Chapter 21
Sailing
I wake up in his arms, feeling like I'm being rocked like a baby. At the first mention of sailing off on a yacht I'd imagined having lots of time with Stefan alone. When I found out that Vladmir would be joining us I was a little surprised and disappointed. Not because I don't like him – I actually do like him quite a bit. It's just awkward. It's no problem during the day and we all get along just fine. It's difficult at night when I want to, need to, be close to the man I love. I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but I like knowing that what we share is private, and no one else shares that part of me. I know he can hear me. Just like Stefan, he can hear the beating of my heart, my breathing and of course any sounds I make.
When we were back at the mansion, I'd taken to singing during some of my personal moments; most often in the bathroom. As soon as I get up out of bed I am the only one who needs to use the bathroom and I begin singing a fairly loud rendition of California Dreamin. I Get dressed and as I climb the steps I'm singing Southern Cross. I stop as I get my first view of the open ocean. It takes my breath away. The water is deep blue and there is no sign of land anywhere. The sails are full with the light breeze and the sun is glowing in the distance.
Vladmir's voice echoes over the water as he picks up the words of the song I'd been singing; "I have been around the world; looking for that woman-girl."
"Who knows love can endure," we sing together.
I sing, "And you know it will..." and he echoes me in his lower baritone. It gives me goosebumps the way he's able to blend his voice with mine. Stefan comes from where he's just secured the sail and wraps me in his arms.
"What is that you were singing?" He looks at both of us.
"It's a song I heard on the radio last time I was in America; Summer knows it too." Vladmir shrugs his shoulders. "I liked some of the words."
I hurry off to use the laptop to bring up the song and lyrics so he can hear it. Because the words scroll across the screen we soon find ourselves singing along. I know Stefan's voice is amazing, but to hear him with Vladmir it almost breaks my heart. It's beautiful and it carries across the water in a way that's haunting. I harmonize with them and have to smile when it seems like we've been singing together for years. I look up several different songs about sailing, and we pass the morning learning to harmonize even when there's only one voice singing the original. I'm delighted how the words to the songs almost force Stefan to use more modern language and contractions.
I pull up one of my favorite songs and this time I'm quiet as they hear the Sound of Silence for the first time. It's not difficult to find a karaoke version and when their two voices blend on that song it sends chills down my spine. Stefan is impressed by the eerie poetry of the song, and I remember another song by Simon and Garfunkel and I pull it up.
"This one reminds me of your friendship." They listen, and I can tell Stefan wants to sing that one as well. It's written for his range and most of it's a solo until the end when Vladmir adds his lower voice. I find tears streaming down my face as they sing Bridge Over Troubled Water; at the beauty of the song, their singing, and the ways I know their friendship has been tested and grown. I leave them looking up music on the computer since I need to eat. I occasionally hear their voices drifting down to the galley and I have to smile. I never would have guessed that they would be able to sing so beautifully.
After one full day of sailing we head for shore. Vladmir needs to buy some things, and after a few hours we are underway again, sailing into the night. His desperate needs surprise me – three guitars and earplugs. "Oh I just know there's a joke or two here, but it's just too obvious! Do you seriously expect us to play these? And do you really think earplugs will help?" I have fun picking on him .
"You doubt? We have lots of time on our hands, why shouldn't we learn something new? And the earplugs, combined with my headphones, are for your bedtime." He smiles and raises one eyebrow suggestively, and I hide my face in embarrassment as soon as I get his reference.
I guess it is a good thing to have something to do since I quickly discover that I can't play cards with Vladmir since my heartbeat and breathing tell my strategy no matter how good I am. And many of the books Stefan brought aren't in English. They have both set about teaching me Romanian, but I still do better with my online programs. The music is actually a great idea.
