Forever (4 page)

“I’m dying. Your mother’s
death has affected me more than I thought it would. We’ve been together a long
time, and we’ve become connected. I can feel her loss, and it’s tearing at my
soul. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes, when we Godmothers lose our
Grimm, we lose a huge part of ourselves. It’s a risk, but we are all willing to
take it.” Her eyes scanned the room and seemed to land on Ever as the only
other Fae in the room. Nothing was said between the two, but an understanding
seemed to pass between them.

Ever nodded once.

“Oh, Terrylin, what can we
do?”

“There’s nothing you can do
for me. My time is short, but I must speak to you alone, dear.” She gave the
others a pointed look, and they got up and went to the kitchen.

Ever stayed where she was on
the arm of the couch. “I’m her acting Godmother. I should be here.

Terrylin shot Ever a
condescending look. “When you’ve dedicated your whole life to the cause, then
I’d say you’ve earned your place. But you’ve been a Godmother what? All of a
day?”

Ever looked away
uncomfortably.

“That’s what I thought,” Terrylin
said smugly.

When they were alone,
Terrylin leaned forward and looked over to Charlie. “He must be protected.”

“He will be,” Mina answered.

“Do you really think you can
protect him when Teague attacks again? He will. Make no mistake about that. He
wants his revenge. He wants
you
my
dear.”

“Then what do you want me to
do?”

“I think you know what must
be done,” Terrylin said softly as she started to fade in and out.

Mina couldn’t help but cry at
the prospect of what had to happen. “I’m not ready for that yet.”

“I know, dear, but you need
to think about what I’ve told you and put a plan in place. Do you understand?”

She nodded her head.

“Good girl.”

Ever popped her head in from
the foyer and frowned at Mina sitting on the floor crying over Charlie.

“Hey, Gimp! Can I come in
now?”

Mina looked over to Terrylin,
who nodded her approval. Ever strode in and perched back on the armrest of the
couch, glaring at the small house elf.

Terrylin smiled at Ever. “Are
you ready to be sworn in?”

Ever stilled, only her eyes
moving as she thought about what the elder Fae was asking. She didn’t take long
to answer. “Yes, I am.”

“You know that this will bind
you two together? As her Godmother, you will always be able to find her, no
matter the plane you’re on, but it comes at a great price.”

“Ever, what’s going on?” Mina
asked. “I’m not so sure this is such a great idea.”

Ever turned, wings
fluttering. She made a shushing noise and waved her hand at Mina. “Hush, before
I change my mind. Someone has to keep tabs on you, and it might as well be me.”

Terrylin moved up to the top
of the chair cushion and beckoned Ever to come closer. “Hurry, girl, hurry!”

Ever kneeled on the chair
before the house elf, and Terrylin raised a finger up in the air and whispered
a few words that only the two of them could hear. Her finger glowed brightly,
and, as she touched Ever’s forehead, a bright light emanated from the touch and
encompassed the room. When the light dimmed, Terrylin was gone, her chair
empty. Only a small silver ring sat in her place.

Ever bowed her head in
respect. She reached forward and picked up the ring, sliding it onto her middle
finger.

The ring was in the shape of
an infinity symbol. On Terrylin, the ring had been covered with diamonds. On
Ever’s hand, the Godmother ring was simple silver. She had noticed a gold ring
on Mei’s hand, but never before had she put two and two together. Ever had just
taken the Godmother oath and bound her life to Mina’s.

She had just promised to
guard her with her life…forever.

Chapter
4

Charlie slept through the
night and into Sunday morning. Mina had taken the chair and spent an
uncomfortable night curled up with a blanket, checking on her brother every few
hours. Around four a.m., his fever broke.

Brody slept on the floor by
the fireplace in a sleeping bag, so he could stoke the fire throughout the
night. Nan lay by Charlie’s couch in another sleeping bag, still snoring
quietly.

Ever hadn’t slept. She paced
and patrolled the house.

Each time the front door
opened, Mina woke up in a panic, but it was just Ever checking the wards. It
was odd to see their group, all piled into the living room like lost puppies.
Sometimes she felt like that’s exactly what they were. They had refused to
leave her and Charlie alone after just losing their mom. Mina didn’t know what
excuse they were giving their parents. Frankly, she didn’t want to know. But
there was something comforting in seeing their band. Their mini army.

When sunlight streamed
through the curtains, illuminating the dust swirling in the room, Charlie
finally began to stir. Nan’s uber-sensors went off, and she sat up, watching
him intently. Mina uncurled herself from the chair, her leg muscles cramping as
she walked across the room. When she passed Brody, still on the floor, he met
her gaze and gave her a sad smile.

Charlie opened his eyes and
looked up at Nan and Mina’s expectant faces. His alert eyes darted here and
there around the room. They noticed Brody and Ever, then continued, as if
searching for someone. When he didn’t find what he was searching for, he closed
his eyes, lay back down on the couch, and pulled the blanket over his head.

“Oh come on, little buddy,”
Nan coaxed gently. “It’s time to rise and shine.”

