Destiny Calling (26 page)

When I reached the door and glanced over my shoulder, Tessa was gone.

Chance waited on the porch with his back to me, fidgeting from side to side. He must’ve inherited being a bundle of restless energy from Ruthie. He turned as I opened the door.

With his hands pushed low in his pockets, he looked innocent, like a little boy. I frowned. It might’ve been nice growing up with a brother. “Hey.” I stepped aside. “Come in.”

He glanced around as he entered the apartment. “You’re alone? I thought I heard you talking to someone.”

“I was.” Closing the door, I pulled the curtain tight, realizing anyone could look in and see Tessa in the mirror. That is, if she chose to cooperate and return to finish our conversation. I thought she would. She said she wanted to see Chance, not that I understood how this process worked. So far, it seemed like Tessa showed up on a whim. “I was talking to Tessa.”

“Where? She came back?” Chance had been heading toward the refrigerator but veered off to the mirror.

I stepped in view of the mirror and Tessa reappeared.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Tessa pressed as far as she could to the glass, holding onto the stem of her glasses as if she could pull the lenses closer to amplify her eyes more than they already were.

“What a handsome young man you’ve become, Chance. It’s a shame there aren’t more men in our line, because if they all looked as good as you...” Tessa fanned herself. “My word, it’s surprising you’re not beating the girls off with a stick.”

“Wow, this is unbelievable.” Chance tapped the mirror in several places. Tessa jumped back, as if the mirror wouldn’t hold. “Amazing,” he said.

“Oh, like you creating a clone is any less amazing?” I sat down in the chair, being careful to remain in view of the mirror. “Has that happened again?”

Chance continued his inspection, lifting the mirror to peer behind it and tapping on the frame, as if looking for the trick in the magician’s act. “No, not yet. I guess I haven’t needed to.”

I rested my chin on my laced fingers. “Why do you think it happened at all?”

Chance stopped his inspection to focus on me. “Well, I think the cloning has to do with my ability to show different options. Kind of like being able to take two paths to determine the best outcome.” He shrugged. “Like you don’t have to take as much of a chance.”

Tessa cleared her throat. “Would you two quit talking like I’m not here? I may be dead, but I can still hear you.” Her tinkling laugh filled the room.

“Even after all these years, no one has as beautiful of a laugh as you.” He placed his hand against the glass. “Hi, Aunt Tessa.”

I scowled, fighting a twinge of jealousy. After all, this was my Tessa. He’d had a whole bunch of family around, I didn’t. But I’d learned this was what family was about. Not just about me, but about us.

I smiled at the twinkle in Tessa’s eyes when Chance complimented her. There hadn’t been many men in our lives. Maybe that’s why I was uncomfortable with men. I didn’t know how to act around them. Tessa had been a beautiful woman in her youth. I hoped I hadn’t kept her from finding love.

“Okay, okay.” I interrupted Chance and Tessa as they reviewed years gone by. “You’ll have plenty of time for the reunion, but I’d like answers before Tessa decides to make a hasty exit again.”

“Like I told you before, I don’t know that there’s much I can do to help. Most of this is new to me. To all of us.” Tessa gestured behind her as if we could see something more than the mist shimmering around her. “It’s been such a long time since Enchantlings have been around our kind. None of us were alive then, so we never learned anything helpful about them.” Tessa hesitated, twisting her lip to the side.

“Chance told me.”

“Told you what?” Tessa’s eyes widened. She couldn’t conceal the guilt evident on her face.

“That they all died. That none of the Enchantlings made it to their twenty-first birthday.”

Tessa glanced to Chance then back to me again. “Oh, he told you, did he? But don’t you see, we’re making progress and besides, there’s never been a
male
Enchantling before, so perhaps that will work in our favor.”

“Surely, there’s something you know to help us figure out where to start? Like if there’s anything else we should expect.” I glanced to Chance and back to the mirror. “It might be helpful if I’m better prepared next time something unusual happens like Chance finding another clone.”

Or Griffith offering himself up to me in exchange for embracing the Underworld.
Like I said, I didn’t like surprises.

