Bedlam Moon: A Reverse Harem, Paranormal Romance by Kathy Haan

Author:Kathy Haan [Haan, Kathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798985507706
Publisher: Thousand Lives Press, LLC
Published: 2022-01-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

JUNE 1994; FINLAND, MINNESOTA

A twig snaps under my feet when I land near the raspberry bushes. It is still morning, but the summer heat is quickly rising. Crickets and birds make their beautiful songs, completely oblivious to my entire world falling apart. Mom has several berries in her bucket already, and she startles when she sees me.

"Mom." I stretch my hands towards her, afraid she'll slip through time again. "Please don't leave. Hear me out."

She sets her bucket down and speaks instead. "I knew I'd see you sometime this year, but I wasn't sure when. I've kept magic from you so you'll never have the occasion to know Oz."

Well, this explains the binding of my magic.

"That changed nothing! It only made me out of control when my magic emerged. I killed Oz because of my uncontrolled magic. Had I known magic from the beginning, I would've been able to control myself by the time I met him."

Mom considers this for a moment as she swats a mosquito on her arm. "We're in a huge, confusing loop of space and time, and things are getting muddled. Where exactly did things go wrong? Don't ask me to go back and abort you or prevent your birth in any way—it will never happen."

We stand in each other's presence while we both try to make sense of things. The sun bakes our skin, and the heat feels appropriate considering the turmoil we both face. She's right, though. All of this time travel mess has muddied things, and I can no longer see clearly. My intuition doesn't know the right course, and part of me wonders if it would be better to just let it go.

"I don't know how to make this right, Mom. This stupid prophecy has caused so much irreparable harm." I drop to my knees and bury my face in my hands. She kneels next to me and wraps her arm around my shoulders, holding tight, and I'm flooded with a sense of calm. I put my head up to look at my mom and see her eyes are closed. The feeling of peace quickly turns to dread as I watch her vanish right before me.

This was when Mom left me, but I don't know where in time she went. I leave the bucket where it sits, walk back to the pond, and sit in her camp chair. It will be a couple more hours before little me wakes, so I have time to figure out when and where to go from here. I wrestle with the guilt of leaving eight-year-old me to fend for herself, but in reality, I turned out alright.

At a young age, I knew profound grief far beyond my years. I went through unimaginable trauma that shaped who I am today.

As I aged, though, I also came to know profound love. Love for the Sawyers, Hannah, Oz, his sires, and Dad. My heart wretches at the realization of what I let go of. To spare Oz and the world from pain, I've hurt all of the people I love.

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