Thirty One

Thirty-One

I leaped out of bed as fast as I could. I had not believed that I could actually sleep, what with everything I had to worry about, but giving myself over to those long-forgotten memories had exhausted me. I was ready though, ready to do anything to save Isaiah.

Hannah and Eli were already halfway out the door by the time I opened my eyes. I followed quickly, clearing my head of distracting thoughts as best I could.

The three of us slunk along the trees, staying in the slowly disappearing shadows. The sky was purple, but the sun had not yet risen. I prayed silently that Roy had stuck with his threat, that he had not already taken advantage of the situation and killed Isaiah while there was no one to stop him.

Eli led us to a cluster of trees not far from the barn where Isaiah was being kept. We could see Roy striding across the grounds. He stopped at the door and called for my father, who came around from his post at the side entrance of the building.

The three of them talked quietly for a while. Then, for a moment, I was sure he looked directly at us. I ducked back instinctively.

“Adeline, no!” Eli whispered anxiously. “Don’t move.” Roy continued to stare for a long, terrifying minute before giving last instructions to Daddy and Ethan and walking into the barn.

Then there was nothing but a long, agonizing silence. I tried to calm myself, tell myself that maybe he was choosing to let Isaiah go.

But then there was a terrible sound, a muffled bang that came from inside the barn. It was almost like a gunshot, but almost too quiet. All three of us jumped at the sudden noise. Eli and I both came close to giving ourselves away, but Hannah managed to hold both of us back.

“No,” Hannah hissed. “He would never kill him now, not when he knows you waited.” As horrible as the thought was, I knew it was true.

After several more painful minutes, the door opened again and they emerged. Roy had the rope around Isaiah’s neck again, but he was not being dragged. He walked slowly, limping, in a hunched position with his eyes closed. It was still too dark to see what condition he was in, but his face held pain and fear, and I wondered again if we would really be able to make it out of this.

Once they passed, we followed silently behind, keeping hidden as best we could.

They marched Isaiah to the tree, our tree. Of course. Whether they somehow knew what it meant to us, or if it was purely chance, I still don’t know. Dying, out of season flowers blanketed the ground. The three of us found ourselves crouching on a small hill elevated above them, watching, ready for anything.

Roy let go of the rope and took a few steps away from Isaiah. The others untied the bind at his neck and stepped away as well. I wondered why they would risk his making a run for it, but then Roy took out his gun.

He pointed the pistol at Isaiah, his face dark and frightening. We could hear what he said now.

“Say you don’t love her,” Roy growled, face menacing.

Isaiah said nothing, but closed his eyes and shook his head.

Roy’s eyes narrowed and he took a step closer. “Say you never loved her, maybe I’ll let you die.” This seemed an odd threat, but Isaiah still did not respond. He tried to stand tall but groaned and bent over, as if pained by something that had already happened. Something was wrong. I should have known. Roy had known what we would try. He had hurt Isaiah so badly he couldn’t fight back. He couldn’t run.

Roy took another step, utterly out of control now. “Say you never loved her! You couldn’t have loved her! She never loved you!”

That got a response. Isaiah faced Roy, his face even more frightening. “You’re wrong.” The words were hardly more than a whisper, a rasp growled with as much ferocity as possible.

Roy made a noise that sounded very much like a snarl. “Well it’s all over now.” He cocked the gun.

“NO!” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it. I could not sit by and watch this happen. For whatever reason, Isaiah was not going to try. I was up on my feet, running towards them as fast as I could, not hearing Hannah and Eli as the protested.

I was just inches away when I heard the shot. I pushed Isaiah away as the bullet sped towards him, barely missing my shoulder. I heard wood splinter as it hit the tree.

“Adeline!” Roy cried, sounding more than surprised.

“Don’t do it, Roy!” I yelled. “Don’t you dare hurt him.”

Isaiah leaned into me. I could tell he was in pain, probably too much pain to run. “Addy, no…” he whispered. Up close, his face was horribly bruised, lips swollen, eyes blackened, forehead bleeding. I couldn’t bring myself to look very long.

