Forgotten Days (Fate's Intent Book 6) Page 12

  Jaylyn sighed in awe. “That’s so romantic.”

  “Maybe at the time but even now I know she has a hard time seeing me like that. She just won’t say it.”

  “It couldn’t be that bad that she thinks that even now.” Ruby said.

  My father shook his head. “You couldn’t even imagine it.”

  “Can you show us?” Jaylyn asked.

  My father looked around at everyone and noticed we all wanted to know. He was curious as to why but still refused. “No. It’s not something someone should want to see.”

  “Would you show us if I told you we could get rid of it?”

  “Rid of it? They’re almost thirty year old scars.”

  Adele smiled and she glanced over at Jaylyn with a slight raise of her left eyebrow. “Doesn’t matter. Jaylyn’s pretty good. She could get rid of them for you if you want.”

  “If I want? What kind of question is that? I’d sell my soul to the Dark Ones years ago to get rid of them.”

  We quickly looked around at each other to the phrase he used. Did he really know? We were all a little shocked to hear another living person use it.

  “You know about the Dark Ones?” Jaylyn asked. “How?”

  “That’s where my father is. No surprise to me.” Our eyes got wide. “What? How do you know about them?”

  “We know some on the other side that recently left this world, fighting against them.” Aleksander answered.

  “Yeah.” Jaylyn muttered. “My daughter is with them.”

  “You’ve lost a child? That must have been horrible. I’m so sorry.”

  Jaylyn got a slight smile on her face. “It’s all right. We still see her.”

  “You mean she can visit? That’s highly unusual.”

  Troy smiled and rubbed Jaylyn’s back for comfort of the conversation. “Ellie is special. The most well informed little four year old you’ll ever meet.”

  “And her father?”

  We looked over at Jaylyn and she clearly hesitated for just a moment before answering. “He’s with her.”

  A small giggle echoed around us and began to grow as if it were getting closer.

  My father stiffened right up and was looking around. “Do you hear that?”

  “It’s her.” I said.

  Ellie appeared kneeled down next to Jaylyn and giggled again with her blonde curls shaking. “You’re talking about me!”

  “Hi, Ellie.”

  “Hi, mama! What are you doing out here?”

  Jaylyn laughed. “Ah, I’m not really sure.”

  Ellie had a confused look on her face and Aleksander smiled at her reaction. “We’re taking them somewhere as their wedding gift.”

  “Oh yeah! I almost forgot about the wedding! You looked beautiful, mama!”

  “You were there?”

  “You couldn’t see me. Daddy didn’t want me to make a scene!”

  Jaylyn laughed again. “I guess that was for the best. Where is your father?”

  Ellie gasped and she appeared up on her feet. “He’s mad at me. I wasn’t supposed to come.”

  “Why not?”

  Kole appeared a few paces away. “Ellie, what are you doing?”

  “I’m sorry, daddy, I just had to come.”

  “We’ve talked about this, baby. You’re putting them in danger by being here.”

  I was confused yet didn’t think that sounded like good news and I looked over at Jaylyn. She was the pinnacle of worry. “Kole, what’s going on? Why can’t she be here?”

  “The elders have prohibited all future crossings to this world.”

  “What?” Jaylyn’s eyes started to water. “No! They can’t!”

  “They can actually and they have.”

  “But why?”

  “It’s not safe for you. If the Dark Ones know that Ellie visits the living world, they’ll use you to get to her.”

  “What is that even supposed to mean? I’m never going to be able to see her again?”

  “Not until we resolve this.”

  A tear ran down Jaylyn’s face and she became hysterical. “No! That could take thousands of years!”

  “Then you’ll be with us by then.”

  “Kole! You can’t let them take her from me!”

  “You don’t get a say in this, Jay! They’re doing it to protect you! Do you even realize what we’re capable of in this world? I could have complete control over any one of you if I wanted. I can get you to do things that you wouldn’t even think to be possible. If the Dark Ones come here, they will do that to you to get Ellie to come to them. That’s something the elders won’t risk and neither will I. You have to say good-bye.”

