I woke up to find myself on the very laps of James, but I was different. Something was different about me from then on. I could not see clearly. I was practically blind. Everything was blurred as if a sponge had wiped across the scene in front of my eyes, soaking and mashing the colors up. I stood up and touched my eyes several times. I felt hot tears roll down my pale cheeks. It was the most desperate day ever in my life and a time when everything was soon to change. I grabbed James toward me. He staggered forward. I could feel him starring at me and yet I could not see his features. He was a plain beige blur. As soon as he was close enough for me to feel his breath upon me, I hugged him with all my might in fright. I blacked out once again. When I woke up, I realized I had entered upon an unfamiliar piece of land. Lying on a bed, blind, I cried softly to myself until I heard voices in the background outside of the room which I now lay in.

It was James. “Please take care of her, Elinor. I beg of you. She must never see me again. I have brought misery on to her. It has happened, the very thing which was foretold by the gypsy, the one secret which Artie somehow figured out and conveyed to you two.”

A woman replied in return, the one which James had called Elinor. “I will try my best. But what do you mean by the one which Artie somehow figured out and told us? Artie had only joked around and told me that when you met your true love a curse would occur causing her to suffer a pain beyond reason, because of what she was to do.”

James nodded gravely. “What Artie had said is true, but not the total truth. I’ve always wondered how she figured it out. She always knew certain things somehow. Well, I will tell you this and only this, puzzle over it if you will, or share it with Artie or Alfred. However, no one else shall know except Cerae in time.”

“I promise I shall never tell another soul other then the ones we have agreed upon, but first acquaint me with what happened.”

“I will,” sighed James. He seemed upset then, in my opinion. He sounded older and matured than his proper age. I continued to listen intently while I lay upon the bed. “We had gone for our usual evening walks around the parks. When I grabbed her hand, she blacked out for a moment. At first, I thought she was just a little surprised when my hand caressed hers. I later found that my belief was incorrect. She had strangely lost her sight. I could tell by the way she looked around her just like what my mother use to do. After looking around, she fell back into darkness once again. I believe this time it was of shock. There, you have the story.”

“So what did the gypsy say?” asked Elinor, who was now on the summit of curiousness.

“The gypsy said the very one I was to fall in true love with was the very one who was to end the dark war for a price. The very price had to do with love and death. She said however, that the chosen person for this very quest is not chosen by fate but instead by me. And now it has occured. I had always had a shade of doubt of what the gypsy said. And now…now I regard it as my life and soul.”

“It may not be true. The girl may have just lost her eyesight and that is all,” suggested the unconvinced Elinor.

“No, no. It is! It is! I know it. It’s in my blood! I can feel as if I have done the choosing. I know it is true!” bellowed James.

“Alright, alright! I believe you. I do. But first, why don’t you go to that gypsy just to see what she says.”

“She is dead,” said James coldly. “She has been dead for two years now. After the very day I had asked for my fortunes to be told for fun, she was said to be murdered.”

“Murdered?”

“Yes. I went looking for her the other day and never came across her. However, a man told me what happened. Well, I must leave now forever from my love.”

Immediately, Elinor stated in a hurry attempting to delay James. I wondered then what Elinor was up to and what they were talking of. Something about gypsies, someone named Artie, and even me. And war? There was no war going on at the moment in London, none at all. So what was with that? I was clueless. “Wait! Wait! Before you go, won’t you have just one last look at Cerae. You will need it.”

“Of course, why not?” answered James with a slightly gloomy accent. The door handle made a quiet squeak. The door was open. I lay on the bed, faking that I was in deep sleep. As he came over, he pulled up the covers for me. Then giving me a fatherly kiss on forehead, he left. “Goodbye forever, Cerae Middleton. I will always love you and I’m terribly sorry. I will always regret what I have done and will never forgive myself for it. May your lucky star guide you, Cerae.” He closed the door. The footsteps faded away now.

It all felt like a dream. That night, I did not sleep. I could not fall asleep with darkness surrounding me eating away my warmth. The thoughts of the evening events upset me. I was miserable. I wished I was home even though my parents disliked me. I could do nothing now. Even if I were to return to my parents, they would ignore me. I was blind. Why would any handsome man of the rich love me? It was the probable end of my marriage career. I could not help but sigh with all the suspense and pressure which overwhelmed me. I soon fell asleep after hours of thought.

The warmth of the sun shortly gradually warmed my skin, I found myself in the midst of morning. Breakfast was served to me on the bed. I could not eat though. I couldn’t even see my food and had no appetite. An hour soon passed, then two both of which silence contaminated the room. Finally, as I suspected the lady who had conversed with James the day before entered my room.

“You do not wish to eat?”

I shook my head in response. “Tell me the truth. I heard everything yesterday and did not understand it a bit.”

“I will in time, when you become a little stronger. Now you must rest.”

I was in no mood for resting and decided to inquire one last time about what the true meaning of the conversation. “Please tell me, I beg of you. Just to indulge me, ms?”

“Ms. Elinor Marple. But please, just call me Elinor. I will explain to you presently a bit of what you soon may need to know. However, you must promise you will not delve on it.”

I could not agree with a better suggestion than Elinor’s. I nodded. “First of all, who is Artie?”

“She is my sister. However,” she paused as if in deep thought, “well, she is my sister. Not sister by blood though, but by something deeper then that. I cannot explain the rest of this sister-ship. It is a secret. Anyway, let me continue. Her name is Artemis Maximus, but we call her Artie just as a nickname. She is married except her husband doesn’t exactly have a last name, to be abstract. She was raised by her aunt mainly who has now died. Her parents died when she was pretty young. I am not sure of all the details of her childhood since she will not tell me anymore then that about her parents. Well, now you know some things about her. I will not say anymore then that except that we first met when we both taught at a school a few years ago. Actually, eight years ago.”