I'd had some lessons while dad was alive. One of his many friends was a musician and he tried to teach me how to play acoustic guitar. I learned a few chords and how to tune the silly thing, but I never learned a song. For a day I am actually better than they are. But they learn so fast they quickly leave me behind. Not to mention the strings hurt my fingers, but they have no such issues. When we have to go to shore for Stefan to hunt Vladmir buys strings and other things for his guitars. I try to stay far enough away from him that he doesn't feel drawn to me. I slip into a cafe to eat a late lunch since we'll likely leave at dusk again. I replenish my food supplies and wait.
As soon as Stefan returns Vladmir drags us to a hotel restaurant and bar. It's Karaoke night and he wants us to enter the contest. All the hours of practice is worth it since not only do we win the contest, but everyone is enthusiastic about our singing. Vladmir gives the prize money to the busiest waitress in the place and we head back to the boat. "I don't know why you wanted to do that?" Stefan confronts Vladmir once we're safely on board.
"Because it was fun! Because it's something different and I don't feel like stagnating, do you?"
Stefan pulls me into his arms and grins. "No, you're right, it was fun. I don't want to stagnate either."
The next three days drift by in music and sun, and we stop as soon as we clear the Bosporus Strait into the Sea of Marmara. When we leave the boat again Vladmir asks us to take the guitars since there's a storm coming that may delay us for a day. He's so sure of this he rents two rooms in the best hotel in the area. When Stefan returns from his hunt, Vladmir has another of his "anti-stagnation" plans and we take the guitars down to the hotel lounge.
There is no act scheduled, but we sit on the tiny stage like we have every right, with guitars in hand. Before we start to play the manager comes over to us to see what we're up to, and Vladmir clearly uses his ability to convince him that we are supposed to be there. I am stunned as I watch him work what looks like magic to me. By the time he finishes the manager announces our group to the patrons of the bar. We are called Twilight Trio.
When they start playing I can't see how we're going to pull this off. But the first song we do is the one we've practiced the most, and Southern Cross grabs the attention of what has gone from a bar crowd, to an audience. When we do our version of Come Sail Away I'm impressed with how good the rock song sounds on acoustic guitars. The crowd is in the palm of our hands as we sing The Sound of Silence, or I should say, as they sing it. I'm so much a background singer I'm considering buying a tambourine. Vladmir leads into a song we've just learned, and several people in the audience start to slow dance as Stefan sings, I Can't Help Falling In Love With You. He looks my way as he sings the beautiful words.
We go through California Dreamin, Closer To Fine, and Blowin In the Wind. They back me up when I sing I Honestly Love You, and I can't help but look at Stefan as I sing. We do All I Have To Do Is Dream, You've Got a Friend, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Kokomo. Then Stefan nearly drops me to my knees when he turns to me and sings Play Me, a song I haven't heard for years. Tears flow down my cheeks as he sings such descriptive words of us.
When we leave, the crowd applauds as if we were actual performers. We escape to our rooms as the storm unleashes its fury outside, and Stefan pulls me into his arms and kisses me fiercely. We make love to the sounds of the thunder crashing over the ocean, and the lightening in the darkness highlights his stark beauty.
Vladmir's room is as far from ours as he could get, and Stefan stays with me through the storm. He wants to talk about the little show we put on. He seems excited and it takes me a while to understand why.
"It's like when I used to draw crowds with my oration; only the influence is more subtle. But the influence is there – I never realized music had so much power! It's still about the different volumes and inflections of the voice; and the words – Summer, this is amazing! When I heard you sing I wanted to drop the guitar and pull you into my arms!" I love seeing him so passionate about something.
For a second I feel jealous, like I've never felt over Vladmir for introducing him to the music, then I realize that I'm the one who changed him. As surely as if I'd bitten him myself, he is changed. He's no longer the cold killer I met not that long ago. He's no longer stuck in the past, and no longer waiting to... end. I love him so much, but he is so deep, I feel like I keep discovering new layers to him, and I need to keep getting to know him over and over again. There is a definite spark in his golden eyes, and I'm happy that this time I can share his passion with him.
In the morning the rain has passed and we meet Vladmir before we go to a restaurant so I can have breakfast. It seems Stefan isn't the only one who's excited by our singing debut. Vladmir is coming up with ways we can do it again as we travel. Before we go back to the boat we shop for a keyboard, since Stefan wants to learn to play. What we find isn't ideal, but he plans to order one online and have it delivered somewhere along our route.
