Sacrifice (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 2) (22 page)

‘So, Sam, let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Is my daughter safe here with you, or not?’ Mom seemed to have gotten over her jet lag—there was nothing foggy about her voice or her demeanour.

‘Mrs McIntyre … er, I mean, Anita … look … normally I would say yes. But lately, things have been a bit crazy. So, no, it’s probably not the best place for her and Ceylona to be right now.’

‘And so you have no issues with us taking Ceylona then? With her going to California?’

‘No, of course not. I want nothing more than for both of them to be safe, of course.’

‘Good. Lili told me that, but I wanted to hear it from you. I wanted to make sure we wouldn’t be starting up some sort of custody battle.’

‘No, there’s nothing to worry about, I promise you. Even when Lili left Mladen’s … you do know about Mladen, don’t you?’ he asked.

Mom nodded, and Sam continued.

‘Well, even when she left there, I had no intention of trying to find her. She needed to be somewhere that she felt safe, where she felt Ceylona was safe. And I understood. But now, well, I must say I can’t think of a better place for her to be, than with you.’

Mom beamed when she heard this. I hadn’t married a dummy—Sam knew how to butter up his mother-in-law.

I walked up and placed three empty cups on the table, one in front of Mom, and the others at the two empty seats. Then I placed a small pitcher of milk on the table, and the pot of freshly made coffee. Mom watched me set them down, and I thought she was about to ask why I hadn’t put a cup in front of Sam, but then I could almost see her mind ticking over. She got it.

‘The coffee smells wonderful, Lili,’ said Crystal as she walked into the kitchen and sat down next to Mom. ‘Ceylona fell straight asleep. She’s such an angel, don’t you think? You’re so lucky, Lili. You know how much I envy you, don’t you?’

‘Yes, I know I’m lucky,’ I said, smiling at Sam, who was also beaming with pride.

‘And I consider myself very fortunate, to have not only my daughter, but also my grand-daughter, coming back to live with me,’ said Mom.

‘I think we are the fortunate ones, Anita,’ said Crystal, nodding in Sam’s direction before pouring herself a cup of coffee. ‘To have someone with your experience at bringing up babies, and your knowledge of the possibilities that we have in this—situation—well, indeed, we are the lucky ones.’

We all sat there quietly, sipping the hot coffee. It felt like we were all waiting for someone else to speak, but eventually I decided to break the silence.

‘So, Mom, I told them about Francis. But I wondered if you might tell them the story, the way you told me. I mean, in case I didn’t get it right. I think I may have left some things out.’

Mom looked at me, and seemed almost startled. Had she not expected me to tell them? But of course I had to—not just for my sake, but so that they’d understand more about Ceylona. Mom sighed, then told the story from the beginning, exactly as she’d told me. When she was finished, it was Crystal that spoke.

‘I knew Francis,’ she said, smiling.

‘Did you? Well, it is a small world, isn’t it?’ said Mom.

‘Yes, indeed. Francis was one of the teachers at Mladen’s.’

‘This Mladen sounds very … interesting,’ replied Mom.

‘He is. And he’s the closest thing to a father I’ve ever known. But as for Francis, he was always so restless, surrounded only by the other teachers. He wasn’t cut out for the solitary life, if you know what I mean. As I told Lili, he started going into town—not that it was much of a town in those days. But he said he needed to expand his horizons, to talk to people who came from other parts of the world, and had interesting tales to tell. Anyway, none of us ever suspected that Francis was having such intimate relations with any of the people he met off the school grounds. But hearing it now, I can’t say that I’m overly surprised.’

Crystal paused, a soft smile touching her lips.

‘Francis was a very handsome man. Any wonder Lili is so beautiful. Between you, Anita, and the blood-lines on her father’s side, it was inevitable. He too had deep auburn hair, but he had brown eyes—very dark brown. And such a sense of humour—he had us in stitches sometimes, as he described some of the characters he’d met in town. But never, not once, did he mention Caroline. He kept that little bit of information all to himself!’

‘And is he still there, at Mladen’s?’ Mom asked.

‘No, unfortunately not. He went to Europe some years ago. And although I don’t recall the exact date, I believe it’s quite possible that it wasn’t long after Caroline’s death.’

‘That’s a shame. But perhaps someday he’ll return. And so, do you think Debs ever suspected anything, about any of you?’ Mom waved her hand around the room, implying that she was referring not only to Sam and Crystal, but to their friends as well.

