This chapter from the bottom of my heart is dedicated to the lovely special humans who take time to read my work and love it. I appreciate it and don't forget to forget. I love you all.

Also. For @BookdragonAS and @SirCaptainAmerica who we had to unfortunately got to say silent good byes too. You are dearly missed.😭😭😭.

Don't forget to vote.
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"Okay now you can look hon."
I open my eyes to inspect Martha's work and the air whizzes out of me.

The agitating wait was worth it.

She has curled my hair. It's shiny and soft framing my face. I sweep my hands through feeling it between my fingers.

It feels like silk threads. I don't know why am suddenly reminded of cotton candy.

She cut off a few inches and levelled it.

The vibrant red brings out the almost invisible gold in my eyes. Temi's is more potent in her blue. I feel beautiful.

Martha is right. Good hair fixes everything and am actually starting to dig the red.

I get up from the stool as Jake comes in very excited. Somehow Martha convinced the boys they need hair cuts too.
"Whoa. You look stunning Thea."

"Thanks Jake. You'll look amazing too."

"Nah, I doubt I'll give Thoren a heartattack like you."
He winks and enters the bathroom leaving me standing in the master bedroom looking like a fish mouth hanging open.

How he's my brother I have no idea. He always leaves me gaping short for a retort.

Temi emerges from my room where Eric insisted to do her hair. But I knew he just wanted to catch up on the last months he missed of her life. It's in the same style like mine. Curled and wavy, the exact inches trimmed off.

"Are we going the stars of the clone wars today?"
I laugh so hard I double over.

"Only if you get red hair. We completely rock all the hair colours. Thinking about signing us as hair models." I manage to catch my breath as we head downstairs.

Thoren is seated on the last steps. He turns to look up as we descend and his jaw practically drops. I blush and laugh.

"Oh my goodness Thoren stop drooling all over my sister in my prescence." Temi stomps away in mock disgust outside giving us some privacy.

"You look breath taking."

"Nothing a little trim, mighty curler and hair dryer can't fix."
A step below me we are face to face. He leans in and kisses me softly.

"Now now Thoren you don't want to mess up Martha's handiwork. She'll be mad."
We spring apart as Eric eyes us with a smile. I want to hide. Caught.

"Come on. Time for your trim too and you desperately need it."
He beckons him as he turns around and disappears back to my room I guess.

"Later babe."
Thoren gives me a chaste kiss before he jogs up the stairs leaving me a mess. I match outside and tilt my head up.

"It must have been a good kiss. What with that ridiculously huge grin on your face."
Temi is sitting on the steps.

"Stop eavesdropping on my thoughts"
I try to kill the smile as I sit next to her but it doesn't leave.

"I didn't need to. You look like a Cheshire cat and the equation isn't hard to sum up."

"He just makes me happy suddenly. And I love it."
I defend myself.

"I know. I can feel it whenever you are with him. Am just jealous." I am taken aback.

"Why?" I turn to her.

"Because he makes you happier than I ever will and that makes me a lousy sister." I take her hand.

"He makes me happy but you mean the world to me."
She smiles at me. I notice a movement by the gate. A shadow that disappears. I stand and Temi follows my stance.

A moment later I hear a huge grunt. We run to the source to find Karim dusting himself.

Am momentarily stunned before I run up to hug him.
"Surprise."
He grins as he carries me and spins me around in circles as I giggle.

"Your back." He's back. Am happy. Complete now.

"Yeah uhhh give me a minute."
He moves to the gate and opens it. His sister is there standing awkwardly. She moves warily towards me. She eyes Temi.

"So it's true. There's two of you."
Her gaze lingers on Temi who is a few inches behind me.

"I told you I wasn't mad."
Karim grins as he bolts the gate again.

"You told her?"
I raise a brow at him. He just shrugs.

"Am an impossible Inquisitor."
She smiles defending her brother. Now that's the Samaha I know.

"Ever the detective Sam."
I smile opening my arms. She hugs me so tightly.

