Part 26

          "Alright.  So what else is in the pile?" I eventually manage to ask.
          "And you have reprints of this one for us, right?" Mary chimes in, nodding at the photo she's still gazing happily at.
          "Good things - and yes, because I knew you'd ask," Brandon says with a grin as he pulls out a sleeve from the bottom of his pile.  I see it has a small pile of reprints of various images, mostly of the Masons.  "I've got copies of all of the Mason images for you, Kimber, I figured you might want them?"
          "Definitely! Oh thank you, I appreciate it so much."
          He pulls a few out of the sleeve, then hands me the sleeve with the rest still inside.  "Some of them, I'm not sure if it's the Masons or not, but they're all taken on the estate grounds as far as I can tell, so I thought you'd be interested for that aspect even if the subjects are others."
          "Fantastic - I have a few images of the grounds, but not nearly enough, every inch of it was so gorgeous."  ...alright, technically I have more than "a few" photos, but I'm not going to count the full color digital shots I'm too chicken to try explaining.
          I pull the photos out of the sleeve, and I can feel my eyes positively lighting up.  Every one of them is a beautiful photograph in and of itself - I'd expect no less from Derick Reese - and there are nearly a dozen of them.  About half contain figures, and I see right away that there's at least one of the family in each of these images, though it's all Azal and Cora's family, nothing of Meres and Celestine.  Most are outdoors, set among the lavish grounds of the gardens in brilliant mid-summer sunlight.
          "Did I guess right on those, Kimber?"
          "You did!"  I fan out the images a bit, so the others around the table can see.  "Evelyn, obviously, she's about the same age as in that fountain image.  But this one is also her, I'm guessing not far from the time of the fire.  Her older brother Avery's in this shot, and Cora, Mrs. Mason, is in this group gathering - though I have no idea who the others are, I'd assume women from town?"
          Susan pulls the image a little closer to her, peering closely.  "You know, I think it's the founding members of the Temperance Union - Cora, of course, and then there's Sarah Houghton, Mildred Gartner, Rebecca Johnson... and I bet that's Mary Thomas, though it's hard to tell under that hat."
          "It was definitely taken in the Masons' garden, you can see the main fountain in the background here," I add, pointing to its small image in the distance.  "I know Cora liked showing them off, I'd imagine she'd host gatherings there when she could."
          Over the next hour or two, we pour over the photos Brandon's brought, identifying people and places, trying to determine dates from details in the images, with Susan taking notes whenever someone's fairly certain of something.  And there's not a dull snapshot among them, each photograph was taken with such care and forethought - though as Brandon points out, given how expensive and labor-intensive a process it all was, you really wouldn't want to waste the time or effort if you weren't certain of a great result.
          One by one, the members take their leave, until it's just Mary, Brandon and I, still chatting happily about the details we're finding in the photos of the old town.  Mary knows as much historical gossip as she does present-day, so is an endless font of great stories.  Eventually, I realize it's starting to get a little dark out, and that I'd better get going myself.
          "Next meeting is in two weeks," Mary reminds both Brandon and I.  "And you can't tell me no, you young'uns have been formally adopted into our little cabal now."
          "Kidnapper."
          "Abductress."
          "Guilty as charged. But, yes?"
          "Yes."
          "Alright."
          "Fantastic.  Now, Kimber, do you need a ride home or anything? It'll be dark soon."
          "I'm alright, I've got my bike, and it doesn't take me long to get back."
          "Are you sure?" Brandon asks.  "We could throw your bike in my trunk, it's no trouble."
          "Nah, that's alright, but thanks for offering."
          "...don't you go taking no for an answer, young man," Mary stage-whispers.
          I grab a pencil off the table and fling it at her.  "Meddler! Stoppit. I am a modern woman and perfectly capable of getting myself home, provided you stop holding me up."
          "Capable, yes, but awfully rude to refuse such a nice young man," she replies huffily.

