“Huh,” was the only thing Lilah said, which infuriated Tatyanna even more.
“Why did you even care to say goodbye to me? It's not like we're even sisters.”
“I care, because in my heart you are my sister,” Lilah said, clutching her chest. “I've tried for years to be close to you, to understand you, but Grandfather told me I needed to keep my distance, so when it came time for you to leave, it would be much easier for you. But, you need to know, I hated having to distance myself from you. The easiest way for me to do that was to become the ditz everyone believed me to be.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “But, I want you to know, after years of watching you and taking everyone's crap, I have reevaluated my own life. I don't want to be that 'dumb blond' everyone thinks I am. I want to be someone, and I want to be with someone who sees me for me. I want to be someone I can like and be true to, just like you've always been true to yourself. So, even though this is goodbye, I will always remember you, even when no one else does.”
Tatyanna didn't realize how much her sister loved her until that moment. She wanted to take back every bad thought she had ever had toward her sister. She absently wiped away a tear.
“Come on. We both know I'm not worth any tears,” Lilah said, walking over to give her sister a hug.
“You know this is the first time we’ve ever really connected...” Tatyanna started to say.
“...and yet you have to leave,” Lilah finished for her. They stood staring at each other for a few minutes in silence. Neither one wanted to say goodbye, because they both knew it would be for the last time.
“So, how is it you can see me, and no one else can?”
“Grandfather said to make it easier for you to leave, the world around you would forget you even existed. All their memories of you would be gone.”
“You mean to tell me I had to put up with Beverly for no reason?” she asked, her voice escalating. “I went through all of it for no reason?” she roared in disbelief.
Lilah smiled. “I don't have the answers you seek. I wish I did, but our time here is at an end.”
“Oh, no, not you, too. Everyone around me speaks in cryptic messages. I don't think I could handle it if one more person spoke in riddles.”
Lilah smiled. “Then, before any of this gets to be too mushy, let's just say goodbye.” She leaned over and gave Tatyanna one last hug. “I will never forget you,” she said in between her tears. “Stay true to yourself, and trust your instincts. They’ve led you this far and haven't failed you yet.” She paused to wipe away her tears. “And maybe, when you've completed your journey, you can come back and tell me all about it.”
“I don't...I don't...” Tatyanna tried to get out, when Lilah shushed her.
“Don't. Let's leave it at we will see each other again, someday.”
Tatyanna brushed away her own tears and nodded in agreement. “Deal.”
Lilah smiled and walked to the window, glancing down. “Your friends are waiting for you. Tell Dimitri thanks for showing me who Jon really was.”
“How did you know it was him?” Tatyanna asked, surprised. She had never said anything to Lilah about it.
“Grandfather mentioned it,” she replied, smiling.
“Enough said. I’ll tell him.”
The two looked at each other one last time, and in a blink of an eye, Tatyanna transported herself to Dimitri's truck and waved at Lilah, wishing she would be able to see her one more time but doubting she ever would. Then, she turned her back on the only world she had ever known to embrace her unknown future.
Chapter Fifteen
Goodbye World, Hello Endozia
Tatyanna stood before her two friends, reflecting over her conversation with Lilah. Saying goodbye was harder than she thought it would be. All her life, she had wished she could connect to her sister. Of all days, it was when she said goodbye that she finally did. She made a promise to hold her sister's words close to her heart, feeling like the words would come to hold a whole new meaning.
She broke away from her revere and studied her friends. She felt like she had known them forever, when it had only been a short time. Tatyanna had come to trust them with her life, and a part of her felt weird about trusting them so soon. The more she considered her friends, the more she realized it wasn't weird. It was the feeling of finally having true friends in her life. It engulfed her with a strange sort of comfort.
“So...” Dimitri stretched out. “Are you okay? Was it hard for you to see your family when they didn't remember you?”
Tatyanna glanced back at the house and saw her sister staring down at her from the window. She waved to Lilah one last time, and turned her back on her own life for good. “It wasn't that they didn't remember me, it was more like I was invisible to them. Only Lilah could see me.”
“Really? How is that possible?” Emmett asked.
“She said she has talked to Grandfather several times throughout the years, and he has been prepping her for the day when I would walk away from the only world I ever knew. And she asked him to give her this last moment with me. To send me off, with at least one happy face.”
“What's next?” Dimitri asked her.
“It is time to embrace my future. You tell me.”
Dimitri glanced at Emmett. “Well?”
Emmett had been staring at the sky, as if something would fall from it. “We should rest and head out in the morning. It's already dark there, and we don't know what surprises await us.”
“So, back to my place?” Dimitri asked.
“No, only long enough to pack some clothes, and to drop off your dump truck. I think it would be best if we went to the clearing. The sooner we get away from this world, the better.”
“Why is that? Why can't we stay here for the night?”
“You need to shed who you were, before you can embrace who you are. You've already said your goodbyes, there's no need for us to linger. Plus, you reek. A night in the forest will help get rid of these smells.”
Tatyanna bent and twisted smelling herself. “I don't smell anything.”
