bChapter /b479

    “Are you here to take me with you?”

    “Of course not.” Parrish’s voice came from right beside her, though Jade hadn’t noticed him approach.

    Jade let go of Alessia, and Parrish smoothly slipped his arm around

    Jade’s waist.

    The two of them were just as loving as ever, inseparable and lost in their own world.

    “Mr. Whitley…”

    “I heard from Jade that you’ve started calling her Mom. And what about me?” Parrish still had that same gentle humor Alessia remembered so

    well.

    Alessia blushed a little, but managed to say, “Dad.”

    Parrish’s smile widened. He patted her gently on the head, his happiness tinged with a quiet sadness, as if he were thinking, *How did this child be so easy to love, and so easy to worry about?*

    “Dad, Mom… Where are we? Aren’t you here to take me home?” Alessia finally voiced her confusion.

    “Silly girl, you’re not supposed to be here yet.” Jade flicked her gently on

    the forehead.

    For once, Alessia looked truly lost.

    i“/iYou’ve been asleep for a very, very long time, sweetheart. You can’t keep sleeping forever.”

    “I’ve been asleep for a long time?”

    Parrish nodded. “Listen…”

    “Listen to what?” Alessia blinked, and suddenly she could almost hear a voice urgently calling out her name.

    b1/3 /b

    b12:22 /b

    “We can’t go back, not anymore. But you two–promise me you’ll live well, okay?”

    “What do you mean?” Alessia’s anxiety spiked as their figures began to fade, growing dim at the edges.

    She reached out, desperate to grab their hands, but her hands passed right through them, as if they were made of smoke.

    “Cole’s been waiting for you a long time, Lessie. Go on, run toward the light–run, and find the one you’re meant to see.”

    And then they were gone. The abruptness of their departure left Alessia reeling, lost in the darkness.

    She looked around, searching for anything familiar, but the world was shrouded in ck. Suddenly, Cole’s face appeared before her, as if projected onto the darkness.

    She saw herself, eyes closed, tears streaming down her face. Cole was there too, red–eyed, frantically pressing the call button, his voice hoarse

    as he called out her name over and over.

    “Lessie… Lessie…”

    The sound was so desperate, so raw, that Alessia’s heart ached in her

    chest.

    She looked back toward where Parrish and Jade had vanished, and

    noticed a sliver of light breaking through the darkness.

    Without a second thought, she ran toward it, sprinting headlong into the glow.

    The harsh white light stung her eyes, forcing her to squeeze them shut. She tried to speak, her lips moving, but no sound came out.

    “Lessie!” The voice was gentle, almost fearful, as if raising it any louder might shatter the fragile hope of this moment.

    Alessia couldn’t speak, but she shaped Cole’s name silently with her lips.

    212

    – ???

    Chapter

    She felt a warm hand holding hers–Cole’s hand, strong and steady, wrapping easily around her own, anchoring her to reality.

    His hands were long–fingered and elegant, yet somehow they made hers feel small and safe.

    “Cole.” Alessia tried again, her voice barely more than a whisper, but real this time.

    “I’m here, Lessie.” Cole’s reply was thick with tears, his words trembling and broken.

    She felt something wet fall onto the back of her hand. Cole’s tears–he almost never cried. Most of the time, he seemed utterly carefree, untouched by the world, except for that one time when his parents died. Every other tear he’d ever shed, it seemed, had been for her.

    What had she wanted to say, just before she passed out?

    Oh, right.

    “I love you.i” /iHer voice was soft, each word gentle but unwavering.

    With thest of her strength spent on those three words, Alessia slipped back into sleep.