Zo by Leanne Owens

Author:Leanne Owens [Owens, Leanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-03-31T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Questions and Answers

Peace settled onto Kamekura in the evening, with the occasional cries of a storm bird telling lies about approaching storms on the clear night. The band of friends made their way back to Ally’s room, crossing the gardens in silence, each meandering through their own thoughts.

Peter’s mind kept circling back to the guilt about subjecting Ally to the treatment that drove her away decades ago. They should have listened to her then. If only they had done this all those years ago. If only they had taken the time to sit and let her talk instead of drawing back in fear. It scared them, seeing the sanest and strongest person they had ever known talking about things that made them question the nature of sanity.

Did it matter, he wondered, if she made this up in order to create a fictional world where she found happiness? No, it didn’t. Was it important if she imagined it all, and her mind wandered between reality and hallucination? No, if it made her happy, he approved of the altered reality. Would it change anything if it was real and, somehow, she had experienced an existence in fifteenth century Florence? Since there was no way to prove this, it didn’t matter. Having Ally back in their lives mattered. The central part in all of it lay with having their friendship intact, and keeping it together.

As Andrew walked, his shoulder occasionally bumping into Marcus, he managed to put aside the guilt and focus on Ally’s story. He did not believe it, but he could appreciate her view of reality because it helped explain so much about their enigmatic friend. In a way, it highlighted her genius and set her mind apart from others. Instead of being able to create new worlds of mathematical or scientific understanding, she created a world of stories. He enjoyed hearing them as it helped him understand her. He could accept her life in Florence just as he would accept her if she developed cancer or lost her sight. Love did not depend on her being perfect, physically or mentally.

Sandy believed that Ally spoke the truth. At first, she only pretended to believe, but she had acted long enough to know honesty when it appeared. Ally wasn’t making up a story and acting a role – Sandy recognised the truth in her words. In her spare moments, she had been frantically learning about Lorenzo de’ Medici, and he seemed like the perfect partner for Ally, although, clearly, the half millennium between them proved an obstacle. Just as Lorenzo had sought to raise the lives of those around him, like Botticelli, da Vinci, and Michelangelo, so had she worked to lift the lives of her friends. As she glanced at Peter’s back, she found herself envying Ally. Ever since they were children, she imagined having Peter love her, but he loved Ally. Sadly, she had no doubt of that reality.

Wanting it to be real didn’t make it real, Lynette thought as she walked next to Nick, her hand in his.

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