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  I sat up and looked toward Wesley. A smile slowly spread across my face.

  Do you really think they have it? She sounded excited at the prospect her body was at the compound.

  Very well could. You could be back in your body sooner than you think. I felt a strong emotion surge through me. Yes, it had only been a few days, but I felt like I was attached to this spiritual hitchhiker.

  “There is only one way to find out.” I jumped off the gurney and fell directly on my ass.

  “Yeah, sis, one of the agents in the weakening poison causes temporary paralysis of the appendages. I’m surprised your arms work at all.” Shawn was stifling a laugh as I shot him a death stare from the floor.

  “And you failed to mention this, why?” I demanded as Wesley bent down and picked me up. He placed me back on the gurney.

  “I didn’t think you were going to jump off the bed.” Shawn stopped laughing and looked at the floor. “Hey, Wesley?”

  I watched my brother’s face fall as he looked up at my boyfriend.

  “What’s up?” Wesley looked back at him. I knew they were passing thoughts back and forth, but they didn’t once say a word out loud.

  “Can I speak with you outside?” Shawn kissed me on the cheek. “Helen, stay with her.”

  “What was that all about?” I asked as Helen walked up beside me, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Your brother is one hell of a man,” she purred.

  “Eww.” I made a disgusted face.

  “I mean that in a good way,” she blushed.

  “Still. Eww,” I groaned.

  I was able to leave the hospital an hour later. My legs still felt like I was walking on water, but at least I could walk. I had no clue what my brother and Wesley talked about. When they came back into the room, they were somewhat secretive with everything going on.

  The call came about half an hour before I could walk. Edmund, not knowing where we were, let us know Prudence’s body had arrived. The Blessed Ones were able to come up with an incantation they thought would work. To test the spell, they needed me.

  So, that is where we were heading. Max had the box in the second entertainment room of the other barn. This was not going to work in a similar way to bringing Krista back from the dead.

  I was going to have to lay on the floor next to Prudence’s mummified body, and pray they were successfully able to pull her from my core to complete the swap.

  I figured you would be happy for this, Prudence said, feeling the sadness wash through me.

  I had just got used to you being in there. I had to kill you once; I really do not want to do it a second time. I tried not to make the inner conversation noticeable between me and the others.

  Dawn. If my body is not in the same state as it was when that bitch sent me to Purgatory, then I will just have to find another body. She made it sound easy.

  Still. What if most of the power I was able to use was yours? Again, a wave of sadness hit me. I couldn’t even fathom the pain I would feel if I could not help the vampires anymore.

  Trust me. You never tapped into my powers. I just occasionally gave you a thought or two on how to unleash your own, she laughed.

  You will stay with us, right? I asked. We were nearing the barn, and my heart was racing.

  Till the end of time, darling. She went silent after that. I had an image of her packing tiny little bags and locking up her room with a heave of her chest.

  “What are you thinking?” Helen asked, looping her arm with mine.

  “I think I’m scared shitless.” I let out a nervous laugh.

  “It will work,” she promised.

  “But what if it doesn’t? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I killed her again.” I heaved a sigh as we entered the barn.

  “It’s the moment of truth, Dawn,” Shawn stated as I entered the entertainment room.

  My pulse rate increased as I entered; the candlelight was magnificent and felt my body start to shake. It was one thing to realize magic was real; it was quite another to have it used on you. It took me back to the day my father told me what I was. I could recall the orb and the power it radiated, I could also feel the childhood fear sear through my body, and I wanted to run.

  The Blessed Ones stood in a circle around the room, their white hoods drawn over their eyes. Max approached me with a massive grin on his face. Taking my hand, he led me to the center. They had opened the box and placed the mummified corpse of Prudence next to the empty spot. I turned to run, but Max held me tight. I stepped closer to the body and looked down. Blonde hair, eyes closed, and her dress was extremely outdated. Someone was going to have to take her shopping after this. That would probably be an excellent job for Mona; I would be absolutely no help.

  My God, I look ghastly, I heard her voice shrieked through my mind. Couldn’t they have at least bought me a new outfit?

  I laughed out loud, and the Blessed Ones all looked at me like I had just screamed in the middle of a library. I blushed and snapped my mouth shut.

  “You ok?” Max whispered, and I nodded at him, afraid to say anything. “Good. Please lie down next to the body and close your eyes.”

  I managed to get to my knees and lay down. I glanced over at the corpse and shivered. This was just too surreal to be going through.

  See you in a few. I felt the smile spread across my lips.

  I closed my eyes, and I waited. The Blessed Ones were speaking in unison, with Max at the head. He, however, was speaking a totally different chant than the others. I felt his hand on my head, and I could only assume he had one on hers as well.

  I admit I wound up drifting off into the darkness for a short time. Nothing extraordinary happened until colors started to flash behind my closed eyelids. I had to fight the urge to open them; I didn’t know if I was supposed to keep them sealed shut. Instead, I squinted, trying to block the colors.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Max spoke.

  “It’s over now. You can open your eyes.” He said softly.

