Accepting Fate - (Slums to Riches, Book one)

Chapter 30

Angelique pounded her fist against the mattress several times and huffed. "Journals? That's your advice? Go back to the attic and read some more as though I had not done that for the last twenty-four hours? You can't just say, here's a spell, now send their smelly butts back to hell. No, you have to make things difficult with your cryptic clues."

Logan brushed his fingers against her arm. "Mi amor, maybe they want your to read the journals for another reason."

"Then why can't they just say, the answer is in the journals, but we want your to read them to find something else. It's because of their vague clues that we are in this situation right now." She stared at the ceiling waiting for them to speak again. "Nothing? Fine. I'll go read the journals if that will make you happy. At least it is a man's journal. I can't imagine reading something my mother or Jamie documented. That would creep me out." She shuddered at the thought. Women always documented every single thought.

Logan chuckled and bumped her shoulder. "Come on. Let's get you into a shower and back into that attic so you can find that spell. I'm sure the others will breath easier once Thomas and Patricia are out of the picture."

Before she could move, her hands started shaking. "What the hell now?"

A gust of wind whipped the curtains and swirled around the room and slammed into her chest. She gasped and sputtered, trying to get the air back into her lungs.

"What the hell was that? Mi amor? What just happened?"

The curtains fluttered and Angelique cowered against the pillows, waiting for another assault. Instead, a soft woman's voice shouted, "Outside."

Cook burst through the door and grabbed her arm. "It's happening."

"What is?"

"Your awakening child. The mothers just filled you with enough energy to blow a hole in the valley we are in. Now come on!"

Angelique pulled away from Cook and climbed onto Logan's lap, shaking her head. "I don't want to remember. Its too soon. What if everything changes? I don't want to know if it takes him away from me again. I know he's hiding something, and I don't want to know what it is. Why can't things just stay the way they are now?"

"Mi amor, you are pulsing."

"What?" She looked down at herself. A bright glow pulsed from her chest. "They turned me into a damn timebomb? Is that even normal?"

"Angelique, this is not the time for drama. You have to get outside now!" Cook shouted.

She turned to Logan and saw the unfamiliar sadness back in his eyes. "Kiss me first. If things are going to change, I want to remember that. Please."

He pulled her against him and mashed his lips to hers. One of her arms clamped around his neck, while she grabbed hold of his hair with her other hand, stopping him from pulling away from her. Their tongues entwined in an age-old dance. For a full minute, she pressed her body against his, tasted his mouth and lips, and hoped he would be there when she returned.

Cook cleared her throat and grabbed her arm as soon as she slid from Logan's lap.

"Don't leave," Angelique begged.

He nodded and reached for his shirt as Cook dragged her from the room.

They returned to the firepits where she released all her energy the previous day. The pulsing light became more erratic and blinded her in it's intensity.

"Quickly. Kneel as you do when you release your energy, and let it out slowly. As slow as you can, Angie."

She dropped to her knees and did what she did twenty-four times before. Instead of her usual shimmers, bright, white light surrounded her like a thick, fluffy blanket. Before she could ask a question, her back arched and an invisible hand pulled her into the air. Her arms and legs spread wide when she wanted to curl into a ball. 

She tried to hold back, but a scream was torn from her. A sense of calm surrounded her as her head flung back and all the energy the mothers pushed into her, burst free in a blinding white beam aimed at the protective dome. It spread like a giant white cloud over Terra da Lua e do Sol, and sprinkled the land in a shimmering mist.

Who needed a helping hand from nature when she had so much energy to heal and fertilize the land?

Before she could enjoy the view, her bones snapped and realigned. Her jaw elongated into the features of her wolf. Blood dripped from her fingers as her nails turned into claws. Before she could complete her shift, it reversed. While she hung in the air, images of her last thirteen years played through her mind. The first five still remained a black void.

Then suddenly, emotions filled her heart: the most prominent was the love from HER people. Behind her she could smell the sour stench of fear, but also the sweet aroma of love. She did not need to turn to know her family watched from the steps of the manor.

Below her, Logan had joined Cook, waiting for her to come down. The mothers did not seem to care. She still hung in the air, looking over the lush, green grass of the meadows, the rich golden wheat and colorful vegetables in the fields, the little critters scampering up full, tall trees which cast shadows over the foot of Crystal Mountain. A woman in a white dress waved her arm from higher up, shielded by the entry of a cave. Never before could she see that far, or that clearly. A soft breeze tugged at Evelyn's dress and hair. 

Evelyn's voice filled her mind as she said, "Blessed be," before all sound disappeared. She shook her head and tried to make her ears pop, but the silence pressed tighter around her.

Then the mothers spoke to her. "It is time to remember."

"What if I don't want to?"

"You must. It is imperative for you to remember."

"Will it be bad?"

"It is what it is. Good and bad. Happy and sad. Remember the good. Push away the bad."

"That is easier said than done. You gave me a brain that can't forget."

"Not forget. Those memories are important. You have the ability to separate the good from the bad. Do not let them rule you. Remember to place blame where it belongs. Forgive, even though you can't forget."

"You want me to forgive those demons? Are you crazy? First you tell me to find the spell to vanquish them, now I must forgive them?"

"Are you done?" they asked with humor coloring their words.

Angelique cringed. "You didn't mean the demons."

"No."

"Right. Well, I don't care who did what. The demons started this and anything anyone did was in defense of their actions. I blame them. And maybe my mother for insisting on that vision, but I'll get over that in time."

"The demons have a right to their life, but they do not belong here. It is time. Reversing your mother's spell will be painful, but you will sleep through it. Rest now and remember. Nothing needs to change if you do not wish it."

Those invisible hands cradled her as she floated back down. Logan stepped forward to catch her before her feet could touch the ground.

She grinned up at him. "Hi."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Hello, mi amor."

Her face turned serious as she asked, "Will you stay with me while I sleep?"

"Yes."

"Will you be there when I wake up?"

"I will stay until you tell me to leave."

She fought against her heavy eyelids, but they closed before they entered her room. The last thing she remembered was the taste of Logan's lips. He found the cupcakes she hid from him.

***

Please remember to vote if you enjoyed the chapter. All comments and advice is welcome.