Beyond the Prophecy

There we were, standing so close to each other that our breaths danced across our skin. I made sure not to break eye contact with him while I waited for an answer. Something was holding him back; My best guess was that, after fighting against the prophecy for so long, he might've thought that admitting he liked me meant admitting that he was wrong to fight it in the first place.

A knock on the door saved him from responding. "Chris," said Kyle on the other side of the door, "Your family's waiting to have breakfast with you."

"We'll be right down," he told him. "Natasha," he said only to me, "we have to get going."

"Damnú air!" I exclaimed. "Why can't we ever finish the conversations we start? Och, tá mé tuirseach."

"Don't be. We'll get our chance to finish."

"Sorry, do ya…did ya understand what I just said?"

"Yes, I did. You said you were tired, so I told you not to be."

My mouth opened a little. "An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?" I asked to test him.

"Ta," he responded.

I smiled widely. "Unbelievable. What other languages do you speak?"

With a wan smile, he grabbed his phone off the dresser and said, "About a million," on his way to the door.

I shook my head in disbelieve. "Ya were right before. Growing breasts is the only thing ya can't do." We chuckled and left the room.

On our way to the dining room, we stopped by my room on the second floor to get Leda. For some strange reason, the closer Chris and I got to reaching the dining room, the more nervous I became. Although I've technically met his family before, not remembering meant I was starting over.

When I met my ex's parents for the first time, it didn't go as planned. Alessandro's dad loved me and all, but his ma…Marizza was a bitch from the beginning. Not being in her favor put a major strain on the relationship between Les and me.

And here I was, meeting the parents all over again. Even though I didn't know what kind of relationship Chris and I really had, his parents were under the impression that we loved each other. It had to go well, not just because of our faux relationship, but because I genuinely wanted to make a good impression.

The only thing keeping my nerves from shooting through the roof was that I've met his sisters a few times during these past two weeks. Gaby was unable to find an escort at the last minute, so Chris took me up at my suggestion that Jason escort her. They, along with Emily (who's pretty attached to her siblings) came over a few times to practice the foxtrot. Emily didn't get to participate though because she was too young. Gaby and Chris were both flawless at it. I managed to keep up with them, but poor Jason struggled the whole time. It was entertaining to watch Gaby and him dance together.

We reached the dining room and everyone inside stood up as Chris introduced me. I didn't know what to say. I mean, saying hello or nice to meet you would've been an easy opener, but of course, I had to say these stupid words instead:

"Top o' the mornin' to ya."

Jaysus, did I really just say that? I flashed an awkward smile in hopes that no one took me seriously. Two seconds later, everyone broke out into laughter. Thank goodness, they had a sense of humor.

"My dear, you've been in America far too long," said Chris's da as he walked up to me.

"Yer probably right," I said with a more confident smile.

He adjusted the grey V-neck sweater he wore over a white button down before clasping my hand with both of his. "I'm Andrew Frost. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Chris told us so much about you."

"Yeah? Good things, or the truth?"

He laughed. "A little of both."

"Well, it's nice to meet ya, Mr. Frost."

"Call me Andrew, I insist."

Once he released my hand, Chris's ma walked up to me and took both of my hands in hers. Her light blue eyes studied me wordlessly; I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Let me guess," I said, breaking the silence. "I'm not what ya were expectin'."

"What do you mean?"

"Ya find out yer son is destined to marry someone, but ya probably didn't imagine her tattooed, pierced and in an alternative band."

She chuckled. "No, that wasn't my initial thought when I looked at you. I'm in awe; despite the tattoos and piercings, you're the spitting image of your mother."

That, I wasn't expecting. Growing up, people always compared Innogen to my ma because she was the "nice one." Rarely was I compared to ma as a result.

"Mrs. Frost—"

"Please, call me Jackie."

"Jackie…Ya knew my ma well, didn't ya? Because as weird as this is going to sound, I think I remember ya from when I was growing up. But I don't remember meetin' the rest of yer family as a kid, includin' Chris."

"Yes, Christian told me about your lost memories." Hearing her call him Christian almost made me smile. "However, I didn't expect you to remember me as a result. What do you remember about me?"

"Everything. Ya were close with my ma and came over often. Innogen and I would joke that we'd share a room so ya can sleep over any time. Sometimes you'd watch us when my parents had to work or had somewhere to go. Ya even gave me some advice on my first crush."

"You remember your first crush?"

