Destiny's Awakening

3. THREE

THREE

My sisters' voices pulled at my consciousness. But sleep's warm embrace held me, and I tried to tune them out. Until memories of my visit with the Mothers slammed into me, at least. I sat up like a shot, blankets pooling around my waist.

"Happy birthday!" Zinnia said in a sing-song voice, leaping from her bed and skipping to mine, settling on the edge as she beamed at me.

Violet, more subdued, gave me a smile and sat on the opposite edge of the bed. Her hazel eyes swept over my face, which I was sure held the awe and disbelief I was feeling. Her eyes narrowed.

"Why does your face look like that?" she asked, waving her hand at me.

"I… I saw the Mothers," I told them, voice soft with the impossibility of it.

"You mean, you dreamt of the Mothers," Zinnia corrected, and I shook my head adamantly. "No, I saw the Mothers. As in, I was in Monassa with them."

Both my sisters looked at me as if I'd lost my mind and exchanged a wary glance. Violet reached for my hand. "It was just a dream, Aster. The Mothers aren't real. They're just a story Mama liked to tell us to keep us in line."

I pulled my hand free. "They're real, Vi. I spoke with them. It wasn't just a dream."

Another exchange of worried glances. This time, it was Zinnia who spoke, voice placating, "Alright, we believe you."

When Vi scoffed, Zinnia shot her a glare before looking back at me. "What did they say?"

Needing to talk about it with someone, I told them everything. The future that had been promised to me. How I'd bargained to include them both, and the other women of Monari.

It was clear neither of them entirely believed me, but their reactions couldn't have been more different from one another.

Zinnia's face lit up with amazed wonder. "Imagine if it's real…"

Violet remained quiet for a long time, then ever so quietly questioned, "Are we puppets meant to be controlled by the Mothers now while they feed off us like leeches?"

The silence that followed was far from comfortable. Zinnia's wonder faded to hurt, and anger built in my chest.

"But they said it would be our choice. Through the vow, right, Aster?" Zinnia's hazel eyes searched mine, and I nodded, still surprised by Violet's reaction.

I knew I'd need to redirect the conversation before my sisters began bickering. If it started this early in the day, they'd be at each other's throats the entire day.

"Hush now!" I snapped, cutting Violet off before she could say anything else.

"The only one who has a decision to make, right now, is me. We'll know well enough tomorrow morning if it was real or not. There's no reason to argue about it. Right?" I looked at each of them, waiting until they nodded.

"Besides, it's my birthday, which means you have to listen to me," I informed them with a smirk.

I'd snuck away from the festivities, escaping the hugs and well wishes, to hide amongst the old oaks and sat on a low branch. From my hiding place, I could see my sisters dancing and laughing, enjoying the warm night. But I was more interested in the show the stars were putting on above me. I wished to pluck one from the sky and cradle it in my hand.

"Are you hiding?" Full of amusement, a male voice asked, interrupting my stargazing.

Blinking twice, my eyes refocused to find Jacob approaching, carefully navigating the big oak's gnarled branches to avoid spilling the contents of the cups he carried. He offered one to me, and I accepted it with a soft smile.

"You are, aren't you?" he asked without a hint of judgment, his smile warm as he took a seat next to me.

My eyes did a quick scan of the young man I'd often gone to when something was weighing on me, remembering how he'd always listened and never made me feel judged. It was his best quality, and once I believed it meant we were just as perfect for each other as our mothers longed for us to be. But now, as he sat beside me, I saw only a friend.

As I sipped the wine, its tart sweetness washed across my tongue, transporting me back to a solstice party three years earlier. Violet had somehow stolen two bottles of wine without our parents noticing, and together, Jacob, Vi and I had snuck off into the woods to share it. We'd laughed deliriously as the wine made our heads and bodies fuzzy and heavy in the most delightful way.

It'd been wonderful, at least until the morning. Mama had banged about the kitchen, slamming pots on the stove and singing at the top of her lungs, fully aware of what Vi and I had gotten up to the night before. She'd never called us on our mischief, just watched us struggle to eat our breakfast with a smug smirk that'd only grown when she handed over the slop buckets, our faces turning green.

Jacob poked my arm. "What are you smiling about?"

"I was thinking of that solstice when Vi stole the wine." I laughed, and he joined in, shaking his head.

"We thought we were so clever."

"We weren't," I laughed. "Not at all."

He smiled affectionately at me as he tucked a blonde wave behind my ear. I pulled away, hands smoothing over my hair and avoiding the sudden intensity in his eyes. When he cleared his throat and shifted, clearly as nervous as I was, I felt a little better. Until he said, voice soft and uncertain, "Aster, there's something I wanted to discuss with you."

Please, no.

He reached for my cup, taking it from me to set on the ground along with his own, then scooted in closer. My heart hammered in my chest. My lungs refused to work.

Don’t. Please.

His hands wrapped around mine. "I've admired you forever, Aster." His eyes were so earnest. "Now that we're of age, I want us to be together."

"Jacob." It was quiet, but it'd secured his attention.

When his eyes met mine, saw what they contained; he released my hands gently and put a little distance between us. His brows creased. "I don't understand. I thought it's what you wanted too." The hurt on his face made my heart ache. "What changed?"

"I think I did."

He stared off into the night for a moment before asking, "Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?"

A frown pulled at the corners of my mouth, and resignation filled his face; his chin dropped to his chest. After a moment, he lifted his eyes to mine, and there was a soft, gracious angle to his lips. "I see."

He stood, turning from me with his head hung, hands tucked into his pockets as he returned to the party. At the treeline, he looked over his shoulder. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Aster."

It felt more gracious than I deserved. If only I could have explained so he'd understand. But I was sure nothing I could say would have made sense, or sounded like more than a lame excuse. Neither of which Jacob deserved. I could only hope everything would make sense when the Mothers' plans unfolded and we'd both look back on this moment with gratitude. It did little to ease my regret for having hurt his feelings, though.

I stayed there, under the protective canopy of the oaks, for the rest of the evening. Only after our friends and neighbors had said goodnight, heading for their own homes, did I make my way out of the trees and allow my sisters to drag me inside.

After we'd gotten ready for bed, tucking ourselves into our blankets, quiet apprehension filled the room.

"So, what, you just go to sleep and that's it?" Vi asked.

I chuckled and shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Are you nervous?" Zinnia asked, eyes worried.

"A little." I nodded. What if I can't fall asleep? What if it really was just another dream? What if I agreed to the bargain and came to regret it?

“They may not give you the option,” Vi grumbled, sinking under the covers.

With a frown, I did the same and blew out the candle on my bedside table. I heard Vi and Zinnia’s huffs of breath as they did the same, plunging the room into darkness.

A long moment later, Zinnia whispered, "Good travels, sister."

A beat later, Vi echoed the words, and a smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

It was enough.

I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes.