Page 71 of Escape from the Green

And me, yeah, I stayed awake.

Thinking.

About my family, my clan, the Change, the freedom of being home again.

But mostly, yeah, I thought about sharing all of that with her.

And I fell asleep a long time later holding a fucking dream in my arms.

-

"Are you ready for this?" Sal asked the next afternoon as we got close. I could feel the pull, calling me home.

"I honestly don't know," I admitted.

"They'll be glad to have you home," he assured me. And because he was from a clan that, while different, had many similarities, I felt a bit of the weight lift off.

"Yeah," I agreed, watching as Smoky slipped something into Amy's hand. "Was that a knife?" I asked Sal.

"Knowing Smoke, yeah. She knows she's nervous. And Smoke's knee-jerk reaction to nervousness is violence," he told me, smirking.

"Did she give you her first letter?" I asked, knowing she had been scribbling over breakfast, overly excited at the idea of having that correspondence open to her, being able to have connections with her family still.

"Yeah. She got three pages in," he told me, smiling. "She also made Smoke agree to meeting with us each season. Said she wanted to catch up with her."

"Did she agree?"

"She said so long as she was free to, she would show."

"It will be nice to see you," I told him, meaning it. "I'll always be indebted to you all."

"You deserved some good after fuck-knows how much bad."

"Here we are," Smoke declared, making my head snap up to see the telltale swamp, creating a swirling sensation in my stomach. "I don't do mushy goodbyes," she added, completely unnecessarily, but turned to Amy. "I hope you're happy here," she told her. "And remember what I said, yeah?" she asked, making me wonder.

"I will," Amy assured her, having to physically hold back from reaching out to her. "I can't wait to see you in the spring. You too," Amy added, smiling, turning to Sal, not holding back in his case, wrapping her arms around him. "Keep an eye on her," she whispered so low that had I not been standing so close, I'd have missed it. "She won't admit it, but she likes that you're a constant in her life."

"I will. I promise," he told her. "Have fun with all those mythical creatures."

Amy moved away, leaving me with Sal and Smoky, seeming to sense we needed our own goodbyes.

"I don't think this is the end," I told them. "With Cass' need for ultimate power. You guys need to keep an eye out. Stay safe. Check in with each other. I think something is coming."

"We'll be fine," Smoky assured me.

"I'm sure. But if you need me, come here. If things get really bad, I will have them let you in. You'll be safe." Smoky went to open her mouth, but I shook my head. "I owe you. Both of you. So if that day comes, find me. I will get you safe."

"She won't admit it, but we appreciate that," Sal told me. "Now go on. Go see your loved ones again. We will see you on Ostara," he told me, meaning the first day of spring.

With that, the two of them turned and walked away, leaving me without an excuse to put it off any longer.

"How does this work?" Amy asked as I moved in beside her, both of us watching the swamp, seeing nothing but that. "There is no pull for me. Like the veil. Do you have it?"

"Yes. Stronger, even. And if you are attached to me, you will just be pulled through," I told her, hoping that still was true, figuring it must be since in all the years we had live behind this particular magical veil, nothing had ever changed about it.

"Are you nervous?" she asked, moving closer, reaching down to close her hand around mine.

"Yes."