At Water's Edge

At Water's Edge - Chapter 12 Part II

Hello all!  As promised here is Part II of Chapter 12.  I would like to acknowledge LuuuuvmyGrell & bluelady15 for responding to my post.  It is thanks to them that this is up at all.  This chapter was going to be much longer ,taking you through the Queens Ball but I thought that you guys deserved a treat so I thought it be fun to post what I have, and it seemed like a good place to break the chapter.     

As always I thank you in advance for reading but I beg you to click that button and VOTE when you are done and  if you LOVED IT please let me know by leaving me a comment.  It’s you guys who drive me to keep writing.

 Love always JoJo

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                                                                   Chapter 12. Part II

The coach pulls up to the grand entrance of Wakefield Manor Nina stands before the towering structure, unsure what her next move should be.  No one comes out to greet her so she walks away and makes her way to the meadow, anxious to get away from everything and clear her head. 

 Without a direction in mind Nina walks on aimlessly, completely submersed in her thoughts she’s surprised when she feels the hairs on her arms stand up, and a prickling feeling overcomes her.  Focusing on her surroundings she finds herself at the tree, a sense of home envelops her as her eyes begin to brim with tears.  

 Walking around the tree she stops before the portal, focusing really hard she can see a wave like disturbance in the air but the tears that are now spilling down her cheeks are distorting even that.  Collapsing to her knees she whimpers and lets the tears flow, laying directly under the portal she lets her guard down completely and cries her heart out for the first time in ages.  Eventually the tears dry up and she lays there in silence listening to her surroundings, she closes her eyes and every once in a while she faintly hears a familiar sound; cars speeding down the highway; a plane grumbling through the sky, a child screaming in glee. 

She sighs as a smile spreads on her face, her hand caresses the wavering air surrounding the portal “I’ll be home soon, I promise.  I miss you all so much, it breaks me in two not to be able to tell you, to comfort you.  I’m so selfish enjoying myself here when you are worried senseless for me.  How I would love to give you something to comfort you, to tell you I’m ok and that we will be together soon.”

An idea comes to her, she sits up and turns to the portal, rips a piece of paper out of her portfolio and with her kohl pencil writes a short note, pulling a ribbon out of her hair she  ties it to a stick and launches it into the portal.  Smiling weakly she gets back on her knees with some sense of accomplishment, wipes her face fixing it so no one would know she had been crying.  Before turning to leave she kisses her hand and presses it to the gateway “I love you and think of you every moment of everyday, it tears me apart to be away from you. But I know we will see each other one day soon only that thought keeps me going, till then.”

Nina stands and pulls her hand away from the void noting that it feels like your pushing through the surface of the water, but it’s really more like air, tangible yet not “How curious” she whispers to herself.  With one last look back she turns and makes her way towards the manor, her heart feeling just a bit lighter.  

 Approaching the manor she enters through the kitchen luckily no one is there and she is able to continue on to her room undisturbed.  Walking up the servants stairs she contemplates her new obstacle, figuring out how to ask Steven to be Fiona’s escort.