Haeven (20 page)

We had a lot of laughs throughout the time
that we were there especially when we took up some cues and tried
our hand at pool.  Penny knew the rules but neither of us
followed them since we both had such horrible aim.  We decided
to keep track of the number of balls we each got in and declared
the winner by whoever had the most.  Then Penny taught me how
to play cribbage which I quickly caught on to and really
enjoyed.  We played hand after hand and before either of us
knew it the day was nearly done. 

We both suddenly realized how hungry we were
and when Penny asked me what I would like for dinner all I could
think about was pizza. 

“Mmm, that sounds good!” Penny sighed. 
“I think I have an idea…”

As soon as we got back to the apartment
Penny headed for the kitchen and intrigued I trailed along after
her.  She went to the pantry and pulled out a loaf of crusty
bread along with some pasta sauce.  After placing them both on
the island she went to the refrigerator and gathered up some meats
and cheeses naming each and asking whether or not I liked
them. 

I had a pretty good idea by then what she
was up to and after washing up happily helped put our makeshift
pizzas together once she had sliced the bread for us.  About
10 minutes later they were toasting in the oven and their aroma
started to fill the apartment. 

“It won’t be long but would you like to
watch something while we wait?”

“Sure.”

We settled on a show together that we
watched while we waited and though Penny was generally against it
we picnicked on the coffee table once our dinner was ready so we
wouldn't have to miss the ending.  When the show was over and
we had cleared the dishes away I decided to get ready for
bed.  It was still early but I knew I would need to be up
earlier than usual and wouldn't want to keep Herrik waiting.

After going through all my bedtime routines
and saying goodnight to Penny I made my way to my room. I set my
alarm and fell fast asleep smiling and anxious to see what the
morning would bring.  I slept soundly for most of the night
but as morning grew closer I woke myself up worrying that I
wouldn't hear my alarm or that I hadn't set it properly and it
wouldn't go off.  I tossed and turned, occasionally drifted
off only to reawaken and lay staring blankly at the ceiling while
the minutes and eventually hours slipped by.  Finally it was
near enough time to get up that I turned my alarm off and crept
from my bed. 

I dressed and readied myself; ate a light
breakfast then sat on the small bench in the foyer to wait for
Herrik.  I heard him softly calling to me as soon as the clock
struck 6 and excitedly opened the front door to find him
there. 

“Are you ready?” he asked as I stepped out
to join him. 

“Yep!  Oh, Herrik, what’s wrong? 
You look…you look tired.”  He looked more than tired –
exhausted and pale and hollow and there was a dullness, a
sluggishness to everything about him.

“It’s early for me too,” he laughed at my
concern.

“Are you sure you’re alright?  We can
cancel our plans and do them some other time,” I offered.

“I’m fine,” he assured me.  “Come, we
need to hurry.”

It was still somewhat dark in the garden and
the paths were only dimly lit so Herrik took my hand and led the
way.  I had a hundred questions that I desperately wanted to
ask but it somehow seemed wrong to speak with the hush that was
still hanging over the garden. 

During the time that I had lived in my
apartment with Penny I had learned my way around well enough to
know that Herrik was leading me toward the main hallway and the
area near the elevators.

“Where is everyone?” I asked when we exited
the garden and rounded the corner.  All the rooms we passed
were unlit and empty.

Herrik smiled warmly, “Resting,” and that
was all he said as he ushered me into the elevator.

I was somewhat puzzled by the idea.  I
had always imagined there was a constant presence of Herrik’s
people on the lower levels; working, playing, relaxing but
apparently that wasn't the case at all.  We rode up to the
garage level and again I was surprised to find it completely vacant
except for the cars and motorcycles meticulously arranged in nearly
all the parking spaces.

Herrik opened the passenger’s door to one of
the cars and motioned me to take a seat, “Buckle up,” he carefully
closed the door after I had settled in.  It was hard for me to
believe that Herrik was taking me out.  I was so dumbfounded
and so determined not embarrass myself that I couldn't think of a
single thing to say.