“Since you’re back home and the three of you are together, your powers will mature now and could get stronger. I don’t know in what way, one’s powers and the rate of their maturation is a very individualized process.” Tessa shrugged. “With some people, achieving their abilities takes years, and others may never realize their full potential.”

I sighed, knowing if I listened long enough, I might find the answer embedded in Tessa’s endless prattle.

Tessa kept peering over her shoulder, as if she feared someone might be eavesdropping. “That’s one thing I think I’m allowed to say about this place. That the punishment for some people ending up here is letting them know what their full potential in life was intended to be. What they missed out on because they didn’t take that chance or make the extra effort. It’s terribly depressing for them.”

She pressed her lips together before she continued. “To live with regret for eternity.”

I’d always wondered what if I’d had a family, or met my mother, or if we hadn’t had to move so much. Had I missed out on a wonderful life, or avoided one that would’ve been worse? Would I want to know either way? If I found out my life would’ve been better, but there was nothing to do to change that now. I could only wonder if I was meant to be with my family, or not. Maybe knowing the
what if’s
isn’t always a good thing.

Tessa was quiet, chewing on her lower lip. I knew this look. “Tessa, what do you want to say?” Her internal battle was visible on her face.

“I don’t know if it’s a good thing for you to know.” Tessa slid a look at Chance, who’d continued to stare at the mirror in amazement. “Or at least it may not be something Chance should know.”

“What?” Chance returned his focus to the conversation at hand.

I rolled my eyes. This was classic Tessa. Telling me she knew something I shouldn’t know, or Chance shouldn’t, only made me want to know so badly it could fester and drive me crazy.

Although often, the information she pondered the ramifications about sharing was as simple as, you may not like what was for dinner that evening.

“What about me? I think I need to know.” Chance held his hand out toward me. “
We
need to know anything that might be beneficial.”

I looked at his outstretched fingers with uncertainty then clasped his hand. Having his hand to hold felt better than I’d thought it would.

It would’ve been nice if Destiny had come over as well, but I don’t think she’d gotten comfortable with going out much, yet. Maybe I would stop over and see her. Get some sister time in.

“Well, this might be hard for all of you, but I think it has a lot to do with much of the resentment of the Oppressors toward you.” Tessa shook her finger at us. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you this might be information you don’t want to know. You can’t un-know it once you hear what I have to say. Well at least I don’t think you can—”

“Tessa,” Chance and I said simultaneously.

“Oh, sorry.” She shifted and the mist surrounding blurred her image and then cleared as she leaned forward again. “It’s about your parents.”

“Our parents?” My heart accelerated. Why hadn’t I thought to ask this earlier? Seeing them in the mirror wouldn’t be the same as having them alive, but would be something. Something positive in all this craziness I didn’t even think was possible. I wondered if they were there, where Tessa was.

“Can I…can I see them?” I swallowed, trying to pull moisture into my mouth, which had become as dry as a desert.

Sneaking a peek at Chance I found uncertainty on his face. He’d never met our parents either. I squeezed his hand.

His characteristic smirk was gone. His lips pulled into a quick, strained smile, and he squeezed my hand back.

“If you think we need to know, then we need to hear it.” He stood a little taller.

My little brother wanted to take care of me. I sniffed to stop any overflow as my eyes filled with unshed tears. This wasn’t the time to get sentimental.

“Oh kids, I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.” Tessa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “They aren’t here. I mean, at least I know your mother isn’t. I can’t say for sure about your dad.”

“Oh.” It was all I could say. Averting my gaze to focus on the placemats Ruthie had arranged on the table. Roosters. I’d never noticed before. The placemats were so unlike my style. I guess it didn’t matter, but like Tessa said before. Sometimes the little things made the difference.

Forcing my eyes wide to keep the tears from falling. Here I was, insisting this meeting was all about business, and turns out I’m the emotional one. I couldn’t look at Chance yet.

“You see, kids, what I’ve figured out about this place is the people waiting here have unfinished business. I’m sure your mother felt her work was done once she ensured the three of you were born. She was a strong, brave woman. She endured a lot in her lifetime.”

