LEMNISCATE (24 page)

“I know,” I said reflectively. “There was a baking lesson at Brynn’s. A history lesson in Nate’s study and . . .” I paused, watching Garreth take it all in.

“What?”

He leaned over to me, taking my face in his one hand, and kissed me tenderly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Me too.”

We shared a look between us, knowing all was forgiven.

“So, how does it feel? Knowing?”

“It feels good,” I said with a smile.

Garreth leaned closer again, shifting his weight to pull me in to his chest.

“I love you, Teagan.”

The sound of my mother rousing down the hall felt suddenly normal. I felt as if my world had moved out of place the last few weeks, then shifted back. Resuming itself.

“Guess that’s my cue,” Garreth whispered. We both knew my mom’s routine well enough. She would walk sleepily down the hall, knock twice to make sure I wasn’t snuggling back under the covers, then make her way to the shower. Garreth would be on his way out by then, fading into the beautiful, morning mist, only to return a short while later to take me to school.

The dresser drawer scraped shut through the wall. I could hear her feet padding their way toward my door. The predictable knock came.

“I’ll see you in a few,” my beautiful guardian whispered, but I stopped him, pressing my hand to his cheek.

“Things are different now. Stay.”

His face registered surprise, but also contentment to go along with my train of thought.

“You’re not acting like your usual self, you know,” he said, with a teasing smile creeping slowly across his mouth.

“Apparently, I’m not an ordinary girl.”

He settled back down, embracing me tightly, his lips on mine. From the other side of the hall, I could hear the water turn off in the shower. I was ready to say goodbye to the days of watching him leave, of watching him shimmer and fade. The last time he did that, he didn’t return.

My mother learned enough about his world mirroring our own this week. Nothing unusual was left to make her head spin or leave questions dangling from her lips. There were no secrets anymore.

I sighed, reveling in the warmth of my angel’s arms, with a sense of satisfaction. No more darkness, only light. I thought about the future: my mother’s upcoming marriage, the strange fact that the girl who was once my greatest enemy would soon become my sister, that Nate was going to make a great dad – and Garreth. But in thinking to the future, I couldn’t seem to let go of the past and all who had touched it. They flowed through my veins, forcing me to take stock of the wonder, the irony of how we were all connected.

Garreth, Hadrian, Ryan, Brynn, my mom, my father, Nate . . . and Claire. Eight lives that had touched my own. Eight.

I held them each within my heart, keeping them close and safe with the power of my thoughts. I was also careful to keep others guarded.

We have the power to entertain any thought we wish. To fully embrace them is another matter. Sometimes we get lost along the way, and sometimes we get lucky and find the answers.

I took Garreth’s hand and opened the door. If we hurried, there would be just enough time to put a pot of coffee on for my mom before leaving for school. Pausing, I looked at the endless line of my lemniscate, how it traced and retraced its way across my hand, winding in and out, crossing back to the beginning. This was a new beginning, this world of light that was my own. It was beautiful and it was infinite.