40

  Susie

  A few days into summer, Christian called me and said he wanted to talk. He stressed he wanted to talk to me, and only me, no Cody, no Brad, Briar wouldn’t even be there. He wanted to talk to me face to face.

  “Susie, I know you have a lot to say to me, I just want to talk to you. Let me just make my case, I know you might have a problem with this whole situation, but if we could just talk, one on one, I think I deserve a chance to at least explain myself.”

  That may be the only real act of bravery I could actually give him credit for committing.

  “Okay, Christian, where should we meet? That Fancy Restaurant? Ruth’s Chris? Some other high life location that you can afford now?” she said.

  “The Lake,” Christian said, “Not in the lake, outside the lake, the place where we all used to meet, let me make my case,” he said.

  I felt a lump in my throat, I closed my eyes, I thought for a second. I thought of telling people about that lake exposing the existence of Somewhere Else. But then I remembered that wouldn’t even matter to Christian now. He had everything he could have wanted from Somewhere Else, he didn’t need the lake anymore, he had no reason to continue his travels, he had what he was after, he had his princess, “Fine, the lake,”

  “Just us, no Cody, no Brad, and don’t worry about Briar being there. It will be just me and you. I know that we’ve found ourselves with differences, I want to work them out. You’re my friend Susie, I don’t want to not be your friend,” he said. I wondered if he was more worried about losing me as a friend, or worried about a wild variable out there who could potentially collapse his whole world if I had seen fit to do so.

  “Okay,” I lowered my head, I gave up on my morales and agreed to his meeting, “I’ll meet you, just you,”

  “No Cody, no Brad,” Christian repeated.

  “And no Briar,” I said, finishing what I hoped his sentence was. I didn’t want to look at Brair, every time I did I felt this intense guilt. It was my fault she was here. It wasn’t our fault, it was my fault. I’m the one who drove Christian to go on that damn heroic quest to rescue her. I couldn’t stand seeing that poor girl getting gas lit harder and harder by the moment as Christian drew her into his trap with all the luxuries and trappings his wealth in this world was able to give her.

  Let me try to explain it like this, do you know that icky feeling you get when you see some fat, sleazy, slob win the lottery and then start posting to Instagram with his hot new bikini model trophy wife. That’s the same thing Christian did. Briar wasn’t a woman to him, she wasn’t his love, she wasn’t his life, she was his trophy. She was his property. In Christian’s mind, he earned her, you can’t earn another human being. He was such a monster. All these years later, as I’ve had more years to stew on it and really think about how messed up his actions were, I doubt if he ever loved her as a person, despite how much he pleaded with us that he did.

  The thing that makes it extra bad to me, was she was so stupid. I’m not saying that to deride her personally, she was a fifteen year old girl who grew up in the pampered life of a princess in a simple world. No girl like that is going to have any idea how to live in the real world. It’s not her fault, but still, she was so stupid. Of course she just followed Christian like a little puppy on a leash wherever he led her. She was a toy for him. You know what? I bet if what happened didn’t happen, if he actually got the life he wanted with her so badly, her profound naivety might have become boring to him after a while. It’s my bet that he would have eventually abandoned her, thrown her to the side after ten or so years when he began to notice his status as one of the richest men in the state had other women, other, younger trophies chasing him. Christian’s money did give him power in this world, and power corrupts, absolutely.

  I was the first to the lake, just there, waiting. I saw a Mercedes come over the bank to the lake. He had obviously traded in that beat up old Chevy if he didn’t just scrap it all together. It looked so out of place as it came down the winding dirt path that led to that damn magical lake. Christian got out of it. He was dressed in a black v-neck and designer jeans with black boots.

  He approached me and took a deep breath, “Susie,” he said, “Let’s just talk,” he said.

  “Nice car,” I said, my heart beating so fast but I was doing everything I could to keep a calm face in front of this monster.

  “It’s just a lease,” he forced a smile, but I could see the fear in his eyes. I was the one person who could, potentially, destroy everything he had.

  “So I see you enjoy the finer things, is that what you think you’re giving Briar, a chance to have the finer things?” I asked.

  “She’s getting a mani-pedi, a massage, and a spa day at an establishment that charges over a grand for an afternoon, yes, I am giving her the finer things” Christian said, straightening his shoulders trying to defend himself, “She wants to look her best for the wedding,” he said.

  “So first you kidnap her, then you gas light her, and now you spoil her, such an enchanting love story you’re weaving for yourself, you sure do love your fairy tales,” I said.

  “It’s more complicated than that, Susie, you must know it’s leagues and leagues more complicated than that,” Christian said. Was this man really here to defend himself. I didn’t know what to think at the time. I didn’t know if he was here to defend his actions, or grovel for a pardon to the crime he was so guilty of.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “What do you want to talk about,” I leaned against my car, I couldn’t even look at him.

  “Listen, I told you what she was going through, what I saved her from. Is a life here, with me, really that much worse then no life at all? Am I really that bad of a person for a girl to think of spending a life with would be so terrible?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said, closing my eyes, I couldn’t even look him in the face, “It just seems so wrong, she doesn’t belong here,” I said.

  “Then where does she belong? Does she belong back in that tower. Does she belong in that bed, slowly rotting away for thousands of years. Her Prince may have already been killed, so many things in that world were destroyed by Morgan, she could have-”

  I raised my hand, “Do not talk to me about Morgan,” I snapped, “You’re not going to get out of this by arguing that you’re any better than her,” I said.

  “What’s done is done, Briar is fine, she’s happy, we’re happy, and I can make this work,” Christian said, “Just please, be happy for us,” he said.

