Light as a Feather

Chapter Twenty-Seven

        Annabelle woke up in a comfy bed with downy pillows. She opened her eyes slowly, and found her parents and Tyler standing there. Her parents were closer to her than Tyler was. "Oh, honey," her mom said. She smiled and hugged her father. Annabelle thought she could see tears in her eyes.  

        "What happened?" she asked. 

        Tyler smiled and walked over to her. Annabelle snuck a glance at her father. He didn't look too happy about having Tyler standing there, but he was tolerating it. Tyler said, "I think you were exhausted. After you defeated my dad... uh... Cornell, I think you were just overwhelmed and tired. You sort of crashed." Annabelle smiled as she noticed that he left out the part about how she "crashed" in his arms. Her mom was smiling down at her. 

        "Honey, I'm so proud of you!" she said. She kissed her forehead. 

        "Thanks, mom."

        "We're lucky she didn't die," her father said gravely. 

        Her mom shot him a look. "I know, but... she's been through a lot. Maybe we should give her some space." 

        "No, actually, I have a couple of questions." 

        "What's up?" Tyler asked. 

        "First. Where are we? As in, whose house is this?" she asked. The room she was in was actually really pretty. The walls were painted blue and there was a silver chandelier on the top of the roof. 

        Tyler smiled and looked down at the floor. "You're in my mom's room. This house is only few blocks away from yours." Annabelle stopped. Did that mean she had slept where Cornell once had? Her face seemed to portray everything she was thinking, and Tyler quickly set the facts straight. "No, he didn't sleep in here. This is her old room, before she got... comfortable with him." Annabelle stifled a laugh. 

        "Second. You don't actually have any siblings, do you? This thought just occured to me," Annabelle said calmly. 

        Tyler looked down at the floor again. "No," he said softly. Annabelle nodded. 

        "Well, I think we should give these kids some space, don't you?" Annabelle's mom said to her dad. Of course, her dad was completely against that idea. But he finally agreed, and they walked out of the room, talking about some person that her dad had done life-saving surgery on. 

        Tyler watched as they went out. As soon as their heads had passed the doorframe, he fell to her and kissed her softly. "You have no idea how much that scared me. I don't know how he did it, but my dad had it on a big screen. Your uncle and I were watching you." 

        Annabelle had actually enjoyed the kiss, but she didn't want to admit it to him. "If you were so scared for me, why didn't you save me in the first place?" she asked, feeling a bit hurt. 

        "Because you were right. I am a coward, or at least I was. No more. I've learned my lesson about that. Annabelle, I really want to make things right with you. Please give me a second chance. After I had to, um, leave you, I couldn't stop thinking, and I regretted everything I'd done. I just want you to think it over, and I'd understand if you never wanted to see me again." 

        Annabelle smiled to herself. "Tyler, nothing would make me happier. But after everything I've been through, I think I need a break."

        Tyler nodded. "That's fair." He kissed her cheek, and then sighed. "Looks like things might be normal for a while." 

        Annabelle chuckled. "Are things ever truly normal?" 

        Tyler laughed. "No, I don't think they are." 

        "Actually, I have a couple of other questions." 

        "Okay," Tyler said, sounding a little worried. 

        "I thought your dad was a vampire." 

        "Nope. That's a lie he told everyone. He always thought that being a vampire was cooler, but I think his powers were pretty awesome, to tell you the truth. He had the power to take you to worlds he made up. I happened to know about the endless white room, because... I guess I developed a new power. I actually read his mind, and figured out that he created a loophole." 

        Annabelle shook her head. "That's a bit odd. He wanted me dead." Tyler only shrugged at that and sat on the edge of the bed. Annabelle placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tyler, are you okay? You know, with your dad being... gone?" 

        "I don't know, man. I mean, I should feel sad, right? But I'm not. I don't feel too upset. I feel free, for once. I don't have to listen to him moan about how he wants the feather anymore." 

        Annabelle smiled. "It's a rather large weight. It's hard to carry it all sometimes." She touched her neck, even though she knew that it was gone. "I wonder who the feather will go to next." 

        Tyler shrugged. "They won't be nearly as worthy as you." 

        Annabelle's parents walked in right then. Her mom said, "Tyler, I thought of something." 

        "What's that?" 

        "You don't really have anywhere to live, do you?"

        Tyler grimaced. "Well, I could always go live with dad's girlfriend." 

        Annabelle's dad's eyes widened. "She's not a threat, too, is she?" 

        Tyler laughed. "Don't think so, sir," he said. 

        "Well, Tyler, if it's not weird... there are a lot of rooms in the mansion. If you had to, you could stay in one. Away from Annabelle." Annabelle smacked her forehead. Great thing to say to make the situation awkward, mom. 

        "Well, thank you. But I'm sure I'll be fine with her. She treats me like her own kid, so that's always a plus," he said, smiling crookedly. 

        "Wait, where's Uncle Leo?" Annabelle asked, sitting up bolt upright. 

        "Annabelle, calm down," her mom said. "He's working on the painting in the mansion. When it's done, he'll leave." 

        Annabelle nodded. "Okay. I just want to make sure." 

        Right then, Annabelle felt like things would be okay. She didn't know if that was actually the case, but she hoped it was.