‘Not that she ever let on. But I suppose she really didn’t spend a great deal of time with us. There was the wedding of course, and I believe she and Ian played cards at your place one night, didn’t they Sam?’ asked Crystal, turning to Sam.

‘Yes, there was that one time. And I went up to the apartment a time or two, but never for very long.’

‘Oh, and after she met Sam, she kept calling him my
charming young man
,’ I said, smiling at Sam. ‘I know she liked you, but if she ever thought there was more to you than meets the eye, she never said anything to me about it.’

Mom took a sip of her coffee, and picked up one of the short breads, ‘I suppose she wouldn’t have had any reason to suspect anything, yet. But I think she’d work it out, eventually, especially when none of you age over the coming years.’

Mom’s words weren’t lost on me, and if she figured Debs would have contact with them over the coming years, then that meant she saw me as having a continuing life here too. Her words comforted me, and when I looked over at Sam, he smiled and caught my eye, and gave me a little wink.

‘I think I’ll go lie down for a little while, if you don’t mind,’ said Mom when she finished her coffee. ‘I’m still a bit tired from the trip over. I won’t sleep long, just a little cat nap. Will I see you a bit later, Crystal? Sam?’

‘Yes, how about I cook us some pasta for dinner, Lili? There won’t be any food in this house,’ said Crystal as she too stood up from the table.

‘Oh, thanks Crystal, that would be great. Crystal’s a fabulous cook, Mom,’ I said, standing up to see Crystal to the door. ‘What time would you like us to come over?’

‘How’s six-thirty?’

I looked at Mom, and she nodded, so I walked with Crystal to the door, telling her we’d see her a bit later. When I came back to the kitchen, Mom had already gone upstairs. Sam was still sitting at the table, so I sat back down with him.

‘You know,’ I said, reaching across and taking his hand, ‘it’s only been just over a year since I first set eyes on you. Can you believe it? So much has happened. Who’d have ever thought I’d be married, and a mother.’

‘If you think it’s gone fast for you, then think about me. It’s been like the blink of an eye.’

‘And so, do you think the next few years will fly by too, then? While I’m living in California, and you’re still here?’

‘For me, the years will be nothing. Remember how different time is for us. Ten years is half your lifetime, but only a fraction of the time that I’ve existed.’

‘So, if I come back, in say ten years, or even twenty, do you think things will be as they are now?’

‘Yes, for me they will be. I’ll always love you, Lili. Time won’t matter to me. There will never be anyone else for me.’

He reached up and stroked my cheek softly, then pushed his chair back from the table, indicating for me to come over and sit on his lap. I obeyed without question, and sat on his lap with my head buried into his chest. One arm supported me, and with his free hand, he lightly caressed my cheek, and traced the shape of my eyebrows ever so softly, the way a blind man might study someone’s face.

The day was dull to begin with, and now, just after four, the room was starting to get dark. But we sat like this, neither of us speaking, just holding onto each other. Mom had said to make some memories that would last. I knew this one would.

Eventually my legs started going numb from sitting so still, and I started to squirm. Sam put his hands around my waist, and gently lifted me off his lap. He stood facing me, then leaned down and kissed me and I knew it was a kiss to remember; for both of us.

‘Come, let’s go sit outside for a few minutes; get some fresh air.’

We walked out the door, and sat down on the front step, watching the world go by. Another memory opportunity I thought as I looked across to the gardens and then to the left at The Cauldron. When I come back, will it all look the same?

‘Why did you want to come out here?’ I asked when Sam was silent for several minutes.

‘Oh, I often just sit here in the afternoons after I’ve finished at the market—before it gets dark. I like this time of day. The sun’s power has waned and the night hasn’t yet taken hold.’

‘I never knew that. I suppose there are a lot of things we don’t know about each other. We’ve had so little time, really.’ Once again I could feel a lump in my throat, and a deep sadness threatened to overcome me.

Sam turned to me, and smiled, his eyes penetrating mine, making me feel calm. ‘There will be time, Lili. It’s like when you were leaving before, remember? Crystal said not to worry because things would work out as they should. It’s no different this time, things will work out. This is right, for now.’

One side of me was so glad I was here, but the other side was regretting this reopening of wounds. Every minute that we spent together made me more certain that I belonged here. And yet, here I was, preparing to leave for what might turn out to be many, many years.

I shivered, and immediately Sam put his arm around me and held me close. ‘You’re getting cold. Shall we go in and see if Ceylona’s awake? I’d love some play time with her.’

‘Oh, yes, of course. She should be awake now.’

