“I was just suggesting,” she grinned, “that Kentucky Fried Chicken has a longer history than it realizes.”
“Go and take a shower,” he said. “I promise you that I will be back before you are done.”
“Can you bring me some of those pastries?” she asked. “From the dessert cart? And then just some coffee.”
“Coffee?” he replied, in shock. “It's evening. You want to be up all night?”
“Caffeine helps headaches, so I want to ward one off. But also, I wouldn't mind being up all night.”
“Katianna…,” he started, and then decided to take her up on her invitation. They were on their honeymoon after all. “I'll be back soon.”
“See you,” she said, waiting until he was gone before she headed into the bathroom. Taking off her clothes, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was thinner than she would have liked, having lost weight despite the buffet here. Her face seemed odd to her, her eye twitching. It had never done that before, and she had been working for the past half hour to control it. Now that he was gone, it was a relief to relax and take a deep breath.
Her vision was going funny around the edges; black spots dancing in front of her eyes. She told herself she just needed to cool down, and she turned on the shower.
It only took a moment for the water to become the perfect temperature before she stepped in.
The cold water hit her, and she breathed out. Her body had been burning, and it was instant relief.
This place was heaven; it really was. She had a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that she didn't have to go back and live with her parents. She loved them, of course, but she had moved on from that life. This was real life–living with Spencer; having him come home to her every night.
She was almost finished with school and had spent some time looking for jobs already. He said that she didn't have to work, but she wanted to, and he accepted that. She wanted to manage a grand hotel somewhere, maybe a former castle. She thought fondly of her time on Umora, even though they had parted on unclear terms. It had changed her life, and she wanted a reminder of those days around her.
The last she heard from Enya, Alexander was dying. She wished she could reach out to offer her condolences to the family. Dragons were so majestic and so strong; she couldn't believe that they could just waste away. She hoped he would be all right, but she saw death differently since Spencer found her.
There was always a way to return somehow.
The water pounded onto the back of her neck, and she closed her eyes, letting the stream wash away the soreness of her muscles.
She was so tired today, and the world swirled around her. She arched her back, trying to steady herself, and lost her footing.
Her head made contact with the marble behind her with a loud crack. For one moment, she felt incredibly nauseous. The world rushed up to her, and the last thing she remembered was her cheek cracking against the drain.
Her limp body pushed open the door; the water quickly flooding the bathroom floor. Her hand lay out in front of her, her wedding rings sparkling from the recent cleaning.
It was exactly twenty-three minutes until Spencer returned. He was carrying enough food to feed an army, wanting her to be satisfied. His arms were full, and he knocked on the door twice before becoming concerned.
“Katianna?” he called through the door. He put his ear to it and heard the shower running. “Still?”
Putting some of the food onto the floor, he reached into his back pocket, pulling out his key. He slipped it into the door, and pushed it open.
The first thing that he noticed was that the carpet was soaking wet. There were noticeable puddles of water everywhere, and it was coming from the bathroom.
“Katianna?” he asked, moving toward the bathroom door. He opened it, and the sight he found was horrifying.
There was blood everywhere on the bathroom floor. Her body lay half out of the shower, her eyes unseeing as they stared up toward the ceiling
“Katianna!” he screamed, moving toward her. “Help! Help me! Somebody please help me!”
His brain should have registered to call 9-1-1, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. He was stuck in the early 1900s, the first time he had found her like that.
He grabbed a towel, wrapping her in it as he picked her up. She was limp, and he frantically reached for a pulse.
To his relief, there was one, but it was weak.
“Help!” he screamed again.
It only took a moment more before a member of the staff came running.
He didn't remember much about the next few moments. He knew that there were more staff members running in, and someone called 9-1-1. The paramedics came rushing in, and they had to pry his arms from her to try and help her.
It was the most terrifying moment of his life to see them pressing on her chest; hooking her up to machines and putting her on a stretcher
“Is she going to be all right?” Spencer asked frantically. “Please, is she going to be all right?”
“We're doing everything we can, sir,” the paramedic said. “Come with us. We're taking her to the hospital.”
He had lost her before, and he knew what this was going to feel like. But it didn't mean it got any easier. He held onto her small hand as the ambulance sirens screamed, talking quietly to her the whole time. He wanted her to know that he was there; he wasn't leaving. And if it ended like this, he wouldn't stop looking for her.
There was fear in the pit of his stomach, though. What if her lives weren't unlimited? What if he never found her again?
And what if Ariel's words were right? What if this wasn't real?
The hospitals had changed in the last century. The equipment was updated, and the terminology was different. Procedures were quicker and more efficient; doctors were more confident in their tests results than their own minds.
One thing that he noticed hadn't changed was the emotion. Despite the advances in technology, hospitals were still places of fear, of tension, and of sadness. There were still families pacing the hall; people crying in corners–overtired eyes and weakened life forces. For all the advances they had made, they still hadn't been able to cure death.
