What? Where did that come from? This is the second time I will be saying that without knowing just by looking at Rick. What does that mean?
This incident confused Clair. The first time she thought about that name was the first time she saw him after she’s been out for straight four days. And now again. It always happened whenever she looked at him.
Why?
She didn’t know where the word came from, how she knew it, why she was thinking it. Hell, she didn’t even understand all that she was feeling. It felt as if she’s known him before, as if she’s known him her whole life. She just looks at him and she feels like there were memories they shared and like kissing him. And it’s not just because he was a good looking guy, no it wasn’t that. It was something deeper than that, something more intimate that she didn’t know about.
She decided to ask Rick about the word she kept hearing when he returns to the table. He spoke to the man for about five minutes more and then came back and took a seat. Most of the waiters left as soon as he took a seat, only three remained.
Rick helped her with a serving of rice salad and prawns and big tall glass of cranberry juice.
“Thank you.” She greeted softly as he handed her the food.
“Uhmm, Rick?”
“Can I ask you a question?” She asked somewhat timidly.
“Of course, anything.”
“Have you ever heard of the word “Aelfric”? It’s been…” She gave a small about and stood abruptly from her chair. The glass of juice that Rick has poured for himself had fallen to the concrete floor and shattered immediately on impact. Clair looked up from the havoc at Rick. He looked like he had see a ghost, as pale as death itself. He was giving her a very deadly stare and Clair could feel the chill climb up her spine.
“Mr Silver, are you okay?” She asked with a shivering voice, backing away slowly.
“Don’t take another step.” That stopped her, by now she was downright shaking.
“How did you know about that word?”
“Uhmm.. I don’t really know. It’s weird, you know. I can’t explain it. I swear, I’ve never heard the word anywhere my whole life. I don’t even know how I got to know ab…”
“Clair?” Rick called her name with that soothing voice that seemed to calm all her nerves. “Please come back to your seat. I’m sorry about the way I reacted. Please, come take a seat.”
Weighing her options, Clair knew she could either make a run for it, which would be a very stupid thing to do right now or she could just listen to him and go back to her seat. She decided to be calm and smart. When she was seated, Rick took her still shaking hands in his and apologized again.
“I really don’t know what came over. I’m sorry that I sacred you. But you still haven’t answered my question, how did you come about knowing the word? He asked, his eyes pinning hers, unflinching.
“The word just comes to my head sometimes when I look at you. My first thought of it was the first time i saw you after the incident. When you came into my room and explained what happened to me, as soon as our eyes connected, I heard it in my head but I didn’t know what to make of it, so I let it slide and now again while you were talking to the elderly waiter, I heard it again while I was looking at you. That’s why I decided to ask you? Do you know what it means?”
Rick didn’t want to lie to her but he also knew that she wasn’t strong enough yet to handle the truth about him. The truth of him being a young man on the surface, and a millennial old haggard inside. He couldn’t tell her that ‘Aelfric’ was his name… yet.
But how did she know about it? Why would her random thought while looking at me be a name I stopped using ages ago? Something is happening here and I must get to the root of it.
He grimaced at Clair. “Yes Clair, I know what it means but I cannot explain it to you now”
“And why is that?”
“You’re not really prepared to hear it yet. I’ll explain but later.”
Clair scoffed. What kind of stupid statement was that?.
“I’m not ready for that? How about you let me be the judge of that?” She was getting pissed.
“Please Clair, don’t push it. I’m only doing what’s best for all of us at the moment.”
“What’s best for everybody, somehow you always seem to know that, don’t you? Just decide what is best for every tom, dick and Harry. Hmm?” Clair had a fully flushed face by now.
Rick just kept silent. He looked at her with eyes that pleaded with her to let the matter die while he stroked the hand he was still holding. Clair looked at him and just like that, her anger faded and her breathing slowed. She wasn’t aware she was raising her hands until she found herself stroking his face and soft stubble with her right hand. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hands. Clair was sure that if she kept at it for a second more, she’ll be completely undone. She slowly removed her hand and faced her food.
They both ate in silence. After the main course, they ate their tart pie dessert and drank an exotic wine. When they finished eating, Rick escorted Clair back to her room. He told her he had a few business matters to attend to and left her to herself.
She let out a frustrating sigh as she threw herself in her bed. She decided to call Hailey then, to let out some of her pent up frustration. She got her phone from her purse and failed her sister number. It rang and no one picked, it went to voicemail. Clair felt like crying at that moment.
A minute later, her to phone rang. It was Hailey.
“Sorry boo, I was taking a shit.” Her sister said, breathing in huffs into the speaker.
“Eww, where are your manners? Some etiquettes Hay?”
“What?” Hailey asked sheepishly, laughing.
“Just tell me you weren’t with your phone, I think that will suffice. I don’t need to know if you went to take a shit.”
“But I went to take a shit!”
“Hailey!, You’re so tiring. Ughhh.” Clair groaned, this only made Hailey laugh harder.
“Silly, where did you keep your phone? I’ve been calling you?”
“Sorry sis. I wasn’t available.” She didn’t really know how to break down the event to her sister.
“What do you mean by unavailable? Oh, is that what we’re doing now? You’re too busy to pick your own sister’s call?” Her voice was climbing back.
“Hailey, calm down. It isn’t like that.” She took a deep breath.
“Clair? Are you ok?” Concern crept into Hailey’s voice.
“Yes, I’m fine now. But on the day I left for the airport, I was involved in an accident after I landed here in Alaska.”
“What?” Hailey screamed. “Tell me this is a prank Clair”
“I’m not joking Hailey, what’s the point of lying about being in danger?”
