A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones) (3 page)

“
You’ll look beautiful. How
about the cream and gold one? No, the lavender will look gorgeous
on you. You are wearing some of the jewels too. I won’t take ‘no’
for an answer,” she cautioned when I started to frown again.
“Remember, you stick out less when you go with the flow. Plus, this
will be fun for all of us.” Catherine’s eyes pleaded for my
approval.

“
Okay, Okay, I’ll find a
way to be happy about it!” I cried out. “What are you and James
going to wear?” I asked, hoping to pull her focus off of the
grandiose plan for my attire. I could almost catch sight of it
brewing in her brain.

“
We are doing the Fifties
sock hop thing. I have that marvelous skirt and petticoat. With a
fuzzy pink sweater around my shoulders and a scarf to tie back my
hair, it will be perfect. James will be the leather clad greaser.
The good girl paired with the bad boy. I love it,” Catherine
bubbled over.

I had to admit, with Catherine in charge of
costuming, we would look flawless. She had a detailed memory when
it came to fashion and style. If she had seen it once it would be
duplicated with precision.

“
Not too many jewels, what
if I get robbed? I don’t want to be responsible for them,” I added,
determined to have the last word.

“
Nobody will think they’re
real anyway,” she smiled.

When Saturday afternoon arrived, Telluride
was abuzz. The length of Colorado Ave. was filled with people, and
dogs, in costume. I put my foot down, and refused to wear the dress
during the day. I stayed in the boutique and went with the Fifties
theme of James and Catherine. I wore rolled up jeans with a white
t-shirt and a leather jacket. I put my hair in a high pony-tail and
tied a scarf around it. That was the extent of my daytime
costuming. Catherine was going to torture me with hair and make-up
for the party tonight.

Summer and Rusty popped into the store
around one o’clock and had transformed themselves into anime
characters. They looked so cute together. Delilah came in about
thirty minutes later with Burke in tow. She was the perfect pixie
fairy. Her blonde hair was piled onto her head in an up-do that was
supposed to look like she did it in seconds but she had probably
spent forever on the style. Burke was simply a soccer player. I’m
pretty sure he was wearing his school uniform. They stayed to chat
for a few minutes and made me promise, for the third time, that I
would be at the party that night.

“
I’ll be there, I promise.
Now go have fun.” I urged them away.

“
It sucks that you have to
work here today,” Delilah pouted. I had quickly learned that
Delilah loved to pout, and Burke loved to watch her pout. Well,
Burke simply loved to watch her.

“
Oh, it’s okay. I
volunteered so Catherine could go have fun with James. They both
work a lot,” I reassured her, and promised
again
that I would see her
tonight.

If our goal was trying to blend, we failed
miserably. All eyes turned to us as we entered the room. Maybe it
was just curiosity over the new residents. But I think it was that
we looked as though we had walked out of a time capsule.

James and Catherine wore their authentic
Fifties attire. Their outfits outshone any store bought costume.
Catherine had pulled her waist length, wavy auburn hair into a pony
and James had slicked his back, as was the style of the time. I
concluded that every Hollywood costume designer would pale in
comparison to Catherine’s skills.

I dressed as the nobility of England once
did. Catherine had insisted on doing my hair, but I had insisted on
my normal, minimal make-up. I wore an amethyst necklace and
earrings set, that was quite intricate in detail, and amethyst
jewels in my hair as well. My dress was empire style, cinched just
under the bust line and flowed straight to the ground. There were
no over grown, wedding cake topper, petticoats worn with this style
of dress, hence why I chose early and not mid eighteen hundreds.
The fabric was the most beautifully embroidered lavender silk. I
was sure it had taken Catherine weeks, when she had designed and
hand sewn it. I felt proud to be wearing one of her creations.

