The End of the Middle

When our last grandchild died Edward developed the ability to read minds and even speak into others minds, but what came with this power came another he started to get flashes of things that were to come. This helped us greatly we were wealthy already because of the practices,but the flashed Edward would get told us where to invest our money. Like steel,oil,timber and when to take out money out of investments like longhorn cattle. So we never had to worry about money ever and that you could say was our down fall. You see neither of us ever came across anyone with powers before like us.... we started to believe that we maybe the only ones maybe not in the world but in the US yes. ... looking back we were so stupid and blind. It was the 1929 when we would ever meet someone with powers.

We had started to fall in to a pattern Edward and I would live in London for 5 or 10 year depending on how fast people would start to talk Then we would fake our deaths and live in some foreign country for two or three year just long enough for people to forget what we looked like. After that we would move to New York City and do the same thing that we had done in London. It is kind of sad to say we became old pros at the dying act it was nothing to get fake certificates made. Also we went out in style that was me Edward was always good for a mugging gone wrong or something like that but I was the one who planned all the big whoha ones that made the news papers and radio stations and also with mine way of dying we would have to in hiding longer. I did that because I liked when it was just the two of us not having to worry about what to do next of if we should be in the public eye or not. We stayed out of the public eye as much as we could, but sometime it would just happen Edward and I would become the toast the season. I mean don't get me wrong we liked it we had grown up in that world. The one of gilts and glamor of the rich and wealthy. But every once in a while I would want to be seen and in 1920 I wanted to be seen. So we moved to New York and became the toast of the town. Edward had donated a large amount of money to some hospital and he had also become to known for not charging people who could not afford to pay for treatment thus making him very popular with the lower classes. That was always something that caught the eye of the local government and that's all it took it took us five to reach the top of the social market and another five to enjoy it.

It was 1929 and we were throwing the New Years Eve party. It was the one everyone came to the heads of the local government and the bigwigs in business. It was also the night that we where planning on "dying" when our boat sank after we left the party for a vacation. The building that we lived in we owned we had owned it since the early 1900's so we had the whole thing to ourselves most of the time. Edward and I had two floors to ourselves and the other floors where rented out to other people of out standing. It was close to midnight and we were to make a small speech before the stroke of 12. When it came time we said our goodbye for the months we would be gone and so on even though we didn't plan on returning for a very long time. We knew every person that was at the party and the door was watch very close so no newspaper people or something like that could get in so it shocked the hell out of me and Edward when a unknown man said something at the end of our speech he shouted.

"So how long with it take for your boat to sink and for your clone to reaper in London or even New York again?"

That made everyone gasp it bad luck to say those kind of things before someone left on a boat. That isn't want made us stop it was the fact that he knew we would reaper sometime in London.It freaked us out had someone been watching us that close.... had our lawyer talked? We didn't know and we didn't want to find out. Edward acted fast he played the protective husband and I played the scared wife. The signal was given to have the man thrown. He was caught and taken out with out putting up a fight and I fainted. Not because I was scared but because Edward had wanted me to. We had to get out of there and fast because if someone had talked who knew what was on the way and we didn't want to be there when the story came out. I was taken to the bed room on the second floor it was the one that people thought we lived on. As soon as the door closed with Edward telling people I would be find. I sprang out of the bed and ran for the the hidden door that lead to the back stair case that lead to the first floor. The floor where we kept everything that we didn't want the others to see. Pictures of our sons and the rest of our family and of course us.Looking that same in every single picture and painting that had been done.

"Damn it ! I knew we shouldn't have stayed I told you I had a bad feeling about staying here much longer. " Edward exclaimed

" Edward you can't blame me for this... I told you we could have left around Christmas if you wanted to but you didn't you just said to wait and leave at new years."

"No your right I'm sorry its not just your fault its mine also. But it is clear we have stayed to long we are going to have to stay in hiding longer then we thought.Damn it why didn't I see that man in a flash or something?"

"I don't know how do you think he found us? I know that some of the older ones have thought we looked like someone they once knew but we always just told them that we had family back in England. That seemed to always work they wouldn't never say anything about it again. "I had pulled Edward to me now and hugged him I could since he was coming up with a plan that I wasn't going to like
"What if it didn't work as well as we thought and someone started to looking to our family in England and when they found nothing but old clippings of people who looked like us that had died and put the two and two together."

