Chapter Twenty-Three

Holding my hand up to Sibeal’s door, I try to convince myself to knock. Suddenly, I am doubting the wisdom of this plan. My last encounter with Sibeal wasn’t exactly an invitation to come back for more. I am out of options, though, and I’m guessing so is Sibeal.

As my knuckles rap against the door, I hold my breath. The house is quiet, but Mrs. Ahearn’s car is in the driveway. I’m pretty sure Sibeal is home, too. Neither of the Ahearn women tends to be very social. I knock again and wait.

It feels like an eternity later that I hear the shush-shush of feet walking across carpet in a hurry. The door cracks open just far enough for Sibeal’s mom to peek out. When she sees me, her worried face softens.

“Arra, how nice to see you again. Come in, please.”

She pulls the door open the rest of the way and ushers me in. “How are you, Mrs. Ahearn?”

“I’m doing just fine. How are you?”

“I’m good. I just wanted to check on Sibeal. She didn’t come to Bas’s birthday party last night and I was worried she was sick or something.” Or worried that she thought she’d run into me and decided to stay away.

Mrs. Ahearn pats my arm gently. “You’re so sweet. She has been feeling a little off lately. I’m worried about her.”

“Is she sick?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “I think it’s more the stress and being so upset. It will be a year tomorrow.” Tears well in her eyes. “Sibeal mentioned to me that she told you about her sister disappearing. She just hasn’t been the same since it happened.”

“I can imagine not.”

“Seeing you will cheer her up, I’m sure. Let me go tell her you’re here.” Mrs. Ahearn leaves me in the living room and walks back toward Sibeal’s room.

Sitting on the edge of the couch, I wait nervously. I’m not sure what Sibeal’s reaction to me being here will be. Most likely, she’ll keep it civil in front of her mom, who doesn’t seem to have a clue about what’s really going on. How will Sibeal react once her mom decides to leave us on our own?

As I expected, Sibeal walks into the living room with her mom looking worn out, but acting perfectly pleasant. She smiles at me and says, “Arra, it was so nice of you to check on me.”

“I’ve been worried. I wanted to see if you needed help with anything.”

Sibeal cringes, but hides it from her mom. “Maybe just someone to talk to,” she says. “Want to come hang out in my room? I was just watching TV.”

“Sounds good.”

Mrs. Ahearn smiles at the both of us as we head out of the living room. Sibeal maintains her composure until she shuts the door behind us. It’s like the strings are suddenly cut from a marionette. Sibeal crumbles to the floor.

“You know, don’t you,” she cries. “You know what I did.”

I stand in the middle of her room, shocked. Her sobbing quickly shakes me out of my stupor and draws me to her side. As I sit down on the floor beside her, I wrap an arm around her shoulders.

“I know about the curse stone, if that’s what you mean.”

Sibeal starts sobbing even harder. “I…trusted…her,” she says between sobs.

Not sure what she means, I ask, “Darcy, or the woman who gave you the stone?”

I marvel as Sibeal doesn’t question how I know about the woman. She must really believe what I told her earlier about the dreams. When I think about it, though, she uses some kind of power to heal her wounds, so how much of a stretch is it to believe in prescient dreams?

“I never trusted Darcy,” Sibeal says. Slowly, her sobbing begins to ebb. “Darcy has only ever wanted to hurt me. She wanted my power and nothing was going to stop her from getting it.”

“But you trusted the woman?”

Sibeal nods, a new batch of tears flowing over her cheeks. “She taught me to use my power. I thought she was my friend.”

“That’s why you went to her after Darcy tricked Colin?”

The shiver that runs through Sibeal’s body at the mention of Colin makes me cringe. No need to dredge up that night, I remind myself.

“I thought she could help me, but she tricked me just like Darcy did.”

The pain becomes too much again and Sibeal crumples into my arms and cries. Usually I’m the one bawling in an emergency, so it feels awkward trying to be the one comforting someone else this time. I do my best, though, and hold onto Sibeal. A long while later, Sibeal finally straightens and brushes away the last of her tears.

She glances up at me looking utterly broken. “You must think I’m the worst person in the world, cursing my own sister.”

I shake my head in sympathy. “Hey, if my sister slept with my boyfriend, I’d be pretty pissed too.”

“It wasn’t just about Colin,” Sibeal says.

She doesn’t continue right away, but I have the feeling she will. Patiently, I let her calm herself and think about what she wants to say.