"…Not really. I just remember you tellin' me that I was too young to go on dates. I was eight." Everyone chuckled. "Sorry, but did ya used to have a British accent? It sounds like you're on yer way to losin' one."

Smiling, she responded, "I get asked that often. It's not that I used to have a British accent; it's that I still do. I've had the same accent since I first learned how to talk. It's a common misconception that the American accents were what changed over the centuries, when in fact, British accents sounded just like mine before there was even a Declaration of Independence to sign."

"Huh. I had no idea."

"Most people don't," said Gaby behind me.

I turned to her with a smile. "Howya Gaby. Is it yerself?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she responded.

My glass watch necklace got caught in her long, wavy hair when we hugged. We laughed while we attempted to detach it.

"If it won't come out, then I guess I'll have to keep it," she joked.

"Tell ya what, I'll trade ya for yer coral sweater." We laughed and finally got the necklace out of her hair. "Where's Emily? I thought she'd be here."

"She forgot something at home—" Gaby glanced down when Leda brushed herself against her white skinny jeans. "Awe Leda, how are you girl?" She knelt town and allowed Leda to smell her hand before she petted her. "Natasha, your cat is such a sweetheart."

"Of course she is," I said proudly. "She takes after me."

I heard Chris try to cover up his chuckle with a cough. "Just clearing my throat," he said when I shot him a glare.

We finally took our seats while Leda explored the dining room. Andrew and Jackie sat across from Chris, Gaby, and me. I sat in between the two. Kyle came into the room with a serving cart containing red wine bottles filled with what I knew wasn't alcohol, but was still the same color. Calista, who came in after him, asked me what I wanted for breakfast.

"Anything that isn't on that cart over there," I said. Calista chuckled.

The sound of small footsteps echoed their way towards the dining room, making me smile. I knew without looking that they belonged to Emily. Although she looked like a five year old, Emily was technically ten. It made me wonder what she'd be like fifty years from now.

"I'm back!" she said to everyone. I would've seen her, but Calista unintentionally blocked my view. "Natasha, you're here! Now I can show it to you too."

"Show me what?" I asked.

As soon as Calista left the room, I saw Emily. Her smile was bright enough to fill her big brown eyes with joy and made her yellow sun dress seem brighter. Her dark blonde hair was styled in a single knot atop her head. Her arms hid behind her back.

"I wanted to show you my new toy. This is Nancy!"

The moment she revealed what was behind her back, I ejected out of my seat so fast that my chair slammed to the ground. Emily's porcelain doll seemed ordinary to everyone else, but I swear I felt it's glass eyes staring into my soul. I backed up so fast that I bumped my head on a wall, but the adrenaline coursing through me masked any pain. The longer I looked at the doll, the more misshapen and demonic its features became. I even thought I heard it whispering malicious thoughts into my head.

"Get it away from me. Get that THING away from me!" It was at the point when I started hyperventilating that I ran out of the room and straight into the kitchen.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" inquired Calista when she stopped chopping carrots to look at me.

I couldn't speak. I didn't even know what to say. Instead I leaned against the island, trying to catch my breath and stop trembling.

The sound of Chris calling my name startled me so suddenly that I instantly grabbed the knife off the counter and pointed it at him. It caught him off, but he reacted fast enough to move away from its path.

"Whoa!" exclained Calista.

"Take it easy," Chris said calmly before carefully taking the knife from my hands.

"I'll give you guys a minute," Calista told us. She turned off the stove and left the room.

"It came for me," I muttered between shaky breaths. "That thing came for me to finish what it started."

"The doll won't hurt you; it's just a toy."

"No it isn't! It's dangerous!" I swiftly moved behind the island when I heard Emily make her way towards the kitchen.

She peaked inside before entering. This time, her hands were empty but her wide eyes held the edge of tears in them. "Natasha," she began with a sniffle, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to show you my new doll," she finished, her face tinted with a flush.

The sad yet adorable look she projected made my neurosis fade and guilt settle. Even though I couldn't control my reaction, my intention was never to startle her. I ignored the angry look Chris shot at me while I walked up to her and bent down to her level.

"Don't be sad, Emily, ya didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry to, for upsetting ya. It's just that, I've had a fear of dolls since I was twelve. Me getting scared isn't yer fault."

Emily stared at me in silence for a moment before gasping. "That's why dolls scare you. They came after you."

"What?"

