Graymere

Dressed in our elaborate yet uncomfortable Victorian dresses, Fire and I each gripped the elbow of the well-dressed man between us as we walked through Berkshire. I had not seen him before this morning when I was told he would be escorting Fire and me on our journey to Mortimer. I couldn’t be sure what his job was exactly, but it seemed like he worked for the Graymere children. Maybe he cleaned things or ran errands; or perhaps his job was simply to stand there and look pretty. My head was still pounding with every step I took and I was glad once we made it to the carriage that would take us to London.

The handsome man offered me a sly smile as he helped me into the carriage. Then Fire. Then he bowed, closed the door, and climbed up to drive the horses.

Once we got closer, I would be asked to guide them to the shop where I met Luka. What then?

Would there be guards with guns waiting to kick them out? Possibly. Would Fire and pretty boy fight back? Definitely. The only thing for sure was that I would be in huge trouble for bringing them. But I didn’t see many other options.

“Charming fellow,” I noted. Fire just shrugged, clearly unimpressed. “Is he always so quiet?”

“Mere’s never been much for talking,” she stared out the window as if refusing to look at me. “But as for quiet,” she glared back at me with intimidating eyes and started to do her scary smile, “that’s a whole other story.” Mere. So this was the human form of the creature that attacked me, that Fire ordered to attack me.

“Lots of fond memories then?” I asked with a bitter tone. Memories. Exactly what I didn’t have. And probably never would get back because of all the trouble I would be in.

Her smile faded a bit. “Memories aren’t always a good thing.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Even bad memories are there to teach us. Imagine having no memories, never even knowing who your parents were.”

“Oh yeah? Do you want to hear the last fond memory I have of my dear mother?” She spat the words out, challenging me.

I couldn’t back down now. I nodded. She gave me the same scary smile, but with kinder eyes warning me for what was to come.

“My father had died a few days ago, so the house was already a funeral home. I remember my mother kept rubbing this bracelet on her wrist.” Fire’s eyes flickered to my wristband which I had subconsciously covered up with my other hand.

Sapphire closed her eyes and continued.

“I am standing in the dining room and my mother is crying because her bracelet is blinking with a red light. She yells at me to stay back, but I rush to her anyway. I want to hug her and tell her that everything will be okay, the way she has always done for me. She catches me in her arms, but she doesn’t hug me. Instead, with some unnatural strength, she throws me away from her. When I land, the sharp corner of a table slices into my arm and I scream out in pain.”

Fire opens her eyes and pulls at her dress so I can see a scar.

“Enough,” I begged, but she didn’t stop. Her talking only became faster. Her eyes were wide open now, but she wasn’t looking at me. Instead she was looking past me, as if she could see her mother dying right here in this carriage.

“I am so absorbed in my own pain that I hardly notice that the blinking has gotten faster. I can just barely hear my mother’s voice over my own screams.”

“Please.” Now there were tears in my own eyes.

“’My dear child,’ she says in a voice so calm that it frightens me. ‘I am so sorry.’ I blink the tears out of my eyes and I see her glowing. The flames cover her body and I can only watch in mystified horror. I hear her screaming in pain, but the noise continues long after she is gone. Even after I wake up, I still hear it, never sure if it is my own screams or hers.”

I feel like I should say something to her, but I am unable to speak, as if my voice died with her mother. Incident. Horrible thing, but never before had it been so real.

“So yes,” she said, not even bothering to give me a scary smile. Strange to think that I missed it. “I believe that sometimes it is better not to remember.” Her voice was hollow, and her gaze still fixed on the invisible ghost of her mother behind me. We rode on in silence.