He closed his eyes. "Then they are memories surfacing after all." His gaze softened.
She nodded. "I think so. The one I woke to this morning," a sob caught in her throat. "It was of a woman," she looked down at both Shimani's hands covering her one. She forced her gaze back to his. "She saved me, the woman. I was a young child, and she woke me, and then," her tears began in earnest. "I begged her to leave her sleeping. She wouldn't listen to me. She woke her too and took us to a room. I think it was the library or something similar to the one at the Agenors' castle. Honestly, I don't know if that part of the dream mixed with my childhood memories by mistake or if it is real." She shook her head and looked hopelessly at Shimani. "I feel like I can't tell what is real and what is not anymore."
He produced a cloth. He wiped her tears, and then handed her the cloth. "Go on. What happened next?"
She took several deep breaths before she possessed the strength to continue. "I saw the woman throw a vile at the door and it shimmered. She took me by the hand and whispered to me," she shook her head, "I don't know what she said, but she wanted me to step through the door even though it was clearly closed." She turned pain-filled eyes to him. "I didn't understand. The door was closed. I hesitated because I didn't understand."
"It is okay, Kaily," he rubbed her arms up and down in an effort to comfort her, "it wasn't your fault."
"She died, Shimani, because I hesitated." She felt her heart being torn in two.
"What happened?" He asked.
"I hesitated, the other one started screaming for help. The woman," she paused as the pain tightened in her chest and a sob escaped, "my mother, she was my mother Shimani," her pain filled eyes locked with his, "she pushed me through the doorway, but not before I saw him enter the room and grab her by her hair. He killed her, Shimani. I know he did, because of me, he killed her. If I didn't hesitate,"
He shushed her as he wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs, and then wiped his own tears slipping from his eyes. He gathered her in his arms and held her while the sobs wracked her body. "It's not your fault, Kaily." He told her when her sobs lessened.
She pulled back. "It is."
He shook his head, "no, it is not!" He retained a loose hold on her. "Who was the other one?" He asked.
She looked back at the pool.
He forced her to look at him instead of the pool. "Will you allow me to see the night terror, Kaily?"
She wiped more tears with the cloth he gave her. She slowly nodded.
He placed the palm of his hand against the side of her head and closed his eyes. She felt a warm sensation at his touch and the image of the dream played through her mind. There were details there that she missed remembering upon waking. She didn't stop the tears that fell as she relieved that memory with Shimani in her mind. Finally, he released her and sat back on his heels. "I would like to try and pull more memories of your mother to the surface. Will you let me?" His tone was full of tenderness.
She shook her head.
"I think it is important, Kaily." He brushed her hair back.
She continued to wipe her tears from her cheeks and eyes. She didn't look away. "Why couldn't I remember all of this earlier?"
"I will try to answer that question after we try to bring more to the surface. Will you let me try?"
She looked at the pool. She didn't want to remember any more, and yet, she needed to understand. She nodded.
He placed the palm of his hand where he had before, and then placed his other hand on the other side of her head in like manner. "This may get uncomfortable. Don't pull away and no matter what happens, do not shut me out of your mind. I think it is important that we pull memories of her to the surface."
"Why?" She heard the pain in her voice that echoed the pain in her heart.
He shook his head and shrugged, "I don't know, I just feel it is. Call it intuition."
"Men don't have intuition."
Shimani smiled. "You actually believe that after all this time with Moto?"
"No," she grudgingly said. She dried the rest of her tears and blew her nose. She tried to hand the cloth back to Shimani.
"You keep that."
She glanced down. She took a deep breath, and then locked her eyes with his. "I'm ready."
He nodded once and closed his eyes. She felt the same warmth she did before where his hands touched the side of her head. The warmth seeped into her mind, and then there was pressure as if he pushed against something. There was a brief moment when she wanted to pull away, but she forced herself to remain still and to quiet her mind as much as possible under the circumstances. Suddenly, there were memories of her mother flooding her mind. She didn't know she had so many memories. She caught glimpses, but they passed through so fast she couldn't get a hold of any one of them. She was about to tell Shimani to slow down, when one memory solidified and stayed. The memory took place in her room at the big house the Fergusons now occupied. It was the house she shared with her parents. She was young and from the look of it not long after she came to stay with them. Her mother sat on the edge of her bed and brushed her hair
