* * *
"Hurry up, we are all waiting outside," Gavin called through the door.
"I'll be down in a minute." I snapped the barrette Rebecca made me in my hair. It was about the size of my palm. Rebecca had made it using seed beads to make a picture of the circle we created back in March. The outside circle lay swirls of clear and silver blue beads for air, next were waves of various shades of blue representing water, for earth Rebecca somehow designed vines and leaves in rich green beads, dancing flames of red, orange and yellow created the fire circle, and in the center a white circle edged with purple.
I looked around my bedroom, my mom's old room. I hadn’t redecorated it, yet it began to feel like home, and now it was time to leave. School had ended and we were heading out to travel with the Cirque du Magique Feu. Taking a deep breath, I walked away from what had become my home during the past five months and headed to a new adventure.
Across the street Kayin and Gavin stuffed bags into large storage areas under the solar-powered RV Gavin managed to acquire. He kept bragging they weren't even on the market yet.
Taliesin's mom hugged him as she said goodbye. Taliesin's cheeks were pink with embarrassment but he held his mom close.
"Hey, Sara," Five said, startling me. He appeared out of nowhere. "I came to say goodbye."
"Thanks." My brow wrinkled in confusion. "You were at the going-away party Melanie held for me."
Five shrugged. "True, but I wanted to give this to you privately." He handed me a book with a worn black leather cover.
I flipped through it seeing yellowed handwritten pages. "Is this Spanish?"
Five grinned. "Yep, but you can read it."
How did he know I could read other languages? "Who are you?" I opened my mouth to call out for Gavin.
"Sorry, but I can't have you do that yet." He waved his hand. Something cool washed over me then everything went dark.
Blinking rapidly, I looked around. What happened? "Five?"
"Sara, are you okay?" he said holding me up. "I know saying good-bye to me is traumatic, but fainting seems a bit extreme."
"I didn't. Did I?" Oh, god, how embarrassing.
Five smiled, and his round baby blue eyes crinkled at the corners. "Well, I guess we could call it a swoon, or a syncopal episode."
I pushed away from him. A what episode? "You're such a brat. Thanks for coming by."
He bent down and picked up my bag tucking a book into it. "Hey, you were my favorite kid."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure."
"Are you ready for your new adventure?" he asked looking over his shoulder at the RV.
"I guess so. I'm all packed."
"I hope you have a wonderful time. Make sure to take care of yourself. If you need anything you can always call."
"Thanks, Five, I might do that. I have your number in my phone."
"Good." Five stepped back. "I should go. It looks like your family is ready."
My stomach fluttered. Family? I watched Gavin close the last door to the storage spaces as Anali shooed the others into the RV. This was my family? Maybe, maybe we could be.
Five tugged on my shirt. "Bye, Sara, take care and have fun.”
"Bye, David, thanks for everything." He walked away. The wind blew his curls around his face and his worn jeans frayed more with each step as they dragged on the ground. He's such a goof. I hope he doesn't burn out too quickly. He’d been a good caseworker.
I hid in the shadows for a moment watching everyone and trying to wrap my mind around what my future would bring. I twisted my mom's ring on my finger. Her bracelets chimed as they fell together on my wrist.
"None of us knows how powerful, intelligent, beautiful, and compassionate we will become. Every day we grow and change as we meet new people, read new books, learn new lessons, and experience life. But more important than being able to handle every little thing that could happen is having people you can count on to help you as the future unfolds. Surround yourself with friends and family, believe in yourself and your future will shine bright no matter what it holds."
Taking a deep breath, I walked forward to my future as a niece, a friend, a circus performer, a world traveler, and the Jewel of Akasha.
THE END
Legacy of the Feathered Serpent
Book Two in the Children of Fire Series