The Haunted - Jessica Verday [123]
He nodded, and hit the switch. The room was plunged into darkness, and I slipped off my pants and into my pajamas.
Something crunched in my jeans pocket.
“What was that?” Caspian asked.
I pulled out a cellophane wrapper. “Fortune cookie.” Padding over to the window, I parted the drapes slightly and cracked it open to read what was inside. Every gift comes with a price.
Choose wisely. Clutching the fortune tightly in one hand, I climbed into the bed.
“Good fortune?” Caspian asked, settling down on the covers beside me.
I rolled onto my back and looked up at the dark ceiling, silently wishing for glowing plastic stars. “Yeah. It was. I think I’m going to hold on to it.” He was quiet, and I said, “I miss my stars.”
“I have mine,” came his reply. “Right here next to me.” I rolled to face him, but I couldn’t make out anything in the darkness. It was like talking to a shadow. “Sweet dreams, Caspian,” I said. “Even if you don’t dream, think of me.”
“Always,” he replied.
I closed my eyes, with a smile on my face and the fortune in my hand.
˜ ˜ ˜
I got dressed quickly the next morning and packed my stuff in a hurry. Then I went into the bathroom and made a call. Gesturing for Caspian to follow me, I left the room.
“Where are we going?” he asked, once we made it outside.
“I have something I need to do. It won’t take long.” When the cab picked us up, I told the driver to take me to the florist shop on Main Street. I asked Caspian to wait for me outside. He agreed, and I went in, unsure yet of what I was even looking for.
The florist greeted me pleasantly and asked if he could help me with anything. I told him I was undecided, and went to go look in the giant glass display cases. Most of them held roses.
Pink, yellow, red, white, peach, and striped varieties of all kinds. My head was spinning just trying to decide.
Finally, I checked back with the florist. “I’m looking for something… maybe a spray of flowers? But I don’t want it to look like it’s for a funeral.” He pointed to several small baskets, filled with white and yellow daisies, and then to a fern arrangement. But I shook my head. They didn’t feel right.
“Of course there are always roses,” he suggested. “I could put together a bouquet for you.”
“No. I don’t think I want that. I’m just not sure what I want.” I turned away and glanced at the display cases again. Nothing was standing out to me there.
Then I saw a smaller display case, tucked away in the corner. A wild purple plant was the only thing in it. “What’s that?”
He came over and lifted it out to show me. The delicate brass pot it was in was gorgeous but looked like it could hardly contain the plant. Blooms tumbled everywhere.
“This is the heliotrope plant,” he said. “I’ll give you a good deal on it. They’re not usually sold in florist shops. It’s a very old plant. This one came mixed with a recent shipment.” The purple flowers seemed to be calling out to me, and I touched a clump of petals. “I’ll take it. And a single red rose, too.”
“You know, the heliotrope has a very distinct meaning,” he said as I pushed open the door to leave.
“It does?” I said. “What is it?”
“It symbolizes eternal love and devotion.”
I smiled at him. “Perfect. It was meant for me, then.” He smiled back and waved as I walked out. I switched the plant to my left hand and turned to Caspian. “Can you lead me back to the cemetery?” He nodded, and we made it there about ten minutes later.
I found his headstone and knelt down to carefully arrange the plant beside it. The blooms arched around the stone, almost lovingly, looking like they’d always been there.
“Heliotrope for devotion,” I told him. “And a red rose for love. Eternal love and devotion.” I placed the single rose on top of the headstone, then pulled away suddenly. A sharp thorn had sliced into my thumb. Caspian had his eyes closed and didn’t see what happened next.
But I did.
A drop of blood fell from my finger and splashed onto the flower. The crimson bead rolled, then spread across one perfect red petal. It blossomed there, like an ink