Once we're traveling again we spend even more time with the music. Stefan is learning how to play the keyboard so fast, and Vladmir tries to coach me on some of the finer points of guitar. They learn music with phenomenal speed, and I find that I'm the one who needs to have sheet music and words printed out since my memory isn't as sharp as theirs. I suggest that I should back out and let them be a duo, but they insist my voice fits with theirs and I'm important. It makes me work harder on the guitar so I can live up to their confidence in me.
Three days later we're docked again and Stefan disappears to hunt. I've noticed that my magnetic pull isn't affecting Vladmir as much now that he's getting used to me. We can hang out together in public, and he's good company. Not to mention I like having the protection if anyone else feels drawn to me. Together we look for a place for the Twilight Trio to sing in the evening before we leave.
When Stefan returns we set up in a hotel lounge and begin with some of our favorites. Stefan has an affinity for Neil Diamond and sings Longfellow Serenade to a room that quiets to hear him. We add Sailing by Christopher Cross, and Stefan sings Open Arms and the only thing that keeps me from crying is the music is difficult to play on acoustic instruments. Stefan encourages me to sing one we've just learned, and I only agree because it gives me a chance to sing with him. The instruments are what's hard, but the crowd loves Need You Now. Vladmir finishes with I'm On Fire, and I think it's a bit of a joke between him and Stefan. The crowd is bigger and the applause louder as we take our leave.
Back on the boat I notice that Stefan has a large box he's picked up while we were on shore. He smiles as we sneak off to our room and he opens it. At first I think it's just a box of white packing material, but then I see it a dress – a fabulous wedding gown to be exact. It's the most stunning creation I've ever seen and he smiles triumphantly at my delight. "I hope you haven't forgotten I want to marry you, Summer." His smile is so beautiful and I remember it wasn't that long ago when he rarely smiled.
"Of course I remember! I was just wondering how it's going to happen, with all the traveling." I hold the dress up to me and imagine walking down the aisle of a big cathedral, or maybe even in tiny little chapel. It doesn't matter to me so long as he's waiting for me at the end of the walk. Maybe we could even get married on the beach or in a garden somewhere. The gown is extravagant and I want to try it on to see if it fits.
"Well, go ahead and see if it fits." As if he read my mind. He looks at me expectantly and I have to laugh.
"Don't you know it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her gown before the wedding? Besides, how did you know what size to order?"
"The same way you ordered my suits, I used your measurements. And if we're talking about luck, don't you know it's bad luck to keep company with our kind? It has a tendency to end badly." He gives me a small guilty smile.
I lay the dress aside and wrap myself in his arms. "I know it's going to end badly; aren't all endings bad? I just hope to have a few amazing years with you until that happens. And even if all I had were the last couple weeks, I'm still happier with you than without you."
"Chanteur de mon âme, I wish you would let me change you. You speak of years as if that's a long time, but I want you for decades – centuries even. If you knew how deeply I loved you, you would never make me say goodbye to you. I had Tessa for less than a year, and she still haunts me I knew Cecilia for less than two years and she nearly tore my heart out. Summer, if I marry you, and spend years with you, I won't be able to say goodbye. You have to know that if you don't join me, then I might join you." I see the raw pain on his face and know that he believes what he's saying. But I'm not willing to go there.
"Stefan, you can't decide to live or die based on someone else. If you had ended it after Tessa or Cecilia, I never would have found you." I am fighting not to cry; I hate how the tears seem to be my first response.
"You cannot possibly believe that I will find another love after you. Summer, I was almost dead when you came along. My body heals. You can wound me almost any way and this body will repair itself. But I don't heal! I grieve my losses, magnified by the number of years I live. My love, time does not heal those wounds; time stretches the holes within me until I'm empty inside. You are already all I have to look forward to. Some day you will be my wife, and you will be a part of me, and I won't be able to tell where I leave off and you begin. I've already ordered my life around you, and yet you won't even consider becoming like me!"