"Since we are in the clear then this is my twin sister, Artemis Amana Hathaway."
I pull Temi up front. She looks momentarily uncomfortable. I fight the impulse to laugh at her. She'll murder me.

"What happened to your hair. Last time I checked it was white. You were a grandma."

"It was silver. Big difference. And alot happened."

"The red compliments your skin. I like it though."
She winks her focus on Artemis now. I can see the bare curiosity in her eyes and extreme interest.

"You are mirror images of eachother. This is fascinating. Sadly Mom doesn't believe this."

"Wait what?" I don't get it.

"We thought he was kidnapped and when Karim showed up after everyone was expecting a ransom call, he told Mom the kidnappers let him go but I knew he was lying instantly because if she didn't tell him about ransom he looked extremely clueless."
She eyes her brother shaking her head.

"So she forced me to tell her the truth. I did but Mom was eavesdropping. Now she's convinced am possessed and did drugs." He shrugs clearly not bothered. Nonchlancy his best weapon.

"Bottom line we couldn't help her wailing all night so I brought him back. He was miserable too. He missed you Thea."

"What are you doing over there in the sun you all without sunscreen?"
Eric's voice booms startling us. He looks stern. I cringe.

"Get over here in the shade I'll set up lemonade. It's rude to make guests stand Athena."
He grins at Sam who shifts uncomfortably.

We head to the balcony shade and get comfortable. Eric carries lemonade while Jake follows his black hair artfully cut and the ends coloured red. I laugh.

"Give me credit here for am being juvenile. Red is flattering."
He stands with his chin pointed upwards in mock defiance. We laugh.

I Know he is doing it to support me. I tear up.

"Samaha that's Jake. He's refreshing."
I inform her mid laugh.

"I can see that."
Her gaze is trained on him. Oh oh.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance Milady."
He takes a mock bow and takes her proffered hand gently kissing it.

"Wow. Any more of that and I'll feel you want to bed her too Jake." Thoren comes into focus. Both sides of his head are halfway shaved and the rest falls undauntingly in his face.

Sexy and dangerous. Just like him. He sits next to me on the tiled floor and he eyes Karim. They barely tolerate eachother.

"Look what the cat dragged in. Nice outfit."
He looks Karim up and now who I now notice changed out of his clothes. He's wearing a green t-shirt and fitting blue jeans with a leather jacket and white sneakers. Messed up, just his style.

"And that's the ever charming Thoren" Karim informs Sam as she blankly stares at Thoren who barely notices the gesture.

"His eyes......".
He's too busy observing me. He doesn't spare her another glance. I feel good and guilty at the same time. Karim shifts impatiently. I know why.

"She'll be here shortly." I put his mind at ease.

"Okay. Oh I almost forgot. Jake, Thoren you'll find better fitting clothes in there. Take your pick."
He shoves the bag at Thoren who grabs it effortlessly and stands up to leave with Jake in tow but not before he pecks my cheek. I blush as Sam stares.

Martha and Emmeline appear shortly after their departure. Emmeline in dark green jeans and a white blouse of mine. She looks better in of course.

Her hair has been trimmed to perfection barely gracing her shoulders and lightly curled making the pink evenly blend with the black.

She is dashing. Karim is up and moving before she notices and she does a double take when she sees him a smile lighting up her entire face.

They wrap in a tight embrace. She kisses him. I look away. That's private. Sam's mouth is hanging open. It's so funny I nudge her and laugh.

"That must be the Emmeline I guess."
Her eyes don't leave them.

"Yes that her."
I answer nudging her again.

"But her eyes.....how does he stand it?"
He loves her so much that tiny detail is a perfection of her he loves. I understand it but I don't tell that to Sam.

"You eventually get used to it and she's actually pretty good."

"I can see that. She's really beautiful. And that's the reason he can't stay with us aside from you." She finishes her voice laced with extreme sadness.

What?

She shakes her head from whatever place her mind had wandered too.
"So you and that boy are.."
She trails off.

