Felicity’s eyes opened, then she rose. Brady
was close behind her. I slowly handed the precious child back to
her mother. As the others began to find their bodies, we passed
through them, careful not to disturb the ones that were still. Once
at our house, Landen and I rushed through the door. Marc and Stella
were lying wrapped in one another’s arms, and for a moment I feared
we hadn’t moved enough people to bring Stella’s energy back. I
stepped closer and gently touched her shoulder, then watched her
eyes move under her lids. As they slowly opened, I smiled through
happy tears. Seconds later, Marc opened his eyes. I then pulled
Stella up and held her tightly. Her joy filled the room; her beauty
was remarkable. I extended my arms so I could look at her face.
“You’re home now...sister...you’re home,” I
said, smiling.
Stella wrapped her arms around me again and
began to jump up and down in place, unable to hold back her joy.
Landen reached to help Marc up, hugging him and smiling proudly.
Stella then looked at Landen and me. “Those are some blue eyes;
it’s easy to see why you couldn’t forget them,” she said in
awe.
Landen walked over to me, held my face, and
smiled. I stared into him.
“
I knew you never really let go of me
there,”
he thought, taking comfort in Stella’s words.
Our front door opened. I looked at Stella,
who was still wrapped in Marc’s arms. “Are you ready to meet your
family?” I asked her, full of excitement. She smiled as her Aura of
pure yellow surfaced around her.
Chrispin and Olivia walked in first, and
Marc reached out for Chrispin, hugging him tightly.
“I’m sorry, man. My head was somewhere else;
I didn’t mean to be so harsh,” Marc said.
Chrispin looked at Stella, then back at
Marc. “I knew that,” he said.
Olivia hugged Stella, then Chrispin. Ashten
and Aubrey came in next, holding Preston’s hand. Preston ran into
Marc’s arms.
Stella looked up at him and smiled. “I’ve
heard a lot about you, little man,” she said, moving Preston’s long
hair out of his face.
“I know,” Preston said, giggling.
As Stella embraced Aubrey and Ashten, August
and Nyla came in, followed by my parents and Libby. Dane and
Clarissa led Brady, Felicity, and our newest addition, Allie, in to
where we were. Rose was behind them, and Karsten closed the front
door, giving our family a moment with Stella.
Stella’s eyes settled on August; I could
feel her disbelief and awe.
“You...you were the one my father admired so
much...your words, the way you described this place, gave me
strength every day,” she said, looking at August.
All of our eyes raced back and forth,
realizing for the first time that Stella’s father was the one that
August had tried to help so long ago; I’d heard both Landen and
Felicity tell the story. Numb, I just stared, realizing that even
in our greatest mistakes we can find victory. August smiled and
looked back at Landen, then at Stella.
“When I was only a child, I was taught a
very simple lesson: ‘There are no straight lines in nature.’ I
never realized how true those words were until I saw Marc carry you
home. I realized that there is a purpose for every moment we live.
I had a simple conversation with an honest man years ago. When I
saw what happened as a result, I let the guilt carry me through
time. It never occurred to me that you and your sister were the
ones that needed to hear me speak, that my words would carry you
until Marc could come for you,” August said, feeling the relief as
his burden was lifted.
Stella hugged him tightly and whispered,
“Thank you” in his ear.
Each person took their turn welcoming the
one we had waited for Marc to bring home. Stella then looked at all
of us. “For so long, it was just Evelyn and me; I’m overwhelmed
with all of you. I’ve never felt more at home, more at peace than I
do right now. I used to dream for my soulmate to come, and as time
shifted, I dreamed of a time that Willow would come and take my
anguish away. I never thought I’d be lucky enough for both of them
to come and bring me home to so much more,” she said, smiling and
crying, her disbelief coursing through her.
Rose stepped forward and put her hands on
Stella’s shoulders. She then looked to Marc behind her and back to
Stella again. “The best thing about dreams is, when they come true,
they’re always better than you imagined.”
Everyone in the room clapped; each of us had
lived in that moment, the moment that we’d found our soul, our
purpose.
