one more chance to redeem yourself though." She hissed. "Someone has arrived at the village. A visitor, yet… not. You should know her well! Find her and show her my path again!"
"Y-yes, of course! I will not fail you again!"
The Goddess seemed to groan. "You had better not, you sniveling coward!" Silence ensued and soon the pastor limped past the two that were kneeling beside the bush. He had a deep gash in his leg that blood poured from, leaving a trail.
Sara looked at Jack, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. "Jack? What was that? And who were they?"
Jack looked at her, sorrow in his eyes. "Those were two very familiar people in this town. One was the pastor of the Goddess church in town. For years, that church was the dominant church but recently, a new church was formed. It's a Christian church and Cliff formed it. You remember him, don't you?"
Sara nodded, "But what about the other one?" Jack stiffened. "She… oh I don't know how to explain this without sounding insane… well, she would be the 'Goddess' of Flowerbud. In reality though, though she's the Prince of Darkness' minion. A follower of Satan. She says she's the ruler of this world, but she's a liar."
Sara looked at him in utter confusion and suddenly the memories of her dream flooded back into her mind like a raging squall. She reached up and grabbed her head. "This can't be happening…" She whispered.
Jack looked at her. "Are you all right?" She looked up at him and sighed. "No. I'll tell you about it but… not here. Let's go back to your farm."
"So, what is it?" Jack asked.
Now the two were perched upon the roof of his house, looking up into the stars.
Sara sighed. "The other day, right after the crash and when I blacked out, I had a dream. In this dream, I was walking through some kind of building. A church, I believe.
"So there I was, in this strange church. The walls were brick and not painted and pews lined the aisle that I stood in.
"In the front of the room was a small platform. A strange statue was on the platform. The statue was of a woman with a flowing dress. The strange part about it was that its eyes were glowing a bright red."
Jack just barely concealed his gasp. She had just described the Goddess! She continued. "Anyway, I heard a strange voice say something like, 'Come back to your roots and find out who you are.'
"The room seemed to darken after that, but soon there was a blinding light that appeared next to me. When the light dimmed, I saw that you were the source of the light!"
Jack looked at her in surprise, but she held up a hand to silence him. "Anyway, you told me that she was lying, and I asked you what you meant. Suddenly, there was a bright flash and I was standing on a beach. I had no control over my body.
"We both were standing on a dock. You had a look of unimaginable pain in your eyes. Then I said…"
Jack looked into her eyes and finished for her. "For a moment there, I actually thought you might be the one, Jack."
Sara froze and stared at him. "How… how did you know that?" Jack sighed heavily. "Because… because I lived it. That was a real event between Karen and me. To make a long story short, I screwed up, accidentally mind you, and she was really hurt by it. I'll… I'll never forget those words. They'll haunt me until I die."
Sara was silent for a few moments. When she did speak, it was in a much quieter tone. "But… why did I see it? I wasn't there!"
The young farmer just looked at her and shrugged, prompting her to continue with her dream. Sara decided to think about it later and continued.
"Well, after that, there was another flash and I was standing in the church again. And then… then you told me the same thing you told me in the meadow. That she was a liar and a follower of Satan.
"After that, I asked you what you meant by that and you told me to ask you!" Sara breathed deeply, glad to be finished with her retelling of her dream. It was getting too weird.
Jack sighed heavily. "Well, how about this. You remind me that in the morning. I'm tired right now and I can hardly think straight."
Sara nodded and leaned up against the shingles on the roof, so she could look up at the stars more clearly.
Jack did the same and sighed heavily. "So, Sara. Have you ever thought about the stars? Do you think that they were made by chance or by a higher being?"