“Don’t touch her,” Roy said suddenly, speaking to my father and Ethan, who were advancing on us. They immediately backed away. Then Roy turned to me. “How could you love him? How could you love something that’s not even human?”

I wanted to kill him, just for that. “You can say that, Leroy McCalvin, but you will always be the inhuman one! You are the animal.”

“So I’m inhuman,” he began, sounding almost hurt, “because I wanted you to love me? I’m an animal because my wife, who I was led to believe had real feelings for me, only married me so she could have a slave’s b*****d?” I had never thought of it that way, and if I had not hated him so much I would have felt almost guilty. “I can’t live like this, Adeline. I only wanted a real life, with you. I’m done competing with that… that thing!”

He pointed the gun at us again. “Roy, no!” I cried.

“Goodbye, Adeline!” he screamed. “I’ll see you two in hell.”

 I was not even sure of whom he intended to kill anymore. I squeezed my eyes closed, holding Isaiah close, and prepared for the worst.

Then there was a loud bang, but nothing happened. There was no searing pain, no endless darkness. Isaiah did not fall out from under my arm or cry out. I opened my eyes.

Roy was on the ground, the pistol still in his mouth.

I would have felt pity, looking at the gruesome scene, had I not felt an incredible relief pass through me. Ethan and my father left my side and ran to his still form. Hannah and Eli came running towards us. I looked to Isaiah, unable to hide the shock on my face. But Isaiah did not return my expression.

He groaned and doubled over suddenly, clutching his stomach. “What is it, Isaiah,” I asked, suddenly terrified again. “What’s wrong?” I then became conscious of a warm, wet substance on my blouse. I looked down and gasped.

It was blood. Isaiah’s blood.

He moved his hands and I could see where it came from. There was a tear in his shirt and a steadily growing red stain seeping from the bullet wound in his stomach.

Isaiah collapsed into me with a shudder. I couldn’t support him by myself and set him down on the pink-flowered ground. I held him in my arms as Hannah and Eli ran to meet us, their faces full of panic. “No,” I breathed. “Hannah, help! Get help!”

“What’s wrong?” Hannah touched her hands to the wound and Isaiah made a terrible, agonized sound. “Oh no,” she gasped as tears filled her eyes. “No, no he couldn’t have…”

“You have to help him!”

“The bullet is still inside him, Adeline!” she cried, looking at her own trembling, bloody hands. “It’s been there too long. It’s too late. He… he’s dying.”

“No,” I began to cry, unable to believe it. “No, Isaiah, no…” But it had to be true. It all made sense: the muffled shot, Roy’s strange threat, Isaiah’s being so unwilling to run, everything. I knew from Isaiah’s war stories that to be shot as he had been was to die slowly as poisons from his stomach seeped through his body, and I realized too late that Roy had not been threatening Isaiah with the pistol. He had been tempting him, offering to end his pain.

Roy always won.

“Isaiah, no,” I begged, holding him close. “You’re all right. Come on, you’re all right.” I kissed him as I said it, as if that could do anything to help. The metallic taste of blood made my stomach turn.

He opened his eyes, but didn’t look at me right away. “Hannah,” he breathed, looking at his sister. “Eli,” he grasped friend’s hand. “Thank you.” That was all he had to say.

Neither of them said anything but Hannah let out an almost inhuman wail. Isaiah’s eyes focused on me, full of agony, “Addy…” he breathed as he began to shake with pain.

“Don’t worry, Isaiah. I’m here. You’re going to be all right,” I assured him, wishing I could believe it. “Roy’s gone now. We beat him. It can all be all right now.”

He could hardly speak as his body convulsed. I couldn’t imagine how badly he must have been hurting. “Addy… I-I tried, Addy. I tried to… get away. B-but he had… he had the gun.”

“Shh… shh…” I tried to quiet him, afraid he was wasting his strength. “I know. I know you tried.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t try harder… I’m sorry I… I left you…” He looked up at me with so much remorse in his eyes I could barely hold his gaze. “I broke my promise.” His lips trembled, and I kissed him again so I wouldn’t have to see it. It was only the second time I had ever seen Isaiah cry.

