Virginia dropped her hands, letting down the blinds. She did not know what to think or do. She lowered her head. The sun still rose over the Earth, but her life remained upside down. They were really gone. She could still remember the scene as if it had happened yesterday. Blood was everywhere. The couch was torn as if something had sliced it multiple times, its stuffing scattered throughout the room. The lamps and end tables laid in pieces across the floor. And the bodies…
Virginia shook her head, trying to cast out the memories in her mind, but they were still fresh. After all, it had only been a week since the incident. Everything had happened too fast.
Tears began to form in her eyes. She quickly wiped them off, refusing to engage in another cry. She walked away from the blinds and back to her bed. She stood before it, wanting to crawl in, but felt she would only ensnare herself into another spiral of emotions.
"Is there another alternative?" she asked herself, drying her eyes.
Numb to all around her, she turned and left the room.
Virginia took in the scenery more in the hallway than when she had arrived. To her right, the hallway continued with three other bedroom doors similar to hers. Down the hallway to her left was one more bedroom door; further down the hall was a door that looked different from all the others. It had a stained-glass window with a six-pointed star in the center. A light shone brightly through it, tempting Virginia to open the door. Surrendering to curiosity, she walked down the hall and placed her hand on the doorknob. Opening it slowly, she unveiled a large, welcoming balcony suspended by porch pillars below. It was constructed of beautiful wood painted white. The floor was aged and in need of a fresh coat. Brown, yellow, and red leaves and pine needles were scattered and blowing gracefully across the floor. Old furniture, coated in white paint matching the porch, was arranged for conversation. Yet, on the far side was a single chair facing west with a small, white table next to it. It looked very lonely and old, as if someone was still sitting in it, waiting.
Virginia stepped out onto the balcony and looked around. What took place up here?
She slowly walked over and stood behind the single chair facing west. What about you? Why are you separated and turned in the opposite direction from the others?
She brushed her fingers across the backrest of the chair. Finding clues without answers, she turned around and returned to the stained-glass door. Stepping back into the hallway, she took one long final look at the old balcony before closing the door.
Before walking down the hall towards her room, she saw a spiral metal staircase winding up to the third story of the house at the far end of the hallway. That side of the hallway was rather shadier than the rest.
What could be upstairs? She shook her head. Not now. Maybe later.
She made her way to the stairs and walked down to the foyer.
She reached the bottom step, and then it hit her again: she was living with her uncle now. Watching the sunrise and discovering the old balcony made her forget exactly where she was. She grabbed the end of her hoodie's sleeves between her fingers and palms and crossed her arms, drawing the thin cotton jacket more comfortably over her. She turned around and walked past the staircase and into the living room. Walking over to the wall of windows, she looked at the bend in the river and the pine trees that encompassed its borders, the white fence, and the long stretch of the eighty acres of land. She saw the red barn that could hold presumably fifty horses and the workers already awake and about their business on the ranch. But, most of all, she noticed the light of the morning dawn hitting the land from behind the house and how it engulfed the picturesque view.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" said a voice.
Virginia jumped and looked around the room. Standing in the kitchen, holding a coffee cup, and wearing a white housecoat and striped pajamas was a woman with black hair about Virginia's height.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said the lady, extending her hand. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
Virginia did not respond but just stared at her, waiting.
"Your Uncle Andrew is my father. I'm your cousin, Stacy."
She then drew a chair back from the kitchen table and sat down. "Would you like to sit?"
Lowering her gaze, Virginia shook her head. Crossing her arms tighter, she continued to stare out the windows at the view.
Stacy turned her head and looked at the view with her. "You know, this house was once owned by a family decades and decades ago known as the Cohens. Things were very unusual for them. It was a new beginning in a new land with no familiar faces to call a friend."
She took a sip of her coffee. "On top of it all, their eldest daughter, Rose, was kidnapped by a band of Indians…"
There was a long moment of silence in the room as Stacy waited.
Shyly, Virginia turned her head towards Stacy. "What happened to her?"
Stacy smiled and took another sip of her coffee. "A very long story made short, all seemed hopeless for Rose, but little did she know that she had been watched and admired by another Indian from a different tribe. He tracked down her kidnappers and rescued her. He took her to a place unlike anything she had ever seen—legend has it that it was somewhere not too far from this side of the country."
"So, what then? Did they elope and get married?"
A regretful look crossed Stacy's face. "No."
"No? Why not?"
"She came from another life and was promised to another man, even before she was born."
Virginia looked disgusted. She turned to face Stacy. "What?! That ritual still happened back then—even in America?!"
"Oh, yes, especially if you came from a wealthy background, basking in a powerful name of repute; believe me, she and her future husband had both. Together, they would become immensely wealthy."
