Incarnate

The Proof

The next morning, Renée took the liberty of sleeping in. She'd had such restless sleep that it seemed a moot point. When she finally drag herself out of bed and into the bathroom, she saw her eyes were red from lack of sleep and black marks shaded under her eyes. She washed her face with some cold water and returned to her room to get dressed.

Her phone range before she'd finished. "Hey, Renée, we should be on our way in five minutes. Are you ready?" It was Jackie's voice. Renée tried to hear something inhuman about it but got nothing.

"I will be by the time you get here."

"Good, I'll see you soon. By the way, I am so sorry I could not tell you sooner."

"It is all right, Jackie. I understand why you did it."

"Still I'm sorry. I'll talk to you soon. Bye."

"Bye."

The call was disconnected. Jackie hung up before she had a chance to say anything else. Jackie seemed a little scared for today. I wonder if she is going to be part of the proof. Renée didn't know if she was ready for this or not. Having no choice, she hurried and dabbed some concealer under her eyes and added a little mascara. She grabbed her things and walked out the door. Waiting for them to arrive, she started to think about the events of yesterday. She thought about everything that Gage told her. It seemed like a lifetime ago she carelessly went to school just to get through it and onto college so she could get out of the house. Now it all seemed silly that she wanted to escape from her mother only to discover something much more malevolent to worry about.

They drove up five minutes later with Cas behind the wheel. The tension felt so thick in the car she almost couldn't breathe. It felt like one of those gravity rides that holds you to the wall so tight it takes a great amount of effort just to lift your hand. Renée could not wait to get to the park just to get out of the car. She was afraid to say anything with everyone on edge. Cas kept sneaking peeks at her through the rear-view mirror. He seemed to be in a better mood than Gage or Jackie. Gage's was seething so badly that it practically rolled off his skin. Jackie huddled to the other side of the backseat. She was really stiff and not happy at all with the way things have happened. Something must have happened when the Queen found out. What else could cause such behavior in them all?

The drive seemed to take longer than ever. It must have been a good few hours before they arrived. She felt so relieved for the ride to end that she bolted out of the backseat not waiting for anyone to help her out. They all stared at her with concern.

"What? You are killing me with this thick silence that you are surrounding yourself with." Renée looked at all of them a moment before turning around and heading for the park. She heard Cas call her and then Gage but she persisted to get to the park and sit down before anyone talked to her about anything. She needed a peaceful place to be before all this exploded.

"Are you mad?" Jackie finally asked when she caught up with her. Renée sat down and looked at her. Gage and Cas were still walking toward them. She lifted a hand up to them, signaling them to wait. She wanted to speak with Jackie alone. They walked the other way to give them time.

"No, Jackie, I am not mad. I am a little confused as to why you are all so upset and a little scared for the circumstances. I am not mad at any of you. I am grateful for everything you three have done for me and I still have some sorting out to do on the matter, but I think that I can handle it much better than the three of you are expecting. I have a few questions, which I am sure that the answers will make more questions to, but that is why we are here, is it not?"

"Yes. I'm really truly sorry for everything. How much did Gage tell you?"

"Well, he has told me that I have been reincarnated for quite a while. That he has been there this entire time. He has informed me that the queen of the Unseelie Court hates me and wants revenge for something I have done in a past life. He has told me who you are and who Cas is. He told me what I did to tick off Mabh, and that you are the daughter of Tatiana. I think that pretty much covers the gist of it."