The Betrothed
for National Novel Writing Month
Day 20
Darrick held her motionless for a while longer as the import of her word slowly sunk in. His heart pounded. It had been a stroke of inspiration, a flash of an idea that had sounded better and better to him to him as he had talked it through, but until Abby had said “yes” it hadn’t seemed quite real. A part of him had even hoped she might talk him out of it so that he wouldn’t have to follow through on what was an exciting but increasingly scary notion. But now that she had consented, he felt committed. This was going to happen; his life was going to change. Well, he thought, it was going to change tomorrow anyway. It’s just going to change a bit more than I originally thought. As committed as he was, though, he had no idea of how to go about it.
“So, when do you want to do this?” Abby asked quietly, her head still resting on his chest.
“As soon as possible,” Darrick answered, relieved she had asked a question to which he knew the answer. “Today. Or tonight, I suppose, if we’re going to be sneaking out. Didn’t I say that?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right,” she said. After another second, she pulled back and looked him in the eye. “Can we do that? What about the bond?”
“What are you talking about? We’re already bonded.”
“No,” Abby said, looking increasingly concerned. “Richard will complete the bond at the wedding.”
“What does that mean?” Darrick’s head was beginning to hurt.
“When an Atlantean couple is married, the priest completes the bond between them. My parents say that the difference between a simply matured and a completed bond is like the difference between a dictionary and an encyclopedia. We’ll be united in a way that other couples cannot even imagine. If we just elope, the bond won’t be completed. Can we wait?”
Now that she mentioned it, Darrick thought he could remember his mother saying something of the nature, but it had been buried in the deluge of information to which he had been subjected over the last few days. But now that he had been reminded, Darrick wasn’t sure how to respond. He was afraid that, if they waited, that they would never get out. The wedding loomed in his mind as the final thread in the net. But this bond completion certainly sounded important, at least to Abby, which made it important to him. But we have to do this now. If we don’t, if we overthink it, we’ll lose our nerve.
“The bond will still be there in a year’s time,” he told her. “Right now, I’m happy with what we’ve got; it’s already much more than most couples get. I hate to ask you to wait, but can you be happy with what we have for just one year more?” Abby bowed her head as she thought it through as Darrick waited, barely breathing, feeling as though his entire future rested on her decision. Finally, she nodded.
“Very well,” she said. “I can wait a year, for you. For us.” She stayed close to him for a few moments longer, then Darrick could feel her pull herself together, physically and mentally. She stepped back, suddenly all business. Darrick blinked at her sudden change in demeanor, but it wasn’t too surprising. He had seen this mood in her before when dealing with the wedding. Abby could be incredibly pragmatic when necessary, far more so than he himself.
“If we’re going to do this," she began as she started to pace the room, "we have to plan very carefully. We can’t do anything that could allow them to track us, and my parents have a lot of resources and favors they can call in.” She laughed, and it sounded a little bitter. “For all of their talk of the terrors of the outer world, they have no problem with making their own contacts in it when it serves their purposes. And they have the money to make things happen. If we really don’t want to be found, we’ll have to leave our cell phones behind. And no mail, either on computer or paper; it can be tracked. And we can’t tell anybody where we’re going, not even Roger or Meredith. I don’t want to put either of them in the position of having to lie for us.”
Darrick felt a bit taken aback by that. The idea of leaving his parents in the dark was unpleasant, though recent conflicts had made it easier than it would have been. But going without the support of his best friend was almost unthinkable; the two of them hadn’t been out of contact for more than a week since middle school. And Abby obviously shared his unease, her voice dropping when she mentioned keeping her old friend in the dark.
“I suppose you’re right,” he said, shoulders slumping slightly. “I didn’t think of that. Still, we should at least tell them that we are going. They don’t have to know where.” Abby appeared substantially cheered by the comment.
“Yes, you’re right, we can.” The thought re-energized her. “In fact, we’ll use Meredith as our note. Once we’re far enough away, sometime tomorrow, we’ll call her from a payphone on the road and tell her what’s going on. She can tell our parents for us.” She looked pleased with her idea. “Much better than leaving an impersonal note.” She smiled sadly. “And it will give me the chance to say a proper goodbye. You can do the same with Roger." She stopped her pacing as one final idea formed.
