CANNOT BE SEEN

XxX

Chapter 11

"The truth, of course, is that a billion falsehoods told a billion times by a billion people are still false." Travis Walton

XxX

The morning air was clean and fresh from the cleansing of the rain and the breeze was soft and gentle, lovingly caressing the trees with its invisible fingers. The dew gathered on every surface of the village. It clung to the long grass in pearls of condensation and the sun made them sparkle with light. It was still cold and brisk though all the ice had melted and the sun was no longer hidden by rainy gloom. The leaves that had dropped from some of the trees in the village swirled around, skimming the grass and getting caught up with the breeze, dancing with the rustle of autumn. The color of everything seemed somewhat dulled, although the sun should have brightened the world.

Ivy Walker crept quietly down the hall of her house. It was early morning and she had just heard her mother and father leave the house. Her father had gone to check on the working men like he did every morning, and her mother had gone to help with the women's morning chores as she did a couple times a week. Ivy had left earlier in the morning and went to Lucius's house, but he was still sleeping. Mrs. Hunt had asked her if she wanted her to wake him, but Ivy said no. She had wanted Lucius to be a look out while she went into her parents' room, but she could do it without him.

So once she heard her parents leave, she got out of bed and was now carefully moving towards their room. One of them could come back if they finished early or something rather. She maybe should have waited for Lucius, but she couldn't help herself. The anxious excitement of potentially finding books that they could use as evidence had settled in her stomach and made it hard for her to breathe. And who knows when her parents would leave the house again. This was her chance.

Ivy ran her hand along the wall and finally came to the door of her parents' room. She pushed it open slowly and it creaked mercilessly as she grimaced, pausing for a moment to listen for anyone coming. She heard nothing, so she opened the door all the way and felt her way into the room. She hadn't been inside this room in a long time. When she was a very young girl she used to sleep in her parents bed, afraid of the creatures that lurked beyond their borders. Then, when she lost her sight, she slept in her parents room because she was afraid, but not of any creatures. She was afraid of not being able to see anymore. It scared her so deeply. She felt inadequate and she stayed by her father constantly for his protection. He would always make Ivy feel safe and loved. But soon Ivy grew out of the dependence brought on by sightlessness and instead grew independent because of her blindness.

She immediately dropped down and started to crawl on the floor. The first place she could think to look was under the bed. So she moved slowly on her hands and knees to the bed and then lay down on her stomach, reaching under the bed blindly. All her hands felt were the dusty wooden planks of the floor. She scooted over and reached out even further. Ivy went on this way until she was certain she had felt every surface under the bed. There were no books. She also checked for loose floorboards, for her and Kitty had found some in their room and had hidden little girl things like poppets and dried flowers under them. But, she found no such boards in this room. So she moved to the tables next to the bed. She searched every inch carefully with her developed sense touch. She felt a couple of books but they were not what she was looking for. She knew because they were the school books she had been forced to be read to from since she was a girl.

She went on, looking through the entire room. Always hoping that she would come across something unusual. Something that would give her and Lucius the proof they needed, but no such luck. When she left the room twenty minutes later, it was with empty hands. She brushed herself off with a sigh and closed the door behind her, standing in the front room, disappointment coursing through her.

"Ivy,"

She jumped and looked over to where the voice had come from, smoothing her hands over her clothes and breathing deeply. It was her mother.

"Mother," Ivy whispered after swallowing. She was afraid her mother had seen her leave her and father's room. But, it seems she did not, for she said nothing of it.

"Ivy, dear, I am glad I caught you before you left. I wanted to talk with you." Mrs. Walker smiled and took Ivy's arm, leading her over to the settee and sitting her down.

Ivy was more than suspicious. "Is that so? What is it then, Mother?"

Her mother sat down next to Ivy and held her hand in her own. "Ivy, I know your wedding is rapidly approaching…"

Ivy wrinkled her nose the smallest bit in distaste. With her thoughts on getting caught snooping, she had nearly forgotten how her mother had acted the night prior. She was still very sore about it.

"…And I know you and that boy are in love. But, I really feel you should be spending more time at home before you get married and move away from this house." Her mother spoke gently. The fake kind of gentleness that held something much more violent beneath it.

