*Sephie*
We had made plans to return to the city the following morning. Vitaliy had agreed to come back with us, but he was going to come up a couple days behind us. He said he needed to take care of a few things in Panama before leaving.
I had quietly snuck off to the bedroom to take my contacts out for a few minutes. I told Adrik where I was going and what I was doing, so he wouldn’t worry about me. I knew he was going to worry about me anyway. I didn’t want to interrupt his conversation, but my eyes were itching so bad that I couldn’t take it. I needed some relief for at least a few minutes. Contacts were highly overrated.
I sat down on the end of the bed, rubbing my eyes, finally getting some relief. I felt a slight breeze, so I opened my eyes. I didn’t remember a door or window being open. When I looked up, there was a woman standing in front of me. At first, I was startled, but she looked familiar somehow. She smiled sweetly at me, then asked, “you can see me?”
I nodded my head, wondering why she would ask that question as I could see her standing plain as day in front of me. She caught on to my confusion. “You’re the only one who’s been able to see me. Or hear me. You really are special,” she said.
I gasped. “You’re Vitaliy’s wife. Adrik’s mother. You’re Lena. How can I see you right now?” Her smile widened. She took a step closer to me and I saw her eyes. The same eyes that I adored on her son. “This has never happened before,” I said, completely taken aback.
“I wanted to thank you,” she said. “I keep an eye on Vitaliy, but I don’t always stay with him. I have other responsibilities. That’s how I met your father. He told me I could make this happen.”
“He always talks to me in my dreams. Never when I’m awake. Except that one time when he swooped in, but even then, I didn’t see him. Did he show you his swooping?” I asked, grinning at her.
She laughed. “You’re very much like him.” She walked closer to me, sitting on the bed beside me. I felt the bed dip as she sat down, like she was completely real. I could see that Adrik got her smile, along with her eyes. The softness in his face came from her as well. He favored his father, but she made his father’s harsh good looks softer.
“He has your eyes,” I said as I was taking in the details of her face.
“I think that was the hardest thing for his father to get over. He used to say he could get lost in my eyes. Seeing the same eyes on his son just reminded him of his loss.”
“He’s still very much in love with you,” I said.
She laughed quietly. “And I’m still very much in love with him. The love we have is much the same as the love you have for my son. It’s not an average relationship. It’s…” she paused like she was trying to find the words.
“Eternal,” I said.
“Exactly. I should’ve known you’d already know,” she said, smiling sweetly at me. She reached out and grabbed my hand. Surprisingly, she felt warm. Similar to Adrik’s touch. “Sephie, I want to thank you. I knew you were coming for my son, but I had no idea the role you would play in my husband’s life as well. Or how you would bring them together.”
I scoffed. “I haven’t done anything. I don’t think there’s anything to thank me for.”
She reached up and brushed a curl from my face, just like Adrik does almost constantly. “Sweet girl. You’ve already set it in motion. You just have no idea. You’ve already brought them closer than they’ve ever been and this is just the beginning. Part of what makes you unique is your ability to know what the people you care about need, even before they do. Even without you being aware of it. I know you’ve heard stories about my husband and what a cold man he’s been. It’s because most of his light died with me. He was almost overtaken by his own darkness. But you. You’ve given him a spark and I cannot thank you enough for doing so.”
“Eh, I think Adrik was right. I’m just really good at getting grumpy old men to laugh. That’s all,” I said, grinning at her. Curiosity got the best of me, so I asked, “were you special like Vitaliy and Adrik too?”
“No. Adrik’s power comes from Vitaliy. Just like yours comes from your father. But much like you, I accepted Vitaliy for who he was completely. There is much to be said for being someone’s safe harbor. Vitaliy, much like Adrik, has a giant heart for those he cares about. He just has a difficult time showing it. Adrik is much better and even better still, since meeting you. Vitaliy still very much struggles with it.”
“I knew he was a cheeseball in there,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip.
She laughed. “Please promise me you’ll tell him that. I can’t wait to hear him laugh.”
“I promise I will tell him. And I have a feeling you’re more special that you think. You calmed Vitaliy’s storms. That’s no small feat,” I said. She smiled sweetly at me, brushing another curl back from my face as we both studied each other.
“It’s time for you to get back. They’re worried about you. Adrik worries about you the way Vitaliy used to worry about me. Ivan is almost as bad. Those men are good men, Sephie. All of them. I know you know, but they need to know that the Universe knows how good they are. Please tell them I’m sorry for making them worry,” she said, squeezing my hand gently.
“Why would they be worried about me? It’s only been a few minutes.”
“Sweet girl. You forget. Time is different here. It’s been much longer for them, which is why I need to apologize. Tell them I promise not to do this again. They’re going to be angry,” she said, smiling.
“They’re not the boss of me,” I said, laughing. “I’ll tell them you apologize if you tell my father I miss him and I’d like to see him again.”
“I will, Sephie. But you can tell him yourself. He constantly checks on you. Even with Ivan taking his job, he’s still around. All you have to do is ask,” she said. She stood up, her hand lingering on my cheek for a moment before she walked away toward the door. With each step she took toward the door, she faded a little more until she was gone completely and I was left alone in the bedroom again.
“Sephie? Sephie, love. I need you to wake up. Please wake up. Please come back to me,” Adrik said. I could hear the panic in his voice. “She’s not responding. She’s never zoned out this completely before. I don’t know what to do.”
“Can you feel anything from her? I don’t feel anything bad, at least, but I don’t feel anything good, either,” Ivan said. “Her eyes are going apeshit though.”
I giggled. *She was right*. *They’re gonna be mad*.
“Sephie??” Adrik said, frantically.
It took me a minute to focus. My eyes were open, but I couldn’t see anything in front of me. I reached up and rubbed my eyes. “I’m okay. I’m sorry. She’s sorry, too. She said it’ll never happen again.” When I opened my eyes, I could see Adrik and Ivan standing in front of me, both of them clearly panicked.
“Who’s she? And what won’t happen again?” they both asked, as I was hit with anger from both of them. *Yep*. *They’re mad*.