“One more thing. I don’t want you to have to work to support me. If we’re going to be spending this year alone together, I don’t want to have to share you with some menial job.” She took his hands in a downright proprietary gesture. “I’ve still got all that money saved up from my parents. We’ll take some of it out and live on it for a year. All cash, so we can’t be found through the bank.”
“Abby,” Darrick protested. “I don’t want to live off your savings. I’m no moocher. I know my mother thought that I could just live off your family’s money, but I want to contribute.” Abby’s grin grew larger, and she gave him a quick hug.
“I know you do,” she said, “and that makes me proud to have such an honest man for my betrothed. I don’t want to live off my parents’ money for the rest of our lives either. But think of this as our wedding gift, my gift to you.” She sighed regretfully. “Since it’s certainly going to be the only one we’re going to get.”
“I’m sorry,” Darrick said, feeling guilty. “This wedding . . . it’s something you’ve wanted for your entire life, isn’t it? And I want you to run away from it. You can still change your mind, you know. I’ll understand.” Abby placed her finger across his lips, silencing him.
“No, my love,” she said, her tone firm. “You’re more important to me. The marriage is more important than the wedding. And I think you’re right, this is what the marriage needs. If for no other reason than Patrick might actually kill you if we stick around.”
“Do you really think he’d do that?” Darrick asked, panicked.
“Probably not,” Abby admitted. “But it’s obvious to me that you’re not happy here, and if we do end up spending the rest of our lives together as Atlantean nobility, it’s probably only fair to spend the first year of it in your world. Think of it as a wedding exchange program. I think the rest of them will understand, eventually, though we might have to do a lot of explaining when we first come back. For the first fifty years or so would be my guess.” Abby grimaced ostentatiously. “So, where do we go?”
Darrick blinked, surprised that such an obvious concern had been so far from his mind. He thought for a second, then grinned, almost laughing at his own cleverness.
“Oh, I know the perfect place.”
Late that night, two shadowy figures emerged from the front entrance of the house, moving as stealthily as possible. The night was still, as was every night this far up into the mountains, and they cringed at every creaking step, every crunch their shoes made against the gravel and concrete upon which they walked. Each carried only a couple of small bags, containing what would be the entirety of their lives for the next year. They made their way over to the side building where the vehicles of all the guests were being housed and opened the large door, wincing at the loud sound it made as it slid up and back. They stood frozen for a minute, but after no lights flickered on and no noise emerged from the inner regions of the house, they relaxed and entered. They switched on a small flashlight and quickly located the object of their search, an elegant but spacious four-door sedan resting near the far end. With the touch of a button, the headlights flickered and the doors unlocked, and they slid their bags into the back seat.
“Are you sure that’s all you need?” Darrick asked, looking at the surprisingly small size of Abby’s luggage. Abby made a face at him.
“Believe it or not, Darrick,” she said in mock lecture, “not all women require a fleet of suitcases to carry their entire wardrobe every time they travel. I’m quite capable of packing light.”
“But this is for a year,” Darrick responded. “Are you sure you don’t need any more? Not that I’m complaining, you understand.” Abby shook her head.
“This year is supposed to be a new start for us. I didn’t want to take along a hundred different reminders of my old life. They’ll all be waiting for me when we get back. Until then, I have you, and I can be happy with just that.” She gave him a loving smile, and Darrick returned it, feeling his face aglow. “I do have the important stuff, like the marriage license.” She cocked her eyebrow at Darrick, and he blushed. They had picked up the license a few days before – Atlantean weddings might be secretive, but they were also legal – and had completely forgotten about it when it came time to pack up. He was glad Abby appeared to be a bit more on top of things. He at least had done the research required to know where they could stop along their route to find a judge to marry them, so that at least helped him to feel a little less embarrassed.
They slid into the car, Abby taking the driver’s seat, seeing as it was her parents’ vehicle they were appropriating, and her set of keys they were using. It wasn’t stealing; they would leave it at the bus station and would let Meredith know where to find it when they called her. Knowing that they weren’t actually committing a felony – well, not for more than just a few hours anyway – kept this late-night getaway exciting, not guilty. They looked at each other, excitement mixed with apprehension clear on their faces, and each took a deep breath.
“Are we ready?” Abby asked.
