Soul Dancing with the Brass Band (The Brass Band Series) (21 page)

“That’s how I figured it out.” George smiled and it was evident that the two monks were brothers through and through.

Will pulled me to my feet and we walked down the hall to the room on the right and opened the door. The furniture was stacked against one wall and the boxes along the other.

Holding back a laugh I said, “Looks like you’ll have to stay with me tonight.”

Will smiled. “Sounds great. I can unpack tomorrow while you’re at class.”

We returned to the living room to find George and Ruth sitting by the fire. Joining them, we made a spiced tea toast to Will and George’s new life, then we excused ourselves to go to sleep upstairs.

“I think I’ll be able to control myself tonight,” Will said as he climbed into bed beside me. “I’ve thought of nothing
but the moment we would be together for months. And then, when I saw you… it was totally out of my control. I couldn’t have stopped unless you said I had to. I would have, I promise you that,” he said, fluffing the pillows.

“I don’t think I could have found a way to say no. Every girl wants her first to be perfect.” I looked at Will to see what his reaction was. “I suppose I wasn’t acting much like a virgin.”

“Well, neither was I and I always wondered if I would know what to do.”

My heart stopped for a beat as I took in what Will had just said. “I thought we were perfect! Just think how wonderful we’ll be with a little more practice,” I said, as I snuggled closer.

“But no more practicing until we are more prepared. I was as careful as I could be under the circumstances. We need to figure out some birth control and soon. I’m only promising control for tonight… mostly because I’m exhausted.” He pulled the covers up to his chin and closed his eyes.

“I’ll drop by student health when I’m on campus.” I kissed him on the forehead, both eyes, the tip of his nose and then on his lips. “Thanks for the most incredible day of my life, Will,” I whispered.

“Shhhhh…. If you wake me up too much, you might have a monster on your hands,” he said with his eyes still closed. “Today was so incredible, it’s best I don’t think about it right now. I’m trying to be good, Hillary,” he said, holding back a laugh and opening one eye, “I’m not kidding Hillary, don’t get me started.”

I’d always relied on my own body heat to warm the cold bed. Tonight, Will was like a furnace, warming my bed for me. I wondered what my dreams would be like with him beside me and drifted off into sleep.

Dec 2, 36 A.D.

We gather near the water’s edge around our campfire to listen to McCollum as the sun rises. He has seen in his dreams what he believes may be our future, but deep inside he still hopes that he is wrong. We sit in a circle close to a fire because the air has become cold with the damp onset of winter. Eduardo sits to McCollum’s left, enabling McCollum to draw upon Eduardo’s powers of clarity and insight. I, Hilsbeth, sit directly across from McCollum, with Liam and Gillian to my right and Georog and Rutiah to my left. Kathryn and Terrance have been left behind to watch over the Druids in our village, who are as yet not aware of our impending fate.

“We must join together to call forth the great power created by the purity of light.” McCollum begins. “An ominous darkness is falling over our land and it is driven by the ignorance to destroy what it does not understand. Those who will not bend to the laws and beliefs of this new culture must not be allowed to survive. Most will comply. We will not.” As McCollum looks deep into our eyes, one by one around the circle, his voice softens, “Today we stand alone in the brightness of our being; no others will come to save us from this fate. But our light will remain upon this planet until the time we come again to reclaim it. In the future we…”

Dec 2, 2010

I heard a ringing and was overcome by a pull to return to my familiar college world. Keeping my eyes closed, I strained to hear the information that was being revealed around McCollum’s campfire, leaning forward I listened to the one across from me as he spoke of the future. Everything faded as my alarm clock blared in my ear. Angry that I had forgotten to reset it the night before, I hit the off button hard. Confused about where I was, complicated by the fact that it was still dark outside, I closed my eyes and tried to recall any lingering part of my dream, but it was totally gone.

Forced to merge back into this world, I reached out to touch Will, slightly afraid that our night together might have also been a dream. The bed was still warm where he had slept, but he wasn’t there. “Will?” I whispered into the darkness.

“Good morning, my beloved,” I heard equally as soft from somewhere on the floor beside my bed.

My heart leapt at the level of affection in just those few words.

“Did you fall out of bed?” I asked, confused by his location.

“Yes, but I did it on purpose. I meditate into the sunrise. It’s how I start every day. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

I scooted off the side of the bed and pulled the comforter with me to cover us.

“Is it alright if I just sit here quietly with you?” I asked. “Maybe you can teach me meditation someday.”

“I love that you are here with me. Not only because I would love to teach you to meditate, but also because I am freezing. You and Ruth need to turn up the heat.” Will tucked the comforter tightly around us. “For now, just sit quietly and see if you can clear your mind.”

He reached out and took my hand. His breathing slowed and I could feel the energy move from his hand into my entire body. Then I felt Will completely change as his energy left me and he went to a place far beyond this physical one.

Staying as still as I could for what seemed like hours, my joints began to cramp and my mind was anything but quiet. It was racing with thoughts of Will, everything I had to get done today and things I wouldn’t get done because of wanting to spend all of my time with Will. Slipping my hand free, trying not to disturb him, I tucked the comforter around him and snuck quietly into the bathroom.

