“How did you come back from the dead?” Steve asked. “Was it a time loop thing like Yara?”
Brent shook his head and swallowed hard. “It was DJ. He took my place in the light and literally shoved me into Yara’s arms.”
“He took your place, then,” Cherie said. “Remember, the light is always growing; it doesn’t get smaller.”
“Yeah.” Brent wiped his forearm across his eyes. “I can’t believe he did that for me.” Brent let out a humorless laugh and tugged me closer. “Actually I do believe it, but it wasn’t for me. He did it for Yara.”
There was a moment of silence, and I think everyone was thinking of DJ’s last selfless act.
Cherie frowned. “So, we beat Crosby. Now what?”
“Well,” I said with a grin. “You do have a wedding to prepare for.”
Cherie smiled and looped her good arm through Steve’s. “There is that.”
“And I have a future,” Brent said. “That’s something I didn’t think I’d get.”
He picked me up and swung me around, laughing, a happy carefree sound.
I didn’t know what the rest of my life entailed, but with Brent by my side, I knew I could do anything.
Chapter 17
“For burns I’ll want lavender?” Vovó asked. She was sitting in my room, reading through the notes she’d made earlier in the day.
I smiled at her. “Right.”
We’d been re-teaching Vovó about her Waker heritage for the past few weeks. She’d been scared at first, but she was getting past that now and relearning everything she once knew.
She ran her finger along the jars of oils and herbs that lined the shelves in my room. The same ones that used to line the windowsill in her room.
“Sometimes you ask me a question, and I feel like I almost know the answer, but then I just can’t remember it.”
Vovó touched the fern on my desk and the leaves sprung up healthier from her touch. She smiled every time something like that happened. The garden still thrived under her care, responding to her gifts. Some part of her remembered who she was.
“Do you want to read some more of your journal together?” I asked.
Each member of the family took time reading with her, explaining to her the things that didn’t make sense, helping her to reclaim part of her past.
“Not tonight.” She shook her head. “I’m still tired from helping you cross the ghost over earlier.”
It was weird to be the one training her instead of the other way around. My mom walked in and switched on the small TV on my nightstand. “Thought you might want to see this.”
A perky brunette newscaster spoke into the camera. “ . . . over a month since senate hopeful Jamie Crosby had his debilitating accident. Doctors are still unsure what caused his catatonic state, and remain uncertain about his prognosis for the future.”
She went on to discuss the man who’d stepped in to replace Crosby in the senate race. I breathed a sigh of relief. No one had connected his “accident” with me or the other Wakers.
Speaking of which, I was going to be late for my meeting with the council if I didn’t leave soon. It seemed they wanted to hear my version of the events surrounding Crosby’s downfall.
I kissed the top of my grandma’s head. “I’d better go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I ran a brush through my hair and grinned at the lack of static. Once all the trapped and compelled spirits entered the light, the spirit world had mended itself. Not a single Waker had been pulled in while helping a spirit cross.
Heading downstairs, I swung my purse over my shoulder. I opened the front door only to come face to face with Brent.
“Hey, Yara.” He wiped his hands on his jeans and cleared his throat. “Uh, wanna go for a drive?”
“Sure.” I closed the door behind me and walked down the front steps. “If you don’t mind coming with me to see the council.”
Brent pursed his lips. “Are you sure you should go? I doubt Kathryn will like hearing about you playing the hero.”
“I’m not thrilled about it, but Kalina and Faith want me there.”
Brent seemed unusually quiet on the drive to the hotel. When he parked, he gave me a long look. “Last chance. Sure you want to do this?”
I shrugged. “I’m not afraid of them anymore.”
Brent gave me a wide smile and took my hand. “That’s my girl.”
Paul Sommerson greeted us at the door with a friendly smile. “Welcome back.”
Brent raised his eyebrows. “Nice, to see those scratches on your cheeks finally healed.”
“Yeah, Clarke must have been a cat in another life.” Paul chuckled. “She sure scratched like one.”
We followed him along the same path we’d walked before. Once again, the chairs were full and the same table stood at the front of the room. This time, though, Kalina sat in her mom’s place.
Brent and I paused at the front of the center aisle. When no one said anything, I spoke up. “You wanted to see us?”
“We’re hoping to hear the truth about what happened with Jamie Crosby.” Kathryn shuffled some papers in front of her. “We’ve listened to some rather fanciful tales told by Faith and Kalina about the whole event. Please tell us your version.”
I did, omitting only the information that would lead them to Modesto. I told them Crosby had come to my house to retrieve the stolen journals.
“And what became of these journals?” Kathryn asked, her eyes narrowing.
“We burned them.” Okay, that was also a lie. We’d entrusted them to Modesto. We’d helped him break into Crosby’s house and gather the other journals, plus any notes that mentioned his experiments, projecting, or Wakers. Modesto and his line would continue to protect our secrets from those who might abuse them.
Her lips pressed together. “Who gave you the authority to do that?”
“I didn’t need permission. I’m the leader of my line.”
Kathryn smiled, and it gave me the chills. “About that. I’ve decided it’s time for your line to merge with ours. As you know, several of the break-offs have already joined us. Each of those family lines has a representative on the council, but since I am a direct descendent of the first Waker, I serve as the Matriarca. We are offering you the chance to join us.”
