The Light of Asteria (6 page)

His eyebrows rose in surprise and I felt the
emotions match. Taking a deep breath, I sighed. Even if this were
true, I couldn’t bring it up in casual conversation; he would think
I was crazy. My eyes darted to the ground as I tried to swim back
to reality, but I couldn’t find water shallow enough to claw my way
back to the life I had known before Gavin.

The external surprise quickly grew into
conflict, and then turned to panic. My head snapped up; he stared
with wide-eyed fear. In that moment, I knew I was, in some way,
connected to him, and he was also connected to me. My thoughts
raced with memories, and I found a common thread … sometimes it
seemed as if those outer emotions were reacting to what was going
through my mind. That was ludicrous, but as I searched, the thread
grew stronger … he must be as attuned to my thoughts as I am to his
emotions.

Panic rose to a crescendo that was almost
unbearable, and I had to do something. Instinct took over and I
looked in his eyes and opened my mind, allowing my memories to
flood through. Our conversation yesterday, my love for Edna, the
first time I saw the ocean … every special moment in my life ran
through my thoughts. His emeralds warmed; his eyes dilated. Gavin’s
eyes closed and filled his lungs with air. A smile hinted at his
lips, and he held his breath for a moment. Every reason I enjoyed
my life was opened in my mind—the strength of these memories clear.
He opened his eyes, and the green now seemed fluid.

My practical side really didn’t think this
would make a difference. Maybe I was being dramatic; he probably
couldn’t see into my head anymore than I could feel his emotions.
He probably had no idea what I was thinking ... but I followed that
basic instinct and acted with some unknown force. I didn’t have a
variety of memories, mainly concentrating on the one person in my
life that actually loved me back, Edna.

The foreign emotions gradually turned from
panic, to protection, and finally to wonder. I watched in amazement
as each emotion registered in his expression, and I knew I was
right.

“I have to get back home,” I whispered.

“I know. Can I ride back with you? Elias can
meet me in Waynesville.”

I shook my head yes. The need to help Gavin
was overwhelming, and to be honest, I wasn’t ready to let him
go.

“Maybe we should stop by the hospital,” I
suggested. He still was extremely pale and sweat moistened his
brow, but he seemed to be getting stronger.

“I think I’m fine,” Gavin muttered.

My body continued to ache like I was getting
over a bad flu. Gavin made his phone call at the edge of the
parking lot and then slid in the passenger seat. My hands shook as
I put the keys in the ignition. The engine roared to life, and I
threw the heater on high.

“Thanks for taking care of Holly,” I said,
ignoring the aches and pains, trying to put him at ease. He kept
his gaze toward the campus, his discomfort apparent.

“I hope she learns soon to make better
decisions—she could have been hurt.” There was no judgment in his
voice, only concern, for which I was grateful.

“I appreciate your help back there, Nora.”
Gavin murmured, resting his head on the back of the seat. A
character trait became clear. It seemed difficult for him to
receive assistance. I respected that more than he knew—allowing
someone to help goes against the grain of a survivor.

“You’re more than welcome.” I beamed;
indisputable sincerity shone on my face. He took a deep breath and
raised his head off the seat, his gaze piercing. A faint twinkle
briefly sparkled in his exhausted expression, and he smiled.

“What’s your family like?”
I finally asked.

“Most of my immediate
family lives on our land. However, several of them are abroad at
the moment.” It seemed like it was an effort just to
speak.

“Why don’t you try and get
some rest.” Maybe the hospital wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Just for a moment,” he
conceded.

Gavin laid his head back on
the seat.
Memories of every moment I had spent with him came
to my mind, and the magnificent creature that had brought such
peace rejoiced in them. I gig
gled at my slice of
insanity. We drove in silence until the
welcome sign glared
at the road. Gavin opened his eyes, and I was pleased to see they
once again sparkled.

“Where is Elias picking you up?”

“By the hardware store.”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, thank you….” He started to say
something and then changed his mind.
I could feel
the conflict around me float into resolve, as he exhaled
sharply.

