CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE
SYNCHRONICITY
'That's the effect of living backwards,' the Queen said kindly: 'it always makes one a little giddy at first-'
'Living backwards!' Alice repeated in great astonishment. 'I never heard of such a thing!'
'-but there's one great advantage in it, that one's memory works both ways.'
'I'm sure MINE only works one way,' Alice remarked. 'I can't remember things before they happen.'
'It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,' the Queen remarked.Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
The sweet tinkling of the door bell chimes as Daniel Merryweather enters Hocus Pocus, situated at number three Grace's Alley, in the shadow of the mighty Tower Bridge in London England. It is precisely four pm on a rainy November day. It is a month since Daniel left Vancouver. Lukas, his forever friend, his angel saviour had sent him here on an errand. Daniel was glad to be back in London, he had missed the city tremendously. He looked around the small but fascinating shop as he entered. A vision of loveliness appeared out of nowhere, it seemed. Daniel gazed at her in astonished wonderment. She had long red hair and the deepest green eyes. Her lips were full and pouting. She wore a short tight dress of midnight blue and her face was simply perfection. Funnily enough she was gazing at Daniel in exactly the same way. Daniel stretched out his hand to take hers in greeting, "Daniel Merryweather, pleased to meet you" he spoke in his ever so charming Irish tones. The witch smiled as she grasped hold of Daniel's ice cold hand. "Matilda Trotter, or Tilly for short" she gushed, dazzled by the face of this handsome stranger. A stranger who was so obviously a vampire! "Honoured to meet you" Daniel said as he softly kissed her pale soft hand. "A friend asked me to come to your shop Tilly. He requested that I return this antique to you." Daniel said as he handed the witch a small silver box. Tilly smiled and nodded, "Ah so you are the Daniel!" she exclaimed happily. Daniel shook his head in confusion, "How do you know of me?" he questioned the beautiful red head. "Lukas" she confessed, her smile secretive and beguiling. "The angel told me all about you Daniel. I regularly talk with him" she shrugged prettily as if speaking with angels was an every day occurrence. Daniel knew there and then that she was no ordinary woman. "Would you like to accompany me on a date tonight?" he blurted out, suddenly shy and bashful. Tilly smiled, "I would love to" she replied, her green eyes lighting up most delightfully.
There it was, synchronicity.
It was Christmas Day. The snow fell over First Beach like a large fleecy blanket, covering everything in pure dazzling white. Rebecca gave an almighty huge scream and her precious daughter was born. Her husband Caleb's tears fell onto her sweet little face as she was handed to her Mother. Rebecca's eyes welled up too as she gazed into her baby's eyes for the very first time. Here was a sight she'd never thought she'd witness. This beautiful little angel with dark hair and even darker eyes was the best thing that had ever happened to her, apart from falling in love and marrying her Father of course. Their courtship had been short but very intense. Caleb had imprinted on Rebecca instantly causing her to fall in love at first sight too. This was a miracle in itself as no one had believed males could imprint on a female shape shifter. They truly were a fantastic match. Now they had their beautiful daughter, a Christmas miracle, a pure bred shape shifter who would be revered and protected by the Elders and the whole Pack from now on. "Her name is Marisa" Rebecca told her sister Kat and her brother in law Embry as they entered the room to see the new arrival. Katherine carried Nathaniel, her beautiful son in her arms. He turned his face towards Marisa and smiled benignly, his sapphire eyes lighting up with surprise and something else. Something infinite. Recognition? Wonder? "Imprinting" the angel Lukas spoke in Katherine's mind. She smiled and nodded to herself. "Just as you told me, dear Lukas" Marisa gurgled and cooed happily as she stared right back at Nathaniel. They would be the Pack's future. Katherine smiled happily as she kissed her son's dark hair and squeezed Embry's hand.
There it was, synchronicity.
It was a bright, beautiful Spring day. Sue Clearwater was handed a tissue by her dearest friend Tiffany Call as she wept tears of joy. Her son Seth was marrying his sweetheart Christa in a lavish ceremony held in an old church in Vancouver. The couple were half way through their degrees at Uni, and were meant to be waiting until they had completed their courses before marrying. Christa found out a month ago that she was pregnant. The wedding plans were brought forward at once. Her parents were very strict and took a moral stand point on children born out of wedlock. Sue's joy was doubled by their news. She would be a grandmother after all. Just like her best friend Tiffany was, twice over.
Her heart ached for Leah and what might have been. Her daughter had made her choices in life. Sue tried to focus on her son's happiness for now and ignore her daughter's foolishness. Finally the young couple were wed and the celebrations began. Sue left the marquee where the reception was being held to get some air in the tranquil gardens outside. She walked slowly along, lost deep in thought, as a bright moon shone down from the starry night sky. She gazed up at the twinkling lights and wished Harry was here to see his son marry.