"He is the boyfriend"
Temi chimes in. For some reason that is exciting her. Mischief at my expense?

"Okay everyone gather around for the love house pictures."
Eric comes around with a camera. He takes a shot of me and Temi with Sam in-between.

Then takes hers alone. He then takes one of me and Temi arms around each other and grinning at the camera. Then at self.

Thoren and Jake come back in better clothes. Black tshirts and jeans that fit them well with shoes. They look better.

Eric takes alot of pictures of everyone. Then lastly he tells us to sit together. Thoren sits on my right, Temi and Jake on my left. Emmeline, Sam, Karim and Martha behind us. This feels right, complete.

Thoren holds my hand lacing our fingers as Eric snaps the shot. A boom echoes and we watch a portal open.

Aunt Maeve jumps out and it closes immediately. Jake is already running to her. She looks tired and beat.

We make a comfortable place for her to sit fast and she takes a deep breath after taking some lemonade draining the entire glass. She is thirsty.

"You all look remarkably well. Thank you Martha and Eric for taking care of them."
She sighs as she passes her fingers in Jake's new hair.

"What happened?"
Martha shoots out as she assesses her looking for injuries.

"The council is compromised."
She whispers tiredly.

"So this is the last safe house?"
Eric chimes in camera forgotten.

"Yes and I found a way to close the chasm where those things crawl from. Forever."
The silence descends.
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"I'll miss you. I promise I'll visit when I can. Artemis can portal me there." Karim whispers to his sister gently.

"Please be careful. Promise me you will not die out there."
She's in tears. It's so painful to watch. I hate goodbyes. So painful and I hate pain. But she has to go.

She moves to me. I see Temi move reflexively close. She holds both our hands which I feel surprises Temi.

"Keep him safe. Promise me you'll look after my brother."
Her gaze shifts between the both of us imploring. I feel a lump in my throat. I try to swallow it. She looks pleadingly at me mostly.

"We will. I promise."
I feel the weight of that promise sit on me. She squeezes my hand briefly and let's go.

"So I guess the part about both of you having extraordinary powers is true?" She says shakily as she wipes the moisture of her tears off her jeans.

"Yeah. That's kind of true."
I return a small smile. It seems she is made of the same material as her brother. They are calm in weird situations.

"And you have dangerous pointy weapons?"
She smiles easily now. I smile more broadly her smile infectious.

"Show me. I want to see something extraordinary."
I smile at Temi. She holds my hand and we start generating the blue electricity.

I hold a light sphere in my hand. Then extinguish it when her eyes widen. I don't want to spoil her eyes.

"Hold out your bracelet."
Temi tells her. I wonder what she's doing. Sam takes of her beaded bracelet and hands it to her.

She closes it in her fist and black smoke ensues. After a minute she returns it to her. It was bright orange. Now half of the ten beads are blue and black.

"The black beads have one portal. So you have three one use portals to see your brother and the other two blue ones contain the mist of confusion. On a human it can erase selective memories forever, that's if you want your Mom to forget Karim."
She looks impish at her last statement. I feel it's cruel.

"That's so thought ful."
Sam looks genuinely pleased and grateful.

"No gifts for me?"
She turns to me. I blink.

"What would you want?"
It's not like I can create express portals in inanimate objects.

Then it hits me. I take the bracelet from her. Five orange beads. Five.

"Uhmmm hey, a little help here. It's the last lesson you had with Mom while I nursed a cold." I call to Temi in my mind.

"Just focus. Like mum taught me. Separate the threads of power entirely and bind each to the inanimate object" She says it likes it's a piece of eating cake.

"Okay here goes nothing."

I envision the beads and close my eyes. I search for the threads of my healing powers. I see them. Golden and interwoven with white, red and black? Focus.

I take a single thread of gold and vision it picturing in one bead. Just like plucking at strings.

"Your doing great for a first timer"

"Great"

"Keep going"

I pick another and embbed it in the bead. And another golden one. That's enough. I pick at a white one, Pure light. I have no idea why she would need that for and I pick a red one. Am not sure what it is but I hope it isn't bad. I don't touch the black.