“Don’t say that,” I pleaded, stroking his face, wiping away the blood that had begun to trickle from his mouth. Oh God, there was so much blood. “Please don’t apologize. Don’t say goodbye. You’re going to be fine.” We both knew it was a lie. Isaiah’s eyes were beginning to cross; he was losing too much blood. I knew that, even if I could somehow get the bullet out, there was no way to stop the bleeding. There was truly nothing I could do.

His eyes darted around, as if only now realizing where we were. “This is where we met, isn’t it?” he whispered feebly. I nodded and he winced. “You were wearing flowers in your hair.” He lifted a shaky hand to my face, touching the pins that I still wore. I took one off as quickly as I could, pressing it to his palm. “Do you remember?”

“Of course I remember,” I said.

He was finally able to meet my eyes. “Oh… oh… don’t cry, Addy. Don’t cry.” Through everything, even though he was the one dying on the ground, Isaiah was still trying to comfort me. You have to be strong, Addy” he began again. “I know… I know you can do it.” He broke into a fit of coughing and I knew there was blood in his throat.

“I can’t, Isaiah…” I sobbed, hardly able to speak for crying. “I c-can’t do it. Not without you. I don’t want to forget.”

 “You don’t… you don’t have to. The memories… they’ll make you strong. You have to let go… b-but don’t forget. Don’t ever forget what… what happened here.” He looked back at me with eyes full of that familiar, beautiful sincerity. He did not say the words in the terrifying way that had frightened me for so many nights. He said it pleadingly, honestly, full of the quiet earnestness he had always possessed.

“Don’t forget me.”

“Isaiah…”

He lifted his hand I took it, holding it as tight as I could “Promise me… p-promise me…”

I looked into his eyes, so pleading and fearful. “I promise, Isaiah. I promise.”

He opened his mouth, but nothing came but ragged breath, and I knew he would never say anything else. I held his hand in mine and touched it to my face. “I love you,” I said softly.

Isaiah said nothing, but he smiled an impossible, peaceful smile and gave a little sigh. There was nothing else to say. All I could do was listen as his breathing became shallower and shallower, feel as his spasms calmed, watch the blood seep out of him. I just held him and cried for those last, long minutes. Then, as the first pink light of dawn peeked over the horizon, those beautiful black eyes closed for the last time, and Isaiah died.

I hugged him to me and felt his heart stop beating next to mine. Hannah pressed her head to Eli’s chest and sobbed, but I barely noticed them. I just rocked his still body like a child and wailed, pleading with God to bring him back, begging the world to take me too, crying harder than I had ever cried before. He was really gone. There was nothing I could do. It was over.

How could he have thought I would have the strength to leave? How could the very last thing Isaiah said to me be wrong?

A winter wind blew and I shivered, wishing the cold could numb me. The last petals were blown from the tree, gently landing on us as I held him close. I looked at those petals on his face and remembered the tears I had seen him cry just hours ago, and I realized he had known even then. He had been so afraid. He knew he would die no matter what promises he made.

Why hadn’t I taken him then? Why hadn’t I helped him? Why had I left him tied up in that barn, left him for dead, somehow believing that Roy would let him go?

Hannah wailed something into Eli’s chest that only he understood. He was crying now too, squeezing his eyes shut like he was trying to stop it. “I know… shh… shh… it’s all right.”

“No! It’s not!” she cried. “My brother is dead! He’s dead, Eli!” As if Eli couldn’t see that. “How could he do this? Why my brother? My brother…” She pulled away from Eli and tried to push me aside, burying her face in Isaiah’s chest as she sobbed.

“Shh...” Eli rubbed her back and drew her into him. “You know why. You know why he wanted this.” He turned to me. “Adeline, you have to go,” he said seriously. “He did this so you could be free, because he knew you could never do it alone.”

“But I am alone,” I cried. How could he not see that? “Eli, he left me! He left me after he promised…”

“Didn’t you even hear to him?” Hannah asked looking up at me angrily. Her voice was hoarse from crying. “He knew what would happen, but he never would have made a promise he didn’t mean to keep. He could have run then, risked being separated or left you behind, but he didn’t, because he promised he wouldn’t leave you, and he promised he would get you away from this place. He kept his promise, and he stayed with you as long as he possibly could, and that promise killed him.” She looked down at her brother’s still face. “And he died for you, Adeline. Don’t you ever forget that. If you don’t leave with his baby right now, then he died for nothing.”