Dimitri laughed, “As a warrior, you learn what the land smells like, and you know when something doesn't belong. If we want to make it to our destination safely, you need to smell like the forest.”
“Please tell me I don't have to roll around in mud, or anything crazy like that,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut and bracing herself for the worst. Emmett laughed, but didn’t answer her. “Wait, come on? Do I have to roll around in mud or not?” she asked again, but neither one would respond as they climbed back into Dimitri’s truck.
Dimitri pulled away from the curb, and Tatyanna had to force herself not to look back one last time. Lilah’s parting words echoed in her mind, and she half smiled. “Oh, hey, Dimitri, Lilah wanted me to tell you thanks.”
Dimitri flicked his gaze to his rear view mirror and met her eyes. “For what?”
“Something about showing her who Jon really was.” Dimitri smirked, remembering the fun he had that night getting revenge on the douche’s car.
Emmett looked at his friend's wicked smile and asked, “What did you do?”
Dimitri looked shocked, “What do you mean, what did I do? I didn't do anything; it was that asshole's fault.”
Emmett closed his eyes briefly and let out a long breath, turning to Tatyanna and asking, “What happened?”
“The night of my twenty-first birthday, Lilah's boyfriend ran a light, or something, and hit Dimitri's truck. Jon just kept on driving, never bothering to stop, and Dimitri followed him to my house, and had some fun with Jon's car. When Lilah walked Jon out to his car after the party, she smelled dog pee and saw several broken windows. I guess Jon went ballistic over the damage, because it was really his dad's car. He was only trying to impress Lilah.”
Emmett laughed. “Oh, I bet she was impressed all right.”
“Yeah, she broke up with him that night and hooked up with some new guy.”
“Does she always go f
rom one guy to the next?” Dimitri asked her, pulling onto his street.
“She did, but I think she's different now. I think she has decided to be serious about her life and who she is with. She's less about looks and more about personality now.”
“Good for her,” Emmett said softly.
Dimitri slowed his car down as he pulled into the garage. As he turned it off, he told everyone to wait inside for him. “It's not safe in this neighborhood at night. I don't want to give anyone any ideas. I'll be quick, I've already made up the packs for everyone,” he said, walking them through the front door.
As Tatyanna waited for Dimitri to grab his things, she took in his house one last time. This had truly been his home for years. She turned to Emmett, who was pacing back and forth impatiently. “How long has Dimitri lived here?” she asked, stopping Emmett from making another lap across the entryway.
“When you were first hidden, he was taken away to train and work with the best in his field. Over the years, he would make frequent trips here just to set up a persona, so to speak, and to keep an eye on you from a distance. But I'd say he's lived here permanently for the last few years. We knew this day was coming, so instead of taking the chance of you being ready when he wasn't here, he made the choice to stay and wait until you were.”
Tatyanna contemplated his words, recognizing both Dimitri and Emmett had had to sacrifice a lot for her. She hoped she was worth it and could live up to their expectations, even though she wasn't completely clear on what those expectations were. After several long minutes of watching Emmett pace the small area, Dimitri came down, having changed into deerskin pants and a long white cotton shirt, and carrying several bags filled to the brim. He passed one to her and the other to Emmett, tossing the third over his back.
“Should I change clothes?” she asked, looking down at her rumpled shirt and jeans.
“No need,” Emmett said. “When we appear in the clearing, your clothes will automatically change.”
“How is that even possible?” she asked, astonished.
“We'll explain later,” Dimitri said, holding out his hand to her and waiting for Emmett to take her other hand. The two men closed their eyes simultaneously, and she felt a rush of cold air wash over her, and then a wave of heat. In a blink of an eye, literally, she went from feeling fine to dizzy and nauseated, as if she was car sick. This time, though, it was magic-sickness.
When they arrived in the clearing, Tatyanna immediately stumbled and dropped to her knees, bending over as she held her stomach.
Emmett crouched down beside her, and gently brushed his fingers through her hair, pulling it out of her face. “Shh,” he soothed. “Take deep breaths, and it will pass.”
Tatyanna tried to open her mouth to speak, but as soon as she did, she felt like she would puke. Immediately, she closed it, shaking her head and regretting it, as she felt a pain slash through her body. Doubling over, she laid down on the ground in the fetal position. Emmett moved slightly so he was kneeling in front of her, whispering words of comfort to her. When he realized his words weren’t helping, he lifted the familiar blue necklace from around her neck and pressed it to her forehead.
Instantly, Tatyanna felt the rush of cool running water, and it helped to calm the nausea immobilizing her. After a few minutes, Tatyanna was able to take the necklace back from Emmett and held it to her own head. She was amazed by the power she was feeling coursing through her body, like waves crashing up against rocks during high tide. She could feel the cool sensation washing over every nook and cranny, until the sickness had been banished completely. She got to her hands and knees slowly, and when she still didn’t feel sick, she stood up, eyeing her necklace.
“What is this?” she asked, never once looking up from the necklace, turning it over and over in her hands. She hadn't really inspected the necklace, other than when she stood outside the bar with Dimitri and Althea. Originally, she had thought it was a cage, but now, she wasn't so sure what the design was supposed to be. What was really strange about the necklace was that the blue stone glowed.
