Where All Souls Meet (15 page)

Yuri silently studied the pills, swore again, and then hastily picked up two sets of each of the pills he had dropped before opening his mom's arthritic medication. She'll know what to take. After turning, he opened the door to the bathroom and sprinted outside and into the hallway. His mom stood at the bottom of the stairs with a glass of water in hand talking to the man who had tried to speak with him only moments earlier. The man held his mom's steaming, cheesy potatoes by the pot's safety handles. His dad's face filled his vision and his anger bubbled to the surface like the cheese on the funeral potatoes.

He jumped down the steps two at a time, the pills clenched in his fist. When he reached his mom, he extended his hand to her with the pills.

"Mom, I—

"Thanks, Yuri," she replied, taking the pills from him and then popping all of them in her mouth without looking. She took a swig of water and swallowed.

"Mom…" Oh, no, I am in so much trouble.

He paused for a moment, jaw tense. His mom frowned and stared at him.

"What's the matter?" his mom asked. "You look pale."

"Mom, I…"

He took a deep breath.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Forget about it."

Eden was pulled from the dream and blinked. Satan hovered over her, glaring down at her with his many heads.

"Yuri…"

"He was so easy," Satan said. "She shouldn't have mixed those pills."

Eden frowned.

"Funny how one little incident can permanently affect your brain's ability to produce chemicals," Satan said.

"You…" Eden stared at him.

"I was there, but Yuri gave her the wrong pills." Satan sneered at her. "How much do you love your friends now? I can feel the light fading from you already."

"It was an accident," Eden said.

"Was lying?"

She was silent.

"He belongs more to me than he does to you," Satan said.

Then Satan pushed more into her soul, causing her to scream and cry out again. She didn't want to go back, but she knew she had to.

Edward stood in the cold of the night with his hands in his pockets. There was a thick haze in the air as he gazed downward at his boots. His mouth was in a tight frown. Someone to his right said his name and he glanced up and kept on walking.

Almost there. I'm almost there.

He headed down the muddy street and entered a small tavern. Once he was inside, he was almost knocked over by the loud singing and drunken laughter. Several men sat in chairs and talked to one another. Most of the men were rough looking and older. The smell of stale beer filled the bar. At the edge of the bar, a man with a mustache and a frown waved at him. Edward wound his way around a table and headed toward him.

"Michael," Edward said when he reached him. The man stood up and hugged him tight. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," Michael said. "Please, sit down."

After sitting down on a bar stool, Edward nervously cast a look over his shoulder and then began to dig around in his pockets to get a grip on his money to make sure it was safe. He exhaled a shaky sigh and then gazed at his friend again. Michael was bearded and plump with a large, overhanging belly and fat fingers. He had grey eyes and a missing tooth in the right side of his mouth. The two of them had been close ever since they'd been in the army together. Michael was trustworthy but haggard on the outside, the type of man who made strangers wince but was actually gentle. "Do you come here a lot?" Edward asked. "This is the bad part of town. I don't feel comfortable here…"

"Yes," Michael said. He leaned forward and dropped his voice. "I brought you here because… because… I need your help with something."

"What?" Edward frowned at him. "What did you do, Michael?"

"Well, my wages. I got mugged…" Michael stared at his shaky hands. "I heard you got a good job going for you as a servant at the rich manor on the hill, and I wondered if you could help me. I promise I will pay you back for every penny."

For a second, Edward struggled to say anything. A flashback of war scenes filled his head. "How can you ask me to help you? You know how I feel about money."

"I know it," Michael said. "Please. Just a little. It's all I ask. We've been through everything together. I saved your life, Edward. I saved your life."

I can't give him anything. I have to save for myself. Who knows when the market will crash again? I can't risk it.
He stood up, shaking his head, and moved to turn away. There was the sound of tinkling glass as Michael threw himself at him, wrapped his arms around his waist, and held Edward still. Edward's heart thundered in his chest and he found himself frozen.

"You've been my best friend for five years," Michael said. "Please. Help me. Just a little is all I need. I promise."

"I can't," Edward said.

"But I have a wife and daughter," Michael said. "They don't deserve this. I… I'll pay you back. Every last penny."

Though he knew he should have given Michael what he asked for, some part of him couldn't stomach the idea of letting go of his money. Not because he was going to use it for anything, but because he needed to have his savings in order to feel safe at night. He couldn't imagine going to sleep with the idea of having nothing looming over his head. He needed the money. Needed it.

"Let go of me, Michael," Edward said sadly. "I can't give you what you want."

Michael released him. Edward pushed his way past the people again and into the night.

Eden returned to herself. Satan continued to hold her in place with his hand. Her insides seethed as she let out a low groan. Edward had appeared to be the type of man who would give anything to others. "He had me on his shoulder for the rest of his life," Satan said. "Such blissful stinginess. Wouldn't give away a penny to save a starving soul."

"Stop it," Eden said. "He lived through a time when people starved to death. There was a reason why he didn't give him the money."

"Most lived through the time," Satan said. "Not everyone held on to their money as if it was all they had."

Eden was silent, unsure of what to say.

"It appears you are running out of words to defend your friends," Satan said. "Good. This is what I wished for. And the best is last."

"What?" Eden said.

"Your mother," Satan said. "She may have loved her best friend, but she always loathed you."

Before Eden could open her mouth to plead, Satan shifted his hand, forcing her to throw her head back and gasp. She cried out in horror.