“You look nervous,” he said as he took the
wheel and adjusted the seat to his liking. 

Wide-eyed I answered, “I am!  I haven’t
been out since…and the sun is coming up and you…”

“Is it?” he backed out of the parking space
with complete confidence.

The car he chose reminded me of the one
Carah had been in the night she brought me to Herrik.  It was
smaller and sportier but all the windows were covered in the same
dark tint, even the front windshield and I honestly couldn't tell
if it was night or day. 

Herrik drove us through the gate and got us
heading down and away from the compound. As I watched the landscape
pass by it made me more and more curious about his plans for us. I
was about to ask but we came to a sharp turn and as we rounded the
corner it seemed to grow visibly brighter outside.

“Ah, there,” Herrik pointed. Much to my
amazement we were facing the sun. 

It was beautiful even through the heavy tint
and at first I imagined it to be just coming up over the
horizon.  Herrik smiled at my surprise.

“It’s not,” he changed gears. 

And sure enough rather than getting brighter
and higher in the sky as we drove the sun was beginning to dip
lower and lower.

“Sunset?” I wondered and looked over at
Herrik in complete confusion.

“Sunset,” he nodded.

“It’s nighttime,” I thought. Then I asked
Herrik, “How is it not morning?” I shook my head in confusion.

“Ah, yes,” Herrik chuckled. “Well, for us,
for me and my people it is morning. We simulate the natural rhythm
and hours of the day but in reverse.”

“Huh,” I said frowning, “but it was
nighttime when I…” I colored with guilt, “went to see Jesse’s
band…”

“Because you were on the upper levels then
and those hours correspond with what is natural for you.”

“So you keep different times,” my mind
grasped at the idea.

“There is some overlap, but yes, for the
most part each group keeps to their customary hours. Some people
are awake later than others, some need to rest long before others,
some get up early and some sleep in and that is true for both our
kinds.”

“Do you rest?” I asked marveling that he had
somehow been the only one that seemed to be up and around as we
were leaving.

“I do.”

“Artur told me that it is…it’s not very
pleasant and that you don’t dream.”

“It’s not
unpleasant
and no I do not
dream.”

“That sounds unpleasant to me.”

Herrik laughed good naturedly, “Well, it’s
not like I
never
dream. I just dream when I’m awake.”

“Daydreams?

“I guess you could call them that.”

“What do you dream of?”

Herrik was quiet and thoughtful for a few
minutes and I didn’t think he was going to answer.

“Peace,” he finally said.

It was a very open-ended answer and I knew
it could mean any number of things. I didn’t dare ask.

He glanced at me, “And when you dream what
do you dream about?”

“Oh, all sorts of things!”

“Like what?”

“People, mostly. I dream about Penny and
Avery and Artur; sometimes my mom and dad and my brother and our
friends.”

I regretted telling him because as soon as
the words were out Herrik lost all expression and I was sure I had
upset him by mentioning my family. I tried to change the subject
and started telling him about all the things Penny and I had done
the previous day. It helped and by the time we were near the city
much of the uneasiness on both our sides had fallen away. Herrik
navigated us through the busy streets then after a number of
stoplights and a handful of turns he drove us into a parking
garage. He pulled into the first empty space he found.

We used the stairs rather than waiting for
the elevator and once we were on the street level again Herrik
pointed down the sidewalk, “This way,” he said. Together we walked
for a block or two and then Herrik stopped us in front of the art
museum. “Artur recommended this to me. He thought you might like
it.”

I had never been to a museum before and my
mind wandered off imagining dinosaurs and mummies and all the other
things I thought we would see.

“It’s not quite that kind of museum,” Herrik
corrected. “Come, see for yourself,” he held his hand out to
me.

Herrik paid our admission and picked up a
copy of the guide book for us to share. There weren’t many other
people in the museum so we were able to wander from room to room
and view most of the artwork in relative privacy. Herrik spoke
softly whenever we came to something he found particularly
interesting. I had never really thought much about art and at first
it was hard to find any of it very compelling.

