Painted Blind Part 5

"We are the same age, essentially."

We were not even close to the same age. He had lived over a thousand years, and I couldn't do simple math in his company. He probably thought I was a complete imbecile. "Except for your long white beard and wrinkly skin."

"I'm in my youth," he said defensively. "Now I'm going to touch you." He took my hand, turned it over and drew my knuckles across his chin, which was perfectly smooth. "No beard." Then he moved my hand up his cheek. "And no wrinkles." He released my hand and moved away.

My hand felt warm from his touch. I struggled to find my voice. "Why do you live so long?"

"We're a superior race." He nudged me playfully with his foot. "And, there's a fruit in our world that keeps us from aging. Our mythology says it's the fruit from the tree of life, but who knows for certain?"

"From the Garden of Eden?" It seemed strange that he'd heard of the Garden of Eden. I guess I expected every world to have its own beliefs that didn't cross into one another, much like primitive cultures had all wors.h.i.+ped different G.o.ds before being conquered by powerful, G.o.d-wielding empires.

"The same."

"So, you believe in G.o.d?"

"Don't you?"

"Well, yeah." We went to church most of the time and celebrated Christmas. "Do your people die?"

"Eventually."

I considered the vast experience and knowledge that an old person in his society could hold. Nearly ten thousand years of history in a single mind, experienced firsthand. It was beyond comprehension. "What else is different about your world?"

"Children are uncommon. My mother has been married for ages, and I am her only child. Many couples never conceive. The only exception is... well, never mind."

"No, tell me. What's the exception?" I grabbed a handful of pretzels and popped one into my mouth.

"A man of my world and a woman of yours would produce a child."

"You mean, could."

"No, would. Guaranteed."

I paused with a half-chewed pretzel on my tongue. "I seriously hope that's not why you're here." All my defenses shot up. Would Dad hear me if I screamed?

"Absolutely not!" he exclaimed. "Seducing a mortal is illegal. I would lose everything." He sounded indignant.

"Really?" I asked, relaxing a little. "It's against the law?"

"Yes, and it carries grave consequences. In the past there were problems. Men of my world seduced mortal women using the veiling power and their ...charm." He chose the word carefully, like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it. "The council-that's the governing body-outlawed the practice and affixed severe penalties."

"Not that it would happen, but I'm curious. If getting involved with me would bring disaster, why are you here?"

He did not answer for a moment. "I should go. It is getting late." This simple evasion pacified me. He was safer for me than any man on earth. Maybe he didn't know why he was here. Maybe he was instinctively drawn to me, like I instinctively trusted him.

I hauled myself up and pulled on my shoes so I could step onto the back deck for some fresh air and conveniently leave the door open. It was time to wake up and face reality. My moments with him were brief and private. No one could know. They would think I was crazy.

Erik seemed to read my expression. "I'll be back to comfort you soon."

"At the next full moon?" I said sarcastically.

"The next full moon is only eight days away." He said it sadly, like he was dreading it. Then he brushed my face with his fingertips. "You didn't flinch."

I shrugged and looked at the carpet. "Maybe I'm getting used to you."

Outside he squeezed my hand and came very near. "Good night, lovely Soul," he whispered.

I was surprised he knew the true meaning of my name. "Most people think the psyche is the mind-Freud and all."

"I know better." He touched my cheek again and was gone.

Chapter 6.

Even though I hid at home, my story was all over the news. Every Billings network carried a story about me. They dug up my school mug shots and a handful of print ads I shot over the summer. It was Labor Day weekend, however, and the crews outside my house seemed reluctant to spend the holiday in their cars. By Sunday afternoon we saw them milling around talking to one another. Soon afterward they left.

Dad took advantage of their absence and cleared a mess of boxes and tools from the garage to make room for my car. Nothing could keep him away from work for more than a few days, and he didn't want them to know when I was home alone.

I enjoyed a single day of peace and quiet, unmolested by fame, before returning to school on Tuesday. I checked the front sidewalk three times to make sure I wasn't going to be ambushed. I opened the garage door and started the engine. An early frost had fallen overnight, and for one crisp morning I had no windows to sc.r.a.pe. I supposed this was why some people actually used their garages.

Before putting the car in reverse, I double-checked my backpack and realized I forgot my Calculus book. I dashed upstairs to retrieve it. When I slid back into the driver's seat, a patch of fog appeared on the winds.h.i.+eld like a spot from someone's breath. An invisible finger drew one curved side and then the other to form a heart.

"Erik," I whispered.

"Did you miss me?" he asked from the pa.s.senger seat.

The answer ran hot up my cheeks. "Not really."

"Liar." He brushed my cheek with his fingertip, which was cold from the winds.h.i.+eld.

I hesitated before pulling out of the driveway. "Are you coming with me to school?"

"Yes."

The day would be entirely wasted. How could I concentrate when he was near? Plus, he'd already wreaked havoc on my Chemistry cla.s.s. Who knew what kind of mischief he would concoct given an entire day? "Just don't get me in trouble."

The street was clear. Every car on the block belonged to one of my neighbors.

