Thanks for waiting, let me know what you think of this one if you've got a sec. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the kind and encouraging reviews.
Glow
Part Two: Is that so?
"Just keep walking, Sophie...you're nearly there now..." Sophie's mumble trailed off a bit. She had—it appeared—a habit of talking to herself when unordinary things began to happen. The wind had picked up considerably and she was absently rubbing her arms up and down with her hands to keep her blood warm, or something like that and she was all too aware that much of her coldness had nothing to do with the wind.
Green eyes burned a prospective stare into her back and she was rigid with anxiety that was as well masked with a bold indignant front as she could manage.
"Stop," it was not quite a whisper, but his voice was like winter shivers. Sophie steeled herself mentally since she was suddenly immobile physically. Her ears noted the scuff of his heels as they approached her. I've had about enough of this, she thought in an uncharacteristically dark fashion.
"Sorry, I can't have you running off yet though," the stranger from moments before said conversationally as he circled around to stand in front of Sophie who glared without restraint. "I really am, Sophie," his voice took on a soft quality Sophie did not expect and she felt her I-despise-you-with-every-fiber-of-my-being glare falter against her will. He did sound like he was sorry.
"What is it you want, anyway?" she asked, resigned to being stuck with this nameless man for now. Rubbing the back of his head as if sheepish, the man seemed to want to sigh and laugh all at once but settled for crossing his arms.
"I want you—" he started.
"I love Howl," she said simply, cutting his words off short, and present company nodded thoughtfully.
"I suspected as much and believe me when I tell you I do not wish to be the parting force for you, but I am left with little choice. You see, I want—no, I need you to come to the future with me...you'll see what I mean, love" he explained, the endearment at the end more of a whisper than his binding spell, but Sophie heard anyway.
"What did you call me?" she feigned innocence, as though thinking he had called her 'sir' instead of 'love.'
"I called you nothing," was his calm reply and Sophie could not explain the bitter taste that reply left in her mouth or the hollowing of her heart. What is going on? She thought to herself with no small amount of exasperation and equal confusion.
"I've had quite enough of time travel, thanks," Sophie proclaimed, brown eyes burning a strangely emotionless stare into the green ones of this strange man.
"I knew you'd say as much, but it really can't be helped. No such thing as mistakes in this world, Sophie. You should know that by now," he said and added again, "I am sorry." He turned from her momentarily and he was fiddling with something strange...it looked like an hourglass from what she could see. And then it dawned on her. Oh no...please..
Her plea was little more than a murmur, lost to him because she could barely find the strength to make her lips form the words, all the fire suddenly drained from her. Was this what it felt like to lose hope?
To lose Howl?
Sophie struggled at the invisible bonds to no avail.
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Howl was bent over a spell book of sorts, studying goodness knows what when he felt something tugging at his elbow. He turned.
"What is it Markl?" he said.
"Where's Sophie?" Markl asked and Howl let his eyes wander to the window. The sun had nearly set and he had barely noticed. He wondered sometimes if he shouldn't bewitch himself to be more attentive and, unintentionally ignoring Markl's question, he swept out the door, letting it slam shut into its shaking frame.
The streets should not be empty so early, Howl thought, his brow furrowing in no small amount of worry as he rounded a corner to find a strange scene indeed. Sophie stood, very still behind a man who was almost comically fidgeting with an hourglass apparatus of some sort. He did nothing to constrain the glare his blue eyes focused on the strange man and any passerby—though of course there were none to speak of—would have marveled at how much fire could be found in eyes the color of the ocean.
The man chose this moment to glance up and notice Howl was there at all and jumped a bit.
"Oh, Howl. It's just you. Okay," the stranger seemed relieved despite the glare he was receiving and went back to fiddling with his hourglass. Sophie for her part was confused. Not a moment ago he was the picture of a strange but suave decorum that bespoke elegance and knowledge. Now he was fiddling with a gadget and speaking and acting like...well, the opposite. Oddly though, equally oddly in fact, she found she preferred this version of him. It seemed more natural, though how she should know what was more natural and what wasn't for someone she had just met, well...she wasn't sure she wanted to know the reason for that.
"Sophie," Howl stepped forward. Unfortunately, the stranger, not looking up, stepped between them every time Howl tried to get past him. Eventually, Howl just leapt over him, landing directly in front of Sophie. He waved a hand and Sophie came tumbling onto him. In another circumstance, Howl would not have minded of course. As it was, they had an eccentric-could-be-threat still standing within a foot of them, mumbling to himself. The wizard arched an eyebrow at her, not unlike she had done to him over an earlier game of chess and he motioned with his eyes to the stranger. Sophie shook her head and raised her hands as if to say: 'don't look at me, I don't know him!'