“There are more waiting to see you,” August
said, nodding his head to the doorway. Marc looked at Landen
curiously, only to see us both smiling, still in astonishment of
the day we’d had. Landen held out his hand, telling Marc to
walk.
“The sun is bright out there,” I cautioned
Stella.
She looked at me with wide eyes and almost
pulled Marc to the door. When it opened, a roar of applause
erupted; the colors of the people and their Auras were
breathtaking. Landen and I stayed back and looked on. As we slowly
fell into one of the large chairs in our living room, we smiled as
we felt the surge of energy coursing through us. I turned on
Landen’s lap, wrapping my leg around him and staring at him; as I
did, my memory was cruel to me: I saw him embracing that beautiful
woman. I also saw myself willingly pull Drake to my lips, and a
shiver ran through me. Landen pulled me closer, not understanding
the shift in my emotions.
“That was so hard...I came so close...I
honestly believed that you loved another. I felt I was being
punished for being with Drake, for leaving you,” I said, searching
his face.
He didn’t smile. His perfect image was calm
as he reached over and held my face. “You were never as close as
you thought...we’ll never completely remember the paths we’ve taken
before this life, but I know deep in my soul that even if you loved
another, if I loved another...it couldn’t compare to what courses
through us today. We have a love, a passion that will withstand
everything we face.”
Landen’s words left me breathless, and in
that moment I forgave myself for every mistake I’d made. We held
each other silently, knowing that people around our house would
understand our craving for solitude; they knew we were grateful
that they’d moved the city of Delen, once ruled by Donalt. As
darkness fell, we made our way to our room, finding our strength in
one another once again.
In the morning, we basked in the calm we
felt around us. I dressed and cooked a breakfast for two,
pretending for a moment that life could be so simple as I cleaned
the kitchen. I felt Stella approaching; she was not alone. Marc,
Chrispin, Olivia, and Preston were with them. Landen looked at me
and smiled; we could see their intent. They wanted us to take them
to Pelhan’s dimension...they wanted to see Livingston.
We met them on the porch. Marc was leading
them, holding Stella’s hand, and Chrispin was carrying Preston.
“Will you?” Marc asked
Landen nodded and walked off the porch with
his arm around me. In the string, we found the current calm.
“Do you think the storms are over now, too?”
Marc asked Landen.
“I don’t think they’ll be near as often or
as strong,” Landen answered, relieved.
The looking glass was more than likely the
cause, but the other dimensions weren’t blameless. Nature gives all
the energy that we could ever need, but mankind has a hard time
believing that a natural wonder could come so easily.
As the string turned into a stunning yellow,
I felt the excitement and anxiety coming from all around us. Landen
and I stepped through first. Before us, a mass of beautiful people
was waiting; they smiled warmly and parted, making a path to
Pelhan’s house. The beauty of this place brought tears to Olivia
and Stella’s eyes. Marc and Chrispin stared in disbelief.
On the steps of the beautiful home, Pelhan
and Aora were waiting. I could feel their pride as we climbed the
steps and hugged them.
“You did well,” Pelhan said to Landen. He
then looked down to Preston. “Teach your brothers; your father is
waiting anxiously,” he instructed.
Preston smiled and pulled Marc and Chrispin
into the house. Stella and Olivia followed.
Pelhan extended his hand for Landen and me
to come in. We made our way to the four pillows that centered a
table with burning incense, sitting under an open ceiling. They sat
down across from us and beamed in our direction.
“Was it more difficult than you imagined?”
Pelhan asked.
Landen looked at me, then back to Pelhan.
“We knew in the end we’d be side by side, that everything that
happened would fall to the shadows,” he answered, more sure of
himself now than ever.
Pelhan’s smile widened. “We watched you
closely; there was not a moment that we saw either of you falter.
We have stood in bewilderment of your love before, but on this
journey you truly moved us, this dimension.”
“You watched us?” I asked, confused.
Aora smiled. “We had to know when to send
you our positive thoughts; when more than one ask for something, it
reaches us faster,” she explained.
I let out a silent laugh.
I wish I knew
that when we left here before
.