"What would I do at home, Mother?" Ivy tried her hardest to keep her tone civil. She wanted anything but to anger her mother enough to make her do something like forbid her to see Lucius.

"Oh, Ivy. What did you used to do at home before you started going with that boy?"

"Lucius." Ivy corrected.

"What, Dear?" Her mother asked off-handedly, not really caring for the answer.

Ivy closed her eyes tightly and inhaled slowly and deeply. "I do not know." She kept her voice steady by some miracle. She couldn't quite remember what she did before her and Lucius confessed their love for one another. Then she remembered. It took her a moment to get the whispered word out. "I would…play with Noah."

Mrs. Walker dismissed it, as if what Ivy had said was in no way causing her daughter any pain. "Well, you can't do that now, Dear."

Ivy jerked her head, turning away from her mother, her eyes closed tightly to the bad memories that flashed before her eyes. But, her mother seemed to not have noticed Ivy's distress.

"I am certain there are other things for you to do then to gallivant around with that boy."

Ivy hated how her mother could not even say his name. She hated how her mother acted; she could not stand one more minute of it. Ivy stood up abruptly.

"His name is Lucius. Lucius Hunt. And I am going to marry him. What harm is there in my spending time with the man that I love?" Ivy's voice was raised and her words firm, but she held herself back from shouting. She so wanted to shout, but she did not. She knew better than to show blatant disrespect for her mother.

"There is nothing wrong with it." Tabitha Walker laughed quietly. It angered Ivy all the more. But, her mother was oblivious to her anger and went on. "Do you not want to spend more time with your family before you are wed? You will be moving away and we will see you less."

Ivy shook her head. "I will still spend time with my family, whether I am wed or not. Lucius will simply be a part of the family then. And I wish you would understand that."

It was silent for a moment and Ivy could no longer stand it. She took a deep breath to still her anger. "What is the ill in him you see? Why do you dislike him so? I cannot fathom…"

There was a pause. "I do not think ill of Lucius. He is a nice, polite boy…"

Ivy let out an inaudible scoff of disbelief and her mother went on. "I mean only what I say. I wish for you to spend more time here before you are pulled away from me by him."

It was getting harder and harder for Ivy to stop from shouting, but she did it marvelously now. "You never spend time with me, Mother. You must have forgotten…you and I do not have the relationship that you and Kitty have."

"Oh, Ivy. Perhaps Kitty and I are closer, as are you and your father. That does not mean I do not love you." Her mother's voice held some kind of emotion that was often not there, and it surprised Ivy so. It surprised her even more when she was pulled into an embrace by her mother. This was foreign to her. It was her father who loved her like this, never her mother.

Mrs. Walker pulled away and looked at her daughter. "It is not Lucius I disapprove of. But his mother is…less of a good woman than I once thought she was."

That broke Ivy's resolve. She took a step back, out of her mother's reach. "Mrs. Hunt is wonderful. She had been nothing but kind to me and I think you should reconcile whatever it is that angers you with her because she is going to be my mother by marriage soon. More a part of this family than she already is." Her voice rose even higher than before and indignation dripped off her words. She knew now why her mother was angry at Mrs. Hunt. She must know about Papa's feelings for her. No good could come from that knowledge.

Mrs. Walker did not speak for sometime and when she did, it shocked Ivy so that the anger drained from her instantly. "You are right, Ivy. She will be a part of the family, and we should treat each other as such."

Ivy nodded belatedly, not knowing what to say.

"Ivy, I know we have had our differences. Especially lately…but, I wanted everything to be well between us before you wed."

Ivy nodded again, this time feeling her mother's words. She understood what she meant entirely and she felt their truth as well. There was something that had changed in her mother. Wedding do strange things to people, but most of all, they make people aware of love. And maybe that is all that happened. But, Ivy wanted to leave the discomfort of this room and go to tell Lucius about the nothing she had found in her parents' room. She just wanted to escape. She had no problem with forgiving her mother. None at all. She just wanted this rift between them and between Alice Hunt and her to be settled. She wanted everything perfect for her wedding. And she would see that it was. It seemed her mother had the same idea. Perhaps her father had spoken to her mother about it. It seemed the most logical answer. Whatever it was, she did not care.

