Soul Dancing with the Brass Band (The Brass Band Series) (33 page)

April 23, 2011

“Hillary, you’re mumbling things I can’t understand. Please, wake up.”

Two sets of hands lifted me to a sitting position as I opened my eyes. Bennett had a washcloth on my forehead and was searching my face along with Ruth for reassurance that I was okay.

“What do you think? Should I pull the car around, so I can get you home to your own beds?” Bennett asked with concern.

“Yes, please Bennett,” I answered, trying to look absolutely fine. I needed Ruth alone and fast! I tried hard to hold on to every detail of my experience because I knew that it was more than just a dream. As gruesome as it was, I knew it was a conscious glimpse into our Druid lifetime.

My mind was racing, but I remained still all the way home, replaying every terrifying moment of my alternate reality. My sweat soaked Bennett’s leather seats as I fought to keep my grief at bay… remembering. I told him I would be okay as we pulled up to Ruth’s front door and promised to call him as Ruth and I climbed the front steps and finally closed Ruth’s bedroom door behind us.

I tried purposefully to keep myself drowsy, so the dream wouldn’t fade away. I didn’t want my mind to start racing until I’d told Ruth the whole horrible tale. I sat down on her bed and before she could say anything, I started telling the story, memory by horrific memory. I closed my eyes to breathe the damp, forest air and recalled every detail from my horse’s color to the clothing the soldiers were wearing. I felt the massive grief and saw why McCollum had feared telling me this story. I cried while describing each funeral fire I lit.

With my eyes still closed, I felt Ruth’s weight readjust on the bed beside me and was surprised to hear her scratching notes on a pad of paper.

“Doesn’t this totally freak you out, Ruth?”

“Well, yes. But we need to get the details down now, while they are fresh in your mind. I can be freaked out later when I have time to think about it.”

“You know, Bennett and Marcus Flavius are the same person.”

I looked at Ruth for a reaction.

“It’s not just a feeling I have, it’s a fact. All the other Roman soldiers were just faces... I didn’t recognize any of them except Bennett…” Closing my eyes, I tilted my head, feeling that my last statement might not be true. I recalled my experience and search
ed the background for any others I might recognize.

“There was someone
behind the General that I know.” The thought made me shudder. “But I can’t tell you who,” I resigned.

My words faded as Ruth put her hand on my leg. “Let me get you a drink of water.”

I nodded, yes and I laid back on the bed trying to see the soldier’s faces until Ruth re-entered the room.

I drank my water and listened to Ruth’s perspective. “Bennett is a good guy now, and even
then
, in a way, and he did save your life at the risk of his own!” As we talked, Ruth lightened the mood enough so it was possible for me to sleep, but no way was I sleeping in a different room than her. I knew Ruth felt the same, so I pulled up the covers and hoped that when I closed my eyes I would only see darkness.

Bennett called Ruth’s cell at 7 a.m. to see how I was feeling and she assured him I was back to normal, all swelling and stickers gone. He was going to have to be satisfied with Ruth’s explanation because there was just no way that I could face him.

“It’s funny, Ruth. I know he took a big risk to save me, that none of the rest of you actually died at his hand, and I shouldn’t hold what happened 2,000 years ago against him, but I really want to know why he didn’t throw his Roman career to the wind and die for us?”

“I think he should have,” Ruth chuckled. “We’re worth it.”

“In reality there was no way he could have saved us. We were doomed the minute Caesar gave the order to exterminate our kind from the Earth.”

A
visible chill went through Ruth. “Don’t know; don’t want to think about it.”

Knowing we needed a change of subject, I asked, “Do you think that Will and George missed us last night when we didn’t put our energy into the bowl?”

Ruth and I stayed away from the subject of Bennett for a couple of days. It was too mind boggling to continually think about.

“Let’s go to the Plaza and have a cappuccino,” Ruth suggested. “It’s a beautiful day.”

“Sounds great to me. I have a bit of a sweet tooth.” Within 30 minutes we were looking for a parking spot.

We found a nice seat on the deck of a coffee shop and I ordered the biggest cookie on the menu.

