Chapter Thirty-Two: A Life for a Life
"You give by little when you give of your possessions. It's when you give of yourself that you truly give." –Kahlil Gibran
The Sibunas and the gods bowed to Patricia who looked on in shock. How was she the Knowledgeable One? It was meant to be Fabian, not her. He was the smart one. The gods disappeared and were replaced by Sami.
"I thought that I had some explaining to do…" she said softly with a sheepish look on her face. She looked to Fabian and said, "I'm sorry. It was supposed to be you."
He looked at her with confusion in his eyes and said, "What do you mean it was supposed to be me?"
"Well… it's a long story, but you guys have to hear it," Sami responded. Eddie was holding Patricia's hand and she had the look of pure shock on her face. "Let me take you back three years and seven days: January 23." Patricia looked at Sami. Why was Sami taking them to the day she died?
The cellar disappeared and they were standing on the side of a dark road. A small, yellow car came down the road. It was too dark to see inside of the car to see who it was. All of the sudden another car came racing down the other side of the street. The new car pulled out in front of the other car and the small car swerved to miss it, but the back side of the car got hit. The car began to donut and the passenger's side slammed into a tree. Patricia looked at the scene confused. If this was when Sami was supposed to die then the scene was wrong. The driver's side slammed into the tree, not the passenger's. The scene flashed forward about twenty minutes.
It was Sami's car crash because all three girls were getting medical treatment and Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were there two. They couldn't see Sami, Piper, or Patricia up close yet. The scene changed again.
The Sibunas were standing near Patricia's parents who were next to Piper. The girl was awake and had an oxygen mask on. A doctor came up to them with his head down. He cleared his throat and began to speak. "I'm so sorry Mr. and Mrs. Williamson, but we lost one of your daughters." The parents looked at the doctor in horror. "Patricia Williamson is dead," the doctor said while putting a comforting hand on Mrs. Williamson's shoulder as she began to cry. Patricia's father stared at the doctor is disbelief.
The Sibunas all stared at present day Patricia as she shouted at Sami, "What is this: some cruel joke? Sami, what's going on?"
"Just watch," Sami responded quietly to Patricia's shouts. The scene changed again.
This time it was Alexandra and Nefuru talking to Sami next to a gurney with a sheet over a body. "Sami, you have lived," Alexandra said. "This was not planned; you know that you were supposed to die, not your sister Patricia." Sami's head hung low.
"This was some strange twist of fate," Nefuru said.
Sami began to cry. Through her tears she asked, "What can I do? I feel horrible. I was the one who was supposed to die, not Patricia."
"The cycle shall continue. The next Chosen One and Osirian have been picked: Nina Martin and Eddie Miller, they're both from America. Actually, the next Knowledgeable One has also been picked: Fabian Rutter. But things can change," Nefuru said.
"What do you mean?" Sami asked.
"You can do one more act as the Chosen One before your powers will be transferred to the next one in line," Alexandra said. Sami looked at the two of them. "You can give up your life, your powers, everything to bring Patricia back. She will be the Knowledgeable One and you will be the one who died. Everyone will remember that it was you who died in the car crash, not Patricia. She will live a very long life as the next Knowledgeable One instead of Mr. Rutter."
With little thought Sami said, "I accept."
"Are you sure?" Alexandra asked. "This is a big decision. You are deciding to lose your life.
Sami nodded yes then said, "If it means that Patricia gets to live, then yes. She's the innocent one, she deserves to live." She flipped up the sheet on the gurney to reveal a cold dead Patricia with blood clots around her skull. Her eyes were closed like she was in a peaceful slumber. Sami kissed Patricia's forehead.
Nefuru said, "A life for a life." And then the three of them walked into a bright flash of light and disappeared.
The scene changed again. This time Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were next to a conscious Piper and an unconscious Patricia. She had an Oxygen mask on her and a female nurse and two doctors were caring for her and trying to get her awake. Patricia's mom held onto her hand. The same as before doctor came over, cleared his throat and began to speak, "I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Williamson, but we lost one of your daughters." He paused then spoke again, "Samantha Williamson is dead." Mrs. Williamson, like last time, began to cry and Mr. Williamson stared off pretending like it was a lie.
The scene disappeared from around them and they were back in the cold, dark cellar. Patricia dropped Eddie's hand violently. She looked at Sami in disbelief and ran out through the cellar door. Everyone was too shocked to even stop her. The truth had been revealed: Sami had given up her life to save Patricia.