“Let’s go,” Darrick replied, feeling the thumping of blood in his ears. “On to Atlanta.”
for National Novel Writing Month
Day 20
Darrick held her motionless for a while longer as the import of her word slowly sunk in. His heart pounded. It had been a stroke of inspiration, a flash of an idea that had sounded better and better to him to him as he had talked it through, but until Abby had said “yes” it hadn’t seemed quite real. A part of him had even hoped she might talk him out of it so that he wouldn’t have to follow through on what was an exciting but increasingly scary notion. But now that she had consented, he felt committed. This was going to happen; his life was going to change. Well, he thought, it was going to change tomorrow anyway. It’s just going to change a bit more than I originally thought. As committed as he was, though, he had no idea of how to go about it.
“So, when do you want to do this?” Abby asked quietly, her head still resting on his chest.
“As soon as possible,” Darrick answered, relieved she had asked a question to which he knew the answer. “Today. Or tonight, I suppose, if we’re going to be sneaking out. Didn’t I say that?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right,” she said. After another second, she pulled back and looked him in the eye. “Can we do that? What about the bond?”
“What are you talking about? We’re already bonded.”
“No,” Abby said, looking increasingly concerned. “Richard will complete the bond at the wedding.”
“What does that mean?” Darrick’s head was beginning to hurt.
“When an Atlantean couple is married, the priest completes the bond between them. My parents say that the difference between a simply matured and a completed bond is like the difference between a dictionary and an encyclopedia. We’ll be united in a way that other couples cannot even imagine. If we just elope, the bond won’t be completed. Can we wait?”
Now that she mentioned it, Darrick thought he could remember his mother saying something of the nature, but it had been buried in the deluge of information to which he had been subjected over the last few days. But now that he had been reminded, Darrick wasn’t sure how to respond. He was afraid that, if they waited, that they would never get out. The wedding loomed in his mind as the final thread in the net. But this bond completion certainly sounded important, at least to Abby, which made it important to him. But we have to do this now. If we don’t, if we overthink it, we’ll lose our nerve.
“The bond will still be there in a year’s time,” he told her. “Right now, I’m happy with what we’ve got; it’s already much more than most couples get. I hate to ask you to wait, but can you be happy with what we have for just one year more?” Abby bowed her head as she thought it through as Darrick waited, barely breathing, feeling as though his entire future rested on her decision. Finally, she nodded.
“Very well,” she said. “I can wait a year, for you. For us.” She stayed close to him for a few moments longer, then Darrick could feel her pull herself together, physically and mentally. She stepped back, suddenly all business. Darrick blinked at her sudden change in demeanor, but it wasn’t too surprising. He had seen this mood in her before when dealing with the wedding. Abby could be incredibly pragmatic when necessary, far more so than he himself.
“If we’re going to do this," she began as she started to pace the room, "we have to plan very carefully. We can’t do anything that could allow them to track us, and my parents have a lot of resources and favors they can call in.” She laughed, and it sounded a little bitter. “For all of their talk of the terrors of the outer world, they have no problem with making their own contacts in it when it serves their purposes. And they have the money to make things happen. If we really don’t want to be found, we’ll have to leave our cell phones behind. And no mail, either on computer or paper; it can be tracked. And we can’t tell anybody where we’re going, not even Roger or Meredith. I don’t want to put either of them in the position of having to lie for us.”
Darrick felt a bit taken aback by that. The idea of leaving his parents in the dark was unpleasant, though recent conflicts had made it easier than it would have been. But going without the support of his best friend was almost unthinkable; the two of them hadn’t been out of contact for more than a week since middle school. And Abby obviously shared his unease, her voice dropping when she mentioned keeping her old friend in the dark.
“I suppose you’re right,” he said, shoulders slumping slightly. “I didn’t think of that. Still, we should at least tell them that we are going. They don’t have to know where.” Abby appeared substantially cheered by the comment.
“Yes, you’re right, we can.” The thought re-energized her. “In fact, we’ll use Meredith as our note. Once we’re far enough away, sometime tomorrow, we’ll call her from a payphone on the road and tell her what’s going on. She can tell our parents for us.” She looked pleased with her idea. “Much better than leaving an impersonal note.” She smiled sadly. “And it will give me the chance to say a proper goodbye. You can do the same with Roger." She stopped her pacing as one final idea formed.
