Feather: Book One

  “Shall we go outside then?” he asked, a crooked smile on his face. “I doubt there’s any rush to get you back for class. It’s likely no one will go.”

  I nodded with eager anticipation and his eyes filled with elation.

  “Well then get dressed,” he pointed toward my closet as he briskly walked for the door, “I’ll just be downstairs. I need to get a few things ready.”

  He exited then, his gate steady and swift.

  Isabelle playfully clicked her tongue at me and I walked away from the window and scratched her on the head as she fanned her feathers. I’d had Isabelle for hundreds of years and now, she felt much more significant to me than just a pet. She was kin.

  Feeling a surge of energy, I was quick to dive behind the screen where I opened my closet. I was still amazed by the vast collection before me. Sighing with delight, I shuffled through what seemed like bolts of silk and cotton. The daunting task was overwhelming and I actually broke a sweat. Finally, I was able to find some almost modern pants that resembled something like riding pants you would wear to ride horses, but it would have to do. Besides, I wasn’t about to wear a dress so I made a mental note to go back to the cabin later and collect my jeans.

  Pushing back a row of ball gowns, I found where I’d stashed my shoes. I riffled through cluttered piles of custom tailored dress heels and slippers before laying my eyes on a pair of shearling boots toward the back. They looked handmade and I couldn’t help but wonder where I had acquired something so artistic, beautiful, but at the same time functional.

  I stood back for a moment to regroup before delving back in. There was a large collection of shirts, each eerily perfect for me. I chose a cream colored wool thatched blouse and a thick twill vest that naturally showed off my figure. I walked to the mirror, admiring my collection of clothes, far richer than anything I’d ever worn.

  Looking to the vanity, I grabbed a brush from the top and patted it against my leg to remove the dust. I ran it through my hair a few times before placing it back in the exact spot I had taken it from and then roughly knotted my locks behind me.

  I took a deep breath and turned away from the mirror, walking with haste out the door as my boots treaded across the floor. Isabelle flew up behind me and landed on my shoulder just before I shut the doors. As I trotted down the stairs I couldn’t help but feel amazing, almost like the residual burning in my soul was leaving a smoldering verve that allowed me to feel a hint of excitement and joy.

  Edgar was standing at the base of the stairs, leaning against the railing, his body flexed and radiant. His eyes blazed a beautiful blue against his dark wool coat, like diamonds. He watched me in utter disbelief as I stepped onto the granite of the entry with Isabelle poised on my shoulder. His eyes were now smoldering with seduction and his body was shaking as though he’d seen a ghost.

  “I just can’t believe it. It’s so surreal seeing you like that.” He looked at my outfit with approval, “Beautiful,” he whispered as he moved in close, raising his hand to graze Isabelle on the head before turning his gaze to me.

  He tilted his head toward my ear and leaned into my neck. I shuddered as he brushed his cheek along mine, his lips grazing my chin before resting gently on my nose. I giggled, the soft touch tickling my senses and igniting my soul.

  His lips curled into a smile against my skin, his breath warm and inviting, “Are you ready?” he whispered as he stepped away, a mischievous smile snaking across his face.

  “What exactly should I be ready for?” I inquisitively looked at him sideways.

  There was a deep laugh growing in the back of his throat as a white coat materialized from behind his back. I gave him a skeptical glance as he draped the thick wool around me. The pure white fur on the hood brushed against my cheeks and I found it was softer than anything I could imagine. He dutifully pulled the hood over my bare head, making sure that I was properly bundled.

  “You know, fur like this might make some of the students down there a little angry.” I brushed my hand from one side of the hood to the other. The luxurious touch was like lacing your hands through the clouds.

  He laughed, “Well this coat was made when it was a matter of survival, not commodity, so they can deal.” He kissed me on the forehead before leading me through a door to the far left, just beside the grandfather clock.

  “Where are we going?” I asked with immense curiosity.

  He turned his head and looked over his shoulder, the glint of his eyes just visible, “To the garage.”

  I crumpled my brow. “There’s a garage?” I asked in disbelief.

