Crest (Book #2,Swift Series) (8 page)

“I need to talk to you two about something.” My mouth felt dry and I fought to calm myself as they both looked towards me.
No turning back now
, I thought to myself. “Um, I’ve been doing some thinking about what I want to do and... I think I want to go to London.”
I think I want to go to London
. Ugh, that sounded so weak. “I mean, I am going to London,” I said with a little more authority. “Tomorrow. I’m going to London tomorrow.”

They both just stared at me with blank faces. The silence was killing me so I decided to fill the void.

“I already bought my ticket,” I said and then took a large bite of my taco. There, I had done it. It wasn’t the best delivery, but it was all out there now.

The yelling I had expected to come never came. Actually, the reaction that I had feared turned out to be the exact opposite, it was actually something even worse—silence.
Please someone say something
, I thought to myself.
Anything, just break this awkwardness
. I continued to chew my food slowly, waiting patiently for either of them to speak.

After a long minute, Aunt Rose cleared her throat. “Well, I can say that it’s a little shocking. I had just gotten used to the idea of you staying around here for a little longer. I mean, isn’t that what you told us the other day at breakfast?”

I remembered that breakfast discussion after they had gotten back from their honeymoon. Aunt Rose had made a big spread and Jack brought home donuts. I had told them that morning that I wanted to stick around here for a little longer. They didn’t know that I was actually sticking around for the Harpers to come back to me. They didn’t know that I had gone back in time and had actually been gone for over six weeks. I couldn’t imagine how crazy it would sound to them if they knew what was going through my head at that moment. For all they knew, one day I wanted to stay here and the next I had bought a plane ticket to London. I knew an answer was expected soon and that I would have to answer delicately. The last thing I wanted for them to think was that I was going crazy and, if I was being honest, I already sounded that way.

“Well, those were my plans, but then I began to think more about it. I want to stick to my original plan of traveling.” It wasn’t much of a reason, but it was the best I had. I left out the part of me going to see my mother’s sister, Jackie. I didn’t want to unload too much on Aunt Rose at once.

Jack’s gaze went from Aunt Rose to me and then back to Aunt Rose. I could see the tension in his face, like he was holding his breath, ready for the meltdown to start. Aunt Rose didn’t speak for a moment, she stared down at her plate of food and I immediately began to feel awful.

Jack looked back towards me and gave me a reassuring smile. “We want the best for you. We just hope you’re making the right decision, but it’s your decision to make.”

Aunt Rose looked up from her plate, giving me a nod and a smile. “He’s right. We do want the best for you and for you to be happy. It does seem a little rushed, but whatever you choose, we will support you.” She placed her hand on top of mine and gave it a little squeeze. As much as she tried to hide it, I could see the pain in her face. “Okay, who’s up for some ice cream?”

Just like that, the conversation ended. A part of me fully expected for the rest of the night to be ruined—for it to be uncomfortable between us—but it was nothing of the sort. We all talked over our dessert, and continued down memory lane, just where Aunt Rose and I had left off before dinner. It was more perfect than I could’ve asked for. There were a few moments where I actually forgot my current situation. For a few seconds here and there, the faces of Blake or Abby hadn’t entered my mind to remind me of how alone I really felt because, in all honesty, being there with Aunt Rose and Jack gave me comfort. However, it was difficult at times to deal with the fact that they didn’t know my secret, or what was really going on in my life. There was a part of me that wanted to tell them, hoping that it would help them understand why I was leaving so suddenly, but I didn’t want to get them involved. I felt like with the whole memory erasing thing, they had already been affected enough by magic.

 “You know, this has been the happiest night we’ve had together in a long time.” Aunt Rose smiled at me and then turned to Jack. “I can’t think of anything that could’ve made it any better.”

That’s when I realized that I’d done what I wanted to. This afternoon with Aunt Rose, and tonight at dinner, as we relived our happy times, remembering and laughing... that was my way of telling them how much they meant to me and how much I’d appreciated them over the years.

Aunt Rose and Jack understood when I asked to leave shortly after dinner. They knew how much I cared about Roger and how important it was for me to see him before I left. Roger was right on time and I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face when the sound of his car turned on my street. The sound brought back so many memories from the past couple years. I hated thinking that this may be one of the last times I would hear it. There was no way of telling what London had in store for me. In a perfect world, I would go to London and get the help I needed from Jackie, the council would hear me out, and I would be reunited with the Harpers. The thought of tonight being the last night I would spend with Roger, Aunt Rose, and Jack never entered my mind, until now.

