Chapter Two - 6-27-1967
The psychic left the room briefly to allow her bombshell to sink in, then returned with a plate of cookies. "The tea is part of the ritual," she explained. "The cookies are because I like you." She waited for Jaime or Steve to ask what was on both their minds, but when they didn't, she forged ahead. "The fact that you're soulmates doesn't mean you should run off and get married, although you've spoken of that together many times." She smiled warmly at the way Jaime's cheeks blushed. "What it does mean is that, in one way or another, your lives will always be connected. You each have a very bright, very strong aura, but when you're together those auras merge into one single light that is very powerful and not to be ignored. You must never allow anyone or anything to diminish that light."
6-27-1977
"My children," the old woman said sadly, "I never dreamed you would be the ones to extinguish the light yourselves. I called you both here because I sensed something very precious was being snuffed out. But I had presumed outside forces...To do this to yourselves is - unthinkable." She looked at Jaime, then at Steve but neither spoke, so she went on. "I can see so much, looking at the two of you -"
"Like what?" Jaime asked.
"You have each suffered horrible, life-threatening injuries in separate accidents, but with the same results. You were both given a very rare type of transplant; not of living body parts, although these pieces have fully integrated themselves and become parts of your bodies."
Now she had their full attention. "No, Steve, I am not a foreign spy." She smiled at them both and then turned to Jaime, suddenly serious again. "I also see, Sweetie, that you have suffered many physical and emotional troubles - which Steve did not - as a result. At one point, you were actually dead."
An involuntary gasp and a small sobbing sound escaped Jaime's lips, accompanying the tears that covered her face. Steve was immediately on his feet to comfort her, but stopped himself and sat back down. "Can't you see she's had enough?" he said protectively.
"Your first instinct - to go to her - shows that your combined light, though very dim, still lives. Tell me, do either of you even remember what you fought about?" There was dead silence. "I could tell you, but that would serve no purpose. Just know that intense love, intense passion, can bring unbelievably strong jealousy and rage. The two of you, never having fought before, were very confused. You'd never felt anger of that magnitude, especially toward each other, and automatically assumed it was the end. So you lashed out harder - trying to have the last word, the parting shot..."
"Are you a psychic or a shrink?" Steve asked, unwilling to admit her words had hit home.
"Today, I am both. I'd like the two of you to do something for me; call it a personal favor for an old friend." Jaime and Steve stared at her numbly. Jaime's tears had been replaced by fascination.
"Steve, I'd like you to go and sit with Jaime on the loveseat. Please? Thank you." Both of them looked straight ahead, not wanting to be the first to acknowledge the other. "Now, both of you take a deep breath and try to relax. Good. Steve, take both of Jaime's hands in yours. Don't just touch her fingers - hold her hands. That's better. Now I want you to look at each other - really look. Go beyond the eyes into the soul and see what you find. Go ahead..."
Reluctantly, tentatively, they did what she'd asked. Steve and Jaime physically jumped, as though hit with a thousand volts of electricity, then froze in place, unable to move and unwilling to look away.
"Jaime -" "Steve -" Both spoke at once. "I never stopped loving you." They were so mesmerized they didn't notice the psychic had left the room. They were, once more, alone on an island of two, and neither one intended to leave, ever again.
END