Echoes Into Eternity

IX

 I could've danced forever, but I was too hungry to do that. Owen felt his own mortality creeping up on him, and we retreated to the tables set up along the streets, primarily outside of cafés and restaurants. My legs were a little wobbly while my hands were clammy. Whether I was nervous about being with Owen or about the trials to come, I couldn't tell.

"This is the best lasagna I've ever tasted," Owen mumbled, closing his eyes in mid-bite.

"And soon we'll have this all the time," I pointed out as I sipped a milkshake.

"True."

I let my eyes wander around the square, willing my mind to memorize every single detail. The task was impossible; everywhere I looked I noticed something I hadn't given attention to before. I felt a dropping sensation in my chest.

Sure, I made it here, but the tests... There was no way that everyone who took them passed. Who was to say that I would? How should I prepare myself for this? I don't even know what to expect. A considerable amount of people were gathered here, but not a ton.

I turned my attention back to finishing my milkshake, which was a less overwhelming task. Owen was so engrossed in his food that he hardly even glanced at me. I smiled as he stuffed himself. Typical.

"Hello!" a bright, cheery voice said.

Owen and I both whipped our faces out of our meal and to the person standing beside the stone table. A girl with dark skin and an excited smile stood next to us, accompanied by a taller boy with the same features.

"Owen, right?" the girl asked, sitting down beside me.

Her short hair fell in ringlets, framing her oval face. A crown of daisies circled her head while her deep, brown eyes were filled with just as much excitement as her expression. Her outfit complimented the flowers in her hair, but gentleness radiated off of her. For some reason, it caught my attention.

"That would be me," he said, nodding. "And this is my friend, Adaliah."

As soon as he mentioned my name, her eyes grew wide with her eyebrows raised, but only for a split second. Quickly, she recovered her shocked expression, and it was once again replaced with excitement.

"I'm Gretchen, nice to meet you!" she introduced herself. She smoothed out her skirt and continued smiling at me, as if I were delicate, like a child. I was grateful for her acceptance and obvious joy in meeting me, but underlying those emotions were my worries.

"You're Gretchen?" Owen exclaimed suddenly, dropping his fork in his bowl.

"Yeah!"

"My mom wrote to me about you and your brother all the time! She always mentioned you whenever she talked about me coming here, especially as I got older."

"That's so cool! We've been here a while, so Ethan and I" -- she nodded toward the quiet, grinning guy sitting across from her -- "have met a lot of people, including your parents. We were hoping you'd show up!"

Of course, during this whole conversation, the only thing I wanted to know was what was going on. I didn't know what to make of it; my mind was so overtaken by the beauty of my surroundings, the dancing, the music, the laughter, the kind people, the food -- everything. I should've seen what was happening, but I failed to do that.

Instead, I just sat back and watched, bewildered. How could he know her? When we were in the mortal world, I never met anyone named Gretchen. But he may have met people when he traveled here the first time.