Marc stopped and looked at me. “Willow...”
he said bleakly.
My expression couldn’t shadow the shock that
I felt. At this point, I didn’t know how demented I might be...I
just knew that only one thing mattered: getting Stella away from
this place. I knew I could lead him to believe that I was, and if I
did - would he take Stella away at my request? Or, if I told him I
was demented – would he run away from her? The stress was washing
me away.
“You’re scaring her, Marc; she’s too weak
for this,” Stella said, reading my weak expression. She walked to
my side to brace me from falling.
Marc walked over to help her, and they led
me to one of the chairs. He then reached for Stella’s face and
cradled it with his hand.
“Listen, I have to go home,” he said
quietly.
“What?” Stella protested.
“I have to make sure that someone is OK. I
think there’s been an accident,” he explained.
Stella started to cry, shaking her head no
as he spoke; her grief was stronger for him than it was for Evelyn.
“You can’t leave us here; you have to protect us,” she
complained.
Marc leaned in and wrapped his arms around
her, kissing her urgently. He then pulled her away, searching her
face. “I’d never leave you; I’ll run the whole way, and I can be
back in less than two hours. I’m going to bring the best doctor in
the universe here,” he promised.
“Take us with you,” she pleaded
“I can’t risk your life; I’ll need help to
get you both home.”
He kissed her again, then looked down at me
with disbelief coursing from him. He left the room, closing the
door behind him. Stella fell to her knees and laid her head on my
lap, crying without pause.
“He meant it, Stella. He has every intent of
coming back for you, and he loves you immensely. You found your
soulmate,” I said quietly.
As Stella cried on, I caressed her hair,
hoping that the two hours would pass by quickly, wishing that
Willow would come and help us both. The door opened again, and
Stella’s head shot up, expecting to see Marc - but it was Beth. She
was holding a glass of water and my pills, and she immediately had
sympathy for Stella. Stella rose, wiped her tears, and bowed her
head.
“Is everything alright? Did someone hurt
her?” Beth asked me.
“She’s fine; her heart is just lonely,” I
answered, knowing Beth would understand.
Beth walked over to Stella and looked at her
carefully, then smiled slowly. She reached her hand out and laid it
in the center of Stella’s chest. Beth hesitated for a moment, then
her smile grew as she slowly pulled her hand away. “It’s a
beautiful thing to find the one that completes your soul,” she
said, wiping away Stella’s remaining tears.
Stella was afraid and ashamed of her
composure. Beth turned to me and opened her hand; five pills rested
there, and she pointed to the three that were alike. “These are for
the pain; take them first,” she said. “And these are for your other
ailments.”
I took them, afraid that if I didn’t, I’d
lose her favor. As I swallowed them, she lowered her head, and
sorrow coursed through her. When she looked back at Stella, though,
her hope rose; her emotions were confusing to me. She walked over
to a bookcase that lined the wall, then pulled down a big book and
handed it to Stella. “Reading passes the time and doesn’t allow
your mind to call forth the yearning,” she said quietly.
Beth turned to leave, stopping at the
painting and looking across it at all the color.“I’ve forgotten
how...” she stopped, then looked back at us, smiled, and glanced at
the painting once more before leaving the room and closing the door
behind her.
“She’s amazing,” Stella said.
“I know; she’s a good woman,” I agreed.
Stella took the seat next to me and opened
the book Beth had given her. She drummed her fingers across the arm
of the chair. I reached my hand and placed it on hers, closing my
eyes and remembering the love I’d felt coming from her and Marc.
Her emotion shifted to bliss, and I opened my eyes to see her
smiling at me.
“How did you do that?” she asked,
amazed.
I smiled back and closed my heavy eyes,
sorting through all the lost memories I’d found over the last few
days; my only hope was to remain as sane as possible.
Chapter Fifteen
I didn’t know how much time had passed
before I felt Marc approaching. He wasn’t alone; there were two
others with him, both peaceful people with every intent on keeping
us both safe. I opened my eyes and saw Stella lost in the book she
was reading.
“Stella,” I said, smiling. “He’s back,” I
said, proud of my prediction.
Her excitement was immediate. “I thought I
felt him,” she muttered.