“I loved Colin. I was hurt and angry after I found him with Darcy. I know it wasn’t his fault, but I could never be with him again. Darcy had already claimed him. He was lost to me forever. She wanted to take everything I loved away from me, and she did.” Sibeal sniffs and rubs at her eyes. “I knew she’d never stop. She would spend her life trying to destroy mine. If I didn’t stop her, I would never find happiness, never be able to get through a day without looking over my shoulder for her. I had to do something.”

Handing Sibeal a few tissues from the nearly empty box on the end of the bed, I wait for her to start breathing normally again before asking a question. “What do you mean you could never have Colin again? I mean, sure it’s kind of gross to think about it, but you had to know he didn’t willingly cheat on you. In time, you could forgive him if he really meant that much to you.”

“It wasn’t about forgiveness. I was never angry at Colin. I knew it wasn’t his fault. When Darcy tricked him into sleeping with her, it tainted him with her power. I can’t take what she has claimed.” Sibeal shakes her head. “That alone hurts so much, but this goes so far beyond Colin, beyond my current life.”

“What?”

Sibeal takes in a deep breath. Her eyes travel to the window on the opposite wall. Outside, the trees sway back and forth in the breeze, their leaves largely orange and red now. Sibeal continues to stare out the window as she speaks.

“My sister and I, we have been sisters for much longer than you can imagine. Centuries, in fact. We spend our lives in these mortal bodies for a time, and when they die we are born into new lives. But we are always together,” Sibeal says as her eyes turn haunted, “for good and for bad. Mostly bad.”

“Wait,” I say as I try to piece together what she’s trying to tell me. In all the research I’ve done, I remember reading about this belief. I am stunned as realization hits me. “You and Darcy are druids? That’s where your power comes from?”

Sibeal nods slowly. “She has been tormenting me for centuries, but she’s still my sister. I never should have done what I did.”

“What did Darcy mean when she said now you knew what it felt like to have everything taken away?” I ask.

Sibeal’s head drops again. “This is the first time we’ve been reborn in an age where our power isn’t celebrated. Our parents recognized that there was something different about Darcy very early in this mortal life. My power was slower to awaken, so they never suspected me. I have always been more careful about my power, but Darcy loves to flaunt what she can do. Our parents saw not only her power, but the awful ways she chose to use it. They were scared of what she could do, scared of her. They thought they were protecting us both by keeping her hidden from the world, but it really just gave Darcy more chances to hurt me.

“She took it too far when we were seven and I ended up in the hospital. Mom and Dad sent Darcy to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation. They came up with various diagnoses that never seemed to stick and she spent the next eleven years in and out of psych wards and private hospitals that were willing to keep her as long as my parents kept paying. Mom thought Darcy was doing so much better by the time we were planning to go to Ireland and she convinced my dad to take her with us. The doctors were convinced she was cured, so they agreed, but I knew she had only manipulated them into thinking that. She wanted to come back and take her vengeance out on me.”

“Wow, Sibeal, no offense, but your sister is seriously messed up.”

She laughs, but her expression is pained. Sibeal pushes herself up off the floor and pads over to the bed. I follow her, hoping she isn’t about to close up on me. Sibeal keeps going, saying, “It was still no excuse for me turning on her.”

“Well, it sounds like whatever happened, you didn’t mean for it to go down like it did.” I say. “Why was it wrong to trust the woman who gave you the stone?”

“Etain is like Darcy and I. She knows how long I have struggled against Darcy’s abuse. Perhaps she thought she was helping. I want to believe that, but I fear her intentions were not so noble.” Sibeal cradles her head in her hands. “I believed the stone would strip away Darcy’s power for the rest of this earthly life. Etain and I had talked of such a curse before. When she gave me the stone, I believed that was what she gave me.”

I’m guessing that isn’t what happened. I feel so badly for Sibeal. Even after centuries, she is so trusting and wants to see the good in people.

“What did the stone do?” I ask.

Sibeal shakes her head, her whole body drawing in on itself. “I don’t know. Etain is much older than Darcy and I. She knows more about curses and using her power than I may ever know. I don’t know what happened to Darcy, and I don’t know what to do tomorrow.”

“Do you want the curse to be reversed?”

All that will take is leaving it alone. The woman in the dream, Etain, was very specific about that. The curse had to be made permanent by Sibeal.