James and Catherine went straight for the
dance floor and I searched the hall for a familiar face. I stood in
the corner of the room waiting to spot someone from school, when
that odd sensation of being watched washed over me. “Of course you
are being watched. You just made a grand entrance,” I whispered to
myself as I scanned the room. Within minutes I spotted Summer and
the gang, waving wildly, and went to join them.

“
Wow, Emily, you look
amazing. That’s like, a real costume,” Summer greeted me during the
lull in the music.

“
Yeah, Aunt Rachel likes to
design period pieces. Did you see them?” I questioned, trying to be
heard over the DJ.

“
We saw them dancing a
second ago. Did she do those too?”

“
Yep... I’m thirsty. Know
where I can get some water?”

“
This way,” fairy Delilah
shouted and led me to the refreshment area.

As I followed behind them, I could still
feel someone’s eyes burning a hole in my back. I did a quick scan
of the room, trying to figure out who was giving me that creepy
feeling. I hated being the center of attention. I was entirely too
self conscious to have agreed to attend this party anyway. I
wouldn’t be completely at ease again until I was at home, wearing a
pair of pajama pants, and a tank top. I tried to let go of my
wariness and just have fun. After an hour or so it worked.

I channeled my inner teenager, and danced. I
closed my eyes and gave in to the music. As I danced I sang the
lyrics to every song I knew - along with Summer, Rusty, Delilah,
and Burke. Toward the end of the evening Delilah let Burke lead her
onto the dance floor, for a song with a slow pounding rhythm.
Summer and Rusty soon followed.

I moved to a corner, in the shadows again,
where I felt most comfortable and where I could observe almost
everyone in the hall. I watched the couples hold each other close
as the steady beat was pounding in my head. I closed my eyes,
imagined myself dancing with someone, and swayed to the music,
keeping my lids tightly sealed. I could almost feel hands gently
moving up the sides of my arms, to hold my face close. My skin came
alive and goose-bumps dotted the entire surface of my skin. I could
feel the tears starting to form.

I pushed the memories away.

I opened my eyes as the song came to an end,
blinking wildly to rid myself of the tears that threatened to flow.
I wanted to go home, I couldn’t be here anymore. I looked around
trying to find either Catherine or James but instead found him. A
tall, blonde, muscular, masked superhero was standing near the
exit, staring at me. There was something oddly familiar about his
mouth...

“
You look tired,”
Catherine’s head popped into my view.

“
Yes, I’m ready to go. Are
you guys okay to leave now?” I asked trying to look around
her.

He wasn’t there anymore.

“
Yes let’s go. Aren’t you
glad you came? We had a blast. I’ll go get Jason. He’s talking to
some of the staff from the medical center. Stay here. I’ll be right
back.”

“
Okay, not going anywhere,”
I answered.

As Catherine danced away I spotted him
again, our eyes locked, and then he abruptly walked out the
door.

For only being in Telluride such a short
time, it was amazing how swiftly routine came. Everyone at the
bakery, the little markets, and various restaurants we frequented,
around town and in Mountain Village, already knew who we were and
greeted us so kindly every time we walked in. Almost unconsciously,
we had slipped into our roles, as members of this community.

We decided to start our exploring the
weekend after Halloween and hiked along the San Miguel River.
Catherine was in heaven. She loved walking along the water’s edge,
that’s one of the reasons they’d picked Telluride. We packed
lunches and stayed out for hours, exploring all we could, until it
was too dark to stay out any longer. I made mental notes of all the
places that I wanted to come back to on my own. Hiking without
company suited me better. I could push myself farther and try to
reach more places than I could with James and Catherine along. They
were always so worried that one of us would injure ourselves, and
someone from the town might witness it.

I went out on my own the next Saturday, in
the late afternoon. Catherine was at the boutique and James was
working in his lab at the house. Instead of going back to the river
I decided to explore the ski trails that encircled our house.

