At first when I stepped outside I didn’t think that I was going to be able to find Tabatha the halls were all exactly the same and there was very little light. For a while I just wondered around aimlessly hoping that I would not get too lost in the winding halls. I was close to giving up and asking Jasmine to help me find her when I remembered something that had happened a few years before when we had been playing at the orphanage.
The two of us had been playing a game with a few of the other kids when one of the older kids had started teasing Tabatha about something. She ran of that day just like she did today, I didn’t go after her right away because I was afraid that the people that were teasing her would start on me as well. When I did finally go looking for her I had no idea where to start looking the orphanage was a large place and at that point I had only been there for a few weeks but rather than panic that I wouldn’t be able to find her I sat on the ground crossed my legs closed my else and just focused on her, on what she looked like what she smelt like and what she felt like and in a matter of moments I had followed my sense and I had found her sitting huddled in a corner crying.
I didn’t know how I had done it that day or if I would be able to do it again but it was the only option I had left that wouldn’t make her even more upset with me. So I sat down in the middle of a hallway and I repeated what I had done back at the orphanage and sure enough in seconds I had picked up on her energy and was able to follow it through the halls. With every step I could feel myself getting closer to her.
At first when I found her I was scared what if she didn’t want to be around me anymore, I would be lost if she hated me she was all had left now and I didn’t want to go through any of this alone even though rose had already pretty much told us that it was fated that one of us would live that hadn’t come to pass yet and I didn’t wasn’t to be lone in this before I had to.
“Tabby,” My voice was shaking as I spoke to her, “I know you are upset with me at the moment and obviously your feelings for me are different than what I feel for you but right now I’m not ready to face this alone you are the only one I have left my family is dead any my other friends might as well live in another would. I’m sorry that I upset you.”
I stood there for a moment but when I didn’t seem like she was going to respond I turned to walk away, there was no point in standing here if she didn’t want to acknowledge me and Rose could return at any moment and I could only imagine the trouble I would be in if I wasn’t there when she came back. I had only taken a few steps when I heard her softly call my name and felt a hand rest gently on my shoulder when I turned back she was standing behind me her had still out stretched her face streaked with tears I didn’t know what to do or say so I just stood there I wanted so much to hug her and tell her it was alright but I knew that if I did it was likely to give her the wrong impression.
“So you finally decided to stop thinking about yourself for a moment and consider how I feel.”
“Tabatha,” I almost yelled at her, “it’s not like that at all I didn’t want to talk about this before because I thought that when we did talk about it you would walk away from me because you didn’t like the truth but when you walked away I realised that I was going to lose you anyway so I should at least try and talk to you.”
“There you go again. It’s always about how things are going to affect you, did you ever think that maybe I deserved to know how you really felt about me.”
“I realise now that I should have been open with you about this but so should have you.”
She looked at me her eyes filled with tears I knew that I had hurt her none of this was really her fault and in a way she was right I had been selfish by not telling her the truth for fear of losing her but in my defence I hadn’t really know just what she felt for me. Without thinking of how it was going to affect things I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close resting her head on my shoulder.
“I love you,” She sobbed then stepped away from me, “but not just as a sister or any other family member, when I think about what I want to do with the rest of my life nothing is clear all I know is I want to spend my life with you forever there is no one else out there for me.”
“I am sorry that I cannot return your feelings Tabatha but I know that I cannot spend the rest of my life with a girl and I am sorry but I don’t see how at only 17 years old you can possibly know that you will always love me or that you will always be interested is other girls for that matter.”
“That’s the strange thing though I don’t think I do like other girls, there is just something about you that makes me love you and want to be with you forever.”
I was confused how could she have such strong feelings for me but say that she had not attraction to girls there was so much I wanted to ask her so much we still had to talk about it but now wasn’t the time or the place and I could sense that if we didn’t return to our room soon we would never be able to found out about our destinies and right now unfortunately that would have to take priority over anything else I just hoped that Tabatha would understand this.
