I lugged the box into my yoga room. It was heavy, and I was weak tonight, so I dropped it on the floor. The bottom burst apart and papers scattered. I sat on the floor next to the mess. Well, what do you know? There were more tears in me tonight.
Once I gathered my wits, I collected the papers and stacked them. Then I went out to my desk and retrieved a roll of packing tape.
I flipped the box over and noticed something odd. There was an envelope wedged in between, where the cardboard had been folded over. I carefully removed it.
In my mother’s distinctive, curvy, bold handwriting, a name was written on the envelope: Hayden Caldwell.
I stared at the envelope for a good, long while. I tried to control my breathing and heart rate. I had a premonition that opening this envelope would change my life. How could it not? Finally, I carefully slipped my finger under the seal and opened it.
My darling daughter, Hayden,
I hope with all my heart that you find this letter. I have been trying in vain to reach you since you arrived in Destiny Falls. I have things I must tell you.
All your life you have believed that I abandoned you. I want you to know that I did not leave you of my own choosing. You were my life, my precious new baby. First, I lost Leonard, the love of my life, gone so fast. So mysteriously he vanished. Taking with him my little son, my heart, my precious Axel. Then I was stolen from you. Not a day has passed that I don’t grieve for you, for all that we’ve lost. Our little family, torn apart.
Your birth was a beacon. A beautiful thing, drawing evil to it. I discovered that it was the reason they found Leonard. They removed him to Destiny Falls. And it was the reason they found me. There are things you have never been told because no one knew the story to tell. I have learned much, and I will tell you some of these things now.
I have great pain and empathy for you being abandoned by your mother as a newborn. Because you see, they snatched me away from my mother, days after my own birth.
Days after I was born, I was found in Seattle, in unusual circumstances, too complicated to explain now. I was placed in a foster home with two wonderful, kind-hearted people who then adopted me. Your Nana and Granana. They did not know the circumstances of my abandonment, nor did they care. They embraced the maternal roles and raised me as their own. And then they raised you as well. They are saintly, beautiful women, and I miss them desperately.
It pains me to think they live with the belief that I left them willingly, without a backward glance. That I disappeared without a trace. Well, except for that horrible note that I was forced to write. The words cut me deeply and they created a scar on my heart that I feel to this day. “I can’t do this. Take the baby. Goodbye.” The smudges on that paper were remnants of my tears.
There are so many things that Nana and Gran did not know. Things that they could not know, for their safety and yours. Facts that were well hidden.
I was not a normal baby found in abnormal circumstances. Anything but normal. I didn’t know my background until I was stolen away from you. That’s when I began to learn the truth, in bits and pieces, over years of searching, prodding, and discovering one small piece at a time.
My mother brought me to Seattle. She had escaped with me from a cold, dangerous island called Gladstone, which is where I was returned and where I remain.
There is one family here that holds a power within them: the Gladstones. It is a power that fuels the engine of Gladstone. They need the family here to maintain their illusions and their magic.
There is a parallel place where you find yourself now. Destiny Falls.
Gladstone and Destiny Falls are two halves of what was once a whole. The yin and the yang, the dark and light, the moon and sun. Destiny Falls is the positive half, but it is also fed by the power of a family—the Caldwells. Your father was needed there for that reason, as the Caldwell power runs through him.
Hayden, you need to know something very important. My birth name was Emily Gladstone, and the Gladstone power runs through me. That makes you half Caldwell and half Gladstone. You are unique. I do not know exactly in what ways. I can only imagine what powers might flow through you. In all my studies, I have not found there to be another like you.
Keep this information well hidden. Do not tell anyone, as it can be used against you if the truth comes to light. I have learned in life that there is no one you can trust. Especially here. Be wise in this. Hold this information close. Memorize this letter and then destroy it.
I will continue my attempts to reach you, but so far it has been hopeless. Please know that I love you with all my heart. Be careful, my sweet daughter. I hope to see you some day. Stay safe.
Love, your mother,
Emily
Thank you for reading!
I hope you’ve enjoyed your time in Destiny Falls. If you liked this book, please consider writing a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or another book site. Reviews are the best way to give a book life, and to say thank you to an author for a fun experience. Reviews are always appreciated!
Hayden’s adventures in Destiny Falls continue in Book 3, when a mysterious old man shows up to tell her a series of tall tales. Who is he? And are his stories fiction? Or are
