Chapter Thirty-Six - Home
Shontae
“Finally!” Tayvion popped into the house as soon as I texted them I’d made it back home.
“You had us worried,” Cadence said as she released Sire, landed on my shoulder. “I don’t know how to jump between words, but I was ready to find someone who can.”
“Time moves differently when you go to another world. And apparently, the rate is also different depending on what world you’re in,” I explained. “And the jetlag I’m already feeling is a total bitch. Rayna said it also messes up your cycle.”
“Okay, I’ll keep my ass on Earth, if that’s the case!” Cadence chuckled.
Sire sang a sweet melody and then rubbed her head against my cheek.
“Hey to you too.” I petted Sire’s head. “Maybe I should go away more often. This is the second time she’s greeted me like this.”
“I don’t know why you like to pretend that bird doesn’t love you.” Tayvion poked at me. “She clearly adores you.”
“Only when there are witnesses,” I teased.
“Are you hungry?” Tayvion pulled out her phone. “I can order something. We’re going to be here a while. You know you have to give us all the details about your adventure.”
“I’m not, but I will be soon. Apparently, jumping between worlds throws all that off.” I thought for a moment. “Pizza sounds really good, and so do some onion rings. Lots of onion rings.”
Tayvion ordered food while Cadence and I set up our space for the night.
“How was Likosa’s world? Was it anything like the Bane?” she asked.
“Not at all. Kinasha is like a never-ending forest. There're trees everywhere, and they really have something about eggs. Their towns are egg-shaped patches across the world. I never got to ask what that was about, but even their buildings are shaped like eggs, and the rooms inside.”
“It's because of fertility! A world full of women sounds like a highly fertile one,” Tayvion offered.
“Yeah, maybe. I wish I could have asked her, though.”
“So it all worked out?” Cadence asked. “She was able to get home?”
“Yeah, it did.” I sat down on the couch. “Likosa is home now. She’s going to get to know her daughter.”
I left the recap there, because I knew what was coming.
“DAUGHTER!” they both shouted at the same time.
“Likosa has a kid?” Cadence gawked.
“And she never mentioned her?” Tayvion sucked her teeth. “Now see, that’s shady.”
“That was my initial thought as well. How could she keep that from me? But then I considered maybe it was too hard to talk about, and Likosa never intended for us to get that close.”
“And you came to all these justifications on your own?” Tayvion pursed her lips.
“I know. I even shocked myself with that.” I leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling.
“That’s not even the craziest part. Apparently, it was her ex who betrayed her and kicked her out.
Told everyone, including the kid, that Likosa just bounced.
When we got there, we ended up fighting the ex and her crazy minions. ”
“A woman scorned!” Tayvion clapped. “Okay, so how did you win? I mean, weren’t you outnumbered?”
“We were, but those girls, Rayna, Whitney, and Jericha, they are powerful as hell! I even broke out a few new tricks, and I think I’ll be able to do a lot more with practice. We worked together so well.”
“Earth girls kicking ass and taking damn names!” Cadence cheered. “So you fought, won, and then what?”
“After a magical test that proved Likosa was the child’s mother, the girls and I got to explore a little while Likosa did…I’m not sure what.” I sat up. “Then, I had one last night with her and came home.”
“She didn’t ask you to stay longer or anything?” Cadence frowned. “She was so into you.”
“I didn’t give her a chance to approach the topic.”
“Why not?” Tayvion threw a pillow at me.
“As soon as I saw her, I chickened out! Before she came to my door, I was ready to ask her to make it work, but I saw her face, and it just felt like that would be the wrong thing to do. It would have been selfish to ask her to leave her world and her daughter after only just getting it back. And there was no way I was going to volunteer to move to her world. As beautiful as it is, I have a life here I don’t want to leave behind. ”
“I’m just going to say it.” Cadence stood and pointed at me. “You should have let her take the lead!”
“Yep!” Tayvion cosigned. “You got a little nervous and couldn’t immediately understand how she felt, so you ran. And I thought you were making so much progress.”
“What are we going to do with her?” Cadence draped her arm over Tayvion’s shoulder as she sat and pretended to wipe her eyes.
“That’s it, I’m calling the convent. It’s time for her to take up her new role.” Tayvion threw her hands up. “Lord, I hand her over to you!”
I grabbed the pillow she’d thrown at me and flung it.