"But what did she think of the Indian who rescued her? Was she in love with him?"
A big smile crossed Stacy's face. "Oh, she loved him very much, but sadly, he was of a different 'kind'—as her parents would have put it. He had no money, no strong connections in high society, and…" Stacy rolled her eyes at the final reason, "he was of a different race. Because of this, her parents didn't approve."
Virginia's voice became sharp. "So what if he was of a different race?! They loved each other!"
Stacy gave a little chuckle at Virginia's passion. "Yes, indeed…yes, indeed."
"So, what happened?"
"She and her family returned home overseas. Some say hunters shot down the Indian because they thought he was one of the kidnappers. Others say that he got away, lived his life, eventually found love, and was never seen in this land again."
"It would have been better if they had eloped."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. It would not have been a wise move on their part."
"Really? And why would it not have been such a good idea? Who thought it was a bad idea?"
"The Indian who loved her thought it was not a good idea."
Virginia's attention became more focused. "What?"
"That's right. He was the one who said that they should not elope."
She took another sip of her coffee. "You see, he knew that if they were to elope, her family and several men of the town would have sent out a search party to any and every town nearby. People did not stop to bother about what tribe an Indian was from; they would have considered him one of her kidnappers. A bounty would have been placed on his head, and she would have been in great danger. Both of them would have been hunted continually. He knew she would be safe if he returned her to her home. He was more concerned with her and her parents remaining together than his desires."
"That's ridiculous!" snapped Virginia. "She should've stayed with him, and he should've kept her."
"Sometimes there are choices that we have to make in life—decisions placed on us at an early age—and if we don't follow through with them in guidance and wisdom, we risk corrupting ourselves and those around us."
"But this choice he made by returning her just doesn't make any sense."
"And often those decisions are the ones we need to make to see something far greater come our way, carrying a grander blessing."
"And what possibly could that 'grand blessing' be?"
Stacy looked at Virginia and smiled. Oh, if you only knew. "I think you will find out soon enough."
At that moment, the front door opened, and Andrew hastened into the room, holding a shopping bag in his left hand. "Stacy, I've got it! I hope that she—"
He stopped when he saw Virginia standing in the living room. "Oh, good morning, Virginia!"
Virginia was quiet again and lowered her head. "Good morning…"
Andrew lifted the shopping bag in his hand and smiled. "I-I bought something for you."
He held the bag out for Virginia to take. "I hope you like it."
Virginia slowly took the bag from her uncle's hand. Opening it up, she reached in and pulled out a large shoebox.
"It's a pair of hiking boots," said Andrew, placing his hands in his coat pockets and fiddling with the material inside. "Your mother always told me that you used to love going on camping trips with your friends and that you loved to explore the outdoors. Well, I saw that you only had one pair of shoes, and they would've been ruined if you were to try to hike on any part of this land. So, I thought you could use a pair that could handle the environment. I hope you like them."
Virginia opened the box. Inside was a pair of brand-new hiking boots in her size.
"Oh," said Andrew, "and if you were wondering where your other shoes were, they are back by the front door now. I took them with me, hoping to get the right size for you. We can return them for a better size if they still don't fit."
Andrew pointed to the shoes. "The company that makes those is actually the best brand I have ever seen. Several people out here like to use them—not just for hiking, mind you."
He waited anxiously for his niece's response.
Virginia looked at the shoes for a long moment. She lightly stroked her fingers across their brown leather siding and pulled one out of the box to look at it. She had not worn a pair of hiking boots in years. The only ones she had ever owned were no longer in her possession. She placed the shoe back in its box and closed the lid.
"Thank you," she said softly, not lifting her eyes to him.
"You could hike into the unknown parts of these woods with those," said Stacy, "and be like the girl in the story we were talking about."
"What story was that?" inquired Andrew.
"The one about the family who used to own this house years and years ago."
Andrew's face lit up. "Ah, yes! The one of Rose and Burning Eagle."
"'Burning Eagle'?" asked Virginia, puzzled.
"Yeah, those were the names of the young couple," said Andrew. "Rose Cohen and Burning Eagle."
Virginia mouthed those names, storing them in her mind. "Rose Cohen and Burning Eagle…"
Andrew's face lit up again. "Oh, before I forget! Now, listen, if you don't want to focus on your school right now, I completely understand. However, there is a friend of mine I've been talking to about you. He's a substitute teacher. He said he would be willing to teach you so that you don't fall behind in your studies."
A grey look crossed Virginia's face. She stared aimlessly at the floor.
"His name is Phillip," Andrew continued, "and he's a really nice guy." He pointed out towards the barn. "His son actually works for me out here and is every bit like his father. I can call Phillip today and see if he is willing to start next week if—"
"No, thank you," interrupted Virginia softly.
