The Light of Roria

Chapter Sixteen

"You came to ask me about your mama, didn't you, Staci?"

The three of us sat comfortably on an old yellow couch with green and orange print flowers, while Mona rocked back and forth comfortably in a dark-leather recliner. The living room was cluttered with photographs and children's artwork. There was a red-oak grandfather clock that ticked quietly in the corner, and a TV that appeared to be decades old sitting several feet from the couch. Mona had taken off her glasses and put them in her lap. Her lips pursed in a tight smile, waiting for one of us to speak.

Getting straight to the point, Staci leaned forward. "How did you know? Why we came here?"

Mona's eyes narrowed toward Elijah. "Because of him." She admitted. "The minute I met your mama, I could sense something amazing about that woman. She was more than special. There was a fire inside that girl that felt contagious, and I sensed it with him."

Crossing her fingers together, Mona placed her hands on her lap. "In fact I notice it around the three of you. Like this young man has passed it along and soon, if you let it, it's going to be vibrant."

"So you really did know her?" Staci's voice raised. She was sitting so close to the edge of the couch, her palms digging into her, she was barely sitting at all.

Mona raised her hand up to settle Staci's nerves. "No, Honeybee, you have to understand. There are reasons behind having never mentioned this to you before. I made a promise to them both."

"Who is 'them'?" I inquired.

"The man who came here with Staci's mother. They told me you'd come looking. But until that day, I couldn't say a word, or else your life would be in jeopardy."

Mona shut her eyes, grasping hold of the old memory, and continued. "The first time we met, she admitted they'd been watching us for several days. She mentioned they were led to me. They seemed to carry an immense peace, ya know? Her and the man begged for us to take you, explaining I was your only hope of survival. She told us that one day you'd be ready and we'd know when, because you'd come looking for answers yourself. She said that when that day arrived, I was to give you this."

As she rose to her feet, Mona's eyes moistened. She moved toward an antique cabinet before pulling open a small drawer. Inside was a book, and the pages had been hollowed out enough for a ring to fit in its center. Handing the ring to Staci, we all moved toward it, taking in its appearance. The stone reminded me of something I'd seen so many times. Reaching for my necklace instinctively, I pulled it out from under my shirt.

"That stone looks just like—" Staci started to say.

"This," I finished.

The resemblance was uncanny. Even with the naked eye, it was plain to see that the two were one and the same.

"The relic." It was like I had had an epiphany. All this time my safety blanket was the relic we needed to leave this place.

"Your mother told me this was only a part of what you'd need to one day find her. That is clearly the other," Mona hand was outstretched toward my necklace, everything becoming quite clear.

"They need to connect," Elijah explained, reaching his arm around me to remove the necklace. "May I?" he asked. I tilted my head, and Elijah slowly pulled the necklace off and then reached for the ring in Staci's hand.

When the two stones were mere inches from each other, their color began to change, transforming from the original clear state to a bright gold. Like a magnet, an invisible force brought them together; forming so perfectly no flaw of separation could be seen.