Soulmates (20 page)

“Yep, isn’t that the truth? Glad to leave it all behind! Now, let’s get out of here already,” Paulette ordered.

Off to the east they came to a spring followed by an immense fast flowing waterfall. The waterfall emptied into an exquisite turquoise pool of calm water. The water was surrounded by luscious green grass. Embedded in the plush grass was an abundance of thriving flowering bushes and trees. The waterfall was moving rapidly. The soothing rhythmic sound made Presley feel calm. The crow was back. Silent this time.

“We made it!” shouted Paulette.

“This can’t be it,” insisted Presley. “This doesn’t look familiar to me.” Paulette began to panic.

“You came in on the other side of the waterfall, where the creek is,” Paulette took off, running as fast as she could towards the pool of water. “I’m going home!” she screamed. Presley and Jesse ran after her until they came to the area where Presley had first seen Paulette. They all stared at the small cottage.

“This must be where the porits lived before Fiend invaded,” said Jesse.

“I was so close to the creek and didn’t even know it,” said Paulette.

They walked past the field of flowers that Presley had seen the first day that she had arrived in Porha, it seemed so long ago.

“I believe that this is it,” said Jesse sadly.

“This is it,” Paulette agreed as she turned towards him.

“Jesse, thank you for everything that you’ve done for me.” Paulette’s eyes began to fill with tears. She tried to hold them back. She hugged Jesse for a long while, stroking his back as if she was trying to calm him.”

“Don’t mention it,” he smiled. “I’m really going to miss you. Take care of yourself and please take good care of Presley.” He handed her the brown bag with the porits book inside. He tried to be strong but his eyes also filled with tears and a single drop fell down his cheek.

Without hesitation, Paulette leaned down and, as she touched the swirl of water, it swiftly pulled her away. She vanished right before their eyes.

“She’s gone,” Presley said, somewhat astonished at her disappearance.

She looked over at Jesse. He was staring at her intensely.

“I guess you’re next,” he sighed.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she said with a distressed tone. She stepped toward the water.

“Wait,” Jesse grabbed Presley’s arm and pulled her close to him. “I know that you have to go. Just promise me that you won’t forget me. Please tell me that you’ll remember me forever. Swear it. Swear it on my life, that you’ll remember me,” he said with sad eyes.

“I will. I swear on your life that I’ll remember you. We have agape love remember,” she reminded him with a forced smile.

Jesse looked down. “That’s right we do,” he said quietly. “I love you, Presley.”

She held Jesse tightly around the waist and gave him one last kiss. Another tear fell down Jesse’s face, knowing that he would never see her again.

“You have to go. Paulette’s waiting, and she’ll need your help.” He gently pushed her back, and then turned his face away; he couldn’t bear to watch her leave. He held his chest as if he were in pain. She stepped into the water and in an instant she was gone.

≈≈≈≈≈

She was back inside the tunnel. She traveled as bright lights soared passed her. She tried to stay present. A bright white light was waiting for her at the end of the tunnel.

Chapter Fourteen

“Presley! Are you okay?” Paulette shouted.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said wearily as she rubbed her head. “My head hurts,” she complained as her eyes blinked rapidly.

“Yeah, mine too.”

Presley looked into the swirling water. For a brief moment she could see Jesse’s sad face and then the image was gone. Her heart ached. It took a few seconds for her eyes to focus on her new surroundings.

“Paulette? Is that you?” Presley said, stunned by Paulette’s appearance.

“Yeah,” she answered, with her hands shaking.

“Paulette, you’re like
—
an old woman,” she whispered.

“This is so strange.” Paulette looked down at the bulging veins in her arms and hands. “Look how my skin has aged!” Paulette said.

“And look at the back of your dress! It totally ripped!”

Paulette gasped and held the back of her dress tightly. The laughter quickly turned to silence. They stared at each other for a long while, neither of them knowing what to do or where to go next.

“What are we going to do now? Everyone’s probably out looking for you, Presley,” Paulette said as she anxiously began to pace the ground.

“You think so?” Presley asked, excited at the thought that people might be concerned about her.

“Well, of course! You’ve been missing for days. I remember you saying that my parents were out looking for me when I went missing."

“Yeah, well, your parents cared about what happened to you. My mom probably didn’t even notice that I was gone.”

“Well, what about me?” Paulette asked. “What are we going to say happened to me? I got kidnapped?”

Presley thought for a moment. “A kidnapping is out of the question. With the advancement in forensic science, they will blow a hole in that story in no time. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I have one idea that may just work. Amnesia. You had amnesia.”

“I had amnesia? What is that exactly?” Paulette asked.

“It’s when you can’t remember anything from your past. So, let’s see, you could have been kidnapped and beaten.” Presley paused briefly, her mind racing with thoughts, then continued on with her nervous chatter. “I don’t know, the beating could have caused memory loss. Therefore, you don’t remember what exactly had happened to you. Now, you suddenly remember who you are and you came home. Simple. I will help you, don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry?" Paulette said sarcastically. “So I had amnesia? You don’t think that anyone will investigate the story?” she asked.