It was hard to understand why, but I was nervous to see Roger. It had been weeks since I’d seen him, and the last time had been the night that Isaac held me in his grasp. I took in a deep breath, told Aunt Rose and Jack goodbye and then headed out the door. As I shut the door and turned around, I saw him leaning against his car—his arms crossed and a large grin on his face. It made me sad to know that he didn’t remember the night we had spent together at his dad’s house, knowing that Abby had made sure he had forgotten everything. I wasn’t sure how many more nights we would have together in the future and I wanted him to remember all of them.

“Hey, Mer,” he said as I approached.

“Hey.”

I was still a couple feet from him when his arms reached out and grabbed me, pulling me towards him. “Man, it seems like forever. It’s been way too long.”

“I know.” My voice sounded muffled against his chest. “It’s really good to see you.”

He pushed me back, holding me at arm’s length. “You’ve changed.” He stared at me with a strange expression. “I can’t say what it is, but you’re different.”

I laughed, already feeling more relaxed. “Like in a bad way?” I questioned.

“No, just in a different kind of way. You seem,” he hesitated for a moment, “more confident. I guess that’s the right word. I don’t know. It’s hard to describe, but I like it.”

I smiled, knowing he knew me well enough to know that I had changed, but he could’ve guessed a thousand times and never guessed just how much.

“Come on,” I said, walking to the passenger side door, “let’s get out of here.”

We spent the rest of the evening stretched out across the sand at Devereaux Beach, doing the same thing I’d done with Aunt Rose and Jack—reminiscing about old times. We laughed to the point of tears and it made me happy to know that I was able to spend time with all of the important people in my life before I left.

The drive back to my house was silent and I could sense that Roger felt the same as me. That no matter how much we didn’t want it to happen, our lives were growing apart. He would continue to make amazing memories in college, and more than likely meet a great girl, get married, and have family. That’s all he ever wanted, and I wanted that for him. I on the other hand had no idea of what tomorrow would bring me. There was a part of me that envied him and his normal life. There wasn’t an ounce of me that was angry or regretted finding out about my destiny or the fact that I was a witch. That wasn’t it at all. I guess the thing that confused me the most was that I wasn’t sure what to do with it now that the Harpers weren’t here to guide me.

“Take care of yourself in that big, bad world out there,” Roger said as we stood on my front lawn, delaying the goodbye we were both dreading. “Whatever it is that has given you this transformation, don’t lose it. Do whatever you can to hold onto it because it looks great on you.”

“Wow, listen to you, you sound like some sort of poet or something. I guess Harvard is beginning to rub off on you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Come here, you.” He pulled me in for a long hug and we said our goodbyes. My heart ached as I walked away from him and I hoped that we would see each other again. Maybe, one day, I would even be able to tell him my secret.

After getting ready for my last night at home, I curled up in my bed hoping that the journey I would begin tomorrow would eventually lead me to what I was looking for.

We pulled up to the departures area at Boston International. It was difficult for me to hold it together as I hugged Aunt Rose and Jack goodbye. The nerves that were bubbling in my stomach felt like they were about to boil over at any moment. If I was actually going to have a meltdown, I didn’t want to have it in front of them.

“Please call us if you need anything,” Jack said as he squeezed me tight. “I’m gonna miss you, kid. Don’t forget about us back here in Marblehead.”

“Don’t worry; that’s not possible,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Geez, Jack, don’t hog her. I want to get in a hug, too,” Aunt Rose joked, trying to fight back the tears that I could see were building in her eyes.

The second Jack let me go, Aunt Rose wrapped me in a hug, squeezing me even tighter than Jack. There was a moment where I thought I was going to have to ask her to ease up a bit, but she released me just in time. “Don’t forget to call me the second you get settled,” she said, pulling me back in order to look me in the eyes. “And don’t walk alone too late at night, don’t be too trusting of anyone and most important—don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.” She hugged me again, this time even harder than before, but only for a split second. “I’m serious, Meredith; I want to be the first phone call you make if you need
anything
. I upgraded your phone plan to international, so you should be covered. Call anytime, day or night.” A single tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. “Ok, now get out of here before I start begging you to stay.”

I just nodded, in fear that if I tried to speak at that moment, tears would come out as well. I turned to walk away and in that moment, I knew this was really happening. That I was really going to London to meet my long-lost aunt, who was also a witch and who may not be as loving and caring as the aunt I was walking away from.

When I was seated and buckled in, I leaned my head back and focused on my plan, trying to think positive thoughts. This wasn’t only a crazy, desperate choice I had made in going to London… this was my only choice. My entire plan rested on whether or not my aunt would help me. From what Ms. Donaldson had told me, it made me nervous. I was worried that she would turn me away and not even hear me out. It was hard to face that this was it. If for some reason this plan didn’t work, I didn’t have a plan B.