Haven smiled at her father and leaned in to hug him. “I have an extra chromosome, but that only means I am extra fun.”
Arrow laughed weakly and held her tightly. “You’re beautiful.” Something broke inside him and he sobbed uncontrollably. “I’m a daddy.”
Harmony wrapped her arms around them both and the tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Haven simply received the hugs and patted their backs as if she were the parent comforting her children.
When they had calmed down, they detached from one another and Haven was smiling. They then noticed that Heidi had appeared and she looked concerned.
Heidi said, “We can’t go with you.”
“Why?” Arrow demanded, standing quickly.
“We see you both in the real world.” Harmony argued.
“This is also part of the real world.” Heidi said darkly. “You may not want to accept it, but this is another part of reality.” Heidi sighed and then said, “We can only be on the outside for a few hours before we dissolve. We are consigned to Oblivion.” She finished, waving her arms to indicate the surrounding world was “Oblivion”.
Harmony felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she remembered what had happened to past Lacey at her house. She knew Heidi was right, but she didn’t think she could bear to leave Haven after she just found out who she really was.
“So, you’re both stuck here because of me?” Harmony asked.
“No.” Haven shook her head gleefully. “I am in heaven.”
“Haven is simply my idea of what she would have been. Her real soul is elsewhere.” Heidi clarified. “My soul is still alive in you, Harmony, so I am unsure how I am experiencing this horrific reality.”
“I am so sorry. If I had known. If we had known…” Harmony said.
“I know. I understand.” Heidi paused, then embraced her future self. When she let go, she said, “I have to get Haven to safety before the beast finds us. Leave this place and warn people. We have to stop this.”
Arrow and Harmony nodded.
“We love you, Haven.” Arrow said huskily.
“Love you too, Daddy…Mommy.” Haven waved enthusiastically, then took Heidi’s hand as they exited the dimly lit theatre.
Once the two memories were gone, Harmony let Arrow hug her. The grief she felt needed a buffer and he was big enough to absorb her pain. She did not doubt why she fell for him twice, but a small part of her brain screamed at her to remember what he had done and who he really was.
Arrow seemed to be reading her mind so he said, “I’m sorry, Heidi.”
“I’m not Heidi anymore.” She whispered into his shoulder.
“I’ll call you whatever you want to be called if it means I won’t lose you again.”
“I don’t know if it’s that easy.” She said as she pulled herself away from him. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t like this place.”
He nodded reluctantly and followed her out of the theatre. When they were outside, she retrieved the fishing wire spool where she had placed it and explained to Arrow why she was there. They walked together quietly for some time. Harmony was still running over all the things she had remembered about her past. It was hard to motivate herself to carry on a conversation with this man whom she loved but who also frightened her.
“I don’t sell the codes anymore. I realized how wrong I was.” Arrow said firmly.
“I don’t know how I can believe that.”
“You didn’t tell me you were pregnant.” Arrow said.
“Because you were a criminal.” She said sharply. “You are also an alcoholic.”
“I’m making changes.”
“I can’t believe that, either.” It went quiet between them again and then Harmony said, “Haven said she was with the Creator. Is she with God?”
“That’s what it sounds like.”
“I never believed in Jesus.” Harmony said. “I just don’t know why a loving God would do this to me.”
“God works in mysterious ways.” Arrow said cryptically. “My dad always said that, but he never believed in Jesus Christ being the Messiah. Dad always said he was still waiting for the true Messiah.”
“It’s too confusing. I just don’t know what’s right.”
Arrow nodded. “Well, I could never believe in a God that allowed my father to abuse me.”
They were now back in the woods and Harmony looked over at Arrow with concern. “What do you mean?”
“My father was a terrible man after my mother passed. I was a sensitive kid and when I had issues, my dad would make me drink with him.” Arrow paused.
“How old were you?”
“11…I didn’t realize it, but I was going to school drunk. I never did anything but I was a zombie. My grades suffered. My social life suffered.”
Harmony didn’t speak but focused her attention on making sure she didn’t trip on any debris lying on the ground. The mist still swirled in parts of this world and everything was dim.
“I had committed to change when I was out of the house and I did change for awhile, but…then I got arrested. Once I was out of prison, it was like an old friend returned to me when I bought the first beer.”