"I saw it, in your head. The dolls your mom gave you came after you when you were twelve."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Did Chris ever tell ya that I don't like it when people read my mind without tellin' me?"

She covered her mouth with both of her hands before I smiled a her.

"I'll let it slide this one time though. But yeah, the dream I had with the dolls when I was little is why they scare me."

"Dream?" she questioned with her eyebrows creased. "But…it wasn't a dream. It really happened."

"Sorry?"

She looked towards Chris as if he called her, but I didn't hear anything. The fact that they stared at each other wordlessly let me know that whatever they said, it was mentioned telepathically.

"But she doesn't know the truth," Emily finally said aloud before turning to me. "The doctors you saw when you were little used hyposis to make you think it was a dream, but it wasn't. It really happened."

"What's hyposis?"

"Emily," Chris spoke firmly.

She shook her head and pushed my sleeve up to touch my scar. "You didn't scratch yourself. The dolls did this to you."

"Emily, that's enough!" he shouted.

"But, Chris!"

"Go back to the dining room."

Emily pouted and stomped out of the room, while I couldn't stop staring at the floor, even when I stood back up. I could feel Chris's eyes on me, waiting for a response, but my mind only focused on the memory of that night, which came to me in flashes.

Anytime I thought about the dream, or what I thought was a dream, it stopped when the dolls slashed my arm. This time, I saw more:

Immediately after the dolls attacked, my ma and Innogen rushed into the room. Innogen ran towards me as my ma shouted words I didn't recognize to the dolls. With her words, they became lifeless again. Innogen grabbed a shirt hanging from my desk chair and pressed it against the gash on my arm.

"Innogen," ma said, "take your sister to the bathroom and dress her wound."

She and I made our way there while she applied pressure to my gash. When we left my bedroom, I saw my ma's second husband outside my doorway.

"Is everything all right?" he asked. His voice denoted concern; his face did not. It would've to the naked eye, but I saw a cruel contentment hidden beneath his act. It was as if he wanted this to happen to me, or worse: as if he was the one behind it.

Little by little, I heard Chris calling my name to get my attention. It was the second he touched my arm that I pulled away from the memory and back to reality.

"I remember…I remember what really happened. Emily was right, it wasn't a dream."

Chris ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. "Your mother told us about it when it happened. She said you had a very rough time coping with it, which is why she took you to see a doctor about it."

"Through counseling, I remember."

"Not just counseling. He also performed hypnosis to make you believe it was only a dream."

"So that's what Emily meant by hyposis. Ya knew the truth about it this whole time. Why didn't ya tell me?" This is usually the part when I yell and get pissed, but the shock of the truth kept me from lashing out.

"For the same reason you were hypnotized: so that you can cope. Look how spooked you got when you saw the doll today. Imagine how much worse that would've been your whole life to be near a doll. Your mother took you to a doctor to keep you from becoming even more neurotic about this than you already are."

A few nods from me and my head started pounding. "You're right, I guess," I said slowly, rubbing the back of my head in the process.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. My head just hurts from when I hit it on the wall—"

His fingers ran through my hair until they reached the throbbing part on my scalp. Chris applied a little pressure as he brushed his hand across the aching spot. At first it made it feel worse, but then it relieved most of the pain. I blinked slowly while he continued soothing my head.

"Does that help?"

"Yeah…Thanks…"

Calista knocked on the wall by the entrance to get our attention. "Sorry to interrupt but, can I get back in here for a sec? I have food baking in the oven."

Chris motioned for her to reenter the kitchen and she headed straight for the oven.

"Wait…" I said to Chris, "if my childhood nightmare really did happen. Could that mean that any other dreams I've had be real too?"

"Perhaps, depending on the dream."

"I've had some dreams lately with my ma since I've been here. She told me things in them that eventually happened or was the truth, like the vampire coven attack or that Druidry runs in my family."

"How can you be sure that they weren't just dreams?"

"That's the thing; If they were just dreams, she wouldn't tell me about these things, then they happened, and then talk to me about it after they happened. And it they were memories and not dreams, I would've seen myself as a kid in the dreams every time, instead of sittin' beside her as I am now."

"Is everything all right in here?" asked Gaby when she walked into the room. "The rest of us are wondering if either of you plan on dining with us."

I took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, let's eat," before Calista came up to me with a plate of food and happily handed it to me.

"So," said Gaby when we entered the dining room, "I guess this means we won't be watching any of those Child's Play movies later."

