Here's the next chapter, Sorry its short but I wanted to post this much before I forget….
"Alright, I talked with Charlie and Charlotte and they agreed to keep the children busy while we went to the realms." Ann said as she reappeared through her back door. I took a deep breath in to calm myself, although it came in shudders. I was nervous to see if I could still make the door appear. If I still had the power.
"Are you sure you're alright, Gemma. You look a bit anxious; you don't have to do this now if you're not ready. We'd be willing to wait for you," Felicity said uncertainly. I could see it plainly on her face that she regretted her words the moment she had spoken. I knew that both of them were excited to get back to the realms, and had been missing paradise as much as I had.
"No, I want to do this now. I want to see if my plan will work." I looked down at my hands, which were wringing together in anxiety.
"Listen, Gemma, I hate to say this. And I know it will make me seem like a power hungry witch, but I need to say it. I really want to help you get Kartik back, but…but I want to see the realms again. I haven't been there in so long." Ann nodded her agreement with Felicity's words. I felt that old tug of being unwanted. Like I had felt when I thought that all Ann and Felicity wanted from me was a way into the realms. I knew I was being silly, and I wanted to see the garden just as badly as they did.
"Alright. I suppose a little visit to the garden won't hurt anything." I knew I had made the right decision by the matching smiles my two friends now wore. It felt good to make them happy.
"Well then, let's go," Felicity said as she pulled me and Ann into a circle on the ground. I held their hands and wished for the door of light. At first I saw only darkness, and was about to worry when I saw it. The door. It was more brilliant and beautiful than I remembered.
I closed my eyes and stepped through into our own paradise. The garden was so beautiful that it hurt my eyes to see it.
"Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit!" I heard Felicity gasp from a few feet behind me. She was right; the garden was still as beautiful as I had remembered. I gazed longingly at the river and the Gorgon I hoped was still hidden there. But I knew I had to allow them a few minutes in paradise as agreed in Ann's study.
I laughed with my friends as we turned butterflies into rubies and remembered all the past things we had done together. There was a silent moment as we looked around and felt the missing person. Pippa had been so much to Felicity, and even through her selfishness and cruelty she had shown me, I missed her. She had fallen hard from the top, and it had only taken me a little while later to realize what it was like to lose the one thing you cared most about.
I could feel Felicity and Ann's gaze on me as I looked at the river for the hundredth time in the two hours that we had been there. They knew what I wanted, although neither of us could bare to bring the subject up. No one knew what to say.
"Are you ready, Gemma?" Felicity said linking her arm through mine.
"Not even close, but I'm as ready as I will ever be." I said with a forced smile. It was such an odd feeling being back in the realms. I hadn't been this close to Kartik since the day before I left for America. I was anxious to see if my plan would work. And dreading it if nothing happened. I knew I had to at least see his tree again, even if that was all I saw of him, it would be enough.
When we reached the river, the Gorgon was waiting for us on her magnificent ship, just like she had so many years ago. She set sail for the Winterlands the moment we stepped on board, though none of us had directed her. I forgot how surprising this magical world could be.
I kept my eyes closed for most of the journey; I couldn't bare to see the desolate landscape of the Winterlands. I didn't want to be reminded of the last time I had stepped ashore, in that disastrous battle. I knew that if I opened my eyes, I would see my last moments of Kartik alive, locked in battle with his murderous brother. As a result, I heard the whispers before I saw him.
They still said my name, over and over, but the voice was different somehow, harsher. I opened my eyes to see the tree, its beauty still as breathtaking as before. I could feel the wind blowing its branches, still as gentle as his caresses had been. I reached out to touch the bark, but stopped myself. Instead I sat beneath him and spoke.
"I missed you so much, Kartik. I miss you everyday," I said breaking into tears. I didn't know if Felicity and Ann were behind me, although I assumed they were. I didn't care if they saw me coming apart like this, but I knew I couldn't have stopped if I'd wanted.
"I still love you so much. I know you wanted me to move on, that you gave your life so I could live mine. But I can't Kartik. I can't live without you anymore. I need you, your children need you."
The more people review the faster I will put up the next chapter….