I look at his sad eyes and feel so torn. "Stefan, if this is where this is going, then maybe it's a bad idea for us to get married. I mean, you seem to place an awful lot of importance on that union. Maybe if we just... didn't make that commitment it would be easier for you." I look at the froth of white on the bed and I hate that I might not be taking that fairy tale walk. "I don't want to be the one to condemn you to death; that's why I don' t want to be... one of you."
He pulls away and scoops up the dress. "Marrying you is the only way I can justify making love to you. Making love to you is the only way I can keep from being driven insane by my desire for you. And now you think you will lessen your hold on me by not getting married? Summer, I am a man in love! That's not just something I feel when I look at you; it's something that's in me. It runs deep, and strong, and powerful – and it's not going away. Whether or not you wear the pretty dress, or say the vows, I love you. I will love you forever, or as long as I live. I just want you to try to think about living forever with me." His words make the tears spill down my cheeks. I cling to him, completely unable to think of the right words to say.
When he pulls away again he wipes the tears from my eyes and takes the gown to hang it in the cedar closet. He pulls me to him again and rests his forehead against mine. "Let's worry about this later. I don't want to make you unhappy." The moon is a pale sliver as we come up out of our cabin. The sails overhead ripple in the wind and Vladmir comes out of the control room.
"I hate to say this, and I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like we may have some trouble. There 's a boat that's been following us for about an hour now, and it's just been joined by another one. If my eyes weren't so good I wouldn't be able to see them, but they're keeping just out of normal view and matching our speed. Pirates are not known for this area; it's too easy to catch them in the straits. But we do seem like easy targets if that's what they're up to. This area may not be known for pirates, but it is known to be dangerous to sail." Stefan looks along the horizon and he suddenly looks frightening. "It might be a good idea to find a place for her to hide, just in case, they probably won't wait long since it's fully dark now."
"I'm not going to cower someplace if we're coming under attack!" I feel the fingers of anxiety pulling at me and Stefan takes me aside and gathers me in his arms.
"Summer, you don't want to be here if they come for us. I want you as far from any fighting as I can get you, but not because I think you're weak, even though you are." He smiles apologetically. "Remember Lucian? Do you want any more images like that in your head?" It shocks me to remember that this is the same man who killed so efficiently in my presence. I let him lead me back down to the cabins and he opens a built-in storage trunk and has me lie down inside. I can breathe through a decorative grate, but I can't see much more than what is right in front of my eyes. "Don't come out, no matter what you hear. If we win, we'll get you out. If by some chance we lose, stay where you are. You are valuable and they can ransom or sell you – or worse. He kisses me fiercely and closes the cover.
I expect that because of the distance of the other boats it will be a while before they catch us, but I'm wrong. I can hear the motor boats racing alongside us in the otherwise quiet night. The shouting is in a language I don't know and I wish I had worked harder at learning what he'd tried to teach me. I hear gunshots and more yelling, and I'm more scared than I've ever been since meeting Stefan. I hear his command, and it gives me chills as he directs them to come to him. The shouting turns to pleading, then I hear nothing for quite a while.
When the compartment is opened I'm afraid of who it will be. I should have expected it, Stefan looks down on me with his bright red eyes. He offers his hand, but I struggle up on my own. Even still I see the hurt on his face and I can't help but wrap my arms around him. He leads me above, and I'm shocked at what I see. Two small boats are tethered to ours. There are two who are obviously dead lying on the deck, and four tied up lying nearby.
Vladmir has two holes in his shirt, with dark stains on the fabric. The position suggests two lethal gunshot wounds, but he's sitting on the steps glaring at the four captives. "Summer, do you have something in the galley maybe, that's long and thin and metallic? Something that might be good at pulling out splinters?" I hurry down the stairs and return with a pair of tweezers, a knife and a pair of scissors. When I come back Vladmir has his shirt off and it's clear he's been shot. The wounds are ugly, but they're not bleeding or anything.