At first I climbed in the wide open areas
that were clearly meant for skiing once the blanket of snow was
again spread across the mountain. Then I ventured into the forested
areas, thick with trees that reached up into the heavens. The trees
blocked out the sun and without its warmth, the cold crept in. The
light sweater I had paired with my favorite jeans kept me warm
enough though. Cold weather rarely affected me. The jacket tied
around my hips might not be needed.

I climbed higher up the mountain side,
digging my fingers into the earth to help pull myself up the
steeper inclines. My nails broke and my hands were gouged by small
rocks and twigs along my path. But I pressed on, wanting to lose
myself in nature, to disappear into the forest like a woodland
creature. As I reached one of the smaller peaks I walked into a
clearing and my breath caught in my throat. The view in front of my
eyes was extraordinary. The peaks of the tree covered mountains
were spotted with lines and splatters of white snow, all the colors
blending together in an ever changing palate. It was painted by the
hand of God.

The fragrance of the mountain was an
intricate conglomerate of all things nature. I could smell the
sweet dew that clung to the plants in the earth. The soil was
pungent, but still pleasant. The fallen leaves, scattered across
the mountainside, were in various stages of decay. Each species of
tree had its own distinct scent. It was a bouquet like no other.
Each component added to the delicate balance that I deeply
inhaled.

As the sun started to set, it cast marvelous
shadows across the mountainside. I sat down on the damp earth and
watched the shadows stretch and play as the sun slowly disappeared.
When it was twilight I decided to head back.

Climbing down required a more concentrated
effort, to keep from losing my balance. As I made my way down a
particularly steep area I became distracted. I thought I saw
someone else walking through the trees. I was sure I’d heard twigs
breaking in the distance. My foot slipped on loose debris and my
careful descent turned into a clumsy fall.

I started to tumble down the slope. My body
was twisting, my limbs flailing, as I tried to control my descent.
I reached out, trying to grab onto anything that would stop me. I
heard a snap and felt a twinge in my right foot, as I finally came
to rest.

“
Hey are you okay over
there?” I heard a male voice call out from a distance.

Oh crap, someone
had
seen me fall. James
was going to be so mad. He always lectured me on the importance of
being safe. I struggled to find my voice as I sat up and began to
assess the situation.

“
Fine,” I called out still
not looking up to catch sight of where the guy was.

“
Stay still, I’m coming to
you,” he yelled back.

I examined my hands. They were badly
scratched and bleeding. There was nothing to be done for the nails,
but the skin I had hope for.

“
Heal quicker,” I whispered
aloud, wishing I could control my body’s pace. Relief washed over
me as the blood stopped flowing and the scratches smoothed over.
The ankle was another story, it was broken. I took my boot and sock
off, and straightened my ankle out as best as I could. If I didn’t
get the bones in their proper places it would heal all wrong and
then James would really be annoyed.

I heard scrambling behind me and in one
swift motion, I rubbed my hands together and then wiped at my face,
trying to remove any traces of blood that might still linger on my
skin. Hands clasped my shoulders. I flinched and looked up.

It was now quite dim but my eyes could
easily make out the face, the mouth. My lungs took a sharp intake
of air. It was him, the blonde Adonis from the dance.

“
Wow you really took a
tumble there. Try to stay still so I can check for broken bones,”
he ordered. “What are you doing out here by yourself?” He leaned in
closer unable to see as clearly as I.

I couldn’t answer him, my voice caught in my
throat and my body froze the moment his hands started to move
across my limbs. He gently squeezed down the length of my arms,
starting at my shoulders and continuing to my wrists. Then he
grabbed onto my legs, moving from thigh to foot. That is when he
finally saw my badly bruised ankle and reached down to cradle my
battered foot in his hands.

“
It’s broken?” he
questioned.

“
No, I’m sure it’s just
twisted,” I whispered. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be able to walk on it.
Just give me a moment to catch my breath.”

He reached out to brush back the hair that
was covering my eyes and tucked it behind my ear.

“
Where do you live?” he
asked.

I pointed toward my house, after my tumble
it wasn’t so far away, “That one.”