“It’s all going to be better now,” I told my mother between sobs. “I know he’s safe. I know that everything is going to be all right.” I let the tears fall. There was nothing else I could do but allow them to.
“That doesn’t make it hurt any less, honey.”
I found my mother’s words oddly soothing. For a woman who had never laid a claim on a soul in her life, she was very understanding of what I was going through.
“I’m glad you never had to go through this,” I said, looking at her.
“I went through my fair share of pain, honey,” she admitted, running her fingers through my hair.
“I’m never going to claim another soul,” I whimpered.
“You will have to one day, honey. You already opened a door that will never close.” And she winked at me sympathetically.
****
It appeared that the murders in Midvale ceased after we left. There were others in surrounding settlements after that. From that, we gathered that they were still looking for us, and all the time adding to their numbers. It wouldn’t be long till they found Harrisville. Until then we would keep training.
My mother kept a close eye on the town, making sure that all those who lived in it were protected, and that there was no magic there. That was why they had chosen to come back to Harrisville in the first place. The house was the only magical location in the area. Nobody would be drawn to the town in search of non-human creatures because there were none. If they did show up, they would find nothing, as the spells that surrounded the house were amplified to cover the entire area.
In due course, I received a letter from the school stating that I had passed all my classes and was qualified to graduate from Midvale High School. I didn’t show for graduation as I had to leave everything there behind. I was free from education; now I had a whole new life to learn and a world to save. Wesley wasn’t able to summon me after the resurrection. I assumed that was because I had grown more powerful with Krista back on Earth. Either that or the spells around the house just didn’t allow him to find me.
I felt a tingle a few times and had a few rounds of dizziness, but nothing blacked me out anymore. I supposed these coincided with his futile attempts to summon me. I knew that there was a small chance it wasn’t a charade, that he was really dying in the desert, but I couldn’t risk finding out. If I was going to save him from Miranda, it was going to be with the recon mission that my father and mother were putting together.
Nick went on vacation if you want to call it that, checking out visions he had been having concerning a redhead. He sent back any recruits he found along the way; the lost, the scared, the trained. We were growing in numbers, but still not quite enough to take on Miranda’s forces.
I learned new tricks from Shawn and Minerva, things I never knew I could do. Yes, I was the master flame, but I was also the child of a demon and an angel, and there was more to my blood than just fire. I was learning how to control my opposing gifts and keep them balanced.
This meant that when I came face to face with Miranda, all that would be left was a pile of smoke and ash. Everything was coming up roses in my world. I was confident that we stood a good chance against the queen’s forces. In a matter of time, we would have all our ducks in a row.
Epilogue
Adam returned on the 6th of June with all his clothes packed in suitcases and his father at his heels. Henry looked well, compared to the last time I had seen him. He smiled as Adam picked me up and spun me in circles.
“I’m so happy to see you. I have so much to tell you,” Adam said as I squealed.
“I missed you so much,” I shrieked back as he put me down.
“I missed you too, Weathers.” He gave me a soft slap on the arm.
My mother showed Henry inside and escorted him to the room that she had picked out for him. Adam hung back with me. You wouldn’t have thought that it was just a month since I had seen him last. He looked taller though I knew that was impossible, and his hair had grown out.
Once inside the house, he pulled me aside and grabbed my hands. There was a determined look on his face, mixed with a hint of excitement.
“I broke up with Nadine,” he finally revealed, with a look of relief on his face.
“What? What happened?” I said, wondering why he looked so refreshed after such a devastating blow.
“She said she knew it was coming, because while I was out with mono; I didn’t call her,” he answered gleefully.
“Well, that would do it,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Isn’t it great? Now I can focus on training. This summer is going to be the best summer ever!” he said, hugging me.
How could he be so excited about training? Hell, I wasn’t enthusiastic about training.
“Yeah, well, Mom has quite a lot of fun picked out for you,” I warned. “Let me show you the back yard.”
I led him through the house to the back door and shoved him outside. His jaw dropped open at the sight of the tents that had popped up on the property.
“How many?” he asked, stunned.
“A hundred and twenty so far. Mostly ones that got away, many of them scared of their own power.”
“Got away?”
“After the murders stopped in Midvale they started to spread throughout the state, even the country. These are refugees from those attacks,” I said, my