“What is left for us to do?” Landen
asked.
Pelhan waved his hand, and the incense
between us moved into a scene, a dark sky with one bright gleam of
light in the center.
“You moved millions; there are billons who
still are lost,” Pelhan explained.
“But Donalt is dead now,” I argued.
“The body he was in is dead, but the sprit
within still rages on and will prove to be your greatest adversary.
Now, I fear that not only will the trials come faster - they will
also become harsher.”
“Where is Drake, Perodine, Alamos?” I
asked
“Perodine has moved to west of the
dimension, a home she has often retreated to. Drake and Alamos
returned to Beth and will reside there, taking control of the rest
of the dimension,” Pelhan said, lowering his hand.
“Has Livingston found more of his peace now
that Marc is one with Stella?” I asked Pelhan.
He smiled widely. “He has now that you and
Drake have led Chrispin, Marc, and Preston to their soulmate,” he
said, finding the irony humorous.
I looked at Landen with disbelieving eyes.
Pehlan was right; Drake took Olivia and had moved Stella from a
dark laundry house to the docks, where she met Marc. As for
Preston, he was just lucky that Drake had found me; Libby will
always be close to me.
“Do not live in worry for the days to come;
live now,” Pelhan said, rising.
We followed him. He placed his hand on
Landen’s back and led him to the courtyard. Aora and I lingered
behind, and she smiled at me.
“You are stronger than we both thought. I
cried for you when I saw the illusion set before you,” she said
softly.
I smiled, looking at Landen ahead of me.
“All I knew was, it didn’t matter if he didn’t love me; I’d always
be infatuated with him,” I answered.
“He is in agreement with you on that
matter,” Aora said, laughing.
We made our way to the courtyard and watched
Livingston embrace his boys, feeling their love. There was only one
that remained lost: Drake; I feared he’d never find his way
here.
Landen and I made our way back through the
house alone. I walked him though the hallway with all the paintings
of the lives we’d lived, and as we gazed at each of them, the
memory still escaped us. At the end of the hallway, we walked
outside to the pathway that led to the beautiful tree, then sat
beneath it for hours, taking in all its beauty and energy.
Chapter Twenty One
There were so many people still lingering
around our home, it was decided that we’d hold Marc and Stella’s
celebration in the heart of town. At my house, Felicity, Olivia,
and Clarissa took great pleasure in dressing Stella for the special
night.
“I’ve never seen a color so beautiful,”
Stella said, looking down at the array of colors Felicity had made
in the beautiful dress that she was wearing. “Will you teach me how
to do this?” she asked Felicity
“We will teach you everything we know, then
you can choose what truly makes you happy,” Felicity said
proudly.
We all took one more glance at ourselves
before we left my room. Downstairs, Dane, Marc, Chrispin, Brady,
and Landen were waiting. Aubrey had taken the opportunity to spend
time with Allie, taking her ahead of us to the celebration.
We sent Stella down first, and I smiled as I
felt the admiration coming from the guys; Marc’s was stronger than
them all. Olivia and Felicity followed close behind, receiving the
same response. I then motioned for Clarissa to go next, but she
hesitated and smiled at me.
“You know I grew up around all these tough,
adventurous boys, having to prove to myself everyday that I was as
strong as them. I secretly waited for the day that all my sisters
would be brought home, thinking I’d be strong enough to teach each
of you to run with them. It didn’t take long for Felicity to prove
to me that she was as strong as me. Olivia had to find her
confidence, just as Stella will...but...the first time I saw you
that day at the cabin...even though you were in the middle of you
own personal hell, I said to myself, ‘Now there’s someone who
doesn’t need anyone to show her how to be strong.’ I could feel the
strength of your soul when you were at your weakest point, and I
knew then that you were the thread that would tie so many souls to
one another.”
We hugged each other tightly, feeling the
bond of sisterhood. Clarissa passed down the stairs. I hesitated,
letting her have her moment, then slowly walked down the stairs. My
eyes danced across the people who made me who I was, ultimately
landing on the one that completed me, Landen. He was smiling a
perfect boyish grin and welcomed me with open arms.