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Chapter 2: Mystery
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"Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding all you see…"
–Strawberry Fields Forever, Ben Harper
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Sarah swallowed and tried to regain her composure as she slowly straightened up, her eyes still locked with his. He looked down at her, concern written on his aquiline features. He repeated his question.
"I'm sorry," Sarah croaked, trying to gain her composure. "What was that?"
"I asked if you were alright, you seem a little pale."
"Oh..." she laughed weakly. Sorry. Yeah, it was just surprise, really. It wasn't that hot."
He gazed at her a moment longer- Sarah got a good look at his eyes- one green and one brown. He must have noticed her staring- he nodded then looked down quickly to the counter and threw away the rest of the sodden napkins.
At that moment when their eyes met, Sarah was shaken by the most overwhelming sense of familiarity with this man. But she was sure that she'd remember if she'd seen a face like that walking around town. But then again he was different- a foreigner…? Sarah mused silently, her brain frantically trying to place the man.
She took a deep breath and looked at him again with eyes narrowed, trying to place him. The slate gray light of the winter sky filtering through the windows did nothing to dampen his handsome looks. Sarah wouldn't deny that he was, undoubtedly, very good looking. The light in fact it seemed to enhance him. This man was reasonably tall and finely built, though not to the point of frailty. His fine blonde hair was tied back at the nape of his neck firmly, the ends brushing over the shoulders of his thick wool turtleneck sweater. He wore simple blue jeans and heavy work boots, crusted with melting snow. He had the features of someone right out of a poetry book, and the dress of someone right off the job. But he exuded an aura of simple elegance, unlike most of the men Sarah had the misfortune to meet in the town.
Sarah realized her hands were shaking, and that she'd picked up the half empty cup to steady them. It didn't help. She quickly set the cup down as if it'd burned her.
"Um... I think I need to go wash my hands... ", she managed, and quickly shot off towards the bathroom, leaving the man staring after her.
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Sarah turned on the tap and placed both hands on either side of the sink to steady her, and stared down at the swirling water. What was it about that guy? She'd never acted so stupid in her life! She'd made a complete fool out of herself out there. But she'd felt so unsure all of a sudden, like she was a teenager again…
Suddenly, Felicia burst through the door and set her sights on her friend.
"What in the hell happened out there?" she groaned. "You had him in your pocket!"
Her tone turned quickly from admonishing to worry as she caught sight of Sarah's face.
"Whoa. Syrup, are you alright?" Felicity said, using Sarah's nickname as she walked over and put an arm around Sarah's shoulders.
"Yeah... yeah Felic, I'm fine."
"What happened?" she repeated gently. "He's still out there waiting for you, you know."
Sarah finally began to wash her hands hurriedly, not looking up. "Oh- nothing Felicity. You know me- Men are like a foreign species."
Felicity dropped her arm from her shoulder and looked pleadingly at her friend.
"Yeah, and it looks like this one wants to change all that."
She paused, staring at Sarah pleadingly as a long silence ensued- and then finally her composure broke.
"Oh Sarah come on! Please? If I didn't have to get back to work I'd drag you out there myself and make you talk to him. I've done it before! June isn't even letting me take my break; we're so busy all of a sudden."
Felicity stared at Sarah a moment longer, and then threw up her hands in a gesture of hopelessness, mumbling irritably of her friend's blindness to all that was male. She waved offhandedly as she disappeared out the door.
Sarah rolled her eyes and looked up at her reflection in the mirror. Get a grip, Sarah. So what- you think you've seen the guy before. It's a college town, and a small one at that, you probably have, for goodness sakes.
The only thing that particular explanation didn't give a nice, assured answer to was the haunting snippet of music that had come into her mind out of nowhere when she looked into his eyes. And the voice. She sighed and stared long and hard at herself in the mirror. What now?
But I'll be there for you... as the world falls down.
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Sarah walked out of the restroom, looking more composed- or so she hoped- than when she went in. Felicia wanted her to talk to the guy, then fine. She would.
It's not like Sarah had never dated. She did. But as time went by she became so involved in the theatre that she had nearly stopped going out all together. And Felic, being the kind of person who doesn't let a good opportunity slip by was hell bent to change all that.
The man had gotten tired of waiting for her and left, Sarah supposed, since she didn't see him anywhere in the milling crowd. It was a wonder how fast Felicia and the two other people back there could run those machines. The lull of yelled orders caused a nice humming backdrop to Sarah's thoughts as she walked over to the table she'd been sitting at and gathered all her things.
It's a wonder someone hasn't run off with my wallet or something, Sarah thought. But with Felicia looking out for her she wasn't surprised. She slipped the bag on her shoulder and stood up to say bye to her friend, and came face to face with the man again. Sarah jumped.
He smiled and held out one of the two cups in his hands.
"A... cinnamon vanilla latte with whipped cream and caramel is what you had, I believe? That's quite an interesting mixture."
Sarah was quite surprised. "Oh you didn't have to get me another..."
As much as she tried to decline gracefully, he insisted and practically placed it in her hands. Sarah looked up to him with another polite objection on her lips when she looked beyond the man's shoulder and caught Felicia watching them intently from behind the counter. Her friend promptly gave her a look that said she would personally chew her out in front of him if she didn't accept it. With a sigh she looked back to him again.
"Thank you very much. You really didn't have to..." she started.
He raised a hand and interrupted.
"But yet I did. And what's done is done, so you'll just have to accept it, right?"
He smiled slowly, gazing down at her.