We stood to go in, and I suddenly remembered, ‘I meant to ask, at the airport, when Mom first spotted you, it was like she’d seen a ghost or something. Did you drop your illusion?’

‘Yes, well, I’ve never had to meet a mother-in-law before so I was pretty nervous and yes, I think I did—just for a moment—but it was pretty obvious by the look on her face.’

‘I was afraid that might have been what happened.’

‘But I cleared the memory straight away. She won’t remember anything about it,’ he said. Then he took my hand, and putting it to his lips, he kissed it gently. ‘I couldn’t very well have her picturing me like that for the next twenty years now could I?’

~ Chapter Twenty-six ~

As soon as Michael confirmed that Ceylona’s passport would be ready within a fortnight, I spoke to a travel agent; there’d be no problem getting flights. We would leave in two weeks.

While one side of me said I should be starting to distance myself from Sam and this place that had been my home for such a short time, the other side of me couldn’t resist spending every minute with Sam that he was prepared to give me.

We spent some time alone, just walking in the gardens, and down along the docks near Debs’ apartment. And we spent some time as a family, with Ceylona. I felt torn seeing them together—watching the bond growing stronger every day. And each time I watched them, ideas went round and round in my head as I tried to come up with solutions that didn’t involve taking her so far away. But I’d always end up back at the same place—California, with my family. It was the only option that made sense.

Mom seemed happy. I supposed it was because she was getting to meet her daughters’ family, and see Australia for the first time—the place where the love of her life came from. Sam and I figured it was quite possible Mom would never come back, so we took her on a few day trips—up to the Dandenongs, down the Great Ocean Road to the Twelve Apostles, and up to the Yarra Valley wineries. Crystal didn’t mind staying with Ceylona on those days—in fact, she encouraged us to go.

I was relieved when Claire rang to say she wouldn’t be coming to Australia after all. She’d met a surfer named Shane and he was taking her to Lake Tahoe to his family’s summer house on the lake. It was just what she needed—a bit of a romantic interlude. When I asked her about Tom she just sort of ummed and awed and said that she hadn’t heard from him for ages, and figured he’d lost interest, and besides, if Sam and I weren’t together it wouldn’t be half as much fun going out with him anyway. So that simplified things: I wouldn’t have to tell Claire anything about Ceylona. Not for the moment anyway.

Tom, however, was disappointed. He’d been looking forward to seeing Claire more than she knew. But I was able to distract him by giving him a mission. He was to find a computer for Sam, and then teach him how to use it. Tom was a whiz with technology so it was quite a simple task for him. He had it set up and connected to the internet the same day. We tested it by sending emails to Michael. There’d be no excuses for Sam not keeping in contact; even he would be able to operate this one.

So as the first week came to an end, things fell into place. But there was still someone I needed to see. I wasn’t entirely sure that I’d receive a warm welcome, but I knew I had to go look for Elizabeth.

It was a beautiful sunny day, cold and crisp but not a breath of wind. When I finished bathing Ceylona, I handed her over to Mom and asked if she’d mind watching Ceylona while I went across to the gardens for a quick run.

I put on a baseball cap and my running shoes, and headed out the door. Before I even got out of our front yard I could feel my heart pounding. I walked up the stairs from King Street, and headed straight over to Sam’s tree, and stood breathing in the cold fresh air. I did a few stretching exercises, then decided that I might walk briskly the first lap, and build up to a slow run after that. I headed off to the left to do clock-wise laps, and as I walked down past Elizabeth’s bench, she was nowhere to be seen. Or maybe she just wasn’t allowing me to see her? I continued down toward La Trobe Street, then back up the hill and around to Sam’s tree. It had been some time since I’d been running, but the air in my lungs was invigorating and I wondered if I could manage a few laps. I was just about to start to run when I saw her. She was standing next to her bench. Had I simply missed her the first time around?

I approached slowly, smiling tentatively. She looked as sweet as ever, standing there just looking at me. I couldn’t tell if she was angry with me or not as there was no expression on her beautiful face.

When I got to the bench, I sat down on one end, hoping she would sit on the other. She didn’t sit, but she did come close.

‘Hello, Elizabeth,’ I said before remembering that it wasn’t actually necessary for me to speak out loud.

‘Hello, Lili.’

‘Are you angry with me, Elizabeth?’

‘Angry? No, I wouldn’t say I was angry. Disappointed, I suppose. You didn’t trust Sam. You should have, you know. He missed you, terribly. We all did.’

‘I’m sorry. I know that now. But I was scared, for Ceylona. It doesn’t mean I don’t trust him. I missed him—and you too, of course.’

