Dark Tides

Percy never would have imagined what a relief it would have been to see Emily. After hours of going door to door in the market to look for work, his unsuccessful streak was putting him on the verge of punching walls. She always seemed to calm him down in these situations. He'd almost forgotten that he only lived a little bit away from Emily. Surely, he should have expected to see her sooner or later. He was somewhat embarrassed when she did find him suddenly, though it didn't seem like she'd noticed how disheveled Percy looked. He could tell she was hiding from someone, so more likely than not, she had other things on her mind.

He didn't get a chance to say much before Emily disappeared again, leaving Percy somewhat stumped. Having completely lost his train of thought, he decided on giving up and going home before someone reported him as a suspicious character. When he got there, he frowned, seeing a small trinket hanging off the doorknob. Another one of his mother's charms, this time used to invite lost souls into their home. He rolled his eyes when he realized what was going on inside, knowing that his mother had a guest over. He stayed quiet as he entered, trying not to distract his mother, who was sitting across a table from an older man, holding his hands with her eyes closed.

Percy had witnessed hundreds of seances while he was growing up. They used to frighten him as a young boy, and often times Colt would take advantage of that fear, jumping out at him and tickling the back of his neck with feathers when he saw his younger brother cowering behind the curtains. The challenge was not to make any noise, or they'd get smacked for disrupting the connections to the "other side". With Colt around to tease him, Percy rarely managed to stay quiet, eventually clinging on to his mother while she conducted the seance so Colt couldn't get near him without their mother noticing.

As a grown man, Percy still felt chills run up his spine when he saw it happening. There was an eerie and cold feeling that filled the room when she was trying to communicate with the dead, and Percy was a firm believer that dead people should stay that way. He stayed by the door and watched, staying completely still so the sound of his movements wouldn't be mistaken for an unruly spirit.

"Beloved Beatrice, come to us," Malina said loudly and clearly, while the man across from her trembled in his seat. "Why are you restless? Why do you frighten your husband so? How can we help you be at peace?"

Percy glanced around the room for any sign of movement, but saw nothing. Beatrice seemed like she was giving her husband the silent treatment.

"I can feel her," the man whispered, shaking hard before raising his voice and blurting out impulsively. "Beatrice! Won't you leave me alone! I'm remarrying, whether you like it or not!"

Suddenly, the basket containing Malina's sewing supplies fell off the shelf, just inches away from the man. He almost let go of Malina's hands, but she pulled him back down, opening her sharp eyes to give him a stern look.

"Don't break the circle!" she reminded him, as he slowly sat back down.

"She was a seamstress," the man said, eyes wide in terror. "What does she want from me?"

"Isn't it clear? She's jealous of your new bride," Malina said slowly.

The man narrowed his eyes and yanked his hands away suddenly, jumping when a few of the candles around them suddenly went out.

"You're lying. And I'm leaving," the man said, unable to take any more of it.

He stormed past Percy and out the door, leaving Malina calmly sitting there with her eyes closed again, muttering a few words to release Beatrice peacefully. Percy waited until she was done before walking over and blowing out the rest of the candles, offering his mother a hand to help her stand. She struggled, but balanced on her crutch, smiling to Percy.

"Why don't you ever just tell them what they want to hear?" Percy asked her.

"Because that would be twisting someone else's words," she told him, watching as he bent down to pick up the sewing thread and needles. "How would you feel if I told someone the opposite of what you really said?"

Percy just shrugged, setting the basket back up on the shelf.

"Who are you thinking about?" Malina asked, startling Percy.

"What?" he frowned. "Stop it, I don't like it when you 'read my spirit', or whatever it is you do."

"I wasn't," she said, raising an eyebrow. "I simply know my son better than he knows himself, and I know when he is thinking of someone. I carried you inside me for quite a bit of time."

"I'm not thinking about anyone," Percy said quickly. "I just saw a friend today. That's all. It had been a while."

"Who?"

"Luke."

"It was a girl, Percival," Malina chuckled, patting his cheek. "Your mother knows everything. Remember that. If you don't want to tell me who it is, that's alright. I understand, and I won't pry. You're such a big, grown man after all. You're far too old and experienced to listen to your poor old mother. I understand."

She winked at him before brushing a silky lock of hair out of her eyes and leaving to cleanse the room of dark spirits.

"Well before you leave again, at least help me," Malina said, once again accurately predicting her son's next move. He didn't even know whether or not he wanted to visit Emily, but obviously, his mother knew what his final choice would be. "You know where the sage is."

Percy sighed and did as his mother asked, burning the incense the way he was taught to do as a child. Above all, keeping the home cleansed was one of Malina's top priorities, both physically and spiritually. More often than not, Percy was the one told to do the physical cleaning. He was the messy, unorganized one, and Malina refused to be a maid for her children.

By the time he'd finished, it was dark out. He quickly attempted to somewhat fix his ragged appearance before slipping out, quietly walking down the empty streets. He was more than uncomfortable going where the upper class lived, staying in alleyways and shadows and looking for the garden of Emily's home. Sure enough, one window was still lit up on the second story, like Emily said. He looked around to make sure no one was looking before grabbing a handful of gravel from the ground, plucking a pebble from the pile and throwing it at the window. It hit the sill and bounced off quietly, landing in the bushes below.

It took three more pebbles before Emily finally came to the window, grinning brightly when she saw Percy down there and stepping out onto her balcony. Percy gestured for her to come down, but she shook her head, gesturing for him to come up.

"How am I supposed to get up there?" he whispered sharply. "Monkey up the side of the wall?"

