She burst into tears. "You…you've thought of everything!" She wailed, unable to hold back the sobs. "I…I can't believe it. I th-thought… you didn't even like me." She broke off due to more sobbing.
Zyla helped her back through the window. "See, Ellie?" She whispered. "I told you to give us a chance. We care. We just weren't sure how to show it until the fires wiped out everything you had."
"No," replied Ellie. "Not everything. I have my girls, my dogs," she paused, "and my friends." This brought on tears from everyone. Ellie thought she even heard Mr. Evans sniffling as they went downstairs to rejoin the crowd.
Ellie knew she needed to let people know how much their work meant to her. She walked over to the serving counter and climbed on top. When Méline and Bibianne saw her climbing up to stand on the brand-new counter, they stared at her.
"Maman, mais - qu'est-ce que tu fais?" Méline asked, wide-eyed.
"Can we come, too, maman? Please, please, please?" begged Bibianne.
"Bien sûr, mes enfants." She lifted Bibianne up as Méline climbed on one of the barstools to reach the counter. People began to notice the Pelletier ladies climbing up on their brand-new serving counter.
The sheriff figured out what they were doing and started the call, "speech, speech, speech!" By the time they had taken their places facing the crowd, everyone was encouraging them to speak.
Ellie grabbed both girls' hands and started. "Hi, everyone! I'd like to say a few words if you can hear me over this crowd." She laughed, and people began shushing each other until there was silence. Ellie started again.
"I hardly know what to say. I am overwhelmed with feelings right now. Let's see if I can get through this without crying." Ellie smiled and swallowed. She turned to the girls and said in an exaggerated whisper, "If they only knew how much I loathe crying."
Ellie continued. "My girls and I are so amazed and, well - humbled, - by the unimaginable effort and generosity you have shown us. We have been through some hard times lately, but everyone here has been through hard times, too. We know our case is not unique." She cleared her throat.
"What is unique is how your community – our community – has worked to help us through our trouble. I'll confess, I did spend some time feeling sorry for myself, but from the very start, you all have been here for us – offering us food and shelter and now this – well, it's just…" She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying. "It's a gorgeous gesture. I know we'll never be able to repay you, but maybe we can at least pay it forward. You have inspired us -- right, girls?"
Méline nodded shyly, but Bibianne piped right up without hesitation, "Oh, yes! I love our new room! I can't wait to bring Sadie and Dedé and watch them play from our balcony! And then when maman goes to bed, Mellie and I can sneak downstairs and have tea parties and –"
Ellie cut her off, as did the laughter of the crowd. "Umm…you've kind of ruined your secret plan by announcing it." More laughter erupted as Bibianne smacked herself in the forehead and let her palm slide down over her squinted eyes and big grin. What a ham.
"We just have one last thing to say, everyone! Girls, in three, two, one – merci beaucoup!" Ellie and the girls shouted amidst more cheering.
As they hopped down from the counter, Ellie marveled at how wrong she’d been about Stusa. People hadn't avoided her out of xenophobia; they simply hadn't known how to help, or if she would accept their help. They hadn't known how to react which was understandable considering the series of troubles that had plagued them since moving to Stusa.
Starting over was never easy, but Ellie knew that with the love and support she had received from her community, she would able to face all the trials to come. She looked around at her new business-residence. She could picture the girls growing up here, working tables and learning her recipe for lavender lemonade. It wasn't how she had pictured her life, but this cafe was her present and her future. She could and would accept it.
Ellie's story wasn't ending; she was beginning a new chapter. She and the girls would endure; they might even flourish. A thought struck her. Madame Margeaux had been correct; Ellie had survived the crucible.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
THE SHADOW
The Shadow smirked as she made her way to the Big Easy. Now that she had her beloved heirloom, nothing would stop her, and New Orleans would be the perfect place to set up shop. A tourist-stop front to hide her backdoor dealing would do nicely. Yes, she'd fit in well with the local culture.
Since Julien was out of the way, she would no longer have to compete for the heirloom's attention. His reach had gone farther than she'd known. He had been after the tome all along, chasing it through his ancestral line to Tituba's family in Barbados. She hadn't suspected his connection to the heirloom until the very end. He had played his part well, but The Shadow had done even better.
