suggested.
Bay spun around excitedly. “I love picnics…and dancing…and tea with
cookies…and…”
“Stop, we don't have time for games,” interrupted the commanding voice of
Breeze. “We'll have time for fun later. Today, we need to help her not only recall
but also understand all of her memories.”
A soft whisper in my ear said, “Don't worry about them. My sisters are just
anxious. We missed spending time with you.”
Looking at the source of the voice, I saw the calming green eyes of an old friend. “Thank you, Daisy,” I whispered back. “I have missed you, too.”
In all the confusion, I had completely forgotten about Cole. Looking around,
I found him sitting in the living room. I smiled at him, and he winked at me.
“Cole will be fine. I have a list of things for him to do. After all, we still need
to finish getting ready for tomorrow’s Lunar Festival.” Gram handed me a small,
white picnic basket.
My grandmother was a superwoman. After calming my meltdown, she was
able to whip up a snack in the blink of an eye. How did she do this without being
noticed? I wondered.
“Just a little treat. Enjoy your time with elementals,” she whispered and
kissed me on the cheek.
“Thank you.” I accepted the basket. “Can we spend some time together when
I return?”
“Later. Go enjoy the afternoon," Gram said.
I wanted to tell her I needed more answers…that I had so many questions,
but I held back my words. In my heart, I knew she had done the right thing despite the doubt taunting me. An endless battle raged inside me. I had to decide
whether to listen to my heart or to let my mind control me.
Chapter
Eleven
Ifollowed Blaze into the backyard. We took the same path that Young
Marina had taken in my memory. Flowers and fruit colored the lush trees
along our route. This time, there were no sounds coming from my
grandfather's workshop. The silence was deafening.
When we approached the largest green tree, images of tea parties flashed in
my mind. My time with the elementals had been filled with laughter and magic.
A familiar sensation washed over me as I set the picnic basket down and pulled
out the soft yellow blanket. Daisy was quick to help me spread it out.
Bay flopped down, and asked, “What did she pack us to eat? I'm starving
from all of the work I've done, today.”
Blaze harrumphed at her.
I pulled the treats out one-by-one. I laid out fresh cheeses, a variety of cubed
bread, and a container that held deep red slices of tomatoes sprinkled with basil,
