The Gypsy Luna's Beginning

Chapter 4 -Bring Back All The Memories

Rieka

Jackie, Sylvia, and myself were all sitting in the soundproof office with the door locked so that no one would bother us. I felt bad keeping things from the others, but how could I tell them what was going on if I didn't even know myself?

"Ok, so let me get this straight, you've managed to bring water into your bedroom in the middle of the night, all the way from the river between the new property and here? Trying to put out the fire in your dreams?" Sylvia's brows were furrowed in thought as she tapped her fingers on the desk.

I nodded my head. "Yep. That's exactly what I'm saying."

"That's a pretty impressive elemental power, though also scary when you think about it."

Sylvia slowly shook her head. "No Jackie, I think it's more than just her elemental powers."

"Because it's her subconscious that's controlling it?" Jackie raised a brow at the question that she asked.

"That's exactly it. You're pretty wise for a bear." Sylvia smirked at her own sarcasm.

Jackie let out an amused little snort before she turned to look me in the eyes. "And what about today? What exactly was that about?"

"Well, now, that's different. It started because I swear that I heard a voice call my old name."

"Rhiannon?"

I nodded my head again, happy that Sylvia said it so I wouldn't have to. Even though Gram gave me the name, it was what I was called when I didn't know the truth about my past and who I was, or should I say what I was. I left that name behind along with everything else from that part of my life.

"There's not many of us who know about that name. Those of us who do, wouldn't use it." I could tell by the look on her face that her brain was trying to figure out the mystery voice that started the events of this morning.

"That's not even the weird part, that's just the part that got me knocked out. The weird part is that I heard my parents talking."

"You mean like in your dreams? From the night of the fire?"

Being one to answer questions with my head before using my words, I shook my head at Jackie's question. "I mean from before I was even conceived."

"Rhi, do you mind if I call Maeve in here?"

I raised a curious brow at Sylvia. "Can she keep this between us? I really don't feel like explaining this to everyone else until I understand what's going on myself. Especially if they get pissed hearing it from her first."

"You wouldn't believe the secrets that girl can keep. She is my daughter, you know." Sylvia winked at me in reassurance.

I softly smiled at her, trusting that she wouldn't do anything to create issues with the others. "Then, of course, but can I ask why?"

"Well, I think that this will be a good learning experience for her."

I nodded at my friend. My nerves regarding what exactly was going on were starting to get the best of me, and I grabbed one of the Oreo-frosting filled donuts that Celeste made and started picking at it while we waited for Maeve. Not that my stomach was hungry, but my mind wanted to be occupied by something else.

"I wouldn't eat much of that if I were you." I gave Sylvia a questioning look as I left the donut alone. She waved her hand in a 'come in' motion, and the door to the office opened to reveal Maeve standing there just about ready to knock.

She really grew up to be a beautiful young woman. Her band colored skin made her light blue eyes sparkle, and to my surprise, the indigo blue hair was a natural color. Sylvia actually dyed black into her own to get the ombre look. Unlike her brother, Maeve's strength was in her mind and magic. Not that Aiden wasn't smart, but Maeve had the ability to focus on the most tedious tasks. She was also the only one out of the 5 kids without the ability to shift.

"What's up, mom?" Maeve asked with interest as she walked into the office, shutting the door behind her.

"I think you'll find what we're talking about very interesting. You just have to keep your mouth shut about what is going to go on in this room, understood?" Sylvia held Maeve's eyes with an intense gaze, letting her know that she meant business.

Maeve walked over and took a seat next to me. "Keep my mouth shut about what, mom?"

"Exactly."

Jackie smiled at Maeve's answer. "That's just one of the reasons I've liked her since she was born. She was always the quietest baby of the group."

Maeve

I was surprised when my mom linked me to join in on her private meeting with Jackie and Aunt Rhi. You can bet I wasn't about to miss whatever was going on in that room, especially if it involved finding out what exactly went on earlier. If that's the case, I had no problem with pretending I wasn't there.

Jackie was the first to jump back into their conversation. "So the dreams started quite a few years ago, right?"

"Yeah, about those. Can I be completely honest with you guys?"

My mom furrowed her brows at Aunt Rhi. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"This is kind of embarrassing and I don't want anyone to take offense."

"Rhi, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, especially if it's something that you need help with."

"Well, this won't seem as weird to you, Jackie. The dreams started shortly after Sylvia and the others all gave birth. There's a part of me that saw how they were with the kids, and I guess I envied it or something."

"That's completely understandable. I often think about how lucky these kids are to have the parents that they have."

My mom reached across the table and placed a reassuring hand on top of Aunt Rhi's. "You didn't really get the childhood that you should have had. You can't help feeling that way when you see others live a life that was literally torn away from you."

"You know, it is probably more curiosity than being envious, wondering what it is like and where you'd be if things were different." Jackie smiled as she attempted to make Aunt Rhi feel better about what she just told us.

"Yeah, I guess you're right on that one. I started thinking more about the what ifs and that's when the flashbacks started happening."

"I'm sorry, can someone fill me in? I know that Aunt Rhi basically raised herself because her real parents were killed, she was adopted by trolls, and her adoptive father left. But what flashbacks?" Typical mom fashion. She brings someone into something and doesn't even give them the full details.

"Oh, crap! I'm sorry Maeve!"

"She's old enough, you can swear around her, Rhi. In fact, the sailor mouth on her would put Seth to shame." Mom shook her head while quietly laughing at Aunt Rhi.

