prologue
“And they lived happily ever after. The end” Ann watched as her best friend closed the fairytale book with a sigh, and kissed the hair of Ann’s daughter.
It was expected from the woman to stand up, and exit the room now that the story was over, and the young girl was asleep, but all she did was watch the girl’s face with fascination, and all Ann did, was to watch the two from the doorstep.
When Guinevere finally took her eyes off the young girl, they were full of guilt and sadness. It brought pain to Ann’s heart.
“She looks just like him, doesn’t she?” Ann was the first to break the silence as the two sat on the sofa. “It still surprises me every time I look at her.” all Gwen did was to nod in silence.
“It’s a good thing though. It means that every time I see her I remember that even if he’s not here physically, he is still with us. And then I hurt a little less.” when her friend won’t even look at her, Ann leaned back, taking Gwen with her.
“I got an answer from Mike today. They are reconsidering my position. The final decision will be in three months, and in the meantime, Mike said I should relax and figure out if that’s really what I wanna do.” Ann stiffened immediately. Now it was clear why her friend reacted that way, after the huge progress she had made. Choosing her words carefully, Ann answered “and are you? Are you sure this is what you want, are you sure you are even capable of doing this again? You know without getting yourself killed that is.”. Even though this half-joke was truly poor, it still made Guinevere’s lips twitch upwards.
“I don’t know.” was Guinevere’s answer.
“I was approached by a medicine company. They offered me a job. A good one that can save many lives. I’m just not sure I can let it go, you know. Ever since-” it was hard to keep talking, but Gwen swallowed her emotions and did it anyway. “Ever since what happened, I always knew this was what I was meant to do, to be. It didn’t matter how good it felt to have a break and use my brain to help people, I knew that helping those women was my mission.”
“But I’m so tired Anny. So extremely tired. And how am I supposed to leave you two, and go out there? What if I won’t come back? I can’t be the reason you go through this hell once more.” “Then don’t!” Gwen’s tearful face snapped to Ann’s determined ones. “Don’t go. Stay. help using your mind. Hell you can even help abusive women from here you don’t have to do it by risking your life. Especially when you don’t have Jerald, Tom, Jonny, and Alec to help you.”. Ann shook her friend’s shoulder and kept attacking her “what happened was not your fault! I don’t blame, and Eliza won’t blame you either. But if you go out there again, and don’t come back, I swear to god Guinevere, I won’t ever forgive. I won’t even come to your funeral!” despite the tears she was shading Gwen chuckled quietly, “not even to spit on my grave” she asked teasingly.
“Maybe that I will do,” Ann answered, smiling too.
“Just think about it okay. Go on a vacation, somewhere nice and quiet. Only you with your thoughts, and figure out what you really want to do. Not because of what happened, but because of what will. And when you’re finally one hundred percent sure, then come back. Take all the time you need, I can manage Eliza by myself” Ann wore the most convincing look she had in her arson. She would do anything to keep her friend out of harm’s way.
“Fine. I’ll think about it. But I gotta go catch some sleep before I go to Mira tomorrow morning. Or she’ll start with her lecture about how sleep helps us overcome our grief and yada yada yada...″ it was Ann who chuckled this time, as she followed her friend to the door.
“Think about taking some time off too. We’ll be fine I promise” Gwen rolled her eyes at her friend’s persistence but nodded anyway. Before kissing her cheek and leaving.
When Ann finally crawled into her bed, she took her late husband’s photo and looked at his beautiful smile. “I miss you, you know. I really really do. And I love to have Gwen here with me. But I need you to do me one little favor, I need you to make her leave. I need you to make her fall in love. I know her, and despite what I said, I’m not sure if Eliza and I are enough to keep her here. But if she finds someone, like we found each other, she will stay. And most important she will finally be happy. I know it’s hard for you to let go of her, especially when you aren’t physically here to scare the guy. But you have to do it, for her sake, and for ours. Love you more than life” Ann sealed with a kiss to the photo, before she returned the photo to the drawer, and allowed sleep to finally consume her.
Aiden Adams Chasly saw that the beautiful lady in the crystal ball had finally fallen asleep and a strange feeling filled his gut.
“She looks the same as Guinevere of this world” he whispered to himself, but the witch heard it too.
“She might look, sounds, and may even smell like your previous wife, Guinevere, but never forget- she is not the same woman, and you must treat her like that. If you don’t treat her the way she deserves, then I will be left with no other choice but to take her back to her world and you will have to manage without her. My lord” the witch’s words caused Aiden’s temper to rise.
‘ who is she to tell me how shell I treat, or not treat this woman?’
“I will treat her as she deserves witch, and you will stay away until my people are safe again. Then you will take her back to her world, and I shall not meet either of you, ever again” he said with authority ringing in his voice.
The witch’s face was grimacing a little when she said, “very well my lord if this is what you truly desire then so be it”.
And the witch touched the crystal ball with both of her hands and whispered the same three words over and over again.
A white mist surrounding the women in the crystal, until Aiden could have seen nothing but the white mist.
A few seconds later the woman was no longer lying on her bed, but rather on the cold and dusty floor of Aiden’s dungeons inside of one of his cells.
Unaware of how much her life was about to change...
