Trudy
The next couple of days, Bryan and I don’t leave each other’s sides. As we begin our Scotland tour, everything that happened in Ireland seems like it’s far in the past.
“When we get back home, why don’t we find a place of our own?”
I pull back and look up at him, surprised. “You want to move in together?”
He nods, “Why not? It seems like the next step for us. The penthouse apartment will be available soon in the building my parents own. There are going to sign it over to me. It could be our place.” Bryan runs his nose up the crook of my neck before he begins kissing me.
I breathlessly respond, “I don’t know Bryan. You enjoy having parties, and I always need to study.”
“I’m done throwing parties. If I want to, I can go to someone else’s.” He whispers in my ear, “Besides, cleaning up takes too long. I’d much rather spend a Saturday morning in bed with you.”
I giggle as Bryan nips at my neck. Pulling back to look at him, I touch his cheek, “Let me think about it. I have a lot going on, and I don’t want to be unfair to you. Plus, my parents would be upset if I moved in with a man without being married or at least engaged.”
Bryan shrugs, “Your parents love me. They will get over us living in sin.”
My parents didn’t hate Bryan, but he wasn’t their favorite. My dad calls Bryan a “trust fund boy that’s never worked a day in his life,” and my mother finds him ignorant. They are religious but not conservative. My brothers lived with their wives before getting married, but they had their careers established first. “It has more to do with me not getting distracted. They want me to finish school and start a career before I settle down with someone.”
Bryan nods as if he understands, “I would keep school a priority for you.”
I roll my eyes, “School isn’t even a priority to you. How can I expect you to make it a priority to me?” I ask in a joking tone.
He pulls back and looks upset. “I care about you. What’s important to you is important to me. I thought you knew that. It’s why I’m always giving you money. I know you want to prove yourself and live alone. That’s why when your short, I help you. I paid for your mom’s treatments because she is important to you. How could you think so little of me? It feels like I’m not as important to you as you are to me.”
“Bryan, I was teasing. I’m sorry if it hurt your feelings. I just meant-”
Before I can finish, he starts speaking, “You just meant that you think I’m an idiot. Maybe I see more to life than education. I see experiences like this trip or taking care of my family’s businesses to measure my success. But I guess when you come from nothing, education is the only way. Britany was right. You are uncultured.”
I don’t know what to say in response. Bryan’s words hurt, really hurt. I know some things he said were out of anger, but there were some he meant.
The bus pulls up to the grounds of Tantallon Castle. We get out, and the guide shows us around and tells us different facts about the grounds. Bryan ignores me and stays close to his friends. Britany and I stay close to each other. As we listen to the guide, Britany whispers, “I wonder if we will find anything.”
I look at her and shake my head, “Unless it is a family crest buried, I doubt you will find anything. No one has lived here since the 17th century. Almost 400 years ago. I’m sure everything is looted.”
She nods, “A girl can dream.”
We walk around until the guide finishes the tour. Then we have an hour to walk the grounds on our own. Britany looks near the castle, hoping to find something with a dragon. I look for Bryan and find him sitting in the grass next to some other girl on the trip. He looks up at me and turns his attention back to her.
A pain shot through my chest, and I know I should go on a walk. I find a path down to the beach and start walking. I stare out at the water when I hear voices approaching the cliff. It’s Bryan calling for me. I don’t want to talk yet, so I quickly begin walking.
There is a cave ahead, and I quickly dart inside. Deciding that I’d rather get lost in a cave than talk to Bryan, I begin walking deeper into the cave. I take out my phone and use it as a flashlight.
Walking, I find what appears to be a door. Feeling curious, I pull the handle. I accepted it to be locked, but it wasn’t. The room begins to brighten when I open the door.
Looking around, I find the lights appear to be a strip in the walls. I wonder how they did that. It almost seems that a line in the stone is glowing. It’s too high for me to reach, so I can’t tell the type of lighting used.
In the middle of the room, there is a statue of a man standing on a platform. It’s highly detailed. The stone used is dark, very dark. Almost black. If I had to guess, I’d say hematite.
Walking towards the statue, I look at the details. The man’s jaw is defined, his hair is curly and at chin length, and his muscles are in explicit detail. The man is completely naked, with his hands covering his genitals. I wonder who the model was. He was handsome, whoever he is. For some reason, I want to touch him. I’m not sure why, but I do. Resisting the urge, I continue walking through the room and find benches protruding from the wall. This place almost looks like a room where they would hold court, vote on laws, or stab Caesar.
Walking back towards the doors, I stumble and catch myself on the statue. I pull away quickly, feeling slightly embarrassed at touching a statue of a naked man, but then something registers as odd in my head. I place the back of my hand against the man’s arm and find he’s warm. The stone is not cold; it’s warmer than me. That’s bizarre. The same stone doesn’t appear anywhere else in the room. I don’t know much about geology, but I cannot think of a stone that stays warm without a heat source. I wonder how long the statue has sat here.
