I rematerialized since I am on the outskirts of the town near Talia’s house. Her home is well, no problems. It took me several minutes or so for me to walk into and through the sunflower fields and to finally see the tree from afar. I reached the tree and looked inside, but I did not see Talia. I hear no footsteps, nor do I sense anyone else out here, but I do hear a beat, her heartbeat. She is near the brook. I walked through the sunflowers and found the clearing with a patch of grass that is near the brook and the beating of her heart fills my ears to where I look down to my left. She was sleeping in the grass. She looks more peaceful this time than how I saw her last. Before, she looked uneasy and in fear as she slept back in her home.

Seeing her sleeping peacefully is what I have not seen before, and it is what I want her to have. And seeing the scenery surrounding us is breathtaking for an entity such as I. I might as well sit here and enjoy it until Talia wakes up.

.   .   .

It took half an hour for Talia to wake up. She is surprised to see me.

“Seth!” She speaks. “What are you doing here?! Are you alright?! What happened?!”

I answer her questions, but not in full. I then remembered Gino had shot me to where I moved the bullets out from the palm of my left hand. I told her about Gino firing Scottley, picking up the pieces of the Sampson incident last night, burning them, and cleaning her home while she was unconscious. Afterwards, I told her I was leaving, but I had advised her beforehand that even though no one knew where she is, the townspeople would search for her regardless. I am certain that it would make her question my motives. Why can I not take her out of Tinton? It is because my job is not done here. And once I have collected what is due, I will take my leave and let those two sort out my finds. With that goal, Talia will be safe with no one wanting to harm her. The decision of the people and myself leaving is up to her, not I.

I disappear like smoke and float back to Tinton faster than in my physical form. I come back finding most of the townspeople in an uproar where there is bickering and in-fighting in the town’s center. Denby, three other “elders”, and several officers are trying to stop the arguments and the fights to where some of the people were arrested. Even though the jailhouse is unlocked, Gino is nowhere inside. I looked around and found him inside his house with his doors locked. I am certain he feels as if he was a target to the people. Obviously. Morris was still inside the town hall, but it was locked so no one could come in. Fair and a smart idea.

As I look around still, I see the selected people who defended Talia that night in the town hall. Tori Lorne is looking out her window seeing what the cattle were doing. Mother and son, Mandy, and Randall Garner, look at the crowd in disgust as they leave the market. Julia, Loretta, Rachel, and Delotti were walking past the crowd with the few of them calling them “whores” and telling them to die. How pathetic these degradable wastes can be.

“Brothers and sisters!” Denby shouts gaining his flock’s attention once again. “Do not pass blame on our men in blue. You can only pass blame on the people who caused the demon to escape, and it’s on our chief and our mayor!”

The crowd agrees in response.

“Ask them why the demon is roaming free among us! Where is the cursed child, and where Sampson and the others are! Express to them what you feel!”

I can care less of what Denby says at this point, it is gaslighting garbage. I spot Arlena on the second floor in her family’s home packing her belongings. She was preparing to leave her parents who are part of the crowd right now. Of course, I would not blame her. I float my way through the house and into her room. As she was packing as much as she could, I could feel the weight inside of her heart. The burden of Gina’s death. I see her turn to the mirror in her room, she is looking at herself saying in her mind:

“What kind of a person am I? Why did I choose the wrong side? Why did I forsake her? She’ll never forgive me. I’m by myself on this…”

Arlena starts shedding her tears. I decided to materialize behind her, seeing me in the mirror, which made her scared and she turned to me.

“It’s you…” she says and starts to shake. “Please… Please, don’t kill me…”

She starts backing away from me to a corner of her wall. I walk toward her calmly.

“I did not come here to kill you.” I told her. “I came here to speak to you, Arlena.”

As calm as my voice was to her, fear and doubt gripped her still; she does not trust me. I close the gap between us, Arlena starts to whimper.

“What troubles your heart, Arlena?” I asked her.

She did not answer me and did not dare to move, so I raised my hands to touch her face. Once I did, looking into those fractured amber eyes, seeing through her memories, and finding her memories of Gina. The wonderous times they had together, the upsetting times they had. I then see Arlena’s parents disregarding and discouraging her from helping Gina. Then… I see the last memory she has of Gina that is seared into her mind, hanging from a beam in her bedroom. The tears flowed from her eyes and her pain felt like a stab to the heart. To my surprise, she wraps her arms around me and sobs. I decided to return the embrace, for her agony is too much for her to bear.

“…I should’ve been there for her…” She cries, laying her head on my chest. “I should’ve helped Gina, but I turned away from her. What kind of a person have I become? Gina… oh, Gina… I’m so sorry.”

“She forgives you.” I speak.

She looks up to my face.

“What do you mean?”

She is bewildered by my words, understandably so. To answer, I exhaled a white mist which began to spread through the room. A moment later, I hear Arlena gasp. I turned to see what she was seeing, and there she was. Gina. Short brunette hair, fair skin, green eyes, and a white dress that covered her from her neck to her feet, the same dress that she was laid to rest in.

“Gina?” Arlena asks with disbelief.

“Hey, Lena.” She speaks with a gentle smile.

Arlena lets go of me and walks to Gina.

“Gina… is it you?”

Gina gives a slight nod.

“…Gina… I am so sorry.” She cried. “I’m sorry I wasn’t… I- I couldn’t…”

Gina was able to touch Arlena’s shoulders and embrace her in a hug.

“It’s not your fault, Arlena.” She spoke. “I don’t blame you. You had been forced to stay away from me and I know that wasn’t what you wanted. I forgive you, Arlena.”

Hearing those words made Arlena sob more than she did previously as she held on to Gina.

“Please be happy that I’m no longer suffering.” Gina says. “For that, I want you to live on. Live on for me, but most of all yourself. Don’t make the same mistakes they’ve made and help her. Please.”

Arlena nods to Gina.

“I promise, Gina. I promise…” She answers. “I love you…”

With that promise, Gina smiles.

“I love you, Arlena.”

Gina then fades into a white mist. There was a sense of calm and ambition I felt when I looked at Arlena. The burden was lifted off of her, no more tears in her eyes. Those repaired amber eyes look to me.

“Who—or what are you?” She asks me.

“Are you willing to truly find out?”

She chose not to answer me and decided to change the subject.

“Is Talia home?”

“No.” I reply. “I had to hide her after she was attacked by Sampson and his men.”

Arlena looks at me with slight shock.

“Did you… kill them?”

“I did. They forced my hand.”

“Just like what you did to Solomon?”

“That was a different method than what I did to Sampson.”

“Fine. So, where is she?”

“Near the sunflower field.”

“Good… Please, Mr. Seth can you take me to her?”

“I cannot.”

“Why?”

“There are things that need to be taken care of. But once it is done, you will see Talia. Soon. Until then.”

I felt that I overstayed my welcome and disappeared to my plane, leaving out of Arlena’s room. I am certain others are going to search for her, especially Ramondo. I feel something is bound to happen, so I will keep a close eye on the coming events. Whatever comes, I will come back for you, Talia.