The Lost Girl

by Lilian Carmine

  She patted his cheeks lovingly and gave him another hug. Seth, Sam and Josh came to huddle around me then, giving me a rib-crushing group hug, and then Harry ran and jumped on top of us all, starting a pile-on celebration huddle. My mother was ordering a bunch of people I’d never met to put endless streams of bags and boxes inside the house, and Tiffany was on her phone giving instructions about the festivities in her customary bossy tone. I was so stunned by the hurricane of congratulations and the striking turn of events that I couldn’t even think properly.

  The room was in uproar.

  It was insane.

  I felt Tristan grabbing my hand and pulling me softly to the side. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, clasping his hands tenderly around my face. “Look, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Joey, but …” – he held up a finger to make me wait for him to complete his thought – “these are our closest friends and family, and they want to celebrate our union, that’s all. They are happy for us, and they want to share this moment with us, to make it memorable, to make it even more special. It’s not a ceremony, it’s a celebration. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Okay. I guess you’re right.”

  Tristan smiled warmly and leaned in, giving me a soft kiss. “All right, let’s do this!”

  “No.”

  “You don’t like it?” Tiffany asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice as she looked at the dress she had designed for me a long time ago, having kept it a secret all this time.

  “No. I don’t like it,” I said firmly, which made her pout in disappointment. “I simply adore it! It is the most magnificent dress I have ever seen in my whole life.”

  “Really?” she squealed, her voice hitting an ultra-high pitch in excitement.

  I looked at the dress I was wearing. It was truly the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. How could I refuse to wear this? Only if I were brain-impaired or plain crazy.

  All that was left for Tiffany to do was to fix my dress. I had gained a few extra pounds so Tiffany was making a couple of adjustments.

  It was so beautiful I almost cried, and the ceremony hadn’t even started yet. I was going to be a mess by the end of the day!

  The fabric of the dress was a gorgeous, soft, creamy satin with white lace at the top and part of the back. It was designed in the Fifties fashion in homage to Tristan and the time he grew up in. He was going to adore this! It had a vintage look: the lace was extraordinary and the satin and gauze of the skirt made it look ethereal and magical. It was a thing of beauty. Tiffany was right, it was impossible not to love it!

  I glanced at my reflection one last time.

  My hair was also styled in a Fifties hairdo, and I was wearing stunning teardrop pearl earrings. The only make-up I had on was a very dark ruby lipstick and a light, pearly cream eyeshadow. Robin, Amanda and Becca were watching me with huge grins on their faces. They were already dressed in their bridesmaids gowns and looked absolutely lovely.

  I had forbidden my mom to be in the room because I knew that the waterworks would be relentless, so I asked her to stay with Tristan and calm his jittery nerves. She caved after I’d told her she was like a mother to him as well. A low blow, I knew, but I needed her away for the dress fitting. If I saw even a glimpse of her tears I’d lose all my cool and bawl like a baby, which I was trying to avoid at all costs.

  “Let’s go, Joey. Your handsome groom awaits. He’s so gorgeous in his suit, you’ll want to cry at the sight of him!” Tiffany squealed with a giggle.

  Tiffany had arranged to close a private plaza on the island for the wedding. It was only a couple of blocks away from her house. The small plaza was by a steep cliff which had an extraordinary view of the sea. Tiffany had had the whole place decorated with paper ball lanterns, and thousands of origami silver stars and twinking lights were hanging in lines over the walkways surrounding the plaza. The stars had been made for a festival on the island a few months ago, and Tiffany had borrowed them as an improvised decoration. The place looked beautiful, with a hint of magic glinting off each silver paper star.

  “I still can’t believe you took care of all this in just one day, Tiff!” I exclaimed, truly amazed as we walked out.

  “I know. I rock.” She beamed proudly at me. “Anything for my best girl friend!”

  She had been busy all day long, taking care of things, with my mother and the girls helping out. The decorations had been quickly arranged, food and drinks were set, the flowers, the suits and dresses, everything had been taken care of insanely fast.

  I walked all the way to the front of the house with my girls dutifully escorting me by my side. My mom was waiting by the front doors, hoping to get a first look at me before everybody else did. She turned when she noticed us approach and gasped out loud, her hand flying to cover her beating heart. “Oh, my goodness …” she whispered, shellshocked. “You look like an angel,” she said, tears falling quickly down her face. “I can’t believe my baby girl is getting married!”

  “MOM!” I admonished, my eyes already filling up as well. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold it in if I saw her crying. Damn it! “It’s not even the real thing; we’re making it official when we get back home! Stop making me cry; I’m going to be all puffy and red-eyed now!” I complained, sniffing loudly.

  “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She chuckled, giving me a tight hug. “Come on, your man is getting anxious. It’s so cute seeing him so flustered and handsome waiting for you up there!”

  I shook my head in dismay. Although, I had to confess, I was also feeling really anxious myself, my stomach filling up with a horde of overexcited butterflies.

  We walked quickly through cobblestoned streets until we entered an open area that was encircled by a stone railing, with the sea view in the distance. There were white flowers wound all through the railing, giving an air of festivity to the place. Everybody was already there, talking animatedly, dressed up in suits and lovely dresses.