“How’s your hand, Hillary?” a familiar voice asks from behind.

“Yeah, I was in the hot tub and that looked painful.”

I watched Ruth put on a smile. “Hi Clint. Hi Bennett. Fancy seeing you here.”

I closed my eyes for a second, took a deep breath and turned with a smile. “Hi guys.”

“You okay?” Bennett asked with total sincerity.

“I’m okay, thanks. You want to sit down?” It wasn’t as uncomfortable as I imagined it would be to see him again. It’s hard not to enjoy being around a guy like Bennett because he’s really nice. Clint pulled up a chair next to Ruth and we fell into easy conversation.

When the sun began to hide behind the nearby buildings and the temperature started to drop, we decided to call it an afternoon. Bennett stood and helped me up.

“Let us at least walk you to your car. It will probably be months before we see each other again.” Accepting the invitation, Clint and Ruth walked a short distance behind us.

We strolled the long way back to our car, not saying a lot. Suddenly, Bennett’s head jerked to attention.

“What’s going on?” I asked casually.

“I’m not quite sure. I thought I saw something and have a funny déjà vu feeling. It’s probably nothing,” he said, visibly bothered. Taking my arm, he pulled me closer to him.

“Who are the guys?” a voice sneered from an alcove just before he revealed himself. Jackson Black stepped out to block our path.

Bennett’s reaction was fast and protective, sliding me behind him as he confronted Black.

“I’m not here to mess with you, kid. I’m here to talk to my friend, Hillary.”

“She’s with me and believe me when I tell you, I’m not a kid. Just be on your way before we have to make more of this than it needs to be.” Clint stepped forward to stand by Bennett and together they made a formidable wall. Ruth placed her hand over mine, making me feel safe, if not a little foolish.

“Okay, okay,” Black said with his hands up to indicate surrender. Leaning forward to peek around my barricade he snapped, “I’ll catch up with you at school,” and gave a little salute.

Clint was the first to say something. “What was that about ‘my friend’?”

“Like I just told Hillary, déjà vu come to life, and I have to admit that man scares me. He’s evil; I feel it in my gut.” Turning to me, he asked, “Is he really a friend of yours?”

“No, Ruth and I call him Creepy Guy. Guess you felt it, too.”

RUTH AND I both waited by the window for Will and George to come home because it had been a very long ten days. Spotting their car as it turned the corner, we ran out to meet them overjoyed that they apparently had missed us just as much.

The boys who rode back with them were unloading the camping gear as they regaled Ruth and me with stories about their camping trip. Anxious for a few minutes alone with our men, Ruth ingeniously referred to the cookies she had left on the kitchen counter and the room was instantly emptied of all, but Will and George. I sneaked a kiss to make me less nervous about confessing we’d missed a few meditations. Will intuitively knew something was up, so to ease his worry I gave him and George the Readers Digest version of my injury at the party, the past life experience that ensued and lastly
, our meeting with Jackson Black.

While Will was pleased with Ruth’s response to the situation, he seemed way too concerned and totally miffed about the Bennett involvement. Will’s reaction took me by surprise because it was so out of character.

“Well, the short answer is, we’ll never leave you two on your own again,” George said lightheartedly. “Hope you don’t mind your own personal body guards because that’s what we’ll be.” Ruth snuggled in and gave George a kiss on his check.

Will tried to laugh, but couldn’t make it look natural. Still obviously bothered by something, he took my hand and led me outside to our usual spot.

I leaned against the tree as I turned to face him. Will rested his forearm on the trunk just above my head and moved in close. “Do you remember a year ago when I told you on this very spot that you were
immortal
?”

“How could I forget? You walked away with my heart that night.” I knew he loved hearing that. The corner of his lips held back his smile, but he didn’t forget why we were here.

“I meant it when I said you are immortal. We all return to take another life, but I’d really like to keep you safe and living this lifetime. It’s taken me two thousand very long years to find you again. I’d like you to stay with me for a while.” I smiled up at him. This guy knew how to melt me. “I need you to know what the bowl meditation is
really
for,” he said in a very serious tone.