Stepping out of the shower, I was greeted by the sweet aroma of waffles. I quickly dressed and walked out to the kitchen. There at the table were my little girls, happily tearing into the blueberry waffles that Alaina had made for them. On the table was a stack of waffles and two empty plates.
I kissed Ariana on the cheek and thanked her for the wonderfully bountiful breakfast before I sat down and helped myself to a couple of waffles with fruit. She came with a coffee cup and a big pot of coffee before sitting down for breakfast herself.
The sky outside was beautifully blue and the sun shone through the kitchen window. I finally have the chance to feel peaceful. Not worrying about being found by the police or feeling the guilt of denying the girls time with their mother. Suddenly the deafening sound of rain. It was so loud I could not hear Alaina say something. Her mouth was moving but I could not hear a single sound. I looked outside the window, and it was still sunny. "Where is that sound coming from?" I questioned as I walked away from the table to check outside. I opened the door, and it was sunny and shining and I could not understand where the sound of rain came from. Then, Boom!
I was startled awake by the sound of thunder. I looked around and I realized that I was still on the couch. It was all a dream.
The feeling of ease that I had during the dream was slowly slipping away and replaced by annoyance. I don't know if I was annoyed that I am in the same situation or if I was annoyed by the fact I was no longer feeling at peace. I got up stretched and went to the faucet and lapped at the trickling spout to relieve my thirst. Afterwards I jumped back on the couch and found another comfortable position to lay back down. I tried to fall back asleep, but sleep eluded me for the rest of the night.
The next morning, Alaina left early to clear things up at the police station and also gather her stuff from the hotel. She will be spending the night at the hotel and meeting us at the airport the next day. The girls and I went to the ranch in Clovis to check on the families and inform mom that we will be away for a little while.
At Clovis, mom had already settled the new families. They lived in the house in the mystic realm with those that were already living there. I was thankful that the families that were already living there were so accommodating. Mom even had the old ranchers show the new people the ropes and had all the adults working on the ranch already.
Life here would not be very different from what they were used to on the farm. Now instead of farming they would be raising poultry, swine and cattle. There were even a couple of horses on the ranch that the kids could learn to ride. This would only be temporary. Hopefully, some will be able to move back to the lake house, after a few months. We would build a new farm on that land. Thank goodness that it was summer, and the kids are on the summer break from school. If we had to re-enroll so many kids into the schools at Clovis it would raise suspicion.
I found mom in the garden.
"Mom, I am so happy to see that you have adjusted nicely." as I walked up to her.
"Oh, Zack, girls", they hugged for a long time. "I am so glad that you are okay, I didn't know what to think when the girls brought the kids through the tunnel and said that they were going back to the farm during the fire," she said.
"Mom…," I hesitated.
"Girls, I am sure your horses miss you. Why don't you go for a ride near the trail? Come back for dinner though, "mom instructed the girls.
"Okay grandma," they answered as they happily bounded over to the stables.
When the girls were out of ear shot. "Mom, Alaina has found us. I have already told her our secret and this time I am hoping to make things right. I have asked her to come live with us, so that we could both be close to the girls and watch them grow up."
"I am assuming that she did not take that too well. Zack, I had told you from the beginning that you should have been open and honest with her," mom lectured.
"No, she actually took it much better than I thought she would. She had witnessed the girls' transformation and she was shocked, but she seemed to have accepted it very quickly. Even seeing me in this form, she seems to not care. Maybe because she no longer cares for me, so it doesn't affect her much," I sighed.
"You know you did this all to yourself," she sternly said. "If I had hid this big secret from your father, he would have kicked me to the sidelines a long time ago. Alaina had already been very patient and understanding."
"I know mom, I know I messed up. Every day that I have been away from her I have felt the guilt of what I had done," I said sadly.
She sighed, "You can't change the past, but you may be able to change the future. Try your hardest to make it up to her. I don't know how but you need to do something."
"I know. We are going back to Austin for a bit. She has agreed that she would come to Fresno to live with us for a bit," I said hopefully.
"Well, that is good. It will be really good for the girls to spend as much time as possible with their mom. I know that even though they understand why you took them here. They still missed their mom terribly; she said as she turned to continue her gardening. With her back to me, "Oh dear, why are you in your cat form?" she asked.
"I can't seem to transform back to the human form after I used my powers yesterday. I might have overdone it trying to shield Alaina from the smoke," I had tried a few times, but I can't seem to transform back. I have used my powers in creating a new doorway at the Lakehouse and closing the one at the farm, but I was drained each time. So, I assumed that I just over did it and once I have rested, I should be able to transform back," I hypnotized.
"Oh dear, I didn't think it was true," mom turned to me and scratched my head, "My mom had once told me this. The witch that gave us these powers was betrayed by her lover. So, in giving us these powers she also put a curse on us. The curse is that if we hurt those that we love, we will transform into our feline form until our partners truly forgive us. The curse is triggered by touching the tears of the ones we love."
"Mom, are you saying that I transformed because I touched her face while she was crying? So, if I never touched her tears, I would be fine and not be in this predicament now?" I asked. "That doesn't seem fair. So, if I hurt her and never meet her again, I would get away scot-free?"
"Well, I guess the witch's intention was to give us a chance to relieve our own guilt. To give us a chance to make amends to the ones we truly love," she sighed. Since we would only brush away the tears of those we care for." She sighed, "I have to say this is a blessing in disguise. Cause if this curse is true, then the last thing that mom had said about this curse would also be true."
"What is that?" I asked.
"She said that if the curse is never triggered, then the offender is cursed to never find love again and eventually die alone," mom said dramatically.
"That doesn't sound so bad. At this point I kind of prefer that to this punishment," I stated.
"You don't mean that, "she admonished. "Anyways, that is what the curse is."
"So, mom, I will stay in this form until Alaina forgives me for taking the kids. How the hell will I ever make that up to her?" I said exasperated.
"Well, there is hope, because you are in this form now, it also means that she still loves you deep down in her heart," mom said hopefully.
"Is that true?" I asked.
"I don't truly know, I am just trying to give you a silver lining here," mom said as she raised her hands seemingly giving up on the conversation. "Don't think so much about it now, just do right by her and she will eventually forgive you. Now go rest a bit, you seem very tired."
I listened and walked into the house through the cat door and found a warm spot near the window. As I was thinking about my dream last night, the warmth of the sun lulled me to sleep.
I awoke to the chill of the morning air that penetrated through the thin glass windows. I yawned and stretched. The sun rising in the yellow, orange sky. It was hope, it was a new beginning. I thought to myself, I will do anything she wishes for me to do and I will earn her trust again. I will be able to do it, no matter how long it would take. I have had her suffer for five years and I deserve to be punished for just as long, if that is what it takes. I took one long cleansing breath and with new determination decided to face what may come.