"I'm starving." Selina complained as she entered the kitchen. "Mmm, bacon! Why aren't you done cooking yet? I need food!" Selina playfully stated while grabbing the ingredients for pancakes.
"It's only been 15 minutes. Plus, I move slower when someone wakes me at the crack of dawn." Liam responded with a fake yawn while looking at his sister. Her smile slipped. "Shit, sorry, Lina, I didn't mean to remind you of this morning's torture dream." He said while reaching to hug her.
"It's not that. I'm used to the dreams. It's just, it's... it's finally real. It's finally time to go. To go with nothing. No support, no money, and virtually no info. I wish to goddess mom was here. I miss her." Selina whispered as silent tears pricked her eyes. Liam's arms wrapped around her tightly. Selina took a deep breath trying to quell the grief that suddenly appeared and noticed a faint burning smell. "Liam, the bacon! You're burning my breakfast." She said as her head whipped over to look at the stove.
Liam ran back to the stove and removed the frying pan from the burner with one hand and took a big bite of one piece with the other. "Nope, not burnt...yet... HOT! HOT!" Liam said as he dropped the bacon strip on the floor and the pan on the counter, running to get a mouth full of milk. "Not burnt, just hot!" he said after swallowing the milk. Selina grinned. "Where are my pancakes. Stop distracting me and get cooking!" He demanded, frying the last of the bacon.
Liam and Selina were just filling the kitchen table with piles of bacon, fried eggs and pancakes as the others joined them in the kitchen. Dan and Shelby were a happily mated couple, with Kurt, their 20-year-old son. They had been happy to take Liam and Selina in and have treated them as family since. How this "grandmother" knew they would be safe here no one knew. Dan and Shelby had never seen her before she had shown up with two young children.
Shelby grabbed some plates and handed them out while she eyed the table. Amongst the bacon and pancakes was a selection of fruits and other toppings for the pancakes as well as fresh squeezed orange juice. The table was beautifully decorated with fresh picked wildflowers. She couldn't help but feel something was not right but brushed it off and began to fill her plate. "This looks great. I have some ideas for your birthday." Shelby said.
Liam and Selina looked at one another, "Well..." Liam said stopping to clear his throat and grabbing Selina's hand. He knew this goodbye was going to be difficult for her even if he did the talking. "We will need to leave before then." Liam was about to say more when Kurt jumped up and walked over to Selina.
"But your first shift is in a week. And I..." Kurt trailed off. He didn't need to finish. Selina knew what he wanted to say. He was hoping that they were mates. While some part of her wanted that too, she knew that it could never be. It was better this way. Selina stood up and gently hugged Kurt.
"I'm sorry, I would have liked that too, but my fate lies elsewhere." She whispered in his ear before returning to her chair. Liam could see that Selina was struggling to hold back her tears and was unable to say anything further. She began to fidget with the flowers,
Liam cleared his throat, trying recall what he had planned to say. "As you may remember, Selina sometimes has these dreams with useful tidbits of information." They were unable to hide the dreams when they first arrive as Selina would often wake the others with her screams or the sounds of her thrashing around in bed. Liam took a bite of a pancake smothered in whipped cream and fresh blueberries, trying to collect his thoughts. Selina grabbed his hand a squeezed it before she spoke.
"All I know is that it is time for use to leave. If we stay, something terrible is going to happen here. To protect you, I must leave. Today. After breakfast." Selina said quietly, looking at each of their faces. Selina began to thank them and wish them well when Kurt stopped her mid-sentence.
"What do you mean? What is going to happen. I don't understand." Kurt stammered as confusion spread across his face.
Selina took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I don't know exactly what will happen. I don't really recall any specific events. Just feelings. The last few nights it was just a feeling that we needed to leave. And then last night's dream was full of fire and a feeling that we need to leave now or something terrible will happen here. I'm sorry. That's all I know." Selina explained, with her voice growing quieter as her eyes began pleading with them to understand.
"OK. I see." Said Dan thoughtfully. "Let's enjoy this last meal together. We have been family for the last 10 years, that won't change now. A goodbye today, isn't a goodbye forever." With those words, Dan refilled his plate with bacon. They began to eat and reminisce with laughter filling the air at times. As the food disappeared, the conversation died down. Liam and Selina rose to clear the dishes, and Shelby joined them.
"It's been great having you two here. Dane and I have been expecting this. Just a feeling really. There is something that we need to give you." Shelby looked at Dan and nodded. Dan stood up and walked to the other side of the kitchen where he pulled a large dusty envelope out from behind the refrigerator and placed it on the table. "When your grandmother brought you here that night so long ago, she had this envelope with her. She instructed us not to open it and to hide until it was time for you to leave. She also told us, that you would know when it was time to go. We have never opened and I have to admit we are very curious to know what is in it. We always assumed it was some family information or inheritance. If you don't mind, we'd like to be here when you open it. We understand if you want to open it on your own, though." As Shelby finished speaking, she sat down beside Dan.
Selina looked at the bulging envelope and then at Liam, her eyes asking if he was OK opening it with them present. He nodded his OK. They both smiled and took their seats across from Shelby and Dan, while Kurt remained seated and silent beside his parents. Liam picked it up, brushed off the dust off the envelope and inspected it before handing it to Selina. Upon touching it, Selina gasped and for the first since time in anyone's memory, Selina cried large, shiny tears, flowing freely down her cheeks. Selina wiped her eyes and looked up at Liam, "It's from mom." She said while sobbing. Kurt remained seated and silent beside his parents while gently leaning across the table to hold Selina's free hand.
Liam enveloped his sister in hug while he shed a few tears and thought of his mother. How different their lives would have been if she were here. Wait? How does she know? How does she know this is from mom? Now is not the time to ask. There'll be time enough to ask later he reminded himself. Liam continued to comfort Selina as she sobbed. "It's OK Lina, take your time. Let me know when you're ready." Liam encouraged her quietly, not releasing her from his warm hug while she hid her tears behind her hands.
Eventually, Selina dried her eyes and took a hesitant breath as she looked at Liam. "You do it. I can't." She said slowly, between sniffles as she looked at Liam with red puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks while pushing the envelope back towards him with shaky hands. Liam gave her a gentle squeeze and released the hug, picking up the envelope. Kurt walked over and handed Liam a sharp knife and stood behind Selina, placing his hands gently on her shoulders, offering her his support. Selina looked up at Kurt and smiled as Liam slid the knife along the top of the envelope, taking care not cut the contents. Liam turned the envelope upside down and let the contents fall on the table.
Shelby looked inquisitively at Selina and asked the question everyone was thinking. "Selina, I'm just curious, how did you know this envelope was from your mom?". Everyone turned their eyes to Selina, eager to hear the response.
Selina looked at Shelby then turned to face Liam. "I just knew. As soon as I touched the envelope, I had this overwhelming feeling of sadness and loss and just knew." It was the same as my dreams she thought. "There is no doubt in my mind that mom prepared this envelope." Selina continued to watch Liam as he inspected everything on the table.
"Some documents, a USB flash drive, a piece of an old parchment and mom's old journal..." Liam stated as he flipped through the pages of an old notebook. Shelby and Dan left the room with Kurt following behind allowing the twins to examine the contents without interruptions.