Rebecca sat inside their New York apartment with her legs stretched out in front of her, staring at the television screen. She was watching a fashion show on the TV, thin runway models striding forward in tiny, vibrant clothes. She let out a sigh and glanced at the door with tight lips.

There was the sound of a key hitting the door and then the lock turned. A twelve-year-old Eden stepped through. She was tall and gangly. A backpack was swung over her shoulder, concealed by a drape formed by her waist-length hair. As Rebecca stared at her, unexplainable anger filled her stomach and she had trouble fighting it down.

"Hi, Mom," Eden said, drawing to a stop.

She just stared at her daughter.

"Mom, are you okay?" Eden ran a hand through her long hair and frowned at her.

Rebecca knew Eden was beautiful, but her daughter didn't bother to highlight it. Eden hid behind baggy jackets and torn denim, and she never wore makeup unless she forced her. Even now she wore a baggy T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a tattered jacket despite all of the clothes Rebecca had bought for her. As Eden stared her, she tried to find the parts of herself in Eden she had given up her career for.
She's just like her father, except not as smart
, she thought.

"Mom?" Eden ran her fingers through her hair. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Rebecca felt as if her tongue had swelled and the ability to speak left her. The distant sound of high-pitched fashion music on the television reminded her of what she could have been had she not kept Eden. Maybe she could have re-entered the fashion world after Lizzy had died. Maybe she could have done so many things.

"I made you something in art class," Eden said. "Do you want to see it? It's a water color painting. The teacher said it was pretty good."

Rebecca felt white hot anger fill her stomach again when Eden bent down to open her book bag and she stood up abruptly.

"Not right now, Eden," Rebecca said. "I just… I just need a breath of fresh air."

"Mom?" Hurt filled Eden's eyes.

"I'll be back," Rebecca said.

"How long will you be gone?" Eden wrung her hands. "Dad is on a business trip, and I don't want to be alone."

"You're twelve years old," Rebecca snapped. "You should be begging for me to leave you alone. Go find something to do, will you?"

"Okay, Mom," Eden said, gazing at her with confused eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

Rebecca wasn't sure what the answer to her question was. She shook her head, spun around, and then grabbed her purse from the counter. After swinging the bag over her shoulder, she opened the door to the apartment and walked outside. As she marched down the hallway, she hastened her steps, her breathing getting more and more ragged.

Rebecca held her breath until she was on the crowded, smoggy, streets of New York. When she saw the flash of a yellow taxi cab, she found herself raising her hand to it before she even thought about where she wanted to go.

The taxi driver saw her, pulled to the side of the road, and she got in and sat there, staring straight ahead. The driver, an aged, plump man with bad acne scars, turned around and studied her expectantly. She gazed back at him, a frown on her face.

"Where to?" he asked.

What a question. She didn't even know why she was in the cab. She just wanted to get away from the daughter who had ruined her life. She didn't care where she went, as long as she went somewhere. Anywhere.

"The airport," she finally said.

"Okay," the cab driver said.

As she stared out the window, she felt her heart pound in excitement. Without her daughter and Osier tying her down, she could be or do anything. There wouldn't be any worry about who would be home when Eden came back from school. She would be free. Yes, she was too old for modeling and her figure would never be what it used to, but she could be free. Free. What a beautiful word.

After ten minutes had gone by, her phone began to ring. She checked the phone number and saw it was the home phone, which meant Eden was the one calling her. Feeling guilty, she put her phone in her pocket and ignored the sound. The excitement of leaving outweighed the guilt. After two more ringing cycles, the phone stopped.

The cab driver reached the airport; Rebecca struggled out of the passenger side door and onto the sidewalk. With only her purse in hand and her heart pounding in her ears, she felt so excited she could hardly breathe. Finally, adventure. The adventure Osier and her daughter had stolen from her. Planes flew overhead, whistling. Now the planes were birds taking people wherever they wanted to be.

Rebecca stepped forward and sauntered up the stairs as her phone rang again. She checked it, assuming it was Eden. Instead it was Osier's number. She frowned, wondering whether she should answer it and at least let Osier know she was leaving. Probably. Eden was only twelve, after all, and judging by her bad grades and the fact that all the doctors said she was underweight, the girl would likely forget to feed herself.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Rebecca put her phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Osier snapped. "I am in the middle of an important meeting, and Eden called me in hysterics. She said she wasn't sure where you were going and she was worried about you. Get back to her right now."

"I'm not going back," Rebecca said. "Eden can handle herself. She's twelve now. I've given up enough of my life."

"She's your daughter," Osier said. "You're going to leave her? I hate the ground you walk on, but do you know why I want you to stick around? Because, for some reason unknown to me, she loves you. I don't even know how you could think of leaving her."

"So you would prefer to have me take her, would you?" Rebecca said.

Silence filled the phone.

"I thought not," Rebecca said. "Admit it. The only thing worse than me leaving is if I left with her. It would kill you."

"Yes, because unlike you, I actually care about her," Osier said angrily. Rebecca winced and held the phone away from her ear.

"Don't pretend to be such a saint," Rebecca said. "You go on more business trips than I can count in order to get away. I'm surprised she still knows your face."

"From you," Osier said. "Not from her."

"Well, now you won't have to anymore," Rebecca said. "I'm leaving. I'm in the airport right now. I am going to board a flight and go far away."

Rebecca beamed proudly at her shoes. Finally, she was doing what she always imagined she would. Osier grunted into the phone, making her happiness slip away and replacing it with nervousness.

"So you're leaving, are you?" Osier asked. "Who's going to pay for your airline ticket?"