In Another Life

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Anabelle Mahoney 9 Priscilla Ln Winchester, MA 01890 339-293-2096 anabellesmahoney@gmail.com

about 3,000 words

In Another Life

By Anabelle Mahoney

After waking from a restless sleep, Lily could tell that it was still dark out. She got up silently and made her way over to her window. She stared out into the empty darkness that seemed to go on forever and tried to find solace in it. Her eyes followed the bright light that the moon was casting, illuminating her favorite tree in the very far corner of the property, near the forest. She blinked her eyes to clear them, trying not to get her hopes up—but there he was. His .shadow was perfectly outlined by the moon in the darkness. It was time. Lily smiled to herself She made her way over to her nightstand, fumbling around for a candle to light. She walked into her dressing chamber to find where she hid Michael’s cloak and brushed it gently with her hand, remembering how he put it around her yesterday when the ocean breeze gave her chills. It was the first time she had ever seen him wear this cloak or anything like it. He had told her it was a traditional Abenaki garment. She looked into the mirror to admire its coloring— browns and blues and yellows—before she slipped it over her nightgown. For a moment, she .tried to tame the wild black curls of her hair before giving up and blowing the candle out

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As quickly and as silently as she could, Lily stepped out of her bedroom, moved past Mother and Papa’s rooms, and scurried down the back stairwell used by the servants, pulling the cloak’s hood over her head. When she walked outside the door, a gentle gust of night air hit her.

She paused to let her bare feet sink into the freshly rained on grass and then hurried over to Michael. His long black hair was pulled back neatly, as it usually was, in a braid. He was wearing a dark shirt and worn out trousers. Michael saw Lily immediately and gathered her into a warm hug, encasing her in the safeness of his arms. A feeling of contentment washed over Lily and she squeezed him tightly back, inhaling his musky scent. They withdrew from the hug, but .did not move away from each other .Moon Shadow,” Lily murmured, referring to Michael by his Indian name “ He smiled warmly, though there was a hint of pain in his eyes. He leaned down to kiss Lily softly on the lips, then pulled his face away to look at her’s. He held her hands in his and .looked at her thoughtfully for what felt like a long time .Moon Glow,” he said“ ”?What“ Moon Glow would be your name,” he told her, “The silver light of the moon is making “ ”.your face glow. You’re the light and I’m the shadow—the receiver of your light Lily continued looking up at him as tears formed in her eyes. Michael had always been rather quiet and stoic. She had never heard him talk so openly before. His gesture meant so much .to her because she knew how much it must have meant to him .We’ll be bonded by the moon,” she whispered“ His lips found her’s again and she wrapped his cloak around them. In an otherwise

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blissful moment, a fear of the unknown that lived deep in her heart surfaced. As much as she .tried to fight it, their kissing soon took on a feeling of desperation # Before the sun came up, Lily walked back to her house and reentered just as silently as when she left. She lay down on her bed and moved between a light sleep and daydreams until .she judged that it was a decent enough hour to find her sister .Dora?” she asked, knocking on her bedroom door“ ”.Yes,” she told Lily, “come in“ As Lily opened the door, she saw her younger sister lounging on the flower-printed couch in the sitting room attached to her bedroom. Dora had her ankles crossed and her foot bouncing.

A piece of her light hair fell out of place when she got up excitedly to give Lily a hug. Dora was on the shorter side like Lily, though Lily liked to think that she was taller. Looking behind her .sister, Lily saw that Paige was in the room too ”.Paige,” Lily exclaimed, giving her a hug as well, “Just the ladies I wanted to see“ Paige worked for the family, mostly as a housekeeper. Though when Lily and Dora were little, she took care of them too. Lily could distinctly remember her watching them from the kitchen window as they played outside. They would go to her with the littlest bumps and bruises, .asking her to kiss them better Lily proceeded to regale Dora and Paige with her tale of the night. Dora gave her the smile she always gave her sister when she told her of something risqué. The smile was one of .concern, but at the same time, of thrill. The two sisters giggled like little girls Paige smiled tenderly at Lily and told her, “You found something special, but be careful.