“I will see you soon,” he
said, bringing my hand to his lips. Their soft caress on the divot
between my knuckles sent electricity up my arm. I gasped; my heart
sputtered. I could feel his face smile, and he kissed the back of
my hand one last time and placed it back on the seat.

“Take care.” My voice was a
little higher than usual; he smiled again.

The Tahoe, waiting for him
in the back lot, followed me to church and then sped
away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter
5—Mayberry

“Nora Catherine Johnson,
I’ve been worried sick!” A clear mountain voice rang as the
children quickly dashed out of Sunday school. Everyone knew Edna
was a handful when she was mad.

“Sorry, Ed. I’ll explain at
lunch,” I whispered. She glowered and headed off to the choir loft.
I grimaced, taking my place of honor on the third pew. My stomach
still ached, like I had just done a thousand sit-ups. I arched my
back, willing the muscles to stretch; my core screamed in
protest.

“Morning, Nora dear.” Mrs.
Brown stiffly sat in front of me on the second pew. “How are Katie
and Holly? Are they coming home for the festival?” She was the town
busy body and had taught all of us in Sunday school when we were in
seventh grade.

“They both have class, and
so they won’t be able to make it. But they’re doing well and said
to be sure and say hi.” Luckily, the choir stood to start the
service. Mrs. Brown turned back to the front.

Dark images of Gavin lying
helplessly on the ground made my heart flutter. The emotional
suffering I experienced as I walked to the hill was
incomprehensively painful, yet I knew they were his feelings. To be
honest, I was relieved his physical body didn’t match his emotions;
if they did, he would have been beaten to a pulp.

A hymn started, and
on
the second verse I finally
found the
right page and stood with the congregation. Edna scowled; I focused
on the music. We sat down, the sermon started, and my mind wandered
back to green eyes.

On top of it all, I knew
Gavin had reacted to my thoughts, which was crazy. Still, if I
could feel his emotions, why couldn’t he hear my thoughts? Instinct
cried I was right, but I had a
hard time thinking that let
alone sa
ying it out loud.

As the congregation stood
for the doxology, I formulated how much Edna needed to know. Other
parishioners bustled and scooted out of the pews, and it took a
moment to realize everyone had practically left. Edna cleared her
throat, waiting by the end of the row. I warily stood.

“Thank you, Rose, for
coming all the way up the mountain to pick me up,” she
fumed.

I walked a few paces behind
the two older women. As if I didn’t feel bad enough. …

“You’re more than welcome,
Ed. I’m just glad nothing horrible happened to Nora.” Her concern
mixed with a healthy dose of curiosity. Rose and Mrs. Brown were
the best of friends.

Lunch was, at best,
awkward. As we sat in our little corner of the café, Edna blatantly
stared while I read the sweetener packet, still avoiding her
gaze.
An infant wailing by the door kept the silence from
becoming unbearable.

“Did something happen to
the Jeep?” she asked as our lunch came.

“No, something happened to
Hol.” I never kept things from Edna. She already knew about Holly’s
escapades into the dark realm of teenage stupidity, and so Hol’s
inebriated state wasn’t exactly shocking. But she did worry, just
as Kate and I had, about Holly’s decision to go it alone on such a
big campus. There was no reason to explain Hol’s situation wasn’t
why I was late.

“What is that girl
thinking? She could have been hurt … you said someone brought her
back to the dorm?” I squirmed, becoming very interested in my
sandwich.

“Yes … he was a gentleman.”
The silence stretched. I could feel Edna’s stare.

“I spoke with Joe this
morning, before church.”

“Oh?” I needlessly blew on
a spoonful of soup.

“He said you sold a special
hammer yesterday.” The spoon froze midair.