What she'd thought had been bad luck turned out to be good fortune. When Julien had rejected her, she'd begun an invisible war with him. By placing an infatuation spell on Julien and Tai, he had been distracted enough to miss the tome. The Shadow shuddered to think what could have happened if he had gotten to the tome first.
Ellie finding it was an unexpected turn. Of course, she'd had no idea what she'd really found, and her connection to the heirloom was insignificant. After all, The Shadow's ancestor, Abigail Williams, had been the final one to possess the tome. The fact that Ellie was a descendant of Elizabeth Proctor was irrelevant. From all accounts, Elizabeth had been a sniveling, sickly woman with no idea about the struggle for the heirloom between Tituba and Abigail.
No matter, all that was done. The Shadow had ended the war between the two ancient, feuding families; Abigail Williams' side had finally won. With Ellie's missing memory and Julien's death, her elemental attacks had prevailed. It had taken nothing short of an explosion, but she had broken all other connections.
The Shadow smirked as she thought of Julien's final act. His ultimate spell had been powerful; The Shadow had underestimated him. In the end, he'd chosen sacrifice over victory. When he'd cast his last spell, one to erase Ellie's memories, he'd relinquished his hold on the tome.
Erasing specific pieces of someone's memory was incredibly difficult. She'd felt the surge of power pound past her, racing toward Ellie. The Shadow realized what Julien was doing and had used the last milliseconds to save herself and the heirloom.
She had successfully taken it from both its previous disciples. Its loyalty now lay with her, and her alone. With no one to challenge her connection to the heirloom, The Shadow was free to reign as she wished. Gabby would be proud.
Both Tituba and Julien had made the one mistake she never would; they'd given up on the tome when they thought they'd lost. Tituba confessed to stop Parris's beatings, and Julien sacrificed himself to protect Ellie.
The Shadow wouldn't be so foolish. Just like Abigail Williams had taken Tituba's idea and perfected it, The Shadow had taken Julien's game and bested not only him, but Tituba's entire line. The Shadow wouldn't allow herself to die for anyone. The only thing she'd bury would be her old name. Gale Guillaume would be erased along with all traces of her prior life.
Henceforth, she'd be known by her true name. Under the influence of the heirloom, with no competition or prior claims on its power, The Shadow would live forever.
◆◆◆
As The Shadow drove to New Orleans, another car wound its way to a new start on life, driven by a young, buxom blonde. When she'd learned her unborn baby was a boy, Tai had decided to make a run for it. She could never kill the baby inside of her, a boy she was going to name Barbados - Bade for short - after Julien's exotic stories. It would be a unique name, even if her child would be just another statistic. Tai would be singlehandedly raising a racially mixed child.
They needed a new life, a place to divorce themselves from the judgment of Stusa. Tai had an idea about how she could make money after the baby was born, and she had stolen enough cash to live for a few months if she was careful with her money. Tai had
always wanted to live in New Orleans.
EPILOGUE
Although six years had passed since the horrible accident that robbed Ellie of both her memories and her husband, she still came to the old home site once a month. She replenished her herb supply by picking over the ones that had sprouted up amongst the ruins, leftovers from her former garden. She especially loved the fragrant, purple hyacinth blossoms that beckoned her each spring.
Today, she'd decided to dig up some of the bulbs and transplant them to her tiny back yard. Méline and Bibianne, now fifteen and thirteen, were tending the shop, so Ellie had time to spare. She depended on the girls as much as they depended on her. They were a tight-knit trio, working hard to protect each other and their beloved tea shop.
Ellie tugged gently and used her trowel to nudge the bulbs apart. She didn't remember planting hyacinth, but her memory had been stolen by the explosion. She'd never recovered those last hours with Julien before the accident. Since his death, she'd been drawn to the hyacinths, especially after reading that the purple variety traditionally represented feelings of deep sorrow and apology. Maybe that was why she felt nostalgic each time she gathered their heady blooms.
As she prodded the dirt aside, her trowel nudged something. She brushed aside the dirt with her hands, unwilling to damage the paper-colored bulbs, when her fingers unearthed a tiny package. It looked like a dirty, old piece of folded parchment, but it felt important.
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