"Yes, Mother, me too. All is well between you and I. Now, you must resolve what is between you and Mrs. Hunt. Whatever it may be." Ivy said quietly.

Her mother hugged her again, and she hugged back, before explaining that she had to leave and swiftly escaping to the crisp morning air. She was still reeling from the conversation and something had been weighing on her mind since her conversation with her mother and so she turned and walked away.

XxX

The sounds of laughing children floated in on the wind through the open window of the Hunts' house and reached Lucius's ears as he walked slowly down the hall into the front room.

"Mother, I am leaving." He called quietly into the rest of the house, he was afraid that his mother was angry at him for how he had pressed her so just moments before.

It was silent for sometime and he thought she would not answer so he turned to go. But before he could make it out the door he heard his mother's footsteps as she moved into the room.

"Lucius," she spoke as she wiped her hands on her apron.

He turned to her.

"Lucius, I told Mr. Nicholson that you would bring him some more firewood today. He seems to not be feeling well… I think it is the whole affair with Marybeth."

Lucius nodded. "How is young Marybeth?"

"She is as well as can be expected. I had just spoken with the doctor last night he says she will recover fully."

"That is good." He commented sincerely, then simply stood, slightly ashamed of how he had angered his mother earlier.

Alice noticed his discomfort and smiled. "Ivy is waiting for you, is she not?"

Lucius looked up to his mother and just looked at her for a short moment. Then he nodded and bid his mother goodbye before leaving and closing the door behind him.

He shoved his hands deep in his coat pockets and started towards the Walker's house, not really paying attention to the path he followed subconsciously. He looked out across to the woods and then back to the Walkers' before looking to where he was gazing just a moment before. His eyes had caught something in the cemetery that lay just before the forest on the grassy hill. There was a figure kneeling, hair blowing in the wind. Lucius's steps faltered and he stopped, staring off for a short moment. Then he turned and started down the knoll, towards the cemetery.

It seemed to take forever for him to reach the old metal fence that enclosed the resting place of the villagers that had passed on. Lucius stood before it and opened the gate, the rusted hinges creaked loudly. He flinched. The only other person who could hear it, did not. Lucius left the gate open and walked slowly, weaving through the plots and tombstones.

He stopped next to Ivy and stood for a long moment. She did not acknowledge him and he looked down at her bowed head. She was kneeling before Noah Percy's grave. The murmurs from her whispered prayer reached his ears and he then sank to his knees beside her, bowing his own head. And for the longest time, it seemed, they prayed silently together over their dear friend.

After several moments and a whispered "Amen" Lucius sat back on his heels. He did not speak for fear of disrupting Ivy, who still knelt, head down. So when the silence was broken, it was by Ivy.

"I miss him."

Lucius took a deep breath, not knowing what to say. All he could think of was, "I as well."

"With all that has been happening, I have forgotten him." She whispered in broken sort of voice.

"You did not forget him, Ivy. " Lucius reassured her, draping his arm across her shoulders in a comforting motion.

"I did. Completely." She insisted.

"You did not." He said firmly, slowly. "He is always in our hearts. We do not need to mourn his death everyday to have him in our hearts. We will never forget him. It is impossible."

Ivy let out a sob and pressed her hand to her mouth. When she mentioned Noah to her mother all the memories had come back to her. And now she could not stop them and the feelings that came with them. "I know." She sniffled. "He is in a better place. Do you not think so?"

Lucius nodded, "He is. Somewhere where there is no quiet room." The memory of how much Noah despised the quiet room surfaced in his mind.

Ivy smiled slightly through her tears and nodded back. "He would like that."

Lucius rubbed Ivy's back, saying nothing, and instead studied the tombstone before him. It was plain, like all the other tombstones, and said nothing but his name, date of death and birth and that he was a beloved son. It was cold and grey and seemed to portray anything but what Noah was. To see it chiseled in hard stone made it real and painful and Lucius looked away.

It was a long silent moment before Ivy spoke again. "Lucius, I searched my parents' room."

Lucius moved slowly into a cross legged position, facing Ivy, and took a deep breath. He was afraid of what Ivy was going to say. If she hadn't found anything...then they had nowhere else to turn.