"I'm sorry, Honey?" questioned Andrew.
"Thank you, but I don't want to study here."
"Oh. Oh, okay then," said Andrew pleasantly. "Well, I promised your aunt that you would keep up your education somehow, but what would you like to do, Honey? If you don't want to bother with school right now, that is completely fine. There is no need to fuss over something that can be picked back up in a couple of months from now once the spring semester starts."
"I want to go to school."
Andrew was trying to follow his niece as best as he could. "Oh. Well, we can make that happen. So, just to be clear, Honey: you're saying that you would want to go to a local high school, correct?"
Virginia slowly lifted her eyes for only a second to meet her uncle's. "Yes, please."
"Okay. Well, for that, we will need your transcripts from your previous school in Miami. Since we do not have those, are you sure you would rather not have a private tutor come here?"
"I have them."
Andrew raised his eyebrows. "You have your transcripts with you?"
"Yes… I had Jonathan get them for me before we left home."
"Jonathan? Your old chauffeur?"
Virginia raised her head and looked her uncle in the eyes. "Yes. My chauffeur."
"Okay." Andrew took a deep breath and gave a single clap enthusiastically. "Well, we can make this work!"
He glanced up at the ceiling, trying to calculate the procedure in his mind. "Let's see; today is Friday. If we registered you right now, you could possibly start on Monday, but I'm not entirely sure. There is a local high school in town about forty-five minutes away called Mason High. If you would like, we could go and see about getting you registered?"
Virginia nodded her head.
"Okay, well… go and get yourself ready, and we can leave here in about thirty minutes if you would like?"
Without saying a word, Virginia walked past her uncle and went upstairs to her bedroom.
Andrew turned and looked at her with concern as she walked away and then walked over to the kitchen table where his daughter was sitting.
"This has been the most awkward time I've ever had," he said, shaking his head and taking a seat. "I really don't know how to break through with her."
Stacy smiled sympathetically. "She just needs some time."
"Yeah, maybe. But going to school with a bunch of people she doesn't know after all that has happened? Oh, I was sure she would've wanted to be taught here where she wouldn't have to worry about anything like that."
"She might like to get out and clear her mind. She might really need this."
"Yeah. I just think it's a lot of trouble. After all, her aunt will be coming to pick her up in just a short time."
"So, just when will Aunt Elizabeth arrive?"
"She has postponed all her business trips across Europe to oversee the renovation of Virginia's old house. She's able to work remotely from that house for the time being. Once the house is finished, she will come to pick up Virginia. And then, after everything has been taken care of over here in the States, she will proceed with the legal arrangements to become Virginia's legal guardian. They will both live in England together."
"But, Daddy, I thought you said that you were made Virginia's legal guardian?"
"Yes, this is true, but once the gravity of this present situation hit us all, reality took us to a new level. Papers and legalities are no longer the concern of either Elizabeth or me. After seeking the consultation of the police force in Miami, we were informed that Virginia's life might still be on the line. Elizabeth lives overseas, and the chances of Virginia living a life of complete freedom without having to look over her shoulder every second of the day would be better offered to her there. Even though she is hundreds of miles away from Miami living here in East Tennessee, her chance of living a more secure life still rests with her aunt. After sitting down with Elizabeth, she and I came to an agreement, which allowed Virginia to choose for herself. She would live here in Tennessee with me until she completed her high school education to see if this was where she would like to live, and then her aunt would pick her up and take her to England, presenting a new life option for Virginia to experience. In the end, we both told Virginia that she was the one who would make the final choice of where she would like to live. It is completely up to her."
"How are things with you and your sister?"
Andrew paused for a moment and looked at the floor. "Elizabeth and I have not spoken for over thirty years. That one time we sat down to discuss Virginia's safety was an even more awkward conversation than the ones I'm experiencing with Virginia. Elizabeth feels I will influence her in a way that she doesn't see as 'truthful' or 'fit.' The fact that Virginia is here to stay with me until the end of the school year outrages her. Nevertheless, we both agreed, in the end, that the final decision of where Virginia lives would be Virginia's to make."
Stacy reached her hand out and touched her father's arm. "And Virginia needs just what you have to share with her. All that you can give doesn't just come from you firsthand. It was given to you and meant for you to pass on to someone else."
Andrew smiled and placed his hand on top of his daughter's hand. "I believe so, too."
Stacy's face became more concerned. "Daddy…does she know about the people responsible for their deaths? Does she know who we are protecting her from?"
Andrew looked into his daughter's eyes. "No, and I want to keep it that way. I do not want to frighten that young girl. It's best to keep everything on a low profile for now."