It was time to go home.
36. Beautiful
Emily
Jake’s body was a lifeless mass of bone and sinew and skin, growing colder by the minute. I could almost see the window between our worlds going shut, feel the cold breeze of a door swinging closed.
You promised. You promised you wouldn’t leave me. I can’t do this alone, Jake. I’ve never been able to be the best me without you. And they need the best me now. We still have a lot of work to do.
“Then let’s get to it,” he said.
My eyes were closed, but the tears found a way to squeeze themselves out anyway. I heard the voice but assumed it was my mind fulfilling its wish for what it desperately wanted to hear.
I heard Fanny gasp somewhere behind me, and people were talking loudly and cheering. How rude. Can’t they see I’m grieving here!
“Emily,” he said. “Open your eyes.”
It wasn’t uncommon for figments of my imagination to make demands of me or throw some attitude at me. I didn’t want to open my eyes and look at his dead face. I suddenly wanted the weight of his body off of me, the reminder of the kiss that could have been removed from me.
His body was out of my lap, and my body, at least, felt lighter to be relieved of the burden. My dad must have lifted him off of me. Be gentle with him, Dad. Jake may no longer be in there, but it’s a face that I loved.
And then there were lips on mine. Soft, dry, cold lips. And there were arms around me. They were strong, and they encircled me and pulled me into a hard chest.
And just about the time I was going to protest and accuse this heinous ass of a guy of trying to take advantage of a girl in grief, I felt a tingle run from his hands into my back and from his lips into mine. And when his tongue gently asked me to part my lips, I did.
My insides were molten, my legs weak. My arms reached for him and found his shoulders, then his back, then lower.
I had only one thought. Welcome home.
He didn’t bother to pull his lips from mine to speak, but I heard his response just the same. “Glad to be back,” he said to me without uttering a word. “Thanks for pulling my ass back here.”
“My pleasure,” I thought to him.
“Get a room!” Fanny said.
With great reluctance, we parted our lips. He looked directly into my eyes, and I looked into his. It was there. I could see it. Like a fire welling up from the core of his being, his blue eyes were the deep blue of a glacial lake, but they shone as though they were being lit from within.
“Your eyes,” I whispered. “They’re …”
“Glowing?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s …”
“Beautiful,” he said.
37. Home
Emily
Several months have passed since that day that Jake and I were joined as one with the Goddess and we hit Ciardha with a love so strong that it blasted him back to his shadow home. I’d like to report that things are back to normal, but I can’t.
Owen Breen is still just as dead as he was when we came back from the Umbra Perdita. And there are about a billion or so soulless bodies walking the Earth, unfettered by conscience. Think of a crime or a horror that one person can bring to another and it’s happening somewhere, right now.
Politicians the world over debate what is to be done. “Round them up, and put them out of their misery,” some say. Others think they should be permanently housed in prison conditions or mental hospitals for the criminally insane. If that happens, we’ll live in a world where some will spend the rest of their lives in a prison like the one Ciardha had created. As the politicians and lobby groups waste time debating what to do, the problem only gets worse.
My dad has always said that governments never solve problems, people do. So I guess it’s up to us to figure it out.
Fanny thinks that the torc on my arm and the powers it gives me means that I’m some kind of comic book superhero, making it my job to offer myself up to the powers in charge to fight crime and such. “I’m not about to put the power of the torc into the hands of those self-serving assholes,” I told her. I was a bit surprised when Jake agreed with me.
“She’s right,” he said to Fanny. “We have to keep Emily’s true power – and the power of the torc – a secret. Now, even more than in Saorla’s time, the world can’t handle its power. Best for her to do her work on the down low.”
Fanny thought about it a while, then said, “You’re probably right, Jake.”
You’re probably right, Jake? Fanny agreeing with Jake? Things have definitely changed.
We didn’t have the last year of high school that we’d all dreamed we’d have. There was no senior prom. Instead we held a candlelight vigil for all the people we’d lost, and our school courtyard became a kind of permanent memorial filled with cards, letters, candles and flowers.
Our school was no longer plagued with Dark Mobsters and shadow people, but the mood remained somber the rest of the year. Principal Kazmaris had disappeared somewhere along the way, and half of the teachers were gone too. The new principal and the teachers that remained did their best to get us caught up on what we’d missed while the world was covered by a shadow. They ended up letting all of the seniors that were left graduate even if some of them, like Fanny, had missed all or most of the year.
Greta and Fanny are off to college in the fall. The University of Arizona had scouted Fanny since our freshman year. All she had to do was try out and she easily got a softball scholarship. It’s easy to imagine Fanny living in the bright sunshine of the desert, but hard to picture what her hair will do without humidity.
“You’ll come visit, right? Promise me you’ll come out,” she said.
“Of course. I’m sure I’ll make my way that far eventually.”
“No eventually. By next spring at the latest. Okay?”