"There was nothing there." She added quietly.

Lucius sighed and dropped his head slightly to look at the plush grass before him. "I suppose we did not really expect to find anything."

"But what will we do now?" She asked with a tone of hopelessness.

"We will think of something." Lucius said after a pause. "We will find someway to prove the elder's lies." He said this though he did not really believe it. He could not imagine finding anything else that would be used as evidence, but he wanted to make Ivy feel better.

"What could we possibly find, Lucius?" She asked in distress.

He shook his head. "We will not know until we find it."

Ivy let out a shaky breath and nodded. She supposed he was right. It would do no use to worry over it...it would only make things worse.

It was then that loud laughing shouts reached their ears. Ivy turned her head to the sound and Lucius looked over to the forbidden line where a small boy stood up straight and still on the stump, his back to the forest.

The smaller boys would come out and play the stump game during the day so it was not as frightening as when it was dark. There huddled a small cluster of boys watching the one boy standing with courage in front of the woods and they shouted to him with humor that a creature was right behind him. The small boy made a sound and jumped from the stump, running towards the laughing group of boys.

"That was not very nice." Ivy commented. Lucius simply watched as the boys ran back to the village. He remembered the game. He remembered the complete lack of fear he felt, and the admiration of the group of boys watching him. He did not understand it, their fear. He watched as the boys cowered on the stump and he felt bad for them, but he could not truly understand their fear. And now he knew. They had all been afraid of nothing.

"Is that the sound of men working on our house?" Ivy's voice reached Lucius's ears and he was mildly confused before the distant sound of hammering on wood met his ears.

"Yes." Lucius could see the house over the green knoll, it was half finished now and steadily progressing.

"What does it look like, Lucius?" She asked, taking his hand.

"It..." Lucius did not want to say 'like all the other houses' because he knew that wouldn't satisfy Ivy. And he knew it was more than just another house. "It has a cobblestone foundation. I watched them build the cellar." He said this with an ironical tone. He had offered to help them built it as well, but they insisted they could take care of it. And they did. "They have finished the porch. And they have done most of the outside." The outer walls were wood planked, but unpainted.

"It sounds beautiful. Is it, Lucius?" Ivy sighed happily.

"It is perfect." He whispered, leaning forward and bowing his head to drop a kiss in Ivy's hair.

"I want to feel it." Ivy leaned into Lucius, pressing her cheek against his chest.

"When it is all done." He replied. "I want you to be surprised."

She smiled into him. "Okay."

And soundlessness prevailed for some time, Ivy turning to lie back against Lucius's chest with a content sigh.

"Ivy, when you went the towns, what was it like? Can you remember?"

She was slightly surprised by Lucius's random questioning though he was prone to do so.

"Well...I remember a loud...thunder-like sound..." She started.

"Thunder-like?"

"Yes, it was loud and it rumbled like thunder. But, then it went away abruptly. Then I heard the man's voice. Kevin. He had a kind voice."

Lucius nodded, thinking it over. "I do not know what would cause a thunder-like sound..." Then something clicked dully in his mind. "Well...the airplane made a thunder-like sound. Could it have been an airplane you heard?"

Ivy shrugged. "If airplanes are in the air...I think it was closer than that. It seemed to be right in front of me."

"Hmm..." Lucius did not know what to think. "What did this Kevin say?"

"He wanted to know where I came from...he spoke...with a different accent, or something. I could not understand some of the words he was using."

"That is strange." Lucius remarked. "You would think a town just beyond our borders would speak nearly the same as we do."

Ivy nodded. "I thought so as well. But, I was more concerned about you; I do not think I was paying proper attention." She confessed.

Lucius sighed. The whole thing seemed to get more and more tangled the more they investigated it. He was afraid they would never find out what the elders were hiding. That they would forever be hidden under a web of lies and deceit. Perhaps they would never know what was in the towns that was important enough to have to be scared away from. Maybe it would never be clear as to what caused the elders to create this incredible guile.

"Let us go for a walk Lucius, I wish to clear my mind of this for now." Ivy suggested, standing up. And Lucius followed her, more despondent than ever about their chances of discovering and unveiling the elders' secrets.

XxX

TBC

Until next time…