The Girl With Golden Eyes

“You put that crystal under your pillow when you sleep, and you will have the most wonderful dreams. When you awake, you will feel better than ever… like a new person. Promise me you will do that?”

“I will, I promise.”

Stephen smiled politely as Casey stuffed the crystal into a pocket beneath her gown. “Cassandra,” he said, “I thank for your hospitality, and the best Halloween trick I’ve ever seen.”

“Stephen Harlow,” she said, extending her hand to him, “it was my pleasure, though I’ve shown you no tricks tonight. Tricks are for court jesters and travelling magicians and...” here she paused, a shudder running through her, “for witches. I am none of these, only a lowly handmaiden. What I have shown you tonight—“

“Was real, yeah, I get it. Goodnight, Cassandra,” he said, and as he took her hand, he felt compelled to raise her hand to his lips and kiss her knuckles, something he had seen in countless movies. Cassandra seemed to appreciate the gesture; a breathy sigh escaped her lips.

“Welcome to the neighborhood,” Stephen said, straightening himself to look at her again. He was startled to see how little emotion her golden eyes revealed.

“Thank you,” she said, “I would be pleased if you should visit again, Stephen. Very soon.”

“Can I come, too?” Casey chimed in from beside Stephen.

Cassandra smiled at her brightly. “Of course, little one, any time you want. I should be honored to receive a princess such as yourself in my home.”

“Why, thank you,” Casey said, trying to mimic Cassanda’s accent and curtsying. Cassanda, in return, curtsied to her and giggled again. It was a girlish giggle that Stephen found absolutely captivating, but he couldn’t help but wonder how old she really was.

Cassandra gave Stephen one last glance, a slight smile, and went back into the house, closing the door behind her.

Though there was no emotion in her eyes, Stephen knew what was in her smile.

* * *

Stephen had very little time to reflect upon his visit with his new neighbor. It was already well past the time he had promised Casey to her mother, and Stephen knew he was in for a vicious tongue-lashing already. It was, of course, the last thing he needed from his ex-wife. They headed back to Stephen’s house practically at a run, gathered up Casey’s things, and were back in the car in the blink of an eye.

It was a half-hour drive across the Beltway to his ex-wife’s neighborhood, and Stephen made it as quickly as possible without putting himself in danger of getting pulled over. He had already had his license suspended once for a drunk driving offense, and he had no desire to rack up any more violations.

As he pulled up in front of Julie’s house, he expected the worse, and would not be disappointed.

“We’re late,” he muttered absently.

“Mommy won’t mind,” Casey said hopefully, though Stephen could tell by the tone of her voice that she was thinking the same thing he was, and it offered him little comfort.

“Listen, honey,” Stephen said, turning to his daughter in the passenger seat, “you know I love you, right?”

“I do, Daddy.”

“And you know I would never do anything to purposely hurt you or Mommy?”

“I know, Dad,” Casey said, gazing absently at her mother’s house. “You know, Mom says she misses you sometimes. She says she wishes we had stayed in Pennsylvania, where we belonged.”

The words cut him straight to the core. He had had the same thought on more occasions than he cared to admit. If only theyhad stayed in Pennsylvania... would things be any different? As far as Stephen was concerned, an alcoholic was an alcoholic, and if it hadn’t been the city that pushed him over the edge, it would have been something else. Still, the guilt never failed to eat away at him.

“Mom doesn’t mean the things she says to you,” Casey said.

Stephen looked at her a moment, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “We should go in, honey, it’s getting late.”

They exited the car and made the walk up to Julie’s house. Stephen could feel his insides twisting already. He envied Casey for being able to so freely open the front door and enter the house without a care. As he stepped in, the sight of Julie sitting impatiently on the sofa made him hesitate.

Julie was still a beautiful woman, and though age lines had cut across her face, she wore them well. Her long, straight brown hair had streaks of gray flowing through it, but it gave her a distinguished quality. Now, however, her face was hard, stern, and Stephen knew it was only because he was there.

She softened when she saw her daughter, and Casey ran up to her immediately, throwing her arms around her.

“Hi, Mommy.”

“Hey, baby,” Julie said, “did you have a good time?”