She hugged me, and I hugged her back. It was a long hug filled with love and hope but also with some regret and worry thrown in there. We’d pulled Fanny back from the brink of permanent darkness, and she's a Lucent being again. But some wounds leave big, thick scars that are permanent reminders of the gash that made them. Fanny’s soul was covered in scars like that. She could feel it, and I could see it in her aura. Before we peeled ourselves apart, I sent a burst of Lucent Energy through my hands and into her. I couldn’t tell if she was consciously aware of it, but it did brighten her aura a bit.
“Stay Lucent, Fanny.”
“I’ll try,” she said. And I knew she meant it.
“Keep shagging balls and sliding into home. Stay dusty, my friend.”
We both laughed. “I will,” she replied.
Greta’s going to the University of Illinois in the fall. What seemed like a million years ago, Greta had pronounced that she’d simply ‘die’ if she didn’t go to Northwestern. But to hear her talk about U of I, you’d think she’d planned it her whole life.
She was talking to some other girls at her locker. “They have an absolutely killer journalism department,” she said. “You wait and see. I’ll be the lead writer for the paper by sophomore year.”
As I came up behind her, the eyes of the girls around her diverted from her to me. I couldn’t help it. I had that effect on people. When your eyes glow, it tends to call attention to you.
“I need to speak to Greta for a minute,” I said. The girls didn’t wait for Greta to protest but instead scattered down the corridors like tumbleweeds blowing across the road.
“Adams.” She turned and began pulling things out of her locker and stuffing them into her bag.
“Hoffman,” I said. “I want to talk to you.”
“So talk.”
“Seems like you’re avoiding me. Are you?”
She turned to me and looked into my eyes. Not many people did that anymore. It wasn’t because they were afraid they’d see the devil looking back at them. It was more like in my eyes, they saw the light of pure Lucent Energy. It made most people uncomfortable in their own skin.
> “Avoiding you? Yes, of course I am.”
“But why? We were a team. I know you may have never liked me, but I thought we’d at least forged a sort of bond.”
“We do have a bond. And it’s because of that bond that I can’t stand to be around you.”
“Why?”
“Emily, you are a reminder to me of the horror and ugliness and pain that we endured. When I look at you, I see children crying for their mothers and practically smell the blood and stench of people dying.”
“I’m … sorry.” What else could I say? “I wish I could take that away from you, but I can’t. You know I would if I could, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I know. You’re a good person, Adams. You pulled it together and did the right thing. And I’m glad you did. I’ve got my life back. It may not be the one I’d always dreamed of, but it’s close enough. And I am grateful to you for that.”
I smiled at her, and she gave me a weak smile back. “So, you’re going to U of I? I thought you were a Northwestern girl through and through. What made you change your mind?”
She shifted back and forth on her feet. “A girl has a right to change her mind, you know.”
“Sure, I know that as well as anybody does. But what made you change your mind? I’m sure you’ve got the grades and scores for Northwestern.”
“Of course I have.”
Then it dawned on me.
“Tristan! You’re going to U of I because that’s where T is going, huh?”
Her face colored itself scarlet. She didn’t need to utter the words. Her face said it all.
“You’ll love it there,” I said. “Truly, you will. And Tristan is–”
“An arrogant, pigheaded, brutish guy that–”
“That you’re in love with.”
Greta didn’t answer, but her lips curled into a smile despite themselves.
“It’s okay, G. Tristan is a great guy. And he’s as Lucent as they come. You’re doing the right thing staying close to him. If the two of you stay together, you can keep each other Lucent.”
“We will.”
“Good, ’cause I may not always be around to save your bacon.”
“Save my bacon? Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“What will you do, Emily?”
“We’re not sure yet. We may travel around a bit. You know, go where we’re needed the most.”
“‘We’?”
“Jake and I.”
“So you guys are solid now?”
“Yep, I think we’re stuck with each other.” I laughed. “Who else could look into these eyes and not want to run away?”
Greta laughed too. “No one. He’s a good guy too, Adams. You were made for each other. I always thought it. Just glad you finally figured it out.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a little slow about some things.”
“Got that right.”
Our Lucent Tribe was disbanded as everyone went back to – or at least tried to go back to – the lives they’d had BA. We all promised to keep in touch. Maybe we will, but I have a feeling I may not see many of them again. Like Greta, I think they mainly want to forget it all, and my shining eyes and golden torc won’t let them do that.
In the first few weeks after the Apocalypse ended, my dad stayed home most of the time. He didn’t seem overly concerned with going to work or getting things done. “There’s plenty of time for that,” he said. He was the only other person, besides Jake, that looks into my freaky eyes and doesn’t turn away. One day I asked him why. “I could never turn my head from the sight of you. The real you,” he said. “I have to know how to recognize you when we are at last in the Web together.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. You’ll know me,” I said. We hugged, and I let myself be like a little girl again in my daddy’s arms. He stroked my hair and told me it would be okay. And for the first time in a long time, I believed him.
