too quickly. Looking up at him, I can see small pieces of sadness in his gray eyes. He is very handsome, with his crooked nose and scar only adding to his appearance. Something about the way he speaks tugs at my heart strings. I can tell that Liam loves and misses his mother, so I can relate to him in that way.
“I’m sorry about your mother Liam. She sounds like a very smart woman.”
“She was.” My eyes travel down his face and land on his rather large arm. I can see the outline of his flamed tattoo peeking from underneath the sleeve of his t-shirt. Slowly, I roll the sleeve up to get a better look at it. I can feel him watching me, but I don’t look up. When the full tattoo is visible, I slowly trace along the edges with my finger, barely touching his skin.
“Is that why you got this tattoo?”
“Yeah. I got it when I was seventeen after a bad period in my life. It’s a reminder for me to not dwell too much on the bad things. Flickers in the flames don’t remain for long. The flame will return to its bright luminance once again. Everything happens for a reason and we can’t live too long in the past, otherwise the future will fly past us.” He brings his hand under my chin and tilts my head back, making me look at him. “Please don’t forget that, Ryanne. It’s always better to light a candle than dwell in the darkness.”
I stare into his gray eyes for a couple of seconds before nodding. He’s right, but making myself follow that idea is going to be difficult. I lean back against his shoulder and curl into his side.
My mom wouldn’t want me to be sad that she is gone. She would want me to cherish the fact that I got a second chance. She swerved so that I would be able to live. I can’t change the past and she wouldn’t want me to. Everything does happen for a reason. I know that my mom can see me; that she’s always rooting for me to succeed. I feel a single tear run down my cheek. I am stronger now than I was and am slowly getting stronger every day. It’s going to take some time, but I know that I’ll grow to appreciate what she did for me down the long road ahead.
“Did we disturb the movie?” I ask when I realize that the room is silent and everyone is watching me yet again.
“No. The movie’s been over for a couple minutes now,” Emma replies.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that eavesdropping was rude?” Liam says in a light voice, laughter hidden beneath the words.
Shrugging, she replies. “Someone may have…once…I don’t really remember.” David laughs and picks Emma up, throwing her over his shoulder. She screams at the suddenness of his actions. With her giggling, he runs into the hallway. Everyone’s eyes follow them, confused.
He runs back into the room, sans Emma, “Are you guys coming? It’s training time,” he says. Running over to me, he grabs my arms and pulls me off of the chair, dragging me towards the door. When he touches me, I get the sensation that is starting to become familiar to me. “David…” is all I can get out before I fall forward into a vision.
The backyard is decorated for a special occasion. Small lights, shaped like lilies, line the stone pathway. Tall, thin columns are erected around the perimeter of the yard, enclosing a small area large enough for this reception. Sheer fabric connects the columns on either side of the lawn, letting sporadic strips of sunlight shine through. White flowers with pink accents line the base of columns. The grass is sparkly, as if someone had thrown glitter all over it and numerous lawn chairs are lined in rows on both sides, with people sitting in them.
David is standing at the end of the aisle, fidgeting nervously. Wedding music starts playing and everyone stands up and turns around, awaiting the bride. At the end of the aisle is a beautiful bride staring at David. Wearing a short white silk dress that flows around her knees, Emma beams at her future husband as she starts walking down the aisle.
I come back to the present and find myself leaning against David. “Did you have another vision? What happened?” He looks concerned. I look behind me and see Logan, Liam, and Colton with similar