In the bleakness of my shattered heart, I knew they were right. Isaiah had not intended for this to break me, but to give me courage. He had wanted me to pull from his strength, carry on when he could not, and go into the future with no limits.

And I knew then that Roy had not won, but we had. Isaiah was right. We had overcome the world. He had set me free; that was his victory. And, no matter how badly it hurt, I had to hold on to that victory and live like Isaiah would have wanted me to. And if I did that, he really would never leave me.

I took Isaiah’s hand, still so rough and familiar, and closed it around the pin he still held. Then I bent over him and kissed the last of the warmth from his lips. I set him on the ground, as gently as if he were sleeping, and let my fingers brush his bruised cheek. He looked so young and innocent lying there. I could almost see the little boy who had once stood on that spot and said: “They won’t let us see each other.” I knew it was the last time I would touch him, the last time I would ever see his face.

That horrible thought nearly pitched me back to the ground, but Eli was there, holding me steady. I stood, shutting my eyes against the tears that came like ice down my face. I shivered against the winter wind and Eli handed me his coat, covering my bloodstained blouse. “Go,” he coaxed gently, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “We’ll be right behind you.” As I turned away, I saw Eli kneel down next to his dead friend, and heard him say, softly as anything, “go on up and see Ruben now, brother.”

Later that morning Eli would bury his second friend to die by Roy’s bullet. They would put Isaiah in the ground under our tree with the hairpin in his hand. They would carve his name into the bark no one would stop them.

But I wouldn’t be there to see it. I had said my goodbyes. It was time to leave.

I stood and turned back to the cabins. Jordan stood in the doorway. I could tell she had just woken up, that she had not seen what had happened. She had our bags in hand. “What happened, Momma?” she asked sleepily. “I thought we were going to leave.”

She looked at me, eyes shining with childlike innocence and Isaiah’s sincerity. I did not want her to know what had happened, but I could not hide the truth from her.

“We are leaving,” I assured her. “But… but Daddy can’t come with us.”

She looked past me, her gaze falling on the place where Hannah and Eli kneeled over him, and realization passed over his face. “What happened to Daddy?” she asked, tears welling in her eyes.

I kneeled down in front of her. “Daddy went to heaven, baby,” I said softly.

Jordan started to cry then. She threw herself into my arms and I held her and we both cried like we would never stop. “It’s not fair, Momma,” she cried. “Why did he have to go just when I had him? Why does it have to hurt so bad?”

I took her little hand. There was only one thing I could say, one thing that could get through to her. “Baby, listen to me. Sometimes, no matter how badly we want something, it can still be taken away. And when that happens, all we can do is be strong and walk away with what we have left. And we might be able to let go, but we will never forget what happened here. And as long as we don’t forget, if we hold on to that memory, no one can take that away from us.”

She sniffed and looked up at me. “That sounds like Daddy talking,” she said sincerely.

I bit my lip and, despite everything, I smiled.

We stood and looked at each other for a long minute. Then I broke her gaze and looked to the house, to the attic window, and to the past. I remembered the sight of his young, smiling face as he appeared at the window, the stolen nights spent in that room before either of us knew what we were getting into. I remembered making love to Isaiah, just yesterday, for the last time. I thought of the feeling of his hot skin, the taste of his lips and the sound of his voice as he said my name over and over. And, though I knew it would hurt, I promised never to forget the things that had happened in that room.

Then I looked to the sky. It was another dawn, another day. The slaves of Roy’s plantation were waking up to find they were free, thanks to Isaiah. I knew it was only a matter of time until the rest of the south went that way too. But I knew my war was over. I was done fighting to be free.

And, as odd as it sounds, I thought that maybe Isaiah was free too. He was somewhere where he would never have to leave me, where no one could hurt him anymore. That was all I ever wanted for him.

Then I looked back to the place where he had fallen. Eli had carried Isaiah away. There was only the tree, nearly bare now. The petals that carpeted the ground were crushed and stained with blood in the place where Isaiah had died.

