Over the next few minutes, she tells me why we were sent to live with Donald and Sandra instead of her and Dale. The threats of death the Council made toward them if they tried to take us out of Sweet Haven. That they felt the only way to protect us was to watch over us the best they could. The devastation of losing their daughter was deep, but knowing they would be around her children to help when they could, even if they had to watch the abuse we endured, helped with their grief.
Mae cries, and my heart fractures. I grieved for the mother I never knew and lost, but Mae’s heartache is so much more. She had her daughter for seventeen years and she was abruptly taken from her. Not just taken, but raped and murdered.
I close my eyes as a lingering pain forms in my stomach. To lose a child is a mother’s worst nightmare.
“I have something I want to give you. Mae gave it to me when she told me about our parents.”
Trouble gets up from the couch and reaches in his pocket. He puts a locket on a chain on the table between us and slides it across the surface.
“Open it,” he says gently.
With a shaky hand, I grab it. The silver is warm in my palm. My nerves quake as I open the clasp. I have a feeling I know what’s inside, but I’m no less mesmerized by the two images. On one side is a little boy holding an infant. The expression on his face couldn’t be misconstrued as anything other than wonder as he gazes down at the baby. A smile tips up my lips. It’s of me and Trouble.
My gaze moves to the image on the other side. My breath catches at the beautiful woman and handsome man. The woman has brown hair and the same blue eyes as Trouble and me. The man has blond hair and kind brown eyes. They look so happy and in love as they smile at the camera.
I run my finger over my mother’s face. “She’s beautiful,” I whisper in awe.
“She was,” Mae answers wistfully. “You look just like her.”
I glance up and smile sadly.
“I have more pictures of them, and I left some with Trouble as well. I’ll bring what I have over tomorrow.”
“I’d like that. Will you tell me about them?”
“I’ll tell you everything.”
With one more longing look, I carefully close the locket and put it on the table to slide it back to Trouble.
He shakes his head. “I think you should have it.”
“Are you sure?” I can’t keep the desperation out of my voice. I’d really like to keep it.
“Yes.”
My throat closes, but I manage to choke out, “Thank you.” I pull in a deep breath and still my resolve before turning to Aziah. With the locket in my palm, I let the chain hang down. “Will you put it on me?”
He takes the locket and handles it like it’s treasured gold, like he knows how precious it is to me.
I stand and put my back toward him, closing my eyes. Tension fills me and my nerves come alive, like tiny spiders crawling across my skin. I hold my breath and pray hard that I don’t black out. I don’t need to turn and watch him. I know he’s going slow, taking his time in
case I do react badly.
“Pull your hair to the side,” he rumbles quietly behind me. I can tell he’s still a couple of feet away. I’m grateful for his carefulness.
I do as he says, and a second later, the locket appears in my vision. He does the clasp without ever touching me. When the locket is resting against the skin on my chest, right over my heart, a weird feeling comes over me. It’s like the piece of jewelry was always meant to be there. It’s crazy to think, but that’s exactly what it feels like.
“Thank you,” I tell Mae, fingering the locket. “Thank you for being there for us when we were kids. Thank you for helping us and for being parents to us when ours couldn’t be.”
I’ll never again think of Donald and Sandra as our parents. They’re dead in more ways than one.
Mae’s teary gaze meets mine. “I just wish we could have done more to protect you all. Dale and I suffered during every Gathering because of what was happening, but our pain was no match for what you went through.”
“You made it easier to endure because we all knew you would be there at the end.”
“She’s right.” We all look at Trouble. He grabs Mae’s hand and squeezes it. “You and Dale healed not only our wounds, but the pain inside us. You gave us something no one else did. A safe place to come to afterwards, comfort when we needed it, and unconditional love.”
“Your parents would be so happy that you’re here with us,” she tells me before looking at Trouble. “And they’d be proud of what you turned this place into.”