Step by Stumble
1314 Words
When Skylar entered the conference room, she noticed that James and Dylan were sitting on the couch with the twins. Sadie sat in a chair nearby, holding Billy. All three of the babies were sleeping, and the room was eerily quiet. No one else was currently present. James looked up at her, but she couldn't read his expression.
"Where is everyone else?" Skylar whispered.
James shook his head, "They thought that the four of us needed time alone to digest the rest of the information."
Skylar nodded, "Okay." There was nothing else that she knew to say.
Dylan handed Donnie to James as he stood; he stated, "The rest of the translation is a little more difficult to follow."
"We need to hear it and work through this all together," Sadie stated rather bitterly.
"I don't know where to begin," Dylan sighed.
Skylar rolled her eyes, "Just tell us how we keep my babies from being separated. That's all I really care to know."
"It's not that simple. They will have to be separated. There aren't any further details regarding that, really," Dylan paused. "It says to get your twins to reunite; you will have to find the other seven books. It goes on to say that they are at the capital kingdoms for each race. It even lists them all; the witches, demons, vampires, chameleons..."
James cut him off, "Does it go as far as to tell us where these capital kingdoms are and what we will face? Or does it tell us when we will be separated from one of our children?"
Dylan shook his head, "No, I am sorry it doesn't give us those details."
"Then I don't care what it says. You said it was hard to follow. What is harder to follow than losing one of my children?" James yelled in frustration as he took the twins and headed back upstairs.
Skylar laughed and said to herself, "I thought I was taking it hard. I think he may be just as upset as I am. I never thought I would see my husband as anything more than a strong man but, when it comes to our children, he has a huge soft spot."
"Dylan does too. Even though he doesn't show it," Sadie stood and handed Billy to Dylan. "There is more in the script that we have not translated yet. We really need to finish it all as quickly as we can. I love you, Skylar, and I don't know why you have to go through these tests. Momma had to go through it as well. I don't understand the meaning behind it all, but I will help you the best I can to get through it."
Skylar shook her head, "I never thought in all my life that I had a sister, much less a twin that would stand by me. We have both been through so much in our lives already. We finally reunite, get married, and have kids, only to watch our family be torn apart again. How can we keep going through this over and over again?"
"Maybe we were reunited because we are stronger together than we ever were apart. Maybe there is something that we are missing in the whole mix of things," Sadie said. She turned to Dylan, "Didn't you say that there was someone here that could help more than even your parents? What was her name again?"
Dylan looked at the floor and rubbed the back of his head, "Taina."
Sadie snapped her fingers and shook her finger, "That's it. Where is she?"
"Do you remember when we first met?" Dylan asked.
Sadie smiled, "Of course, I do. You were talking to one of the other council children. What was her name? Umm, Tabitha?"
Dylan nodded slowly, "That's right. Tabitha is Taina. Taina is the name that everyone outside of her family called her."
"Okay, so where is she? I don't remember seeing her after we met," Sadie asked, confused.
"I don't know, Sadie. Tabitha was my wife. She divorced me the moment she felt our connection. No one has seen or heard from her since it was finalized. Well, it is hard to explain. As council member children, we didn't go through the whole actual legal marriage thing. It was more of an arrangement. We were married through our word only," Dylan tried to explain.
Sadie's eyes widened as she was fighting back the tears, "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you reject me? Why did you just let her go? Are you going to do me that way if you met someone else?"
Dylan turned and handed Skylar Billy, "Do you mind giving us a few minutes alone?"
Skylar took Billy, leaving Dylan and Sadie alone.
Sadie slowly sat back down, "Why didn't you explain this to me before?"
Dylan sighs, "I tried. You were so over the moon excited that you had found your fated mate that you didn't take the time to see what else was going on around us."
"That's not an excuse. It would be best if you had been honest. I know that I had some wild moments, but there was so much time that you could have explained it," Sadie was crying. "I broke up a perfectly happy marriage, and you didn't think it was important for it to be explained to me before now. We have a baby together and have been married a year. I am just supposed to pretend that Tabitha or Taina, or whatever her name is, was just a girlfriend or something. She was your freaking wife, for goodness sake. I can't believe you just turned your back on that."
"I didn't just turn my back on her. She left before I had a chance to say anything. She felt our ties break the moment that I smelled your scent. She knew that no matter what happened, I couldn't keep from being with you. I am so sorry that I didn't tell you. I hate that you had to find out this way. It isn't fair to you. I love you so much, Sadie. Taina was my best friend when we were kids. She told me if we never found our fated mates, we would get married. I know that I am only twenty-three, but we decided we would marry when we were only eighteen. Neither of us had ever been outside the walls of this castle. We always knew that that moment would come," Dylan paused and sat on the floor in front of Sadie. "Taina and I never shared a room or a bed. It was more of a mental thing. There was nothing physical with us. She was my chosen mate but more of my best friend. She fell in love with me with her whole heart, while I couldn't love her like that. I tried to stop her feelings for me."
Sadie just shook her head, "I need time to work through all of this. Just please leave me here alone for a while. I will take care of Billy. Will you ask someone for a room for you for the night?"
Dylan stood and leaned over to kiss Sadie on the head, "Yes, I love you. I will give you all the time you need. We can finish going over the translation in a couple of days."
As Sadie watched her husband, the love of her life, walk out of the room, the tears began to fall harder. She was so angry that he never told her. That he never tried to stop Taina from leaving. Why would a man just walk away from the woman he promised himself to because he met the love of his life? That's not how love is supposed to work. Sadie has broken all over again, but something that she had no control over.
- Writer