“I don’t know, Arra. If I let the curse be broken, Darcy will come after me. It will be worse than ever before, but part of me wants her back. She’s still my sister and I love her no matter what she does.” Sibeal’s fingers clench together.

I remember the second dream and the bruises Darcy left on Sibeal’s skin. “You can’t hold onto someone who doesn’t love you back, Sibeal. Maybe it’s better if the curse isn’t broken. Darcy could seriously hurt you, kill you even, if she’s released. Maybe by the time she’s reborn, she’ll have learned her lesson.”

A knock on the bedroom door startles us both. Fake smiles pop onto our faces when Mrs. Ahearn pokes her head in. “How are you girls doing? Do you need anything?”

“We’re fine, Mom,” Sibeal says sweetly. “Just getting in some girl talk.”

Mrs. Ahearn smiles. The warmth in her expression makes me sad. Even the fear of how this will affect me is buried beneath her expression. She’s already lost one daughter, and I fear she may be about to lose Sibeal. She has no idea what has been going on, either. How lost will she feel if something happens to Sibeal? She already lost everyone else. Keeping a polite expression on my face is becoming harder by the second.

“Well,” Mrs. Ahearn says, “if you two need a snack, there are some cookies in the kitchen.”

“Thanks, Mom. We’ll probably grab some in a little bit.”

Both of us sigh in relief when the bedroom door closes again. Sibeal stares at the door longingly, no doubt the same thoughts that were just running through my head now scurrying through hers. Sibeal may be immortal—or something like that—but she obviously loves her current mortal family just like any other teen would.

“I don’t know if Darcy will ever learn her lesson. I’m afraid she’ll just be worse than ever.”

I reach over and take her hands in mine. “Sibeal, we’re going to figure this out, okay?”

She stares into my eyes with hope, but it is small and fragile. Mine is only slighter better. “I just wish I knew what to do,” she says with fear in her eyes.

“How about I stay the night with you?” I ask. “We can keep talking and try to figure out what to do. In the last dream I had, you got the stone from Etain, but you hadn’t given it to Darcy yet. I think there may be one more dream I need to see. It might offer us some help or understanding.”

I almost add that I desperately need to visit with Kivera tonight, too, but I stop myself. I can only hope that she has gained some insight on what Tlaloc wants from me this time. Please let it be to save Sibeal from her sister, I beg silently.

There is a brief moment where I consider telling Sibeal about Kivera, but there’s no need to add any more weirdness to this day for her. I’d rather not go into the whole explanation of how I ended up with this dreaming gift in the first place. Sibeal has enough to occupy her mind already. She doesn’t need the pressure of knowing that my life may depend on her actions tomorrow.

“You’d stay over with me?” Sibeal asks.

“Of course.”

She smiles, and once again I am struck by how pretty she is when she isn’t hiding behind her hair and looking scared of the world. If she would let other people see her this way, the guys of this town would be crawling all over themselves to get to her. Perhaps if we survive tomorrow, I can help her get to know the people here a little better.

“Why don’t we grab a couple of cookies from the kitchen and walk over to my house to get some stuff to spend the night?”

Sibeal nods and I pull her off the bed. After making a pit stop at the kitchen, we find Mrs. Ahearn and fill her in on our plans for the rest of the day. She gives her blessing eagerly. A few minutes later, we are repeating the same conversation at my house, gaining an equally pleased yes from my parents. I think my dad is mostly just glad I’m finally spending time with a girl and not secluding myself with just boys.

With my overnight bag slung over my shoulder, we make our way back to Sibeal’s house. Mrs. Ahearn calls Sibeal into the kitchen to ask her what she would like for dinner tonight. It’s still hours away, but Sibeal’s mom seems excited about the prospect of having a guest over. I let Sibeal handle that while I go drop my bag in her room. I’m on my way back out when I hear a knock at the front door.

I pause, waiting for either Sibeal or her mom to notice and answer the door, but they are talking in the kitchen and didn’t seem to hear the knocking. I decide to take the liberty of answering the door for them and hurry across the living room. Surprise knocks me back a step when I open the door to find Bas staring at me.

“Hey, Arra,” Bas says, a pained expression on his face. He starts to take a step closer, but stops. “I thought I’d find you here.”

“You could have called or texted me so you didn’t walk all the way out here without knowing,” I say, not moving back from him. “It probably would have been better if you had just called after what we talked about.”