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”.Some love isn’t easy Paige’s tender smile turned into a wary one and Lily’s thoughts turned towards her. Lily had often seen Paige’s tender smile directed at Papa. He had the same smile for her as well. It was as obvious to everyone else, but no one spoke about it. It was perhaps the only thing she did not talk about with Dora or Paige. It was not as though she felt she couldn’t talk about it, but rather it was something private…and something she didn’t know how to feel about. Some love

.isn’t easy Lily nodded to Paige and turned towards Dora, “So, what do you say, should we take ”.Clara out for a ride? She must be getting restless in the stable ”.Oh, yes. I would like that“ Lily and Dora left the room, bidding goodbye to Paige for the moment. The girls held hands as they walked outside to the stable. They took the path through the woods, their arms quickly growing sticky from brushing against the sap of nearby trees. The humidity rumpled .their dresses and made their hair grow curlier on the napes of their necks When they got to the stable, they saw Clara shining in the sunlight that streamed through the cracks of the wooden ceiling. She was a somewhat small, but beautiful blonde horse. Lily stood in front of Clara and gently placed her hands on either side of Clara’s head. Closing her eyes, Lily touched Clara’s forehead to her own and Clara neighed. Lily pulled her head back and .opened her eyes Just then, Dora and Lily (and Clara) heard the clopping of horses approaching the house.

They glanced outside the stable and recognized Papa’s black carriage. Papa was often gone from home for his steamship business. This time though, he was back sooner than expected. The girls

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.looked at each other and then apologetically to Clara, deciding they must postpone their ride # When Lily and Dora got back to the house, they smiled and greeted their papa. Their .mother was in the room too, but she didn’t look up—she never did Papa usually smiled brightly upon seeing his girls, but today he looked gravely back at them. Each time he came back from being away, he brought Lily and Dora presents while their mother would look on with cold disdain and what felt like jealousy. But, today he did not bring .anything with him. In fact, Papa was oddly silent Lily and Dora raised their eyebrows at each other and excused themselves, making their way to the kitchen, deciding to eat something before their ride with Clara. However, right before they were to go out again, something caught Lily’s eye. Papa’s office door was open, though he usually liked to keep it closed. She could hear him walking upstairs, so she motioned for Dora to stay where she was. Slinking into the office, ever curious, Lily glanced at Papa’s large wooden desk. Right on top, she saw a piece of official looking paper with a seal on it. Upon reading the paper, she realized that it was a deed for land. As Lily continued reading, she froze and the paper fell from her hand. This was for the land where Michael lived. What did this mean? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. She slipped back into the .kitchen .Come on, let’s go,” Lily told Dora as she grabbed her arm and rushed them outside“ They were walking back to the stable as Lily was telling Dora what it was that she found, .until she stopped mid-sentence. A movement from behind Lily’s favorite tree caught her eye Michael?” she whispered. He never came to see her during the day. Michael emerged “

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enough to gesture for them to come over. The three of them walked past the tree and into a .clearing in the nearby woods Lily, Dora,” Michael nodded. He didn’t look like himself. Lily prepared for him to tell “ .her what she already knew about the land .A member of my tribe was killed,” he said abruptly as Lily tried to gather herself“ .What? How?” Lily asked, the words rushing out of her mouth“ The government has taken most of our land to sell. Whoever bought it must have been “ ”.angry that we were still living on it Lily felt sick to her stomach. She couldn't breathe and she was getting dizzy. Somehow she managed to stumble over to Michael to hug him. It couldn’t have been her father. No, not her father. She couldn't bring herself to form any words. She heard Dora walk closer to them. Even from her peripheral vision, Lily could tell that her sister’s face was white. Dora patted Michael on the back, offered her condolences, and murmured something to say that she would go back to .the house. Michael and Lily held each other like the world depended on it They stayed motionless. Lily didn’t know how long they had been there. It felt like many years and a few seconds all at the same time. However, now Dora was running back into the clearing with a look of panic on her face. Lily scrambled to close the remaining distance between .them. Michael was one step behind .What’s wrong?” Lily asked, growing panicked as well“ Dora was not one to lose her composure. She was breathing heavily from running, her .chest moving up and down in exaggerated motions

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When I walked back to the house....” Dora heaved, but continued quickly, “I saw Paige “ packing all your garments. She didn’t know why or what was going on, but looked nervous and ”.said I better find you Lily felt her heart beat loudly in her ears while her vision blurred and her palms grew clammy. She turned to face Michael who was now right beside her. His eyes were glued .unwaveringly to her’s I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. I better go see what’s the matter,” Lily said, “ attempting to make her voice sound cool, but her words came out as a whisper, “I’ll be right .back,” she told Michael Suddenly, Michael embraced her in his arms. She closed her eyes to soak in every ounce .of him .I know,” he said“ Lily turned to face Dora, grasping her hand tightly in her own as they started to walk back towards the house. As soon as they were out of Michael’s sight, they broke into a run so fast .that Lily thought her legs would surely fall off Lily and Dora slowed their run to a brisk walk when they got closer to the house. The rapid pace of Lily’s heart quickened from the sight before them. Her belongings were being loaded into a carriage she didn’t recognize. Beside her, Dora started gasping for air. Lily drew her sister close to her side and rubbed her shoulder. Against Dora’s hot skin, Lily could feel that her own hand was ice cold. As they stepped inside and Lily’s eyes adjusted from the sun, she saw Mother and Papa sitting in the drawing room. The room was decorated with gaudy artwork Papa .had acquired from around the world

