I took myself back into the room. “How do you know my name?” I asked her, trying to hide my fear.
“I know who you are, silly. You’re William’s friend,” she said lightly as she pulled out a picture of me from her desk drawer and handed it to me. “He told me you’d be coming one day,” she answered.
“He did? When did he say that, honey?” I asked softly, and took a seat next to her on the edge of her bed.
“The last time I saw him.”
“Really? When was that?”
She laughed an innocent laugh as if I should have known the answer to my own question.
“He was here a few weeks ago and said he wouldn’t be seeing me for a while because it was getting too dangerous. He used to come here every night while I was sleeping. I miss him a lot, you know. My aunt says that I’m only dreaming about him because I miss him so much.” She climbed on my lap and began playing with my hair like we had known each other all our lives.
“Do you know why he left?” I asked.
“No. He went off to school one day and didn’t come home. He stayed away for a long time and then he started visiting me at night. Auntie says he never really came back and it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. She doesn’t believe me that he really does come here. Well, at least he did until a few weeks ago. William said you would understand. Do you?”
“I do understand, Evangeline. I know he comes to see you each night. In fact, I just saw him tonight and he told me how much he loved and missed you. I think that’s why he sent me here. To let you know that he was all right and not to worry about him.” I was reaching. I had no idea why I was there in that room, but I had to say something to comfort her.
“You saw him? Really? He told you to tell me that?” she asked eagerly.
“Yes, he did!” I said in the most uplifting voice I could offer.
“Do you know why he won’t come back for good? Do you know why he only comes to see me and nobody else?”
“No, I’m sorry, honey. I don’t.” I looked away from her when I felt the tear building up in my eye. I blinked it back a few times, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
“He only comes to see me at night when no one else is around because he doesn’t want my aunt and uncle to know he is going to take me back with him. William said he will never come back here for good because he has a job somewhere far away and his boss won’t let him. He told me that my mum and daddy are still alive and it was all a big mistake. He promised he would take me with him one day and we can find them. We’re going to be a family again.”
Inasmuch as I was seething at his involvement in trying to destroy us, I couldn’t turn off the feelings I had for William. It just wasn’t that easy. Especially since I knew that everything he did was all for selfless reasons. There was nothing in it for him. He was doing it all for this beautiful little child, so she could have her family back.
I couldn’t take her hope away. I knew he wasn’t coming back, even if he did make it out of that hellish Armageddon. The defectors didn’t strike me as the type of people who would play by the rules. They owned him. Evangeline would never see her family again.
“That’s wonderful, Evangeline! I hope that happens very soon for you.”
“I think it’s almost time!” she said excitedly.
“Really? How do you know that?”
She bounced over to the corner of her room where a dainty white pedestal table stood. With one quick jerk, she pulled the cover off and revealed the terrarium underneath. I moved closer to see what creatures she had living inside. Before I was able to take a peek, she started to tell me the deal she had made with William.
“They’re dragonflies. William told me that when I collect four of them, he’ll see them and come back for me.”
“Dragonflies!” I feigned my enthusiasm. The dragonflies hadn’t haunted my dreams since I had come out of the coma. The sight of them still irked me and I would have preferred not to look at them, but she was so excited to show them to me.
“They’re beautiful,” I lied. “It must have taken you a very long time to catch them. They look like they move fast.”
“Nah, I caught these three all in the same day. There’s a whole bunch of them back by the pond, in the big willow tree. It was easy.”
“Then why don’t you just go get another one?” I asked, quite perplexed.
“William said I had to have four, one for each person in my family. The fourth one has to have a pink tail. That one would be me because pink is my favorite color. I haven’t even seen one with a pink tail, so I can’t catch it,” she said disappointedly.
I was really stupefied at that point. Why would he fill her innocent mind with such an empty promise? I still didn’t know why I was there or why William told her I would show up. Not everything had to make sense. The past few weeks were proof of that. The urge I had to see Evangeline was satisfied. I didn’t feel anything anymore. There was nothing left to do but say goodbye to her and go back home.
“I hope you find that dragonfly, Evangeline.”
“I will someday,” she whimpered.
“It’s time for me to go now, sweetheart. Will you call me if you need anything?” I handed her my phone number.
“Okay. Can I call you when William comes back? You’re very nice and I wouldn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”
“Of course you can, Evangeline. You can call me anytime, day or night. I can get to you very quickly. If you need anything at all, even if you just want to talk, please call me. We have a lot in common, you know. I lost my parents, too, and I know it’s very hard to be without them.”
“Don’t worry, Lexi, it won’t be much longer. William will be back soon and maybe he can help you get your parents back, too.”
The strength of this little girl was amazing. She didn’t care that people didn’t believe her or how farfetched her dragonfly hunting sounded. She had faith and it spilled out of her so much that wherever William was, he had to feel it, too.
“Maybe he can. It has been lovely meeting you and I’ll see you again soon.” I picked her up and held her for a minute. The smell of her hair reminded me of William. I started to feel her warmth the way I felt his. Her heart seemed to beat in sync with mine. I felt that connection that I felt with William when we first met. I kissed her cheek and put her back on the floor. I began my descent through the window, but not before I took one more quick look at that fascinating child. She smiled wide and waved goodbye.
I walked across the field that led to the path around the pond. In the distance, I could see Chace, lying on the grass, waiting patiently for me in the warm sun. I took my time getting to him, hoping I would sense something that would tell me why I was there. My eyes caught a ray of sun shining so brightly that it blinded me for a second or two. When I was able to focus my eyes again, I caught a glimpse of color on my hand. I lifted it to see and the shock of it made me forget how to breathe. The dragonfly with the pink tail made herself comfortable on my fingertips. I knew what that meant. He was alive. William was alive.
I didn’t know what it meant for Chace, or me, but I knew it meant everything to that little angel inside. I gently slipped the dragonfly off my hand and set her on a fresh leaf on the big willow tree. Evangeline would find her there when the time was right. It was her destiny.
The End
About the Author
A native New Yorker, and still a frequent visitor, Jacquelyn currently lives in Randolph, New Jersey with her three children and their Pug named Frank. She graduated Mount Saint Mary College with an accounting degree in 1994 and embarked on a career in finance. Always passionate about writing magical stories since she was a teen, she continued writing in her spare time. With dozens of uncompleted manuscripts on her computer, Jacquelyn decided to finally pursue her life-long dream of sharing her stories and taking readers to fantastic places.
Jacquelyn's connection to the characters in her debut novel, The Dragonfly Prophecy, ran deep and the story had b
een on her mind since she typed the first word. Keep an eye out for all of Jacquelyn's novels as she finishes each one, all with memorable characters who navigate their way through the twists and turns of life and love.
Visit her webpage at: www.Jacquelyncastle.com
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