  “No. I can’t.” She muttered through her tears.

  Ellie went over to Jaylyn and kneeled down in front of her. “I’m sorry, mama. I wasn’t supposed to come. Our last farewell was supposed to be our last so you wouldn’t be sad. I don’t want you to be sad.” Jaylyn was too upset to say anything and Ellie looked up at Kole. “Can I daddy?”

  “No. You’ll only make it worse. She’ll want you to stay and you can’t.”

  Ellie had a sad look on her face as she looked back at Jaylyn. “But she needs me to.”

  “What she needs is to except the fact that we’re dead.”

  “Please, daddy? For the last time?”

  Kole sighed and stood with his hands on his hips. “One minute. That’s all.”

  Ellie smiled and looked up at Jaylyn. “Mama!” Her transparent form gained its full color when she threw her arms around Jaylyn’s neck.

  Chapter 32

  Jaylyn

  I was in shock to realize I could actually feel her and put one of my arms around her and the other one holding her head of blonde curls to my chest. I was holding her tightly, never wanting to let go.

  “How is that possible?” Ruby asked. “I—”

  “Well, don’t.” Kole cut in. “It’s just something we can do. You’ve seen it before.”

  The room became still and let me have time with Ellie.

  “Sorry to hear Kole.”

  Kole lifted his eyes to Izin with a smile. “I go where I’m needed most. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

  “I respect that coming from you. Trever must be awfully proud.”

  “It wouldn’t have been what he wanted but I think now that would have changed, knowing Ellie is here.” Izin nodded understanding that he may have been right. “Ellie, baby, come on. That’s enough. We have to go before they send someone after us.”

  Ellie pulled far enough away so she could see my face. “Everything will be fine, mama. You’ll see.”

  “I want you to stay.”

  “It’s better this way. You’ll be safe.”

  “But I want you here.”

  “I’ll always be here and I’ll always watch.” She looked up at the ceiling and opened up a whole so everyone could see the starry sky above. “Right there.” I watched two of the stars side-by-side turn a vibrant green like our eyes. It was beautiful, an obvious difference in the sky.

  Ellie closed up the ceiling and turned back into her transparent form so I could no longer touch her. “Ellie?”

  “I love you, mama and I’ll wait like I said, however long that may take.”

  “No.” They both vanished and I was in such a state of grief and disbelief that I could no longer bear to be around anyone. “Um, I think I need to be alone for a while. Ah—again.”

  I got up and left the shelter. I dropped myself down and brought my knees in close to my chest as I started to cry from having that loss hit me again. Would the world ever be kind to me? I lost so many that I’ve loved already and now had to find out I lost them for good. How was I supposed to feel? How should I react? I just wanted to lay in the cold and abandon all hope for being happy again. I didn’t know how I could be. We were being led to somewhere I could spend all my seconds with Troy and yet, nothing felt happy. My world was torn apart and each path remained hazed ahead.

  “
Jay?” I picked up my head and Kole was sitting next to me. “I’m sorry it had to be this way. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “Well, then go because I’m already hurt.”

  “You know what I mean. I never wanted Ellie to be taken from you but you have to move on now.”

  “I can’t.”

  “You have to. I know Troy wouldn’t like me popping in every chance I got and you have the chance to live happy with him. You’ll have a family again with his child and you’ll grow old together like the way it was intended.”

  “You’re asking me to forget.”

  “I’m not asking you to forget. I’m asking you to live that happily ever after Ellie wants you to have. I don’t want you to live your life in despair because of her.”

  “You say that like you mean nothing to me.”

  “Well, don’t I?”

  “Of course not! Your father to my child. We created her.”

  There was a pause as I continued to be upset and he was hesitant to say anything else but he did. “I love you, Jay.”