The blanket wiggled back and
forth in a negative answer.

“Okay then,” Nan continued
teasingly. “You don’t have to shine. How about you rise and glower or grumble
and growl.” Her voice became soft. “Or how about just breathe. Rise and just
breathe. Like this—” Nan exhaled and was about to take another dramatic
breath in when the blanket launched itself up and wrapped around her in a hug.

Charlie’s little shoulders
shook, and Mina crawled up on the couch next to him to rub his back. Nan had
always been the best at communicating with Charlie and reading his moods. Mina
didn’t know what to say to comfort him. How was she going to help him cope,
when she could barely cope herself?

She glanced over and noticed
Brody watching her silently from his sleeping bag. He got up and started
rolling it and stuffing it back into its carrying bag.

Ever came in, very somber,
though her outfit was unusually bright. Little pink flowers flecked her hair,
and her normal black attire had been replaced with a bright yellow sundress.
“Um, can everyone come to the kitchen please?”

Charlie’s curiosity at Ever
had him leading the pack into the kitchen. He stopped short. Mina bumped into
his back, but she was momentarily stunned as well.

Ever had transformed the
country kitchen into a happy garden full of plants of all kinds. Bright paper
lanterns hung from the ceiling with little tea lite candles burning. On the
kitchen table in the middle of the room was a picture, framed in mint green, of
her mother laughing and hugging Mina and Charlie.

Mina remembered that day. She
and Charlie were thirteen and five. That windy day, they had gone to the park
and were trying to fly Charlie’s homemade cardboard kite. Of course it didn’t
fly, but that didn’t stop them from trying to get the diamond shaped piece to
go up in the air for more than five seconds. Just when Charlie was about to
cry, the kite had taken off and hung in the air
 
long enough to make him smile.

That had been a good day,
filled with lots of laughs and memories. Mina wasn’t sure where Ever found the
picture, but she was glad she did. It was a great one of their mom. That’s how
she wanted to remember her.

“Ever, it’s beautiful.” Mina
softly touched the edge of the frame and then ran her fingers over the blooming
flowers that curled around the table. It took her a second to realize there
wasn’t a single vase in the room. Ever had made all of the flowers appear and
bloom magically. “Thanks.”

Ever blushed. “I felt it was
only right to honor your mother’s passing with a celebration.”

“A celebration?” Nan asked.
“That doesn’t sound like the right kind of thing to do at the moment.”

Ever looked like she was
struggling to hold back a snappy retort. She took a deep breath and slowly
explained. “Well, Fae live for a very, very, very long time. Deaths aren’t
usually sudden and unexpected. By the time we pass on, we’ve lived a very long
and fulfilled life. The passing of Fae is usually a great honor. I know her
death was sudden, but I want to give tribute to your mom with the best the Fae
can offer.” She gave a stern glare to Nan, and Mina knew there would be no
arguing this.

Unsure what to do, Mina took
a seat in one of the kitchen chairs that had been pushed to the side, and
Charlie scurried up next to her. Brody and Nan sat in the row behind Mina and
Charlie, while Ever stood in the middle of the kitchen next to the table and
cleared her throat.

“Um, sorry. I’ve only been to
a few of these. And I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare.”

“It’s fine,” Mina reassured
her.

Ever smiled wide, and her
hair moved about as her wings started to flutter in excitement. She smoothed
her hands over her dress before turning to a small pearlescent seed on the
table in front of the frame.

Ever waved her hand, and the
seed moved to float above her fingertips. “Once upon a time, there was a seed.
Small, insignificant, helpless. But Mother Earth took it into her womb and kept
it warm and protected.” Ever cupped her hands over the seed and continued the
story. “Then, Father Sun spread forth his love from above and nourished the
seed with light and sent the rain and whispered for the seed to bloom and
grow.”

She opened her hands
slightly, and bright green vines began to stretch out of her hands. “Our path
dictates how strong we will be and how tall we will grow. Will our life grow
into something beautiful, or will we develop thorns for protection?” The vines
bloomed into bright pink flowers with orange tints. “Each journey is
different.”

Mina turned to watch her
younger brother get up and spin under the giant flower buds that continued to
blossom and erupt. He held his hands up in the air to catch the colorful burst
of Fae pollen. Nan and Brody followed suit as each they stood and stared above
them in wonder.

Nan squealed as some of it
touched her lips and she tasted it. “Cotton candy?” She giggled.

Charlie opened his mouth to
do the same. He shook his head. He obviously didn’t taste cotton candy, but
whatever he tasted on his tongue, he enjoyed. He kept his mouth open.

Brody let some fall on his
finger and brought it up to his mouth. “Pineapple upside down cake. How are you
doing this?”

Mina smiled and laughed with
everyone as they celebrated. But when she licked her lips, she tasted the
distinct flavor of lemon bars, and her heart plummeted. That was her mother’s
favorite dessert.

Ever just shrugged her
shoulders. “It’s different for everyone.” She licked her lips. “Mmmm.” She flew
up, arms wide, and made the rest of the room burst forth in colorful fireworks
of flowers.

