ONYX

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Then leave.” He’d already been irritably having stayed by her side for the past two days. He’d never seen the effects of the water on the surface so he didn’t know how long she’d be asleep. He didn’t even know if she’d wake up ever again. He cursed himself for thinking such thoughts, but with the way she called out to him gave him hope that she was fighting to come back to him.

“I will never leave her side.” Winnie stated adamantly. She and Hades had been the only two people that’d refused to leave. Gemma and Hypnos had respected that, promising to return should they need them. So far, no one called for the two.

“Then stay and be quiet, Winnie. I mean it.” Hades said. He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. She was so pale now. All the color that’d come into her cheeks was drained now. She looked like death. “Matter of fact, I want you to leave.”

“What? I will not—”

“Winfred, do not speak against me! Leave!” He released only a sliver of his power and the fire in the hearth went out, encasing them in darkness.

Winnie gasped. She’d seen very frightening things before in her life, but Hades was feared above them all. She was in his good graces now and she didn’t want to even think about making him upset. “Very well,” She hung her head as she made a quiet exit.

Hades sighed. He hadn’t meant to be so cruel to sweet Winnie of all people. He would have to make it up to her later. For now, he must see to it that Alessandra made remained alive. All she had to do was open her eyes.

“Hades . . .”

He gasped. “Alessandra, I’m here. Open your eyes.”

Alessandra squirmed, but she didn’t open her eyes. His heart sank with the frightening thought that she wouldn’t open them again.

“Hades!” Alessandra shouted in the darkness, but only silence answered her. She sank to her knees and sobbed for help until her throat was sore and then she remained silent. The voices were gone and she waited for process to repeat itself, starting with the first time she woke up in her bedchambers in Evyon.

She waited. And waited some more, but nothing came and this time Alessandra thought that she was going to be stuck in darkness forever, but that’s not what happened next. “You call him as if he will come to save the day.”

“Who is there?” She’d never had a conversation with one of the voices that’d haunted her because they usually said the same thing, but this one was speaking as if it were a normal person.

Suddenly, a woman had appeared with long white hair and an angelic face that looked so much like . . . “I am you,”

It was as if Alessandra was looking at a mirror image of herself before she’d gone to the Underworld. “Oh, my God.”

“What? Does this shock you?”

“You’re me,”

“I am.”

“What is this?” Alessandra began to look around the illusion to fall and the ghosts to come and haunt her. She’d prepared for it, although she didn’t expect to see herself in this alternate realm. Maybe she was officially loosing her mind.

“I can assure it that it is not another trick.” The dress she wore flowed like a river behind her as she stepped towards Alessandra. There was a stream of light that made it nearly blinding to look at her. Alessandra had to look away, but when she did, the woman bent down to turn her chin back to her. “Do not look away, Alessandra. For I am here to help you.”

Her light dimmed a little to make gazing at her easier. Alessandra stared into the eyes that’d looked exactly like her own. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to wake up.”

Alessandra shook her head. “How do I do that?”

“Accept your darkness.”

“What?”

The woman trailed her index finger along the curve of Alessandra’s jaw and smiled. “All your life you’ve been caged. Certainly, there has been some consideration to accept what is inevitable.”

“What is inevitable?” Alessandra asked.

“Yes, silly child. It is important that you choose your path from here.” The woman wanted to tell Alessandra of the future that she’d seen and she also wanted to tell Alessandra her true identity, but that would have to be for another time. By then, she hoped that Alessandra was ready to know the truth. Right now, she wasn’t ready.

“My path?”

“You do not think that you were born to James and Elizabeth just by chance, do you?” She chuckled. She had to be careful of what she told her. “Oh, no, Alessandra, there is more to your destiny than you know.”

“I do not understand.”

“Of course you don’t, but all will be revealed soon. For now, I want you to choose.” Alessandra knew pain, loss, sadness, and grief, but she now had to make room for joy and happiness that she was to find. All she had to do was let go of what was holding her back.

“Choose what?”

“To stay in this life that you desired; to be normal, or to take what is yours and rise above them all. You will become greater, but only if you accept what you’ve done. You were given the touch of death and with it lives were cost. You must accept the deaths that you caused.”

That is something she couldn’t let go. The people that she loved died by her own hand and now they were making her live through that pain over and over again. “No. My father, Mary, and Greer . . . I can never get them back.”

“Then you will die in your grief.” She deemed. “You are not weak, otherwise you would have died when you were born. I wouldn’t have chosen you if I thought for a second that you would be weak for him.”

This woman wanted her to accept the deaths that she caused. It was unspeakable. “I just want to get out of this place.”

“I will help you. But first, I need you to forgive yourself.”

“I don’t know how!”

“Yes, you do.” The woman’s voice softened. She didn’t want to push her too far, but she had to be firm. “I can assure you, you are not a bad person. You are strong, much stronger than you know. I knew it the moment you were conceived. You will do many great things with him.”

“With who?”

“Hades, of course,”

“How do you know him?” Alessandra asked. She felt a familiar chill and knew that within minutes the woman would disappear and she would have to relive her Hell all over again.

“I am always around, Alessandra. However, I only come when you need me the most.”

“Who are you?”

“All will be revealed in time.” She said—much to Alessandra’s annoyance. “Now, forgive yourself.”

Alessandra closed her eyes. She thought about the people in her life that have suffered the unfair fate.

Her mother, though she didn’t die by her hand, she died protecting Alessandra for the death of her father. James was unintentional. She hadn’t meant for him to die and she really hadn’t meant for Mary or Greer to die either.

And yet she couldn’t change any of that. She could only ensure that it didn’t happen again, and that she would protect the remaining few that she cared about. But first, she had to let go of the burden she held on to. She had to be at peace and trust that each of the ones that died was in a better place and hopefully, her father will find his peace as well. “I’m sorry.” She whispered.

The woman extended her arm towards Alessandra. This wasn’t easy as she knew of how her grief weighted heavily on her heart. But she wouldn’t feel pain anymore. “Take my hand.”

Alessandra took her hand, the darkness falling around them until it was replaced with light and warmth. She opened her eyes, no longer surrounded by the room that’d now been an unwanted memory for her. Her mother wasn’t there to wake her either. And she knew she wasn’t in Evyon. 

The Underworld was her home.