always taught her: timing is everything, nothing can be rushed, and if something is important it’s worth waiting for.
Yes, David was right. It would be better if she introduced herself to Brania another day. Satisfied that it was the right decision, Ruby walked further into the depths of The Forest, leaving Brania alone so she could sleep in peace. As she walked, her right hand swirled to create a circle in the air, a faint white light emanating from her fingertips. At the same time a circle was formed around Brania’s body, a circle that was made up of the most beautiful white roses.
chapter 17
At first, Michael thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He wanted so badly for it to be true that he thought he was hallucinating. But when he saw the funnel of gray fog slice through the clear, dark sky only to stop and hover in front of him near the edge of The Forest, he knew it was real. Phaedra had returned.
“Hi, Michael.”
Thrilled to see his friend again, Michael was speechless. He threw his arms around Phaedra and hugged her, immediately noticing how warm and soft she felt. She was definitely more efemera than human. It didn’t matter; it still felt wonderful to feel her, see her once again since he had thought she was out of his life, all their lives, forever. But here she was standing before him dressed in the familiar St. Anne’s uniform, her hair still a mass of unruly curls, her eyes still gray-blue and peaceful. Even though her reappearance brought Michael joy, he knew she hadn’t returned simply to pay him a friendly visit. Her homecoming must have been prompted by a far more important purpose. “I’ve come to warn you about something,” she said.
“Before you tell me why you’re really here, can’t we just hang out for a while?” he asked. “Can’t we take a walk so I can fill you in on what’s been happening since you left?”
A breeze blew past them disrupting her curls even further, and she tucked the wayward strands of hair behind her ear. It was a simple gesture, but it filled them both with sadness because it reminded them of the teenager she used to be and how she would never be that young girl again despite her convincing appearance. She was an ancient spirit with a message, a message that Michael had to hear even if he thought it was old news. “Ruby isn’t what she seems,” Phaedra said.
Nodding his head, Michael agreed. “I know. She isn’t human.”
“That’s only part of it.”
Intrigued, Michael sat down on a boulder, the same color as the fog Phaedra so effortlessly transformed into. “What do you mean?”
Phaedra hesitated only slightly before she sat down next to Michael. She was reluctant to get comfortable because she knew she couldn’t stay long. She shouldn’t even be here now; she should be at the Holding Place awaiting instructions, finding out who she had to protect next. Another breeze enveloped her, bringing with it an annoying voice that whispered in her ear, reminding her that no one could be more interesting than Michael and no surroundings could be more welcoming than Double A.
That’s because Fritz wasn’t a student at any other school.
“Phaedra, what do you mean?” Michael repeated.
Focusing on the boy sitting next to her and not the one occupying her mind, Phaedra replied, “Because of what Ruby sets into motion, you’re going to be challenged like never before.”
Intrigue had graduated into full-fledged concern, and Michael was starting to realize the gravity of the situation. “What is she going to do?”
A few yards away, a twig snapped. It was a random noise, probably just an animal in search of a warm place to sleep, but it reminded Phaedra that she was breaking rules, defying the universe’s orders. If she wanted to stay here on earth any longer, she had to take precautions. “I think we should take that walk,” she said, abruptly getting up and walking into The Forest.
Michael was quick to follow and even quicker to understand her motives. “You don’t want anyone to see you.”
“I
“Then why did you come?” he asked. “You must know that I figured out Ruby wasn’t human the first time I saw her.”
Leading Michael away from a well-worn path and into an area more densely populated with trees and bushes, Phaedra finally stopped when she was satisfied she would be camouflaged from prying eyes. “To remind you that you can only trust yourself and Ronan and to remember the things that he’s told you.”
Michael wished she didn’t look so serious; he wished she would smile again. But obviously this wasn’t going to be a happy, hugs and kisses type of reunion. He thought back to the many things that Ronan had told him and instantly knew what Phaedra was referring to. “You’re talking about my dream.”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “If there ever comes a time when you have to make an impossible choice, listen to your heart and you’ll find the answer.”
His heart understood the command; it had ever since he first heard Ronan speak the words in his vision. His brain was having a bit more difficulty comprehending the message. “Of course I’ll protect Ronan, you know that,” he replied, twirling his ring around his finger with his thumb. “But he’s so much stronger than I am, I can’t imagine he’ll ever need my protection.”
Finally, there was her smile. Unfortunately, it was borderline condescending. “Michael, you really have to let go of this idea that immortals are invulnerable,” she said. “It’s sort of like being human.
Humans have free will, but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to sin.”
Michael turned the comparison around in his head. “So just because you’re immortal doesn’t mean you can’t die?”
“Exactly,” she replied. Phaedra didn’t want to frighten Michael, but she had to make him understand. “And despite that knowledge you must choose to do what your heart and your destiny command.”
A cold chill clung to the early evening air, but Michael didn’t feel it. His body erupted in an explosion of heat, heat that housed fear and panic. Phaedra was telling him something he didn’t want to comprehend; she was telling him that Ronan could die. It was an unimaginable thought. Ronan was a vampire; he was amazingly powerful; he couldn’t die. And yet those weren’t the reasons Michael wanted him to remain impervious to mortality. It was because without Ronan by his side, Michael didn’t know if life would be worth living. She was also suggesting something incomprehensible, that Michael must stand by and allow it to unfold. He knew he could never let that happen. “Phaedra,” Michael began, surprised to hear himself speak when it was so difficult to breathe, “if you know something, if you know that something is going to happen to Ronan, you have to tell me.”
Looking down at her pleated skirt, she pulled on the material and stretched it out a bit. How she loved wearing this uniform, how easy it was to slip back into it. “Even if I knew exactly what was going to happen, I couldn’t tell you,” she replied. “I’m only here because you’re my friend and because Ruby cannot be trusted.”
Michael rubbed his sweaty palms on his thighs and tried to shift his mind from worrying about Ronan to figuring out the truth about Ruby. “You have to give me a few more clues about her,” Michael pleaded. “I don’t think she’s a vampire, she hasn’t shown any signs of being an efemera, but she is immortal, right?”
In many ways The Forest resembled the Holding Place, not at all in appearance, but in feeling. Both places held secrets, both places offered refuge from the real world, but both places were only meant to be resided in temporarily. “I have to go,” Phaedra announced, standing in preparation to transform back to her natural state.
“No, please, you just got here!” Michael cried, grabbing her arm, saddened that it felt as light as air.
“And you haven’t told me anything that I didn’t already know. Ronan may someday need my protection, and Ruby’s immortal.”
“Just remember that immortal creatures aren’t bound by morality,” Phaedra replied. “They can have their own agendas and may be here on earth for their own reasons.”
Suddenly it made sense to Michael. His friend’s return had nothing to do with otherworldly warnings or supernatural pronouncements; it had everything to do with good, old-fashioned human emotion. “You’re jealous of Ruby.”