. There was something new, though. The bullet Roy shot at us had left yet another notch in the scarred bark of the tree. The last notch, the last sign that Isaiah had been there. And, to me, that meant Isaiah would meet me again. Isaiah would always come back for me. Someday we would be together again.

That was all the hope I had ever needed. That was the hope that had always given me strength.

I stood and took my daughter’s small hand in mine. “Come on, baby,” I said. “It’s time to go.”

She smiled a weak little smile and we walked away from the plantation as the sun rose over yet another new day.

 

Author's Note

Okay, here are my final notes.
a). This book took my nine months to write. I've never finished anything this long before, and it means everything to me.
b). A huge thank you to everyone who stuck with Isaiah and Adeline until the end. I could not have done this without you.
c). If you have any major issues with ANYTHING in the book, please message me. The next step is self-publishing and I need all the help i can get

Thank you again. You have no idea how much your support means to me.

Reviews

[Jesse Jacques]

Okay, so I didn't write that many reviews for the other chapters, but that was because I've been so absorbed in the book. Overall, it was amazing and so filled with emotions that I cried at the end. It definitely has publishing potential so good luck and great job!

[AK]

Hey the book was great! I kept reading till the end hoping that they would be happy at last, hoping that they would be a nice family.
THATS MY MAJOR ISSUE! Please don't be so ruthless and kill off that poor Isaiah! The story was beautiful...please! Do something about it if possible! I hate sad stories especially if they are long. I tend to get attached to the characters, I ended up weeping so PLEASE do something!


I'm sorry I didn't want to get so clary but I had to tell you this. Thanks for reading-
Akanksha Suresh

[Just Me]

Ok I just finished reading the book and all I can say is wow......
That was probably the best romance book/novel I've ever read!!!!!! I cant believe u killed isaiah!!!! I was looking forward 2 a happy ending :(
The writing style was amazing but there were a lot of typos I noticed. But I absolutely loved it none the less. It took me less than an hour 2 finish the story it was so addictive.
1 question. Did u get that book published and, if the answer is yes, where can I buy it?!?!?! I need 2 own a copy of this!!!!! Please message me with the answer!!!!!!! I'm totally desperate 2 actually own this!!!!!!!!! Amazing!!!!!!

[Short.Nerd]

I loved it! It was so sad that Isaiah died but a perfect ending gret job:)

[Bexfinch]

Major issue isaiah died but in books you take away an important player the readers love . Bingo we go crazy saying whyyyyyyyyy. Boo hoo. A suggestion you could do a beauty and the beast ending like the bullet didnt hit him it hit the dirt only it looked like it hit him. THatd be so cool. Were can I buy ur book

[Banished]

uhh yea
I DEFINITELY have major issues with this book!!!!
WHY WOULD YOU KILL HIM!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!
I READ THIS ENTIRE THING WAITING FOR THEM TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO RUN AWAY TOGETHER, BUT NO.
HE DIIIIIIEEEEEED.
I Honestly cried from reading this.
This was absolutely AMAZING (minus the ending).
seriously, if i saw your book in a store i would definitely buy it.
Great Job!!!!!!!! =D

[Closed Account]

Noooo!! I can't believe Isaiah died! This was so sad.

The book was awesome, though. The ending was so sad, but it was a great way to end it. Great job on finishing this, it really was amazing! =)
Great job, and good luck with the self-publishing! Can't wait to get a copy! =)

[C. Porter]

I HAVE A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THE BOOK. ISAIAH DIED. ISAIAH DIED. ISAIAH DIED. ISAIAH DIED. ISAIAH DIED.
ISAIAH.
DIED.
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was one of the closer times I have come to crying while reading a book. Really. I can't believe you just did that. nononononononononononnonononononononnononononono.

*ACTUAL REVIEW OF THE BOOK*
I loved it! The writing flowed great, and you seperated it in good places. Only a few problems:
1) There were a lot of typos. Lack of commas, lack of periods, periods instead of question marks, that sort of thing.
2) Adeline's mind changed spontaneously a lot. She would sometimes have contradicting thoughts...

Other than that, you KNOW I loved it!