Likosa
I thought settling into a new house would do it. Having a permanent home was supposed to make me feel more settled in Kinasha, but even a home overlooking my favorite falls wasn’t enough. Whenever I was with Ashanu, I felt amazing, but the moment she had to leave, the longing returned.
“When are you leaving?” Ashanu asked. She sat across the table from me as we ate dinner.
“Leaving?” I looked up from my plate. “I’m not leaving.”
“Yes, you are, even if I have to force you to go.” She tapped the table with her fingertips, something I’d learned quickly was a sign of her assertion.
“So you’re kicking me out of Kinasha?”
“Not exactly. At least, not the way Mom did it.” She laughed nervously. “But I think you should leave. You’re miserable here. And as much as I want to know you, I don’t want you to stay here if you’re unhappy. You said where you were, time moved so much faster.”
“It did.” I nodded.
“Well, in all that time, didn’t you make new connections? Aren’t there people you miss now? Friends? What about the women who came with you?”
My mind went straight to Shontae, and I saw her smile in my mind. Ashanu almost jumped from her seat when she pointed at me.
“See! Whoever you just thought of now, you need to go be with them.” She smiled. “That flash of joy was the most I’ve seen from you in days. I hate seeing you like this. I want you to be happy.”
“Ashanu, being here with you makes me happy. I want to learn everything about you.” I shook my head in disbelief at her outburst. “If it doesn’t appear that way, I apologize, but I hope you know where my heart is.”
“Of course I know where your heart is. I also know there are ways we can continue our relationship without you being completely miserable in the process.”
I sucked my teeth, prepared to debate what she said, when she sat a small metallic case on the table. Ashanu slid it over to me with the biggest smile on her face.
Frowning, I picked up the case and opened it, and inside were two small, egg-shaped pearls.
“Are these what I think they are?” I carefully lifted one from the cushion. “It can’t be.”
“Yes. Grandmother gave them to me. She said they’ve been in the family for generations.” Ashanu picked up the other one. “No one ever used them because no one had been far enough to need them, but now we can.”
“You spoke to my mother about this?” I shook my head. “I’m so glad you were able to maintain a relationship with her.”
It was nice being home and reconnecting with my family.
I missed them all dearly but I had to admit that I struggled to feel like I belonged there.
My mothers embraced me with love. My sisters all apologized for not doing more to come to my defense.
It was a loving reunion, but something was missing.
“Of course! She’s happy for you to be home too, but we all think the same thing. Even the aunties.” She sighed. “We don’t want you to be miserable for the sake of being here. And you can always come for visits, right?”
“That’s true.” I nodded slowly as I considered her words. Now that the barrier welcomed my energy, I could return to Kinasha whenever I wanted.
“And while you’re away, we can use the divinities to keep in touch with each other.” She pressed the pearl to her lips and waited for me.
“I’m so glad you’re the being you are.” I smiled at her and pressed my own pearl to my lips.
With a simultaneous wink, we both popped the pearls into our mouths and swallowed.
A moment later, we were transported away from our bodies to a blank plane. As I focused on the energy of the pearl, a space of vast light shifted into the same room. A moment later, Ashanu appeared on the other side of the dinner table.
“Really?” She laughed. “We can mold this space to be anything we want, and you turn it into the dinner table?”
“Well, what I want to be doing right now is having dinner with my daughter.”
“Fine, but after that, we’re riding dragons!” She spread her wings, and the wall behind her dropped. A massive field appeared, two dragons resting in the grass. They lifted their heads and grunted.
“Only if you finish your vegetables,” I pretended to scold her.
“You’re such a mom!” She stuck her tongue out at me.
Shontae
“Seriously?” I stared at my agent’s face on the computer monitor. “A television show?”
“Yes, and they are so excited about working with you. Your social media presence has really blown up after a major influencer posted about you on her page. It created a snowball effect. Everyone is trying out your workouts and posting about them. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since.”
“This is amazing.” I looked over the notes I’d taken. Our numbers were way up, and new client applications had me thinking about expanding the gym into the vacant space next door. Merch, followers on social media, even fan mail—it was all up!
“It is. Now, I need you to get ready for a very busy few months leading into what I think will be one of the biggest booms for your business.”
“That countryside home is looking a lot more doable now.” I picked up the listing for the house I’d been ogling. “Maybe I should go for it now.”
“The contracts I have already lined up for you to review could make for a sizable down payment.” She encouraged me.