Stefan takes the things I offer and as I watch he digs into one of the wounds and pulls out a bullet. Even as I watch, it seems the wound has begun to heal. Vladmir explains; "the other bullet went all the way through, but this one didn't. It's not like the movies where it magically gets pushed out. My body would heal around it, and it can be very uncomfortable when that happens. I carried a musket ball in my gut for years until I met Carlisle. The stupid thing would move around; it feels like having a rock in your shoe. Of course in time most of these things will dissolve, but I don't like waiting while that happens."
The four captives lie on the deck with gags in their mouths. "What are you going to do about them?" I ask Stefan. He looks off into the distance and doesn't answer.
Vladmir pulls his shirt back on and answers me. "We're going to keep them until we get hungry again." His answer shocks me, and I see four sets of eyes widen at the revelation.
"You can't do that! That's murder! I mean I understand, you are what you are, but... No! This is wrong." I feel ridiculous arguing to save the lives of the pirates, but they're helpless on the floor and I can't help but notice their eyes pleading with me.
"And just what should we do with them? Hmm?" Vladmir turns his anger on me. "Should we just slap their hands and tell them 'no!'? How about we let them swim for shore? What do you suggest my dear? Give them back their boats so they can kill the next boaters who happen by?" His voice is filled with contempt and scorn. They know the rules! They deserve to die; it's only what they would have done to us! Well, not you sweetheart – they'd rape you first!
Stefan comes and silently puts his arms around me, but I don't back down. "Fine, maybe they deserved to die when they attacked. But they're helpless now. Now it's not defense. At best it's punitive, and at worst it's murder of those weaker than you!"
"So, what you're saying is that we need to let these fine upstanding citizens go, and when I need to hunt in a few weeks I'll need to go find someone else, right?" I look into Vladmir's angry red eyes and bury my face against Stefan's chest to keep him from seeing me cry.
"I don't know! This is why you can't change me, since I could never make life or death choices like this. Haven't you come up with a better way after all these years?" I can't stay one more minute looking at the faces of the would be pirates. I go and hide in our cabin, but all I can think about is the families the men might be leaving behind – their children. I'm not sure how long until Stefan comes in to find me lying on the bed.
He lays beside me and pulls me close, but I can't even look at his eyes. He tips my chin up and holds me. "Summer, look at me. I haven't changed; I'm still the man who loves you. You need to ask yourself if you really love me, or just an ideal. I try not to lie about what I am, and even though I've been hunting only animals, I am still a killer." He won't let me turn away, and even though I don't want to see it, no matter what color his eyes are, I still love him.
"I'm sorry Stefan. I'm trying to walk a very fine line here, and it's starting to get a little blurry. I love you and I don't want to judge you. But life is very precious to me. Those men are helpless and all I can think about is how they may have families and loved ones wherever they came from. And yet I know if they go free they'll probably do this again. I don't usually have to make those kind of choices, and it's agonizing to me. How have you done it for hundreds of years? I would go crazy. It's too much like playing God."
"I think my love, you are beginning to see what we really are." He kisses my lips, even though I am reluctant to allow it, knowing he's so recently drained a human's blood with the same sweet mouth I've always hungered for. I expect there would be a trace; like the taste of my breakfast lingers until I brush, but there's nothing but his usual delicious scent and flavor.
"Vladmir loves you too. You know he would have kept them, incapacitated so they no longer posed a threat to you. But instead he has taken them in their boats back to the shore. He's going to sink the boats as soon as he gets back. Now don't look so happy. He's letting them live, but if I know Vladmir, and I do, he will likely break their legs before he leaves.
"He did that for me?" I don't know if I should be delighted that I saved four lives, or if I should worry that I have such influence on these men.
"Of course he did it for you. He loves you, and if I didn't trust him I would worry he would try to take you from me." His smile seems lighthearted, but I can see the truth in his face. This freakish pull I have on men is intruding on one of the best friendships I've ever witnessed.
"Stefan, I'm sorry... I'm not trying to attract him."