  “Christian, it just feels so wrong,” I looked at him, this was the last day in my life I ever tried to feel some kind of humility for Christian.

  “I want you to be happy for us, please, Susie, I’m begging you,” he said.

  “Why? Why do you care what I think? Why do you care what anyone thinks about the debauchery you’re trying to pass off as chivalry?”

  “Because you’re my friend,” Christian said, he started taking deep, quick breaths, “At least I thought you were, I thought we were friends,” he said, “It’s because of you we could stop the Piper, it’s because of you I was able to find Briar, I wanted to thank you, Susie, you’ve helped me get something I never thought I could have. Hell, before Briar, before all our talks by the fire alone together, I would say that next to her, you’re the one women I’ve talked to the most in my life save for my mother’s constant drunk scoldings of me, I care about you Susie, you’re my friend, and I would like it if you would say I was your friend too,” he said. God, he was so pathetic, “Briar’s taken a liking to you, you’re the last woman she knows with a connection to her home, she asked me to ask you something,” he said.

  “And what on earth would that be?” I asked, I had barely spoken to Briar, she didn’t know anything about me other than what Christian had fed into her brain about me. She didn’t know anything about this world, except for what Christian had told her.

  “She would like you to be her maid of honor,” Christian said.

  “What?!” I said, “I don’t even know her, Christian, you’re really going through with this, you’re getting her a fake identity, you’re breaking probably a dozen laws, you’re doing things that defy anything that could be considered right in this world,” I said.

  “She, likes you, she said she felt like you cared about her. She doesn’t have anyone left, I’m all she has, and after introducing her to everyone, you all are the only people she knows, I know that I’m taking advantage of a situation. But I do love her, I love her and you all are my friends, and she wants my friends to have a place in the wedding,” he said, “I asked Cody to be my best man, and Brad to be a witness, there's no one else she can turn to, and she felt a kinship with you, with someone who seemed so worried about her well being. She wants you to stand next to her as we declare our love, just do this Susie, not for me, but for her. You keep telling me how much you care about her, about her being happy, this would make her happy,” he said, “Please Susie, she wants a proper wedding, as small as a wedding with me as a groom would have, I want to give her a proper wedding,” he said, “I know you may not understand-”

  “Oh, I understand fully,” I interrupted him, “I understand that you are giving your new bride everything she wants, everything she thinks she wants at least,” my fists were clenched, I wanted to whack him in the jaw, I wanted to beat some sense into him. That would have been meaningless though.

  “Susie, you’re one of the only girl’s whose ever talked to me without mock or jest, I know that you disagree with me on certain issues-”

  “Certain issues?!” I said, my eyes wide looking at Christian.

  “But, I want to give Briar the wedding she deserves, and she deserves anything she wants. You must see that I want to give this girl everything she deserves,” he said, “Besides, it’s a free vacation to Las Vegas,” He said, smiling.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Vegas, I got us five tickets, we fly to Vegas and have the wedding there. Don’t get me wrong, It’s not some quickie in and out chapel where we speak our vows in front of Elvis, it’s actually a really nice establishment, pretty expensive, Vegas is the marriage capital of the world after all. I got us all great rooms, Casinos, shows, fun, I got a whole great week planned out for everyone, and then I can marry Brair in front of the only people on this side of the lake I give a damn about,” he said.

  “A Vegas wedding, really?” I asked.

  “Fuck my family, fuck everyone I’ve met before Briar except for the three of you, you’re my friends, you’re my real family,” Christian said, “Let’s just have a fun week together, let’s have one more adventure, one more adventure on this side of the lake for a change. Then we can go our separate ways. Cody and Brad are down for it, Brair really wants you to be there, don’t do it for me, do it for her,” he said.

  “If this is what Briar wants, if you’re sure this is what she wants,” I said.

  “She wants this, she wants to be married, and she wants to be married right. She doesn’t have a family left to attend, and I don’t give a damn about anyone in my family who would pretend to care to attend, just a small ceremony, just something to make it legal in this world. I will love her, I will honor her, and I will protect her,” he said, “Susie, I swear to you, I will always protect her,” he said.

  I took a moment to think about things, so many things. “This is what Briar wants?” I asked, I cared so much for that girl, that poor girl. Christian may have been full of bullshit for all I know, but in that moment I fell for the bullshit he was spouting, “Okay, I’ll go, and I hope you’re happy Christian, I hope both of you are,” I said.

  “We are, we really are,” Christian smiled, he turned and looked over the lake. That portal, that escape from everything he hated about this world.

  “I bought the farm,” Christian said.

  “What?” I asked.

  “The farm, this farm, I bought it,” Christian looked down, “I’m having a crew come here in a few weeks, they’re going to fill the lake, cement, I told them I was planning to build an apartment building,” he said.

  “Christian, you mean that?” I asked.

  “You told me I had to give up that world, I’m ready, and you also told me that someone could do real damage to that place if they found it, just look at Morg- no, just look what we’ve seen,” he said, “Soon the portal will be closed, no one in, no one out, that world will be free from our machinations, that’s what you wanted right?” he turned to me.

  “Yes, that’s, very mature of you,” I said, I don’t know if I meant it when I said it, but the thought of that world being permanently severed from ours was enough for me to at least find a bit of relief.

  “I love Briar, Susie, I know that you have a problem with how I found her, but I do love her, I really do,” he turned to me, pleading in his eyes.

  “If you think this is the right thing to do, I won't stop you,” I think in that time I was feeling that same pity Cody always felt for him, “So a trip to Vegas, hard to complain about that,” I forced a smile, looking at Christian.

  “It will be fun,” Christian said, “Fun in the real world, you all always told me I could find joy here, and I think I have, I think I finally have,” he said.