like a soft breeze, a mix of sadness and guilt. She had almost forgotten that her mother was in the room, and her mother’s pain washed over her like a stormy sea.
“What’s happening?” Blaire whispered.
“Mom,” Kate said softly. She pushed Blaire’s chestnut curls behind her ear before continuing. “Donovan is possessing Dad’s soul now. He has to.” Kate hoped her mother would understand, but she knew she wouldn’t. Kate herself didn’t even understand fully, but she knew that not even Donovan was strong enough to sacrifice himself. He told her that.
“Why? Why can’t he just leave now that Erik’s been ejected from your father?” Blaire asked, her voice angry. Kate watched as her mother’s fists clenched at her sides, a sign that she was fighting.
“It doesn’t work that way, Mom. Once the process starts it doesn’t end, because Dad can’t expel Donovan; he’s not strong enough to reject him. Donovan will win and Dad will die soon. He’s too weak now that he’s hurt.”
Blaire sighed. “Can’t your father fight this?”
“If he was healthier he could, Mom. In a possession, one of the two will win. If Dad wins, Donovan dies. If Donovan wins, Dad will slowly fade and his soul will return to Light, much like he would have with Erik.” Kate bit her lower lip as a pang of pain, guilt, and sadness filled her veins. It was true; her dad would die today.
Kate glanced at her mom. The emotions that played across her mother’s face mirrored her own, but she had to tell her mother the truth of the situation. The sooner her mother realized that Aaron would die either way, the sooner she could gather her strength and prepare for the worst, and the sooner they could move on. Together.
“I hope Donovan doesn’t succeed then,” Blaire confessed. Her eyes were cloudy, her lips held in a tight frown.
“Mom, please don’t say that,” Kate said sadly. “Mom, Dad is going to die either way. He’s not strong enough to fight this possession. He would just die in the struggle with Donovan. He can’t succeed.”
Blaire turned to face her daughter. Her eyes were angry, like she was blaming Kate for the whole thing. “How can you say such a thing?” she spat.
Kate swallowed, upset by her mother’s insinuation, but she held on and told her mother what she needed to hear: the truth. “I’m saying it because Dad’s not strong enough to survive this fight, this war. I know you know that, and you need to be willing to let him go. He would want the pain to end. He would want to sacrifice himself to save us. He loves us that much and you know it’s the truth. Please listen to me, Mom. I’m not saying this to be mean or to hurt you; it’s true. You have to know it is.”
Blaire sighed and turned back toward Donovan. As Blaire let the words sink in, the creaky bridge between she and Kate began repairing itself. Kate gave her mother time to process the information, to prepare herself for the inevitable, staying quiet while her mom thought. Now was not the time for words and Kate pulled her mother into a hug as she began to cry. Blaire’s tears fell onto Kate’s black shirt and clung to it. Within minutes the cotton was soaked but Kate didn’t care. She had to protect her mother, the one person that had never, ever been there for her when things were bleak. It didn’t matter now, though; this moment was much bigger than the past. This moment was the only one that would ever matter; this was their defining moment as mother and daughter, and it would be the beginning of their lives together, yet all alone.
Blaire’s tears stopped after a couple of minutes, and she lifted her head up. She stood straight and tall, nodding determinedly. Her jaw was set and her hands slowly unclenched. She was prepared to face whatever happened next.
Kate let her mother go and turned so that she was facing both Donovan and her father. Donovan’s figure appeared to be melting into her father’s now. A moment later, there was that same flash of light and he was gone. It was odd that a flash of light marked the beginning and ending of something that Darkness’ children had created, Kate thought, and she stepped back involuntarily, shielding her eyes from the bright light.
Right now, Aaron’s body lay lifeless. The only sign of life came from the slight moving of his chest as he breathed. Everyone watched as his eyes began to flutter; they waited for Donovan’s return. Gradually, Aaron opened his brown eyes and found his wife and daughter first. His smile spread across his pallid face, and he licked his lips before speaking. “Blaire? Kate?” he asked. He reached out slightly.
The pair stood still a moment, confused. Why was Donovan calling them? He should have been calling, Adriana, his wife.
“Blaire, please. Kate,” Aaron repeated weakly. He reached out further, stretching his arms toward them.