  Tiffany knew of my aversion to traditional ceremonies, so she had agreed to cut out the priest from the proceedings and arrange something more modern, with my Lost Boys in charge of the vows exchange, and I was about to rule out the walking down the aisle routine.

  I swept my gaze through the small gathering of friends, searching for my Lost Boys. I knew Tristan was going to be amongst them, for sure. Soon I spotted Josh, Sammy and Harry talking in a small circle with Seth in front of them.

  And then I saw Tristan right next to Seth, at the same time he saw me. All the others had stopped talking and turned to watch me arrive.

  Tristan was wearing a light-gray suit over a gray vest and tie which matched the suit perfectly. But my eyes didn’t linger so much on his clothes; my eyes were drawn irrevocably towards his handsome face. He looked breathtakingly beautiful. I should have listened to Tiffany’s warning; the sight of him was indeed enough to make me want to cry.

  But what made my heart speed up the most was the smoldering look in his mercury eyes. They flared with shocking intensity, boring into me and making me feel like there was nobody else in the entire world he thought was worth looking at but me.

  Tristan looked like he was shellshocked as well. He lost his balance for a second at my arrival, and Seth caught him quickly by the arm, laughing softly. I guess he was as stunned by the sight of me as I was by him.

  A smile spread over my lips and I ran towards him, not even bothering to stop and greet anyone in my rush to get to him. He remained stock still as I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. It took him a few seconds to recover and envelop me in his arms, kissing me softly back. It was just a sweet, quick kiss, but filled with so many unspoken emotions.

  I leaned away and smiled, watching his dazed expression. “You look so handsome!” I murmured in awe.

  “I-I-I …” he stammered, at a loss for words.

  Seth chuckled by our side. “He means to tell you that you are the most beautiful thing he has ever seen in his entire life, but you need
to give him some time to recover so he can form coherent thoughts and be able to properly speak again.”

  Tristan just nodded, confirming Seth’s statement.

  I laughed and turned around to watch a sea of staring eyes looking expectantly at us. “Oh, sorry, guys! We’re not doing the lame, traditional walk-up-the-aisle thing. This is my new way to do this,” I exclaimed. “My boys! Come give me a hug!” I ordered, turning to face Sam, Josh, Harry and Seth happily. They huddled around, giving me a massive group hug. “Come on, let’s greet our friends,” I told Tristan, grabbing his hand and heading for the guests.

  We greeted everyone, hugging and thanking them for being here to share the day with us. Sometimes I’d catch Tristan giving me sly, timid glances, as if he was still a little overwhelmed by the way I looked.

  The ceremony was unique, very untraditional and truly beautiful. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It was perfect in every word, every tear, every heart-touching confession. The boys had taken the priest’s position, standing between me and Tristan, and each of them took turns with a beautiful speech prepared especially for us. They retold stories, moments and memories they had lived with us.

  Sam remembered our times at boarding school, the egg-smashing prank that brought the band together for the first time, our pile-up celebrations and late-night band practices. Seth took our hands in his and made a speech about how they were proud to see that our love always remained strong, no matter how difficult our struggles were. And that we truly were his brother and sister in his heart. That made me cry unbelievably hard, and Tristan got a bit teary as well.

  At Harrys’s turn he confessed he had never believed in true love and “all that soulmates jazz” until he got to see Tristan and I together. Josh talked about all our amazing times together: our moments shared in the tour bus, at concerts and onstage, the birthday parties, Christmases, New Years and all the celebrations we’d shared, and how lucky he was to have our friendship.

  Tristan turned and took my hands in his after the boys had finished their speeches.

  He told me in a shaky voice how much he loved me. That I was right when I said our love was stronger than anything. It was stronger than life, and death, he had told me with watery eyes.

  That I’d made him feel alive since the first moment he laid eyes on me, so long ago.

  That I was the only one who was able to see his soul when no one else could.

  That he had been waiting for me his whole life.

  I started crying all over again as he continued with his vows.

  He told me that I was the only one who could see him for who he truly was, and accept him fully.

  That I made him stronger, brighter, happier than ever before.

  That I was the joy in his heart; his rising star.

  That he would always be by my side, and that he would always love me. No matter what.

  Until the very end and from the start.

  I was sobbing so hard I could barely speak. I couldn’t think of a single word to say to him; too many emotions churned inside, making me tongue-tied.

  So I did the same thing I had done a long time ago, when we were still at school and he confessed he loved me, truly loved me, right in Sagan’s backyard, beneath a silver moon. I put my hand over his chest and tried to imprint into his heart all that I was feeling. His eyes widened in surprise as he took it all in, and he nodded quietly, holding his hand over mine, overwhelmed. He had felt everything. I could see all the emotions in his teary eyes.

  He held my shaking hands so he could put the ring (once again) on my finger. It comforted me slightly to see he was shaking as much as I was.

  Everybody cheered loudly when we kissed, and then they all screamed ‘Jostan!’ at the top of their lungs, making me laugh. It was their nickname for me and Tristan; our honorary couple title.

