Runa took a deep breath and knocked on Asta’s door. She’d driven for two hours, never stopping once. The desire to flee Everwine Manor had been overwhelming. Now that she had some space and perspective, she started to think of Chase and all she’d left behind.
What would he think when he arrived home and she was gone? Would he care? Ever the optimist, she still held out hope that they could sort things out. She very much wanted her marriage to work.
On the third knock, Asta opened the door, surprise spreading across her lovely face.
“Runa, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Runa forced a smile. She didn’t want Asta to know about her marital problems.
“Surprise is an understatement. Come inside, love.”
Asta hugged her tightly and grabbed the suitcase from her hands, ushering her into the foyer.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Runa tried to keep her voice light, hoping her all-too-astute mother wouldn’t look too closely.
“Let’s go have some tea. You must be tired from the drive.”
Asta dropped Runa’s suitcase at the bottom of the stairs and followed her daughter into the kitchen, where she put the kettle on the stove to boil. While they waited, Asta took the seat across from Runa.
“So tell me why you’re really here, Runa. I know you too well. You’re not just here to surprise me.”
“What do you mean?” Runa feigned ignorance.
“I know something is going on with you. I’ve known it for some time,” Asta stated matter-of-factly.
“How do you know?”
“A mother knows these things. I’ve also been having dreams, premonitions, visions.”
“Mom—”
“Look, I know you don’t believe in any of it, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
Runa swallowed hard. “Tell me what you’ve seen, Mom.”
Asta frowned, scrutinizing Runa’s face for a couple of moments before speaking.
“What’s changed? Something is different with you. You’re not calling my visions a bunch of hocus-pocus anymore?”
“No I’m not.”
“Runa, tell me what’s happening,” Asta begged.
“I will.” She took a giant breath and blew it out quickly. “You’re right. Something has changed, although I have no explanation for it. Will you tell me what you’ve seen first?”
“Very well. At first the dreams were sporadic, only happening at night when I fell asleep. Then they began happening all the time, even during the day,” Asta explained.
“What do you see in them?”
“I see you. You’re trapped in some sort of cage. I keep trying to find you, to help you, but I can’t get there.”
Runa’s eyes filled with tears, and as hard as she tried to hold them back, it was no use. One by one they began to fall.
“You’re right, Mom. I do feel trapped.”
Reaching across the table, Asta clasped Runa’s hands in her own, squeezing them tightly. “I’ve known all along, but I don’t know how to help you.”
“You can help me by telling me the truth. My marriage, your past, it all fits together somehow. I need to know everything about the Everwines, your history with them, and my father. That’s how you can help me, Mom,” Runa implored.
“Anything but that.” Asta sighed heavily.
“But that’s what I need.”
Asta rose from the table, turned off the whistling tea kettle, and prepared two mugs of herbal tea. Placing one in front of Runa, she sat back down with her own. She drummed her fingertips on the tabletop for a few minutes, and Runa felt her hope slipping away. Just when she believed her mother would remain silent forever, she spoke.
“The first thing you should know is that your father and I loved each other very much. I’ve never loved another man in my life, and I never will.”
Runa watched Asta’s face take on a faraway look, as if she were seeing herself as the young, optimistic girl she’d once been. Even though Tawney had already told Runa the truth, she needed to hear the story from her mother’s lips. It was well past time.
“Garrett Brewster was a force of nature. He had a smile that could light up a room, and he swept me off of my feet in an instant. We fell fast and hard, and it wasn’t long before we had our whole lives mapped out. We were too young and naïve to understand that things never work out the way you plan,” Asta began.
Runa held her breath, not moving a muscle for fear of breaking the spell that had come over her mother. She had waited her entire life to hear the story about her father.
“Garrett and Easton were best friends, inseparable really. Soon Garrett and I were spending all of our time together, and it didn’t take long for Easton’s jealous streak to show. At first I thought he was just bent out of shape because I was taking too much of Garrett’s time. But then I figured out it was much deeper.”
Asta swallowed hard and took a sip of her tea. Runa waited with bated breath.
“One night we were all at a party. Garrett went to get us a drink, and Easton came on to me. He told me that he’d been in love with me for years, that I was too good for Garrett, and that I should be with him.”
“What did you do?”
Runa remembered how Easton had cornered her in the rose garden, calling her by her mother’s name.
“I laughed it off at first, telling him he’d had too much to drink and didn’t know what he was saying. I told Garrett about it, and he said the same thing. He couldn’t bring himself to see the bad in his friend.”
“And then what?”
“It wasn’t long before I understood the depth of Easton’s feelings. He became twisted, obsessed, focused only on winning my affection. He sent me expensive gifts, hinting at what my life would be like with him in it. He called me nearly every night, begging me to love him. By that point, I knew better than to tell Garrett.”
“Why didn’t you tell him? He might have understood. Maybe he could have helped you,” Runa reasoned.
“No. Things were too far gone.”
“Oh, Mom, you must have been so confused.” Runa squeezed Asta’s hand.
“I was terrified of Easton. He had a look in his eyes that I can’t really explain, but it scared me.”