‘Yes, Ceylona. He told me all about her. I hoped you might bring her to meet me, but I suppose you’re afraid I might scare her?’

‘Scare her? Oh, no of course not! I’ll bring her here to meet you. Sam or Crystal can come with us. I just wanted to see you by myself first, to make sure everything was fine between us.’

‘And why wouldn’t it be? Do you feel that guilty?’

I dropped my gaze to the ground, and could feel the colour rising to my cheeks. Of course I felt guilty. How could I not?

‘You needn’t feel guilty. Sam explained that you were frightened for Ceylona. I understand, sort of. But really, between all of us, she would have been quite safe; she
will
be safe if you stay here. You’re breaking Sam’s heart by going. You know that, don’t you?’

I knew this was what she’d say to me. I knew she would simply confirm what I already knew, and I’d been reluctant to hear it from her. But there was no avoiding it.

‘Of course I do. And you know that I’m breaking my own heart too. But what else am I to do? Ceylona is a normal, human child. I made a choice to live here in this world. But I can’t make that choice for her. When she’s older, and can understand what it all means, she can decide for herself. But until then, we have to live somewhere safe.’

Elizabeth just stared at me for a moment, her little face suddenly looking so young and innocent. I could tell she was hurting too.

‘So, will you tell her about her father—who, and what, he is? And will you tell her about me?’

I hadn’t thought of that. Would I tell her, everything? And if so, when? When would she be old enough to understand? And as for Elizabeth, well, I hadn’t even told Mom about Elizabeth yet.

‘You haven’t told your mother about me? What, am I too horrible and vulgar to meet her?’

‘Elizabeth, please—it’s not you. It’s just that, well, there’s been so much for her to take in that I didn’t want to complicate things further by adding in the whole ghost scenario.’

‘I see. But she’s had no trouble believing everything so far. And I know you’re leaving soon so there isn’t much time left. It’s a beautiful sunny morning—a perfect chance for her to meet me, and not be frightened. I’ll wait. You go get them both, please.’

I could tell by the tone of her voice that Elizabeth would be hurt if I didn’t at least try.

‘Okay. I’ll bring them over if I can get Crystal to come with us. You’re right, it’s a beautiful day.’

‘Of course I’m right,’ she said, a grin on her face.

As I walked toward Crystal’s house, I began to wonder if I was over reacting again. The sun was shining, it was a beautiful morning—surely there was nothing to worry about. Need I really bother Crystal with this? But then the memory of that terrible rogue vampire crept back into my mind and I shivered involuntarily—surely Crystal won’t mind.

Fifteen minutes later we returned. Mom was carrying Ceylona in the baby carrier, with me on one side or her and Crystal on the other. Crystal’s hand was possessively caressing Ceylona as she cooed and chatted to her. As we approached the bench, I could see Elizabeth standing there, and much to my surprise, Henry had joined her. How wonderful to see him too.

Mom obviously didn’t see them, and all I’d told her was that there was someone that wanted to meet Ceylona. I had Mom sit on the bench, then I took Ceylona from the carrier and held her facing Elizabeth while Crystal stood guard.

It was immediately clear that Ceylona could see the ghosts, as her gaze was fixated first on Elizabeth, then on Henry, then back to Elizabeth. Ceylona giggled and made such cute little noises, then reached out as if to touch Elizabeth.

‘Well, it seems she knows her Aunt Elizabeth, doesn’t she,’ said Crystal, smiling.

Mom looked over at us, with a question on her face. Then she simply sighed, raised her hands in this sort of ‘I give up’ gesture, and folded her hands in her lap.

‘Yeah, Mom, I’ll explain later,’ I said, then turned my focus back to Ceylona who was making this cute little gurgling sound, her face intent upon Elizabeth.

‘Hi there, Ceylona,’ said Elizabeth, all traces of disappointment gone as she looked up at her tiny niece. ‘Oh, Lili, I so wish that I could hold her. You know, I rarely miss being able to touch things, but now, well, I could just cry.’

‘Don’t you dare, or you’ll get me started for sure,’ scolded Henry, with a bit of a sniff.

I smiled at Henry, and thought, so that Mom wouldn’t hear, ‘Henry, you big teddy bear you; don’t you start crying.’

Ceylona’s focus now seemed to be directed toward Henry. It was obvious that she could see him, but could she ‘hear’ our conversation as well? Did she know, somehow, that I was ‘talking’ to Henry?

