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“Yes,” she whispers. Touching her forehead to mine, she closes her eyes. “I love you, El. Never forget that. I’ll move mountains for you.”
I can only nod. If I attempted to speak it would all be over and I’d be a blubbering mess. Not looking at her, I pull away. Wiping my eyes furiously, I head to the bathroom and close the door behind me.
I cannot watch Rhia leave. It’s tearing out my heart.
There is no guarantee I’ll ever see her again. Despite our declarations, I know that anything could happen from here on out. I’ll never be safe as long as Tiero is alive. And I need him to be alive and well. Just thinking of him dead has part of me dying too. This is a lose-lose situation.
Will I ever know happiness again?
As I sit down on the closed toilet lid, it seems like an impossibility. I hang my head, feeling tired to the bones.
A knock on the bathroom door has me look up.
“Ella, are you in there?” Ethan’s voice comes through.
I guess it’s time to stop the wallowing and put on my big girl panties.
“Yeah. Just give me a minute. I’ll be right out.”
“Okay. When you’re ready. We’re all here.”
I hear his footsteps retreat and let out a long breath. Rubbing my face with the palms of my hands, I get up and step to the sink’s mirror. Sad eyes stare back at me.
You can do this, I tell my reflection.
Everything looks so different from when I woke up this morning. Suddenly, I’ve got amazing help, and there is a plan to get me out of this mess. And I got to spend a few hours with my best friend, which has been the best surprise of all. If somebody had told me this at breakfast, I would have declared them crazy.
Immense gratitude fills me, and I close my eyes to enjoy the feeling.
I am truly well looked after.
Gazing up to the heavens, I thank my ma and da. I know they’re with me every step of the way, guiding me. How could I have ever thought I was alone in this?
People have my back, and it’s the best feeling in the world.
After splashing some water on my face and removing the evidence of my tears as best as possible, I return to my room.
A man who looks like Ethan but has much longer hair smiles at me.
“Hi Ella. I’m Garrett, Ethan’s older brother,” he introduces himself, shaking my hand.
“Only by sixteen minutes,” Ethan huffs from somewhere inside the room.
“Those sixteen minutes make all the difference,” Garrett laughs happily. “Come on in and have a seat. Would you like something to drink?” I decline as I sit down on the lounge.
“The girls will be up in a few minutes. They forgot to buy hair dye, but there’s a pharmacy nearby,” Ethan tells me.
“I believe Ethan has explained the basic plan to you, but now we need to get to the specifics,” Garrett says, looking at me. “You ready for that?”
I force a smile. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“First of all, we need to get your new identity sorted. That means a new name and a new look, as well as a new backstory to your life. Let’s begin with your new name, and while the girls help you come up with a new look, we’ll get started on the paperwork and creating an online history for the new you. Once your look is complete, we’ll take pictures for your new passport and anything else. It will be a busy couple of days, but we can make it,” Garrett says, rubbing his hands together, a gesture that reminds me so much of Rhia. He’s clearly loving his job, excited to be here.
“We’ve come up with a short list of names. They’re mostly unisex to make it just that little harder to pinpoint you. Rhia went through the list already and crossed several of them out when she looked at their meaning. She said you’re into nameology, and this would be important to you,” Ethan explains as he hands me a piece of paper.
Aww, Rhia. She knows me so well. Just knowing she had input with this makes me feel closer to her.
I knew, of course, I’d have to change my name. There’s no way around it. But it still fills me with dread. It’s like losing another piece of myself. But does it really make any difference?