"Force of habit! Anywho. Many years ago Lupa had shown me memories of the past from the night my parents were killed to help me know what happened and the importance of who I was. Those were the dreams I had been having."

"So is that what happened this morning?" I was now equally invested in this mystery that they were clearly trying to figure out.

"Yes and no. This morning I heard my parents talking with each other."

"Like, from that night?"

"No, Maeve. Earlier. Years earlier."

"So before you were born?"

As Aunt Rhi filled me in, my mom's expression was that of interest and amusement. As if she figured out most of the sudoku puzzle before the rest of us even started.

"Before my mom was even Luna of Gypsy Moon."

"How is that possible?" Jackie furrowed in thought as she stared at the table as if it held the answers.

"Julia is how that's possible." My mom had a sly smile on her face now, and I wished I had her level of knowledge.

Aunt Rhi furrowed her brows. "What do you mean? How does Gram have anything to do with this?"

"I think that Julia was far more powerful than what she led anyone to believe. I think that the stress of the flashbacks and your desire for answers is tapping into the powers that she's passed onto you. Or you actually created the flashbacks yourself."

Jackie's eyes widened as she realized what my mom was saying. "So Rhi is making herself see into the past?"

"Exactly."

"Well, what is it that you saw?" Jackie asked Aunt Rhi with interest.

"I didn't see anything. But by my understanding, my parents weren't mates."

Jackie's expression went from shocked and interested, to one of deep thought. "Come again?"

"Long story short, my dad asked my mom to be his mate. They both agreed that if they found their second chance mates they would reject them for each other."

Jackie shook her head with furrowed brows as she leaned back in her chair and huffed. "They both stood a better chance of their original mates returning to them."

"That's exactly what my dad said."

"Also. Your birth must have really been wanted."

"What do you mean by Ain't Rhi's birth was really wanted?" Even though I have been raised in a pack, it's a very unique one, and there's still so much I have yet to learn about how they operate.

"They were chosen mates, not fated. Selene and Fenrir work together on their pairings. They have reasons why they choose specific fated mates, along with the wolf and human souls they pair together. There's even reasoning behind rejections and second chance mates. Chosen mates aren't meant to conceive, as they go against what the God and Goddess want."

"I never knew that." All of a sudden, Ain't Rhi became more interesting than she already was.

"Well, most accept their fated mate. If something goes wrong, a second is chosen. Sometimes it's known a rejection will happen, but it's needed to teach lessons or move in the right direction. Those deities work in mysterious ways."

That's when an idea hit me, and I turned to look at Aunt Rhi. "Go back, Aunt Rhi."

"Excuse me?"

"While we're here, to watch and make sure that nothing happens, try going back."

My mom smiled at me in approval before turning to look at Aunt Rhi. "Maeve is right. You want answers, don't you?"

"Well, yeah."

"This is happening for some reason. So, while the three of us are here with you, let's see what can be done."

"But, I don't even know where to begin with this. I don't know what to do." Aunt Rhi sighed in frustration as she leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin in the palms of her hands.

Mom quickly pulled out a small bag from her pocket, poured the dust contents in her hand, and blew it across the table at Aunt Rhi.

Aunt Rhi sat up quickly as she tried to get the dust out of her hair. Clearly, that bothered her more than what went in her face.

"What the f***k, Sylvia! The least you could have done was let me move the donut that you wouldn't let me eat! And look! It's like it's glued to my hair!"

"Oh, the donut is fine, you won't even taste the dust. What doesn't absorb into your hair will easily wash away. It will help you relax a little. Give it time."

"Gram used to just drug my tea. You could have done that, you know." Aunt Rhi furrowed her brows as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at my mom, causing Jackie to shake her head and laugh with amusement.

"But this added to the theatrics of it all." Mom winked at Aunt Rhi with her typical smart ass grin, while Aunt Rhi just rolled her eyes in return. "Maeve?"

"Mom?"

"Help your Aunt Rhi open her mind to the past."

I looked at my mom with wide eyes, shocked at what she was telling me to do. "What, what do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. You're going to be a powerful witch when you get older. You need practice with these things." My mom's voice was so calm yet had a matter-of-fact tone as well. Her expression was nothing short of being confident in what she was asking of me.

But I wasn't nearly as confident as my mom was as scenarios started racing through my mind of all of the bad things that could happen because of this. "What if I hurt her? I couldn't live with myself if ..."

"You're not going to hurt her. She's a True Born Elemental. Who knows what powers are dancing around inside of her. She needs help realizing the depth of her gifts, and you need to learn to use your magic on others besides offensive and defensive maneuvers. The worst case is nothing happens at all. Now go on. Get to it."

I looked at my Aunt Rhi who gave me a very sleepy looking smile and quietly nodded her head in agreement. She was always so eager to help all of us kids to improve.

Swallowing my reservations, I grabbed my chair and slid it across the floor so that I could sit in front of Aunt Rhi. I raised my hands and held them on either side of her temples, wiggling my fingers nervously.

"It's Ok Maeve, I trust you. You've got this."

I smiled back at my Aunt and nodded my head. I closed my eyes and slowly exhaled the breath I had been holding to help calm my nerves. I could feel little sparks start to bounce between my hands and Aunt Rhi's temples as visions started forming in the distance of my mind. Confusion started sinking in as I realized they didn't belong to me. I was seeing everything that Aunt Rhi was seeing, as if our minds were one.