"How would I do that?" he asked innocently.

"How do you make them fall in love?"

He laughed. "Not love exactly."

"Why do they sneeze?"

"It's dust," he said lightly.

I snorted, visions of Peter Pan in my mind. "Fairy dust?"

"I'm not a fairy!" His resentment made me laugh aloud.

"C'mon, Tinkerbell, you don't have to be ashamed."

"Oh, I'm going to get you expelled today," he threatened.

I knew this threat was real. "Don't you dare!"

"I will just for spite." He leaned closer, and my skin grew hot. I blinked, trying to focus on the road. He pulled away with a chuckle.

"If you get me expelled, I'll have to move to Switzerland and return to my wayward career."

"Then I'll just get you kicked out for awhile. What do they call that?" Before I could reply, he answered his own question. "Suspended."

As we approached the school parking lot, Erik exclaimed, "Turn around!"

The sidewalks around the school were packed with people. Some carried picket signs that said, "We love you, Venus!" Along a side street were seven news vans, all clearly marked and surrounded by groups of people. They were interviewing students, taking shots of the high school and waiting for their story. Savannah stood in front of one camera with a microphone held to her lips. I should have known.

I braked and surveyed the scene. It was crazy. How could they all be here to see me? On the sidewalk someone shouted and pointed at my car. A group of guys jumped off the sidewalk oblivious to traffic. I swerved into the left lane and stomped on the gas. In the rearview mirror, I saw a van pull out and follow. It was gaining fast.

"What should I do?" They all knew where I lived, and Dad wasn't home. There aren't a lot of places to hide in a small town.

"Go south into the mountains," Erik said. "The portal is there. I'll get you out of here."

I turned toward the freeway, which would circle me back to downtown. I ran the light at the on-ramp and zipped in front of an eighteen-wheeler. Its horn roared at my taillights. Cursing the stick s.h.i.+ft in the Subaru, I revved the engine high in fourth and hit ninety s.h.i.+fting into overdrive.

"If we were on my bike, they wouldn't have a chance of catching us."

"And we wouldn't have four-wheel drive." I took the first access into the mountains. Three vans crowded my rearview mirror. I dug through my purse while trying to keep one eye on the road. My phone had settled at the very bottom. When I tossed it into the pa.s.senger seat, it disappeared into Erik's hands. "Call my dad."

"Why?"

"If we dump my car in the woods, those reporters are going to find it. They'll tell the whole world I'm missing."

"I can hide the car. They won't find it."

"He still needs to know where I am. We'll run out of service as soon as we hit the forest."

The phone lifted into the air, and the phonebook came onto the screen, the curser scrolling down. Using the speed dial, Erik sent the call and handed me the phone.

"Psyche?" Dad answered.

I replied in a rush, "The school was crawling with reporters this morning. I have three vans tailing me. I'm headed into the mountains. Erik's family has a place up there, where I can hide for awhile."

"Erik?" He sounded incredulous. He said something more, but the service cut out.

"I'll call you later." The call was gone before I finished.

"Pull over."

"They're less than a quarter of a mile behind us."

"I know where I'm going. Let me drive."

"You're invisible!" That's all I needed-the news showing footage of my car magically driving itself.

"This isn't the interstate. Get out of the driver's seat!" Erik demanded.

"Fine, take the wheel." Without braking, I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed into the back. The car slowed briefly, then downs.h.i.+fted, revved high and sped forward throwing gravel. He could drive a stick. I guess he wasn't lying when he said he could function in my world as well as I could.

We took another road that wound up the mountain for three miles. It was a rutty, dirt path that would only allow one car at a time. Most likely the vans didn't see where we turned off, but if they found this road, we were boxed in. I watched out the back window, but I couldn't see anything beyond the dust in our wake. Erik turned through a clearing, where the dirt was worn in a single tire tread.

The trail ended at an outcropping of rock cliffs overlooking a hundred-foot gulley. On the other side was a steep face of forbidding rock that climbed straight up. "We're trapped," I said.

"Out you go," was his reply and the door opened. "Climb up on that rock."

It was too close to the edge. I balked. "I'm afraid of heights."

"This is going to be difficult." He took hold of my hand. "I promise you won't get hurt."

I climbed onto the rock, unable to look down and irrationally terrified I would fall to my death.

"Now follow me." He pulled hard toward the drop-off.

"NO!" Momentum flung me forward. My foot hit the air beyond the rock and stopped. "How is this possible?"

"There's a bridge here. It's veiled. It leads to that cave on the other side. The portal is in there."

"Once we go through the portal, where do we go?"

"You will go to my home."

I walked two steps and looked down to see nothing beyond my feet except far-away rocks and tree tops. My stomach twirled. "I can't do it."

"Close your eyes and hold onto the railing." He put my other hand onto the invisible, metal railing. With it and Erik's hand, I crossed the bridge and descended into the darkness of the cave. "Well, you're here. Just walk straight ahead through the wall."

"The stone wall?"

"The portal is open." He sounded irritated. "I can see the woods on the other side."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"It's morning, and I can't veil myself in my world."