I let the steaming hot water run over my head and down my back until my skin turned rosy red. I usually stayed in the shower until all of the hot water was used up, but today I would rather have some time to talk to Will before class. I toweled off, dried my hair and peeked to see if Will was back from never-never
land yet. His eyes flickered open.

“Are you among us?” I let all of the steam flow out into the bedroom.

“Yes, and I’m so happy,” he answered.

“I’m happy, too,” I said crawling back under the comforter that covered him.

Will chuckled. “
I am so happy
is an integration phase I use when I come back into my body. You see, when you meditate, your soul becomes almost detached and expands far beyond the limits of your body so it can commune with the beauty of being one with everything.
Coming back
can sometimes cause depression because the human body is very confining after being everything. So it’s always best to come back quietly saying to yourself,
I am so happy, My life is so simple
, although waking up next to you, I can’t be anything but happy. Come here and kiss me good morning.”

His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me into his lap. Our eyes met and we had our first, very long and sensual good morning kiss.

“My life seems to be full of firsts and I’m glad they’re all with you,” he said, “because I have loved you since the first moment I laid eyes on you, Hillary Rubner.”

My breath caught in my throat. I must have looked surprised because Will quickly added, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. Tell me if I’m moving to fast, but I figure after yesterday you already must know how I feel.”

I reached up to touch his face. “I love you, too Will Emerald. With everything I am, I love you, too.”

IT’S NOT normal to smile this much in the dead of winter, but I had never been happier. For weeks I’d walked from one class to the next with a huge smile on my face and today was no exception. People were beginning to look at me like I had a screw loose.

Will continued to teach the boys during the day while I was in class, which also kept him happy. We spent our early mornings and nights together and that meant neither of us were getting much sleep.

Of course, I’d admitted to Will that all I did was daydream about him during our sunrise meditations. He encouraged me to just relax, clear my mind and use the mantra he gave me. I truly tried, but my mind always drifted back to romance. It was all so new to me and sitting next to him, feeling the heat of his body was completely distracting. I was sure I’d get the hang of meditation soon, since I was putting it first on my list of New Year’s resolutions.

Finals were fast approaching and I found it hard to choose studying over time with Will. We needed a bit of a cooling
-off period. I mean, after all, how long could two people go without letting each other out of a passionate embrace? Even Ruth and George had started looking at us funny! I’m sure they were anxious for the time when we could be taken out in public again.

I’d told Mom and Dad I had a boyfriend. I was sure they could hear the emotion in my voice. I wanted to take
Will home over Christmas break, but there was something he had to do at the house over New Years and he wouldn’t consider leaving.

The library had asked for volunteers to work over the holidays and it seemed like a great opportunity to earn some extra money, but I was torn between staying with Will and spending Christmas with my family. Deciding Mom would be able to put it all in perspective, I decided to call her to see what she thought. I knew she’d heard the excitement in my voice when I talked about Will and would be sensitive to my feelings.

When I was halfway across campus, I heard something fly past my ear and saw a puff of snow as it hit the ground ahead of me. It all happened simultaneously and I knew Gilbert must be close. Seeing the bottle cap lying in the snow bank, the memory of Gilbert’s talent at shooting them by snapping his fingers came back to me. I turned to see him jogging up behind me.

“Hils, long time, no see. I’m still a pretty good shot,” he said as he nodded to the bottle cap.

“Isn’t that considered littering? It’s not exactly green to be leaving bottle caps everywhere,” I answered, as I pulled the collar of my coat tight to keep in my body heat.

“Yeah, I suppose, technically it’s littering,” he agreed, but then moved to another subject. “Are you still hanging out with Will?”

“Changing the subject to my favorite one is clever, Gilbert. Yes, as a matter of fact I am hanging out with Will,” I answered, smiling.

“Do you think you can hook me up with him for an evening after the first of the year? I’d really like to compare notes. It’s not often you meet a person like him. You know, so advanced,” Gilbert said pulling his coat tight, too.

“Sure, I’ll hook you up, Gilbert. I’ll see him tonight and ask him to book you into his schedule.”

“Okay Hils, I’m going to hold you to it.” He pulled his hands out of his pockets, “Give me a hug. “I’ve got to get to class.”

I gave him a hug and kissed his very cold, red cheek and watched him jog back toward campus.

It took another freezing ten minutes to walk home, so when I turned the key and opened the apartment door, the heat felt wonderful. I dropped my backpack from my shoulder and took off my gloves, heading to my room as I pulled my cell out of my pocket and dialed the farm.

“Hi Hillary,” Mom said when she heard my voice. “I’ve been meaning to call you, too.”

“You can go first, Mom,” I said, putting off the disappointment I’d cause her by suggesting I might not come home for Christmas.

“Your Dad and I have been thinking about a few things. Kenny is planning a ski trip to Colorado with a few buddies over Christmas break. We hate for him to be away at Christmas, but how can we say no? It will be such an adventure for him and he’s been saving all of his money. He’s so excited about it. So…” she said with a long pause. “Your Dad and I were thinking of doing something a little different this year, too.”

My heart sank. It was one thing for me to suggest not coming home, but for my parents to not be there was a different story altogether. I knew it was a double standard, but…