“Tru, I saw you come into this cave. Just come out, and we can talk.” I hear Bryan’s voice echoing off the walls of the cave. Letting out a sigh, I look around the room one last time. Britany should see this; she would think it was cool. She probably would understand a lot more than I do about this place. History is her thing, not mine. However, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m supposed to keep this place a secret. Something in me is saying this is something that should stay hidden.
Opening the door, I walk back out into the cave. Bryan is walking up as I am closing the door. “What were you doing?”
“I was exploring. Why do you care? Shouldn’t you be with whatever her name is?” I tell him in a casual voice. He doesn’t need to know that I was exploring to get away from him.
“Her name is Sarah. We were talking. Besides, you didn’t say for sure we are back together.”
“What?!” I ask in shock, “Are you serious? We’ve spent the last couple of nights together and were just discussing moving in together.”
Bryan shrugs, “A discussion that didn’t go in my favor.”
“Oh. If I disagree with whatever you say, I don’t want to be in a relationship with you. If I disagree with you, that gives you the right to hook up with some other girl?”
He shrugs again, “You never said we were back together.” His calm tone is starting to bother me.
“You’re right, Bryan. I didn’t say we were back together, but I did sleep with you. I told you that I would forget the breakup text. You still acted like a jerk either way.” I pause for a moment, “We’re through, Bryan. Go hang out with Sarah and get your things from my room.”
I try to walk past him, but he grabs my arm. Bryan pushes me against the wall, “Tru, I love you, and I’ve been patient with you. You’re a smart girl. Think about what breaking up with me will mean.” I look at him, confused. Bryan smiles and lightly touches my cheek, “Where would your life be without me? You can’t finish out this trip with a couple of hundred dollars in your account. We almost have two weeks left. You can’t survive eating out three meals a day, pay your bills, or even get a cab from the airport to your apartment. That card I gave you, I put a hold on it. You will be stuck here.”
“So, you plan to hold money over my head for me to stay with you?”
Bryan smiles, “I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep you.”
I try to pull away from him, but his grip is too strong, “I can ask Britany for help or take out a loan.”
“Britany is in debt to my family, and I can make sure you can’t get a loan. You remember my uncle owns the largest bank in Fort Collins and has many connections. Especially in Walden. Even if you got a loan, he could make sure it’s called before you can pay it. You could call your parents; your mom would willingly miss one of her treatments to bring you home.” He steps back from me with a smile. “Sarah and I are going out to lunch. Why don’t you take some time to think about things? I’m sure you’re just confused. Either you fully commit to me, and we move in together, or I find someone else and leave you stranded here.” With that, he lets go and walks out of the cave.
I sink to the ground. There were rumors about Bryan’s family having unethical practices, but I never thought about them. Now I’m not so sure. I feel small and dirty.
“Are you alright?” I jump up and find a naked man, almost identical to the statue, standing near me. He holds up his hand, “I mean you no harm. I think we can help each other.”
“What do you mean?”
“I overheard your conversation with that…dog.” I can hear the disdain in his voice. “I’m searching for something and need a female companion to help me. In return, I will pay you and protect you from his and his pack threats.”
“What do you mean by a companion?”
“I need your energy and the only way to get it is for me to lie with you. The boundaries are up to you. I also need someone that knows about this time to help me navigate and find something stolen from my family.”
“What do you mean energy?”
He gives me a curious look, “You don’t know about what any of this is, do you?”
“Of course, I know. It’s just a secret, you tell me what you know, and I will confirm or deny it.” I tell him in fake confidence.
He looks down at a gem glowing in his hand then back to me. “Come with me, and I will explain.” He sees my hesitation, “You can follow me or go back to the animal that just threatened you.” I nod and begin walking behind him.
As we walk further into the cave, I notice the glowing line in the stones appears. I wonder what is causing that. It’s different from the glowing crystal or gem in his hand. I can’t really tell what it is.
The man touches a stone, and the wall pulls apart, revealing a staircase.
My heart is racing. Something in me says to run. To go back and talk things out with Bryan or see about getting an early flight home. A voice screams in my head not to go up the stairs. That the moment I do, I’m entering a world I don’t understand. A world I might be better off never knowing exists.