“You’re not really seeing it are you?”
Herrik asked at one point.

“It’s all very nice,” I said, “but…”

“It’s just something on the wall to
you.”

“No…no…” I wanted to contradict him but he
would have known I was lying.

Herrik shook his head at me; he looked
disappointed and I thought he was going to suggest that we leave.
“Close your eyes,” he said instead. I felt his fingers wrap around
mine, “This way,” he gave me a little tug and moved me to the far
end of the room. “Keep them closed,” he adjusted my position and
when he was done took my hand again.

He felt warm and vibrant; his hand in mine
felt strong and sure. He gave my fingers a gentle squeeze then I
felt a familiar ripple and realized that he was mingling his
thoughts with mine. I panicked and reflexively tried keeping him
out.

A moment later I felt his lips against my
ear and heard him whisper, “Trust me.” All my defenses suddenly
crumbled, “Now look,” he said.

We were standing in front of a Monet and as
my eyes focused on the painting in front of me I nearly gasped at
the beauty I found in it. The painting took me completely by
surprise because it was just so amazing to see the hundreds,
thousands, of tiny dabs and squiggles in all their various colors
and hues coaxing one another into portraits of landscapes and
people with such delicate and dramatic results.

Awestruck I absently reached out to touch it
but Herrik gave me a subtle reminder of where we were and drew me
back to my senses. “Now you understand,” he smiled down at me. “It
is all how you look at it; that is where you find the beauty and
the meaning in art.”

I grinned up at him, “It’s incredible!”

“It is!” he agreed.

“Show me more,” I eagerly pulled him towards
another nearby painting and for the rest of our visit Herrik and
the artwork we examined together held every ounce of my
interest.

He knew some of the history for many of the
pieces he showed me and whatever he wasn’t familiar with he read
the excerpts from the guidebook and we learned about them together.
It was later than either of us imagined and while we were sitting
on a bench contemplating a particularly chaotic painting by
Kandinsky one of the museum workers approached us.

“Sir, the museum is closing in 10
minutes.”

“Of course,” Herrik nodded.

The gentleman glanced at me and smiled
warmly before turning on his heel and walking away. “Are you
hungry?” Herrik asked as we watched the worker turn the corner.
“Penny would never forgive me if I forgot to feed you!”

“Very!” I nodded in emphasis.

“What do you like to eat?”

I thought about all my favorite foods and I
was about to suggest something when another idea popped into my
head, “I know you don’t…” I suddenly realized how inappropriate it
might be to say what I intended and frantically turned the phrase
into a question hoping that it wouldn’t make Herrik uncomfortable,
“what were your favorite foods…” my mind was racing and despite the
nervousness I felt I found what I hoped wouldn’t sound offensive,
“when you were my age?”

“Oh, Emily, you shouldn’t have asked that.”
He said, his voice full of gravity.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” I fretfully
apologized.

Herrik smiled mischievously, “Yep, now
you’re in trouble,” he teased then gave me glimpse of what he was
thinking. What he had done in the museum had given him an idea.

“Oh,” I smiled back relieved and with a
vague understanding of what he was eagerly imagining.

We found our way back to the car and while
driving around the city Herrik stopped at half a dozen places;
restaurants and cafes, dessert shops and convenience stores. He
piled everything he bought into the back of the car and when he
felt he had appropriated enough we drove to a small, well-lit park
where he laid it all out on one of the picnic tables.

“Now then,” he said, “dig in!”

“Do you really think this will work?” I took
a seat on the top of the table next to the array of food and Herrik
sat on the bench in front and to the left of me.

“I can’t wait to find out!”

“What would you like me to try first?” I
asked excitedly.

“This,” he pulled the wrapper back from a
chocolate bar and broke off a small piece. Herrik handed it to me
then somewhat hesitantly he took my left hand in his.

“Ready?”

He nodded and I popped the chocolate into my
mouth. I let it sit on my tongue for a few seconds before slowly
chewing, savoring and swallowing it.