Page 55 of Hallows End
“Is that so?” Jonas asks with a raised eyebrow, and I can’t help but laugh and reach out for his hand.
“Except for you.Youwere a great surprise. I just want to know what my mother could have possibly given Miss Sophia for me when I was a kid.”
I eye Lorelei.
“Can’t you just ask her?”
“Nope,” Lorelei says with a shrug. “She just told me not to ask her anything.”
“Ihatethat I can’t see her.” My frustration is growing. “I need her. I have so many questions, and it pisses me off that so many of you can talk to her, but I can’t. Even Jonas can see her.”
“Not now,” he clarifies. “I could at your aunts’ house, but not outside of it.”
“Still, youcould. Why is she hiding herself from me? It feels like such a betrayal.” I sniffle a little but shake my head when Jonas wraps his arm around my shoulders. “No, it’s fine. I’m fine. We have bigger worries here. What should we do next?”
“What we’ve been doing,” Xander says. “It’s going to be a process of research and from that research, elimination of what will work and what won’t as far as the curse is concerned.”
“And the other?” Lorelei asks. “Because although the curse is absolutely a priority, we’re nearing Samhain and the time when another witch will die if we don’t act quickly.”
“Same goes,” Giles answers. “Keep our protections and guards up. Refresh those wards. Don’t inviteanythinginside your home. And stay aware.”
“Limbo,” Breena says with a sigh. “I’ve always hated being in limbo. But it’ll all work out, you guys. We’re going to figure it all out.”
“I love your optimism,” Lorelei says and reaches for Breena’s hand. “I loveyou.Don’t hate me, okay?”
Breena just laughs and then shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t think I’m capable of hating anyone. Or staying mad for too long.”
“A beautiful soul,” Jonas murmurs, echoing his thoughts from earlier.
“Good, then we can talk,” Giles says.
“Later,” Breena replies, looking resigned. “After the rest is figured out.”
“Bullshit,” Giles counters, but his voice is perfectly calm. “That could take a while, and I have things to say. So, if the others will excuse us, I’d like to ask Breena to join me for a walk.”
“If I knew how bossy you are, I probably wouldn’t have had a crush on you,” Breena says as she stands from the table and walks ahead of Giles out of the library.
Giles simply turns back to us and winks.
“That’s so sweet,” I say with a sigh. “They’re going to make beautiful babies together.”
“She’s barely speaking to him,” Xander reminds me. “Let’s get to the dating stage before you start counting second cousin nieces and nephews.”
“It’s gonna happen,” Lorelei adds, agreeing with me. “And it kind of makes me emotional. And I’m an ice queen.”
“No, you’re not,” Xander replies quietly.
The room is thick with tension until Jonas clears his throat and stands. “I’ll just go grab a book and dig into the research.”
“Me, too.”
Idon’t like the dreams.
And I know that I’m dreaming, but I can’t seem to pull myself out of it.
“Don’t go down that road.”
I spin in the middle of the street and find my mother standing behind me, but her face looks…wrong.