“Morgan!” Tammer whispered harshly, snapping out of his trance. “Don’t ever wish for that!”
Why? It’s a lot easier.
“Because you can’t control your body when you’re in limbo. You don’t know anything about these new powers. You were able to stay in limbo for a few days, but look what happened to your body! You were dying, Morgan! There’s no way you can go back to that state until you’ve had the proper training.”
So I would be able to do it again? That gave me hope.
“Yes, most likely, but please promise me you won’t try anything until we are able to find Aletheia or someone who can help you harness your new powers.”
I relented - if anything, to get him off my back. I wanted to lie back down. Tammer pushed the down button for me. When the bed was about perfect, he stopped and reached forward, kissing me on the cheek.
“I need to talk with you and Thayde when you’re both up to it. There are a few things I need to tell you.” He looked down at Thayde and shook his head. “I don’t know how he does it. He’s eaten once in a week and slept just a few hours. His love for you reminds me of my love for Elan.”
When he mentioned my mother’s name, he looked back at her. “I think I’ll go and be with her now while you sleep.” He winked and stood. “Sweet dreams.”
He returned to her, placing his arms gently around her shoulders. She nuzzled into him and he pulled her closer. They were so in love with each other. It gave me hope for Thayde and me. Thayde. He continued to sleep half in the chair and half on my bed. He must have been exhausted. I took his hand in mine and relaxed into the bed. Sleep would be nice.
I woke up to the three of them standing around my bed, watching me. No one said a word until I wearily opened my eyes and stared each of them in the face. Talk about weird.
“My baby,” Mom said, squeezing me tight. She held me for a full minute, all her energy flowing into me. I felt as if I’d just been given a massive dose of energy pills or something. When she pulled away, I felt the urge to run a marathon, conquer the Alps, or lift a car. It was an incredible feeling.
“A few more of those and you’ll be right on track,” Tammer chuckled. “Feels nice, doesn’t it?”
I nodded and reached for Thayde who pulled me into a gentle embrace.
“Hi love,” he said. “How are you feeling now?”
“Good,” I said, realizing my voice had grown in strength. “Much better now.”
“Great!” Mom was practically glowing with happiness. “The sooner you feel better, the sooner we can leave this place and go home.”
Home? I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to stay with Thayde. I shook my head.
“I’m not going home. I’ve got a full year of school!”
Mom looked confused. “How do you think you’re going to learn about your powers? You can’t do both!”
“I can’t leave Thayde.”
“I’ll go back with you,” Thayde offered and I shook my head again.
“There’s no way I’m making you ditch your last year. You’ve got to finish.”
No one said a word. The noise from outside my room drifted in. The click of the clock’s hands and the beep of the heart monitor competed for attention.
“What’s going on?” I asked. Something was obviously up.
“It’s just that…” Mom stammered.
“We thought you wanted to learn about your powers.” Tammer finished.
“Yeah, I do, but I’ve got to go to school too.”
“There’s no way you’ll be able to do both.”
“Why not?”
“Morgan,” Tammer began, “it’s not a matter of just wanting to do it. This is a huge responsibility and it will take a great deal of time. I don’t think you’ll be able to do your grades justice doing both.”
“So, you just expected me to drop out of university?” I couldn’t believe it. Here they were, doing the exact opposite of what they’d preached to me the entire time last year: finish school, go to college and someday get married.
“I think you should listen to them,” Thayde sided with my parents. “It’s going to be pretty overwhelming for you.”
I thought about it for a moment. If learning about all this was truly such a huge ordeal, then I understood why they wanted me to return home. But I couldn’t give up going to university because of it. Thayde would be graduating this year and if I was leaving, it meant he’d be leaving too and that was impossible.
“Maybe we could work something out?” I asked, my voice hopeful.