“Azarov what the hell are you doing with my daughter? I finally ran you thoroughly, I know who you are...” He stopped short when he saw the room full of people.
“I’m sorry you had to find out that way. I wanted to tell you myself, but she needed to know first. Just believe me when I say that there’s no need to be afraid for her, as long as I’m alive she will be safe.”
“Why should I trust you? What the hell is going on here and what does it have to do with what happened all those years ago? When your family was here before?” he spread his arms to encompass the whole room.
“I’m afraid it goes back farther than that sir, it’s about your mother’s line...”
“Mom? I don’t understand, what could my mom possibly have to do with any of this?”
“Not the woman who raised you, your real mother.”
“I’m well aware that I was adopted Azarov, but no one knows who my real parents were.”
“I’m afraid that’s not true.” I listened as he told him of his family lineage and all the things he’d shared with me earlier.
I was pretty sure of the outcome, dad wasn’t going to go for any of that hocus-pocus stuff he’s too practical for that.
After Thorn was through dad turned bewildered eyes towards me. “Do you believe all that stuff he’s saying Jazz?”
“I’m afraid so dad, but I had more experience with the unreal before now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I use to see Thorn in my dreams all those years ago. I always felt things, I don’t know, but I always knew there was something else going on, I just didn’t know that it was this big and complicated.”
“I’m still not sure about any of it. Did he tell you the part about my father being the descendant of royalty?”
At least he could find humor in the situation because he was twirling his finger next to his head when he said this.
“Yes dad he told me everything.” The rest of the room had remained still throughout all of this, to the point that I had almost forgotten that they were there.
Suddenly there was a very strong presence in the room, though I saw nothing, only felt. Everyone, including me, was on the edge of our seats but then dad’s voice intruded once again.
“Okay, but the one thing I don’t understand, how did your mother know how to run all those years, she doesn’t have any of these powers does she?”
“I can answer that.”
Just then I saw myself move into the room, or a replica of me. Thorn and dad came to flank me on both sides, but I didn’t feel fear from this new person.
The rest of the room was in an uproar; voices were raised in question as they took in the new addition.
There was a lot of ‘how, and is she real?’ as she stood still staring at me.
“Babushka.” The word floated through my mind like smoke. Both men turned to look at me.
“Ekaterina.” That was Thorn two seconds before I put it together. Dad fell back into the chair and I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack.
The two of them had eyes only for each other now, though dad seemed ready to expire.
“How...?” he looked to Thorn and me for some kind of explanation but his mother beat us to it, my dead grandmother.
When had my life become a Stephen King novel? That’s what I get for moving to New England.
“I was the one who told Anna how to keep hiding. From that first night I led her away from here. I’m sorry son it was the only way to keep all of you safe until now. They would’ve killed all of you if she’d stayed here.”
She looked pointedly at the Divecki family who were all trying to escape the room at this point.
All except Mina who was about to lose her eyes if she didn’t stop staring at my future husband like a lovesick puppy.
“Thank you.” Wow, I hadn’t expected that from dad, but I suppose he was in shock. Nothing about this day seemed real anymore, and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“So mom wasn’t crazy? There really were people after us all those times she kept dragging us all over the place?”
“Far from it, she loves you both very much, that’s why she made such a sacrifice. Only at the end her fear was too great and she didn’t want you to come back here to fulfill your destiny.
She still believes that the ones who ordered the murders of you and your grandparents would be successful if you came back here.”
Again she looked towards the Divecki family who were blocked from leaving the room by Bryce and his father, whom I had yet to meet officially.