They took her straight through emergency setting her up in a room. She lay motionless, while they ran a battery of tests on her. Spencer went with her for every single one. There were CT scans, blood tests, x-rays, and some things that he wasn't even sure about. He didn't protest to anything, letting them do what they needed. He signed papers, gave permissions, and stepped back when they needed him to. He would have let them open his own body and donate whatever was needed if it would have made a difference.
But as two days and nights passed, he knew that nothing would make a difference.
“It was an aneurysm,” a doctor said to him quietly at dawn of the third day. “She was born with it, most likely. Did she show symptoms of any head pain in the past?”
“Yes,” Spencer said, numbly, speaking of this life and the past few ones. “Always.”
“Was it ever investigated?” the doctor said, and he shook his head, numbly.
“No,” his voice broke at that. “We've only been married two weeks.”
“I'm sorry,” the doctor answered, flatly. “There's not much we can do in these cases. We've run the tests three times, and each time, it's come back with no brain waves. She's gone. I'm sorry. All that's left to do is turn off the machines.”
“No,” Spencer replied, sharply. “No, please. She could come back.”
“Sir, maybe you misunderstand me,” the doctor replied. “She is gone, her brain is dead. The machines are the only things keeping her alive. She can't come back.”
“She can,” Spencer said, quietly, closing his eyes.
“You let me know when you want me to turn off the machines,” the doctor said softly. “Take as much time as you need.”
He left the room then, leaving Spencer to hold her
hand, his own trembling.
He never had to make a choice like this before. She had always died young, and in his heart, he knew that this time wouldn't be any different. This was just the way it was. But to make the choice to take her life away was something he wasn't sure he could do.
He had to be sure in the belief that he would find her again. He had to truly believe that this was his Katianna, and that the second he pulled the plug, her soul would soar to a new body.
It would be at least fifteen years before he was able to recognize her again. He would wander the galaxy alone – waiting, hoping, and praying. He would look for clues, hire witches to follow magic trails, search the internet–anything that he could do.
“Till death do us part, my love,” he whispered softly, kissing the top of her head. He was trembling as he stood up. “But I will find you again. I will.”
He desperately wanted her to respond, to wake and tell him that she loved him. He wasn't sure he could wait that long to hear those words again or see those beautiful eyes.
But he had to, for this was what fate delivered to him.
“I'm ready,” he said, going out to the hallway. The doctor looked up from his notes, surprised
“That was fast,” he answered. “Are you sure?”
“I'm sure,” Spencer replied. “I will see her again someday, and I want to speed that process along.”
The doctor's brow furrowed. He heard a lot of talk about death in his career, but that was a confusing phrase. He didn't question it, though. People said odd things in the throes of grief.
“All right,” he said. “And again, I'm sorry.”
“It's all right,” Spencer repeated. “I'll see her again soon. I have to.”
Chapter 15
“And what about marriage? Have you ever thought about remarrying?”
Ariel froze, looking at the reporter in the mirror. She was used to doing interviews just about every second she wasn't performing. She was the biggest name in theater and had broken into Hollywood several years ago. Her dancing career had given way to an acting career that she thought would keep her distracted after Alexander died. Truthfully, she threw herself into the role because she couldn't stand being herself.
It had been twenty years since he died, slipping away on Umora despite everyone's best efforts. It had thrown her into a state of grief that she hadn't thought she'd be able to survive.
True to Nicholas' word, she remained a dragon princess. They weren't as close as they were twenty years ago, but she was still their sister. It just hurt to see their lives successful and happy. All three brothers had children; all their spouses had managed to find a way to survive. Only she was alone, and it broke her heart every time she saw them holding hands.
“No,” she said, quickly. “I won't be remarrying. I think this interview is over.”
The reporter realized that they had screwed up, and got up. “Ariel–”
“Thank you,” she practically shoved them out of the door, slamming it behind them.
Only then did she let a tear slip down her cheek.
She quickly moved to the makeup mirror to dab up the tear and fix the damage that had been done. She was due on stage in ten minutes, and she was glad it was a show she had done a million times before.
She tried not to think about the fact that the first time she had done this show, Alexander had been alive. He had scoffed, shaking his head, and telling her that as long as she was happy, he didn't care that the show rapped the American Constitution. What would he think, now that she had toured with it off and on for twenty years?
She felt numb as the lights dimmed and the opening music played. She was just going through the motions, dancing the steps, moving with her partner through the beat. She didn't feel a thing, except for trying to push out the grief.
It wasn't until she came to the very front of the stage during the second act that she felt a shock. She spun around, searching the dark auditorium. She was a professional; she didn't miss a beat. But she certainly threw off her partners, trying to change the blocking every second song to get close to the edge of the stage.
She could have sworn she felt a dragon in the crowd, somewhere.
