“I get it,” he says, eyes stil narrowed. “You’ve taken a piece from each of them.” He shakes his head in wonder, his gaze traveling over me again when he adds, “What a great idea. Wish I’d thought of it.”
“Wish I’d thought of it too.” I glance across the room, waving at Sabine and Munoz, who are dressed as a Viking princess and Wil iam Shakespeare respectively, then back to Jude when I add, “It was Damen’s idea.”
“Is he here?” Stacia asks, her cheeks flushing crimson when she realizes how I might take that, how after al that we’ve been through I could easily misinterpret her interest. “I mean, not that I care.” She pauses, realizes that might’ve sounded even worse, and hastily adds,
“I mean, I care—I just don’t care in the way that you, um, think that I care.”
I place my hand on her arm, wanting to comfort, tel her it’s okay, only to be overcome by a rush of energy so strong I feel like I’m caught in the eye of her own personal tornado. And though I’m quick to pul away, it’s not long before I realize it wasn’t al bad. If anything, I got an inside peek at just how far she’s come, and how she sincerely meant what she said.
I look at her, trying to sound more positive than I feel when I say, “Honestly? I have no idea if he’l show, but I’m hopeful.”
Ava waves at me from across the room, beckoning me to join her in the den, where she’s dressed as John Lennon, standing next to Rayne, who’s dressed in the pil box hat, pristine white gloves, perfect little suit, and flippy hairdo of Jackie O, while Romy is dressed as Jimi Hendrix, complete with an electric guitar strapped to her chest. Which is total y t
he opposite of what I would’ve thought, but then, even after al this time I’ve never real y been able to get a good handle on them.
And I’m just about to thank them for doing such a great job, and for al the help they’ve provided this last year, when someone sneaks up from behind me and says, “And so it is done.”
I turn, instantly recognizing the voice.
She looks older. So delicate and frail I can’t help but worry for her health. The cane I once saw her with is now back. Though it’s not long before I realize why—it’s the first time I’ve seen her on the earth plane. And after spending so much time in Summerland, the gravity here starts to weigh pretty heavily.
“From the moment I first saw your glow, I knew.”
I look at her, noticing she’s the only one not in costume, and yet, in her cotton tunic and matching pants, most people probably assume that she is.
“But I don’t glow,” I say, my eyes stil poring over her, realizing how odd she appears now that she’s here. How out of context she seems. “I don’t have an aura,” I add. “No immortals do.”
But she ignores that. “Auras are a reflection of the soul,” she says. “And yours is lovely. You have been made aware of its presence, caught a glimpse of it, no?”
I gaze down at my hands, remember the way I saw them glow a gorgeous shade of purple back when I was in Summerland, back when I was stil on my journey. I remember the way I’d felt the color thrumming from somewhere deep inside—the intensity of feeling convincing me of just how to proceed. Then I remember how Drina saw it too, how she’d commented on it just after I’d freed her soul from the Shadowland, and now Lotus sees it as wel . Which makes me wonder if it might actual y be real, and if it’l stil be with me even after I’ve tasted the fruit?
Which of course gets me thinking about Damen, wondering if he’l agree to taste the fruit with me.
“He needs time,” Lotus says, tuning in to my thoughts. “Unlike me. I have waited too long.”
I nod, offering my hand as I lead her up the stairs, but she just shakes her head and relies on her cane.
Figuring I’l give it to her first, serve her privately before I gather the others, I’m surprised when she tunes in to my thoughts once again, saying, “You wil find them already gathered. They are waiting for you.”
True enough, when we enter the den off my room we’re greeted by a startling col ection of the eternal y young and beautiful. The eternal y young and beautiful with the best col ection of costumes I’ve ever seen. Some of them choosing to interpret the theme literal y by dressing as actual people, and some choosing to interpret it figuratively by dressing as objects like flowers and trees—there’s even a shooting star standing off in the corner. And, I guess if it’s true that everything is energy, if it’s true that we’re al connected, then there’s real y nothing that divides us from nature—we are al a part of the whole.
They turn to face me, over fifty people whom Roman deemed worthy, making for approximately three people every century—a much smal er group than I would’ve imagined, but stil a much bigger group than I’d hoped.
And honestly, when I real y start to take them al in, I mean each and every one, I start to feel a little ridiculous about what I’m about to propose.
I mean, these people have traveled far and wide for the sole purpose of maintaining the very life they’ve grown used to. These people are so advanced in every conceivable way, so wel traveled, so experienced, so worldly—wel , they’re intimidating to say the least. And I can’t help but wonder why they would even think to listen to me—a seventeen-year-old girl whose biggest worldly accomplishment so far (other than locating the tree) is having barely gotten through high school.
Why should they even think to consider giving up everything they’ve known and loved for so many years for some unknown, completely esoteric idea, which I can easily explain but have no way to prove?
But then I look at Lotus, see the way she nods encouragingly, those rheumy old eyes cheering me on, and it prompts me to gulp down my fears, addressing them al when I say, “I know you’re expecting to see Roman, but Roman’s no longer here, and so you get me. And while I’m sure I can’t even come close to competing with him, now that you’re here, I hope you’l at least consider hearing me out.”
This is met by mumbling. Lots and lots of mumbling. With a good amount of grumbling thrown in as wel . The roar growing so loud I’ve no choice but to shove two fingers into my mouth and let off a long loud whistle to quiet them down.
“When I said that Roman is no longer with us—I meant it in the physical way. His body has perished, though his soul stil lives on. And I happen to know this because I’ve seen it. I’ve communicated with him. The soul never dies. He’s truly immortal now.” I pause, expecting more outbursts and surprised by the quiet that greets me instead.
“And so, while I know you were expecting the elixir, I’m going to offer you something else.” I shift my gaze, my eyes taking in the multiple bottles of red juice left to chil in my mini-fridge, and suddenly changing my tack when I say, “No, actual y I’m going to give you a choice.” My eyes meet Lotus’s, afraid of what she might think, but finding her nodding encouragement, not the slightest bit disturbed by my words. “It only seems fair that you get a real choice. But I want you to consider the choice very careful y, because after today this choice may never come again. So, in short, I’m going to offer you a drink from the elixir that’l extend your life as you know it—preserving your youth and beauty and vitality for another one hundred and fifty years—but you should know that it comes at a price. You can stil die.
If one of your weak chakras is targeted your body wil disintegrate and your soul wil be trapped in the Shadowland—a terrible place you don’t want to visit. Or…” I pause, knowing how important this next part is, and wanting to get it just right, to stress its ful importance, before I lose them completely. “Or, you can taste from the fruit I picked from the Tree of Life—the fruit that offers true immortality—the immortality of the soul. And just so you know, eating it wil reverse everything you are now. Your body wil age, and grow old, and yes, you’l eventual y die. But your being, your true essence, your soul, wil realize eternity as it was always intended to be.” I bite down on my lip as my hands fidget by my sides, knowing I’ve said al I can. The choice is now theirs. And though I think it’s an obvious choice, it’s stil a pretty big decision to make.