  He chuckled, “Of course there’s a garage, what did you expect, a barn full of Clydesdales?” His sarcasm was thick.

  I looked at his back with a sour glare, my ego damaged, “Well everything else you have is so old fashioned, how was I supposed to know?”

  He glanced over his shoulder, “I will agree, there are some things that never should have been modernized, but there are other things, brilliant things, I couldn’t imagine we ever lived without. It’s all about finding a happy medium Elle.” He winked and then turned back forward as we continued down a long hall.

  He had a good point. Candlelight was certainly more attractive then halogen.

  “I built the garage in 1885 when Mr. Benz and I finally discovered how to apply a combustion system to a hunk of rolling metal.” He was talking as he faced forward and his voice echoed through the dark space before us.

  “Mr. Benz?” I gasped, my gate breaking to a slight run in order to keep up with him, “As in Mercedes-Benz?”

  We had finally arrived at another door and he opened it with a gruff pull, “Yes, but Mercedes came much later, in 1901 when he merged ideas with Wilhelm Maybach.”

  Candles again erupted on the walls as my gaze fell on a long narrow alleyway. My mouth hung open in disbelief. There before me was a very old car, something I didn’t recognize, but knew was important.

  “What…” I choked on disbelief in my throat. “You, or I mean, we have cars? But we live in the woods!”

  A surprised laugh filled the room, “Doesn’t matter. I take them out at night anyways.”

  “But there are no roads!” I gasped, walking toward the first car in a line of about fifty that stretched as far as I could see.

  He laughed at me again, “You really are forgetting aren’t you? You just have to visualize the roads Elle. Where’s your creativity? We’re magical. We can do a lot of things you wouldn’t think were possible.” He had a teasing grin painted on his marble face. “Just think about it, you’ll see what I mean soon enough.”

  “Gas?” I ventured.

  “Don’t need it,” he said simply.

  I looked at him and rolled my eyes in irritation. My fingers ran across the familiar three point star Mercedes-Benz logo I had learned to associate with the well-to-do upper class, but never me.

  Each car in the line looked successively newer as we strolled down the length of the long garage. I noticed he seemed to have a thing for black, finding every car appeared sleek and sharp as a result. Each panel of highly waxed aluminum glowed like gems in the candlelight, showcased in a way that seemed like bragging, though I doubt he had ever shared them with anyone, at least not many. I found myself amazed at how all this could possibly fit in the meadow, but then again, if I used my imagination as I was told, I could manage to make it feasible.

  Edgar watched me as we approached the end where I gasped, bringing my hand to my mouth. There, in all its rusty and worn down glory, sitting between a nineteen eighties El Camino and a first generation Hummer, was my green Datsun. It stood out amongst the pristine beauty of all his black cars and I cringed, suddenly embarrassed by my once proud buy. My eyes whipped toward him with my mouth sealed in doubt.

  His eyebrows rose with skepticism, “I must say, your addition to our collection is surely…” he fought to find the right words, something that wouldn’t bruise my ego. I had worked so hard to earn it, and to think, all that tortur
e for nothing. “It’s definitely colorful,” he mused.

  I stared at my car for a moment before ripping myself away, watching Edgar as he approached the last thing in the garage, exponentially smaller than all the other vehicles and covered by a thick canvas tarp. My eyes lied to me as my mind struggled to accept the somewhat familiar shape I’d seen in the windows of REI back home. Edgar looked at me with a playful eye, grabbing my hand before ripping off the cover. My eyes lit up and a vivacious smile crept across my face, my mouth exercising muscles I’d never used.

  I yelped in excitement as my soul burst with joy and pumped my veins full of sweet intoxicating adrenaline, “It’s a snowmobile!”

  SNOWDAY

  Edgar slowly released my hand and my joy faded to a gentle whisper of eagerness. He folded the canvas tarp and tossed it aside. The black snowmobile looked brand new and I assumed it was because he had upgraded to a model made for two passengers instead of one.

  “I’ve been dying to take this out.” The look on his face was purely male, an inherent craving for everything fast and gassed.