"Ha ha ha ha—hell no." We all laughed. "I wouldn't mind watching The Secret of Roan Inish though."

"What's that?" she asked as we took our seats.

"It's a film I loved growin' up about selkies—sea lions that can shed their skin and transform to a lovely maiden on land. My love of sea lions is because of that movie. I even named my favorite guitar after the main character."

"What's her name?" inquired Emily.

"Fiona," I responded with a smile.

An hour after we ate (or drank) our breakfast, my friends arrived at the manor for practice. We practiced our set a few times, but we also played around for a while, especially when Gaby picked up the tambourine, Emily played the cowbell, and Chris thumped out on the piano. When Evan shouted out, "We need more cowbell!" Emily banged on her instrument louder with a grin, while the rest of us laughed. Andrew and Jackie, Chris's parents, witnessed our insanity with delight.

That wasn't the only time that day some of us rocked out to music. Later that day, when Evan, Ava, Jason, and I were supposed to be getting dressed for the gala, we enthusiastically sang, or more rapped along, to the rock remix of P. Diddy's, "It's all about the Benjamins,"in my room. We were halfway through Lil Kim's verse when I saw Chris by the doorway. They continued rapping even as I made my way towards him.

"Came to join us?" I asked with a smile.

Chris shook his head. He may not have been smiling, but I saw the laughter in his eyes. "The guests are beginning to arrive, so the four of you need to get dressed. The stylists are on their way with your custom designed wardrobe."

"Ya plan on stickin' around while I get dressed?"

"I may. Any chance I can get to see you naked is worth it."

"It's only fair…" I told him, my arms moving to rest on his shoulders, "since I've already seen ya in yer birthday suit. Twice. But if ya wanna see mine, ya have to earn it."

"If that's the case, then what did you do to warrant the right to see mine?"

I moved my lips close to his ear and whispered, "Nothing…yet," before slowly kissing his cheek.

Someone near us cleared their throat loud enough to catch our attention. "So…" Jason began, "…do you guys plan on making out? Because if you do, I want to watch."

Ava smacked the back of his head and told him, "Go get dressed, pervert."

"Okay, okay," he said with hilarity. "Or, maybe I should be the one making out with someone. Hey Chris, which room is your sister in?"

"I refuse to tell you," said Chris. "I have a strict, no pedophilia policy when it concerns my baby sister."

"What?! Oh, hell no, I didn't mean Emily, I meant—"

"Let's go, pedophile," said Evan before he pulled Jason towards the door. He then turned to Ava and said, "We'll meet you guys in the ballroom."

"See you there," she responded before they kissed. She turned to me and shrugged when she saw my grin."

"Ya guys are so cute together."

"Yeah, well, you two give a very convincing performance. Those two don't have a clue that you're not really dating."

"It's because they're guys. Men don't notice a damn thing unless a woman points it out to them. And even then, they still might not notice."

"I'd disagree with you," started Chris, "but since Jason is an imbecile, I'd say there are a few exceptions."

Ava chuckled. "When Jason asked for your sister, you do know he meant Gaby, don't you?"

"Of course I did. I just wanted to mess with him a little. All right, I need to go get ready. Ava, I'll see you and the others in the ballroom. Natasha, I'll return once you're ready so I can escort you there."

I wanted to kiss him goodbye like Evan and Ava did, but he left before I could. Ava moved in between the door and me with a smirk.

"He still doesn't know how you feel, does he."

I sat down on my bed with a deep sign. "I told him this mornin'."

"What!?" She rushed to the door and opened it when we heard a knock. "Give us a minute," she blurred to the stylists on the other side of the door and then shut the door closed. "Okay Tasha, spill," she said excitedly before plopping beside me. "Give me all the details,"

"There's not much to tell, really," yet I told her everything anyway.

"I'm guessing you guys haven't spoken about it since."

"Nope."

"We're going to make it happen." She moved back towards the door to let the stylists in. "Let's get ready for the party. Once he sees what a knock-out you are, he'd only be able to pick his jaw up from the floor long enough to confess his feelings for you."

A few hours later, the stylists left and Ava and I were nearly ready. She left the room to get us water while I slipped into my gold stilettos. It was a bit strange to see myself looking so…classy. My black hair was styled in waves as opposed to its usual cherub curls; My makeup, which consisted of natural tones everywhere except for my bold, red, lipstick, reminded me of the 1930s. The floor-length gown I wore did too. It was a white dress with a v-neckline in the front and back and embellished in gold sequins. The sequins were clustered at the top and bottom of the gown, but dispersed more and more as they met in the middle.

