Dawn (24 page)

“Oh poor little thing,” Mrs. Harker said.
  “I’m sure tending to sick people all day takes it out of her.  I don’t know why her parents force her to do such hard work.”

“I’ll be back first thing in the morning,” Gabriel promised them, quickly making his departure out of the house.

The scuffling of feet on hardwood warned me the Harkers were making their way towards Sarah’s bedroom.  I didn’t understand why the Harkers would think I was their daughter.  Physically, Sarah and I were complete opposites.  While she had straight brown hair, my head was adorned with perfectly shaped blonde ringlets.  That difference in itself was sure to give me away, but I did what Gabriel instructed and pretended to be asleep.

“She looks so peaceful,” I heard Mr. Harker say.

“That’s odd,” Mrs. Harker came to stand closer to the bed and laid a hand across my brow.  “Her fever’s gone and I don’t hear the rattling in her chest anymore.  Do you think that means something?” 

“I don’t know,” Mr. Harker replied.
  “But don’t get your hopes up, love.  I haven’t heard of anyone surviving this sickness.”

Mrs. Harker sighed.
  “Don’t take away my dream, Liam.  It’s the only thing that has been keeping me going lately.”

“I’m sorry, love.”

I could hear Mr. Harker move closer to his wife.  There was a slight rustle of clothing.  I assumed he had probably taken her into his arms for comfort.

“Well, you spend some time with her,” Mrs. Harker said, pulling away from her husband.
  “I still have clothes to iron for my deliveries in the morning.”

“All right, love.
  I think I’ll try to finish the book I’ve been reading to her.”

“I’m sure she likes hearing your voice, even when she’s asleep.”

Mrs. Harker kissed her husband and walked out of the room.

I heard Mr. Harker drag the wooden chair I had sat in earlier closer to the bed.
  He picked up a book sitting on the nightstand and found his place within its pages.

I laid there with my eyes closed.
  The soft timbre and cadence of Mr. Harker’s voice lulled my tired mind and body.  I was completely asleep within a few short minutes.

“Sarah.”

I heard the name but didn’t recognize it as my own.  When I opened my eyes, I saw Gabriel sitting beside me on the bed.

“How are you feeling this morning, Sarah?”
  He asked me, emphasizing the name as if to remind me of the ruse we were playing.

“Sarah?” I asked, trying to drag my mind out of an exhausted dream filled slumber.

“Is the sickness affecting her mind now?”  I heard Mrs. Harker ask anxiously from somewhere in the room.

“I’m sure she’s still just trying to wake up,” Gabriel answered soothingly.
  “Why don’t you bring her some milk, Mrs. Harker?  The medicine I brought for her today dissolves better in it.”

“We don’t have any in the house,” Mrs. Harker answered worriedly.
  “I’ll go over to the Bishops’ and see if they have any to spare.”

“Take your time,” Gabriel encouraged.

After we heard the distinct click of the front door closing, Gabriel helped me sit up in the bed.  I was wiping the crust of sleep from the corners of my eyes as he started to explain how my life was forever changed.

“You are now Sarah Harker,” he told me.
 

“But Sarah Harker’s dead,” I reminded him.

I may have only been seven years old, but even I knew dead was dead, or so I naively thought at the time.

Gabriel reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a small round mirror.
  He hesitated for a moment, almost as if he were reluctant to show me the truth of what I was.  When he finally did hold the mirror in front of my face, I thought I had gone mad.  Staring back at me was the face of Sarah Harker.  Her broad forehead, high cheekbones, slim nose and chocolate brown eyes were now mine.  She wasn’t beautiful in the classical sense of the word but she did have a certain impish quality about her.

“I don’t understand.”

I raised a hesitant hand to my new face to make sure it was real and not an illusion before running my fingers through the long brown hair to confirm the strands were not that of a wig.

“You’re a shifter, April, just like me.”

I looked at Gabriel with what had to be a completely blank expression.

“What’s a shifter?”

“You have the ability to change your appearance into that of other people, but only if they die while you’re touching them.  That’s why I had you hold onto Sarah’s hand last night.  I knew she was about to die.”

“But why?
  Why would you want me to become her?”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”
  He asked.

It was the first time I ever saw Gabriel look uncertain, almost frightened.

“I thought you would rather live here as Sarah than return to the mercy of that woman who tries to pass herself off as your mother.”