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Their mother was sitting erect on a padded chair, smiling wickedly as her eyes ran over Lily and then Dora. Her smile widened as she assessed their appearance, doubtless because they .looked disheveled Dora,” Papa said severely, accenting her name with a tap of his cigar, “we would like to “ ”.speak with Lily alone .Dora looked at her older sister, hesitating for a moment before leaving the room Your mother wrote to me recently—while I was away—to inform me that she got a visit “ from one of our neighbors, Mr. Turner,” her father told her, “Lily, Mr. Turner’s seen you with one ”.of those Indian boys Lily felt all of the color drain from her face. She started to protest, but her father held up .a staying hand An opportunity out west has presented itself to Mr. Turner’s son, George. You will marry “ him and go with him. He’s an advantageous match for you,” Lily started to speak again, but her father continued, “I understand that one of the Indians has been killed today. It would be quite a ”.shame if something happened to another one Her father inhaled smoke from his cigar and blew it out slowly, letting his threat hang in .the air like a bomb Lily thought she might faint. She felt like she was watching her life play out in front of her as she watched. Oh, she had known something bad might happen if anyone were to find out about her relationship with Michael. It was what always caused her anxiety when she was with him. It was why she never allowed herself to be truly happy or love him fully. But, oh, she never could have foreseen this. She dug her nails into the palm of her hand, hoping to wake up from

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the nightmare that her subconscious had created, but all she felt was a pinch of pain. How could she leave? How could she leave Dora? And Paige? And Michael. Oh God, Michael. She couldn't leave Michael. Despite her best efforts, she realized suddenly, she did love him fully. With every part of her being. She knew. How could she ever live without him? But...the only way to protect him...was to leave him. It was not a comfortable realization. Her father had just very pointedly threatened her, or rather, threatened Michael. She would never be able to forgive herself if .something happened to him when she could have prevented it. She had to protect him ”?Will you marry George“ Her father knew she didn’t have a choice. That was the most hurtful part. He had used her love for Michael to manipulate her. Lily felt a sting of betrayal. Her father who had doted on her all her life. Her father who was allowed to love Paige when Lily was not allowed to love Michael. Her father, who was being just as cruel as her mother. The deed to the land. The native .who had been killed. Her father .Yes,” she heard herself say“ ”.You will leave now“ Lily’s shoulders slumped as she grasped the fact that she wouldn’t even be able to say ?goodbye to Michael. Just as well. What could she possibly say that would make this any easier Lily stepped outside of the room in a trance. She saw Dora with tears streaming down her .face. She was listening then. Good. She would have to tell Michael Their father instructed them to walk outside. Lily stood up straight and grasped Dora’s .hand, wearing a blank expression. Lily would be damned if she let her parents see her cry Paige was already outside, evidently having listened as well since she was trying to

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muffle her sobs. Lily turned towards Dora. Though her sister made no noise, tears continued to .flow down her face. Lily leaned in to give her a hug that she wished fervently would never end .Listen to me, I love you more than anything,” Lily whispered for her ears only“ Dora squeezed her tighter and let out a small whimper. She rested her head on Lily’s .shoulder .I love you too,” she told her in a voice barely audible“ Please,” Lily said, her voice low, “please, find a way to tell Michael what has happened. “ I don’t know when I will be back—” her voice broke off as she thought of whether or not she .would be back at all .Lily heard her father clear his throat ”.Alright,” he said briskly, “say goodbye to your mother“ Without even thinking, Lily turned towards Paige. Smiling to herself, she realized her mistake, but proceeded to take long strides over to Paige, unable to resist the final snub of her .parents Lily gave Paige a big hug as she heard an impatient sigh in the background. She pulled .her face back to look into Paige’s eyes. She knew Paige felt betrayed by Papa as well I count my blessings every day that Dora and I had you as a mama. I love you with my “ .whole heart,” Lily told her Paige managed to stop crying for long enough to tell her, “Baby girl, I love you like you ”.are my own .Lily turned away quickly. She would not cry

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She wore the proudest expression that she could muster and faced her parents, head held .high. She nodded to them indifferently .Soon Lily was sitting next to George Turner in the carriage. She did not look back As the carriage started to leave the property, Lily looked over at her favorite tree. Behind the tree, she could see half of Michael’s body. He was looking at her, unmoving and .expressionless. She looked back at him and felt a tear roll down her cheek .Her Michael. Her Moon Shadow