Before Time Runs Out

Chapter 11

Sitting in bed, tucked under the warm covers, Ethel opened the presents she had gotten from Carmelita. After Verna had broken her arm, Carmelita had made plans and started moving Ethel's belongings over to her home. It felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders after she had left that now wretched house, bringing her mother's spirit with her. It was odd, Ethel had wished for her mother to be cremated, and at the morgue they had taken her ring finger and cremated it for her, having it turned into a small stone for her. One of the men at the morgue had known Ethel since she was a child and have felt so bad for her that he took money out of his paycheck to get a stone and ring made for her.

Carmelita had gotten her some chocolate from Germany on the way back, a multitude of packages of different cheeses and aged meats, a large jar of sweet orange marmalade, a wide selection of bread, and a bouquet of gold dipped forever roses, which she had set carefully on the nightstand nearby.

Carmelita had been preparing Ethel boiled potatoes, rice with avocado, and smoked salmon. The first day she had eaten she threw up within fifteen minutes, her body instantly rejecting food. It had made her nose bleed, and she had laid back into the soft pillows of Carmelita's bed while Carmelita held a tissue to her nose. Carmelita decided to start slower, giving her a few pieces of food to try, it taking her an hour to eat three small pieces of boiled potato with salt. As the days went on, she began to eat increasingly, her body adjusting to the small amount of Carmelita's blood that was in her system. Even though it had been only a few milliliters, it had still messed up her body temperature for a short amount of time and had given her a sour stomach. Carmelita could eat regular food just fine though, which Ethel wished to question but did not.

It had been a month since Ethel had moved in with Carmelita, and she spent all of her time in the library. She searched every family notebook, diary, and journal that Carmelita had given her, looking for a highlighted word, a word written differently than the rest, a missing phrase that had been scratched out, anything, but there was nothing. Carmelita would sit next to her, Lancelot perched on her lap, her mindlessly stroking his head. He had been put on a diet and was still as fat as ever. Ethel had gotten frustrated and thrown one of the journals to the side, burying her face into her palms, her face flushed red in anger. Carmelita leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and sighing.

"Don't cry dear, I promise, I'll help you figure it out." Ethel sobbed into Carmelita's chest, leaning up against her. Another month had gone by, another month stuck in the same spot of the puzzle. Carmelita placed a gentle kiss on Ethel's temple, cupping her face in her cool hands. "My darling it's only April, we still have time, I'll find a way to help you." She wiped Ethel's tears away with her thumbs, holding her close.

"I just need something to work with, anything." Ethel's voice was a whisper, as she sniffled, and Carmelita gave her a handkerchief she waited for Ethel to calm down before she stood up walking over to the bookshelf. She pulled out a book and hesitantly took out a pen. She underlined something her movements becoming more strained before she had dropped the pen and the book on the floor, grasping her wrist and hand tightly to her chest. Ethel quickly rushed over, letting out a gasp when she saw what had happened. Carmelita's hand had turned a solid black, the ends of her fingers being nothing but bone, moving up to what looked like decaying skin.

"It won't take very long to heal but damn does it hurt." Ethel took the handkerchief from her dress pocket, quickly and carefully wrapping it around Carmelita's now destroyed hand and fingers.

Carmelita could not help but be fascinated at how gentle Ethel truly was when she was in pain or hurt. She was careful with where she touched her, her fingertips only lightly grazing her skin as she held the soft cloth of the handkerchief to her fingers and hand. Carmelita reached out and touched Ethel's cheek with her other hand, running her thumb across one of her cheekbones, before slowly trailing her hand down and cupping her chin. She had startled Ethel slightly from her concentration, and her cheeks flushed pink as Carmelita ran her thumb along Ethel's lower lip. Carmelita seemed to be studying her, and their eyes met once again and Carmelita gave her a quick smile, before pulling her close and planting a kiss on her forehead.