From above, Ever said, “Only
when we die, are we truly reborn.” When the flower had bloomed, it slowly fell
and withered, and the petals fell, leaving only a single, white sparkling seed.
“Because life comes from death.”

Ever picked up the seed and
handed it to Charlie. “When you’re ready, plant this.”

She dropped the pearlescent
seed in his outstretched hand. “I’m not sure what kind of flower it will be,
but it will be representative of your mother’s life. This way, you will always
have a bit of her with you.”

Charlie jumped up and shoved
the seed into his pant pocket.

Ever turned an apologetic
face toward Mina. “Sorry, I only have one remembrance seed. I just thought
that—”

“It’s fine,” Mina
interrupted. “You did the same thing I would have done.”

Throughout the morning, Mina
and Nan retold various recollections about Sara. Stories of her sitting up
eating ice cream sundaes till one a.m. during their slumber parties. Helping
the girls with last minute book report projects.

“She really was like a mom to
me. More than my own mom, and I really can’t thank you enough for sharing your
family with me.”

Mina gave Nan’s hand a big squeeze.
“I can’t imagine my family without you.”

Brody had been quiet for most
of the celebration. Obviously, something was weighing heavily on his mind. He
kept looking at Charlie and frowning. He was the deep thinker of the group, so
Mina figured he was also recognizing the problem at hand.

With Charlie having just
turned ten and Mina not yet eighteen, without a legal guardian, they would be
taken away, and their little family torn apart. It was possible a foster family
would take both, but there would be no guarantee.

He finally broached the
subject to Mina by pulling her into the hallway “What are you going to do about
Charlie?”

Mina held up her hand and
shook her head. “I’m not ready to go there just yet. I need to take it day by
day.”

“Mina, you can’t take care of
him by yourself.”

“Please, Brody, I don’t even
know what to tell the police or social services. That my mom was taken by a
death omen? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Well, I do. And I don’t
want to be sent to a mental institution.”

He sighed, and she put a hand
on his arm. “Just give me a few days, and I’ll figure out what to do.” She
already knew though. Terrylin made sure Mina knew her plan. And she had to
admit—it was a good plan. A little crazy… but good.

He didn’t look pleased with
the idea. “Okay, but I’m worried about you.”

“Believe me, I’m worried
too.”

Ever cleared her throat, but
her expressions said she felt bad about interrupting them.

“What’s up?” Mina asked.

“We need some supplies. Stuff
that can help us in time of need.” She waved the paper in the air in front of
Mina.

“I don’t know.” Mina
hesitated, thinking it was going to be a huge list of weird items to ward off
Teague. She grabbed the paper and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a list
of food items—and tons of candy.

“What?” Ever said dryly.
“Were you expecting something else?”

“Yeah, I guess things like
shrunken heads or bat guano and stuff.”

“Relax. You just need
groceries. You’ve got nothing in the fridge to feed the hungry posse. I told
you. This is a time of
need.
How can
you not hear my stomach growling?”

Brody laughed. “It
is
almost noon.”

Mina frowned. There was
usually plenty of food in the fridge, but then, they always did their grocery
shopping on Saturdays, and that hadn’t happened.

“Besides, it might be good
for Charlie to get out of the house and away from here for a bit.” Ever took
the paper back from Mina and fidgeted with it.

“Yeah, you’re probably
right.”

They went back into the
kitchen. Charlie was now up and smiling. Mina looked to Nan who gave the
slightest head shake. Mina had hoped that Charlie would continue to talk since
he did yesterday, but he seemed to have reverted back to his quiet self again.

Nan came to stand by her and
gave her a quick, reassuring hug. “What’s the plan?”

“Food,” she answered.

“That’s a good plan. I like
that plan.” Nan grinned.

Mina couldn’t help but smile.
“Of course you do. You love food.”

“Hey, I’m a growing girl, and
I can out-eat a boy any day. This awesome figure is totally a pizza and
chocolate ice cream body.”

Brody flexed his bicep.
“Burgers and fries.”

Ever laughed and smiled.
“Lollipops and Pixy Stix.”

Nan’s eyes went wide. “You’re
serious?”

“Pixies
love
candy,” Mina explained. “I mean really really love candy.”

Ever pulled a lollipop out of
the pocket of her dress, tore off the wrapper, and shoved it in her mouth,
which had already been full with other candy. “Yep.” She swirled the lollipop
to her other cheek so she looked like a giant chipmunk. Then, she popped it out
of her mouth and held the stick. “But we can’t just live on candy. We need to
get stuff for my Grimm. I’m not going to let her starve.”

“I’m not going to starve,”
Mina argued, but Ever held up her hand.

“Nope, starve. You’re
worthless.”

“Oh gee, Ever. Seems like
you’re back to your chipper self.”

Ever looked down at her
yellow dress. “Not yet.” She waved her hand, and her dress transformed into
black pants and a top. “Now I’m back to my chipper self,” she said. “Let’s get
you some supplies.”