  “No horses then?” I teased.

  He laughed, “Oh we can do that too, but unfortunately, you’d have to go out and find some first and these days wild horses are hard to come by.”

  I could tell he was saying that just to appease my girly desire for a pony.

  He threw his leg over the saddle of the snowmobile and reached out for me with a gloved hand, “Don’t worry, its safe. I promise.” His eyes were a stormy blue and he winked at me as his beautiful smile made me weak.

  My gentle fingers touched his thick gloved hand and I was surprised that only a faint fire emerged in my soul. I glanced down at our grasp, confused.

  He chuckled again, “It’s the gloves Elle. Skin on skin is the most powerful connection for us, but this way, I will be able to handle your terrified iron grip around me as we fly through the woods, much like when I carried you from the meadow,” there was a dangerous yet playful glimmer in his eye and I gave him a warning glare.

  “You better not kill me Edgar Poe.” My voice lashed at him but he only smiled more, causing my blood to boil with fury. I didn’t know what it was like to be him, to feel the vindictive evil inside yourself, always held at bay, but he made it seem easier than he suggested, allowing me to trust him.

  I swung my leg over the seat and locked my arms around his chest, squeezing them together as hard as I could. His strong body felt amazing under my touch and I could feel every muscle as it tightened against my grip, like a machine of fury and power. This was more contact then we’d ever had and I reveled in the moment, taking a deep breath and then locking it away. I shuddered, my soul pulling me against him, becoming one.

  There was just enough fire in my heart to muster a smile as I closed my eyes, the door before us crumpling open with a sore shake. My eyes opened then, the fresh crisp daylight air pouring in over us.

  “Can’t someone see this? Or even hear this?” I asked, yelling over the winy rumble of the motor and the screaming of the garage door.

  He twisted his head back, “Nope. Not until the snowmobile hits the snow. Right now we’re still invisible to them, even the noise.” His voice boomed over the engine, echoing through my bones.

  I felt Edgar press down hard on the throttle and we jerked forward as we burst out onto the blanketed white meadow and the loud wining suddenly became muffled by the thick billowy snow that now churned through the belts. A few flakes fell like cotton from the sky, hitting my face with a cold sting as they melted onto my skin. Edgar drove with control across the untouched meadow and into the woods as the trees shook the snow from their branches. He expertly dodged trees and fallen trunks and I felt my grip relax as I allowed myself to sit up and view my surroundings.

  I became aware of what Edgar had meant as I noticed the trees and roots make way for us, as though creating a sort of path or road, the perfect size for us to pass. Because of this, the ride was very smooth, and I found it easy to enjoy myself and the magic of the day. My soul was flying and I took a few deep breaths as I absorbed the sensation, trying hard to remember every glimmer and pulse. To my right, my eyes caught a glimpse of two elk that loped playfully alongside us through the icy fog, just a few feet away. They darted through the trees with an expertise I wish I could possess, the forest floor like a trampoline.

  We drove for a ways up the gently sloping mountainside, passing scenic frozen rivers and icy cliff’s covered with sheets of glassy waterfalls. Wherever we were going, Edgar seemed to know the way.

  As we rounded onto a sort of plateau, he slowed to a halt and cut the engine in one seamless movement. He easily pried my iron grip from around him as he looked at me over his shoulder. My breathing was fast and silent, falling upon the snow in a muffled wave as though my ears had been capped with cotton, the sound of the snowmobile still reverberating in my mind. His brilliant eyes glimmered against the white backdrop as he worked to catch his excited breath, his gaze searching mine in silence, roaring with intense desire and love, death and fury.

  He stood from the snowmobile, grasping my hand and hoisting me off with ease as he lifted me into his arms. His breath flowed across my face, his eyes still watching mine. As he stared, the muted tones allowed for the blue hues of our existence to brilliantly shine. I could feel his chest rising against mine as he tilted his head down and pressed his frosty lips against my warm skin, causing me to shiver.

  He smiled against my lips as he released his strong grip, “Amazing isn’t it.” He watched as my gaze fell from him to the trees.

