Chapter 175
“And?” Elizabeth Henry asked as she pinned the lace Christian had brought her earlier that day to the hem of Abigail’s dress. She was working quickly, her hands flying over the material at least twice as speedily as a human could perform the same task.
Christian sat across from her in a rocking chair he’d made for his grandmother. She’d passed away a couple of years ago, but he’d kept the chair because it was comfortable, and he was proud of it. Not a single squeak or creak met his ears as he worked it in the corner of the room.
“And… I don’t know. It just seemed odd. The Bible says we’re not to curse.” The word the beautiful shopkeeper had uttered was still bothering him. He’d hoped his mother would tell him he was right for being shocked and appalled, but so far, she didn’t seem to mind at all.
“The Bible says a lot of things, Christian,” she said, her teeth clamped down on a pin. She pulled it out and shoved it through the fabric. “I don’t think it says, ‘Thou shalt not say damn.’”
“True. But it does say we shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain. It also says we shouldn’t damn others, that that’s the job of the Lord.”
The sound of Abigail preparing dinner behind their mother caught his attention. She was engaged to marry Tunson Cartwright, a man ten years older than her, just a week from Sunday. Once she was gone, it would be different in their home. Christian would sleep in the loft alone. He’d be the only human left in the house as well. Abigail was too old now to Transform, and she was happy with her decision. He had been counting the days until his seventeenth birthday so he could go through with it. The encounter at the shop had him questioning that, too, though. His entire life, he’d known he’d be a Guardian when he grew up. Now, for the first time, he was wondering what that would mean to a potential mate. Would a human woman be willing to marry him? There were rules about how much a person could know before marriage. What if he began to court someone and then found out that she couldn't handle his lifestyle or wasn’t capable of keeping all of the secrets? What would he do then? Confused, he looked up at the ceiling, not sure what to do.
“Christian, the Bible has many rules for us to follow. You do understand, however, it’s really a guide for humans, don’t you? That is to say, the Bible doesn’t mention our kind anywhere. Nor does it mention the Baddies. Not our particular Baddies anyway. We do the best we can.” His mother was sewing now, her hands flying through the fabric with precision and speed like a machine. He watched for a moment, noting how she never came close to poking herself. She was a wonder.
“Well, if you want my opinion,” Abigail said in a quiet voice as she turned, “she’s not the girl for you. A woman who would say such a thing in front of a stranger, a customer, no less, simply isn’t worth your time.”
Christian smiled as Abigail turned back to the potatoes she was scrubbing. His sister was so kind to him. She always knew how to make him feel important. Perhaps she had a point, though.
“With all that’s happening between the British and the colonies, I’m not sure I’d be too interested in finding a woman these days anyway,” Elizabeth continued. “Your father has connections. You may be called upon to serve, should we end up having to fight for our rights as colonists.”
Christian wrinkled his nose. Human affairs and worries were still part of his world, as much as he wished he could ignore them. Especially since he was still technically a human for the next sixty-seven days. After that, he’d have the freedom to Transform. Then, he’d be an unstoppable force. He’d have all the time in the world to think about who he wanted to marry and whether or not she was worthy of him and all he planned to accomplish. “Father and his friends are set on creating a sovereign nation here, are they not?” he asked his mother.
“They are. It’s for the best.” Elizabeth was nearly done with the lace.
“And what of our ties to the old country?” he asked. “Will we continue to speak with the Goodies on the other side of the ocean? Or will they become an entirely new set of Baddies?”
His mother snickered. “Our kind will always be united, Christian. Nothing can stop that. We will continue to work together, regardless of what the humans do. But your father is set on assisting his friends who see this new world better off self-governing. I’m certain he will expect your service in that regard as much as he expects you to Transform on your birthday.”
He said nothing. The idea would have to mill around in his mind for a bit. Like everything else, he would need to ruminate on the thought. Once he was set on something, it was difficult for him to change his mind, but accepting an idea to begin with, well, that was another story entirely.
He’d already envisioned himself wedding the blonde girl in the dress shop. Now that he knew she wasn’t what he’d assumed she was, that she wasn’t quite worthy of him, not because of her foul mouth necessarily, but just in the fact that she’d let him down, he’d have to disentangle all thoughts of her from his mind. He’d need to find someone else who could potentially take her place. It was all too complex. Perhaps it would be better if he could just let it go for a year or two. Unlike his sister who would be past an acceptable marrying age soon, he could wed later in life if he chose. Not that anyone would even need to know how old he was, should he go elsewhere. He loved Pennsylvania, loved this place where he’d lived his entire life, but eventually, he would have to move along since it would be impossible to explain to the humans that knew him now why he never seemed to change. Guardians aged, but not nearly as quickly as humans did, and he would never look a day over fifty if he lived to be thousands of years old.