          The ride home is really lovely - the evening breeze is cool, and a gentle charcoal-colored dusk is just settling in among the tree-lined streets.  I breathe in deeply, feeling the chill prick at my throat and lungs, mingling with the faint scent of sun-warmed asphalt and flowering gardens and green leaves.  It would be a gorgeous night for a walk, and the moon was pretty full last night...  On a whim, I veer off from my usual route home, taking a side street that will lead me closer to the Mason place.  Just a short walk through the gardens, before heading home and settling back into the dull routine of washing dishes, packing a lunch, and getting to sleep for an early shift tomorrow.
          At first, I think I've had a really bad idea - I'd forgotten just how dense the woods are at this time of year, hardly any light at all filters down to the ground, so I stumble on roots and am snagged by branches and vines.  But once I make it to the ruined foundations, there's more than enough light to see.  The sun's almost completely down, but still giving a little ambient light, and I can see the moon coming up just shy of full.  Breathing deeply in the cool night air, I tilt my head back and look up into the darkening sky.  The first stars are just beginning to show.  I have the same view Evelyn would have had, all those years ago... I wonder if she knew where to find Orion and Cassiopeia?  Somehow, I suspect she did - or if she didn't, had her own patterns she looked for among those distant lights.
          As I step through the old front yard, looking up at the stars, my view is unexpectedly blocked.  I brush my hair back - but it's not my hair in my eyes, it's leaves above - but there wasn't a tree this far from the--- Looking down to spot the unexpected tree trunk, I see brick walls before me.  My heart jumps up in excitement and happiness, as it always does now.  ...funny, that I should feel so happy and welcome here, I've seen just as many heartbreaking moments as I have good ones.  Yet, I'm connected to these people somehow, and not knowing when or if I'll ever see them or this beautiful place again, knowing that I can't control my chance encounters with them, every moment I have here is precious to me.
          The going is much less treacherous now that I'm back here - I don't have to worry about stumbling across stray bricks or unexpected plants, the yard is neat and tidy, as well-kept as everything else.  It's an apple tree whose branches hang above me.  There are apple trees in my own time too, but they've shifted, as new ones grew up after this original one died.
          I step a little farther back under its branches, looking around, realizing it's going to be a little awkward if someone looks out of a window and sees a stranger prowling around in their front yard.  I wonder when this is, and who it is that's inside the house?
          I hear a branch snap behind me, and I jump, spinning around to see what it was.  I'm expecting, you know, a squirrel or something, maybe a raccoon at most, but my heart pounds for a second as I see it's a much larger figure, sitting up in the apple tree.
          Then I relax a little, realizing it's a kid - a boy, I think, but I can't be sure.  Not Calvin, too old, but Avery? or Jacob? or someone else?
          "Hey there," I call softly.  "...I won't get you into trouble, but, I do see you there."
          There's a resigned sigh, and a scuffling sound.  A moment later, he drops to the ground in front of me, and I can tell right away it must be Avery - this is the first time I've been this close to him, but the resemblance to Evelyn is definitely clear.  His hair's a little darker, and not curled (though I can see where a few rebellious waves are fighting to break free), but his face is quite a bit like hers.  They both take after Cora a good deal though, I really don't see much of Azal in them at all... though Avery does, as I've noticed before, have awfully fierce eyes, even as a kid.  A lot of strength, and stubbornness, and resiliance, which, unfortunately, I think he's needed to have, living under his father's less than gentle hand.
          "Who are you?" he asks warily, staying close to the trunk of the tree, as if he'll swarm back into the safety of its branches if I prove to be a cause for concern.
          "My name's Kimber - you're Avery, right?  I've met your sister Evelyn a few times before."  I'm not actually sure how many times at the moment, I'm a little slow on the math between his age and hers and what age she's been at each of my visits.  (Because of course my visits couldn't happen in chronological order. That would make--- well, alright, nothing would make this normal or straightforward! But it would certainly be more convenient.)
          He's still wary, but his interest is clearly piqued.  "Kimberly?  Ev's told me about you.  She said you helped her get out of trouble with Father a few times.  I should thank you for that - I protect her as best I can, but I don't always get there in time."  He sounds so regretful at this last, and my heart breaks for this young boy trying to bear so much responsibility.