Erik: We rode relentlessly, behind back alleys and through dirty slums. I was flanked on both sides by Ann and Meg, and we sped out of France as quickly as possible. Rather than take the long trip through Slovenia that I had taken many months before, we headed directly south towards the French/Italian border.
It took us nearly two days, but we made it, albeit exhausted. Finally we had to stop, for the horses sake. A small hill on the southern end of Italy provided us with a great view of the town.
Meg exclaimed, "It's breathtaking!" We climbed off our horses and I led them to a small pond while Ann began to unpack some food. I came back to find them both quietly talking, and they looked at me. I sat down quietly and the three of us ate silently. I grabbed my pack and began to rummage through the maps, until I found a good Italian one.
I asked the two women, "Do either of you speak Italian?" Meg shook her head no but Ann replied, "I can, and English. Meg only knows English." Meg looked at me and asked, "What other languages do you speak?" I chuckled as I listed what I had learned from many years of solitary practice."English, Spanish, Italian,Chinese, and German."
Meg stopped chewing and stared at me. "Your not serious." She asked. Ann smiled and told her, "He is a smart man. I'm not surprised." Meg continued to eat while I drew a line through the map. "This is our course. I plan to stop at all major architectural sites, including The Vatican." Ann cocked her head, "Are you feeling religious all of a sudden?"
I nodded no, "I want to see the columns and arches,and the main square." Meg asked me, "What is your religion? Mother and I are Catholic." I looked down at the map, and them met Meg's gaze. "I have no religion. I belive in science and technology." Meg replied, "That is your belief and I'll respect it."
Ann meanwhile was looking at the map, and marking several beach sites. "Do you plan to visit those?" I asked. "If it's ok with you, I'd like to spend some time on the shore." I was concerned that she would think I wasn't going to let her or Meg do their own activities. "Ann, it's fine if you want to go off. You too Meg, if either of you want to do something, you don't need my permission."
Meg smiled and began to clean up the impromptu picnic. She re-packed the items and fed the rest of the food to the horses. I curled up underneath a tall oak tree and began to doze off. Meg and Ann curled up together beside me and I watched as they closed their eyes.
It was strange, only two days ago I had burned down their only home and ruined both their lives, and yet here they were, trusting enough to fall asleep by my side. I wondered if this was what may have happened if I had kept Christine, rather than let her go. Yet I felt, in the bottom of my heart, that she would not have been as trusting.
She certainly wouldn't have been as great a conversationalist as Ann or Meg. I realized that the two days I had spent talking with Meg and her mother was the longest conversation I had ever experienced. Christine never really wanted to talk about anything other than her father or her former childhood.
Often when I tried to discuss literature or art, or even astronomy, Christine would become bored. Ann, on the other hand, would often sit with me and talk about many things. I realized that I had been taking Ann's friendship for granted for so many years.
She had been there for me, and I had ignored her, agitated her, even shoved her aside when she wanted to be with me. I swore I would make amends, and I would not treat Megan that same way.
Meg: I awoke the next evening refreshed and excited. It was actually my first trip out of Paris, France, and I was curious as to where our journey would lead. I watched Erik silently as he readied the horses, and I thought of all that had occurred since that fateful night. He was indeed a murderer, and hard criminal, yet he was so intelligent, and so clever.
My conflicted feelings swam within me like a swarm of bees. Erik had been more than kind to us the past two days, talking as any other person while we fled the police. He was taking us with him, and it was true that without him my mother and I would suffer. We had no money, not enough to sustain us, and no home, no jobs, nothing.
Of course with Erik we still had no home and no jobs, yet we did have enough money to sustain our triumvirate, although it was stolen money. My thoughts were interrupted as Erik came over to me.
His sultry voice recited a soft poem "The moonlight streams across the sky in a nocturnal banner. The stars light a path past the heavens and out beyond. The earth revolves, the sun dances, and another night begins." I turned from my thoughts to find him, and asked, "Did you make that up just now?"
He nodded and I smiled. "Pretty." I said. He looked out at the stars and then pointed at a small green blip. "That is Jupiter. Can you see that constellation over their?" I searched past the tiny planet, but our star gazing was interrupted by my mother.
"Are you two ready? We could make it into town tonight and have a hotel room by morning." Erik turned and mounted his brown and white stallion. I climbed aboard my brown mare and my mother rode her cream yellow mare.
I told my two companions, "I think I'll name my horse Brise', after my favorite ballet position." My mother smiled and Erik nodded. He patted his horse and said, "This will be Aries, God of War." My mother nodded to Erik and announced, "I'll call my horse Cleopatra."
She gave no explanation as to why she chose that name, but some inner knowledge between Erik and her abounded. We rode into the night.
Ann: It was an unusual three days, but we finally made it to Italy, and a warm hotel room. I could not believe, after losing my home and job in a treacherous fire, and losing my husband to that same cause of fire many years before, I was still with him. Meg appeared to be getting along quite well with Erik, and he appeared to enjoy her company.
I wondered if the events in Paris could have been stifled, if only I had allowed some interaction between the two. Indeed, Meg appeared to be easing Erik away from his obsessive love for Christine, although I knew he still burned for her. I watched as they placed our horses in the hotel stable, and together we walked to the room.
There were two beds and a chaise, along with a private bathroom. Erik wrinkled his nose in distaste at the chamberpot, while I asked the bell-hop for some hot bathing water. We each shared the room in turns, completing our toiletries. Erik was looking out the window at the streets below, while Meg adjusted her bonnet.
I asked, "Where shall we go first?" Meg replied, "I'm rather famished." Erik turned from the window and told us, "After breakfast, if you two wish to separate that would be fine." I caught the sarcasm in his voice. He expected me to keep Meg close at hand, as I had done for so many years.
I knew Erik had watched protectively over Meg from a distance, but I decided to put that gaurdianship to the test. "Meg, if you wish to join Erik you may. I myself will spend a nice day on the shoreline." Meg's eyes shone at her first chance to be away from my hovering presence.
I walked close to her and whispered silently, "Watch his hands, be sure he does not pickpocket." Meg nodded and Erik came over to us. "Ann, you may trust me. Have a wonderful excursion, take this if you want anything." He handed me some Italian bills that he had exchanged. I realized that it was more than enough money.
We walked out of the hotel together, from whence I went left while Meg and Erik went right.