TaranI feel a presence nearing me. I’m still in stone, but I can feel myself beginning to wake. The doors creak open, and I hear light footsteps in the room. I can't see, but I can hear and smell. The person who enters is a woman. She’s light on her feet and doesn’t seem to smell like fear, more of curiosity and wonder. Then I smell something else, a wolf. It isn’t her, but she’s close to one. Is she here as a spy? Maybe she knows it’s almost time for me to awaken and hopes to kill me.If that is her plan, she’s in for a surprise. I’m quick and can easily overpower one human before they even know it. My mother and the council turned me to stone to freeze me in time. Being stone should not affect me. I will be in the same shape I was before becoming stone.The woman trips and falls into me. I’m too heavy for her to knock over, but there was a moment I questioned if that is what she was trying to do. Then she
TrudyI find Taran attractive but a colossal jerk. His tone is always condescending. As a person, I don’t believe I like him. But something is telling me this isn’t the real him. When he first started talking, I thought all of this was a joke, but it would be a lot of effort to go this far. I realized at the stairs this was real. The basic world I knew isn’t real. There are doors that appear out of nowhere, walls you can walk through, crystals that work as lights, and a man that is outside nature's laws.Taran asks for my hands, and I reluctantly give them to him. He pushes them together, places the gem in my hands, then covers them with his. Closing my eyes, I begin to see things. I’m transported to another time.I see Tantallon castle in its prime. It’s full of music and laughter. People are dancing.“You cannot let go of my hand, but we can walk around the room, and I will explain everything.” Taran’s voi
TaranTru shows me what male clothes look like today. It’s surprising how much the world has changed in 500 years. I use the fae dust to cast a glamor spell allowing me to create clothes. I don’t like the look or feel of them, but they will do until I find something better.I turn to Tru. She’s dressed and waiting by the door. I grab some gold, my mother’s letter, and the lighting crystal. Tru seemed to be very interested in it, and I didn’t explain how they work yet.“Are you ready?” She nods, and I offer her my hand. We leave the temple. As we walk through the cave, I don’t let her hand go. I want to tell myself it’s that I don’t trust her. But it’s because I like touching her. Tru skin is soft and smooth. There is a tenderness in her touch that I’ve never experienced. I find myself wanting more.We make it back up to the castle grounds. Tru lets go of my hand when a girl with
TrudyWe are at the museum, and I explain things to Taran. He seems to be accepting everything well. I’m sure it’s overwhelming and confusing. He was understanding and patient with me earlier, and I hope I can give him the same sense of security.After the museum, we go to the library. On the way, we stop at a jewelry store. He sells four ounces and gets a little more than five thousand pounds. We leave and find a clothing store. He is currently wearing dark denim jeans and a black polo shirt. The shirt shows his build well. Taran looks pretty good, I must admit.After trying different looks, he finds a few things he likes. There are a couple of short-sleeve button-up shirts that fit him nicely and a few t-shirts. Though he didn’t like them, Taran got a few pairs of jeans and shorts. We find him some shoes and socks then start back towards the hotel.“Tomorrow I have a museum tour until noon, then the rest of the day is free. I hav
TaranI help Tru get her things. Everything goes into her bags, and we make our way up to my room. I got us a more luxurious space. It has a larger bed, and though there was a cottage available with three separate sleeping areas, I didn’t take it.I never cared for my companions sleeping next to me. Some wanted to, but others were fine to go back to their own beds. Jonat sometimes slept in my room, but it wasn’t often.I liked having my own space. I don’t feel the same way about Tru. I would like to believe that I want her close to keep an eye on her, but it isn’t. There is something about being near her that I like. Something about her appeals to me, and I can’t explain it.We get to the room and put our things away. Tru sits down a bag with, what she called, a laptop inside it. The wolf had his pack member destroy Tru’s room to punish her for talking to me. I haven’t touched Tru beyond warming her. Her scent is
TrudyI wake up to the sound of the door opening. Taran walks in carrying a bag. I turn on the light and realize his nose is bleeding, he has a split lip, and his right eye is swelling. Jumping out of bed, I ask, “What happened?”He shakes his head, “I’m fine.” He’s clearly not okay.I grab the water pitcher in our room and fill it with cold water. Grabbing a rag, I tell Taran, “Sit down on the couch.”He sits, and I dip the rag into the cold water. I begin cleaning Taran’s face. His nose doesn’t seem broken. I find that surprising, seeing how it looks like his nose took a direct hit since the bridge appears bruised.After I stop his nose from bleeding, I begin cleaning his lip. It appears the swelling is going down. I move to his eye next, using the cold cloth to reduce the swelling.“Are you hurt anywhere else?” I ask, dipping the rag into the water and putting it back
The following morning, I found myself in Taran’s arms. I’m not sure how I got here, but my head is on his chest, and one of my arms is around him. One of his hands rests on my waist and the other on my elbow. It is like he’s holding me to him. It makes me feel safe.I pull away without waking him and go to the shower. Taran took a lot out of me yesterday, and I feel it today. Bryan was rough with me a lot but never like that. I never thought I could handle the amount of force Taran used last night, but I did, and I liked it.This arrangement might work out better than I originally anticipated. I thought I would feel more like an escort, but I feel more like a lover. If Taran treated his other companions, there is no way they would turn against him. I’m sure there are things Taran isn’t telling me. Maybe I should voice my concerns to him.“Tru?” I hear Taran call me.“I’m in the shower.” He has no
TaranThey told Tru to pack her things. I know this is my fault. I need to find some way to keep her here. We will likely need to go back to her home, but there are a few things we need to do here first.I approach the woman that spoke to Tru. “Excuse me, but I wanted to ask to reconsider sending Tru home. She hasn’t done anything.”The woman gives me a stern look, “I’m not sure who you are or what the relationship between you and Miss Valcoas is, but the decision is final. Her scholarship got revoked, she’s caused damage to the hotel property, and she spent the night in a room not her own.”“Her room was broken into by another of your pupils. The hotel is not blaming Tru, and neither should you. She stayed in another room last night because she didn’t feel safe in her old one. Tru did nothing but end a relationship with a boy after he threatened her. Why should she be punished?”“Th