Tessa nodded. “Always with a smile. Safely delivering the three of you was her only concern all those months.”

“What do you mean, safely? Is it because we were triplets?” I pulled my gaze away from the rooster placemats and back to Tessa who appeared more uncomfortable than I’d ever seen her. She never did like confrontation and for good reason. She was terrible at awkward conversations and tended to blurt out the information in the most unceremonious way just to relieve herself of the pressure of having to do it.

“Well, there was that.” Tessa’s gaze darted to Chance then down to intently study her fingernails.

Chance noticed Tessa’s look, as well.

“That and what, Tessa?” he said. “Just say it. Is it because of me?”

“What?” I furrowed my brow. I’d been the cause of all the distress. Tessa hiding me, moving me and keeping secrets, losing out on any time with her family or having a family of her own, because of me. “Why would it be because of you?”

He sighed, as if frustrated by my continued questions. “Hope, there’s much for you to learn about our kind yet—”

“Our kind?” I’d yet to think of me, or any of us, as a
kind.
More like people with a little more.

He waved me off. “There are never any men born into our line. They marry into it.”

He leveled his gaze with the mirror. “Except for me, right Tessa?”

“That we know of.” Tessa’s glasses slid as she nodded vigorously. “There could be more. No one has ever gone through all our family tree to connect the dots. It’s almost impossible to do so. Our older ancestors often traveled in circuses or lived as gypsies. They sought out people like them, because they weren’t comfortable living on their own. People used to get hanged back then with any little idiosyncrasy. Who’d want to risk that?”

“But you said triplets were rare, I’m sure that would be an exception to the no-boys rule, wouldn’t it?” I squeezed Chance’s hand, trying to offer reassurance.

“Maybe.” Tessa drew out the word in a way that I knew there was more behind it.

“Or what?” The tension from Chance pushed into my body. I wasn’t sure if I detected his anxiety because I held his hand, or if this was one of those connections multiples can have.

“There’s just no easy way to say it.”

I tensed at Tessa’s standard line when she didn’t want to sugarcoat something. In the past, she’d used this line to tell me my cat was dead, or that I’d been accused of something or other, or we were moving the next day.
This couldn’t be good
.

Tessa looked from me to Chance and then back again.

I held my breath.

“While your mother was pregnant...” Tessa hesitated. “She was raped.”

“Raped?” Suddenly there wasn’t enough air in the room. I didn’t know what was worse. The horror and pain she must’ve went through, or her being pregnant when this happened and unable to protect her unborn children. I held my stomach as nausea rose.

“Who?” Chance pulled his hand from mine and raised his fist to Tessa as if she were the one at fault.

“Who did it?” He was yelling now, a side I’d not yet seen of him. The sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing increased to a pant.

“Chance, calm down. It’s not Tessa’s fault.” I tried to grab his arm, and he shook me off. The crazed look in his eye had me taking a step back.

“Don’t you see?” He laughed.

His laugh sounded gravelly and rough, not like him at all. I studied him, unsure of what he was going to do next. It was like a light had been switched, and another personality came out.

“No, I guess you wouldn’t see.” His tone was cruel, harsh. He held up his arms and let them fall to his sides. He strode around the room and then turned to me, the new focus of his anger.

“You’ve gotten to live your life like a normal person.” His mocking voice matched the taunts of the kids from my childhood. “Not having to deal with this under-layer of the world. Your biggest worry until now was probably what to wear the next day.”

I blinked once, hard.

“They’ve left us alone this long because of you. They wanted to lure you here and not scare you off. Until you decide. You.”

He brandished his finger like a sword, his words cutting just as effectively. “You have a choice. We don’t. We were born here. We’ll die here. If you choose them, we die. If you choose us, we’ll probably die as well because you’re too busy worrying about your damn self.”

Chance ran his hand through his hair. Sweat poured from his face.

My vision grayed, feeling as if I was in gym class, hoping to be picked first. I had never been the captain and never got to choose. Usually I didn’t even get to play. Now it’s my chance, my choice, and I didn’t want it. I shook my head.