I open my eyes and look at my palm. There lies a powerful magical express bracelet for Karim's sister.

With the power of three portals, two amnesia spells, three healings, one huge light and the other thing I have no idea we return to her the black, blue, gold, white and red bracelet she happily wears.

"I'll visit often to get more magic from you." She beams.

"They aren't depots Samaha."
Karim says warily eyeing the bracelet.

"Don't be a killjoy. It'll be perfectly safe with me. Now that I can visit I'll be on my way. You have important things to attend to."
She hugs me, Temi and Karim quickly and she dashes out of the gate fast, happily her woes of leaving him behind forgotten.

I let go of Temi and the electricity instantly disappears. Karim peeks at his sister's retreating figure.

"I can't believe you both bribed her into forgetting me."
He says thoughtful then he turns back quickly beaming sadly.

"It's probably for the best. Let's go."
We bolt the gate and head back into the house. We join the crowd into the sitting room around Aunt Maeve who seems somewhat recovered after a rest and viewing our photos on the camera.

Her resemblance to us. Especially me is striking given our hair similarities.

"You had fun I see."
She eyes me and Thoren smiling slyly. Not her too. I sigh.

"Okay so spill it."
I get to the point. She sets aside the camera and purses her lips.

"There are demon spies in the council. It's infiltrated."
I notice Thoren tense. This bothers him? I move and sit next to him holding his hand for reassurance.

"What were you doing there?"
Jake asks angry, protective much.

"I needed information dear. On how to completely and forever seal the darker realms and chasm on your realm."
Everyone is silent.

"I found a scripture describing ingredients I was collecting.
Fae's kiss, the flowers that popped up when the light Fae descended. My blood, Artemis and Athena's blood with darker concentration of your powers, light's touch, and Demon's bane."
We still stay quiet.

"I have the Fae's kiss, my blood of course, the girls are here, am not sure about light's touch but the demon's bane is what I had gone for and I escaped before Petrous caught me."

Petrous. My gut coils with hate. Thoren squeezes my hand gently.
My mind instantly wanders.

Just listen to the song of your memories and dreams....

It is something you will need on your quest again...

Now we are even
Till we meet again

It all makes sense now. She gave me clues. I mentally slap my palm on my forehead. Am so dumb.

"What is it?"
Temi asks instantly. Perks of being in my head.

"Nothing."

"No you have your idea face on, it can't be nothing."

"Olin gave me clues before she ascended. She told me the answer lies in the song of my dreams and memories. The lullaby. She also gave me light's touch. She knew all along somehow."
I smile sacarstically at myself.

"Where is the light's touch? Because even you can't touch it."
Aunt Maeve turns towards me.

"She put it inside me."
I remember the orb with the swirling mist somewhere inside me.

"Makes sense. She heightened your powers and kept the touch hidden inside you."

"So am a moving containment unit?"
I smile at her.

"What about Demon's bane?"
Karim asks holding my gaze.

"Petrous has the last vial but am not sure where he keeps it and he found me before I could find out."
She sags a little. Must have been one hell of a fight.

"What did you mean when you said this is the last safe house?"
It stuck in my head.

"It means dear that this is the last place on all realms where you are untraceable. Nothing can locate you here."
Martha explains slowly. I gulp.

"How many safe houses are there?"
Temi is quiet.

"Four. My mansion. Your house. Drew's place and This one."
Aunt Meave lists quietly.
Three down. This is our last one.

"Who charmed the houses Aunt?"
Jake asks. She takes his hand gently.

"Two great witches. Your mother and a goddess. She did it as a last favour for your mom. And she's the only one who can guide the rite of blending the ingredients."

My head is spinning. I can see the individual puzzle pieces falling into place.

"A Goddess. What is her name?" Thoren asks besides me but it's muffled. White noise fills my head.

Aunt Maeve confirms my conclusion. I feel faint. Bile rising in my throat.
"Hecate. Nyx's sister."

I throw up.