Seeing Light (The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy) (26 page)

::45::
Forever

The Academy of Wanderers now impossibly stands in front of me in Gibeon.

“How in the world?” I glance up at the tall, regal facade as I exit behind Bishop. I hop to the ground and turn in my spot as the carriage rolls away, only to see the soaring obelisk of the courtyard behind us.

“Well,” Bishop says as he grabs my arms and pulls me toward it, “now that you’ve set the inhabitants of Nocturna and all of the Wanderers free from the Society, you’ve also reverted Gibeon to its original state of paradise.” He waves his hand through the air as we step to the edge of what I think is a cliff, but it’s not.

“Whoa!” I hop back a step after accidentally kicking a few rocks from the rim. But the piece of land we’re standing on doesn’t seem to connect with the ground. Somehow the entire Academy floats on its own little island, drifting several hundred feet above the city below, only connected by a series of bridges. When I glance around, I can see floating islands covered with buildings filling the sky like a multitude of hot air balloons, in every size imaginable.

“What are all those? What’s happened to Gibeon?”

“A lot of things happened when you fulfilled the prophecy. You’ve stopped the sporadic movement of Gibeon and also collapsed time, merging the twelve cities of time into one enormous world. I believe that there wasn’t enough space for them to reside here on level ground so some pieces seem to drift about on their own island of land.”

Still overwhelmed, I watch as wild Animates fly by, playfully weaving their way around the hovering land masses. Then I squint, trying to find the horizon. When I zero in on it, buildings still sprawl at its borders.

“But the Academy.” I turn to it. “How is this here?”

“It seems that you’ve erased every trace of us in the Normal world. Every single item and everything we owned now resides here.”

“But can’t they see us?” I ask, my eyes wide. “The Normals, I mean. Can’t they see these islands floating above them?”

Bishop chuckles. “There’s no way to know for sure, but I believe that we’re on a different astral plane. That is, if we’re even on the same planet. If we are, as far as I can tell, they can’t see us, and we can’t see them.”

I look away, rolling these revelations around in my head and thinking hard about the ramifications. “What about the Academy buildings that are missing? Don’t the Normals notice that entire buildings are gone?”

“Another unknown since we’re now completely disconnected, but I hope that all memories of us are erased as well. Any more questions, or can I continue?”

“Nope, I’m good. Go on.” I smirk, trying to guess what he will say next.

“The Wanderers who were here from other times have vanished, returning to their true times, and since every current Wanderer was locked here on the day of the Oaths, you’ve trapped all of us in Gibeon. We’ve been cut off from the Normal world.”

As we stroll back toward the Academy steps, Bishop glances at me, probably expecting me to rattle off more questions, but I’m uncharacteristically silent while I try to wrap my mind around all that’s happened. That’s when Macey and Sam appear with smiles on their faces, launching themselves at us so that we converge in a group hug.

“I need to have a word with you,” Macey says as she steps back, locks her hand on her hip, and glares at me. “Really? This is what you’ve been up to the entire time?” She waves her arms wildly. “You should have told me! You could’ve been killed! You were killed! Sera, if something had happened to you, I would have killed you myself.”

“Sorry, Mace.” My mouth twitches as I attempt to hold back a grin at her twisted logic. “I just wanted to try to keep you and everyone else safe.” The truth is that I’m apologizing because she scares me—in a best friend kind of way. But I would do it all again in exactly the same way, and she probably knows that.

“I know you did,” she admits with a frown. She smiles and reaches out a finger to tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear. “But next time…” Then she waves that finger at me with attitude and a bit of a warning.

We giggle.

“Let’s hope there’s no next time,” Bishop says as he urges us forward.

“I’m just glad to have my sister back,” Sam says and wraps her arm around me, pulling me up the stairs.

“And I’m glad to have a sister. Thank you for being there for me, Sam.”

The conversation reminds me of what my mom told me about our real family history, and for a moment, my thoughts drift back my real sister, Saqqara, that my mom had hidden away to keep safe in ancient Egypt. I’m sad that we were never able to meet, then I realize that without her, there would be no bloodline of Wanderers to continue on and populate our race. I smile inside at the thought, and remind myself that everything happens for a reason.