"Erm, ahem," Howl tapped the man on the shoulder, eliciting another jump from him and a startled yelp. Well, it seemed like a yelp. When the young man turned to face the couple, his eyes were blank for a moment and then widened.
"What?" he almost seemed annoyed. This was strange, very strange, Sophie could not help but think.
"Are you serious?" Howl finally decided on.
"Very," the young man nodded emphatically and turned back to his gadget when Howl drew him back with a hand on his shoulder.
"Hold on a second there," Howl reached out a hand but the stranger gave the hourglass a whirl of his hand, setting it spinning. He held it just out of Howl's reach, far from him.
"No time to wait, though I do suggest you hold on. I hadn't foreseen this but it looks as if you're coming along for the ride," the stranger said and took one of Sophie's hands in his, pulling her forcibly to him. She ran into him, as expected and just as Howl reached out to take her back, the world began to spin as fast as the hourglass—now whirling so fast one could not see it but for a rapid blur. Earth and sky merged and everything became a wide circular labyrinth of murky content.
Sophie had the brief impression of being spirited out of her own body as she felt displaced in time and space, looking around. To her shock, she also realized at some point that her hand was tightly clasping the stranger's, as if for comfort. She quickly let go and the stranger simply moved his hand to her shoulder as the world continued to spin.
"What is happening?" she called frantically into the hiss of the wind.
"Time travel, don't you recognize it, Sophie?" the man asked.
"This is completely different, I don't trust you!" she tried to pull away but the stranger put both hands on her shoulders and spun Sophie around to face him, lowering his head to knock foreheads with her gently.
"You have to Sophie, for all our sakes," he whispered and Sophie opened her mouth to say something but could find no words to say. She closed her eyes, trying very hard not to admit how drawn she was to this complete stranger and how disturbing it was to feel as if she knew him when there was no possible way she could...not that she was aware of anyway. She opened her eyes again only to find his glowing stare on her and she tried to push him away.
"Please, just let us go. Let Howl and I go, we are of no importance," she began in new desperation and the man tightened his previously gentle grip on Sophie's shoulders. She winced.
"Sophie, I can't!" his voice rose and he was serious as when he first arrived again. Sophie fell silent and looked down. A flash of remorse resonated in the man's eyes and he loosened his grip as he tilted Sophie's chin up gently with one hand. "Hey, I'm sorry...again," he laughed. "But you need to come, and you will see why…" he trailed off, leaning in towards Sophie who felt her heart beating loudly in her ears. She could feel his breath on her lips and only realized what was happening when it was too late: he kissed her.
And to her shock, she found herself kissing back as the world finally stopped spinning around them.
Howl, her heart cried out and startled, Sophie pulled herself free this time, stumbling away from the man, horrified at her actions and his advance all at once.
"What have I done?" she murmured to herself, pained and full of a heartbreaking shame. The man reached out to her. She slapped his hand away. "What have I done?" she repeated as she looked around wildly. Howl was nowhere. "Where is he? Where is Howl?" she turned to the man and the man shrugged apologetically.
"That happens sometimes with this hourglass, it doesn't like transporting more than two and I hadn't bargained on Howl' coming with," the man explained as if it should make everything seem right with the world. Sophie groaned, burying her face in her hands. She sat on the ground, skirts pooling around her gracefully even in her confusion.
"I betrayed him," she mumbled to herself brokenly. The stranger again tried to comfort her but she flinched away and he sadly dropped his attempt.
"You didn't really. I kissed you...I'm not sorry either. I couldn't help it," the man said.
"Who are you? Where are we? When are we?" Sophie asked at last, wiping tears away with the back of her hand, at her wit's end with the craziness that had so far transpired.
"We are five years in the future. We are still in Ingary. And I am Henry...your husband."
"Is that so?" Sophie laughed hollowly, standing abruptly, swaying from the delayed dizzy spell induced by time travel.
"Careful Sophie, you know time travel doesn't sit well with you...well, you don't know that now, but the you from now would know that if...Sophie, stop moving about like that. You'll hurt yourself," the man now known to be Henry—her husband evidently—clambered after her as she paced in furious circles, eyes hazy and unfocused.
"Is that so?" she asked again though not really directed at Henry, and she swayed again, stumbled...and her eyes fluttered unwillingly shut with sudden and intense fatigue.
Her last and vaguest notion was that of strong arms catching her body gently as she felt herself falling...and then nothing but darkness.
So sorry for the delay, let me know what you think. I know this deviates severely from anything usually done, but go with me on it. It might be fun, yes?
-sofi