GLITTER GULCH

Chapter 1: A Fish Out of Water

Cye pulled at his collar and grimaced. I can’t even swallow. Sweat was starting to get in his eyes and his clothes were unbearable. The stagecoach was beginning to bake him like a piece of bread in his mother’s oven. How can it be so warm? The blank landscape sent up ripples of heat in the distance, fooling the eyes into believing the ocean’s waves were lapping at the horizon. Cye loosened his necktie and used it to dab his forehead. This sunburn certainly isn’t helping things. He had stuck his head out for a while, thinking he could get some air circulation at least. But all he’d managed to do was get dirt caked in his mouth and a bright red forehead and nose. He leaned back against the seat, pressing his hot clothing onto his skin. Maybe if I can get my jacket off… He shifted in his seat and managed to "inconvenience" the woman sitting next to him. Her scolding look reminded Cye of his mother when he started squirming in church.

"Dreadfully sorry," he stammered and bowed his head. He could feel her gaze burning the skin on the back of his neck. He sat still for a few minutes and then peeked out from under his auburn lashes. So much for making a good first impression.

Trying to preoccupy himself with something besides the oppressive heat, Cye let his eyes shift to the other passengers in the stagecoach. There were a total of six in the coach. There was the dark-haired, young boy staring intently out the window, who shouted "Indians!" excitedly when he caught sight of something moving. (This always managed to scare Cye witless, but everyone else seemed oblivious after about the twentieth time.) A young lady sat across from the boy and kept trying to hush him, eventually giving up and laughing with him. No one else seemed amused. The sour-faced man with the fancy spectacles sitting next to the young woman glared at the pair, occasionally tossing a fish-eyed, hateful look at Cye who tried to keep his attention glued to the dirt-caked floor or the passing landscape. But after three hours of shrub, rocks, and dirt, he couldn’t keep up the pretense.

The lady sitting next to him was quite large and took up a generous portion of the seat, so she got wedged between the smallest of the passengers – the young boy (Ulee was his name) and Cye. She had an unusually unpleasant, sour face, reminding Cye of the nuns at St. Augustine’s.

The coach hit an unusually large bump, which sent most of them bouncing. Ulee yelped with glee and yelled, "Cool! Yippee! Let’s do that again! Can we, Mia?"

Cye wound up with his ass on the floor and his head in the lap of the man across from him in a most compromising position. Cye blushed and putting his hands on the man’s legs pushed himself back upright.

"Um…" Cye began.

"Thanks. Normally, I have ta pay for that sorta thing."

Cye’s eyes went wide and he jerked his head up. Dark blue eyes met his green ones and he swallowed hard.

His eyes darted to the others but luckily no one seemed to be paying them any attention. He looked back at the man across from him fully taking him in for the first time. He was impeccably dressed in a pale blue coat, vest and cravat -- a gentleman’s hat and mannerisms. A small, unruly wisp of cobalt blue hair had worked its way out from underneath his hat and lay across his nose. His midnight blue eyes were focused on Cye.

"Since we’ve been intimate, let me introduce myself. Rowan Strata, atcha service." He extended a hand to Cye.

Cye politely shook it and managed, "Cye Torrent." A faint smile curled Rowan’s lips and he winked. Cye quickly averted his gaze and stared out the window – eyeing a particularly interesting tumbleweed. When he finally deemed it safe to look back, the gentleman appeared to have fallen asleep.

He carefully examined the blue-haired man. He was tall, his hat almost touching the roof of the coach. He was thin and his hands were gloved. His suit fit quite snugly and the vest he wore was elegantly embroidered with small French fleur de lis. His angelic, pale skin was unblemished and Cye realized that he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

Cye consciously dabbed at his sweat-beaded forehead. He wanted to take off his jacket something serious but didn’t want to risk a dagger in his back from the lady next to him. He hunched down in his seat, defeated. I wish I’d listened to mum. She said that I would hate the weather here. His clothes were covered in dust and stuck to his body. He missed the ocean and an almost overwhelming urge to give up and go home washed over him. No. I’ve come this far. I’ve always wanted to teach; no matter where I have to go. I’m not about to give up my dream, even if it means abandoning home and…Philip. Why couldn’t he have come with me? It would have made the trip to Glitter Gulch somewhat bearable. At least then I could have someone with which to chat and maybe even laugh. Philip would have thought to pack water for the trip. He was always prepared for anything. I wish he were here now. Then I wouldn’t be alone…

Cye smiled. He imagined Philip’s brown eyes, darkened by lust as he bent to kiss Cye’s upturned mouth.