As a group, we walk back through the main doors of the Academy, through the atrium, up the stairs, and around the catwalk.

“Wait, you guys.” I leave them to take a moment to stand in front of the Seraphina Angel painting, the one that Leonardo da Vinci really painted of me. I step up close and lean in to examine the brushstrokes, remembering what it looked like as he started. I run my hand over the canvas and whisper, “Thank you, sweet friend.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sam steps to my side. “You’re whispering to paintings now? Maybe they should put you back in the glass box to make sure we’ve thoroughly fixed you,” she jokes.

“Maybe I should put
you
in the glass box.” I nudge her with my shoulder as we move away and walk down the corridor to our apartment.

“So, what’s the big surprise Turner told me about?” I open our apartment door and step in, then I stop in my tracks when I see him. How have I forgotten?

“Dad?” My eyes widen and I rush to him, throwing myself into his open arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Ray crushes me with a hug and his glasses slip down his nose, then fall onto the floor with a clank.

“I’m fine, kiddo. Thank goodness you’re okay! I was so worried about you.” He pulls me into a tight hug and pats my back awkwardly.

“I’m great now that you’re here,” I assure him. Then, in a move that shocks me, he lifts me off my feet and swings me from side to side with happiness, making me want to giggle at the absurdity of the moment.

I lean away. “But how are you here?”

“Turns out that since I was here when time collapsed, I’m stuck too.”

“I’m sorry you were pulled into all this.”

“Are you kidding!” He throws his arms open wide with excitement. “Your mom told me everything about Wandering and the cities of time. And believe me, when she did I thought she was crazy”—he rotates a single finger at the side of his head—“but I never thought I’d have the opportunity to see it for myself. This place is amazing! Did you see those animation things?” He speaks quickly, winding himself up as he speaks until he stops and shakes his head. “Sera, honey, I’m happy to be here. I’d much rather be here with you than anywhere else.” He looks over at Terease, who I now see is standing across the room, and winks at her but quickly turns his attention back to me.

“So you’ve known all along?” I step back, looking at him in amazement.

Ray composes himself and reaches out to clasp my hands within both of his. “When your mom left you with me as a child, she warned me it wouldn’t be easy, but I had no idea. She only told me to keep moving you around until the Harvester came for you.” He jerks his head toward Terease. “And then she’d keep you safe within the Society. But when she fi
nally came for you, I didn’t want to let you go.” His eyes glaze over and his nose turns a little pink. “Even though I know you know the truth now, I may not be your blood father, but I love you like my own daughter. I always have.” A tear rolls down his cheek and he smiles. “I hope you know that.”

Ray’s words wash over me, filling a hole in my heart that has hurt for as long as I can remember. I’ve wanted so badly to be loved by my dad, to feel important to him and cherished by him, and instead he’s always been awkward around me, never getting too close, and constantly moving us from place to place, keeping me feeling rootless my whole life. The emotional distance that he’s always kept between us makes so much more sense now, and I forgive him for it in the space of a heartbeat. He’s sacrificed more for me than any dad could ever be expected to, real or otherwise. The loving family that I’ve always wanted is finally standing here right in front of me, and it fills my heart to overflowing.

“I love you too, Dad,” I choke out. “And I know you do.”

He plants a kiss on my forehead and pats my shoulder, smiling proudly at me with tears in his eyes.

“Sorry to cut the reunions short, my lovelies.” Gabe appears in the living room with a massive garment bag in his hand. “But we’ve got to get you ready.”

“There’s more?”

“Crumpet.” Gabe pauses and sighs dramatically. “You’ve just set the Wandering world free and you think that’s it. That we’re just going to hang out here, eat pizza, talk about boys, do each other’s hair, and paint each other’s toenails now?”

“We can’t? Because, I kinda feel like I’ve earned a girl’s night, complete with ice cream. Please tell me we have ice cream here.”

