Page 60 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

“We shouldn’t have let them go. It was too dangerous. This plan was doomed from the start,” said Charmaine.

I’m sure if she is in trouble, she will let me know. As I will do with her. Kaida and Sonya had to go in. Themessage she sends tonight to the darkness and their response will teach her all she will need to know to protect us from it.

“Does she know what is going on here?”

Yes. I am sure she knows the vampires suspect you. If ever I am in danger, she knows before I do. I am sure she knows that we have not joined. I’m sure she is changing her plan now that she is aware we can’t leave.

“What now? What do I do?” Charmaine asked.

Liora sighed and looked away.

“Say it. How can I help?”

You must choose now. There is no defense for what is coming next if you don’t. My sister’s life, your friends’ lives, your life now depends on it. We must become one.

“Fine. Fine. I don’t care. Let’s do it,” Charmaine said.

A union does not work that way, unfortunately. You are unwilling to make that choice. I have tried several times, but you will not let me in. And I’m not sure why.

“That’s not true. I don’t care. I was the one who let Nzinga in. I convinced Sonya to stay with the First People. I was the one who covered for Dolly, who keeps it all together.”

Liora smiled.

Charmaine frowned. After a moment of reflection, she saw her life through her guardian’s eyes. In the real world, Charmaine was the guardian, the protector of her friends, her family, and strangers. She needed to feel important. She wanted to be the one everyone turned to. If that meant sacrificing her life, her finances, and her happiness, then so be it. She was a savior. A self-appointed savior.

Charmaine looked up at Liora.

Do you see it now? Why the choice is hard for you? Do you understand what allowing people to be strongwithout you would mean? Accepting me is a release from so much of your identity. What you feel is your purpose. And you are not wrong. You have a beautiful inner light, Charmaine. A gift from the realm that is passed down to you by noble warriors of another time. From me. Your human spirit is not willing to give up that fight.

Charmaine nodded. “I see it now. And I wish I had known before.”

For a long minute, Charmaine, born the only child, with no friends, from a middle-class family in suburbia, outside of Baton Rouge, did everything to be liked by peers who didn’t look like her or identify with her. She lost her self-worth by focusing on the appreciation of others.

Charmaine turned from her family in rebellion during her preteen years. It happened after an all-white cheerleading squad purposefully tricked her into being left by the bus on an away-from-home trip. The teacher didn’t even try to come back for her.

Crying and alone, she met a girl named Sonya Reed, who was there for competition, who lived in Scotlandville, and whose mother agreed to take her home.

The need to be around those who would trust her, rely on her, and make her feel important grew. It had always sustained her. Charmaine let tears fall. Regret assailed her as she thought of how far she had pushed her family out of her life. When their love should have been enough, not the acceptance of others.

It is okay, Charmaine. I see you were born with a light. You just didn’t know what it was for, and those girls saw your light and wanted to extinguish it. You found your tribe. There is nothing wrong with doing so. And because of you, Sonya and Dolly, and Darlene are here today. Your parents understand. They loved you. They still do.

“Thank you. Thank you so much!” she wept, placing her hand flat on the mirror. Her head bowed, and she cried. The energy she felt from her touch on the mirror made her lift her head and face Liora. A cooling sense of self-love and forgiveness went through her when Liora touched the glass from her realm.

I am humbled to know you, to be you, to live this life with you.

In a flash, the transition was over. Charmaine opened her eyes and faced the renewed her in the mirror. Her mind was clear. Her knowledge was vast. She was unbelievably humbled.

“Hey! What are you doing in there? Go use the bathroom in the bedroom. Don’t be stanking up the bathroom out here that we all share!” Darlene beat her fist on the door. “I’ll kick you out of here and make you get your own room!”

“I’m coming out. Give me a second,” Charmaine said.

Charmaine laughed and smiled at Darlene’s threat. She inhaled and embraced Liora. In doing so, she embraced herself.

Chapter 26

Soul Mates II

Bellagio - Las Vegas, Nevada

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