In Another Life (24 page)

“It’s really coming down out there,” Bill commented.

The house smelt like turkey as the grand dinner of the day was already in the oven roasting away. Marie couldn’t help but salivate at the smell. She’d always loved Christmas dinner. Over the sound of the rain her stomach released a long, low growl.

“Sounds like someone is hungry for dinner,” Carol grinned. “Shall we open our presents first?”

Marie glanced at the mountain of gifts beneath the tree. Opening them all would take time, time that she didn’t have. She looked back at her mother and saw the hopeful desperation in her eyes. She owed her at least some semblance of Christmas cheer.

“Okay, yeah, let’s open them up,” Marie nodded.

*

After the opening of the presents came Christmas dinner. Carol had out done herself creating home-made stuffing, pigs in blankets and crisp roast potatoes which were light and feathery on the inside. It was a perfect dinner.

The family gathered around the dining room table, a spot reserved only for special meals. The fine china had even been dusted off and put pride of place beside the silver cutlery set which Bill and Carol had received many years ago as a wedding gift and barely used.

Marie looked hungrily at the heaped plate of food which her mother placed before her. It looked and smelled amazing.

“Mum, this looks great,” she complimented as Carol’s face broke out in a massive smile and she looked on the brink of tears.

“Thank you sweetheart,” she uttered as she continued dishing out the dinners.

Marie speared a potato with her fork and was about to place it directly in to her mouth when her father caught her arm.

“Wait, we need to pull the crackers first,” he told her with complete sincerity. Marie raised a scrutinizing eyebrow at him.

“You always insist that we eat Christmas dinner wearing the hats from the crackers,” he added by way of explanation.

“Okay,” Marie put down her fork and grabbed hold of the green and gold Christmas cracker which her father was directing at her. She tugged on it with considerable force and then there was a loud snap and her father guffawed in delight as he was the victor.

“Yes,” Bill roared triumphantly as he retrieved a red paper hat from the larger half of the cracker. His head was too large for the paper accessory so it comically sat just atop his temple, not able to reach down to his ears. Marie giggled slightly at the vision.

“Don’t you laugh,” Bill told her, himself smiling merrily. “Let’s get a hat on you.”

He pulled a cracker with Sebastian and soon Marie was supporting a bright yellow paper hat, though her head was too small so it kept sinking down in to her eyes much to everyone’s amusement.

As the family tucked in to the dinner the house smelt and sounded of Christmas. The shadows which seemed to constantly lurk in the corners had been momentarily banished.

Marie was smiling and laughing along with her parents as though it were the most natural thing in the world. She didn’t give the woman in the park, or Azriel, a second thought. It seemed that the world she felt she belonged to really was disappearing, not just from existence but also from her mind.

*

Several hours later and Marie sat by the fire watching a Christmas movie on the television and could feel her eyelids growing heavier by the second. On the sofa her father was already fast asleep, his snoring bouncing off the walls in the room.

Carol was at the other end of the sofa, also watching the movie though her head kept dropping as though she were fighting off her own desire to sleep. Sebastian had located himself on the single chair and was engaged with something on his phone and Marie sat on the floor by the fire, her hair still slightly damp from getting caught in the rain earlier.

The turkey she’d so greedily consumed was quick to work, overwhelming her system and making her feel impossibly exhausted. After her fourth consecutive yawn Marie concluded that she might as well go back to bed for a while and rest.

“Okay honey,” Carol replied dreamily as Marie got up, stretched and prepared to head upstairs. She caught Sebastian’s eye as she was about to leave and smiled at him but he didn’t return the gesture. Instead he looked scared, or sad, she couldn’t tell. She thought he’d be pleased to see her interacting so normally with her family. Against all odds they had enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner together.

Shrugging off Sebastian’s reaction Marie wandered up to her bedroom. Her body felt stiff as though each limb were made of wood. Like an awkward puppet she lowered herself on to her bed and the moment her head connected with her pillow the lights went out and she was instantly asleep.

*

“Marie,” someone close by was whispering her name with some urgency.

“Marie, wake up.”

Marie groaned and tried to turn over but the voice was persistent.

“You need to wake up.”

“God, Sebastian, let me rest,” she grumbled, keeping her eyes firmly closed.

“Who is Sebastian?”

This alarmed Marie and she instantly woke up. Bright light burned upon her eyes, making them sore. Rubbing them she sat herself up and looked around her bed.

She was no longer in her pink themed bedroom where the walls were adorned with the boy bands of yesterday. She was instead in a vast open room, sat up in a pearlescent four poster bed with soft silk sheets which gently caressed her skin.

Marie turned her gaze as wide as she could, taking everything in. Suddenly it all made sense. She was in Azriel.

“I’m back?” she wondered in amazement.

“Marie,” Orion was sat on the bed beside her, his golden eyes shimmering with delight.