“Oh, yeah.” My eyebrows
rose in mock surprise. Edna wasn’t fooled. “I met a student from
the university when I took Hol and Kate to school. He came into the
hardware store the other day. Apparently, his brother needed some
stuff and they picked it up at Vernor’s as they were passing
through. I’m not sure how special the hammer was, but it was
fifteen bucks, so maybe it was top of the line.” I finished lamely.
Her look intensified.

“Did this young
man—”

“Hello, Edna. Do you think
you’ll have some extra preserves this year?” Luckily Mr. Brown,
literally Mrs. Brown’s better half, interrupted the interrogation.
He owned the local bakery, and they talked for a while about
canning peaches and strawberries while I finished my soup. It
turned out Mr. Brown wanted to sell Edna’s strawberry preserves in
his shop.

“That sounds like a lovely
idea, thank you for thinking of me, Bill.” The idea of making
preserves always brightened her day. I shoved in the last of the
peanut butter sandwich and quickly swallowed.

“Nice to see you, Edna …
Nora ... ”

“You too, Mr. Brown.” He
had no idea how nice it was to see him. “Ready to go?” I asked. Now
the subject had been changed, she struggled to find a way to change
it back. I wasn’t going to help.

As we wove our way through
the maze of round bistro tables, the high-pitched cry of colic
caused Edna to stop. Caroline, a young mother from church, held a
very fussy newborn.

“Can I try?” Edna asked as
she bent close. Caroline gratefully took her up on her offer. The
infant’s little legs, dressed in a blue onesy, were drawn to his
chest in pain.

“You should try warm sugar
water. It always helps when I have to take care of the nursery,”
Edna suggested. His face squinted as he let out another wail. I
gently held his hand between my thumb and first finger. Babies seem
so breakable.

“Hello.” I smiled at him
and crinkled my nose. His legs eased from his chest. I put my hand
over his belly and rubbed. He took a shaky breath and smiled. After
a moment or two, he drifted off to sleep.

“Wow, Nora. I might be
calling on you tonight. It looks like you have the touch.” Caroline
beamed as she took him and nestled him in his stroller. I smiled,
heading off to the parking lot while Edna talked for a moment
longer.

“I think I should recheck
that last gutter today,” I stated, as we got in the Jeep. “I’m not
sure I got everything. Oh, I also picked up a new hinge for the
back door.” Dodging potholes in the driveway brought a fresh round
of accomplishments for the afternoon. Today would be a very busy
one … I would take as many things off my list as possible and stay
out of her way until the inquisition stopped.

I made it through most of
the outdoor chores, and by the time I came back in the house, it
was dark. My body still hadn’t recovered from the morning, and the
physical labor added insult to injury. Edna’s smile let me know I
hadn’t fooled anyone. Fortunately, she didn’t bring up the subject
of Gavin again. I wouldn’t lie to her, but I needed to keep things
close to the vest for the moment. Exhausted, I went to bed right
after dinner; my eyes closed before my head hit the pillow. That
night I dreamt once more of green eyes and waterfalls. I awoke in
the morning looking forward to going back to sleep. The thought was
both thrilling and concerning at the same time.

The community college was
closed for the day, and I was glad I told Mr. Vernor I would work.
Edna was like a pit bull with a bone when it came to getting to the
bottom of issues, and I was glad to have an excuse to be out of the
house.

Clipping a few lilies from
their base, I took them downstairs. An old ceramic pitcher sat in
the middle of the kitchen table, which now served as a
vase.

The silver pail sloshed
with warm milk as I opened the back screen door. Avery was in her
stall, and the chickens were fed. I grinned, wondering what was up.
Edna bustled around the kitchen, making my favorite
breakfast—pancakes with both peanut butter and chocolate chips
sprinkled throughout. We hadn’t had these since
Christmas.

“Wow, Ed … thanks.” I
grinned.

“What’s on your agenda for
the day, Sunny?” She filled her mug, placed the coffee pot back on
the stove, and leaned against the counter.

“I have to work, but I’ll
be back before four. You’re getting your nails done,
right?”

“I didn’t know if you
remembered, but yes, Sally is expecting me … unless you have
something else to do.”