  I opened one eye and then the other, watching the candles in the room flicker as if there was a breeze flowing freely. I slowly turned my head and looked at the body next to mine.

  Prudence? I asked, half expecting her to answer.

  Instead, I received no response.

  I felt alone again in my own head. Though it was a relief in some respects, I was concerned that, with her departure, her power to protect me was also gone. Then the terror hit. What if she hadn’t made it through? The eyes on the girl next to me were still closed. Though her hair looked healthy and her cheeks pink, there was no sign of life in the girl’s body.

  “Did it work?” I choked as I tried to get to a sitting position.

  “It takes time, Dawn,” Max explained. “She won’t be able to have access to her human form until she has reorganized the brain.”

  “But she’s in there?” I asked. I wanted to feel relief. I wanted to know I had not killed my alter ego.

  “She is indeed in there,” Max replied, smiling at me.

  “What happens now?” I inquired, looking at the blue-haired wizard.

  “We wait.”

  “How long?”

  “Until she decides she can take control. It could be minutes, or it could be days. She has been away from her body for such a long time.” Max reached out and ran his hand over the top of Prudence’s body, being careful not to touch the dry flesh.

  “This is uncanny,” Shawn said over my shoulder, and I turned to look at my brother.

  “What is?”

  “She looks so much like you; it is almost as if you could be sisters.” Shawn peered down at the body and frowned.

  After a few moments of silence, I felt Max’s hand on my shoulder.

  “I hate to ask this, but we need you to go ahead and leave,” he stated, looking at us.

  “But I want to be here when she wakes up,” I interjected, hoping the plea in my voice would be enough to convince them to let me stay.r />
  “I’m sorry, Dawn, but we have to finish the incantation, and you cannot be in here for this. We do not know what it would do to you. Plus, just in case, we don’t want her having to take refuge in your body again.” Max led us to the door.

  I looked over my shoulder at her several times, just hoping she would open her eyes before we were on the other side of the doorway. Sadly, there was no such luck. When the door closed, blocking my view, I had no idea if Prudence was alive or dead.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Sweet Lucidity

  “How do you feel?” Wesley asked as he walked me back into the house.

  I had understood why Max had asked me to leave. However, it didn’t make walking away any easier. I had a connection with Prudence, and I had wanted to be the first person she saw when she awoke.

  “All right, I guess.” I shrugged. I had tried several times to call out to her telepathically, but in none of those instances was there a response.

  “You don’t look well. Your eyes are cloudy, and you seem paler.” Wesley put his hand on my back.

  “I just had a second soul ripped from my body. I doubt anyone comes out looking like a supermodel after an experience like that.” I meant it to come out as a joke. Instead, it took on a new tone. I was irritated, mostly because he had made a comment about my appearance. I had most likely just lost my luster; why would I look as if nothing had just occurred.

  We stopped walking and stood there facing one another. I awkwardly fidgeted as he looked at me from head to toe.

  “I don’t like this look.” Wesley pulled my face toward his. “I think something may be wrong.”

  He was concerned about me; I knew that. Still, my emotions were all over the place. All I wanted was to go to my room and crawl under the covers.

  “Maybe we should see your father,” Wesley suggested.

  I have no idea why I snapped, but I narrowed my eyes at him and growled.

  “Why are you always trying to impress him? It’s not going to change the way he feels about this.” I pointed between him and me.

  Wesley stood there with a stunned expression on his face. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one surprised by my outburst. Part of me wanted to apologize, and another part wanted him to walk away.

  “Where did that come from? I’m not trying to impress anyone. This just looks like something your father would know about.” He let me go and put his hands to his side.

  “I’m sorry, Wesley. This day has been one thing after the other since I woke up this morning. I just want to lay down and go to sleep.” I chose to apologize. I didn’t want either of us to wind up having their feelings hurt. I guess I should have thought about that before speaking.

  “Yeah. That’s fine. I think I’m going to go for a walk.” His voice was calm, but when he turned to walk away, I could tell he wasn’t happy with me.

  I put my head in my hand and snarled. Of course, this would happen. If I was like my father in any way, this meant I needed another contract; otherwise, I was going to waste away. Prudence was helping me in more ways then I had believed. She was the reason I no longer hungered for power. This wasn’t good. As much as I hated to admit it, Wesley was right.

  However, I wasn’t going to jump blindly into another contract with a stranger. There was no choice but to talk to my father. He had contracted Wesley and Krista without forcing them into an emotionally charged situation. It was willing, and for the most part, painless.

  I was too tired to hunt him down that night. So, I crawled up the stairs and into my room. I didn’t even bother turning on the light; I walked straight toward the bed and collapsed.

  She was gone, no longer a part of me. I had missed her before, but now it was worse. This was like losing a part of me I had created. Only I hadn’t created her. She had put the ideas in my head, and she was what I became. The mannerisms weren’t me; they were her.

  I closed my eyes to stop the memories. I didn’t know where Wesley had gone. That just made the whole thing worse. Was she the reason this second chance had even happened? For so long, I said I couldn’t be with him because of his changes. Yet I had proven that part of me to be wrong. I could be with him.