“I did, Mom,” Casey said, sitting down on the sofa beside her, still in her little princess gown. “Mommy, we went to this lady’s house, only it wasn’t like a real house, it didn’t have any furniture or anything, and this lady was so cool, she had gold eyes, and she had a table full of crystals and they glowed, and there was this picture and—“

Julie laughed, and gently placed her arm around her daughter. “Honey, honey, slow down, okay? Are you ready for some more trick-or-treating, or are you tired?”

“Oh, no, I’m not tired.”

“Good, sweetie. Listen, why don’t you go put your things upstairs, and get ready? I need to talk to Daddy for a little bit.”

The smile faded from Casey’s face, and she glanced nervously at Stephen. She stood up and walked over to him, looking slightly dejected, as if she were in trouble, too. Stephen squatted down and looked her in the eye.

“Come here, little girl,” he said, and she threw her arms around his neck. “Did you have a good time tonight?”

“Yes, Daddy, thank you,” she said, then quietly whispered in his ear, “it’ll be okay, Dad. Don’t look sad.”

Stephen shut his eyes and squeezed her a little harder, then let her go. She smiled at him, then made her way up the stairs. He stood up straight and turned back to his ex-wife, whose mouth was little more than a thin line on her face.

“You’re an hour late, Stephen. Anhour. All the other kids have gone out by now.”

“I’m sorry, Julie,” he said, “we lost track of time—“

“Damn it, Stephen, you’re always losing track of time,” Julie said, standing up and approaching him. “You have very little responsibility in this whole situation, and the least you could do is take the responsibility youdo have a little more seriously.”

Stephen’s jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together. He wouldn’t allow himself to lose his temper, even if it meant turning his stomach in knots.

“I have very little responsibility,” he repeated, “all I have to do is take the blame for breaking up a happy family. All I have to do is take the blame for ruining your life, my life, and possibly the life of our daughter. All I have to do is face you every weekend knowing that I’ve lost the only woman I ever loved. How’s that for little fucking responsibility, Julie?”

Julie’s eyes darted away from him, and for a moment he thought he had finally gotten his point across.

“Julie, we lost track of time, me and Casey. I’m sorry. We were having a good time, and… we just lost track of time. I have so little time with her, and—“ Stephen stopped when he felt his voice begin to crack. If there was anything he didn’t want, it was for his ex-wife to see him cry.

Julie sighed deeply and crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes shifted to him, and the expression on her face seemed to contain an inkling of guilt. The corner of her mouth curled up in a tiny smile, and for a moment, she reminded him of the woman, the girl, he had fallen in love with.

“So, who’s this ‘lady’ you and Casey went to visit?”

Stephen’s eyes narrowed slightly. Was it jealousy he heard in her voice? “Nobody,” he said, “a new neighbor, just moved in today. The most—realistic Halloween costume I’ve ever seen.”

“Hmm,” Julie mumbled, and Stephen continued to stare at her.

“Why, exactly, do you ask?”

“I’m not allowed to ask about your girlfriends?”

“What makes you think she’s my girlfriend?”

“The tone of your voice when you talked about her just then,” Julie said, “I’m a woman, I can tell these things. You like her.”

“Julie…”

“It’s okay,” she said, the slight smile still on her lips, “Stephen, really, it’s okay.” She began to walk away from him, up the stairs to the second floor, but her grabbed her firmly by the arm and stopped her.

“Julie, I think she’s attractive, I really do, but she’s not—she’s not…” his voice trailed off, and Julie watched him with a soft expression on her face.

“She’s not what?” she said, her voice hoarse and breathy.

Stephen swallowed his pride and pulled her close to him. She came willingly, and as he pressed his lips to hers, she did not struggle or pull away. He kissed her, and she kissed him back. When her breath began to quicken, he felt a tingle of excitement inside him he hadn’t felt in a long time, and he forced himself to pull away.

She seemed surprised, and she looked up at him with wide eyes and a hurt expression.

“I’m not ready for you yet,” Stephen said, trying to catch his breath.

Julie’s hand went to her mouth, a flush of red coming over her face. She was embarrassed, he could tell, more than likely because she had allowed herself to lose control.

“No,” she said, “I don’t guess you are.”

“Jules, if I could take it all back—“

She raised her hand to signal him to stop. Her face dropped into her other hand, and he could hear her voice wavering. “Don’t, Stephen. Please don’t.”