Knowingly, Blaire rushed forward and kissed her husband on the mouth. Aaron wrapped his arms around Blaire and pulled her into a tight embrace. Afterwards, he held one of his arms out, calling Kate over to him. Kate stepped into her father’s arms and held on to him, wondering how long he could stay before Donovan took over.
“I want you two to know that I fought so very hard to expel Erik,” he said breathlessly. Kate started to speak but he stopped her with a kind, yet stern, look. A moment later, his smile was back. He could never be mean, not even in this way.
“I need to finish,” he whispered. He pulled in a deep, steadying breath, his eyes closing as a shock of pain filled his body. “I love both of you so much,” he said when the pain subsided. “I want you to know, Kate, that you were brilliant, attacking Erik like that. Blaire, you are so brave. I am so proud of you, both of you. I know that both of you will be strong enough to live while I am gone from this world. I have seen Light, Kate, and he has come to take me with him,” he said with a smile.
Kate smiled too, and reached out to take her dad’s frigid hand in hers.
Aaron continued his speech. “I will be waiting for both of you in the next world. I love you both; don’t ever forget what I did or who I am. I want my presence to stay on this earth for as long as it can, and I will continue to live through your memories.” He stopped and sighed; he was growing tired and weak now.
Kate and Blaire couldn’t speak; their faces were covered in snot and tears, and their mouths were locked shut to keep them from losing the barely contained control that they had somehow collected until this point. Aaron wiped their faces clean, not caring about the sticky mess.
“I must go now,” he said. “I am ready to die, knowing that I was able to see you one last time. I love you, and I will love you forever and always.”
“I love you so much, Dad,” Kate said as she hugged her father one last time. She got up then, giving her parents one last moment together.
Blaire kissed Aaron one last time, a long and beautiful kiss. She told Aaron that she loved him and sat in his arms until the radiance of his soul faded from his eyes. Kate watched the scene unfold, tears tumbling down her cheeks like a torrent of raindrops. As soon as Blaire stood up, she ran into her mother’s arms, and they held each other, knowing that one day they would be all right. At least they had each other; that would always be enough.
Kate turned as Adriana stepped forward, her hands clasped together. She was eagerly waiting for Donovan’s return. A couple minutes passed and she began to cry as well. Small tears trickled from her black eyes and fell to the wood floor. “No,” she said, her full lips trembling. “No, Donovan. Don’t leave me. I can’t stay here without you. Donovan, come back to me.” Adriana fell to her knees when nothing happened; her tears fell faster, a torrential downpour, a brewing thunderstorm. She looked deadly and beautiful and weak all at the same time, and Kate’s tears fell harder. She couldn’t help but feel guilty for Adriana’s loss; her father had taken Donovan from them all. Kate couldn’t take this anymore; she couldn’t handle the pain, the loss. She turned and began to walk away.
Adriana’s next words kept her in the room. “I love you, Donovan,” she whispered as she sat there on the ground, her head in her hands.
Kate nearly broke from the words, and she started to walk over to Adriana.
However, Erik, whom everyone had forgotten about until this moment, began laughing. His voice was loud and took control. “You lost both of them,” he smirked pathetically from his position underneath Rico’s foot. A surge of hatred flashed through Kate’s veins but it wasn’t as bad as the look on Adriana’s face.
Adriana’s dark eyes focused on Erik’s body, a look of disgust and hatred shining in their black depths. In one lithe movement, she stood and sprung toward him, lashing out at him with her bare hands. She scratched Erik’s face, punched him, and bit him. Rico let her, all the while making sure that Erik could do nothing about it. Kate watched wide-eyed, mesmerized by the intensity of Adriana’s anger and her cruelty towards Erik. For the first time in her life, Kate was truly afraid of her friend. She had never seen Adriana’s strength and power used negatively, and she could sense that Adriana would never be the same without Donovan’s calm and reassuring presence. She grew worried for her friend, and began to move toward her in small steps.
“Adriana?” a strong voice asked from behind them.
They all turned, even Erik, and saw Donovan, who stood near the back door. He was wearing white slacks but had on no shirt or shoes. His sandy hair glowed in a false light, and his tanned muscles were more defined than ever.