Page 27 of Outlawed

I let her pull me into her arms as I cry again because that seems to be all I’m capable of right now. But it’s healing, somehow, seeing everyone come here to mourn her, knowing I won’t be the only one who misses her.

Jen steps up on the other side of me and slips her arm through mine. “I’m proud of you, Calliope.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Oh, honey. You did more than you’ll ever know.”

I spend some time walking among the flowers, talking with people who are curious about my gift. Sure, there are still some who are wary, but I don’t have the brain capacity to deal with that today.

I notice a difference in the town, and I’m not talking about the flowers. I’m talking about the people coming together, neighbors supporting neighbors. Sure, the crowd is seventy percent women and their partners they dragged along. But I see men dotted around taking everything in with wide, if not fearful, eyes. The town might have called me a witch, and other things, over the years, but believing I have tainted blood and actually experiencing me use my gift are two very different things.

It sounds ridiculous, but I’m guilty of compartmentalizing it myself. I heard what they called me and felt the fear that led to my ostracism. But I never, for a second, thought they believed I was a real witch, because I didn’t. If it weren’t for the fact that Dawn is gone, this would all feel like a dream.

Jen wraps her arm around me, and I find myself staring at the sunflowers. “She loved you, you know.”

“I loved her too. I didn’t realize until she was gone.”

“That’s okay. She knew. You think she’d leave her baby with you if she didn’t?”

“I think she’d leave her with me because I’m the better choice out of the shitty ones she had.”

“She left her with you because she trusts you, because she admired you. And because she knows her daughter will grow up to be smart, fierce, brave, and kind under your watchful eye. She also knows that though you won’t ever let Hannah forget who she came from, you won’t paint over the dark parts with watercolors. You’ll tell her the truth in the gentlest way possible so she doesn’t make the same mistakes, but also so she can appreciate just how brave her mom was the day she finally found the courage to leave.”

Jen looks at me, smiling sadly. “Leaving is the hardest part.”

I nod. In her line of work, she must have seen stories like Dawn’s play out a million times over. And the outcome, though tragic, doesn’t diminish the bravery Dawn found to break free to protect her daughter.

And I’ll be damned if I let her go through all that just to let her down now. “She’s right. I’ll do everything I can to make sure Hannah grows up safe and strong with a heart full of love and a mind full of memories of a remarkable woman that I was so lucky to know, even if it was just for a little while.”

We stand there a while, taking it all in before I come to a decision. Right or wrong, it’s time for me to make a move.

“Hey, Sarah!” I call, spotting her talking to Mary across the street.

She jogs over, giving me a hug before straightening. “I never know what to say. Sorry for your loss, always feels so…ugh, you know. But it’s true. I’m sorry for your loss, for all our losses. Dawn was a really nice person,” Sarah babbles. She shakes her head, looking so uncomfortable, and I can’t help but feel amused despite the circumstances.

“Thank you. Do you think you could do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

I smile. “Can you call another town meeting for tomorrow? I think it’s time people learn the truth.”

“The truth about what?”

“The truth about everything.”

Chapter Nine

“You’re sure about this?”

I nod to Riggs. “It’s time.”

“Shepard ordered me to put you on FaceTime when you start. Not sure when I became his damn secretary.”

“He’s just frustrated he can’t be here.”

“I know. And I want him to catch Porter more than anyone, trust me. I just like fucking with him.”

“You’re all worse than a bunch of kids.”