He wasn't being serious, but Emily nodded, pointing to the way the bricks slightly protruded from the wall and a pillar nearby. Percy grimaced, but reluctantly did what she asked, cautiously climbing up the wall and using the pillar and the tops of the windowsills to get to the balcony. He panted as he grabbed onto the balcony for dear life.

"Pull me over before I fall off and paint your roses red," he grunted.

Emily didn't seem to understand at first, but quickly snapped back to attention and grabbed a hold of Percy's arm, pulling him to help him get over the balcony rail. He rolled over on his back to catch his breath, closing his eyes.

"Never ask me to do that again," he muttered.

Emily ignored him, urging him to stand up and ushering him into her bedroom, where she pulled out a chair by the vanity table for him to sit in. Percy looked around in awe at Emily's room, from the intricate gold designs carved into her furniture to the silky pink bed sheets and curtains. The room alone was the size of Percy's entire house, not including the attached washroom and the closet that would make many people weak at the knees. The beautiful green ballgown that was laid out on the bed alone was enough to put food on Percy's for weeks. While Percy had never felt poorer in his life, Emily didn't even seem to notice, chattering on about something Percy had forgotten to listen to.

"...and when it got dark, I was all but convinced you weren't coming at all," she said, sitting down in a lounge chair beside Percy and folding her hands in her lap, still all smiles. "And here you are! I'm happy to see you, Percy, I really am. I didn't think I would miss the Silver Spirit as much as I do. I don't know what I'd do with myself if you weren't nearby."

"I miss it too," Percy mumbled, still eyeing the dress. "Are you going to a party?"

"I went to a party, actually," Emily shrugged. "My birthday was last night. My family hosted a little celebration for me. It was nice to come out of... you know... mourning."

Percy frowned and nodded, suddenly remembering that everyone thought Ben was dead. It would have been much easier than explaining his new fascination with the long lost Triggs girl. They didn't linger on the thought for too long, before Emily changed the subject to the party itself.

"It was good to see everyone again," she said. "They're all in awe over what I'd been through. They didn't believe me when I said I'd made friends."

"I still don't believe you made friends, either," Percy smirked.

He listened as she told him everything, about the other girls who eagerly fished stories from her and about the young man who seemed to take a liking to Emily, since she was the shiny new toy.

"At least he was a good dancer," Percy said. "That's nice, isn't it? He doesn't embarrass his partner, like I do."

"Believe it or not, I had a much better time with you," Emily laughed. "There was a certain charm that dancing with Gregory lacked. There was little to no emotion, you see. He was just putting on a show. His focus wasn't on me at all."

"That's understandable," Percy said, though he didn't really understand completely.

"Enough about me," Emily said, straightening up in her seat. "What about you? How's life been for you?"

Percy hesitated. Life had been a struggle, but he didn't want to tell Emily that. He'd sound pathetic. The first time she'd met him, he'd been the second most important person on the ship. Now, he felt more like a rat that even the other rats wanted to rid themselves of.

"I wish I'd known it was your birthday," Percy said, changing the subject. "I would have brought you something."

"You don't have to do that," Emily said, blushing slightly. "I'm just glad to see you."

Percy thought for a moment, then looked down at his hands, at the thin leather cord around his wrist that sported the intricately carved charms his mother would make. He untied the charm from around his wrist and handed it to Emily, who seemed fascinated by it as she ran her thumb around the porcelain charm.

"This is so detailed and intricate," she said, examining it up close. "It's beautiful. I'd seen you wearing it all the time, but I never paid it much attention."

"It's a charm to keep the demons away," he explained. "Both in the person who wears it, and the ones who reside in other people. It's said to keep you sane in the darkest of times by protecting your soul and guarding your good spirit."

"Where did you learn all of that?" Emily asked.

"My mother is the one who makes them," Percy told her, reaching into his shirt to show her the one he always wore around his neck. "Her soul has a third eye that can see into the spirit world."

Percy paused, realizing how stupid he sounded when Emily gave him a sort of surprised look, like she'd been caught off guard.

"At least, that's what she would tell us," Percy stammered, struggling to make it sound less crazy.

"I don't think you're a fool, Percy," Emily giggled. "I just didn't expect you to say that. I think that's incredible. Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman."

"She really is," Percy said, nodding slowly.

"I'd like to meet her one day."

The thought of Emily walking into his pathetic shack of a home to see his frail and ill mother was an image Percy didn't want in his head. Once again, he changed the subject.

"Well, you can consider that a gift from the both of us, then," Percy said, gesturing to the bracelet.

"Oh, I couldn't take this from you," Emily said. "It's too special."

"I kept it to have my mother close to me," Percy reassured her. "Now I'm with her in person. Really, I'm not losing anything. It's not much, and if you think it's bogus I certainly don't blame you, but you'd be surprised how much peace of mind it can give you."

Emily surprised Percy when she suddenly jumped up to hug him excitedly, delighted with the little trinket he'd given her. Percy didn't normally like being hugged, but he let her hand on him for a few moments before prying her off and taking the bracelet.

"I know it's not exactly something that's easy to match with your wardrobe," he said, getting down on one knee in front of her. "It's not the latest fashion, but at least no one will have to see it."

Emily watched and held her foot out for him as Percy tied the charm around her ankle, which was barely the size of Percy's wrist.

"I love it," Emily grinned. "Thank you, Percy."

He smiled back as Emily threw herself at him once more, hugging him with a tight grip so he couldn't get away or pry her off this time. He gave in and hugged her back, just relieved that she wasn't asking him any more questions about what he'd been up to.