I walk over to the Grimoires and trace the gold, embroidered trim of one of them. “If you were able to move these books from one location to the other, using magic, why can’t you do the same to get us out of here.”
Rose laughs mockingly. “Unfortunately, people aren’t so easy to navigate when it comes to magic. The exceptions are those born with the power to teleport. Even then, you can’t go from one world to another, at will. Not unless…”
Her gaze holds mine, and I know what she’s about to say. “Unless you’re a vessel.”
Rose nods. “You got it.”
The others are off to the side, taking it all in. I’m considering if I should be pissed or grateful, and give them a pass for wanting to protect me. Still, they need to understand, I’m not some delicate flower.
“One of you should have told me the truth about all of this sooner,” I say, spreading my arms apart. “Blindsiding me wasn’t the way to go. What if whoever’s after me would have gotten to me before you had time to tell me what was going on?” I fill my voice with as much of my anger and frustration as possible, looking at Soraya, then Roman.
“Don’t be pissed. I couldn’t tell you what I really was. I didn’t know how you would take it. But trust me, I wasn’t going to allow anything to happen to you.”
“Soraya, you’re not superwoman.”
She opens her mouth to say something but doesn’t. All of this shines light on her sudden clinginess. Her need to move in with me; always wanting to hang out; always checking on me when we were apart. Thinking about it, I doubt she and Liam really broke up.
“She sure as hell thinks she is.”
I give Caleb a scolding look, letting him know I’m not up for his bullshit.
Shaking my head in disbelief, I try to absorb so many new details about people I thought I knew and loved. We’ve been best friends for ten years, and I never had a clue. Aside from the weird colored eyes, everything about her was normal.
“And you, you knew about this as well?” I pin Roman under my scrutiny.
He lowers his head, and I shake mine.
“Did I know what she was, yes. Soraya is a distant relative of Caleb and me. But I had no clue she was bringing you here. If I had, things would have gone down a lot smoother, and you wouldn’t have almost gotten killed.” He narrows his eyes at Soraya.
“What? Are you kidding me? We already had this conversation. I couldn’t leave her out there, alone. And I had to come look for you guys. I was kind of out of options, dude.” Soraya walks over to me. “I would never put you in danger purposely. I didn’t know they had trackers after you here, inside the realm.”
What? Soraya’s getting teary-eyed? I’ve never seen her this way. Pulling her close, I whisper in her ear, “I love you, and I know you love me. Just no more secrets, okay?”
“You got it. No more secrets,” she says.
We stay close for a few seconds before I kiss her cheek and shuffle back.
“I’m done with all the apologies and what ifs. Let’s get it together. We have things to do, both here and in the real world. Too, it’s time we address the balance of our universes and get back to the other realm. And somehow, vessel or not, I’ll figure out a way so that none of us will be trapped here.” I already have a spell brewing. It’s time for me to make this happen.
My mind is brimming with knowledge of the past and present.
When I was younger, mother used to say, “With knowledge comes great responsibility.” I just never thought it meant being a superhero and having to save the world.
It is time. I need to see if I really am this vessel.
Epilogue
There’s a heaviness on my left side. Either I’m losing it, or I’ve gone through a real transformation. Internally, I feel different, more alive. Energy is heaving through me and I wish I could work some of it off. I look over and find Soraya lying on my shoulder, asleep, which explains the extra weight. I’m about to wake her when gravity does it instead. We hit a road bump and she tumbles forward, hitting her head on the back of the seat in front of her.
“Ouch, shit.” She’s holding her head and mumbling some obscenities.
I don’t say anything. Instead, I’m waiting for her to say something to confirm it was or wasn’t a dream.
I’m subtly following her every movement, or so I thought, when she looks over at me.
“What?” she asks, frowning and rubbing her head. “Why are you looking at me like that? Shit…” She reaches for her bag, starts to dig inside, and comes out with a mirror. “I’m going to have a huge-ass knot. It’s already coming up.”
She turns toward me. “Do you see it?”
I couldn’t care less about the knot on her forehead. My mind is elsewhere, and I’m considering outright asking her if the whole werebeast and her being a wolf is real. But if it isn’t, she’ll laugh me into another world.
Anyway, I’ve been looking at her the whole time. And it doesn’t matter what I say—she won’t believe me. “There’s nothing there, Soraya.”
I push my head against the headrest and turn my attention to the homes we’re passing, decorated with colorful lights and other festive decor. That’s when I see the large Santa on the roof and conclude, I must have been dreaming. We’re still on the bus.
She nudges me on my shoulder.
“Come on, look again…here.” I do. But this time, instead of turning to look at her directly, I look through the compact mirror she’s holding. My gaze falls on the lady sitting across from us. It’s Rose. She smiles. Not even two rows behind her, Caleb’s wearing a pair of shades sitting next to Roman. I gasp, bringing my hand to my chest. Roman winks at me. I ditch the mirror and turn completely around. He’s really there and so are the rest of them. Hot damn, it was all real, which means the spell I did to bring us back really worked.
I place my hands flat against my thighs and look at them, considering the amount of magic I have in each one of my fingers. I’m itching to make sure it’s still there. If I could move just one thing, I’d be satisfied. The urge is strong, and my fingers start to tremble.
The bus is slowing down. I turn to the window where my gaze settles on the fallen leaves and then up to the tree branches. Raising my hands, I think about moving a small patch of the fallen leaves. Seconds later, they’re floating in the air. I rotate my finger around and watch as they spin but stop when I hear the whispers coming from passengers. It’s a good thing no one knows I was the one making them move. Still, I’m completely satisfied, and the suspense is gone.
Soraya places a hand on my knee. “You all right, babe?”
I smile and nod. “I’m good.”
She smiles back and snuggles against me. “I’m going to get some more sleep. Wake me when we get home. And just so you know, if Roman is moving back in with you, he’s going to need a trash bag for his clothes. I’m not sharing my side of the closet.”
Giggling, I rest my chin on her head and release a long breath. “You know we’ll be home in a little while, right?”
“It’s fine.”
I’m grateful to have her as my best friend. And I’m even more pleased to know regardless of what form she takes, she’s on my side.
This could have very well been the best yet worst trip of my life. It was certainly an interesting one. I lean back and turn my attention to the window. I can see Roman’s reflection and it comforts me. I’m drifting off into thought when the driver’s voice starts to come through the loudspeaker.
“We’re less than twenty minutes from our destination of Melbourne, Ohio. Thanks for traveling Greyhound. I hope you’ve enjoyed your trip.”
We soon arrive home. I can’t wait to get off the bus and wrap my arms around Roman. I’m looking for him when he comes up behind me, slides his arms around my waist, and whispers, “Whether in this world, or in another, I’m never leaving you again. We may not have as much drama here, but I’m certain I can keep you entertained.”
Soraya whispers in my other ear, “And if he can’t, I can always bring you back to Paranormal Realms to experience more adventure.”
Narrowing my gaze at her, I say, “You know, I kind of do see that bump now.”