He reached out for her, but she pulled away from him, her face stern and hard once again. Her eyes were full of tears, but he knew she would be damned if she was going to let any of them fall. At least, not while he was there.

“Don’t touch me,” she said sharply. “Stephen, I know you’re trying, you’re trying to be an adult, but every time you come around, every time you come near me… you just make me feel so stupid.” Her voice cracked again, and Stephen wondered secretly what he would do if she lost it.

She regained her composure quickly. “I won’t let you manipulate me, Stephen.”

“I’m not trying to—“

“I know you’re not doing it on purpose, but you come around, you kiss me, you kick in the old Stephen Harlow charm, and then you turn me down so you can—what? Have the power back? Is that it? I won’t let you, Stephen, I won’t. I appreciate that you’re trying to change, and that you’re trying to be a good dad for Casey. But don’t you come back here and toy with me.”

With that, she turned her back on him and headed up the stairs.

“You can let yourself out,” she said as she walked away.

* * *

Stephen drove home with the feel of Julie’s lips burning on his own. It had been a moment of weakness, a moment of loneliness, for both of them. And he had turned her down because he was not yet ready to take care of her again. Still, the kiss had been good, had been better than he remembered, and it only served to remind him that he was still a man, a lonely man, who hadn’t been with a woman in nearly three years.

Julie. She was a good woman, a good wife, a good mother, but she was not the kind of woman to be trifled with. Her reaction to Stephen’s indiscretion was a vivid reminder that she didn’t appreciate games, and that if Stephen was to come back to her, he couldn’t do it halfway.

Turning the corner onto his street, Stephen was glad to be back in the safety of his neighborhood, where he felt protected even from himself. He drove slowly down the dark street, now empty of the neighborhood children in their Halloween costumes. His car drifted past his own house, and he slowed in front of the Henderson’s. He wondered if Reggie would still be awake, but all of the lights were out. Reggie was, no doubt, asleep in his bed beside his wife, his son sleeping peacefully down the hall.

At that moment, Stephen realized how alone he really was. This evening, with his ex-wife… a year later, and he still seemed determined to ruin their lives. Casey had told him Julie missed him, and he had tried to take advantage of that. He felt worse at that moment than he did during any of the moments he when he was still drinking.

And then, of course, there was that. Two blocks away, within the city, there had to be someplace he could go, someplace he could get a drink. The liquor stores stayed open late, the bars…

He stopped. There was a light in one of the houses.I would be pleased if you would visit again, Stephen. Very soon.

Stephen parked his car on the street in front of her house. When he set foot on the pavement, he could already feel himself being drawn to her. Without evening realizing it, he passed over her walkway, up her stairs, beneath the garlands of garlic and black roses, to her door. And before he could even knock, the door was open, and she stood before him.

She had not changed out of her costume, though he had not expected her to. He wondered vaguely how the character could so vividly stay with her, though deep down, he knew it was somehow a part of her.

“Stephen,” she said with mild surprise, “you grace me with your presence again so soon.”

“I—I’m sorry. I was just—I just took my daughter to her mother’s house, and I was looking for someone to talk to, you know? Your light was on, and I thought—“

“I will sleep very little tonight. Tonight is—“

“I know,” he said, “a very special night. I got that, from the costume and everything.”

“I don’t think you quite understand as well as you think you do. But that is of little consequence. Would you like to come in?”

Stephen exhaled a deep breath and looked around. The neighborhood seemed so dark this evening, much darker than usual. He certainly didn’t want to be alone in the middle of it.

“If you don’t mind,” he said.

“It would be my pleasure,” she said, a sultry smile curling on her pink lips.

She stepped aside once again so he could enter. He stopped near the doorway as she closed the door, and as soon as she turned, she pressed herself close to him. The heat from her body warmed him all through his own body, and he found himself aching to touch her. She turned her face up to him and closed her golden eyes as she had before.

Without hesitation, he bent his head close to her, pressed his lips to hers. He found the breath nearly knocked out of him as he kissed her, her mouth was so soft and so sweet. After a moment, they broke the kiss, and she smiled at him. Her hands reached for his, and she gave him a surprised look.

“Your hands are shaking,” she said, “why?”