Hailey took a deep breath, “ok, tell me. What happened? And don’t even try to hide anything from me.”
“Yes ma’am. So, I left like I planned and landed in Alaska. I was escorted to a private airport where Mr. Silver was waiting for me. My escort picked me up in a very sexy lamborghini, damn Hailey, you needed to see that car. Daaamn!”
“Clair, I see what you’re doing. Don’t digress.” Hailey reprimanded.
“Uhgg, you’re no fun. Alright then.” She continued to narrate the rest of the event. “Shocked by the whole event and disorganized to my toes, I stumbled in my frenzy and got my head on the tarmac. I must have got it so hard because I woke up four days later and with a splitting headache. I’m even still wearing the bandage that I was treated with on my head as we speak. Finish. Any questions?”
Hailey was silent all through the narration and was still silent even after Clair told her what happened. “Hailey? Hailey? Can you hear me? Talk to me babe? Are you angry with me? Hailey!” Clair finally kept quiet and waited till whenever her sister wanted to say something.
“Angry with you? Angry?” Hailey spoke after what seemed like an eternity. Her voice barely above a whisper. Clair preferred her when she screamed.
“I told you Clair. I told you I didn’t want you to travel. I told you it didn’t sit well with me. And did you listen? No. Why would you right? Why would you listen to me? I didn’t even know what I was saying, huh?”
“Hailey, stop.” Clair pleaded.
“Don’t. Tell. Me. To. Stop. Clair. Don’t even try it.” There was silence for about five minutes before Hailey spoke again. “Are you still hurt?”
“No, I’m not. I’m very fine.”
“So, you’re recovering then?”
“I’m doing very well. I took some days off from work so that I can get the rest I need to recover.”
“Good. Well, I’ve got to go”
“Hailey…”
“I’m so pissed at you right now, I can’t even talk to you. So what I’m going to do is, I’ll end this call and take some time to calm myself. I’ll call you back when I don’t feel like killing you.
Before Clair could not respond to that. The call ended. “Today’s not for me.” She said with her face into her bed.
Since it was still early, she decided to stroll around and get familiarized with her environment.
I didn’t even get to tell Hailey about the botanical gardens. Hopefully when she is in higher spirit. I know she’ll love it here.
She walked to the door, opened it and stepped into the veranda and slowly made her way through the huge halls of Silver’s main house.
This guy needs to put signs up, like at the airport.
The architecture of the house was a modern corinthian one and it looked like a scene that would occur when a medieval palace merged with modern facilities. After a few minutes she was too tired to keep walking. Her vision was starting to blur and she knew that if she didn’t sit down that she was going to faint any moment. She looked around for a chair, and saw a panel on the wall. Intercom. She hit the big green button and said ” Hello? Mr. Silver? Rick”
“I like it when you call me Rick”, a deep voice responded from the metal grate..
She liked it when she called him Rick, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. ” Rick, can you come get me? I… I think I’m lost. And I feel a little bit faint”.
When had she started sounding like a weak frightenned little girl? It’s a big house Clair, not the fucking tower of London.
The metal grate spoke again, ” I’ll be right there”.
Moments later her handsome night in shiny armor host came around the corner. He was pushing a wheelchair.
“That’s not for me?” Clair was so embarrassed. How was she going to bully him into answering uncomfortable, revealing questions, when she could barely keep herself upright.
“It’s a bit of a walk back to your room and with the way you’re feeling, you have two options: either I carry you or I wheel you. Look, I’ve gone into shock before. Didn’t get my sea legs back for a few days. No shame in it. And since you’re in this state because someone’s out to get me, at least let me push you bsck to the house. We’ll never speak of it again. Promise.”
“Good enough for me”, Clair sighed as she sunk into the chair.
“I’ll take you up to your room now so that you can rest. If you need anything just press the intercom on the nightstand in your room and someone will attend to you, ok?”
“Ok.”
The journey back to her room was done in companionable silence. When they got there, Rick helped her off the chair and to her bed, even though she insisted that she could manage on her own.
“Rest well. I’ll send someone to bring a tea that will help you to rest well. We’ll start the interview process when you’ve fully recovered.” Clair nodded and he left the room.
Clair shut herself inside the beautiful suite tucked at the back of Rick Silver’s house. She sipped the tea he’d made her, propped up on the bed with pillows as if she were settling in to read a good book. She was just too unsettled to lie down and sleep. Soon though, even though she was propped up like a porcelain doll, Clair was clearly more tired than she was admitting because no sooner had she finished drinking the tea and hitting the pillow than she was asleep. She drifted a restless sleep and had a dream later that night. The dream she had was a dream realer than life, and stranger than fiction.
She was out in a field gathering the first wild blooms that pressed out through the cold earth, anticipating the warm summer sun to come. She dug them out by the roots with her tool, and lay them in her large basket. Cloud cover was moving in and dusk was approaching. As her feet cracked over dry branches in search of wisps of colour, she heard an odd sound off in the distance.
All at once the dust was sweeping up into billowing clouds around her. She heard screeching and rustling, like a giant bird was hovering over head. When she tilted her head to look up, pain seared into her shoulders, as what felt like giant claws penetrated her muscles, lifting her from the ground in bouncing, uneasy heaves.
Clair woke screaming. The pain was so real. Even as the room around her came back into view she felt the searing tear of her muscles. As the pain faded she began to shake.
“What is wrong with you?” She asked herself seriously. “First you faint and not weird flower picking nightmares…”
But even as perplexed as she was about her night and the dream she had, there was one name that kept ringing in her head.
Sil. Who was sil?