It was only then I understood the full impact of my new situation.
  I would never have to go back to the savage hands of Mrs. Pew.  The Harkers were my parents now.  I could stay here with Sarah’s parents and finally be granted my heart’s desire, a loving family of my own.

“But how did it happen, Gabriel?
  How was I able to change myself to look like her?”

Gabriel shrugged helplessly.
  “I’m not sure how or why we have the ability to do it.  It’s just something we’re born with.  I don’t know if the transformation is triggered by their life force leaving their body when they die or something else.  All I know is that you will be happier here than any place else I could have found for you.”

“How did you know I was a shifter?
  Have you always known?”

Gabriel nodded with an almost guilty expression on his face.
  “I was told where to find you and asked to watch over you.”

“By whom?”

“He doesn’t want to be known to you just yet,” Gabriel said, cupping the side of my new face with one of his hands.  “I’m so sorry, April.  I wish I could have gotten you out of the Pew’s home sooner, but the opportunity never presented itself.  When Sarah became ill, and I saw what good people the Harkers were, I knew this was where you were meant to be.”

“Won’t they know I’m not Sarah?
  Isn’t it wrong not to tell them their daughter is dead?”

“I don’t see any harm in letting them believe you are their daughter.
  The truth would only cause them pain and confusion.  You should never tell them what took place last night.”

“What if they expect me to remember things only Sarah knows?
  What should I do?”

“Let me take care of that.
  I’ll just tell them you may have some memory loss due to the fever.  They won’t think to question my explanation.  Plus, you
will
start to remember things only Sarah knew.  I’m not sure how but the people we become pass along some of their memories to us.”

“What about the Pews?
  Won’t they be looking for me?”

“They already are.”
  Gabriel’s hands fidgeted slightly.  “I told them I brought you home late last night and took you straight to bed.  The maid found your bed slept in but the window was open.  Right now, they think someone broke into your room while you were sleeping and kidnapped you.”

“What’s going to happen?”

“Eventually they’ll have to give up looking for you.  It may take some time, but it’s not something you need to worry about.”  Gabriel took hold of my hand, a silent plea in his eyes.  “I did the right thing, didn’t I?  You will be happier here, won’t you?”

I wrapped my arms tightly around Gabriel’s neck.
  “This is exactly where I want to be.”

“Good,” he sighed, his body sagged in relief as he returned my hug.
 

I leaned back from him.
  “What did you do with Sarah?”

“I buried her.
  She’s at peace now.  And I think she would be happy to know you have taken her place.  She was so worried about leaving her parents alone.  Now you can love them in her stead.”

We heard the front door open and immediately drew away from one another.

“I’m back!”  Mrs. Harker called out.  “Sorry it took so long.  I had to go all the way to the store to get some milk.”

I heard her pour the milk into a cup and watched her bring it in to me.
  I studied her face for some sign she knew I wasn’t her real daughter but never saw a doubt of recognition.

“Thank you, Mama,” I said taking the cup from her hands and drinking the cold soothing liquid.

“I think we may have a miracle on our hands,” Gabriel announced as he stood from his seat.  “Sarah seems to be completely well.”

Mrs. Harker lifted a shaking hand to her mouth as tears of uncertain joy welled in her eyes.

“Are you sure?” She whispered, as if she were afraid Death might take notice of us again if she spoke too loudly.

“It’s the only case I’ve heard of,” he told her.
  “And I would be careful who you tell the truth about this to.  Since Sarah is the only one I know of who has ever beaten the plague, she may garner unwanted attention.  If I were you, I would tell everyone she simply had a bad cold and we all assumed it was the plague.  You could say it was just an unlucky coincidence she caught it at the same time as the others.”

“All right, if you think that’s best,” Mrs. Harker stared at me like she was afraid I might disappear if she let her eyes wander away.

“But the fever seems to have caused a lapse in her memory,” Gabriel cautioned Mrs. Harker.  “Don’t be alarmed if she can’t remember certain things.”

Mrs. Harker shook her head.
  “We have the chance to make new memories.  That’s worth more to me than her not being able to remember a few details from the past.”

“Well,” Gabriel reached for his top hat and medicine bag on the nightstand, “since you have no further need of my services, I should go attend to my other patients.
  I’ll leave the two of you alone.”

I watched Gabriel walk to the door of the room and turn around as Mrs. Harker came to me and pulled me into her arms, crying happy tears formed from relief.

My best friend gave me a sad little smile and winked before turning around and walking out of my life, leaving me in the loving arms of a woman I could proudly call my mother.