  I looked back and a tear ran down my cheek. “I think you’re a little late to tell me that.”

  Kole laughed and looked away. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I was never allowed to.”

  “Well, I love you too.”

  Kole turned towards me and held out his hand. I reached for it and the moment I felt the cold, my hand started to get that transparent form like he was, starting at my fingertips and moving towards my arm. “We could be together, all three of us like a family again, if that’s what you wanted.”

  I was taking slow breaths as I watched my arm start to fade. I thought about what he meant very seriously and wanted to go until I thought of one thing that made me pull away. “I can’t. Troy needs me.”

  Kole smiled and moved his hand back. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. You’ve chosen what you know is right and you’ll live happy now.”

  I smiled back when I realized he was right. We’d see each other again someday. This wasn’t forever and the sadness for it started to melt away. “You better go before you get in trouble.”

  “Yeah, I should. I’ll never forget about you, Jay and we’ll be waiting.”

  “Tell her I love her and I’ll never forget either.”

  “I will.” Kole appeared standing up and was about to turn away.

  “Wait! Can you do what she did? Just for a moment?”

  Kole smiled slightly as his form gained more color and I wrapped my arms around him. “Good-bye.”

  Kole brought one arm around me and lifted my head up to him by my chin. He looked into my eyes for a moment then kissed my lips. “Good-bye.”

  He turned back to his transparent form and disappeared from sight. I paused there for a moment and knew that things would look up. My life wasn’t all bad because I knew I had Troy. I smiled just from thinking of him and decided to join the others back inside but when I turned, I was startled to see Troy sitting on the top step with his back to the wall. “Troy!”

  He looked up, his expression was blank. “I’m taking you away from them. You deserve to be happy.”

  “What?” I sat across from him. “I’m with you. I am happy.”

  “But you love him.”

  I paused. “You heard me?”

  “I heard enough. If he makes you happy, you should go with him.”

  “No! I want to be with you! We just started our lives together and I wouldn’t trade that for anything! How could you even say that to me?”

  “What about Ellie?”

  I started to get a little choked up thinking about it but still knew my decision. “She’ll wait for me. Our separation won’t be forever. Right now, I just want it to be us. I love you and I plan to spend the rest of my life with you. Please. Don’t regret loving me.”

  Troy quickly leaned in and kissed me. “I will never regret loving you.”

  “Then I don’t want to hear you talk like that again. I won’t be able to handle it. I’m happy with you. I honestly am.”

  He kissed me again. “Then I won’t. I just don’t want you to live here but dream about being somewhere else. It’ll keep you miserable.”

  “Then I won’t. As long as you’re with me, I’d never dream about being somewhere else.”

  “Come on.”

  We made our way back down into the shelter and it was quiet like no one has even been talking since I was gone. Troy took his original seat at one end by Ruby and I plopped myself down next to Izin with a smile, waiting for him to notice me. “Shall we get started then?”

  “What happened to you, Jaylyn? You’re kind of freaking us out.” Ruby said.

  “What? Nothing. It’s just been a long night for all of us so I’d thought we’d end it happy.” I looked over at Izin with my smile and held out my hand.

  “You mean, happy for me after following a brief moment of aversion from the rest of you?”

  I laughed as I reached down and took his hand, instead of waiting for him. “Got to love that sense of humor.” I pushed up his sleeve, showing a long thick scar on his forearm and put my hand on it as best I could. It was quiet as my eyes started to glow and Izin just couldn’t look away.

  In only a few seconds, I removed my hand and my eyes faded back. Izin looked down at his arm and just couldn’t believe it. The scarring was gone.

  “Proof enough for you?”

  “I could have used someone like you a long time ago.”

  “May I continue?”

  Izin didn’t reply. He pushed up his sleeve on the other side as far as it would go to about the elbow, revealing another long thick scar the length of his forearm. The others tried to repel from saying anything as I laid my hand flat on it and my eyes started glowing again until it was time to see the extent of the damage.