“You don’t have to explain. I’ve seen it,” Runa confessed.
“Has Easton hurt you?”
“No, Mom,” Runa lied. “Just tell your story.”
“After graduation, I found out I was pregnant. Needless to say, I was shocked and afraid. I told Garrett. I was certain we were in it together, but I was wrong. His parents threatened to disinherit him if he married me, and he was young. I honestly don’t blame him. I never did.”
“But you were young, too, Mom. And you did the right thing,” Runa insisted.
“It was different for me. Yes, I was scared, but the minute I knew about you, that was all I ever wanted. I had a terrible relationship with my mother. She and I didn’t see eye to eye on anything, and I swore things would be different with my own daughter.”
“You were right.” Runa smiled.
Asta returned a small smile of her own. “I was. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“What about my father?”
“After Garrett broke things off, Easton came to see me. He vowed to marry me, take care of me and my child. He assured me we would never want for anything.”
“Easton proposed to you?”
“Yes, and I’m ashamed to admit that for a split second, I considered it. I actually thought about marrying him. But I couldn’t. When I refused, he flew into a rage, threatening to hurt Garrett. The crazy look in his eyes told me he was capable of anything. I decided the only choice was to leave Departure Cove. If I wasn’t around, Easton would have no reason to hurt the man I loved.”
“So you left to protect Garrett?”
“I did. But it didn’t matter. He and Easton had started a business together, and a few days after I left, your father died in an accident that was later ruled a suicide.”
“Do you believe Garrett killed himself?”
“No, Runa, I never believed that. And I honestly believe that Garrett would have come after me once he had time to process everything. I don’t know what happened, but I’ve always known Easton had something to do with it.”
“That’s why you don’t trust the Everwines?”
“Yes. They’re dangerous. All of them.”
“I’m having a hard time believing that about my husband. He’s not his parents, Mom,” Runa insisted.
“Are you telling me you’ve never seen anything in Chase to make you question him?” Asta raised one eyebrow at her daughter.
Runa didn’t answer because she understood it wasn’t necessary. Her mother already knew the truth.
“I have another question, Mom,” she diverted.
“It seems to be the day for them. What is it?”
“What can you tell me about our family history?”
“Family history? That’s an odd request.”
“Not really. What do you know about where our family came from?”
“My mother, Celine, never spoke about her family. The only thing she ever said was that we had Norwegian heritage. Celine’s mother and grandmother lived in England, but somehow Celine ended up in Departure Cove. She always said it was fate, that she was supposed to be there, which seemed like an odd statement from a woman who had nothing but disdain for the supernatural.”
“What about magic in our family?” Runa swallowed hard as she forced herself to speak the words.
“Magic? My rational, logical daughter is asking about magic?” Asta chuckled. “I’ve waited a long time for this day.”
“Tawney keeps telling me I have magic in my blood. What does she mean?”
“Celine was a staunch believer in all things rational. She was sort of like you in that respect. My mother believed anything mystical or magical was a fairy tale. I was always interested in the supernatural, and I saw my first aura when I was six. I had no idea what it meant, but before long, I was having dreams and visions frequently. I asked my mother about it, and she became angry, discouraging my curiosity.”
“You must have been really confused.”
“I was. It was around that age that Tawney and I met, and her family became a surrogate family to me. They were Norwegian as well, so they filled that need in me for a glimpse into my heritage.”
“Tawney to the rescue, even back then.” Runa laughed.
“Yes. That woman has been saving me for years,” Asta agreed. “Why the sudden interest in magic? Have you experienced something?”
Runa took a deep breath and tried to decide what to say. She had no plans to tell her mother everything, but she needed to tell her something.
“I’ve been having dreams, too.”
“What kind of dreams? Do they only happen at night?”
“No. I have them during the day, too. But I’m awake, so they’re more like visions, I suppose.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what they are. What do you see?”
“It’s always the same. I’m in a room, and I can’t escape. There’s a large mirror in the room, and I reach out to touch my reflection, but when I touch it, I realize it’s not a reflection. It’s me, but there are two of me.”
Runa watched as her mother’s face grew pale, every bit of color draining away. Asta cleared her throat and pushed her chair away from the table abruptly, the legs loudly scraping the hardwood floor.
“Mom, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’ll be right back.”
Without another word, Asta left the room.
Runa puzzled over her mother’s strange reaction. Something was wrong, but she had no idea what.
Several minutes passed before Asta returned. When she did, she had a box in her hands.
“I have something for you.”
Asta placed the box on the table. “Don’t open it right now. I’ve been saving it.”
“What is it?”
“It belonged to your grandmother. I found it in her attic after she died. I never understood why she kept it, but I’m glad she did. I hope it gives you the answers you need.”
With trembling hands, Runa carried the box upstairs to her old room. It was inordinately heavy and felt warm to the touch. Her stomach clenched as she placed it on the bed and stepped away. She covered her ears to block out the sudden deafening roar that filled the room. Although they were miles away from the coast, she heard the undeniable sound of the ocean.