Chapter 24
Down in the archives, Stella pulled on a pair of white gloves and removed the first four volumes detailing the history of
Blue Sky Valley off the shelf. She carefully placed them on the closest table. The leather-bound books looked as though they’d
survived a few million sunsets. Brittle yellowed pages barely held on their spines with fragile, flaking glue and dangling
threads. Arnie had been talking about enclosing them in glass cases for years, but so far, nothing had been done to create
safer housing. She laid the gloves across the top of a book.
Behind where the books had been sat a wooden box about the size of a quart of milk. Stella gently removed the box from its
hiding place. A triquetrum, an ancient Celtic symbol, was engraved on the lid. Stella traced her fingers over the grooved,
curving lines. She placed the box on the table and unlatched it.
A clear glass bottle with a cork stopper was nestled in a space carved to its exact size.
Just as Arnie had described it, the cobalt-blue liquid inside the bottle sparkled and shifted like a living entity.
A fading label affixed to the front of the bottle read anáil na beatha. The beauty of its glow mesmerized her.
Jack went to the kitchenette to grab a can of Pepsi at Stella’s request. She thought she might want something to chase the
magical liquid once she drank it. Movement in the shadows pulled her attention away from the bottle, and Crusoe and Darcy
stepped into the dim light.
“I spent a lot of time alone on that island,” Crusoe said. “I daydreamed that someone would rescue me and relieve my despair.
My misery created a hole, and I wallowed. I thought of never facing the world again. Then I understood that I couldn’t depend
on someone else for my happiness, not on humanity or even on a single person. Humans will disappoint you, Stella. They can’t
help it. We’re all flawed. But you have the power to live on your own terms. Live the life you want because you chose it, not because someone else influenced it.”
How could a castaway like Robinson Crusoe speak such profound words? “I’m living my life on my own terms,” she said.
“Are you?” Crusoe asked. “Are you making the best decision for you?”
Stella knew what he was hinting at, so she said, “I’m kinda busy here, and I don’t see how that is—”
“Relevant?” Crusoe interrupted. “Excuse my presumption, but I believe you were desperate for an escape, just waiting for someone
to pull you out of your misery.” He pointed to the gleaming bottle.
Darcy nodded and stepped closer to the bottle. “Wouldn’t you agree that you’ve been finding your way back to yourself? And
yet here you are, looking for an easy fix.”
“Easy?” Stella asked. Irritation combined with her nervousness. “Nothing about any of this has been easy.”
“I agree,” Darcy said. “But are you not considering upending your life for yet another man?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Stella argued, even as her stomach lurched in response.
“I admire the lengths you are willing to go to for love,” Darcy said.
“Then you understand,” Stella said.
Darcy nodded. “I understand you could lose everything. Not only your life here but also Jack. Have you considered your own
words, that you belong here, that your life is meant to be lived here?”
“It is difficult to let people go,” Crusoe said. “But there are times when we must so we can move on to greatness.”
Stella stared at him and then at Darcy before returning her gaze to the magical liquid. “I don’t want to let Jack go,” she
whispered.
The men looked toward the sound of Jack returning, and they disappeared into the shadows.
Jack approached, holding a plastic bottle of Pepsi. “Were you talking to someone?”
Stella stared at the spot where Crusoe and Darcy had disappeared and shook her head. Shadowy words fluttered out of the darkness.
Look ahead. Move forward. Trust your heart. “Do you think it will work?” she asked, staring at the liquid.
Jack shook his head. “Not really.”
Stella lifted the bottle from its resting place and popped off the cork. She poked her pinky finger into the bottle and tilted
it, allowing the glowing liquid to touch her fingertip. A current of power zapped her finger, then raced through the palm
of her hand and up her arm. She stumbled backward a step and almost dropped the bottle.
“Ow!” She shook out her arm.
Jack grabbed for her.
“I’m okay,” she said. She put down the bottle, and the liquid moved in agitation.
Jack rubbed his hand down her arm and entwined their fingers. “I’m against this.”
Stella looked at him. Uncertainty bubbled within her. Crusoe’s and Darcy’s words churned in her mind. Was leaving with Jack
an escape, an easy way out of a life she hadn’t truly been present for in months?
“I’m not telling you no because I don’t want to be with you,” Jack said. “But going back to my story, that’s my life, not
yours. You aren’t even in my story, and—”
“I understand,” she said, and she did. “I’m not part of the original story, and if I go with you, I might not be anywhere.” She touched his cheek. “But what if the story is rewritten to include me?”
Jack sighed. “Say it is, but you know how my story ends, Stella.”
The moment bridged them in silence.
“I die,” he said. “Every time. Every ending. Do you want to relive that on repeat?”
Stella’s throat tightened. “But I would live part of a life with you. Isn’t that better than a life without you?”
On impulse, she kissed him. A burning, not entirely unpleasant sensation blossomed in her chest as Jack held her close and
kissed her like this was possibly the very last time. At least for another year. The burning increased, and Stella broke away.
Violet words bubbled inside the bottle, rising from the blue liquid. The words pushed their way out of the glass and landed
on the table where they quivered and then lifted on lavender wings.