“Oh my God, Orion, I’m back! How is this possible?” she asked excitedly as thoughts of home and the freshly cooked turkey dinner she had just enjoyed quickly faded away.

“I’m afraid it’s only temporary,” he told her sadly. “But you had to come back, you had to see for yourself.”

“See what?”

“Azriel is disappearing,” Orion whispered gravely. “Soon it will be gone leaving only nothing.”

“What?” Marie stepped out of her bed and noticed that she was wearing an exquisite full length golden negligee.

“Come, I’ll show you,” Orion extended his hand to her and Marie accepted it. His warm touch instantly sent delicious flames dancing across her skin. She had forgotten how good he felt. She took a tentative step towards him, expecting her legs to protest the movement as she’d already used them excessively that day but she approached him with graceful ease.

“I’m not hurt here,” she remembered.

Orion led Marie across the vast open space of her bedroom and towards the balcony window which overlooked Azriel. He pushed open the doors and Marie braced herself for the stunning view which always met her. A view of golden rooftops and a glorious, never ending sky and magical green trees which punched their way up towards the heavens. But instead when she looked out of the window she saw only dense, impenetrable darkness.

The homes upon the hill, the fountains, the cobbled streets, the inhabitants in all their colourful finery, it was all gone. Only emptiness remained.

“Where is everything?” Marie gasped in horror, holding her hand to her mouth. She strained to try and see something, anything, out in the vast darkness.

“It’s all gone,” Orion explained woefully. “When you left, you took the last of Azriel’s magic with you and slowly our world has been fading away. All that remains now is the castle.”

Marie glanced back at her bedroom, at her beautiful bed. It couldn’t all just disappear, could it?

“But it can come back,” she insisted desperately.

“Only if you do,” Orion told her, drawing her to him. Looking up in to his golden eyes she remembered the kiss that they had shared, how galvanising it had been.

“But I don’t know how to come back.”

“Yes, you do.” Orion reassured her as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His fingertips brushing against her face made Marie’s legs tremble beneath her and for a moment she worried that she’d come tumbling to the ground.

“No, I don’t,” she whispered. “People keep telling me to come back but I don’t know how.”

“My beautiful princess, you do know, you just haven’t realised it yet.”

Marie blinked at him in confusion.

“Just tell me,” she implored him. “Tell me and I’ll return right away.”

“I can’t do that, if I did that, we would lose the magic.”

“What magic?”

“The magic in you,” he looked tenderly at Marie and all she wanted to do was dissolve in to him, to let the emptiness consume them as at least that way they would be eternally together.

“You are the key to Azriel’s salvation. You must return to us.”

“I want to.” Orion drew her closer to him, tilting his head and focusing on her lips.

“Oh, Orion,” Marie muttered blissfully as her body trembled with the anticipation of the kiss. His lips were almost upon hers when he suddenly straightened, a shadow crossing over his face as he looked sharply at the doors to her chamber.

“He’s here,” he declared tensely. “We’ve run out of time.”

“Who is here?” Marie asked fearfully, glancing back at the doors which remained closed.

“You must come back to me, Princess, before it’s too late.”

Something sharp dug in to Marie’s side and she instinctively sat up. Bewildered she found herself back in the pink bedroom of her parent’s home. The four poster bed, the silk sheets, Orion, all of it was abruptly gone.

Blinking Marie looked around as nausea swept over her with the distortion she was feeling.

“What’s happening?” she asked vaguely. Turning she saw Sebastian sitting on the edge of her bed, just as Orion had previously done.

“You were proper out of it,” Sebastian commented. “You were twitching and everything in your sleep.”

Marie absently looked down at her side where she’d felt the abrupt digging sensation.

“Sorry, I poked you awake,” Sebastian admitted, blushing slightly. “I was worried you were having a nightmare and you didn’t respond when I called out your name.”

“My name,” Marie held a hand to her forehead. Her pulse throbbed behind her left eye, a precursor of the blinding headache which would soon consume her entire temple.

“I’ll let you wake up a bit,” Sebastian kissed her on the cheek. His touch felt cold and clammy.

“Your Mom says you should come down when you’re ready so we can all play charades although your Dad is still fast asleep on the sofa.”

“You thought I was having a nightmare?” Marie was still struggling to understand how one second she could be in Azriel and the next she was back in her pink bedroom.

“Yeah, you were moving about loads.”

Marie glanced towards her bedroom window. The open curtains revealed that the day had now turned dark and the world beyond her room was dense and empty, just like the rest of Azriel had been.

She had to get back there. She had one more day. After that, it would all be gone and she’d never see Orion again.

“Were you having a nightmare?” Sebastian asked with concern, noticing the distant look in his fiancée’s eyes. 

“Yes,” Marie nodded though she sounded uncertain. “At least sort of.”