“Not if we stick to our story and lay low,” said Presley.

“Lay low?” she repeated.

“Yeah, just don’t draw a lot of attention to yourself. You know, just lay low," Presley said calmly.

“Okay,” Paulette took a deep breath. They started to walk down the same dirt path that led them both to the creek and ultimately Porha. Paulette looked around in amazement.

“Nothing has changed,” she said under her breath.

“Trust me, Paulette, everything has changed.”

Presley grabbed her guitar and song book, which were exactly where she had left them days earlier. They continued to walk until they came upon the road that led to Paulette’s abandoned home.

“I want to see it,” Paulette insisted. She stopped and turned toward Presley. “For so many years I had played this day out over and over in my head, the day when I would make it back home from Porha. But, honestly, I never really believed that I would. The day that I disappeared I had decided to take a walk. Isn’t it weird to think that one little decision, a trivial decision really, could change my entire life? I mean what would have happened if I hadn’t taken that walk? How would my life be today? Would I be married? Would I have children? I’ll never know,” she said.

Presley saw the sadness in Paulette’s eyes. She gently patted her back trying to comfort her. Paulette stood in front of her old dilapidated house, and in the midst of the decaying weathered boards and deteriorated roof, Paulette noticed the plants.

“You know, I helped my mom plant those hostas when I was thirteen years old. And they are still here,” Paulette smiled.

“Do you want to go inside?” Presley asked.

“No, I want to remember it, how it once was."

They turned and walked back down the road to Presley’s house.

≈≈≈≈≈

Passing the old grain bin and windmill, they could see her house.

“I bet there will be so many people waiting for you,” Paulette determined.

“I don’t know. If they had a search party out looking for me, then where are they?"

“I don’t know,” Paulette answered.

“You are going to have to stay at my house tonight,”

Presley said intentionally changing the subject. We need a little time to get our stories straight.”

As they approached Presley’s home they noticed Presley’s and Lisa’s cars in the driveway, but there was no sign of life. No search party in sight.

“Maybe the search party is out looking for you. Maybe that’s why nobody is here,” Paulette encouraged.

She could see the sadness in Presley’s eyes. Presley walked up to the front door, quietly opened it and peeked through the crack. She didn’t see anyone. She motioned for Paulette to follow her, up the stairs and into her room. She shut the door behind them.

“Okay, I’m going to my mom’s room to get you some clothes and then you are taking a shower,” she ordered.

Presley slipped into her mother’s room, she noticed her mother lying asleep in her bed.

“Mom?” Presley whispered.

“Yeah,” Lisa mumbled.

“You need anything?” Presley asked, curious to know if her mother had even realized she’d been missing.

“Yeah, could you get me some water?” she garbled. Presley’s heart sank.

“Another late night?” Presley asked shaking her head.

“Yeah. I had another fight with Bob so I went to the bar. Jerk. He hasn’t even called,” she stammered as if she were still drunk.

“I’ll get you some water,” Presley said.

On her way out of the room, Presley snuck a pair of black stretch pants and a pink tank top out of Lisa’s dresser drawer that looked big enough to fit Paulette.

“My mom’s in her bed,” Presley said disappointedly.

“What? Your mom’s here? What did she say?” Paulette blurted.

Presley handed the clothes to Paulette. “She didn’t even know that I was gone. I guess she and her boyfriend had another fight. It looks like she has been drunk for the last few days."

Nervous energy led Presley to her closet as she dug out a pair of flip flops for Paulette.

“I’m sorry. I can’t believe that she didn’t even know that you were gone,” Paulette said sympathetically.

“Honestly, I’d have been surprised if she
had
known that I was missing. Come on, I’ll show you to the shower.”

They went to a small compact bathroom big enough for only one person. Presley showed her how to work the faucet.

“It’s kind of tricky­ and old. Just pull down right here and it will come on. Turn it this way to make it warmer. There is soap in the shower, and shampoo. Conditioner too, if you need it,” she added as she pointed to the individual containers.

“Okay, got it. Thanks,” Paulette said and shut the door. Presley walked back to her room. As she lay on the bed, she instantly thought about Jesse. She reached for her cell phone.

“Now I have signal,” she said under her breath. “The battery isn’t low anymore. Huh. I never even charged it. How strange.”

She turned her phone on and there was the picture of Jesse. Her heart leaped. She stared at the picture for awhile, wishing that he were there with her, and realizing she was never going see him again. She put her phone down and she closed her eyes. Wondering what he was doing at that very instant.

Does he miss me? Does he love me as much as he said that he did? Should I have stayed with him?

Her bedroom door flew open and Samantha bolted into the room.

“Where have you been? Are you crazy? I have called you like a thousand times and what, you don’t answer? I could understand you not answering Tyler’s phone calls, but mine? Do you know how worried I’ve been? Where were you? Do you think that just because you and Tyler had a fight that it gives you the right to run away and avoid me? Where were you?” she demanded without taking a breath. Shocked by Samantha’s anger Presley scrambled for an explanation.

“Yeah, I just
—
just
went away for a few days. You know, to gather my thoughts. To figure out what to do about me and Tyler.”