MAXIM: A New Type of Human (Oddily Series #2) (25 page)

“I hope you like the color pink.”

“Oh, I love pink! It reminds me of everything girly.”

Paul didn’t know what more he could do to cheer Oddily up and decided to ask her what was tormenting her mind. “What’s going on inside that head of yours?”

Oddily reached the bottom of the stairwell and began to hurry down the hallway.

“Will you please stop running from me?” Paul jogged in front of Oddily and blocked her way.

“You don’t want to know Paul!”

The disenchantment in Oddily’s eyes made Paul even more assertive. “Try me! I’ll just listen—I promise.”

“No, you’ll think I’m crazy!”

“No I won’t. I would never think that of you.”

Oddily was on the verge of telling Paul what she had seen in the meadow. She needed to for the sake of her sanity; but, something inside her made her stop—an inner knowing that something bad would happen if she did. “Can we change the subject?”

Paul was disappointed. He was dying to know what had happened to Oddily, but it would have to wait. “Are you getting hungry?”

Oddily’s stomach had been in such knots, she hadn’t been able to distinguish the difference between nerves and hunger pains. Now she realized that she was definitely hungry and willingly followed Paul.

After leaving the dungeon-like part of the castle reserved for tourists, they entered the area where Paul and his family lived. The first room that Oddily viewed was the light and airy parlor. There were two white couches and a green coffee table on top of a yellow print rug. Oddily thought that Paul would ask her to take a seat; but instead, he led her past the room to a cheerful looking dining room with the same color scheme. Katerina was there, sitting at the table full of Italian food.

“Dig in kids!”

Oddily filled her plate with several slices of pizza and began to devour them one at a time. She knew she was eating too fast but she couldn’t help herself. The food seemed to help the uncomfortable ache in her stomach. Paul wasn’t coming up for air either as he wrestled with a big plate of spaghetti.

“So tell me Oddily, how long have you and my son been friends?” Katerina was the first to begin the conversation.

“Umm, I had a crush on him and…!” Oddily began to choke on a piece of pizza. What the heck did she just say!?

Paul seemed amused as he handed Oddily a glass of water and watched her gulp it down. When her throat had cleared, she continued, “I meant to say that I noticed Paul last semester; but…well, our friendship came about just recently.”

“Paul says you’re going to be our guest tonight in the tower. I hope you like feminine bedrooms.”

Although Katerina said nothing more, she didn’t like the idea of Oddily sleeping in the tower. The circular room was her private sanctuary—the place where she had conceived Paul by making love to the mystical magical stranger.

“Don’t worry over it mom. Oddily likes pink!”

Oddily smiled sweetly at Katerina, but felt as though she were going to puke. With the combination of her stomach already tied up in knots and eating too fast, Oddily found herself in a bad way.

“Can I get you anything?” Katerina stood up and walked over to Oddily. “You don’t look so well!”

“I…I’m okay. I’m just tired, that’s all.”

“I’ll take Oddily to her room,” Paul interjected. “I think that after she has a nice hot bath and a good night’s sleep, she’ll be fine by morning.”

Katerina backed away so Paul could help Oddily from her chair. “If you like bubble baths, there’s a lovely assortment of bath salts on the ledge of the tub.”

“I’m so sorry that I’m ruining your dinner,” Oddily’s voice sounded weak.

“Don’t be silly. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Just then, Paul’s uncle Patrick entered the room. “Is there any food left for me? Oops! Did I miss something?”

Katerina turned to her brother. “Oddily isn’t feeling well, so Paul is going to take her to the tower and let her rest.”

“Oh, that’s too bad! I wanted to spend more time with her. After all, it’s not everyday Paul brings home a girl.”

“It’s not like that uncle. We’re just friends.”

Patrick chuckled. “Are you sure about that?”

“Don’t mind him,” Paul whispered to Oddily. “He’s a big tease.”

When Oddily stood up, she was wobbly on her feet so Paul gave her a helping hand. He made Oddily lean on him for support while they left the room, and she didn’t let go until he brought her to the base of the stairwell leading to the tower. Paul allowed Oddily to climb the stairs at her own pace, and when they finally reached the top, Oddily gasped when she saw the magnificent circular room. This was to be her bedroom for one night, and Paul was right—the tower was unmistakably pink! The pale shade of pink on the walls added a soft glow to the whole room and the mirrored four-poster bed with a white ruffled bedspread supported the fairytale mystique. Then there was the huge pink shaggy rug covering most of the floor space. It was a nice contrast to the cute lime green chairs shaped like blossoming flowers.

“Come here. I want to show you something.” Paul stood by one of the large windows waggling his finger at her. “What do you think of this view of the forest?”

Oddily stepped over to the window and gazed at the dense woodlands below. The height of the tower made her feel like a bird looking out upon the world from high up in a tree. She loved the feeling, but this was nothing compared to the scene she had experienced from the windows of Maxim’s home.

