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Lend made a noise somewhere between a choke and a sob. "I-Mom-I can't. This is my true nature. This is who I choose to be. I'm sorry. "
Her features contorted in confusion, then reset themselves into a peaceful smile. "When I brought you into this world, I thought I could set your path. I see now that by naming you Lend it was not to your father I was giving a temporary gift. It was to myself. Are you certain?"
He squeezed my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around his waist, anchoring him here with every ounce of love I possibly could. "I'm certain. I love you, Mom. "
"And I love you, my beautiful boy. Be well. " With a massive splash and rush of water, she disappeared down and through the gate. Lend let out a gentle sigh next to me, and I took my other arm from around Vivian and wrapped him up in a hug.
"I'm going to miss her. " His heartbreak echoed through his voice.
"I know. " I didn't know what else to say. He'd been given an impossible choice between two worlds, both of which he belonged in. I was ecstatic he'd chosen mine, even though I couldn't imagine how much pain it must be costing him.
With an extra burst of wind, the sylph flew past us, giving me a dirty look with its strange lightning eyes. When it went through, the wind kicked up a notch, becoming a gale. We had to lean away from the gate to stay standing.
With a jolt I realized that all the paranormals had gone through except the faeries. In a line they went by, their orderly passing a somber dance to music I couldn't hear. Part of me was unavoidably sad to see them go. I knew that much of the magic of this world was leaving with them, and, whatever else they were, they were wonderful in the fullest sense of the word. I tried to pick out faeries that I knew-crazy, broken Fehl, Melinthros, or any of the other faeries I'd had to use, particularly the midnight or Goose Down Hair faerie, but this many together wove a pattern of light and beauty that blended from one faerie to another and made my eyes tired.
In the end it didn't matter, really, about individual faeries anymore, about fights I'd had with them, feelings I'd harbored for them. Their time here was over. I had no good-byes for any of them. I'd given them more than they deserved.
"Evie. " I looked up to see Arianna standing in front of me.
"What?" I said, having to shout to be heard over the whipping wind. It stole my words, flinging them away from us and through the gate.
"I'm going," she said, and even though I could barely hear her, the words hit me with a shock.
"You're-Where? Where are you going?"
She nodded toward the gate, staring at it with eyes so weary and mournful they made me want to cry.
"You can't! You don't belong there!"
She stepped closer, smiling at me. "I don't belong here, not really. I haven't for a long time. "
"But you have no idea what going through there will do to you!"
She shrugged. "I'm willing to find out. I'm tired, Evie. I don't want this life, not like this, not here. "
"But-" I struggled for words, trying to think of some way to talk her out of it. "But what about me? What about us? We're your friends! We love you! And your games! What about your-"
She put her hand over my mouth. "Look at me, Evie. " Her smooth, pale-skinned glamour seemed so thin over her corpse's face. "Tell me I belong here. "
"I. . . I want you here. "
She leaned in and hugged me. "I know. Thanks. I love you, too. And for the record, Cheyenne and Landon are soul mates and if they don't end up together, I want you to find a poltergeist to haunt the Easton Heights writers. "
I sniffled, hiccupping a laugh. "Okay. "
She pulled back, smiling at me, then reaching out to ruffle Lend's hair. "Take care of each other, you two obnoxious kids. "
Then, throwing her shoulders back and stari
ng straight forward, she walked through the gate. I watched, dreading seeing her turn into dust or something, but gasped in relief and joy as her ruined, unnaturally preserved body blossomed into something new, something strong and proud and undeniably alive.
She turned back, just once, and although she was nearly unrecognizable, I could see our Arianna in her smile that managed to maintain its trademark ironic twist.
"I'm going to miss her," I said.
"What?" Lend shouted.
"I said, I'm going to miss her!"
