Staring into the familiar eyes of her fiancé, Cadence could hardly believe what she was hearing. “What?” she asked, clutching both of his arms. “What do you mean she went through the portal?”
“She left a letter,” he explained, his voice just as calm and serene as always. He slid his hands down her arms, and taking her hands in his, he continued. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
Following him into her grandmother’s living room, Cadence caught herself looking expectantly at her grandma’s favorite spot on the couch, which was empty. Aaron still held her hand, and he led her slowly over to the desk next to the large bay window that faced the side yard.
There, her eyes fell on a sheet of stationery with her grandma’s initials at the top. The handwriting was absolutely recognizable, and as Cadence picked it up off of the desk, her hands were shaking and her knees felt weak. Aaron’s hand on her shoulder was reassuring, but it was all she could do to hold back the tears as she began to read.
Dear Family,
I’m not exactly sure who might find this letter, though if I had to guess, I would say Aaron will come looking for me first. Always on top of things, that one!
Please forgive me for not letting any of you know my intentions ahead of time. If my plan has worked and I am gone, then you will understand why I did not speak of it before. I am of the belief that, if I were to let any of you know what I am about to do, you would try to stop me, and I am of a mind not to be stopped.
As you may have noticed, my health is beginning to fail. I am an old, old granny. While I love all of you very much, I know that my time on this earth is rapidly drawing to an end. Also, I miss Jordan beyond words. Others have said that the pain lessens with time, but I have not found that to be true. How I long to be with him again! And while I could find myself contented to sit here and wait my time, is there any promise that I will be reunited with him immediately? I fear not. Nor do I welcome death. For ages, I have stared death in the face and been the cause of sending many a foe to the otherworld. Now, faced with the prospect of suffering a heart attack or some other such calamity, I am afraid my courage has all but evaporated. No, this granny is content to go to the other side on her own terms.
And that is why I have decided to step into the next world right alongside the man I’ve loved for well over a century. When the portal opens, my plan is to cross over and join Jordan on the other side. While I am not exactly sure how this might work, I am willing to be the test factor and find out. (I’m sure Jamie and Christian will appreciate the research!) I know this may be quite troubling to some of you, especially my dear Cadence and Cassidy, along with your cousins Jacob and Ella. But do not be sad, little ones. Grandma is in a happier place, of that you can be sure.
I must say how proud I am of all of you. Lorraine and Eli, you have been such wonderful children to me. The idea that I might outlive the pair of you as I have your older siblings is unthinkable to me. I have loved Ralph and Liz as if they were my own; you have both chosen wonderful spouses. My grandchildren have made me nothing but delighted. My entire LIGHTS family has continued to impress me with their hard work, dedication, and perseverance which has made this old lady proud. Hold steadfast and never waver; there is nothing we cannot overcome if we do not fail to stand together!
Please remember, I will always love each of you. Please save your tears. There is no more sorrow, no more pain. I will always be with you.
All my love,
Janette
PS Cadence, if your plan has also been successful, don’t forget what I told you last week, and give Elliott a hug for me.
Love, Granny
Despite her grandmother’s wishes, Cadence desperately swiped at her tears to keep them from soiling the letter. She read it through twice and then, carefully handing it back to Aaron, she followed her grandmother’s instructions and wrapped her arms around Elliott’s neck.
“It’s okay, kid,” he said as he rubbed her back. “She really is in a better place. Trust me, I know.”
Cadence did her best to regain her composure, and after a few minutes of focusing on what Elliott had just said—that her grandmother truly was in paradise now—she was able to stop her tears at least temporarily. She let go of her friend, and stepping back, wiped her eyes on the sleeves of her jacket.
“Are you okay?” Aaron asked as he handed her a tissue.
Cadence nodded as she dried her tears. She remembered the first time she’d truly spoken to him, in her bedroom after the Eidolon Festival. She’d cried on his shoulder then as well, which was followed by her messy attempt to clean her tears off of his leather jacket with a wad of ineffective tissues. “I’ll be okay,” she finally managed to get out between shaky breaths.
“Why don’t I go check out the back yard?” Elliott suggested.
Aaron nodded at him and led Cadence over to the couch where she took the same spot she’d sat in only the week before when her grandmother had showed her the photo album and she’d found Elliott’s letter. “Do you want some water?” he asked, sitting down next to her on the edge of the sofa.
Cadence only managed a slight nod, and he kissed her softly on the top of the head before heading off to the kitchen. She heard the back door open and wondered if that was Elliott coming in or going out. While she hadn’t heard it open earlier, she may have just missed it. When she heard him say, “Hey boss man, you need to check this out,” she knew he must have already found something out back and was coming in to get Aaron.
“Just a second,” she heard Aaron reply, and a half a moment later, he was back next to her, a glass of water in his hand. “Here you go,” he said softly, handing it to her.
“Thank you,” Cadence said, attempting to take it. Her hands were still shaky, and when he didn’t let go, she was thankful. She managed to take a sip and then let him set it on the table next to the arm of the sofa.
“Will you be all right if I go outside with Elliott for a minute?” he asked, resuming his spot next to her on the couch, his arm around her.
“Yeah, I think so,” Cadence managed, and he kissed her again, this time on the temple, before brushing her hair back and disappearing through the doorway that led to the kitchen and the back yard.
Cadence was left all alone in her grandma’s big house with only her memories and shadows of the past to keep her company. She felt the tears coming again, wondering why the universe wouldn’t even give her a day’s worth of happiness before plunging her back into despair again, but as much as her insides ached at the loss of her grandmother, all she could really think about was how she was going to tell her little sister that she’d lost yet another loved one. The last time had been so unbelievably difficult, she’d hoped she’d never have to do it again. This time would be even worse because, in addition to telling Cassidy their grandmother was gone, she’d also have to tell her father that his mom had disappeared into the night through a portal to another dimension. For a moment, she wished that her life could just go back to the way that it was before Vampires, before hunts, before death and destruction. How much more of this could she take?