  I didn’t have to say anything. I just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Izin sighed to my look and started to unbutton the front of his coat. “You’re going to regret this later.”

  “Then I guess it’s good you’re talking to a group that has seen many things a normal person has not.”

  Izin sighed again while he turned his back to everyone and started undoing the front of his shirt. “Maybe but it’s something entirely different to see a living torture victim.”

  He pulled the shirt down off his shoulders and we saw scarring across his back like some kind of lashes and his muscles tensed up. We kept from saying anything again and kept our reactions of surprise in silence.

  I looked back at the others before I stepped up behind him and placed my hands on his back. “Try and relax.”

  He took a deep breath as my eyes started to glow again. The straight line scars crisscrossing over his shoulder blades started to fade and disappear.

  “Turn around now?”

  “If you all promise me one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Don’t feel bad for me. I’ve lived like this for a long time and have gotten used to being this way. I don’t want you to think I regret anything.”

  There was a pause as everyone looked around at each other and Zayden nodded to me. I nodded back and turned to Izin. “We promise.”

  He took another deep breath and slowly turned around, facing the fire. It was hard for us to react in silence this time. There were a few gasps and heavy breath intakes while we looked upon his bare torso.

  For being in his fifties he was very fit, still showing signs of defined muscles at his abdomen and chest but what we couldn’t seem to turn our eyes away from was the scars placed like the wings of a butterfly along his body. From the top of his shoulder, he had a downward angle scar on each side going down to the base of his chest muscle. Below that, he had two scars shaping the line of his ribs all the way around to his sides and several downward scars angled over the top of his abdomen inverted towards his bellybutton.

  “I’d hate to use the childish phrase ‘I told you so’ but I did.”

  “It’s all my fault.” Aleksander mutt
ered.

  “Yes, actually. It is!”

  “All right.” I cut in with a smile as I stepped in front of Izin, drawing his attention back to me. “Let’s not go down that road. He’s apologized, you accepted and we’re moving on.”

  I put my hands on him as my eyes started to glow and Izin sighed. “You’re absolutely right. Like I said, I don’t regret it. My choice is a reason why you’re here.” He looked over at Adele and she shared a look with her father. “Though I wasn’t expecting this. I knew you had a daughter, Aleks but I was surprised to find out she grew to become an Assassin. I really didn’t think you would have allowed that.”

  “You say that like I had a choice in the matter.” He looked over at Adele again and she just smiled. “Once we moved into the manor, she met them.” Ruby and I laughed. “Gwen already had them looking forward to being her successors and she was drawn into it.”

  “Happily drawn, father.” Adele smiled.

  “Yes, great and Gwen wasn’t exactly helping the situation, being extremely encouraging as she was so I had really no choice but to accept.”

  “That’s because she knew the potential Adele possessed.” Ruby said. “She couldn’t let that opportunity pass.”

  “Yes, well, because of that, they’ve been training since they were nine.”

  Izin was surprised. “Nine, really? I thought Gwen wasn’t supposed to start training them until they turned fifteen.”

  “She wasn’t. They did a lot of it on their own but they’ve learned mostly everything they know from Jaylyn’s brother. He trained them in close combat aggressively for four months when they were eleven until they abused his teachings and took it out on those around them. He stopped for a while after that.”

  “What happened?” Troy asked, curious to know

  “Ah, let’s not talk about that.” I said while healing Izin.

  Darius laughed. “Oh, well, if she doesn’t want us to know then you have to tell us!”

  Aleksander smiled as he looked over Adele and she sighed, knowing he was going to tell them. “Well, they had a problem being around people since their minds were always on a fight so school was a bit difficult. They kept to themselves for the most part and that freaked people out enough until one day a group of six decided to confront them. I wasn’t there but apparently within thirty seconds, all six of them were on the ground with a broken something and these three were still on their feet without a scratch. I had to go down there myself and take them home.”