Sarah couldn't help but smile back. "Right, I guess. Thank you again..."
He waved a hand. "It was nothing. Your friend told me what you liked."
Sarah looked over to Felicia again, who was grinning and giving a very enthusiastic- and very obvious- thumbs up. The man turned a bit and saw her. Felicia went wide eyed and got back to work, pretending she hadn't done a thing. Sarah closed her eyes and sighed, a burning blush rising unbidden on her cheeks. Oh my God…I'll get her back for this…Sarah swore silently.
The man chuckled as he saw the blush that rose in her cheeks, and Sarah immediately wished the floor would swallow her up right then. A steady buzzing was heard, and the man reached for the pager attached to his belt and checked a number that was flashing on the pager's illuminated screen.
"Ah..." he mumbled irritably under his breath, and looked back to Sarah. He smiled once again and held out a long slender hand.
"Well, it looks like I have to be getting on my way. I enjoyed talking with you…and my name is Adrian Rousse, by the way."
"Nice to meet you Adrian", Sarah responded, and made to clasp his hand.
"I'm Sarah Williams…"
To her surprise he raised it, and just lightly touched his lips to the top of her hand. Sarah suddenly felt a shock run through her body, and an overwhelming sense of ungrounded fear that made her muscles contract sharply. She was stunned.
"W-well, it was great talking to you, Adrian, and- thanks for the coffee." She finished weakly.
Adrian regarded her for a moment longer.
"You know", he began, I feel like I've met you before- have I?"
Sarah looked up sharply. It had been on the edge of her tongue to say something very much along the same lines as his last question, but she bit it back sharply. She was still jumpy, her stomach fluttering nervously.
"No, I don't think so. You must be thinking of someone else."
He nodded silently, and opened his mouth to make a comment when his pager insistently buzzed again. He sighed and turned it off without looking at it.
"I've got to be going now, Sarah."
For some odd reason, her name sounded exciting and different when he spoke it with his smooth accent. She liked that at least, putting any irrational fears aside.
"I hope to see you around again", Adrian said, as he began backing slowly towards the door.
"And I wouldn't mind at all buying you something to go along with that coffee sometime. Dinner, perhaps."
Sarah blushed lightly in spite of herself and smiled. Adrian smiled back slowly and nodded to her. He then turned his back and headed out the door in a swirl of icy air. Sarah frowned a bit and stared after him a moment. Oh you idiot, she moaned inwardly. You should have said something- a YES maybe? Sarah mired in these miserable thoughts a moment until she heard soft laughter behind her. She grinned and slowly turned around, knowing just what she'd see.
Felicia and the two other worker-friends of hers were leaning against the counter, chins resting on their hands and staring at her. Felic looked absolutely delighted.
She grinned slowly at Sarah.
"So," Felicity began as sweet as can be, her eyes positively dancing. "So- should I begin with, 'I told you so', or something else right along those lines?"
Sarah stuck her tongue out at Felicity and grabbed her coat from the back of the chair.
"Yeah, well I'm going home now Felic. I hope you and your buddies enjoyed my little show."
"Oh, we did. We did. I'll drop by later to talk to you about Adri- I mean, to help you pack for your trip, ok?"
Sarah laughed and pushed open the door.
"Yeah whatever, you nut. I'll see you later."
She stepped out into the dusky twilight and made her way through the freshly fallen powder to her car.
And far above the city a white owl flew.
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The throb of power hit the little dwarf even before he had placed a hand upon the richly carved doors to the throne room. He licked his lips, and nervously straightened his waistcoat. She was in there- and she knew he was here. He looked up, and into the eyes if the massive brass gargoyle upon the door, holding a large cold metal ring clenched in its teeth. He took a breath and lifted the brass knocker upon the door, and let it fall. He winced as the sound reverberated through the throne room- and he felt her presence center upon him.
"Enter, Darvon."
The dwarf put a hand upon the door, and it opened on its own. Waiting longer would only risk her particular displeasure- and his news would do enough of that. Keeping his eyes carefully downcast, Darvon quickly made his way down the length of the Hall, and bowed down before her throne.
"What have you to report, dwarf?"
"My Lady Queen Tarsis, the dwarf began, his voice sounding pitifully small, "I have news- of the outcast."
There was silence a moment.
"Speak", the queen said after a time.
"He still lives, my queen, in the human world. He did not perish in the transition as we had hoped- Jared still survives though nearly all his powers were stripped from him. He-
"And the memory spells?" The queen interrupted sharply
Darvon's eyes darted nervously. "They-he remembers nothing my queen- your sorcerers in the High Court made sure of that. "But"- his breath came a little faster now. "But… he has met the girl."
The wave of power hit him with a sickening punch.
"What?" she spat, half rising off the throne. "How is this possible?"
She could destroy him at any moment- turn him to ash like so many others. Darvon swallowed, his body beginning to tremble. "I do not know, my queen."
He looked up, meeting hesitantly the gaze of his queen. Her violet eyes glowed with rage, a violent outpouring of her wrath caused the wind to rise within the room- curtains were whipped about, priceless ancient tapestries town to ribbons. This power centered upon Darvon's small body and shoved him back along the carpets, the solid wood door rushed quickly up to meet him, and he crashed against it with a sickening thud. Tarsis pinned him there with her burning, unnatural eyes.
"Find her, Darvon. Find this girl- this Sarah, and destroy her. Both the girl and Jareth will never step foot in this world again. See to it Darvon, or your life is forfeit.
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