‘Yes, Lili, she hears us. And she knows who we are—all of us. She’s a very clever little girl. She is very young, and has been sleeping a lot obviously, but she is also learning very rapidly. She seems very advanced,’ replied Elizabeth to my unspoken question.

‘Oh, I forgot that you do that,’ I said out loud to Elizabeth, remembering Sam telling me that she likes to hang around at the market and flirt with the little babies. I looked over at Mom as I spoke, but she was still just looking down at the ground, gently shaking her head and sort of wringing her hands. I’d explain it all later.

‘I don’t think I’m entirely biased, although of course, she does come from a very fine family,’ Elizabeth laughed.

‘So, do you think … I mean … is she much more advanced than a normal baby then? I mean, do you think she is … do you think she could be …,’ I looked at Crystal as I asked, and I could see the hope written across her face. I suspected it was just as clearly written on my own.

‘No. I’d love to tell you that she is a dhampira, but I can’t. I mean, I can’t say one way or the other. She’s clever, that’s for sure. But so are lots of other babies.’

Henry stepped forward then, and the look on his face reminded me of the look I’d seen on Sam’s face when he held Ceylona. It was peaceful and full of love.

‘You should be very proud of this daughter of yours. She’s very special,’ he said turning to look at me. I could almost feel his struggle—it was as though he was a piece of metal fighting against the pull of a strong magnet. ‘She makes me remember things that I’ve not thought about for many years … people who have passed on … and who are waiting for me to join them … I’m sorry, but I really must be off.’

And with that, he was gone. Off to check on his dwindling stack of gold perhaps? Or was he actually gone, as in gone and not coming back?

‘No, he hasn’t left here yet, but I don’t think he’ll stay much longer,’ said Elizabeth, with a faraway expression on her face. ‘Somehow Ceylona has made him remember people that he loved, and that love him.’

And thinking about Henry leaving must have triggered other thoughts for Elizabeth, as when she spoke again it had nothing to do with Ceylona or Henry.

‘There are others, you know. It wasn’t just me that was disappointed when you left. There were some that thought you might be able to help them let go.’

‘Oh, I was afraid of that. I’m so sorry, but I don’t think there is enough time for me to do much now. I mean, we’ll be leaving in just a few days.’

‘Yes, I know. I’ve told them. It’s a shame we got their hopes up.’

Now I felt even worse. It wasn’t just Sam that I’d be hurting by leaving; I was letting down others that had been given a glimpse of hope as well.

‘I hate to break this up, ladies, but we really need to leave. Now,’ said Crystal, in a voice that was calm but very firm.

‘What’s wrong, Crystal?’ I asked, trying not to let my voice betray the panic creeping into me.

Mom stood up and took Ceylona out of my hands and popped her back into the carrier that was still around her neck. When Ceylona was safely snuggled against Mom’s chest, she took my hand and leading the way, started marching back up the gentle hill in the direction of Sam’s tree, and the path that would take us home.

‘What is it?’ I asked again, looking back over my shoulder at Crystal who was just behind us. I could still see Elizabeth standing next to her bench watching us leave.

Crystal’s voice was still quite calm, and very low, but I heard her as clearly as if she had shouted it out. ‘I don’t know, but I can smell a vampire in the area. I don’t see him, or her, but I’m sure I got a bit of the scent of one just before. Let’s not take any chances.’

~~***~~

Later that night, when Ceylona was fast asleep, I told Mom all about Elizabeth and Henry, and how Sam had taught me to see them. I even told her about Rachel. Well, I didn’t tell her everything about Rachel, just that I’d actually seen her and that she was my ‘vision’ and that she’d told me where to dig to find the gun.

I was amazed when, just as she’d done with the vampires, she believed me. In fact, she said that not only did she believe me, but that everything now made more sense. She had wondered why Sam couldn’t simply take me and Ceylona away from here, for a few years if nothing else. Knowing the situation with Elizabeth, she now understood. In her view, Sam’s dilemma was not unlike my own. Mom understood that. And the more we talked about it, the more I began to see that this whole situation was just as difficult for Sam as it was for me. Why on earth was fate testing us so much?

~~***~~

The next morning Crystal rang and invited us to come over for dinner that evening. She wanted to do her special lamb shanks for Mom as a farewell dinner. Michael’s connections had come through faster than he’d predicted; Ceylona’s passport would be ready to pick up tomorrow.

Although there was a big part of me that didn’t want to leave at all, knowing the paperwork was done and that I could now book the flights, I suppose I just wanted to get it over with. Mom sat beside me while I rang the travel agent and together we worked out the best flights.