Ava reentered the room and paused at the door. "Holy shit, you look classy!"

"I know, right? It's weird."

"It kind of is. But you pull it off well. Speaking of pulling things off…" She paced over to me and placed a few gifts and a pair of water bottles in front of me. "You can pull off the wrapping on those bad boys."

"What is this?"

"What else would it be? Happy Birthday! These are from me and the guys."

"Seriously?"

"Hell yeah! Just because we have a gig tonight, doesn't mean we can't still celebrate. Open them!"

I ripped the wrapping paper off the gifts. Ava gave me three notebooks of music sheets with my name etched on them, and a gold bracelet with Siren engraved on it. Evan's gift was a 12 pack of Guinness, and Jason's gift was a pocket sized pepper spray and handmade "coupons" for a free make out session with him."

"Jason's an idiot."

My cellphone rang soon after, but I didn't pick up when I saw who was texting me. Ava's expression changed when she saw my frown.

"What is it?"

"Nothin'. It's not important."

"Sure it is. Who was on the phone?"

With a deep sigh, I sat on one of the seats by the window. "It was Innogen."

"Oh shit." She grabbed the water bottles and handed me one. "What's she texting you for?" she asked as she sat on the other seat.

"Don't know. Probably to wish me happy birthday."

"Have you spoken to her since you saw her with Les?"

I shook my head.

Ava sighed. "Look, I don't blame you for not talking to her, but maybe you should at least wish her a happy birthday too."

"That means talking to her, which I'm not goin' to do."

"But she wasn't the only one to blame, you know. Les is just as guilty."

"I haven't spoken to him either." My phone rang and I scoffed when I looked at the text. "Speak of the devil. Les just sent me a birthday message."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Maybe a week after he cheated on me with Innogen. I want to keep it that way."

"So you don't still have feelings for him?"

"Fuck no."

She laughed. The truth was, I didn't know. Because I hadn't seen him since we broke up, I never had a chance to get closure. As far as I knew, I was over him. Having feelings for Chris helped me confirm it.

"I just noticed that you're not wearing any jewelry."

"Yeah. The stylist said someone else was goin' to bring it to me. You'd think they'd have it. They had everything else, down to the hair dye for my roots."

"They dyed your roots?"

"Temporarily. My red hair was startin' to show. I don't think I'm goin' to dye my hair again, so the red would come back."

"Natural red, or dyed red like my dress?"

"No, not crimson. My own red hair."

"But they had my jewelry. Even the broach I'm supposed to wear on my dress. They told me the broach is supposed to be some kind of crest."

"It's the Frost family crest. Chris said you and the guys need to wear it so that any non-mortal guests know you're all off-limits, food wise."

"Oh, good. And here I thought I'd be uncomfortable at this party," she said sarcastically.

"I've got to go use the jacks. Why don't you head to the ballroom with Evan and I'll met you there when Chris comes by."

She nodded. "Knock his socks off," she said with a grin, before she left.

A half hour passed, and I still didn't have any jewelry. I passed the time by playing around with Leda. The end of her tail was still two tips instead of one, but I was so used to it by now that if it ever reverts back, it would look strange to me.

Someone knocked, and I told them to enter without looking up. Leda ran in that direction, my eyes followed her. At first, when whoever it was picked up Leda, all I saw was a pair of black loafers glossy enough to reflect the overhead lighting, but as I stood, my eyes traveled upward. The tan, almost khaki colored slacks matched the blazer, and both were tailored to perfection. Beneath the blazer was a white, cleanly pressed button down with a black tie and a gold clasp. Chris's hair was slicked back, and the tan suit made his beautiful light eyes look bluer.

I didn't realize my eyes were opened wider than normal until I blinked for the first time since I started staring at him. To help me snap out of it, I took a deep breath and spun around with a smile. In order to help my racing heart to slow down, I stopped focusing on how sexy he looked, and instead turned all the attention towards myself.

"So," I asked, "what do you think?"

Chris placed Leda on my bed before walking up to me. "I think…people will be jealous that I get to escort you tonight."

I grinned. "Good. I want them to be envious of ya. They'll envy us both," I said in a lower, more sensual tone while my hands smoothed over the lapels of his blazer. "By the way, we can't head over to the ballroom yet. The stylists still haven't brought up my jewelry."