“You can chill with ice cream tomorrow,” he says firmly. “Tonight, we party.”

“Of course we do,” I say flatly and cross my arms in protest.

It turns out that I have no say in the matter. Within moments I find myself shuffled into my room, sitting in a chair, having my hair sculpted into ringlets and woven with ribbon and sparkles. Macey and Sam hang out and we do in fact, do our makeup, and our hair, and dress for the “biggest party of the millennium,” according to Gabe.

When he’s done dressing me, I step in front of a mirror to admire his handiwork. The top of the dress is strapless with transparent ruching in shiny copper fabric. Matching sparkles cascade the length of the dark teal ball gown, making it look magical. When I rock back and forth, the bell-shaped layers of tulle swish around my legs, reminding me of the special dance that Hologram Turner and I shared in the training room.

“Gabe.” I turn to him and press a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, snickerdoodle.”

“That reminds me, there’s something I need to ask you—”

Gabe quickly presses a single finger to my lips. “Not another word.”

“But—” He shushes me and leaves the room, blowing kisses as he exits. I let the question go, not really sure if it’s important anymore.

When we leave, Dad, Bishop, Sam, and Macey load into a carriage, but I’m ushered into my own exquisite vehicle. I’m promised that I will meet Turner and my friends at the party. And as the guest of honor at my own ball, I’m told that I need to arrive separately, but when the carriage takes a different route from my friends’ carriage, I begin to worry.

Minutes later, the carriage halts and the door opens. A hand reaches inside for mine and at the moment I take it and the skin touches my palm, I know exactly who it is. Heat radiates from Turner and surges into me. There’s no need for a hologram now. Electricity follows us wherever we are.

“I hate being away from you.” Turner appears at the door, dressed in a tux with his hair loosely pulled back into a low ponytail. A few wavy strands dangle around his face. His hands slide to my waist and he lifts me out of the carriage and places me on the ground, pressed against his body.

“Then please stop leaving me.”

“Never again.” He kisses my cheek. “You look absolutely stunning, Miss Parrish.”

“I can’t really take credit. Gabe practically painted me into a fairy princess.”

Turner leans in and whispers in my ear, “Only because you are the perfect muse.”

My body rushes with heat and I twist in my dress, looking down at my satin shoes. He lifts my chin so my gaze meets his sparkling gray eyes and he places a teasing kiss on the corner of my mouth and pulls away.

“Where are we?” I look around only to see a high stone wall.

“I wanted to bring you someplace very special before the party.” Turner wraps my hand around his strong arm and guides me under a stone archway covered with moss. Once inside the open structure, I immediately understand what this place is when I see the obelisk fountain with aqua vitae surging from the rocky aqueducts and into the basin. This is the same fountain from my mother’s palace in Egypt.

“How did you know?” I look to Turner.

“Know what?” We walk through the gardens, thick with lush greenery and the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen, and sit at the fountain’s edge, facing each other.

“That this was my mom’s favorite place.” I reach down and glide my fingers along the aqua vitae, thinking of her.

“I only knew that I had to bring you here after I saw it for myself because I thought it was the perfect place to give you this.” From his jacket, he removes a flat box. “Happy birthday.”

“Birthday?” I take it from him and stare at the present. I’d been so busy trying to save the world, I totally forgot. I can’t believe it’s been an entire year since I first saw Terease. Since I first began this crazy journey. I remove the bow and open the top and inside, beneath polka-dotted tissue paper, sits the framed photo of my mother and me when I was a baby. The same one Gabe removed from my luggage in the Member Archives. The one I wanted to ask him about just before we parted at the Academy. I’d wrongly assumed he meant to use it in a hurtful way. I should have known better, and I shake my head at myself for doubting him.

“You told me once about all the things you lost on the day you moved to Chicago,” Turner says. “I stumbled across the Member Archives some time ago while working with the professor and figured this was there. Before I left Gibeon, I talked Gabe into retrieving it for me. After everyone thought that I died, he decided to give it to you on his own, as an Oaths gift. Lucky for me that never happened, so I could give it to you myself.”