I found her words confusing; how amazing it
must be to feel the one you love. The void that Drake had
approached my memory, and I sighed deeply. Stella stood and walked
to the door, then cautiously opened it and looked down the hall. I
could feel that she saw him. I sat up a little straighter, trying
not to look so frail.
Marc walked in the room with two older men.
One had blue eyes and dimples, the other had hazel eyes that were
tinted brown. When their eyes met mine, I had another flash of them
somewhere else, happy; I felt like I loved them and trusted
them.
Marc introduced them. “This is Ashten; he’s
like a father to me.” Marc looked in my direction. “And this is
Jason, the best doctor in the universe.” He smiled weakly at me,
and I could feel remorse coming from all of them; the one who
carried the burden the most was Jason. “This is Stella, the one for
me, and this...this is Evelyn, her older sister,” Marc said
warily.
“Was everyone OK at home?” Stella asked,
reading the concern on their faces.
“No...there was an accident, and two people
that I love very much are...suffering,” Marc said, staring at
me.
Stella was immediately confused. I moved my
eyes to Jason, and he walked cautiously to my side, staring inside
of me. I could feel his relief and fear all at once. “Do you mind
if I look more closely at you?” Jason asked.
I stood and watched his eyes move over my
body, stopping at my stomach; suddenly, his fear intensified, and
he walked closer. Raising his hand, he moved my hair to see the
wound that I’d gotten in the storm. Ashten glanced at the painting,
and relief filled him, then he began to pace as Jason looked over
me.
“Do you think I’m right?” Marc asked
“I know that you are,” Jason said.
I felt a deep remorse coming from Ashten; I
couldn’t help noticing how his features comforted me. As I let
myself down easily in the chair I was standing in front of, Jason
pulled up a chair in front of me. For a moment, I wondered if
they’d lost Willow; maybe I was the last person she’d helped, maybe
she’d left me with her memories...my head began to spin as I argued
with myself.
“Why are you sitting? Grab her - we have to
leave,” Marc said in a harsh whisper.
“This body won’t survive the string; her
soul is the only reason Evelyn’s heart still beats,” Jason
said.
“What’s a string?” Stella asked,
panicked.
I wanted to know the answer to that one as
well; that was the second time I’d heard that word today.
“You haven’t told her?” Ashten scolded
Marc.
“I was going to, then I saw Will...all this
happened,” Marc said defensively.
He almost said ‘Willow’
...my heart
started to race...
They think I’m her...are they insane? Don’t
they see that what’s before their eyes is a frail, sick, dying
woman?
Jason put his hand on mine. “Calm down;
everything is fine. This body is too weak for you to have those
emotions.”
I took a deep breath and leaned back. Maybe
I could make this work for Stella’s sake; if Willow was trying to
help me, maybe they’d have mercy on the one that I’d leave behind
and take Stella away from this gray hell. Ashten nodded in Marc’s
direction, who then grabbed Stella’s hand and led her into the room
with our bed, closing the door behind them. I focused on her; if
they scared her, I was prepared to yell for Beth – even though I
knew that Marc loved her too deeply to bring her any harm.
Ashten took a seat near me and Jason. I
leaned in toward Ashten and looked at his blue eyes. I was sure
they weren’t the same as the ones I’d had a vision of, yet...I felt
like I was getting closer to them by looking into his.
“I’ve seen eyes more blue than yours in my
memory,” I said to Ashten.
He looked at Jason; they were both relieved
that I’d said those words. “What else do you remember?” Ashten
asked
“I can’t even tell you what face those eyes
belong to; everything is lost now.” My words cracked as tears came
to my eyes.
Jason looked sternly at Ashten; he didn’t
want him to push me.
“Do you think I have only four days as
well?” I asked Jason.
They were both surprised by my words.
“Is that what they told you - that you had
four days?” asked Ashten.
“They thought I was asleep. I heard Drake
tell Alamos to make sure I survived four more days,” I
answered.
They looked at each other, and I could feel
their anger and remorse all at once.
“Do I have four days?” I asked again.
