{"id":1250,"date":"2012-06-01T00:00:12","date_gmt":"2012-06-01T04:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1250"},"modified":"2012-05-31T18:35:27","modified_gmt":"2012-05-31T22:35:27","slug":"autumn-chapter-12-05","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1250","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter 12 – 05"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Sun bathed the plaza, shattered glass sparkling in the light, turning into some strange, post-apocalyptic wonderland.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We moved past the library and I shook my head slightly, brows knitting.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019ve still got a lot of books to pull out of there,\u201d I said.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou\u2019ve pulled a ton out already.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Are there that many more?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I shoved my hands into my pockets, fingers slightly chilled.<\/span>\u00a0 I should have grabbed some gloves.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe started up on the fourth floor and worked our way down.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPeriodicals first?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. made a face as if he didn\u2019t understand why we\u2019d do that.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>All I could do was shrug.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt seemed like a good idea at the time.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019ll be a lot of work, but hopefully we\u2019ll clean it out before the worst of the snow hits.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Hopefully we\u2019ll have the time.\u00a0 <\/span>Our defenses have to come first, though.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd if it doesn\u2019t, hopefully the building won\u2019t come down completely until after we\u2019ve managed to get the rest out.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 And hopefully the weather won\u2019t damage what\u2019s left inside <\/em><\/span>too<\/span> much.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He grunted and shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have asked.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I grinned.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cProbably not.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom did and he regretted it.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSomehow I\u2019m not surprised.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The garden, still a tattered remnant of its former self, lay a few dozen yards before us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The hedges were a bit thinner with the coming of fall, but they were still a deep green, still hearty.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Stepping through the hedgerows and into the garden still had the feeling of crossing some kind of boundary, though, despite the destruction of the place.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I smiled.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. asked, catching the expression out of the corner of his eye.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI didn\u2019t feel it the last time\u2014probably because everything was in such rough shape\u2014but I did this time.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The look he gave me made it clear he had no idea what I was talking about.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I chuckled softly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThere\u2019s a circle here\u2014a fairy circle.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You can just barely feel it when you cross into the garden.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s like our wards, but not.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. grunted. \u201cSo that\u2019s what the tickle was.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I grinned again and slipped past him, heading toward the half-fallen trellis of roses.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The bright red blossoms were still in bloom, even this late in the season.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMar, check this out.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I turned toward the sound of J.T.\u2019s voice.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He pointed at something resting on a broken stone bench at his feet.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I asked as I moved closer, catching only a bare glimpse of something white and orange and red and green.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It was a circlet made of flowers and leaves\u2014roses and holly and oak and maple leaves with marigolds here and there.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My breath caught and I knelt down to touch it, half afraid that I was imagining it.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhere did it come from?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I murmured.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOur little friends, I\u2019d guess,\u201d J.T. said softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhen I told Carolyn what I was planning to do today\u2014the candles, I mean\u2014she said I should bring you out here with me and check the garden. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Something tells me she knew about this little surprise.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I smiled.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWell, it\u2019s certainly a welcome one.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I carefully lifted the wreath, turning it over in my fingers.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The knots that held it all together were so fine I almost couldn\u2019t see them, but it felt far from delicate as I handled it.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It only looks dainty and liable to fall apart.\u00a0 <\/span>Say one thing for the little guys\u2014they do good work.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I set it back down carefully and stood up, dusting a little mud off my knees.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLet\u2019s take care of the blessing and the candles first,\u201d I said to J.T.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe can come back up here and get the wreath and the flowers for my bouquet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I was rather pleasantly surprised that there were still roses, but not disappointed at all.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They were the one thing that Thom had never given me outside of festival weekend, when it was all but expected.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>As romantic as he could be, that was the one thing that he\u2019d never really been concerned with\u2014he was more of a chocolate kind of guy.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. nodded, staring beyond the hedges toward the barrows.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Grass had slowly begun to spread over the turned earth, even this late in the season.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Perhaps someday, trees would grow there, sheltering our dead for decades and more, like what had happened at the nearby Norton Mounds, further downriver from campus.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Or perhaps it would just become a small, grassy hillock, forgotten by everyone except for us.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It seemed both scenarios were equally likely.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I caught J.T.\u2019s hand and we headed down toward the burials.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I could feel energy tingling through every limb, arcing up and down my spine as we grew closer to the burial.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s all holding,\u201d I murmured.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe blessings, all of it.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. nodded mutely, looking distant and sad.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I squeezed his hand.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThere was nothing you could have done for them,\u201d I whispered.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI know,\u201d he said, his voice thick.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make it any easier to do this.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He handed me the bag of candles.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLay them out,\u201d he said softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ll light them behind you.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I did as he\u2019d asked, making the long circuit of the burial ground, J.T. three steps behind, lighting each tealight behind me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The grass was still damp from the morning dew, still chilled.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>We eventually came back around to the place where we\u2019d started.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. knelt down in front of the barrow.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I didn\u2019t understand the words he spoke, but I recognized the language as some dialect of Gaelic.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Whether Phelan had taught him the prayer\u2014or blessing\u2014that he uttered, I wasn\u2019t sure and I wasn\u2019t inclined to ask.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I just rested my hand lightly on his shoulder, adding my own silent plea to his words.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Bless and keep us, my fallen friends.\u00a0 <\/span>We already owe you our lives once.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rest peacefully and well.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>This hope is my gift to you on this, my wedding day.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My eyes slid closed and for a second, I thought I felt an icy caress on my cheek, the feel of cold lips against my forehead.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I opened my eyes as the feeling faded and J.T. fell quiet.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>There was no one there.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We were alone.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sun bathed the plaza, shattered glass sparkling in the light, turning into some strange, post-apocalyptic wonderland.\u00a0 We moved past the library and I shook my head slightly, brows knitting. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve still got a lot of books to pull … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,35,50,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-12-book-2","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-ka","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1250"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1251,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1250\/revisions\/1251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}