Stella whispered the words. “‘Timeless. And he was right.’”
The blazing trail within her released its hold, and she heard Jack take in a deep breath. The glowing purple words flapped
their wings, zoomed across the archives, and disappeared into the darkness.
“What if I could go with you and write—no, change—our story?” Stella said. “What if my words could somehow change everything?”
Jack didn’t respond.
Footsteps sounded on the archives’ staircase, and Arnie called out to Stella and Jack.
“We’re down here,” she answered.
Arnie appeared a second later, puffing up an aisle and looking determined. Ariel and Percy followed him.
“I see you found the stash,” Arnie said.
Stella looked only at Percy. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” Percy asked. “What are you doing here?”
“Arnie texted us,” Ariel said. “He said you’re going to—”
“Take a leap into the unknown to be with Jack,” Percy interrupted. “How can you stand by and let her do this?” he asked Jack.
“Back off, Percy,” Stella said.
Jack placed his hand on Stella’s arm, attempting to calm her, then he stepped toward Percy. “I stand by Stella and support
her in any way I can. I don’t believe I can or should force my ideas on her. However, for the sake of this argument, Stella
knows my concerns.”
Percy’s chest puffed up. “Excuse me? Are you insinuating that I’m forcing my ideas on Stella? I would never do that.”
Ariel cleared her throat. “I’m not sure that’s accurate, Percy. What about Miami?”
“Miami is a great opportunity,” Percy said. “Is it wrong to want something more for her? You, of all people, have seen how
much she’s been struggling.”
“I get your desire to help, but Miami isn’t a great opportunity for Stella,” Ariel said. “She loves the library. Shouldn’t
she do what she loves? How can you possibly think Miami is a good fit for her?”
“Hello?” Stella said with an eye roll. “I’m standing right here.”
Percy continued without acknowledging her. He looked at Arnie. “She’s proven she can’t handle this.” He gestured wildly around them. “I’m guessing they didn’t tell you about Hook and his swan-dive exit from the second-floor balcony?”
“What is wrong with you?” Stella asked. “Why are you so adamant that I do what you want?”
“Because . . .” Percy started and then paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “Because I can’t lose you. You’re all I have,
Stella. You and me. Mom and Dad are gone. It’s just us, and you’re not like me. I don’t know what to do with you. I don’t
know how to help you or understand what’s best for you. If you love the library so much, why are you so willing to disappear
from it? From me?”
Stella blinked at him in the silence that followed. No one spoke.
Percy continued, “Listen, Stella, I’m sorry I’ve been coming across as an overbearing jerk. But is there any way I can convince
you not to do this? No offense to you, Jack, because I’m guessing you’re a stand-up guy, and I bet if you were real, you might
be great for Stella. I know Dad would approve.” Percy looked at Stella. “But leaving here, if that’s even possible, for some
unknown place that might not even accept you because you’re . . . not of their time, I don’t know what will happen, and I
don’t—I don’t want to lose you.”
Stella’s throat burned, and she felt the familiar salty sting in her eyes. She hugged Percy. “I would have been long gone
without you all these years. You kept me sane.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “You and Arnie and Ariel.”
Arnie swiped at his cheek. Was he crying? “Don’t give us all the credit. You’re a lot stronger than you think. You’ve been
keeping us on track too. You’ve been my daughter.”
“And my partner in crime,” Percy said.
“And my best friend,” Ariel said. “Accepting all my weirdness with love.”
“I couldn’t have loved you more if you were my own child,” Arnie said.
“I’ve been rooting for you since you were riding that tricycle down the sidewalk with those pink and purple streamers.
And I think you’ve done me the biggest kindness yet—sending a wonderful woman to me with a plate of cookies.
Completely devious yet appreciated. If this does work . . . I’m going to miss you sorely.”
“We all are,” Percy agreed.
Stella wiped at her tears. “You’re going to let me go?”
Percy shrugged. “Not that I could ever stop you. For the record and everyone present, I think this is a terrible idea.”
“Noted,” Stella said with a slight smile. She looked at Arnie. “You can bring us back, though, right?”
Arnie sighed. “I don’t know, Stella. Jack is in his book, but you’re not. You don’t exist there. I have no idea what’s going
to happen.”
Stella returned to the bottle. She stretched her arms over her head and leaned her neck from side to side. Then she shook
her arms out at her sides and bounced on her toes. She twisted open the bottle of Pepsi and listened to the pop of bubbles
rising to the top of the dark liquid. “Here goes. Everybody ready?”
“No,” everyone said at the same time, causing Stella to release a nervous laugh.
She picked up the bottle. The magical liquid churned inside, swirling wildly like a storm brewing. All she had to do was lift
the bottle to her lips and drink.
A throbbing started deep in her heart. Thinking about leaving Arnie, Percy, and Ariel, of never seeing them or the library
again, created a fracture inside her. What if their fears were valid? What if she was lost forever? Clarity reverberated through
her, and she trembled with the awareness.
She lowered the bottle.
Stella looked at Jack, willing her bottom lip to stop trembling. “I can’t.” She corked the bottle. “I can’t go with you.”