"Of course not. I trust you both, I just wanted you to know he loves you like... a friend, or a sister." He smiles. "If he's not careful, you'll have him hunting furry animals as well."
We are alone while Vladmir takes care of his task. In a matter of minutes Stefan's kisses become more insistent and it surprises me how my body responds to him; how it always responds to him. For the first time I am conscious that I'm making love to a killer – that I'm in love with a killer. I look into his terrifying red eyes as he shreds through every last reservation I have. I don't care. I don't just love the man, I have to love the monster too – and I do.
Knowing what Vladmir has done for me changes things. Not only did he not kill the pirates, but he also protected Stefan from the gunfire. When he returns he's fully healed without even a scar. He tells me that a venomous bite is the only thing he's seen that can leave scars, and Stefan has a faint scar from Caius who changed him. Vladmir claims to have no such scar, though he doesn't tell me it's because he is the original.
I trust Vladmir. As we travel through the Sea of Marmara and into the Aegean, I am less stuck to Stefan's side, and I'm relaxed either on the boat or on the shore. He's my friend and I understand that he wouldn't hurt me as long as he has control of his will.
We continue to practice and perform our music, and we're getting really good. We are starting to find people in the crowds who've heard of us, and there comes a time when the hotel has actually heard of us and we get paid for performing. It makes the wait staff's night when we divide it among them. I've finally given up offering to pay for anything since Stefan looks offended, and Vladmir waves away any offer like he couldn't possibly accept. I'm starting to get the idea that they have more money than we could ever spend.
Two weeks after the pirate attack, we're docked at a resort town when Stefan goes off to hunt, leaving me with Vladmir again. I'm shocked when he informs me that he too needs to hunt, and I am going to go with him. I try to walk away from him, but how do you walk away from someone who has superhuman speed? "Keep fighting me Summer, and someone will see me for who I am, and I'll have no choice but to end them." He takes my hand and smiles down at me with his crimson eyes fading to black. "I won't hurt you Summer. The younger ones of our kind fall into a kind of feeding frenzy when they hunt, but I have more control than that, and you'll be safe. You need to know the kind of family you're marrying into."
I try to pull free, but he effortlessly holds me. "I already know. You don't have to do this; I've seen him kill before, and I know it's horrible."
"You see, that's where you're wrong. It's not always horrible, and sometimes it's a good thing. You need to see that death is coming to everyone; all we do is change the timing." He smiles as we walk. He purchases flowers from a street side vendor as we go. It's about a mile inland that he finds what he's looking for. It's a squat, ugly, brick facility that stretches along a single story. "Seaside Nursing Care" he reads from a sign out front. He leads me inside, and the odor is overwhelming; urine mostly, but other unclean smells fight for dominance as we walk among people tied to chairs or wandering about in different states of confusion.
He seems to know where he's going, but then he tells me he's following the scent of death. We walk down a hallway that's quiet except for the noise of the TV's spilling out of the rooms and into the hall. He peeks into several rooms as we pass, then steps into one, taking me with him. There are two occupied beds, and the one closest to the door holds a woman who stares vacantly through us as we step to her bedside.
"Look Summer, no flowers, no family photos, no get well cards, and no personal items. She's here to wait on death – alone." He looks at the plaque on the door and turns to the woman. "Hello Louisa." The woman turns her head his way as her eyes roll in cloudy sightlessness. Her mouth is hung open in a large toothless O, and a moan comes from her throat. He puts the flowers in a large styro-foam cup. He pulls a chair up close to her bed and takes her hand which is clutched in a fist.
He glances toward the door, then puts down the safety rail and slides an arm under her shoulders, pulling her closer to him until they are cheek to cheek. It scares me to think that he could kill her at any moment, but I can't take my eyes off of the loving way he treats her. He kisses her cheek and speaks softly to her in what must be her language they way her eyes finally focus on his nearness. "Summer, pour me a cup of water with a straw please." I do as he asks and he brings the straw to her lips and she drinks. He hands me the empty cup and continues to whisper to her as his fingers comb gently through her hair
The woman in the other bed is oblivious to us and the wall mounted TV mumbles a news program no one is watching. I step around the bed and my foot nudges a catheter bag clipped to the bed rail. From the other side of the bed I watch him as he lavishes attention on the woman. "What are you saying to her?" I whisper.
