Blue stared at the man Devon. She looked at him for a long time, analyzing his face - his eyes, his mouth, the curve of his cheekbones and jawline. By reflex she wanted to say no, to not believe these people - the woman from the hidden lab, the man from the balcony with no exit.
"B?" said Georgeanne. Blue turned to look at her sister and felt a smile behind her lips, but then saw the woman beside her and the smile was stuck in limbo. "B?" she said again. Instead of answering, she rose up and walked away from the three of them. Standing at the opposite side of the gazebo, she looked out at the garden and all of its blooms. Her mind was racing, and she didn't know how to answer her sister.
"Are you all right?" asked Devon from somewhere behind her.
Defensively she snapped, "No. I'm not all right." She turned to face him where he stood at the gazebo's center. "How can you ask me that? After everything that's happened? That we've heard?" They stared at each other for a moment before she added, a little more calmly, "No, uncle," she said with a little sarcasm to it, "I am not all right."
Georgeanne rose from her seat and walked to her sister, trying to block her view of Devon. "I know it's a lot to take in," she said, Blue's eyes falling to her sister's. "I admit, I'm having a little difficulty myself understanding everything, but-." She paused, searching for the words, but there really were none that fit. Instead, she smiled that sweet smile Blue had grown up with and said, "Don't you feel it, B? Just sift through all the crazy and strange, the anger and confusion, and there's something there underneath all of it that just seems to feel right."
She closed her eyes and let her sister's words settle in her mind. With each breath, the anger dissipated, and that feeling rose up. Georgeanne was right. Blue wanted to trust in that feeling. She just wanted to understand it. She wanted to understand it all. "It's just so much," she said looking into her sister's eyes. Georgeanne reached out and smoothed her cheek with her thumb. It was then that Blue realized she was crying.
"I know," she said, a few tears falling from her own eyes. Blue wiped her sister's tears away. With a sniffle, she added, "Having been lied to all this time. We have a right to be angry."
"It's not just that," said Blue. She stepped beside her sister and looked at their two companions. "There's this new world we've been a part of but know nothing about."
"We'll teach you, dear," said Aggie. "Both of you."
"Teach us what?" asked Georgeanne. "I mean, everything that's happened lately... like..."
"Rooms that aren't really there," said Blue.
"Dreams that aren't really dreams," added Georgeanne.
"People that don't seem to have aged a day," Blue pointed out, eying Aggie and Devon.
The older woman quietly chortled.
"The book!" said Georgeanne. "The book that has my writing in it."
"Okay," said Devon, his hands out, palms down, in a surrendering gesture. "We realize it's all a bit much and that you have questions." He held a finger up at Blue who was just about to say something sarcastic but remained silent. "Obviously this is going to take some time."
"Something we don't have a lot of," said Aggie. Devon and the girls looked at the woman worriedly.
"What's wrong?"
Aggie looked about her as if following a lightning bug only she could see. Her wandering eyes stopped chasing whatever they were after, as if they had caught the invisible prey. "She knows," said the woman, her tone serious.
"Who?" asked Georgeanne.
The woman's eyes fell on the girls, and neither liked what they saw in them. Even more so when Aggie replied, "The Queen."
"B?" said Georgeanne. Blue turned to look at her sister and felt a smile behind her lips, but then saw the woman beside her and the smile was stuck in limbo. "B?" she said again. Instead of answering, she rose up and walked away from the three of them. Standing at the opposite side of the gazebo, she looked out at the garden and all of its blooms. Her mind was racing, and she didn't know how to answer her sister.
"Are you all right?" asked Devon from somewhere behind her.
Defensively she snapped, "No. I'm not all right." She turned to face him where he stood at the gazebo's center. "How can you ask me that? After everything that's happened? That we've heard?" They stared at each other for a moment before she added, a little more calmly, "No, uncle," she said with a little sarcasm to it, "I am not all right."
Georgeanne rose from her seat and walked to her sister, trying to block her view of Devon. "I know it's a lot to take in," she said, Blue's eyes falling to her sister's. "I admit, I'm having a little difficulty myself understanding everything, but-." She paused, searching for the words, but there really were none that fit. Instead, she smiled that sweet smile Blue had grown up with and said, "Don't you feel it, B? Just sift through all the crazy and strange, the anger and confusion, and there's something there underneath all of it that just seems to feel right."
She closed her eyes and let her sister's words settle in her mind. With each breath, the anger dissipated, and that feeling rose up. Georgeanne was right. Blue wanted to trust in that feeling. She just wanted to understand it. She wanted to understand it all. "It's just so much," she said looking into her sister's eyes. Georgeanne reached out and smoothed her cheek with her thumb. It was then that Blue realized she was crying.
"I know," she said, a few tears falling from her own eyes. Blue wiped her sister's tears away. With a sniffle, she added, "Having been lied to all this time. We have a right to be angry."
"It's not just that," said Blue. She stepped beside her sister and looked at their two companions. "There's this new world we've been a part of but know nothing about."
"We'll teach you, dear," said Aggie. "Both of you."
"Teach us what?" asked Georgeanne. "I mean, everything that's happened lately... like..."
"Rooms that aren't really there," said Blue.
"Dreams that aren't really dreams," added Georgeanne.
"People that don't seem to have aged a day," Blue pointed out, eying Aggie and Devon.
The older woman quietly chortled.
"The book!" said Georgeanne. "The book that has my writing in it."
"Okay," said Devon, his hands out, palms down, in a surrendering gesture. "We realize it's all a bit much and that you have questions." He held a finger up at Blue who was just about to say something sarcastic but remained silent. "Obviously this is going to take some time."
"Something we don't have a lot of," said Aggie. Devon and the girls looked at the woman worriedly.
"What's wrong?"
Aggie looked about her as if following a lightning bug only she could see. Her wandering eyes stopped chasing whatever they were after, as if they had caught the invisible prey. "She knows," said the woman, her tone serious.
"Who?" asked Georgeanne.
The woman's eyes fell on the girls, and neither liked what they saw in them. Even more so when Aggie replied, "The Queen."
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