This marriage starts to be difficult. Tyler wanted it first, and I didn't, than I changed my mind, and Tyler reneged. I hope the work, and the other details of the offer is valid. I really want to be a fighter, so I need the training. My current state is in the very weak category. I had already known, before Tyler Moore told to me. He doesn't mention it anymore. It is kind of him. Otherwise he seems to be a kind man. I have never heard him crying, or being impatient, but he likes speaking. I try to press more words out of me, but I can't keep up with him. And they even say the girls are gossiping!
Since he is kind, he doesn't force me to speak while we travel to the mountains. I don't even know our destination, I forget to ask him. We are somewhere in the northern part of the country. I would like to check my ticket, but it would be awkward. Fortunately Tyler tells me, that we are going to get off soon. My stomach hurts a bit, when I put his backpack to my back, and pick the bag with the empty lunchboxes. I am bit nervous, as we arrive to the station, but Tyler suddenly kiss me. Well. His kiss is short, but the effect is the same as yesterday. My legs are trembling, my mind in haze, and the air is vanished somewhere. Not even one oxygen molecule is available. My blood is boiling. I want more of his kiss.
I don't get kiss, but five dumbfounded people. I suppose they are "the others", who were mentioned by Tyler. They should be, because they are all muscular, and their looks are fit to the be martial arts trainers. We stare at each other for a very long moment, and I have a certain feeling, that I am not the one they have been waiting. Tyler gets off the train, and he pulls me down too. The sound of the doorchime of the train gets the other ones out of their frozen state, and they all want to help us with the luggage. They don't bring them too far, just safe distance from the departing train.
"Hello everybody!" Tyler greets them, and we all murmur a hello back. "So this is Jazz, my fiance."
The others are still staring at me, and none of them say a word.
"Hello! I am the applicant for the job." I begin, but their eyes starts to pop out from their heads, so I stop. Tyler is not disturbed by the tense atmosphere.
"The oldest one is Ian, and the others from left to right: Erica, Heather, Dame, and Andrew."
The name Andrew have given me a jump, and they immediately notice my movements. It does not make me sympathetic to them.
"So do you really want to marry?" asks the oldest man, Ian.
Old? He is around Pascal Hillard's age. Tyler and I both nod. Ian let out a big sigh. The others do not crack with joy either. Nobody moves, nobody speaks, and this situation starts to get more and more troublesome. Like we would be before an explosion. I grab Tyler's hand, and want to pull away from the others.
"What do you want?" he asks nicely.
"Could we speak a bit?" I nod my head to sign him, that I would like that speak with just the two of us.
"You could say, what you want to say here. They are my family, and they have every right to know about me, and my problems." He replies, calmly.
"Erm." It is unpleasant. They are all watching me. "Have you mentioned them, that our marriage is basically a fake one?"
"WHAT?!"
Everybody cry in unison. They all start speaking at once, that make me not to understand them. Mainly they are quarreling with Tyler, and he doesn't seem to be kind anymore. He is very angry, but doesn't even try to answer to the avalanche of words. The main theme of their speaking is questions about he and me and the fake wedding. Tyler waits for them to finish.
"Do you think Jazz didn't agree to this marriage?" he asks, and the other's gazes turn to me.
"It is mutual." I moan and try not to look like a kidnapped bride. "I agreed to marry him on paper."
"Well, that kiss was very real!" growls softly one of the girls, I think Erica. I didn't have enough time to learn to pair their face to their names.
"You are the last ones in the town hall, at four o'clock." one of the younger man says.
"Thanks, Andrew." Tyler sigh. " We have more than an hour until the ceremony, so what would we do?"
"You just have an hour for your wedding!" cries the other woman, Heather. "We couldn't prepare anything!"
"There is no problem..." I begin, but they are faster at speaking.
"There are problems!" say Heather. "Do you have a ring at least?"
I shake my head. Why do I need a ring for a fake marriage?
"There's no need..."
"Having a ring is important!" cuts my words the other woman, Erica. "How do you want to play a married couple without rings? The rings are necessary for both of you."
"Okay, let's split, and go to the town." says Ian. "If you have to go into this madness anyway, let's do it right! Heather and Erica come with me, the others go with Andrew. Buy the rings, and we'll meet at the town hall."
The team is splitting and hurrying to the cars. The cars, to my surprise are jeeps. Not too shiny ones, these cars are definitely in daily use. Those jeeps, which are used for the mad max running of the 18-year-olds, are more for the sight. I have to laugh when I remember that I would have to drive one at my birthday party tonight too. As far as I know, I can't drive. I have been never interested in driving, so I forget to learn. I'm still lucky I'm not home because I might be scratching the first tree. But jeeps are present for the celebration.
Well, the celebration is missing, and the event is not my birthday, but my wedding. A fake wedding with a stranger, but it was my choice at least. We will celebrate it with also strangers, and I will sleep under a strange roof with my husband. Wedding night. My stomach tightens at the thought. Well, we have agreed, that this marriage is valid only on paper, but what if…?
The sight of the city sign diverts me from unpleasant thoughts. Ravenshilltown. We have arrived.
"Is there a pharmacy in the town?" I ask quietly from Tyler.
"Yes. Are you sick?" he asks anxiously.
"No, just my stomach is a bit out of the ordinary. This stomach bug seems to be though."
"Does your stomach hurt?" asks Andrew. I shake my head.
"I just feel, that the lunch wants to come back."
"Don't worry, Andrew is a doctor." Tyler smiles at me. "So if you are ill, he could cure you."
"Don't take this for granted because it's not a habit, but if there's a problem, a doc at the house will come in handy." tells me the other man.
"To answer your original question, there are pharmacies in the town, and there is a hospital too. But if possible, don't break your bones. We have very good surgeons at the hospital, but I hate putting broken limbs in a rail."
I smile at them, and nod. Tyler and I get out of the car at the jeweler, the other two men continue to drive. They promised to bring me something to my upset stomach from the pharmacy. The store is small, but the owner greets Tyler like the couple in the morning.
"Tyler Moore! Who would have thought!" the old man said, when my fiance tells him, that we need wedding rings.
The selection isn't wide, but I can't quite choose. I never loved jewelry, so I never bought a ring. Tyler notices my hesitation.
"Hey, don't think at them as wedding rings. If you would like to buy a ring, which one would you choose?"
"I don't like wearing jewelry. They are too simple. Okay, the patterns are different, but I could never tell the difference between two styles. I don't know which one is right!"
"Choose one, which reminds you for the ring of a princess!"
The old man pulls out two more drawers, but those rings are more interesting. The patterns are easily differentiated, because there are colored stones on them. There are only two rings, which have green leaves on them.
"What about that one?" I ask.
The owner takes them out. The smaller one almost fits on my finger, it just slips a little. The bigger one fits to Tyler's finger perfectly.
"Khm. It seems your wedding will be successful." says the shop owner, while putting the rings into a box.
"How do you know?" I ask, and not telling him, that this marriage is basically dead, since it will only exist on paper.
"The rings, you have bought are the last ones of a series. This pattern was popular for a while, but the other colors were sold quickly. The series was called the "Luck of the gods". These were pair rings, and those ones, who bought them, are still married. It is interesting, that the last two of them are fit your fingers. So I think your marriage will be a lucky one."