I didn’t have to think about my answer. “No, thank you.”
“I insist.”
An odd pressure squeezed my body, concentrated in my head. I shook it off like an annoying fruit fly. “And I said, ‘No.’”
Her face turned an alarming shade of red. “You will join us.”
Again I felt that weird pressure, bringing with it a slight headache. “I won’t.”
“Then you will leave America and never come back.”
The pressure increased. It seemed familiar, like I’d felt it before.
“Are you serious? You can’t order me to do that.”
My head throbbed again and things fell into place: the strange pressure, Kalina’s confession about Kathryn compelling her, the memory of Clarke trying it on me.
I stared at Kathryn. “You’re trying to compel me.”
The whole room gasped and whispers spread fast.
“No, of-of course I’m not! I couldn’t,” Kathryn sputtered, paling.
“Yes she could.” Kalina stood up. “She’s done it to me.”
“But that isn’t possible,” Lyn protested her eyes darting between Kalina, Kathryn and me.
“It is possible for a Matriarca to compel one of the Returned,” Kalina said, loud enough to be heard over the growing murmurs in the room.
“It’s true,” I confirmed.
“But then why didn’t it work on you?” Lyn asked.
Kathryn opened her mouth, but Faith cut her off.
“Yara is more than just a Returned. She has the ability to control all four elements and is the strongest Matriarca in this room, the strongest one since Maria.” Faith smiled at me. “She is the Light in the Darkness.”
/>
The whispering started again.
“That isn’t true,” Kathryn argued. “If she’s so strong then how come her boyfriend is still dying?”
“Do I look like I’m dying?” Brent sounded as smug as his smirk looked.
“Then how were you cured?” Kathryn demanded.
Brent and I exchanged a look.
“The spirits healed him.” It was the truth, just not all of it. “His brother and mine.”
“You’re lying. Tell me!” She tried her compulsion again and I flicked it off without even thinking.
“Stop trying to compel me.” I folded my arms and glared at her. “It’s giving me a headache and ticking me off.”
Lyn frowned. “She tried to compel you again?”
Before I knew it, the murmurs behind us grew into angry shouts, calling for Kathryn’s removal from her position.
Kathryn slammed her hands against he table and rose to her feet. “I’ve led you for thirty years. You need me!”
Lyn stood. “And for how many of those years have you been abusing your powers? I’ve sat in silence for too long, watching while you’ve compelled unwilling ghosts, and withheld assistance from spirits and fellow Wakers. Now you’re compelling your own Waker sisters.”
“And who would replace me? None of you are strong enough to lead.” Kathryn stuck her chin in the air, glaring defiantly around the room.
“Yara could. I saw in—”
“Shut up, Kalina!” Kathryn ordered.
Kalina’s mouth snapped shut, her eyes filling with tears.
“You don’t have to listen to her anymore, Kalina,” I said. A strange weight accompanied my words. “You can speak freely.”
Kalina’s mouth fell open and her shoulders lifted, the pain on her face clearing. Her eyes were still glimmering with tears, but she turned a smug smile to Kathryn.
“Yara’s meant to become the Matriarca of all three lines. That’s why Kathryn wanted me to scare Yara away to Brazil. She knew Yara could tie the three branches back together, to mend the rift and distance between us.”
This time, the conversations behind me were filled with wonder and confusion.
Kalina pushed forward, towering over Kathryn, and her voice carried to the far corners of the room. “She’s already the head of her own family, and she’s next after Clarke to take over the Dias line. She’s meant to lead us all.”
“Yeah, right.” I laughed, my head swimming with the direction this conversation had taken. But I remembered Clarke’s vague reference to me taking her place one day. Had she known I was the one who’d replace her? It didn’t seem possible.
“Clarke knew it and so did her family,” Faith said. “The Dias family will be contacting you soon. You’re a direct descendant—and now leader—of both the Dias and Sousa lines. You have distant connections to the Azevedos too, which were cemented when your soul was bound with Brent. He’s a direct ancestor of that line.”
“How did you know about the binding?” I asked, feeling violated that they knew about something so private and were sharing it so openly.
“She knows because of me.” Kalina looked guilty but determined. “I saw it. I had to mention it only because everyone here needs to understand your legitimacy.”
“You’re a Returned who can wield all four elements, and Brent told me Maria has appeared to you and blessed you.” Faith’s voice rose so everyone could hear. “You’re the first full Waker since Maria. You’re our generation’s Light in the Darkness, the strongest Waker alive.”
It was a good thing Brent was holding me. I was feeling lightheaded. I leaned against him, my rock. He rubbed the back of my neck and whispered in my ear, reminding me to breathe.
Vovó had said I was her hope for the Waker future. Is this what she meant? Had she known all this? I wished I could ask her.
Faith stood up. “Yara is meant to be the Matriarca, not only for the Brazilian lines, but ours too. Can’t you all feel it in her?”
To my horror, everyone started to nod, some standing to applaud. A protesting Kathryn shouted threats as she backed away, running smack into Paul. Lyn stalked toward her, her face grim.
