There was a path that I followed to a vaguely familiar house. As I got closer to the house, I could hear music coming from inside. Something felt right about this. Like I knew this house, even though I didn’t recognize it. I walked the path to the front door. I pushed on it, opening it slowly. The music was louder now. I knew the song. It was my mother’s favorite song. Who would be playing that song?
I walked inside, trying to be quiet so I wouldn’t disturb the person playing. I couldn’t see them yet, but the music was getting louder with each step I took inside the house. I could almost feel my fingers wanting to play the next note before I heard it.
I peeked into the first room I came to, revealing a grand piano. A man was sitting at the piano, absorbed by the music.
He hadn’t heard me come inside the house, he just continued to play my mo m’s favorite song. I stood, motionless, watching him. Who was he? Why didn’t I feel scared of him? How does he know that song? When the song ended, he sat for a moment and stared at the keys. He sighed. Without turning to look at me, he said “Hello, Sephie baby. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen me.”
I looked at his back, confused. Just as I was about to speak, he turned around to face me. His face. It looked so familiar, yet not, at the same time. Like I’d looked at his picture for years and now that I was seeing him in person, it wasn’t the same.
I gasped. “D-Dad…?”
He smiled, his eyes squinting like mine did when I smiled. He stood up and walked toward me, his arms wide. “Hey peanut.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I’ve missed being able to hold you, little one. That’s the one thing I miss the most. But I’m so proud of you. I’ve watched you grow up. I’ve been there the whole time and Sephie, I’m so proud of you.” He hugged me tight. “How? How are you here?”
“Eh, the logistics are a bit complicated. You can say I’m a bit of a guardian angel, if that’s easier for you to understand.”
I stepped back to look at him, my eyes wide. “You saw…everything?”
He chuckled. “Well, not everything everything. I know when to give you privacy. But every tough situation you’ve been in, I was there in case you needed me.” He looked at me thoughtfully, brushing a curl from my face. “You know, you’ve never once needed me, Sephie.’
“No, that’s not true. In the…basement?” my voice cracked as I thought about that ho rrible night.
He closed his eyes, sighing. “That was the first time I thought you might need me. I was just about to step in when you saved yourself.” He put his hands on both of my shoulders. “Sephie, look at me. What you did that night, it was meant to happen. Sometimes Karma uses you to deliver justice, if you will. You were simply the one that delivered his sentence.”
I sucked in a breath. “So, I did. I did ki II him that night?”
He nodded. “Nobody found him for months. The knife was mysteriously gone.” He looked at me, raising one eyebrow.
“You?”
“Okay, maybe I helped just once. But I mean, seriously. Do you know how boring it is being the guardian of such a… capable child? You gotta throw me a bone once in a while, peanut.”
I smiled at him. Clearly, he was where I got my sense of humor from.
“There’s my beautiful girl. You know you can light the way for ships into harbor with your smile? You almost give Adrik a heart attack every time you smile at him. I’m not even joking about that one. We’ve had extra angels on standby because it got close a few times.”
My smile faded, thinking about Adrik.
Sephie
“You’re still mad at him. You have every right to be mad at him, peanut. He should’ve told you the plan, but I know he will never, ever underestimate your strength again as long as he lives. Do you know he hasn’t moved from underneath you for twelve hours now? He got up once to pee and you got su cked back into your nightmare. He hasn’t had anything to eat or drink since then and he won’t move so you can sleep in peace and your body can heal.”
“No, it hasn’t been that long. It’s only been a few hours.”
“Peanut, time is different here. He’ll lay there as long as it takes. I’ve never seen him so determined. And he’s got a bloodlust that is, well, impressive.”
I just looked at him, dumbfounded.
He smiled down at me. “You can remember being in the nothing, the darkness, before you found your way here?” I nodded my head. “Do you remember how every time you heard his voice, when he would tell you he loved you, how you got a little brighter and could see further into the darkness?” Again, I nodded. “It’s because he can’t exist without you and you can’t exist without him. You’re light, he’s dark. One cannot exist without the other. His darkness allows your light to shine. The brighter your light, the darker your shadows. You figured that part out on your own.” He made a fist and pressed it to my chin. “Seriously, chip off the ol’ block, you are.” He looked at me, a look of pride on his face. He cleared his throat and continued. “But Adrik hasn’t figured that out yet. Guys are sometimes slower on the uptake. You’re helping to show him that even though he has very dark shadows, he also has a very bright light. And right now, he’s the spark you needed to remember that your light is always within you. You’re the only one that can ever turn it off. You just momentarily forgot that part. Which is understandable. You’ve had a hectic few weeks. Years,” he added, clearing his throat again. “But what happened needed to happen. Not just for you, but for all of them. Each of them has something special to offer the world, but it never would’ve happened without the events at the ball. Misha, for example, has a gift that warns him when something isn’t right. He started to believe it more after the attack on you two, but the others didn’t. Now they do. That never would’ve happened otherwise. There’s always a reason, peanut. It’s your job to figure it out.”
I stared at him, trying to understand everything he just told me.
“You already know everything I’m telling you right now, peanut. You just have to let go of the fear. Sure, he fu cked up. They all did. Big time. You got hurt in the process, but you have yet to quit in situations much worse than this one. Don’t start now. You’ve got a 100% survival rate, remember that. And know that I’ll be there, ready to swoop in when needed. You should see my swoop. I practice a lot, because you know, you never need me. Whatever. It’s magnificent.”
I laughed at him. I definitely got his sense of humor.
He looked down at me, smiling. “You know you need him just as much as he needs you. They all need you and you need all of them. You’re destined for great things. Always have been. Why else would we have given you your name if you weren’t meant for great things?” He hugged me once more, then pulled me toward the piano. He sat me down on the bench. “Now, make an old man happy and play me your song.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.