“One more thing. I don’t want you to have to work to support me. If we’re going to be spending this year alone together, I don’t want to have to share you with some menial job.” She took his hands in a downright proprietary gesture. “I’ve still got all that money saved up from my parents. We’ll take some of it out and live on it for a year. All cash, so we can’t be found through the bank.”
“Abby,” Darrick protested. “I don’t want to live off your savings. I’m no moocher. I know my mother thought that I could just live off your family’s money, but I want to contribute.” Abby’s grin grew larger, and she gave him a quick hug.
“I know you do,” she said, “and that makes me proud to have such an honest man for my betrothed. I don’t want to live off my parents’ money for the rest of our lives either. But think of this as our wedding gift, my gift to you.” She sighed regretfully. “Since it’s certainly going to be the only one we’re going to get.”
“I’m sorry,” Darrick said, feeling guilty. “This wedding . . . it’s something you’ve wanted for your entire life, isn’t it? And I want you to run away from it. You can still change your mind, you know. I’ll understand.” Abby placed her finger across his lips, silencing him.
“No, my love,” she said, her tone firm. “You’re more important to me. The marriage is more important than the wedding. And I think you’re right, this is what the marriage needs. If for no other reason than Patrick might actually kill you if we stick around.”
“Do you really think he’d do that?” Darrick asked, panicked.
“Probably not,” Abby admitted. “But it’s obvious to me that you’re not happy here, and if we do end up spending the rest of our lives together as Atlantean nobility, it’s probably only fair to spend the first year of it in your world. Think of it as a wedding exchange program. I think the rest of them will understand, eventually, though we might have to do a lot of explaining when we first come back. For the first fifty years or so would be my guess.” Abby grimaced ostentatiously. “So, where do we go?”
Darrick blinked, surprised that such an obvious concern had been so far from his mind. He thought for a second, then grinned, almost laughing at his own cleverness.
“Oh, I know the perfect place.”
* * * * *
Late that night, two shadowy figures emerged from the front entrance of the house, moving as stealthily as possible. The night was still, as was every night this far up into the mountains, and they cringed at every creaking step, every crunch their shoes made against the gravel and concrete upon which they walked. Each carried only a couple of small bags, containing what would be the entirety of their lives for the next year. They made their way over to the side building where the vehicles of all the guests were being housed and opened the large door, wincing at the loud sound it made as it slid up and back. They stood frozen for a minute, but after no lights flickered on and no noise emerged from the inner regions of the house, they relaxed and entered. They switched on a small flashlight and quickly located the object of their search, an elegant but spacious four-door sedan resting near the far end. With the touch of a button, the headlights flickered and the doors unlocked, and they slid their bags into the back seat.
“Are you sure that’s all you need?” Darrick asked, looking at the surprisingly small size of Abby’s luggage. Abby made a face at him.
“Believe it or not, Darrick,” she said in mock lecture, “not all women require a fleet of suitcases to carry their entire wardrobe every time they travel. I’m quite capable of packing light.”
“But this is for a year,” Darrick responded. “Are you sure you don’t need any more? Not that I’m complaining, you understand.” Abby shook her head.
“This year is supposed to be a new start for us. I didn’t want to take along a hundred different reminders of my old life. They’ll all be waiting for me when we get back. Until then, I have you, and I can be happy with just that.” She gave him a loving smile, and Darrick returned it, feeling his face aglow. “I do have the important stuff, like the marriage license.” She cocked her eyebrow at Darrick, and he blushed. They had picked up the license a few days before – Atlantean weddings might be secretive, but they were also legal – and had completely forgotten about it when it came time to pack up. He was glad Abby appeared to be a bit more on top of things. He at least had done the research required to know where they could stop along their route to find a judge to marry them, so that at least helped him to feel a little less embarrassed.
They slid into the car, Abby taking the driver’s seat, seeing as it was her parents’ vehicle they were appropriating, and her set of keys they were using. It wasn’t stealing; they would leave it at the bus station and would let Meredith know where to find it when they called her. Knowing that they weren’t actually committing a felony – well, not for more than just a few hours anyway – kept this late-night getaway exciting, not guilty. They looked at each other, excitement mixed with apprehension clear on their faces, and each took a deep breath.
“Are we ready?” Abby asked.
“Let’s go,” Darrick replied, feeling the thumping of blood in his ears. “On to Atlanta.”
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