“I am sorry Tabatha I want to talk to you about this but I don’t feel that this is the time or the place to continue we must be getting back I fear that if at least one of us isn’t there when Rose gets back we will have even bigger things to worry about .”
“Fine we can go back as long as you promise that we will continue later.”
“Cross my heart as soon as we are able to talk privately in our room we will talk some more,” I said lifting her hand to my lips and kissing it the way we always did to seal a promise adding when I saw a grin spread across her face, “I am afraid you will have to lead the way back I have no idea how to get back to the room.”
As I followed her back to the room I couldn’t take my eyes off of her she really was beautiful and I had to wonder what it would be like if one day I gave in and loved her the way she wanted me to.
Rose was waiting for us when returned as I expected but she didn’t look angry, at first she didn’t even look up she just sat there staring at the floor her hand and shirt were soaked in blood, my first reaction was to run out of the room screaming then I caught a glimpse of her face and I could see that she was crying.
“Rose what happened, you look terrible,” I was scared to death but she had helped me and now it seemed that she could use some help herself.
“I went down to see my husband Mark who also happens to be the one person who can answer all of you questions. We were down in his office talking about the events that have unfolded and those that have yet to come to pass when we were attacked. My husband was stabbed and the assailant ran from the room ignoring me I tried to save him but he died in my arms. I am sorry girls but there is one left among us that know enough to tell you the full truth of your situation. I know some of it but I am afraid that it may not be enough, Jasmine and Lily may also be able to help they were training under my husband so they could one day step in and take his place, for them to help we must find them before they suffer the same fate and I fear the enemy may have a head start on us.”
“This is a large place though and it they don’t know where to look it could take a while.”
“That may be the case Tabatha, just one problem we don’t know where to look either.” I said without thinking.
“Couldn’t you find them the same way you find me, by sensing their energies?”
I was about to tell her that I wasn’t sure if I could since I didn’t know them as well as I did her when Rose answered for me, “There is no reason why Opal shouldn’t be able to use her abilities to find them. If I had known that she had already unlocked some of her powers I would have asked earlier.”
“I’m not sure if I can do it Rose, I was able to feel Tabatha because I know her really well I don’t know the two girls as well and I scared that if I fail they will die and fear has always made it hard for me to concentrate.
“You will not fail they are my daughters
, sit and take my hands and just focus and we will find them.”
I did as she asked and sat on the floor at her feet, at first I thought she might be wrong and we not find them in time, then I felt it just as I when I was looking for Tabatha. I looked up and Rose and Tabatha nodded and got up and we all ran from the room as I lead the way towards where I hoped we would find the two girls before trouble found us or them.
Unfortunately as luck would have it we found the two girls at the same time as Marks killed found them, he ran towards Jasmine a knife in his hand pointing at her chest, at the same moment I sprang towards him grabbing at his wrist causing him to slip backwards and hit his head.”
“Is he dead,” Lily stammered obviously still in shock after the attempt on her sister’s life.
“No I think he is just unconscious,” Rose replied.
“Mum what’s going on why, are you covered in blood?” Jasmine asked, she was trying to sound confident but we could all tell that this was really scaring her.
“There is no time to explain we have to get out of here now, we will explain everything to you later but right now we have to leave.”
“Where will we go I thought I would be safe here and now it seems that I was safer back where I was at least there my identity was a secret,” Tabatha said, “not that I want to go back there I am just saying that it seems nowhere is safe.”
“Follow me I will tell you where we are going once we get out of here for now you are just going to have to trust that I know what I am doing.”
“What about dad we can’t just leave him behind, he will surely be killed if that guy attacked me because of what I know he will be the next target?” Jasmine said looking at her mother.
“I’m afraid that we cannot save him they got there first that is why we came to find you.”
“Then we must leave here now if they were able to kill him they will certainly be able to kill us.”
No one else said anything we just turned and walked out of the building.