“Thank you,” the young girl nods to me.
Walking to me, the pregnant lady says, “Hello, Tensanne. My name is Shayden Reigh and this is my daughter, Bryenna. I was in the shop when you came in earlier. I’m sorry but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. Esmeralda is a good friend of mine. She explained what’s going on and I think with the help of a special friend and a little bit of magic, I can help you.”
“How, exactly, can you help?” I ask. “Can you make everything that has happened disappear?”
Her face scrunches up, she places one hand on her bulging belly one hand to her lower back, “May I sit, please? This baby is using my kidneys as a punching bag and my bladder as a trampoline.”
“Oh, God. Yes, please. Ronnie grabs her a chair,” I say signaling to Ronnie.
Plopping down in the chair, she sighs, “Ahhh, thank you. Now, Esmeralda said she gave you two potions. One to help you love and one to help you see the truth, correct?”
“Yes, but she said the love potion was nothing.”
Smiling sweetly, she says, “Yes, she likes to be a little cryptic sometimes and when the Mulo speaks to her she listens. Though you are suffering right now, Esmeralda’s intentions were pure. You believed. Using the potion, you believed in love, magic and, eventually, in yourself, right?”
Throwing my hands in the air with a huff, “Yes. I also found Kohl, who turned out to be an asshole, because of that potion. I should have never trusted a woman that snowballs her family into believing that she can’t speak. Damn Gypsy woman.”
“Tensanne Marie, what the hell is going on?” my mom demands.
“I’ve had a rough few months, Mom,” I reply, staring at my hands in my lap letting the verbal vomit spill from my lips, I tell her everything that has happened. The viral photo I sent to Chase, the visit to the Gypsy shop, the potion, the friendship with Kohl, the love I thought we shared and the ending viral video of me in bed.
With her hand to her mouth, she gasps, “Oh, Ten. Oh, my sweet girl,” she cries holding me tightly. “I’m so sorry you have had to handle this on your own.”
“It hurts, Mommy. My chest hurts, my eyes hurt from crying. I can’t go to class. I can’t leave the room. I wanted his love so badly, I wanted to believe his beautiful words but they were all lies. He never loved me, he never wanted me and now everything is ruined,” I wail, burying my head into her hair. I feel the ache in every molecule of my body while I take comfort in her embrace.
Pulling away I wipe the tears from my face, taking a deep breath in, I plop down on my bed feeling defeat consume my soul. Turning to Shayden, “Can you make it go away?” I ask, hoping she has the ability to reverse time.
The daughter, Bryenna, kneels in front of me. “We can’t turn back time. Changing the past is never the answer. If you erase the past then you could make the same mistakes again. What we can offer you is a little piece of solace. I have a friend that can ease your pain, take away some of this heartache.”
“How?” I whimper.
Shayden stands, waddles toward the window. She waves her hand creating a blinding white light. From the light flutters a sparkling, shining pink glow that glides through the air, and lands on Bryenna’s shoulder. I’m astonished and in awe that real magic exists. The potion may not have been what I believed it to be but Shayden has shown me I was not a complete fool to put faith in magic.
“Tensanne,” Bry says motioning to the light on her shoulder, “This is Brooke. She’s a fairy.”
“What the hell?” I ask blinking as the light fades away leaving a little woman. She’s sitting with her legs crossed in jeans and a t-shirt, she’s a cute little bug like thing with large wings, long dark hair, and a sweet smile.
Ronnie and my mom stare with their mouths agape when the little fairy gives us a wave. The moment is surreal and a tad bit nuts but I’m willing to sell my soul to get rid of this pain.
“Brooke can take away some of your hurt. She can heal your mind and take away the breath stealing ache breaking you right now,” Bryenna explains. “It comes with a price, though. All magic comes with a toll that must be paid.”
“I don’t know about this, honey. Maybe you should come home with me and finish school. Eventually, you will heal. Our hearts will mend on their own if we give them enough time,” my mom says glancing from the fairy to me.
“I agree, Ten,” Ronnie says. “Magic is what got us into this mess.”
“No, there was no real magic. Esmeralda said that. The real magic was in the truth potion that I never used. I can’t live with this pain any longer. If magic can get me out of it, then tell me what is the price of the fairy magic?” I ask determined to get rid of this pain.
“When Brooke takes your pain, she takes the part that loved. To heal emotions, the part affected must be shut away. Meaning you will still be able to love, but it will be a different kind of love. You will never again experience the earth moving, soul-shattering love you feel for this boy. I need to caution that if he was your soul mate and we do this then you may never find another. Is this a price you are willing to pay?”
Feeling the agony splitting open my heart, I consider their offer. Do I really want to wish away any possibility to find true love again, to give up at such a young age? I can’t trust my choices