Jason looked me over once more. “Your soul
has a strength like no other...no one else would have been able to
sustain the way you have...but I’d say that you have exactly
fifteen hours and twelve minutes before this body will rest.”
His precise prediction was horrifying. I
leaned forward and looked at the both of them.
“The only reason I’m still holding on is
because of Stella; she has no one else. I can feel that Marc loves
her. Help him take her to wherever your home is so I may die in
peace,” I pleaded.
They looked at each other, then back at
me.“We’re going to take you both home - one way or another,” Ashten
said firmly.
“I don’t know who I am. Protecting Stella is
the last task I must do.”
“You are -” Ashten started to say.
Jason raised his hand to stop him. “She
won’t be able to handle it.”
“How are we going to do this? He can’t come
here in physical form; they’ll both die,” Ashten said so quietly
that I barley heard him.
Too weak to ask what he meant, my eyes
questioned his words. The room started to spin, and a sick feeling
came over me. I stood, thinking I needed to go to the bathroom -
then the pain cut me in half. As the sweat came to my forehead, I
screamed without warning, trying to breathe. I felt Beth coming,
and Ashten and Jason were at my side immediately. I looked up at
Jason, trying to warn him - but I couldn’t speak through the
screams.
The door opened, and Beth stood there. Not
hesitating, she closed the door behind her and ran to my side. Marc
and Stella came from the back room. The only ones afraid were me
and Stella; the others seemed somewhat relieved to see each
other.
“Jason, these are supposed to take the pain
away,” Beth said.
Jason looked at the pills and nodded, then
Beth handed them to me. I swallowed them all at once, just wanting
relief. Jason pulled me into his lap, rocking me back in forth. I
looked up at Beth, wondering how she knew them. Ashten had tears in
his eyes and walked to Beth, hugging her tightly. Marc stood
frozen, squeezing Stella as tight as he could. Beth then let go of
Ashten and walked over to Marc. She wrapped her arms around his
shoulders, and I could feel his disbelief and love for her.
“I knew I felt you in her heart,” she said
to Marc.
“Beth, you should come home with us. Drake
is a man now. Preston needs his mother,” Ashten pleaded with
her.
Beth looked down, and I felt her remorse.
“Would it not serve the greater good for you to have allies in this
world?”
“Mom,” Marc said.
I looked at Marc, and so did Stella; we were
so confused.
Beth looked at Marc. “He has your blood, and
you have to know that inside of him there is a pure heart. I’m
going to stay with him until he finds the one that was made for
him...I’m quite sure that I’ll be able to see it in her,” Beth said
in a tender tone while searching Marc’s face for understanding. She
then walked over to Jason and handed him the last two pills that I
was supposed to take.
“These are hers as well,” Beth said.
Jason studied them. “No wonder he couldn’t
find her,” he said, looking at me.
As the pain subsided, I closed my eyes and
listened to the voices in the room, trying not to fall asleep.
“Are you sure he can’t come?” Marc
asked.
“Believe us, he’s tried over and over again;
he can stand the pain, but it hurts her body,” Jason said.
There was a pause.
“What about Brady?” Marc asked. “What if he
used Brady? They’re almost identical. I guarantee you if he got
near her, she’d remember.”
“If it worked, she’d be able to leave on her
own – in an instant,” Ashten said.
“Where’s Brady?” Marc asked
“Traveling, looking for her...everyone is,”
Ashten said.
“We could split up - find him,” Marc
said.
I opened my eyes and sat up. I had no idea
what they were talking about, but I knew they intended to leave
immediately.
“Take Stella,” I said, looking at Marc. “I’m
weak; I can’t keep protecting her. Take her somewhere safe,” I
said, looking at all of them.
Stella walked over and knelt down at my
side, tears spilling down her face. “This is bigger than me and
you...I have to stay to make sure you’re safe. I know Marc will
always find his way back to me,” she said, looking at me through
new eyes.
I shook my head, trying to shake her
resolve. They didn’t see that her safety was all that mattered.
Beth stepped forward. “It’s not my place to
advise you, but I imagine if you took Stella, Drake would know
something was going on - and you’d have an army waiting on you when
you retuned,” Beth said. She believed what she said, and the others
were on her side.