AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I cocked my head to the right and wrinkled my nose. “From whom?”
“From the universe.”
The way she said it made goose bumps break out across my skin. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“I know you’re trying to decide what university to go to now that you’ve earned your associate’s degree from the community college. It’s very important that you choose one of the options that isn’t close by.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Why?”
I’d been accepted by four of the five universities I’d applied to. Three were out of state, but I’d basically already decided to choose the one closest to home, in Boston. I told myself the only drawback was that Jackson was there working on his communications degree. Even though he drove me nuts with his antics, I always chose to do whatever kept him in my orbit. I wasn’t sure what that said about me. Glutton for punishment, probably.
“You need to expand your horizons and mature,” Aria announced. “Time and again you’ve resisted the signs the universe has placed in your path—so it has sent me to say it directly. No more games, Chloe. Leave and don’t look back until you graduate. By then you’ll have obtained enough clarity for change to occur.”
“Change?”
As we spoke, I felt Jackson’s presence. Looking up, I watched as he walked past one of the tents with his friend Alec. As usual, Jax lifted his head and looked at me as if he’d known exactly where I was the entire time. His steps faltered and his eyes widened with surprise when he saw who I was talking to. Great, I thought, he’s probably going to start a rumor that I’ve been dabbling in mysticism.
I narrowed my eyes and gave him a look that said screw you. Something that looked like disappointment or frustration flitted across his face before he lifted his chin in acknowledgement and started walking again. I watched until he was out of sight, hating that I immediately felt like something important was missing when he wasn’t close by.
“Change,” Aria said.
I shook my head to clear it of the Jackson fog I was so used to before I returned my attention to Madam Aria.
“Trust me on this,” she commanded. “If you don’t take this fork in the road, you’ll not have the chance to get where you’re supposed to until the next life. Your soul needs you to get your shit together, Chloe. What you’re missing is quite literally right in front of you. Once you accept this you will know a kind of peace that most people never do. The missing piece is right there, but until you learn to let go of the thing holding you back, you’ll never be content.”
It felt like something had just walked across my grave. I’d always known something was missing—someone or something that had nothing to do with my mother—but hearing someone else say it was chilling.
“Trust me on this—nothing is more important than you centering yourself. The only way to do that is to put distance between you and the town of Bliss. Visit as little as possible and I promise you that when you come back, everything will finally fall into place. But be warned—if you don’t make this change, your life will never be what your soul needs it to be,” she said forcefully.
I couldn’t imagine leaving town for any reason. Something tethered to me Bliss—something bigger than just the fact that I’d grown up there.
“Jackson will be here waiting when you return,” she said sagely.
My knee-jerk response was to write off everything she had said, but my inner voice was surprisingly loud and insistent about forcing me not to.
No one was more surprised than I was when I went ahead and chose the out-of-state college.
* * *
Jackson
Age 19
“Just a little longer now. When she comes back, you’ll have your shot.”
I jerked in surprise at the sound of Aria’s voice behind me. Turning, I frowned.
“When she comes back?” I asked, confused.
“Your Chloe needs time away from this town. Soon, she’ll announce that she’s going to leave for the next two years while she earns her bachelor’s degree.”
The idea of Chloe leaving left a sensation of a hand squeezing my heart inside my chest. It was so uncomfortable I was staggered by it.
Madam Aria patted my shoulder sympathetically as she shook her head. “This is a temporary pain, Jackson. Just remember that fortune smiles on those who remain focused and true. Once Chloe is back, things will be different. The pain of not seeing her will be rewarded tenfold in the long run.”
As much as I knew it would hurt me, I was still more worried about Chloe. She was attached to Bliss in much the same way I was. It was our home, and we loved it. I couldn’t imagine either of us living anywhere else.