Cye’s anger bubbled up and spilled over. "Well, you wouldn’t be waiting for me if you came with me."

Philip sighed and tugged at an auburn lock. "Now, Cye, we’ve had this conversation a million times. I don’t want to go to the Colonies or Americas or whatever they’re called. I belong here in England. This is my home. I can’t leave."

"You mean you won’t leave," Cye pouted. Philip placed a finger on his lip.

"Cye, luv, don’t spoil this moment. I want to remember your emerald eyes smiling at me and your body melting in my embrace." Philip kissed him on the forehead.

Cye’s anger vanished and tears welled up in his eyes. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, but I’m going to miss you so much!" He threw his arms around Philip.

Philip rested his cheek on Cye’s head. "We’ll be together again, luv. Once you’ve taught in the states for awhile, you can come home and teach here. I’ll keep looking for a position for you."

"I already know what position I want to be in," Cye cooed as he brushed Philip’s lips with his own.

Another bump jerked Cye out of his reverie. His mouth was dry, and he blushed furiously. His remembrance was starting to show through his trousers. He placed his hands in his lap and tried to think of something else. Anything… the boat ride, the uncomfortable heat, his grandmother naked. There, that did it. He cleared his throat. He wanted a drink of water. A canteen was unceremoniously shoved in his face. He looked at the bearer – Ulee smiled up at him.

"Thank you," Cye said.

"I’m Ulee and that’s my sister Mia. We’re going to go live in Glitter Gulch. Mia has a friend that lives there and we’re going to live with her. We were living in Boston but my aunt died and we didn’t have anywhere to live. So Miss Rosemary said we could come live with her on her ranch!" Ulee sighed. "We’ve been traveling for a few days now and I haven’t even seen one Indian. I was really hoping to see one."

Cye couldn’t help but smile. "Did you say you were going to live in Glitter Gulch?"

"Yep."

"Well then, we’ll be neighbors. I’m going to live there, too."

"Really? That’s cool! But you sorta talk funny…"

"Ulee!" Mia reprimanded.

"Well, he does!"

Cye smiled. "That’s quite all right. I’m used to it. I talk funny because I’m from England."

"England? Where’s that? Is that near Boston?"

Cye laughed. "No, it’s far away from there. It’s across the ocean."

"Did you get here by boat?!"

"Yes, part of the way, anyway."

"Cool! I’ve always wanted to ride in a boat! Why are you going to Glitter Gulch?"

"Well, I’m going to be the new school teacher."

"School teacher? Mia! I thought I didn’t have to go to school if I lived on a ranch!"

"Now, Ulee…"

"Don’t you want to learn?"

Ulee shrugged. "I guess."

"Oh, cheer up, chum! It’ll be great fun and I’ll tell you all about the boat ride!"

"Really? That’d be great!" Cye took a quick sip from the canteen and began his tale. Ulee added a few comments and questions here and there but mostly listened attentively with wide-eyed fascination. Cye smiled. This isn’t such a bad trip after all.

Rowan watched the conversation through his eyelashes. He didn’t want "Cye" to know he was listening avidly to every word he said. He loved the soft lilt of Cye’s voice. He had been watching the Englishman ever since they left the station. He was beautiful -- his emerald eyes and auburn hair. His clothes were slightly out of date and he tugged at his collar a lot. He was small and slight and until now had seemed completely out of place and miserable. But with the boy, Cye had relaxed and become more animated. He decided he wanted to find out more about this soft-spoken beauty – more than what was decent anyway. I’ll have time to once we reach Glitter Gulch. Sage and Ryo aren’t gonna be there for another day or so. And besides, I’ve got the loot. Maybe I’ll offer ta buy ‘im a drink.