Chapter Seventeen #2
For whatever reason, I told Sara-Kate to meet me at the Obelisk monument.
You’d think with all my nightmares, I would stay far away from this particular part of the park.
But there was a subtle yearning, a pull, not like the Twinflame tether, but something more innate that drew me back to this particular place.
I felt wary, but not unsafe. I reinforced my own mental and physical shields, making myself invisible to any Stonebound or death echoes that could be waiting for a Bloodwright to appear.
I saw Sara-Kate sitting on the same bench I had sat with my Nana when I last dreamed of this place. She was staring wide-eyed at the Obelisk monument, her head cocked to the side in wonder. I felt sick, wondering if the pendant in my pocket would even be enough at this point.
“Hey Sara-Kate.” I spoke gently, sitting next to her. “Thanks for meeting me.”
She turned slowly, as if she couldn’t bear to take her eyes off the stone before us. “Hey Mari.” The dark circles under her eyes were worse; the exhaustion evident in her dark brown eyes. “What’s up?”
“I hope you didn’t have to come all the way from Brooklyn to meet me here,” I replied, remembering how Sara-Kate told me she and her mom were planning to stay with her grandmother for the break.
She waved away my concern. “Oh no, we aren’t heading over there until later tonight, so this is actually perfect timing.”
I breathed a little easier, hoping that some distance might be good for her.
“I just wanted to thank you.” I began, my voice cracking with emotion.
“I never had to ask you to be a good friend. You just were, from the moment we met.” Tears stung the back of my eyes as I pulled the pendant from my pocket.
“And I know we’ve only been friends for a short while, but you’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and I wanted you to have this.
It was my Nana’s, and it always gave me some luck and comfort, so maybe it will help you feel better. ”
Sara-Kate sat up straighter, stunned before throwing her arms around me, tears streaming down her face. “You are literally the most precious human being. Thank you, Mari.”
We laughed and smiled through our tears as I latched the pendant around her neck. Her hand fell to it, the worry in her eyes seemingly melting away.
“This is gonna sound crazy, but I actually feel a little better.” She laughed, pulling me into another tight hug.
Relief flooded through me. Maybe this would actually work and Sara-Kate would be okay after all. Maybe I was overreacting and imagining things because Sara-Kate was still here and she hadn’t lost a family member.
But as I clung to my best friend, I gently prodded on the bond between Alaric and me, hoping he could feel my relief and perhaps reassure me. But there was only silence. No tug, no warmth, no movement between us. And that made me more afraid than anything.
The bond and my cellphone were strangely quiet all day on Thanksgiving.
I had been up since 7am when Tiffany had gotten both me and Dan up to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade from both the living room window and the TV.
All three of us sat huddled together on the bay window bench, pointing out the different floats and giant inflatable characters that lazily meandered by our apartment building, only glancing at the television to take in the Broadway and pop star performances that took place right in front of Macy’s.
I texted Sara-Kate to see if she was watching the parade too.
I smiled in spite of myself as Sara-Kate’s sarcastic, “DUH!” response came through.
Dinner was quiet, but cozy, nostalgic even.
Like I could feel in the moment that this day was one to remember, a warm memory that I would cherish years from now.
Dan and I helped Tiff with the side dishes as she cooked the turkey she and Iris had prepared the day before.
There was too much food—green bean casserole, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussel sprouts, ham, cranberry sauce, and turkey, of course.
We ate until we were stuffed, packing up the rest of the food into the fridge, which could easily feed at least 10 more people.
Later that evening, all three of us went for a walk through Central Park, this time avoiding the Obelisk and taking in the picturesque sights and sounds of New York in late November.
The day had flown by in such a blur of family activity that I actually forgot about everything that had to do with being a Bloodwright or a Twinflame.
The warm feeling of family enveloped me every time I looked at Tiffany or Dan.
I walked a few paces behind them, watching as they held hands, heads huddled together, looking more like they were conspiring together rather than making future Christmas plans.
But as we rounded the corner, heading back to the apartment, a sharp blow reverberated through me, like a slap across the face.
I stood frozen, still reeling from the intense physical and emotional pain that echoed deep in my gut.
It took me another moment to realize it wasn’t me that was feeling this pain, this emotional abuse.
No one had hit me. But someone had hurt Alaric.
And it made me realize that Alaric’s Thanksgiving was nothing like mine.