"I know. There's a reason why they didn't." He handed me a gift with the words Happy Birthday written on a tag.

"Did Ava tell ya it was my birthday?"

"She didn't, you did. The first time I told you about the gala, you told me it fell on the same day as your birthday."

"Ya remembered?"

He nodded. "Happy 22nd birthday."

I was touched that he remembered. I walked over to the dresser and opened the gift to reveal a velvet blue box. The word Givré was printed on the cover in white lettering. "Are ya sure ya didn't talk to Ava?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because she knows how much I absolutely love this jewelry brand. They're my favorite one actually."

"Is that so? Gaby will be delighted to hear that."

"Givré is her favorite brand too?"

"It's not that. She's the CEO of the company."

I turned to him with arched eyebrows. "Sorry?"

"Givré is a family business, and Gaby runs it."

"Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me?! Yer family owns it? Givré is up there with Bulgari and shit!" I opened the box and felt my jaw drop instantly. The most beautiful necklace and matching drop earrings were inside.

"According to my sister," he said as he carefully lifted the necklace out of the box, "it's a Georgian citrine necklace." He placed it on my neck and fastened the clasp. "It's a one-of-a-kind piece from the 1830s."

"It's vintage?" I asked as I touched the sole pear shaped drop pendant.

"Yes, it is."

"This is…I mean…" For the first time today, I couldn't find the right words to say. "Shit, I'm speechless." We laughed and I started to put on the earrings. "Since I have a necklace, I hope no one notices the hickie I covered up with makeup."

"I hope they do. It would make others even more envious." We smirked at each other. "There was one more thing."

He pulled out a box from his pocket and placed it on the dresser. It matched the other jewelry box, only this time it was small and square shaped. My heart raced as I covered my mouth with a shaky hand. Guys usually give women a box that small when there's a special kind of ring inside. When I moved my glance to him, his smirk grew.

"It's not what you think."

I exhaled. Not that I would mind being engaged to him, but I couldn't imagine doing so without at least going on a date first. With a deep breath, I opened the box. There was a ring inside, but it wasn't an engagement ring. Instead, it was a rose gold ring with the silhouette of a sea lion made out of amethyst stones.

"Is this also vintage?"

"No, custom made. You mentioned earlier today that you had a love for sea lions because of your favorite childhood film. I asked Gaby for a favor and had this ring made."

I didn't know what to say. He could've stopped at the vintage necklace, or could have given me a regular ring, and I would've been perfectly happy. The fact that he gave me a ring that represented part of my childhood was truly touching. I fought back tears that wanted to show.

"Which finger is it for?" I asked without looking at him.

He removed it from the box and placed it on my right ring finger. "We should go. Everyone's waiting for us." When he made his way towards the door, I finally looked up and called out to him.

I walked up to Chris and embraced him tightly. He hugged me back without hesitation. Every time my eyes watered, I took in a deep, yet shaky, breath.

"I'm trying not to cry so I don't ruin my makeup." His chuckle made me smile. "Thank ya," I said lowly. "I love my birthday gifts. They mean a lot to me."

"You're welcome. The ring wasn't for tonight, so you don't have to wear it now. It doesn't really match."

"I don't care, I'm wearin' it anyway."

My head turned to give him a prolonged kiss on one cheek, while my hand covered the other one. If only we could remain this close all the time…Chris turned his head to face mine. My skin grew warmer as we looked into each other's eyes, but something behind me drew his glance away from me.

I turned before my eyes widened. The sphere on the box my ma gave me when I was little, the anamchara bosca, glowed green. "Holy shit!" I rushed over and grabbed it with both hands. "It's glowing…It's finally glowing. He's here."

"Who is?" asked Chris before I turned to face him.

"The only person who can open this box: My soul mate."

________________________________________
Damnú air: Gaelic for "damn it."

Och, tá mé tuirseach: Gaelic. Roughly translates to "Arghh, I'm tired."

An bhfuil Gaeilge agat: Gaelic for "do you speak Gaelic?"

Ta: In this case, it's the Gaelic word for "yes."

Child's Play: A horror film about a doll that comes to life when it's possessed by the soul of a serial killer.

Givré: French word for "Frost."

Bulgari: An Italian jewelry company

Anamchara Bosca: Gaelic for "soul mate box."