“Kathryn, for your crimes against your fellow Wakers you will be tried,” Lyn said. “If found guilty, you shall be marked and cast from us forever.”
“Is that necessary?” I asked Kalina.
She nodded. “Yes, I’ve seen what will happen if we don’t. If you thought Crosby was bad . . .” Kalina shuddered.
Once Paul had dragged Kathryn from the room, everyone grew silent, their eyes on me.
“Do you feel like you’re meant to lead us?” Lyn asked.
“No” was on the tip of my tongue, but somehow it came out, “Yes.”
In my bones I knew I was meant to fill this role, to accept this calling. I wasn’t scared anymore. I’d been preparing for this my whole life. The whole room broke out into thunderous applause.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have let you speak,” I said to Kalina as she pulled me into a tight hug.
“Well, that’ll teach ya,” she said with a laugh.
I left the meeting in a daze. Accepting the position had changed my life in ways I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Several immediate questions would have to be answered, like where I’d live, or what I’d do for a job.
“I can feel how close you are to freaking out,” Brent said as he started the car. “Tonight, let’s not think about anything that happened in that meeting. It’ll all still be there tomorrow.”
He turned on the radio to my favorite jazz station and “Can’t Stop Dreaming of You” was playing. I turned it up and sang along, relaxing into the leather seats, closing my eyes, and letting my worries drift away, while Brent whistled the tune.
As we came to a stop, I opened my eyes, surprised to see he’d driven us to Pendrell’s campus.
“What are we doing here?”
He turned off the engine and stared at the school. Pendrell’s buildings gleamed in the moonlight, detailed ironwork casting intricate shadows on the stucco walls and arches. Surrounded by its lush lawns and thriving vegetation, it was hard to imagine the horrors Brent and I had experienced here.
Without a word Brent got out of the car and walked to my side, opening the door for me. He took my hand and helped me out.
“Visiting hours are over; if anyone catches us, we’ll be in trouble,” I pointed out.
Brent laughed. “And when has that ever stopped you?”
I nudged him with my elbow. “Never.”
He led me across the lawn and through the buildings. I smiled, remembering all the nights the four of us snuck out of our dorm rooms—Cherie, Steve, Brent, and me.
“The last time I was healthy and fully myself was on this campus.” He glanced down at me, his brown eyes sparkling. “I was a teenage boy, interested in a girl I thought was crazy for believing in ghosts.”
I shivered at the nip in the air. Brent shrugged out of his jacket and slipped it around my shoulders, engulfing me in his familiar citrusy-musky smell.
“And then one night I was ripped from my body. That was the last time—until now—that my body was completely mine.”
Brent guided me across the empty campus like we were the only two alive in the flower-perfumed night. His thumb rubbed the pearl on the ring he’d given me in high school, bringing it to his lips for a kiss.
“But now it’s all you,” I reminded him.
“It’s all me.” He kissed the top of my head.
We approached the commons building and I followed Brent to its outdoor courtyard.
Despite the late hour, embers glowed beneath the charred logs in the wood-burning fireplace. Brent snapped his fingers and the embers burst into flames. He scooted two metal chairs closer to the fire and helped me into a seat before dropping into the one across from it.
Something about this felt familiar, like we’d done it before. We didn’t speak; Brent stared up into the stars and I watched the fire leaping in the grate, e
njoying the heat of it on my skin. It was a perfect moment.
I struggled to picture the scared, sixteen-year-old girl who first enrolled here. She’d been breathless at the handsome boy she’d saved that first day. The man he’d become still had the same effect on me. As I stared at him, I wasn’t sure what warmed me more; the fire, or the look Brent gave me.
Brent fidgeted in his seat, clearing his throat. “You know, I wouldn’t take back any of it: the body snatching, the time in limbo, the illness. I had to go through that to get here. And I would have died without you. You saved me. The moment I met you is when my life truly began.”
Tears formed behind my eyes and I smiled at him. “I couldn’t have done it without you. You helped me embrace who I really was, and you’ve been by my side ever since.”
Brent grinned. “We may have met when you saved my life that first day, but I think this is where our story really started. This is where we first kissed.”
I tucked my hands underneath my thighs. “Well technically you kissed me in the pool house.”
“To stop your melt-down.” Brent rolled his eyes. “And technically you kissed me in the groves.”
“Accidentally,” I reminded him. “Because you turned your head at the wrong time.”
“Or the right one,” he said. He winked at me, but his eyes turned serious. He leaned forward and studied his hands. “But it was here, the third time we kissed, that we meant it, and our future together really started.”
I glanced around the courtyard. This was where we had finally decided to be together. We’d come here after homecoming our junior year. A dance we’d each attended with someone else, before admitting our feelings for each other.
Smiling, I looked at Brent, but he had his head tilted back again and studied the stars.
“I’m not sure what exactly happens now. Do we go back to Brazil so you can guide the rest of your family? Do we stay here so you can be close to your parents and the council, which you’re now sort of in charge of?”
I collapsed against my chair with a long sigh. “I don’t know.” I held my breath because my next question was a big one. “If I went back to Brazil, would you go with me?”