After dark, the unusual plant life surrounding Maxim’s home became luminescent. The foliage and flowers of unknown origins glowed in a range of blues, purples, and greens: Lighting up the forest like a magical fairyland.

“Listen Oddily.” Paul turned her to face him. “I don’t mean to interrupt your thoughts but I’m concerned about you. Is there anything I can do or say to help you with what you’re going through?”

“You have already helped me by being my friend Paul.”

“Yeah, well I have a confession to make.”

Oddily sat down in one of the flowery chairs and then gave Paul her full attention.

“It’s about last semester. If I knew what I know now, things may have turned out differently between us.”

Oddily’s brows creased together. “I’m sorry! I don’t know how to react to that. I mean…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

With a serious face, Paul walked over to where Oddily sat and hunkered down on one knee.

Oddily drew back in the chair. “What! Are you going to propose to me or something?”

Paul began to laugh. “Who’s sounding like a goofball now?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Oddily began to blush. “Sometimes I say the stupidest things.”

“Nah, it’s cute! Anyway, what I meant was, if I had given you half a
chanCe
last semester, you probably would have turned out to be one of my best friends. Or who knows—maybe something more.”

Was Paul insinuating that his feelings for her were stronger than friendship? For fear of saying something stupid again, Oddily remained quiet and averted her eyes from his face to her lap.

Because of Oddily’s display of awkwardness, Paul got to his feet. “Okay, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

Oddily remained in the seat shaped like a flower until the sound of Paul’s footsteps diminished down the stairwell; and, when all was quiet, she closed her eyes. In the background of her mind, the scene in the meadow came back in vivid detail as she relived the sight of Maxim materializing out of thin air. The look of horror on Maxim’s face when he spotted her standing in the meadow was unnerving. It was the expression of someone caught in a lie.

What was this big secret anyway? That Maxim and his sister truly were time travelers, existing outside the realm of fantasy. Strangely enough, a part of her still loved them both despite this revelation. Could she truly walk away from her strange but loving family? She wouldn’t know the answer until after she was told the whole truth.

Oddily opened her eyes and yawned. She couldn’t allow herself to think anymore, so she stood up and headed for the bathroom. She remembered what Paul had said and agreed with him. She needed a warm bubble bath and a good night’s sleep to feel more like her old self in the morning.

After her luxurious bath, Oddily carefully turned back the bed covers and slipped into bed, the soft mattress cradling her body from all sides. The fragrance of lavender still clung to her skin making the moment even more enchanting. Slowly, she breathed in and out, allowing the experience to take her to a new level of splendor. This was her one and only night to feel like a real princess and she wasn’t going to let anything spoil it for her.

In a short while, Oddily became groggy and closed her eyes. She struggled to stay awake, but her eyelids were too heavy and she lost the battle. Her dreams took her to the dark woods—so dark, she was unable to see what lurked in the shadows.

“Help me!” She cried out.

Suddenly, a ghostly figure of Maxim shimmered to life within
a soft beam of light. “Are you ready?”

“I… don’t know!”
Oddily became confused
. “
Tell me what you mean.”

“In a few minutes, you will become my wife.”

Oddily had no remembrance of a proposal. “Did you ask me to marry you?”

“No. There is no need. Come…everyone is waiting at the chapel!”

“But I need a wedding dress.”

“You’re already wearing one. See for yourself!”

Oddily gazed at her reflection in the large mirror that magically appeared before her. What she stared at was a long faded orange dress that matched the color of her hair.

Maxim began to fade. “I will wait for you in the chapel.”

All of a sudden, the ruins of the graveyard chapel appeared before her, so Oddily hurried up the steps to go inside. The place was empty.

“Maxim, where are you?”

“I’m right here.”

“Where?” She searched the room.

“I am waiting at the altar.”

“But I still can’t see you!”

“Look again.”

“Oh, there you are!” Oddily tried to run up the aisle lined with pews but her legs moved in slow motion.

“What is taking you so long?” Maxim called out with a hollow voice.

“It’s my body! It won’t let me come to you.”

“Then you have rejected me.”

“No, come back!” But Maxim had disappeared.

“I will marry you!” Paul was walking up the aisle towards her with a bright smile on his face.

“But Paul! You don’t understand.”

“You have no choice. I pronounce us man and wife. You may now kiss me.”

“Wait…you can’t do that!”

Oddily woke up gasping for air, believing she had just married Paul. Whether it was a dream or nightmare, she wasn’t sure which. She glanced around the moonlit tower and then out the windows at the night sky full of twinkling stars. The sound of a feral animal howled in the distance.

For some reason, Oddily was compelled to slip out of bed. Strands of hair tickled the skin on her shoulders and back making her feel itchy.

“Ow!” She could feel a trickle of wetness where she gouged herself with her fingernails. She had made herself bleed.