Accepting Fate - (Slums to Riches, Book one)

Chapter 34

Her memories led her deeper into the pine scented forest. As a three year old, everything appeared bigger—the trees were taller, the nest she created could fit two people, and the clearing itself seemed wider.

Angelique sat in the nest made from twigs, moss, and fallen leaves, and leaned back to release her energy.

"Miss Angie, is it safe to approach?"

"That all depends on whether you are dressed or not, Alex," she said.

A man similar to Logan in age chuckled and stepped out from behind a tree, wearing what appeared to be the general uniform among all the farmers: a red checked shirt and jeans. He ruffled his already messy, auburn hair and stepped closer.

"I can understand your voice sounding the same after thirteen years, but how do you manage to look the same. You haven't aged a bit and I'm sure you were at least thirty before I left."

He shrugged and stared down at his feet. "Don't know ma'am. Must be something my wife puts in the food."

Angelique burst out laughing. "You will have to invite me to dinner sometime."

He chuckled and shook his hair over his eyes. "You know you are welcome anytime. I might get my head knocked off, but it would be rude of me not to compliment you. You have grown into a beautiful woman, Miss Angie."

The smile dropped from her face. "No thanks to any of the wolves, I hear. Yet, you all expect me to protect you from those demons. You can breath easy Alex," she said when he paled. "I made a promise and I'll keep it. However, you might want to warn them, I help those who help themselves. Which means, they better be prepared to help when my family or I need help, because without us, they will all die at the hands of Thomas and Patricia."

He dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "I had a baby... No," He shook his head wildly. "I will not make excuses. I should have helped, but I was scared. I won't let it stop me again. If you need anything, I will do everything I have to, to make it up to you. I swear it to you now."

Angelique leaned back and stared up at the green canopy above her, letting go of all the anger she felt towards the wolves. "What do you do around here, Alex? Last time I saw you, you were running the perimeter and helped with the harvest at the orchards."

"I've moved up since then, ma'am. Mr. Logan promoted me to head of security last year, but I still help with the harvest. Someone told me about a broken fence and I was on my way to the east gate when I saw you come in here."

She inhaled the scent of pine, damp earth, and crushed leaves, before she spoke again.

"While they had me at the Harlows, that rat drugged me. He managed to block my powers, but I still managed to remember this spot, every time I smelled pine. I dreamed of Logan too. I thought it was some crazy nightmare, but it was always in this forest. We were playing hide and seek. How could I have remembered this place, or Logan, if my mother wiped my memory?"

He sank to his rear and wrapped his arms around his knee. "It's just a guess, but it might be that your subconscious held onto those memories, because they were your happiest moments. And I don't mean to speak ill of the dead, Miss Angie. You always smiled when you came here to play. We could always tell when you were here."

"Why is that?" she asked.

"The day brightened. When you laughed and smiled, the sun shone, but on other days, when someone upset you or you had bad dreams, it stormed."

Angelique remembered the day her father took her away from Logan and their home. Her anger created the lightning which struck all around the car, but never touched them.

"I still don't know how I did it, but I hope I won't be calling up any more storms for a while. Logan is still petrified after a bolt hit him."

"When a storm rolled in, Mr. Logan always said someone pissed her off. Oh, sorry. Forgive my language, ma'am."

"Please stop that. If you have to use a title, then call me Miss Angie, but Angelique will do. And don't worry about cussing. It's that b-word I can't stand. Couldn't they chose a better word for a she-wolf?"

He snickered and shook his head. "I have a feeling you would have taken offence if they used that word while cussing. The word means nothing by itself. It's the way you use it that makes the difference."

"Did you study to become a philosopher?" she asked.

His laughter echoed through the silent forest. "It's common sense, Miss Angie, and I have plenty of that. As for creating storms, we wouldn't mind some rain, but we don't want to see you sad."

Angelique smiled but tears gathered in her eyes. "I only need to think of my dad for that to happen." As the first tear fell, a big raindrop fell from the sky. "I saw him in the attic. He came to say goodbye." The more tears fell, the harder it rained. "He asked me not to mourn him, but how can I not?"

"Hey, now. Just think about that for a minute, Miss Angie. You got a gift other people would die for. A chance to say goodbye. A chance to see him one more time. If it helps, go ahead and cry, but don't let your grief consume you. I'm sure he is happy you are back home and soon you will marry. That is every dad's dream. To see their babies grow up and happily married. It sure turned Mr. Logan's mood, though he stormed off earlier. I won't ask. It's not my business."

When her tears finally stopped, they were both drenched.

"That saves us from hauling water from the rivers. The pipes have clogged up again, so we can't water the fields through the irrigation system, and Cook won't let us use water from the dam."

"Neither will I. I need all of you to stay away from the dam for a while. Did you see where Logan went? I need to talk to him."

"Sorry, Miss Angie. He stormed passed me and disappeared behind the manor. I didn't see where he went from there."

"Thank you Alex. I'll find him. I need to ask you to leave now. I have to release my energy and I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I have to get to the east gate anyway. That fence won't fix itself and those lazy buggers won't do nothing till I get there to crack the whip. And Miss Angie, I'm real glad you are back home. This place was never the same after you left. Life seemed to stand still and wait for your return. Maybe that's why I look the same, but I still think it's my wife's cooking."

He grinned as he turned and left. At least she made one person happy that day. Her family probably hated her but didn't want to say anything, and Logan probably thought her temper was because of what he did.

At that moment, she wished for a spell to split herself in two. She needed to release her energy, get some food, speak to her family, explain everything to Logan, read the first page of her father's diary, and do whatever the note instructed, and still find a way to get rid of demons, all in one and a half days.

When she started itching along her arms and neck she knew where to start. Speaking up at the branches of the trees, she spoke out loud. "If my energy can replenish the water in the rivers,  and help keep this rain going a little longer, please send it there."