“I told you it contains the power of your family,” Dimitri reminded her.
“Did it just heal me?” she asked, bewildered, touching the stone carefully, as if it might break. She could feel warmth and strength radiating from it beneath her fingers.
“Of course. Your power is to heal. This necklace helps to connect you with your power. You will never be sick, or injured, as long as you wear it. Each of the ruling families has a necklace that contains the original magic of that power. I have heard rumors each necklace can do more than just what the power calls for, but I've never seen it myself.”
“What do you mean?” Tatyanna questioned, glancing up for the first time. “How can a necklace do more?”
Emmett and Dimitri cast quick glances at the other, and Emmett was the one to answer her. “It's just rumors, and no one knows if it is the truth, but the necklaces are said to make the person who wears them extremely powerful. They are able to wield a power unlike any we have ever seen. It's just speculation, yet, when I was a young boy, I saw fireballs raining down from the sky, causing villages to flame up in seconds. I had never seen a power such as that before from the Fire Family. Some claim it was the necklace, and others think people have exaggerated that story. Who knows?”
She held the necklace up against her heart, closing her eyes. She felt at peace, and at home, but not the home she had shared with the Bakers, but the home she needed to protect. A slight breeze ruffled her hair, and could have sworn she heard a woman's voice telling her to follow her heart, and then a fleeting kiss to her head shocking her and causing her to drop her necklace to the ground. The woman was gone.
“What's wrong?” Dimitri asked, walking over to her to retrieve the necklace.
“I think I just saw my mother,” she said, wondering how that was even possible.
“What?” Emmett asked, startled.
“Yeah,” she said slowly. “I placed the necklace on my heart, and I was able to feel my mother's presence. She told me to always follow my heart, and then I could have sworn she kissed me.”
“Huh,” was the only response Tatyanna got back from the guys. This was apparently new to them, and they didn't know how to react. She handed her necklace to Dimitri, since he was standing the closest to her, and turned around so that he could put it back on her. Once he was done, she asked, “Why did I get sick?”
“There was a meeting going on, and we basically traveled in a circle around the outside of the clearing until the meeting was resolved. One cannot gain entry if someone wasn't given permission.”
“So, we traveled in a big circle, until we were able to gain access?” she clarified.
“Yes,” Dimitri said.
“Great. Next time, let's just stop and wait. I felt car sick.”
“We couldn't stop,” Emmett told her.
“So, there's a possibility of that happening again?” she asked, feeling her stomach turned at the thought.
“Yes, it's unavoidable.” Before Tatyanna could interrupt, Emmett continued, “This clearing is used for many things, and many people might be waiting. We were next in line. If we had left to go wait somewhere else, we might not have been able to come back until tomorrow, or later,” he explained.
“Huh,” she said, not completely convinced of his clarification, but she didn't call him on it.
“Are you feeling okay? Are you sure you should be standing?” She heard the familiar voice behind her, as she turned to face the speaker, her breath caught in her throat.
“It's you,” she said angrily, staring at Cale, but she couldn't see him for the person he was standing before her, only as the dying man on the gurney trying to steal her life force. Without thinking, she reached out and slapped him across his face. “You should have learned the last time we met to stay away from me. I don't want anything to do with you!”
“You can't hit me,” he said, appalled.
“I just did. Do you w
ant me to do it again?” she asked, raising her hand to make her point.
“No, I mean this area is protected. Violence can't happen here.”
“Turns out that isn't always the case. The earth sided with Tatyanna and felt like she has a right to be upset. So they allowed her to hit you.”
Cale's face turned red. “That’s bull! No one gets away with hitting me, especially not a woman.” He stalked toward her and was about to strike, when a vine came sweeping down from above and wrapped around Cale's waist, stopping him in midstride.
“What the hell! Let me down! I demand you to let me down!” But the vine brought him up higher in the air and started to bounce him up and down, like a marionette.
Tatyanna wore a bewildered expression on her face. “I didn't do that,” she said, her head bobbing up and down as she watched the vine bounce Cale in the air.
Without warning, Cale fell to the ground and scampered away from Tatyanna. “Look, I said I was sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you that day in the ER. I just didn't want to sit and wait until everyone thought you were ready to face the truth, when that was never going to happen. I was tired of sitting on my butt, twiddling my thumbs.”
“We had a plan!” Emmett screamed at him, his hands clenched by his sides.
“Fuck the plan! It doesn't even matter now, does it?”
“You don't understand. We had everything in place, and you had to jump in and ruin it all. We were supposed to have an escort. But, now, it looks like we have to do this alone, without any protection. Was that your plan all along? To get the princess killed? Because that's how it looks to me.”
For the first time since Tatyanna had met him, Cale looked contrite. “I didn't know.”
“Of course you didn't know, because you never listened. It was all about you and what you wanted. If anything should happen to us, I will hold you accountable. If anything happens to the princess, you will have to answer to Marek, and he is not going to be understanding. You will be lucky if he doesn't have you whipped when we meet up with him.”
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