  It was time for some happy celebration then, and hopefully, there would be no more tears for me.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Never-Ending Love

  “Joey!” Robin called, skipping in my direction.

  The party had been going for a couple of hours now, and everybody seemed to be having a lot of fun. I’d never seen Tristan so happy in his life. It warmed my heart seeing him like that.

  “You just missed your friend. She asked me to deliver this to you,” Robin said, showing me two boxes wrapped in parched black papers. “She was running late for an appointment and had to leave.”

  “A friend?” I asked, picking up the boxes.

  “She said her name was Sky.”

  I glanced down at the two packages in surprise. The wrapping looked old. No. More than old, it looked ancient. For Sky, this might well literally be the case.

  One of the boxes was rectangular and had Tristan’s name scribbled on it in silver ink, and the other was really small and had my name on it.

  “Thanks, Robin. Could you do me a huge favor and get Tristan to come over?” I asked, my eyes never leaving the gifts in my hands. They felt heavy, and filled with an air of importance. It was not every day you got presents from Death herself.

  I sat on a stone bench, a little away from the commotion of the party, and unwrapped mine. A small box of corroded metal glinted eerily as I opened it to see a big coin made of hollow glass nestled neatly inside on a velvety black cushion.

  I took the coin carefully and twirled it around my fingers. There was golden sand filling the interior. The sand sparkled and floated like it was weightless. It was beautiful and so delicate.

  On a piece of yellowed paper stuck at the top of the box a note was written in beautiful cursive calligraphy:

  A free pass to my home, so you can visit me any time you want. Sky.

  Tristan sat down by my side, making me jump. “Robin said you wanted to talk to me?” he asked,.

  “Yeah … Sky just left us these gifts,” I said, showing him my glass coin. “This is yours.” I handed him the larger box.

  He eyed it curiously and opened the wrapping. Inside was a very ancient wooden box, and when he opened the lid, we saw a beautiful crystal hourglass laid inside, but in his the sand was translucent and transparent at the bottom.

  “This feels really valuable. As in, priceless,” he murmured in a low voice “Do you know what it is for?”

  “Look at your note.” I pointed at the yellow parchment stuck to the top of the box, just like mine had been.

  He took it and read out loud:

  For a moment with your loved ones long gone.

  Spend them wisely. Sky.

  And then he whispered, “Wow.” This is … amazing.” He gaped and then turned to look at me. “What does yours do?”

  “Free pass to her home,” I explained, twirling the coin slowly between my fingers.

  He frowned, looking puzzled. “She has a home?”

  “I suppose she does,” I said, scrunching up my nose in deep thought. A fleeting memory of a glass palace flashed in my mind. Had I dreamed about this? It felt like such a blurry, unreal vision, but also all too familiar somehow …

  “Well, I think we should put these in a very safe place,” Tristan said, closing his box carefully.

  “Agreed. I’ll put them both in the safe in our room,” I said, and took his box.

  “Do you want me to go with you …?” Tristan asked.

  “Nah, go ahead and party with the boys. I’ll put them in the safe and be right back,” I said, giving him a quick kiss and walking back towards the house.

  After I had locked up our unworldly gifts safely, I wandered outside to the balcony to survey the party which was happening a little further down the hill.

  I leaned over the railing and glanced down; my eyes glanced at the black marking on my wrist. I instantly thought of Vigil.

  It would be amazing if he could be here today. I had my boys present, all my friends, my mom; even Sky had surprisingly showed up for the event. I wondered if Vigil was still too far away; or if I dared to call him, would he be able to come right away?
>
  I pressed my fingers over my tattoo and thought of him. It couldn’t hurt to try, right? It’d really mean a lot to me if he could be here, even if it was for only a brief moment.

  A smile spread over my lips when my wrist started to throb with pain. I turned around to see Vigil standing a few feet away, dressed as usual in his formal gray clothes. He still looked older, just like he had in the last dream, his shoulders larger, his chest stronger. He looked a little distressed, but still managed to smile affectionately at me.

  “Vigil! I can’t believe you came,” I exclaimed, running to give him a big hug. “I’m so happy you’re here!”

  “Of course I came. When have I not?” he said with a chuckle.

  “I thought you wouldn’t because you’d be so busy dealing with the rest of the Gray Hooded Ones,” I explained. I was particularly jittery as I knew he had broken some serious rules because of me. “Is everything okay?”

  He gave a strained smile. “Work problems are resolved.”

  “Are you all right?” I asked, cupping his face in my hands.

  “Y-yes. Everything is fine,” he said, slightly uncomfortable at my closeness and my affectionate gesture.

  “What happened, Vigil? Did you explain to them what happened? Did everything work out fine?”

  He surveyed the view in silence for a while, and when he spoke again, his voice was nervous. “I sort of … retired from work,” he finally confessed.

  “Did they force you to do it? Because of the power switch accident and the warehouse …” I trailed off, unable to dwell too much on that last memory.

  “No. It was not forced. I had to discuss what happened at the warehouse. Complete annihilation is something of a big deal for us, so I had no other choice but to report it. And I knew the outcome would be severe punishment,” he told me, and I flinched with guilt. I’d known he would be in trouble because of me, but it stung me to hear it confirmed.