  We had stopped in a grove of maples that had been stripped of their summer leaves and were seemingly shivering under their cold dusting of snow.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” a sharp breath of amazement passed my lips.

  I noticed Edgar smirk as he grabbed my hand and we approached one of the trees, “Sure you have.” His eyes urged me to look at the trunk more closely.

  I struggled to focus on the shapes that had been burned into its skin, deep like a strike of lightning. I reached my hand up to the scar and traced the seared outlines of two ravens, both looking skyward and to the right. He then pulled me to a trunk a few paces away. Two other ravens were etched there, facing toward the sky and to the left.

  When I’d had a satisfied look, he pulled me back to the center of the two trees, still grasping onto my hand with an urgent grip. I looked up and saw that the trees mirrored each other like a couple as though each others perfect halves. Edgar gently released his grip on my hand, pulling his glove off and stuffing it in his pocket. His warm hand laced through my icy fingers as my soul was suddenly sweltering more than ever.

  “What can you see here?” he asked, a smirk still coiling his lips and his eyes calm.

  I gave him a confused look as the warmth inside me began to pulse through my veins, “What do you mean?”

  “Imagine anything you want. Imagine what you’d wish for these trees to be.” His eyes burned like sapphires, testing me.

  I thought hard for a moment, finding it easier than ever to clear my thoughts. I closed my eyes, imagining the trees twisting, shaping themselves into an embrace, and finding their happiness as one. I kept my eyes tightly sealed as I heard the sound of crackling branches, much like the sound of burning wood in a hearth.

  When I opened them, Edgar stance was proud and amazed at the trees before us. A few tufts of snow fluttered to the ground in their disturbance from the branches above and my breathing was now quick and sharp.

  “Just as always,” he breathed as he released his grip on my hand and dropped it to his side, giving it a shake as though our touch had hurt him.

  I looked at the trees in utter amazement and a painful smile tugged at my weak facial muscles. There before us, the trees had intertwined their branches, braiding into a large breathtaking arch. In the middle of the arch two branches cascaded down in the middle and leveled out into a swing.

  Edgar allowed a
soft snort to escape his lungs, “Something like this would take a botanist decades to manipulate.” he smiled at me as his eyes became dangerous and dark as he stepped away from me, retrieving his glove from his pocket.

  He pulled the leather over his strong hand and then grabbed my cold fingers again as his gaze calmed. Stepping forward, he pulled me toward the swing. I sat down with care as the trees yawned under my touch, bursting to life in an instant shroud of brilliant green leaves. I laughed as amazement and love filled my soul.

  Edgar took his seat next to me, “See Elle, I could never harm you. All the magic in my world would be gone, and all the beauty. My love for you is too great and so much more brilliant than anything else,” The look on his face was genuine and soft and his hand was warm as he cradled mine inside it.

  I still did not fully understand my own power, nor could I imagine what it was like to have it as my own. Edgar had kept things a secret, as though afraid to let me know the real truth, but at this point, I didn’t really care either, this was information enough. I looked above me, admiring the branches as they continued to twine themselves together, alive with life. I saw the power of our being, our existence, and how important it was for us to be together. We had a pre-determined love greater than anything in human existence, and I knew the strength of it would keep me alive forever.

  We swung for a while in silence, and my mind began to clear. Suddenly, I thought about Scott and Sarah, and I turned to Edgar as apprehension began swimming in my eyes, “What about class?” I asked as I found myself frantic.

  He laughed, “Like I said, with the snow, I doubt anyone is there, besides, I don’t think you’d really be learning a whole lot more right now, not more than this.” He motioned his hand to the trees. “There is no point for you to ever go back if you don’t want to. You already know it all but your mind is trying to keep it from you. That’s why learning comes so naturally.”

  “Yeah,” I paused, accepting what he was saying as a truthful statement. It was true I never needed to go back, or did I really want to other than to see Scott and Sarah. It was so amazing to finally have friends and I didn’t want to have to give that up. “But then what about your class?” I asked, remembering there was more to this than just me.