"Oh Harry. I do miss you" she whispered as a shooting star fell from the sky. "He misses you too" a soft tinkling voice spoke in her ear. She turned around sharply with a fearful gasp. There was no one there. Then she saw a shimmering light and a beautiful young man all in white appeared. "I am Lukas. I am an angel. I help spirits in need. Harry misses you too Sue, really he does and he is sorry for the pain he caused. He wants you and Leah to make up. You will only regret it for the rest of your life if you never see your daughter again!" the angel commanded her attention with his soft musical voice. Sue's eyes filled up with sad tears again. "I must've had way too many brandies tonight" she whispered aloud as she gazed at the angel. Lukas smiled his angel smile. "She isn't my Leah any more" Sue added with a grimace of pain. Lukas nodded sagely, "I know what she is. She still loves you. She misses having her Mother to talk to. Harry wants you to be happy Sue" Then the angel disappeared, leaving a very confused and emotional Sue behind, all alone in the moonlight. She sat on a wooden bench and let the tears flow freely. She felt a cool hand cover hers. She felt a presence sit next to her. "Mom?" Leah spoke quietly. Sue gazed upwards to find her beautiful daughter sitting next to her. All of her anguish and pain and heartbreak seemed to become inconsequential now as she hugged her daughter's cold, hard , marble body to her. Leah sighed, "I missed you Mom. I had to come back, to see you, to see my little brother get married!" Sue's tears fell onto her daughter's cold cheek as she held her close. Leah lived, she didn't breathe or have a heartbeat but she was here, she was still her daughter. That was all that really mattered in the grand scheme of things. Love was the truth and the light despite everything else. The two women hugged each other as the infinite stars shone in the dark night sky, just as they always had and always would.
There it was, synchronicity.
"With one breath, with one flow
You will know
synchronicity
A sleep trance, a dream dance,
A shared romance
synchronicity
A connecting principle
Linked to the invisible
Almost imperceptible
Something inexpressible
Science insusceptible
Logic so inflexible
Causally connectible
Yet nothing is invincible
If we share this nightmare
Then we can dream
Spiritus mundi
If you act as you think
The missing link
synchronicity
We know you, they know me
Extrasensory
synchronicity
A star fall, a phone call
It joins all
synchronicity
It's so deep, it's so wide
You're inside
synchronicity
Effect without a cause
Sub-atomic laws, scientific pause
synchronicity..."
EPILOGUE
ETIENNE LUCIER:
It was New Year's Eve, Leah's human birthday. Tomorrow it would be the year 2112. Hundred years have passed lightning quick. I am now over 500 years old. I don't feel a day over eighteen! Ha! Still the same old Etienne huh? Leah and I have seen so much loss over this century. I knew she would hurt when her human friends and family died. It was inevitable though. They were only mortals after all. The only saving grace was we both knew their beautiful souls did not die. Their life light was not extinguished by the death of their frail human bodies. They lived on. There was an astral plane and there was a heavenly plane. Life didn't end, it just evolved. Leah and I would never know this. We couldn't die, we were already dead but we lived on. The venom kept our bodies young, strong and forever on the earthly plane. Lukas had shown us such wonderful things. He communicated with the living through the dead. He brought comfort to those who needed it, he brought hope to those with none and he gave light to those poor souls in the dark who had lost their way. Maybe if Leah and I found a way to bring the true death upon ourselves we could be angels too? Who knew.
I didn't regret my life, especially not since Leah had come into it like a hurricane. My devastatingly wonderful and beautiful wife was a force of nature so wild and free she took my breath away. I had lived a long long time alone before I met her. I didn't know any different way until I was struck down with complete and utter love for her. Now she was part of me, she was ingrained on my still heart and imprinted on my very being. For over a century I have been captivated by her. I am still in complete awe of her. Our relationship has never gotten old with time, it has never become tarnished. It is as bright and sparkling as the night I first kissed her lips and fell irrevocably in love. She is the love of my existence, the light in my darkness. She brings out the best in me and she believes in me completely. She still mesmerises me with her eyes, she makes me melt with her touch and she takes desire and passion to a new level when we kiss. She is my other half. The yin to my yang. Without the other we would be incomplete. We would be lost. So, how do we intend to spend the next century together? Well, we will take each new day as it comes and revel in the fact that our never ending undying love will take us higher and higher. We will help Lukas when he needs us. He comes to Leah in visions now. He has developed a strong bond with us since the Daniel situation all those years ago. Are you wondering what happened to Daniel? Well, the fledgling became the maker. Tilly Trotter is now a most delicious vampire who is still the best, most attractive witch I've ever set eyes on! They live in complete bliss in a huge country mansion in Southern Ireland which Daniel inherited. The locals believe them to be eccentric and strange. When anyone happens to question how young they look then it's time to go to Europe for a few years. On their return they disguise themselves and pretend to be the new owners who have inherited the property, over and over again! It's become an elaborate game to them.
Leah and I still lived in our Vancouver house. We kept ourselves to ourselves and if anyone questioned us then we simply dazzled and glamoured them into thinking we were just a normal young married couple. We travelled often, sometimes with Bella and Edward who we were still very close to. Vampires always used to talk about Bella and Edward's amazing and inspiring love story. Books were even written about it! But I reckon Leah and I were right up there with them in the love story stakes! If I could think of a better word than love to describe how I feel for Leah then I surely would, but it's all been said before, in poems, in songs and up on the silver screen. She came to me on our rooftop garden as I gazed, deep in thought, at the starry night sky above my head. She kissed me softly on my cold lips, her mouth giving me tingles of electric desire on my cool skin. "Come inside Etienne. Our bed is calling my love." she whispered seductively in my ear, her lips trailing down my neck wickedly. I held her close to me on the roof. "In a minute, my darling." I replied with a smile. How beautiful she looked on this last day of the year. "Look at the stars Leah. They shine on and on, their light as bright as the day they were born! Do you think we are like stars? Will we burn out someday? " I asked her. Leah shook her head as she softly smiled at me, "No my love, the stars won't ever die. They will evolve. They will become part of the sun. They will always be a part of the universe, just like you and I". We hugged each other tighter under the bright light of the stars. Leah beckoned me to follow her to our bed, how could I resist? With one last glance into the last night sky of the year, I turned to Leah, my topaz eyes shining and gazing deep into hers intently, "For evermore?" I asked. She winked at me and grinned.
"For Evermore"
THE END