“I’ll always be here for you,” he said. “You know that, don’t you?”
“I do,” I said. And I meant it.
And so far, Jake and I have lived up to our promise to each other. We haven’t left each other’s side. Dad didn’t protest one bit when Jake stayed. To the three of us who have been through so much together, it’s as normal for Jake and me to be together as it is for the sun to rise.
Jake’s mom was another story. It wasn’t that Jake was moving in with his girlfriend. We were both eighteen and graduated now. I don’t think her displeasure with us being together has anything to do with Jake moving out of her house either.
I thought she wasn’t thrilled about him being with me. I couldn’t blame her. I could see how she blamed me for being robbed of so much time with her son and for all of the worrying over him that she’d had to do. I wondered if she’d ever forgive me? Or welcome me into her house as her daughter? I hoped so. If I loved Jake well enough, long enough, maybe it would open her heart to me.
It was Sunday and we were finally back to our old routines. At least until Fanny flew off into the sunset.
“I’ll miss your singed cakes, Mr. Adams,” she said. Fanny held her plate up to receive more smoking pancakes. I heard Dad’s spatula scrape the decades-old griddle to free the overly browned discs.
“Hey, I’ve gotten better,” he said.
“Yeah, now they’re only burnt on one side,” I said.
I got up from my barstool and went around the counter. I hugged Dad, and he put his arm around me.
“How about you let me cook ’em today?”
“This is how it starts. First you take over cooking pancakes, the next day I’m in a nursing home wearing a diaper.” He kissed my nose and handed me the spatula. “So what’s on the agenda this fine, sunny day?”
“Probably the usual,” Fanny said. “I’ll have to watch them suck face like two dogs in heat.”
“Yep,” Jake said. He planted a long, wet kiss on me to prove her point.
“Anything besides kissing?” Dad asked.
“We don’t have anything planned. We’re in this moment. But it’s a sunny day. Maybe I’ll take my dog here for a walk in the park.”
Jake smiled at me, his shining blue eyes two beacons of Lucent loveliness.
“I can’t get enough of the sun,” Jake said.
We helped Dad clean up the kitchen, then said our good-byes to Fanny as she headed off to the gym.
Jake and I bounded down the creaky wooden steps, hand in hand. I threw the keys to my dad’s car to Jake, and we piled in, laughing like two fools drunk on our endless supply of Lucent Energy.
Someday I’ll leave this house. But I’ll take my home with me. So long as Jake and I are together, I’ll always be home.
About the Author
Natalie is the author of The Akasha Chronicles, a young adult paranormal fantasy trilogy. When not writing, blogging, Facebooking, Tweeting, Wattpadding or eating chocolate, Natalie nurtures her young daughter, plays with her two young cats, and feeds her dog too many treats.
Natalie enjoys walking in the high desert, snorkeling in warm waters, travel, and excellent food shared with family and friends. She was raised an Ohio farm girl, now lives in the desert Southwest, and dreams of living in a big city high rise.
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Table of Contents
Emily’s House
Prologue
1. A RUN-IN WITH MURIEL THE MEAN
2. EMILY’S VISITOR
3. SAORLA
4. THE WEDDING
5. CATHAÍR’S BAD NEWS
6. SORCHA
7.
THE ORDER OF BRIGHID
8. THE DARK ONE COMES
9. MARCH TO THE SACRED GROVE
10. LIANHAN SÍDHE
11. BATTLE FOR THE SACRED GROVE
12. SAORLA AT THE WELL
13. THE END OF THE ORDER OF BRIGHID
14. SEARCH FOR THE TORC
15. PUZZLES
16. ESCAPE FROM MURIEL THE MEAN
17. TO FAIR ÉRIE
18 THE INN
19. THINGS GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
20. MONASTERBOICE
21. ON THE RUN
22. ZOMBIE MAN WAKES
23. LIAM SEARCHES FOR CLUES
24. EMILY’S SEARCH FOR THE SACRED WELL
25. EMILY AND THE NETHERWORLD
26. AND LIAM MAKES THREE AGAIN
27. EMILY’S FIRST MASTER
28. MADAME WONG
29. BREATHE
30. RIDING THE WAVES
31. WHY I HATE BAMBOO
32. SLICING AND DICING
33. SWORD OF THE ORDER
34. THE THREE LITTLE NINJAS
35. THE KILLING TIME
36. THE DARKEST WOODS
37. AKASHA
38. UMBRA NIHILI
39. MACHA’S PROMISE
40. DUGHALL WAKES
41. THE FACE IN THE BUCKET
42. THE MACHINE
43. DUGHALL’S STORY
44. A PROMISE
45. DUGHALL’S REVENGE
46. PIECING IT TOGETHER IN DUBLIN
The Akasha Chronicles Trilogy Boxed Set: The Complete Emily Adams Series Page 75
