After a difficult and painful journey, the teens had arrived.
"She's here!" Cassie grinned. "I can't believe she's finally here."
"I've put them in the spare beds," Gwen said. "They need to rest. I'm worried about Miranda. She's been through so much."
"We'll take care of her," Cassie said. "She's home... also, are you ever going to tell Cally to stay off the counters?"
"No," Gwen said. "Why?"
"I've put them in the spare beds," Gwen said. "They need to rest. I'm worried about Miranda. She's been through so much."
"We'll take care of her," Cassie said. "She's home... also, are you ever going to tell Cally to stay off the counters?"
"No," Gwen said. "Why?"
Morning brought a simple breakfast. Gwen had remembered Jake's declaration of vegetarianism and provided accordingly.
She took a little time to get to know the young werewolves...
Jake was still star-struck to find himself talking to someone as famous and influential as Cassie!
Jake was still star-struck to find himself talking to someone as famous and influential as Cassie!
The panicked cry of Gwen's cat, Cally, and a peal of wild laughter brought them all running to the living room...
Miranda
stood in the center of the room, laughing maniacally while flames
surged uncontrollably around her. The couch was already engulfed in
fire. Flames licked the edges of her clothes and her eyes were wild.
Even as the teens ran, looking for a way to extinguish the flames, Gwen gestured imperiously, her voice hard with command. Obedient, the wild flames died. A negligent gesture restored the couch and scorched floor boards, but Gwen's eyes remained fixed on Miranda.
Tears ran down the young woman's face as her hysterical laughter hiccoughed away.
"The fire... it doesn't even hurt," Miranda sobbed. "I'm so cold... I'm so... I thought ... I thought I could... but Nick! It's too much."
"I know," Gwen said softly. "I know. We've faced so much pain. So much fear and such deep loss. You've carried more than I had any right to ask of you..."
"You don't understand," Miranda wept.
"I lost everything... here," Gwen replied softly. "In the place you are standing, I watched my mother and grandmother die. I fled into the night, like you. I found safety, like you... and it almost destroyed me. I was broken... for a long time. The feelings inside me... I still can't always contain them."
"How... how do you live with it?" Miranda asked.
"Mediation and magic," Gwen smiled sadly. "This potion settles my mind, helps me stay... well, maybe not sane but functional. Drink. It won't heal your hurts but it will make the pain bearable."
Even as the teens ran, looking for a way to extinguish the flames, Gwen gestured imperiously, her voice hard with command. Obedient, the wild flames died. A negligent gesture restored the couch and scorched floor boards, but Gwen's eyes remained fixed on Miranda.
Tears ran down the young woman's face as her hysterical laughter hiccoughed away.
"The fire... it doesn't even hurt," Miranda sobbed. "I'm so cold... I'm so... I thought ... I thought I could... but Nick! It's too much."
"I know," Gwen said softly. "I know. We've faced so much pain. So much fear and such deep loss. You've carried more than I had any right to ask of you..."
"You don't understand," Miranda wept.
"I lost everything... here," Gwen replied softly. "In the place you are standing, I watched my mother and grandmother die. I fled into the night, like you. I found safety, like you... and it almost destroyed me. I was broken... for a long time. The feelings inside me... I still can't always contain them."
"How... how do you live with it?" Miranda asked.
"Mediation and magic," Gwen smiled sadly. "This potion settles my mind, helps me stay... well, maybe not sane but functional. Drink. It won't heal your hurts but it will make the pain bearable."
(Author's Note: So,
that happened. While I'm paying attention to Jake and Beth, suddenly a
notification pops up that Miranda found a fire. Turns out, Miranda was on fire and
moving rapidly toward dying of hysterical laughter if the fire didn't
kill her first. Sorry, I didn't get any good screenshots... I was a
little busy keep my main character alive. - L)
"Oh God, Miranda!" Beth cried. "Are you alright?"
"I'm... calmer," Miranda allowed. "I... I'm so sorry...."
"Just don't do that again," Beth declared. "I'm not going to lose you too!"
"I..." Miranda wasn't sure what to say to Gwen.
"Miranda," Gwen said softly, "do you understand wyrd?"
"Yeah, we're definitely not normal people."
"No, my sweet child. Not weird (though, I agree, we are that as well)... wyrd," Gwen said. "It's an old word... most often translated as Fate. Most people think that Fate is something that happens to you. Something inescapable and predetermined. That isn't what wyrd means. It shares the same root as a word which means "to become" ... Wyrd is that which has happened, is happening and will happen. It is the sum of the events around us and of our choices.
"You're werewolf friends have a closer tie to the wyrd," Gwen continued. "They understand, instinctively. So, they understand that what happened to Nick is not your fault. You made a choice, to find the Moonwood Wand and bring it here. Nick made a choice, to go with you and to risk his life to protect you. The nameless vampire who came for you made a choice, to kill Nick... and all of those choices - yours, Nicks, even the vampires, were shaped by the choices you had all made before, by the choices of others who were not there, even by the wind, the rain and the moon.
"Honor Nick's choice, and grieve, but do not carry guilt over that choice. It was his to make and he made it bravely. I'm only sorry I never got to meet him."
"Miranda," Gwen said softly, "do you understand wyrd?"
"Yeah, we're definitely not normal people."
"No, my sweet child. Not weird (though, I agree, we are that as well)... wyrd," Gwen said. "It's an old word... most often translated as Fate. Most people think that Fate is something that happens to you. Something inescapable and predetermined. That isn't what wyrd means. It shares the same root as a word which means "to become" ... Wyrd is that which has happened, is happening and will happen. It is the sum of the events around us and of our choices.
"You're werewolf friends have a closer tie to the wyrd," Gwen continued. "They understand, instinctively. So, they understand that what happened to Nick is not your fault. You made a choice, to find the Moonwood Wand and bring it here. Nick made a choice, to go with you and to risk his life to protect you. The nameless vampire who came for you made a choice, to kill Nick... and all of those choices - yours, Nicks, even the vampires, were shaped by the choices you had all made before, by the choices of others who were not there, even by the wind, the rain and the moon.
"Honor Nick's choice, and grieve, but do not carry guilt over that choice. It was his to make and he made it bravely. I'm only sorry I never got to meet him."
Later, while the others rested, Gwen considered the wyrd. She hoped she had made the right choices. Only time would tell.
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