"Nothing much except the things we all want to hear. I'm telling her she is a good person and that she mattered. I'm telling her that it's going to be alright. I'm talking to her of the things she's probably seen in her lifetime... I can remember them too." He looks at her with such kindness, I can't believe he's going to do what he's planning.
He puts the rail up and moves to the foot of the bed where he uncovers her feet. I'm stunned to see him massage her feet from her toes to her ankles. She visibly relaxes, then he starts to sing to her. Soft and low, and in her own language. I feel uncomfortable around her, but his attention makes me want to give her comfort as well. I rub her shoulders, lightly at first, but working into a soft, gentle massage of her paper thin skin stretched over her bent frame.
He smiles at me. "She may have raised a whole family. She may have taught school. Maybe she was a nurse, or a farmers wife. At her age her children could have died already, and certainly her husband.
"Outside, in the back of the building, there's a garden with lots of trees and shrubs. I'm taking her there. You should leave here first since you don't move like I do." He clamps off the catheter, and unhooks the bag. I head to the door and leave as he suggests. He's right, the back has an expansive lawn and pretty gardens dotted with benches and seats no one seems to be using. I look for the most hidden area, and there they are. He's sitting on the ground and he has her cradled in his lap, rocking her gently. Her eyes are closed and she rests her head against his shoulder. I look around to see if anyone could be observing, but all I see is the beautiful garden, with the bright sun above.
Vladmir strokes her cheek and whispers her name. Her eyes drift open and she looks at his sparkling skin. "I'm going to ask her if she's ready to die, Summer." He speaks to her, and she doesn't say anything, but her hand drifts up to touch his cheek. He again sing to her and holds her close. I almost don't realize what he's doing since it looks like he's kissing her, but I notice the way her eyes close as he holds her tight. I feel my own throat constricting as her hand falls from his cheek. I'm both horrified and mesmerized as she dies.
When he's finished, there's no mess, and he arranges her as if she's curled up and fallen asleep. He covers her with the blanket he's brought, kisses her cheek, and we leave her there. I look at my watch and realize we've been with her for three hours. We hurry away, keeping out of sight.
"So Summer, no words of condemnation? I thought for sure you'd have something to say, after the pirates."
"No." I feel small in the face of his question. "I hope it's that peaceful for me when my time comes." He gives me a look I can't read as we walk back.
A/N: I am in awe of musicians and song writers. Some of this story takes place to music, and as I edit, I'm removing the lyrics, as they are typically copyrighted. I'll include the song titles here, and the artist who made it famous, or at least the one in my mind as I wrote it. So many of the lyrics take on new meanings when I apply them to this particular story, and I hope you'll take a minute to look them up if you haven't heard them.
California Dreamin, 1965 by The Mamas & the Papas. Southern Cross, 1982 by Crosby, Stills, & Nash. Sound of Silence, 1962 by Simon & Garfunkel. Bridge Over Troubled Water, 1970 by Simon & Garfunkel. Come Sail Away, 1977 by Styx. Can't Help Falling In Love , 1961 by Elvis Presley. Closer To Fine, 1988 by Indigo Girls. Blowin In the Wind, 1963 by Bob Dylan. I Honestly Love You, 1974 by Olivia Newton-John. All I Have To Do Is Dream, 1958 by The Everly Brothers. You've Got a Friend, 1971 by James Taylor. Kokomo, 1988 by The Beach Boys. Play Me, 1972 By Neil Diamond. Longfellow Serenade, 1974 by Neil Diamond. Sailing, 1980 by Christopher Cross. Open Arms, 1981 by Journey. Need You Now, 2010 by Lady Antebellum. I'm On Fire, 1985 by Bruce Springsteen.