After a life of being bed-ridden and losing her voice, a modern girl is sent back through time & space with a second chance.
She will have discover her true abilities while she lives her life to its fullest.
She is given only one mission, 'Save Erik...
The spider had to be the biggest I'd ever seen, but it seemed almost docile despite the screams that echoed through the hallway when Chantal came upon it. Most spiders would have scurried away already or perhaps even jumped in attack but this one just staring with many beady eyes. It wasn't until a maid came with a broom near it that it started to make loud hissing sounds that sounded more like a snake than something of its type.
"Wait! Don't hurt it!"
It froze before scurrying back as I pushed the broom away then it seemed to watch my every move.
I bent my knee a little ways away, offering my hand to it. I'm not sure what made me think the animal would listen but I found whispering to it.
"Let's get you back outside, safe and sound."
It kept watching as I crept closer to my hand flat against the ground.
"I won't let them hurt you." It watched as my hand neared it crawled closer and then as if to test me I felt its fangs graze my palm and I held back my instinct to pull my hand back instead I stayed still but couldn't stop the slight tremor in my fingertips. "What sharp fangs you have." Then to my surprise it didn't bite me but crawled the rest of the way onto my hand. It was so large its legs stretched out past my wrist and up my small arm.
I took in a slow deep breath, "I'm going to lift you up, don't bite me."
It was when I was returning from taking the spider outside, into the dense brush at the corner of the garden, that I saw the Countess waiting for me. Her eyes wandered over my small form.
"You were quite brave, petite étoile." She picked up a damp towel she had set aside on the bistro garden set. "Come let's clean those hands. You'll be coming with me today."
As if I had extended my energies too much I fell asleep in the rocky carriage ride to the unknown destination.
When I woke it was to a beautiful voice in my ear.
"You were never here before, who are you?"
My three year old body rolled over, only to blink my eyes in surprise at the blank shiny white face staring at me. As my gaze focused I realized it was a full face mask on the child's face.
My head still felt fuzzy after my nap, but I gazed straight into the child's golden eyes, something tinkled like a bell in the back of my mind.
A description from an ancient book and a thought, 'It couldn't be that simple, right?'
The eyes narrowed, "Stop looking."
"Jolis..." Words still came hard to me, sometimes the new language that my brain had been learning still sounded off when I spoke it aloud. In the future where I had lived most had learned to speak a world-wide common language dictated by the Alliance years before I was born. The languages of the previous separated countries were only for historians to learn, French hadn't been one my parents had taught me as thoroughly. As archeologists that focused on the most ancient of languages, French had been far too recent for them.
A sigh escaped me as I tried again, "...jolis yeux."
I beamed when I was at last able to get the right words out.
The boy seemed frozen, his whole body rigid as his eyes stared unblinking.
I reached my hand out carefully, wondering how I could break the tension. A silly idea came into my mind as I reached out to him from where I lay on a settee.
"Hold me."
The boy woke from his stupor and stepped quickly away shaking his head, "Non."
A familiar shadow fell across the threshold of the salon, "I see you are awake, moi petite étoile." The Countess turned toward the boy, "Why don't you play the piano, Monsieur Carpentier? Our Estelle loves music."
The boy's head was bowed, "Madeline says I'm not allowed."
I watched as the Countess shook her head and looked to the staircase behind her in the hallway, "Your mother is resting, as long as its quiet there will be no harm. I will tell her, it was I who suggested it." The boy nodded and stiffly walked to the grand piano that sat in the corner of the room, despite being young his long frame was still able to just barely touch the pedals. His long fingers stretched across the keys and his head was bowed over the instrument as if he and it were the only thing in existence.
I sat up and watched as music was born from beneath his skilled fingertips, nothing like I had imagined could come from a boy so young. Of course, if he did come to be the main character in the old story then his genius was to be expected. The melody was soft but there was no gentleness within it, somehow it felt cold and lonely. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Countess wipe some tears with her handkerchief before leaving upstairs.
The music was alive with emotions that could be almost tasted. It was then I came to realize one of my enhancements, I could feel the emotions as if they were almost tangible. Sorrow, anger, loneliness, hopelessness. It was so strong I felt as if they'd choke me, my cheeks were wet with tears falling down my cheeks and as the song concluded I had to purse my lips strongly against each other to stop the whimper that threatened to escape.
I wanted to speak, I wanted to say something but I couldn't think of anything that would calm the feverish storm I saw beneath his golden eyes.
It would be years before I saw the boy with the golden eyes again.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Translations: petite étoile - little star jolis yeux - pretty eyes Non - No moi petite étoile - my little star