  I laid there in the dark, trying to keep my thoughts straight. After some time, I didn’t even notice I had fallen asleep.

  I woke up the next morning and instantly felt alone. When I turned my head, Wesley wasn’t lying next to me, and I felt the sheets still cold from his absence. I rolled onto my back and put my hands in my hair. The conversation from the night before came flooding back to me. Had I finally managed to scare him away?

  “Why the long face?” I heard a female voice, and I shot up into a sitting position.

  Leaning against the door frame, with a grin on her face, was a short blonde with familiar blue eyes. It didn’t take much for me to recognize Prudence, and I was off the bed and flying at her within seconds.

  “You made it!” I exclaimed as I threw my arms around her neck.

  “Were you expecting anything less?” she laughed as she wrapped her arms around me, and we began to rock from side to side.

  “Well, not really. I am so happy for you.” I felt my heart pounding as I stepped away.

  “I’m glad to have my body back.” She touched her chest.

  I hadn’t even noticed someone had given her a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt to wear. The old vintage dress was probably bug-infested and fell apart easily. Still, I felt terrible not being there when she awoke. Had she been scared? Lost? Afraid?

  “I do miss our conversations,” I joked impishly. What did it matter? She was with me then. Which meant she came out of the whole ordeal just fine.

  “I have to admit, I miss them as well.” She touched my shoulder softly as her eyes downcast to the floor. The aura of happiness was draining from the room as a gloominess took over the pale features of the Priestess. “Dawn, I think we need to talk.”

  “What about?” I asked slowly. I was taken aback by the sudden change in mood. What could she possibly have got to say already?

  “You,” she replied, her blue eyes penetrating mine.

  “What about me?” I let out a nervous laugh and began to pull at the hem of my shirt.

  “Are you sure you love this boy? That he is the one you want to spend your forever with?” She eyed me suspiciously.

  The question was a little odd, and definitely not what I had been expecting. The last thing I wanted to talk about with Prudence was my love life. I didn’t understand then just how vital my romances were to the outcome of the story.

  “Of course,” I answered with a giggle. “You know this; you were in my head.”

  “Then what about Adam?” She raised her eyes at me. I should have known she would jump back to him. What had she seen in my memories to make her believe he was my intended?

  “Adam made it loud and clear we are, and will only be, friends. Best friends,” I replied with a hint of despondency.

  “I was present for all of that,” she winked. “What I’m asking is what you want.”

  I sat there with a blank expression on my face for some time. There had to be a reason she was bringing this up. Did she know something I didn’t? Why would she keep pushing me to think about him? How much of what she saw, and what I remembered went hand in hand?

  “I want Wesley,” I responded confidently. “It’s always been Wesley.”

  “Then, you need to let the others go.” She touched my temple. “The memories I saw were very vivid. I know it’s not my place to tell you what I think of either of them. However, I have a feeling you are sticking with Wesley because Adam is no longer available.”

  “I don’t think that,” I stated, shaking my head from side to side. “Adam and I would never have worked.”

  “Ok.” She shrugged. I had a distinct feeling she did not believe me.

  “Why are you so concerned about me?” I fidgeted.

  “You may not have known I was there, but you took care of me. If it was
n’t for you, I would still be stuck in Purgatory.” She flashed me an exquisite smile.

  “You would have found a way out,” I mentioned trying to make light of the conversation. Honestly, I didn’t know if she would have found another way out. I very well could have been her last chance.

  “I have visions like your Wesley, you know.” She muttered as she spun her hands together awkwardly.

  “You do?” I asked, not once in our time tethered to the same body had she shown she was able to see glimpses into past, present, or future.

  “Yes. I am the Priestess, my love. I am the protector of the Earth Commonwealth.” She laughed just as she reached out and touched my leg. I wondered if she had been afraid I would chastise her for her powers?

  “Are his visions accurate?” I asked.

  Wesley was not one to talk about his visions unless he felt they were helpful. Such as the time in the Oasis when he helped with the murder investigation. It seemed everyone else was more aware of what he saw then I was. We didn’t share that connection. He wasn’t a Harbinger, and I wasn’t a Warden when we were together.

  “Yes and no. His visions are warnings. He can see a current or past action and then instantly foretell the outcome. He found loopholes, however, on how to fix an image before it could happen.” She put up her finger. “For instance. When he was with Miranda, he could get through the vision process and provide for her a favorable outcome. However, if he warned the victim prior to the vision coming true, he could alter the path.”

  “Like what he did with Helen!” I mentioned with a little too much excitement.

  “Helen wasn’t warned until she was in the hands of the Neutralizer. The fact he said your name is what saved her.” Prudence winked at me before scrunching her face.

  In a sense, she had just rained on my parade. The last thing I needed was another know-it-all telling me I needed to become one with my people.

  “Do you think because he's cautious telling me things, he’s trying to alter the outcome?” I asked slowly. Maybe I had been reading her explanation all wrong. She might not have been correcting me, but more like guiding me to understand what it was Wesley saw.