"Oh god , you don't think .... " I didn't get that rest of my words out before someone pounded on the front door that lead to that main hallway. A man spoke with a booming voice

"Mr.Cullen we would like to speak with you and you lovely wife." We stood stock still no one knew the way to get up to the top floor using the main hallway other then Edward and I. We didn't speak either we didn't have to Edward linked our mind faster then ever before because I wasn't trying to keep him out like the other times we linked our minds. "Elphie you have to get out of here. Take the back stairs and get in the car and head for the boat, I will meet you there when I'm done with these men." "NO! I'm not leaving you if they are here to do us harm I can defined myself just as good as you can." "Elphaba these men aren't human they have powers reach out and feel there engery can't you since it in them?" I looked at him in shock these men had powers ?! Impossible we had gone almost 200 years and never once meet anyone else that had any kind of powers and now all the sudden there where two men standing out side our door that wanted to talk to us. I reached out like Edward had said and felt around I could feel the energy that leeked off these men. They where strong and they were not here just to talk to us. "No, I'm not leaving you Edward I can feel there power and it isn't good!"
"Elphie dear don't make me hurt you and carry you out of here. It wouldn't help us any... Elphie I have been planing for something like this to happen for years.Everything will be fine you just have to get out of here safely." he kissed me then. This one wasn't a normal kiss in it I knew something would go wrong and he knew the something."Will you please be fast and get out of here, If I don't make it to the boat by one leave and head for the airport and take the first flight to London then move on to Rome I will meet you there. Ok ?
" Yes, fine." We kissed knowing was to be our last one for a long time.
"I love you" he said
"I love you more then you know" I said right back he just laughed a small silent laught and tapped my head " I know. "

We broke apart then and I hurried I grabbed a small bag and stated trowing things in it. Not clothes or and thing like that but the photos as many as I could carry.Our conversation didn't take that long maybe all of two minutes maybe, but it was just long enough for the men to start pounding on the door again " Listen we know your in there and we know what you are. Please don't make us back down the door." They had manners it was funny then and it still kind of is even thought I know what they were about to do." If you would please be quiet my wife is resting your people gave her a fright down below." Edward had walked to the door he was waiting for me to finish. I was silent at collecting my things because like Edward I had planned for something like this to happen. My bag was just the right size to get all 50 or so of the small photos and painting and the small stack of cash I had hidden. I shot him one last loving glance before I went down the stairs. I didn't listen to what they were saying all I knew is that Edward had let the men in. The car was there waiting like he had said it would be I got in and went to the piars and waited one o'clock came and went I stayed tell two in the morning before I would give up and head for the airport. Once there I found a plane that left at 5am I payed someone off and got the plane in the air by three am. When I landed in London I made my way to Rome like he had said and waited there in a old house we had been given that was up high in the rolling hills or Italy when we married. I waited for a very very long time. I was in Rome by myself for 10 years... I know what your thinking why did I wait that long ? Well because time is nothing to the either of us and 10 years is only like an hour to me. I had been in Rome maybe a week when the New York times finally reached me a week late. The head line wasn't of some goof tidings or anything like that it was one of disaster on 4th avenue.

HUNDRED DEAD IN BURNING BUILDING ACCIDENT

on the morning of January one at 2 in the morning a fire started in the top floor of the St.James apartments. The cause of the fire is still unknown and at this time the death toll is at a hundred people. One witness said that the fire started in the kitchens and that it spread very fast.The owners of the building a Dr.George Cullen and his wife Emilia are sadly among the dead. Dr. Cullen was a key member of the........

I stopped reading after that. I had know something was wrong with those mean when I left but I didn't listen to my gut like I should have. I had called our lawyer and to see if anything had to be done and nothing did. The story in the paper made Edward and I look dead.. but I was the one still alive.
"Elphaba" said my lawyer " He made arrangements in case something like this ever happened. Every house has been payed off for a long time so you have no worry there. Also all of your bank accounts have been changed as well you are the primary benefactor on them. It's the same with the Cullen estate.. You are living under your real name are you not? "

"Yes, Elphaba St.James" I said in a dead voice

" Then in a few days or weeks I'm not sure how fast the post is there but you will be getting a letter from me and telling you what happened. It's all formality that have to be done." John stopped talking then and waited for me to say something but I didn't " Elphaba you have to live a happy life.."

"I know it just doesn't mean I have to like it. Is there anything else you need from me John?"

"Just to brush up on your Italian and call me when you get the letter I'm sending you."

"Why? Am I going to have to convince someone that I'm Italian or something? "

"You might I'm not sure yet, but it can never hurt can it?"

I hung up then not even bothering to say goodbye. My husband was dead he was gone from my life and all I felt like doing was jumping off the nearest cliff. Don't get me wrong I spent hours on a ledge talking myself in and out of taking that one step that would kill me. But I never did I guess I was to much of a coward to take that step because what if... what if I was wrong and John was wrong what if Edward was still alive out there somewhere waiting tell he could get away for those evil men that may have just kidnapped him and not really killed him. I got the letter telling that I was now the owner of so much land in different parts of the world and the US and a very large amount of money. I never had to speak to anyone about the settlement or anything. So I set in Rome talking myself off a ledge everyday for ten year before my mine seemed to snap awake again.