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“When I think about my sister and what she had to endure, it makes me sick. I don’t understand how a father could do that to his own daughter,” she said, staring at the women.
“Oh, sweetie, humans in general are capable of some of the most horrendous, horrifying acts imaginable. The good thing, though, is that they are also capable of the most amazing kindnesses. We are fortunate to witness that here. Yes, we see the horrible, but the good makes up for it all.”
“Will I really be able to help you all on the legal team?” she asked.
“We need you on the team,” smiled Georgie. “We’re all pulling double duty here, and it’s getting exhausting. We’re glad you’re here.”
“I have to get to the hospital,” smiled Ajei.
“Me too,” said Lucinda. “We’ll see you later, Harlow. Welcome to the family.” She waved at the two women, then watched as moms chased down their children to corral them for dinner.
“Come on, honey. Let’s go have dinner. I think, if Martha is right, my other son is home for good.” Kat nodded toward Trak, Nathan, Nate, and Mike walking toward the cafeteria.
“Oh. I sure hope I can tell them apart, or this is going to get embarrassing.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“So, Nate looks at me and says, ‘don’t worry, Mike, they’ll just think we’re doppelgangers and freak out,’” laughed Mike. “Those freaking farmers chased us across their fields with pitchforks and shovels. I thought we were dead!”
“Nate!” laughed Harlow.
“What? Oh, don’t let him fool you. He’s not innocent. He’s played more tricks on me than you can possibly imagine.”
“They get it from their father,” grinned Joseph. “Nate was always the more daring of the two of them. Just like JB was more daring than Tobias. And Nathan was more daring than me. It’s natural.”
“What about Trak? Was he more daring than all of you?” she asked innocently.
“In many ways, yes,” nodded Nate. “In other ways, he was far more calculating and averse to risk. Grandpa was always just more confident and secure in his skills. I think we all knew that we would never be him.”
“You are me,” said Trak in a deep baritone voice. “You are pieces of me, your father, your uncle, your great-great grandfather. But you get your bravery from your mothers and grandmothers. There are no braver women than Lauren, Julia, and Kat. They endured things we could not have.”
“That’s very sweet, Trak,” smiled Julia. “I didn’t endure anything except non-stop noise from ghosts.” She tried to smile, but he remembered the pain that she’d suffered walking near the family cemetery or passing by a fatal car crash. He’d encountered her on more than a few occasions as she tried to block out the incessant noise. When Noah arrived, it helped. He was bigger and stronger physically, but her skills were greater in dealing with the ghosts.
“You suffered a great deal at the hands of the ghosts,” frowned Trak. “I was there.”
“I was too,” said Joseph, kissing his wife’s cheek. “You forget that I walked up on you several times having conversations with our friendly, and not so friendly ghosts. You are remarkable.”
“Do they ever try to hurt you?” asked Harlow. “The ghosts, I mean. Are they harmful to you in any way?”
“So far, none have tried to physically harm me. Most are simply confused and trying to find their way home. They have a message they’re trying to get to someone but cannot without my help.”
“Like my mother,” said Trak. It was the first time any of them had heard him speak of her since the incident where she reached out to apologize. He looked at Harlow, her expression saying that she knew something was wrong but was unsure whether or not to ask.
“My mother was sick, Harlow. Mentally, she was unwell. She was an alcoholic and a violent one. She did unspeakable things to me but sold my sister to men for money and alcohol. I hated that woman with every fiber of my being. Until one day, she was trying to get a message through.
“She’d been dead for decades but somehow was able to reach Julia and JB and tell me that she didn’t want to be sick. She didn’t want to be the way she was and begged my forgiveness.”
“Did you give it to her?” asked Harlow.
“I had to. If I did not, I would have been eaten alive with hate and guilt.” Harlow didn’t want to know about the guilt part, but she suspected that Trak was sharing this with her to let her know that she needed to forgive as well.
“I’m not sure I can do that,” she whispered, shaking her head. “My own father was going to rape me and share me with another man. My mother knew and was going to allow it. They killed my sister, not allowing me to have a relationship with her at all. How do I forgive that? How can I forget that?”
“You can’t,” said Claudette, touching her hand. “Forgiveness is very different than forgetting. You will never forget what they did, but if you don’t forgive them, it will eat you alive. People are sick and cruel, Harlow. We’ve seen the worst of them, but forgiving is the only way for you to move on.”
“That seems easier said than done,” she said, standing, pacing back and forth.
“It ain’t easy,” said Franklin, staring at the young woman. “Before I came here to Belle Fleur, my life was not a good one, Miss Harlow. My family was ripped from my arms, my body beaten and abused. I wasn’t treated any better than the dog. Hell, in some respects, the dog was treated better.
