Golden Leaves

What The Hell

"Clove, wearing a hole in the floor won't do anyone any good."

"I can't help it, Evelyn!" I flung my hands in the air and groaned, "The library didn't have anything! Not an address, not a P.O. box, not even somewhere to send a freaking carrier pigeon!"

Evelyn calmly watched me pace back and forth. The bookstore was relatively deserted, as the rush hour was always after lunch. It was easy to shuffle across the hardwood floors in my socks, muttering under my breath and practically exploding at the seams.

Klaus was so close and yet so far away. After nearly a year of searching, I finally found someone and I couldn't even get into contact with him. Leaving Dallas was out of the question just in case someone else arrived, or someone who was already here saw the umbrella. Without an address, P.O. box, or phone number, it seemed like there was absolutely no way to contact Klaus.

It hurt so much to know someone was right there, but I couldn't reach them. After months of searching, I finally found someone. They were right there but my arms were just a little too short to reach them. Frustration covered the ache in my heart as I realized there may be no way to get to Klaus at all.

"Clove, take deep breaths," Evelyn moved around the counter to rest gentle hands on my shoulders, "It isn't the end yet, there are still options and we will find them. Have a little faith, my friend."

I ran my hands down my face and took a deep breath. Evelyn met my eyes and smiled, squeezing my shoulders, "We will get to him."

"It's taking so long," I rested my forehead on her shoulder and groaned, "I don't have the patience for this!"

Evelyn rubbed my back, "When do you ever have the patience?"

"Ouch, Evelyn, you wound me."

"Patience or not, a little faith can get you a long away," Evelyn pulled me away so she could look me in the eyes, "You've come this far, don't give up now."

I gazed at her for a moment and sighed. To this day, I swear, the only reason I survived ten months in 1963 was Evelyn's unwavering optimism. She had enough faith for the both of us and it was quickly rubbing off on me. Giving her a small smile, I said, "You're right, you're right. We've come this far"

Evelyn smiled at me and squeezed my shoulders. When she let go, I ran my hand down my face and released yet another long breath. I needed a distraction, perhaps removing my mind from the situation is exactly what would give me a solution. I glanced at the stack of books near the front windows, "I'm going to stack some books, get my mind off of it."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Evelyn pushed herself up onto her stool and grabbed the daily newspaper, "I'll be right here if you need me."

Giving her one last smile, I shuffled off to the stack of books and fell on my knees. Evelyn had just gotten a new shipment of classic novels, all bound with beautiful red leather and golden writing. The leather felt smooth and soft under my fingertips, I could have easily spent all day just stroking the covers.

Working in Evelyn's bookstore had given me a glimpse of an entirely different life. One of peace where the most eventful thing was a new shipment of books. It was calm, it was peaceful, it was everything my life was not. In a way, it was nice, but it was also nerve wracking.

My entire time with Evelyn, I knew this was her life and not mine. It could never be my life, no matter how much I might want it to be. My life was apocalypses, assassins, and dysfunctional superhero teams. It was chaos and destruction without any end in sight, and, as much as I loved it, I found myself wanting to slow down every so often. Staying with Evelyn gave me the chance to do that, but it practically fried my nerves as I knew it was only a matter of time before it all imploded around me.