Everytime (American Horror AU 5)

Epilogue

What exactly did Britta mean when she said, "I am taking her home with me" to the ghosts of her deceased great-granddaughters? Her meant the baby-Linnea Christina Nordlund, daughter of Amy and adopted by Britta.

The answer is quite simple.

After the spirits were freed from the house, the old Swedish witch casted a spell over the house that would bestow a happy, destruction-free existence for its future residents. She had sold everything in the house-furniture, trinkets, china, and the house itself. Everything totaled, plus the price of the house, came up to $4,500,000. Why so much? Because the house was over a century-old and quite extravagant. Also, many of the objects sold were antiques, relics once belonging to previous owners of the house.

By taking the baby "home" with her, she meant to her homeland-Sweden.

She had used a portion of the money she made off selling the house and everything in it to buy a small cottage-like house on the forested outskirts of the town of Orsa. In the spring and summer months, the central part of Sweden was quite lush and green with all sorts of life. In the winter, however, it was very cold and snow blanketed the grass, the streets of town, and the rooftops. Britta knew full well that snow was to be expected, as she had remembered growing up in Sweden so long ago.

Now, young Linnea had that same opportunity to breathe in the cool, crisp air; for her toes to touch the lush grass in summertime; to celebrate Midsömmar with the others in their community; to freely roam and explore the forest all day long only to return home for dinner and spending quality time with her ancestor.

It was when Linnea was four years old that Britta observed the dawn of her personal power-all of the women born in their bloodline possessed their own abilities, but it was during a heavy snowfall that Linnea held out one of her small, bare hands in order to feel the crystallized droplets falling down. As Britta held one of the toddler's mittened hands, she saw a small flurry of ice crystals in a small tornado on the girl's palm.

"What do you have there, sweetie?" the woman asked the little girl, whose gray eyes stared up at her with a giggle.

"I'm cold," she said in her small voice. "I...am cold and made ice."

"Oh, dear..." Britta muttered, seeing Linnea hold up her bare hand to her; the woman took it and giggled proudly. "Oh, you're freezing!"

"I go home now," the little girl said in her high-pitched, childish voice.

"We can go home," Britta replied, "and we'll keep you warm."

That same day, the woman ignited a fire pyrokinetically in the fireplace, already having seated Linnea down with a small cup of hot cocoa. The little girl watched in awe as Britta triggered her formerly-unused power by a flick of her index finger aimed at the fireplace. Then, she saw her take her golden hair loose out of the braid she had created just hours earlier.

"Bribri," the little girl called softly-Bribri was the nickname she herself had given Britta.

"Ja, min älskling?" the woman asked, sitting next to her on the small loveseat stationed in front of the blazing hot hearth.

"You make fire?" she asked.

"Ja," Britta replied, smoothing through the straight, blonde locks on the girl's head.

"Why do I make ice?" the girl asked. "Was the winter making my hand cold?"

"Aw," Britta cooed in a motherly manner. "It wasn't just that, Linnea. You're very special."

"Special?" The girl's piercing, storm-colored eyes stared up at her ancestor as she took a gulp of her lukewarm hot chocolate.

"Ja, very special," the woman said with a closed grin as her green eyes were illuminated by the fire. "Your mamma was born special, your mormor was born special, I was born special, my mamma was born special, and...it goes on and on..."