Bas’s expression twists, a confused mix of regret and pleasure. “I know…but I wanted to see you.”

“I …” I wanted to see him too, but this isn’t what we talked about. Forming that thought into words proves much harder than I could have imagined. I put my hand on his chest to push him back, but touching him just makes it worse. “Bas, please,” I say softly.

His head drops. “I’m sorry.”

I pull my hand away from his chest more slowly than I intended, the contact making it difficult to breathe. I shiver when my fingers finally slip away. “Why are you here?” I ask, feeling rather unsteady.

“Noel called me back.”

“Did you tell Tanner?” I ask.

Bas looks even guiltier at the mention of Tanner’s name. “He’s in the middle of eighteen holes with Evan and Jackson. I called him, but he said he couldn’t take off yet because they all rode over together. He’ll get here as soon as he’s done.”

“Bas,” Sibeal says happily, “what are you doing here?”

I open the door fully and allow him to step into the house, even though I am wary of doing so. Bas smiles warmly at Sibeal. “Just wanted to check on you two and give Arra an update.”

“An update?” Sibeal’s eyes jump between the two of us. They settle on me with a look of disbelief. “He knows?”

I nod slowly as I walk over to Sibeal and loop my arm with hers. “Bas and Tanner both know. They’ve been trying to help me figure out how to help you. Tanner’s cousin was looking into the curse stone, and I think he may have found something.”

My eyes turn to Bas in hope. Please, please tell me Noel found something. Bas opens his mouth to speak, but Mrs. Ahearn bustles into the room and stops him. She smiles at Bas and offers her hand.

“Hi, I’m Sibeal’s mother. You must be Sebastian. Sibeal has mentioned how nice you’ve been to her. It’s so wonderful to finally meet you.”

Bas shakes her hand warmly. “It’s nice to meet you as well. I hope you don’t mind me just dropping by.”

“Not at all,” Mrs. Ahearn says. “In fact, why don’t you stay for dinner? We were just talking about making homemade pizzas for the sleepover. You’re welcome to keep the girls company for a while.”

Bas glances over at me for permission. I shrug, feeling helpless to do otherwise. He looks back at Mrs. Ahearn. “I’d be happy to.”

Mrs. Ahearn is already on her way back to the kitchen, so she doesn’t catch the way Bas looks over at me, but Sibeal does. One eyebrow rises questioningly as our eyes meet. The smile she is barely keeping in check promises she will be asking what is going on as soon as possible. The girl’s got spirit. I have to give her that. Even with everything looming over her head, she’s still eager for gossip. Maybe that prospect should scare me, but to be honest, I could use a friend to talk to.

Sibeal must realize this, because she grabs my hand and pulls me away from Bas with a quick excuse about needing my help with something vague. As soon as we are hidden from view in the hallway, Sibeal spins around to face me.

“What was that all about?” she demands with a conspiratorial grin.

“He really is here to tell us what his cousin said,” I hedge. Sibeal’s eyes narrow at me. I sigh, my eyes darting around to make sure Bas isn’t eavesdropping before continuing. “To be honest, I’m not even sure. I’m dating Tanner, but Bas…”

“Is totally hot and obviously into you,” Sibeal finishes with a huge grin.

I sigh. “Pretty much.”

“And you don’t know what to do about it.” Sibeal’s grin fades just a little. “He’s Tanner’s best friend, but Tanner hasn’t exactly been a model boyfriend lately.”

“None of this is Tanner’s fault. I don’t blame him for looking at my messages. I understand why he did,” I say. “We can work it out.”

“Do you want to?”

My head falls back against the wall. “I don’t know anymore.”

“I have an idea,” Sibeal says after a moment’s hesitation.

She grabs my arm and starts towing me toward the kitchen, but we don’t stop. As we pass by she tells her mom that we’re going out to take pictures behind her house. Her mom tells us to be careful, but doesn’t object. We’re back in Sibeal’s room, me standing there confused while Sibeal gathers up her photography gear.

When she has everything ready to go, she turns back to me and says, “You’re helping me, so I’ll help you.”

“How?”

She pats the camera bags crisscrossed over her. “You two clearly need to talk, so I’ll occupy myself with the landscape.” She almost leaves it at that, but only gets a step away before stopping. “Plus, a picture is worth a thousand words.”

“What does that mean?” I demand.

“You’ll see,” Sibeal says cryptically before dragging me back to the living room to collect Bas and begin her plan to help.