The theater seated three-thousand people; she couldn't pinpoint it. Her skills were rusty; it had been a long time since they had been put to use. She remembered the days when the dragons taught her to hone it, to search for links between two beings, and to sniff out magical trails. Those days when they were all young, happy, and full of adrenaline.
“What the hell were you up to?” her partner asked as the curtain fell the final time. “Did you forget everything?”
“I hear the crowd roaring; I couldn't have done that bad,” she snapped. All she wanted was to go back to the hotel and pull the covers over her head. She didn't want to deal with people; she didn't want to feel their life forces.
So, what if there were dragons in the audience? They could have come from anywhere in the galaxy; they could have come through the Other. She felt it occasionally, passing someone on the street or standing in a taxi cue. None of it felt familiar; none of it felt like the one thing she searched for.
It was as if the only thing she could feel for anymore was a dragon prince. But she knew the one she was reaching out for would never reach back, no matter how much time she wasted.
“Whatever. Don't forget to go to the stage door,” her partner said, rolling his eyes.
“Oh, shit,” Ariel growled. She had forgotten that part of their contract was to sign autographs at the stage door in a rotating schedule. She had traded shifts twice to do interviews, and she knew she couldn't put it off any longer. If she asked someone else to do it one more time, her cast mates would likely never forgive her. “Do you have a pen?”
“They have pens, diva,” he replied. “Just go quickly. You and I have an interview in the green room in half an hour.”
“Yes, your majesty,” she rolled her eyes.
“That's yes, General Sir,” he teased her and she broke away. She couldn't even stand the light flirting that actors often spat out. She knew it meant nothing, but it reminded her of a time when it did.
How the crowds got to the stage door so fast was stunning to her. It was almost as if some of them had left the show early just to meet her. When she pushed it open, they cheered at the top of their lungs, shoving against her.
Ariel shoved back, snapping at those who got too close. She told herself that she would sign ten autographs–that was it–and then she would go back in. Ten was a significant number; they couldn't blame her for that.
“What name do you want me to make it out to?” she grabbed a tenth one, grateful that it would only be a few seconds. Frankly, she didn't care who they were or what they wanted written, so long as it was short.
“Katianna,” said a voice.
Ariel froze, looking up.
Two different colored eyes looked back at her, a smile on her face. She didn't look anything like the last girl. The only similarities were the eyes and Spencer standing beside her.
Ariel had never been rendered speechless before. Her jaw fell open, and she stared at Spencer, shaking her head.
“No,” she said. “No. This isn't real.”
“And yet the proof stands right in front of you,” Spencer said softly. “Can't you feel it?”
“I felt you,” Ariel said, quickly. “That's it.”
“Well, from what I understand, it's been a while since you honed your skills,” he answered. “You were radiant on the stage, just as we remember.”
“You remember,” she said, looking back to Katianna, “Just one of you remembers.”
“I remember you,” Katianna replied. She had dark skin this time around, and she was taller and curvier than last time. But something about a firm lilt in her voice sent shivers down Ariel's spine. “I used to watch videos of you last time. And this time.”
“No.” Ariel closed her eyes. “No. W
e went over the possibilities. We investigated–”
“And what did you find?” Spencer asked. “Anything conclusive?”
“No,” she admitted. “But–”
“Ariel, would you do us the honor of having a drink with us tonight?” Spencer asked. “We're across the street, at the Marriott.”
“Why?” Ariel asked. “We weren't close. Why did you seek me out?”
“There's something I need to tell you,” Spencer replied. “For old time's sake, then. For Alexander.”
He used the magic word–the word that he knew she couldn't deny. She nodded silently, agreeing to meet them at their room.
What in the world did he want to talk to her about? What did it matter? What he have to say, she thought?
Still, she couldn't stay away. She rushed through the interview and barely changed before she headed across the street. Her heart was hammering as she got into the elevator, taking it to the top floor.
She knocked on the door to the penthouse with sweaty palms, brushing her hair back from her eyes. The doors were mirrored, and she stared at her reflection for a few moments. She was still gorgeous, her red hair was still a solid color. Her face was more defined, as often happened with age. Her small body was a little wider, her legs a little thicker.
She had a briefly thought of Alexander, seeing the fact that stared back at her. If he was still around, would he still think she was beautiful? Would he still love her? Or would their marriage have given up the ghost a long time ago?
Spencer pulled open the door with a smile.
“Ariel, thank you for coming.”
“Please make it fast,” she said as she stepped into the room. “I don't have long, and I'm tired.”
“Of course,” he said. “You were working. Katianna, Ariel is here.”
She came out of the bedroom, starling Ariel all over again with her face. Ariel looked her up and down hesitantly.
“I heard your death was painful,” Ariel said at last, the only thing she could think of saying. Katianna smiled.
“That part, I don't remember. I only remember good memories of last time. You and I in the palace, staring each other down like this. We were almost friends by the end, I think.”
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