“I don’t know, I guess I’m just…” his voice trailed off as he reached a hand to her face. She was so startlingly pale, he had to see… he trailed a finger across her cheek, but not a speck of makeup streaked beneath it. His finger swept down the line of her jaw, and she sighed at his touch. Still nothing, across her lips, nothing. Her ghostly complexion, even more striking against her golden blonde hair, was no Halloween costume.

“My God,” he whispered.

“Why do you pray,” she said softly.

“Your skin, it’s so light. Are you sick?”

Her golden eyes narrowed angrily, and again, Stephen could see no sign that she was wearing trick lenses of any kind. “Do you ask the dark man across the street if he is ill? My skin is characteristic of my people.” Her face dropped a little, her shoulders slumped sadly. “Do you find me unattractive?”

Stephen placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her head. Once again, he pressed his lips to hers, the blood beneath his skin boiling at the feel of her lips, which parted against his own, their breath mingling together. Stephen could have kissed her forever, but he pulled away.

“If all this is real,” he said, “you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“You flatter me,” she said with a smile, and a twinkle in her eyes.

“I want to know everything, I want to know where you’re from, I want to know about your family—“

At the mention of her family, Cassandra’s face darkened. “My family… I do not wish to speak of that on this night.”

“It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it, then. I understand, I just want toknow you, Cassandra. I want to know what you’ve done to me that made me want to come back here so badly.”

She took his hand in her own and led him towards the dining room. “Come, then, Stephen. We have much to talk about.”

As they cut through the living room, Stephen couldn’t help but glance over at the table of crystals, all of which seemed to be glowing even brighter than before. She led him into the large, empty dining room. The only light in the house was coming from a fire in the fireplace, and the shadows cast made it difficult for Stephen to see the mural on the wall. For that, he was thankful.

The candles were cleared away, the pentacle dusted away. In the middle of the room, Cassandra had spread out a large, downy blanket, which looked to Stephen to be made out of some sort of animal skin. Beside the blanket were two goblets and a dark bottle with no label.

“Please, sit,” Cassandra said, gesturing to the blanket.

Stephen sat and looked at the goblets; not the usual drinkware he was used to seeing. His wine glasses were, in fact, department store clearance. These particular goblets looked to be made of fine pewter, with several sparkling gems inlaid on the sides.

His eyes slipped to Cassandra, who had gone to tend to the fire. Standing before the glow of the flame only accentuated the sheerness of her dress, and Stephen took in the silhouette of the lovely body beneath. As she turned back to him, he looked away. She wandered back over, her dress trailing behind her, her smooth gait making her appear to float.

She sat down on the blanket across from him, and poured the liquid from the bottle into the two goblets, then handed him one. A sweet, flowery smell rose from the cup, its fumes making Stephen’s head spin. He had never smelled anything quite so enticing in his life.

“Wine from my home. A special vintage, not to be found anywhere else. I think you will enjoy it.”

Stephen raised his cup to his lips, the scent filling his head. He took a small sip, and it turned out to be all he needed. The liquid washed over his tongue, so strong it threatened to burn his mouth, but almost as quickly, it turned to a soothing, luscious feeling that warmed him deep down.

“This is amazing,” he said, and Cassandra smiled.

“There is nothing like it in the world.”

There was a long moment of silence as they sipped their drinks, then Cassandra put hers down carefully on the floor next to her. She laid across the blanket, head propped up on her hand, and looked at him intently.

“You seem sad, Stephen. Tell me why.”

“I seem sad?”

“Yes. You spoke of your…ex-wife,” the words came from her mouth like a foreign phrase, “what does that mean?”

“What, they don’t have divorce where you come from? Marriages never end?”

“Where I come from,” she said, “when a marriage ends it means the woman has not done her duty as a wife, and she is executed.”

A slight chuckle escaped Stephen’s lips, although Cassandra didn’t seem to find it amusing. “Yeah, well, anyway, my ex-wife is still alive and well, and things are… complicated.”

“Do you still love her?” Cassandra asked, although by the tone of her voice and the expression on her face, Stephen didn’t think she wanted an answer. It was, however, the most normal, the most human question she had asked all night.

“I don’t know,” Stephen said. “I thought I did, but I think—I think I’m just not used to her not being around yet, you know? Love and routine are two different things. Do you understand?”

Cassandra nodded sadly. “Love and obligation are quite different, as well.”

“Obligation?”

“Yes,” she said, “you feel obligated to this woman, do you not?”