I hugged her back. I felt as strongly about Ashlyn as I did about both of my sisters. “I love you too.”

  Ashlyn ran back to the car and disappeared inside. I walked closer to JJ and hugged him. His arms were strong and perfect around me. I noticed a thoughtful look in his eyes. The tears had disappeared. I wasn't familiar with the expression on his face.

  “A penny for your thoughts?” I met his gaze.

  He had a soft smile on his face. “I was just a little...jealous.”

  “Jealous? Why?” I didn't expect him to say that.

  He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Ashlyn beat me to the punch.”

  I tilted my head, not sure what he was talking about.

  “I love you, Callie.” JJ confessed. “And here my kid sister tells you first.”

  I touched his cheek. His dark lashes covered his honey brown eyes as he looked down at me.

  “There is a big difference. I'm in love with you JJ. I love Ashlyn like a sister. It's not remotely the same.” I shook my head.

  A big smile spread across JJ's face. “Really?”

  “Really.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. “I'm gonna give you a minute.” I nodded towards the head stones.

  “Thanks.” He squeezed my hand.

  I walked toward the car and got in with Ashlyn. She was wiping her tears away with the blanket. I didn't know anything helpful to say, so I just gave her a sad smile and she returned it.

  A few minutes later, JJ got back in the car. “Off to Nate's. Then home.”

  Later that night, we pulled into the driveway, emotionally exhausted. Ashlyn was asleep in the backseat again. Part of me thought about joining her on the way home.

  “Thank you for going with us.” JJ's eyes were earnest.

  “Anytime.” I smiled at him.

  “Good night.” JJ's eyes were warm. “I love you.”

  “Good night.” I smiled again. “I love you JJ.” I blew him a kiss and ran inside.

  32

  “Ihereby grant full custody of Ashlyn Joy Poveste to Jonathan James Poveste.” The gavel went down.

  Ashlyn squealed.

  JJ scooped her up.

  “I'm yours!” Ashlyn hugged his neck tightly.

  “I love you, squirt.” JJ put her down.

  “I love you, JJ.” Ashlyn looked up at her brother like he was her hero.

  I hugged JJ. “I'm so happy for you!”

  “Thanks, this wouldn't have happened without you and your family.” JJ whispered into my hair. “Thank you so much for everything. This whole summer...everything.”

  “Anytime.” I gave him one more hug.

  Rainy and Emeric came up and took turns hugging Ashlyn.

  “Congratulations.” Mom hugged JJ.

  “Congratulations.” Dad followed suit.

  “Thank you. So much. I can't...I can't even...tell you... Thank you for making this happen.” JJ told my Dad.

  Dad shrugged, but had a smile on his face. “Let's go out to lunch to celebrate.”

  33

  We sat down on the beach. Today was another perfect day. JJ was holding my hand. Somehow, he seemed lighter.

  “Why are you smiling like that?” JJ teased.

  “I like seeing you happy.” I kept smiling.

  “I'm supposed to be happy. It's my birthday.” JJ smiled. “That and I get to keep Ash safe. That first foster home was horrible. I heard some of the guys talking about...” JJ cringed. “I packed my bag and Ash's and got us out of there.”

  “Your parents would have been proud of you.” I squeezed his hand.

  “What about you?” JJ's gaze met mine. “Are you proud of me?” Emotion filled his eyes.

  I leaned forward and kissed him. “Very proud of you.”

  JJ put his arm around me and sighed in contentment. We watched the sunset. When a chill came with the wind, we got up and started walking back to the main house.

  “JJ, can I spend the night with Rainy?” Ash ran up to us excitedly.

  “It's day one in our new place and you're already trying to bail, Ash?” JJ's eyebrows raised.

  “Please?” Ash smiled.

  “Yeah, if Emma and Kasen say yeah.” JJ shrugged.

  “Emma already said yes.” Ashlyn turned around and ran back.

  I laughed.

  “I think that question was rigged.” JJ whispered.

  I nodded my head and laughed again.

  We walked inside. Mom was sitting on the couch with Dad. We walked to the refrigerator and grabbed something to drink. My parents paused the TV when we sat down across from them.

  “You can tell Ash no.” JJ told them.

  “Oh, she's fine. Rainy has been asking for weeks.” Mom laughed.

  “We have four kids, what's one more.” Dad shrugged. “You get to a certain amount and one more doesn't make a difference.” Dad smirked.

  JJ smiled.

  I picked up a throw pillow and threw it at my Dad who laughed and threw it back and laughed again.

  “Did you pick Quest day?” Dad looked at us and waited for an answer.

  “Not yet.” I shrugged.

  It wasn't high on my list of things to do. Spending time with JJ and making sure he got custody of Ashlyn had been more important.

  “As long as you get to it before you're 25, you should be fine.” Mom looked at Dad and then at us.

  “So about this Quest...?” JJ asked.

  “What do you want to know?” Dad's right eyebrow went up.

  “Everything.” I answered before JJ could say anything.

  “There's not much to tell.” Mom tried to keep her tone and reactions to a minimum.

  I had seen her act like this when she was making sure Emeric didn't get away with his fits. I glanced at JJ. He took it at face value, but I knew Mom knew something worth telling.

  “In order to keep your Storyteller Abilities, you have to finish Part 1 of the Quest.” Dad smiled at Mom like he had a secret.

  “And what does Part 1 of the Quest entail?” I had a better chance of getting Dad to talk than Mom. I may as well hit the weakest link.

  “A year in Angeline.” Mom's words were still even. That fact didn't escape my notice.

  “When you go into the Quest...” Dad paused and looked at Mom like he was thinking better of finishing the sentence. “...you return the same time you left in the real world.”

  “No time passes in the real world no matter how long you stay there.” Mom added.

  “How long did you stay there?” JJ asked.

  “Callie was born in Angeline.” Mom smiled at me softly.

  JJ looked at me in surprise.

  “That's the real reason we don't have any baby pictures of you Callie Flower or of Alison for that matter.” Mom leaned towards Dad. She had mentioned that to me before, but I hadn't given it much thought.

  “Wait, if Callie has already been in Angeline, does she have to go back to keep her Storyteller Abilities?” JJ glanced at me.

  “That is a good question.” Dad was amused.

  “I don't know.” Mom was surprised.

  “I wouldn't chance it.” Dad nodded. “I love being a Storyteller. I wouldn't give my life up for the world.” He turned to Mom and kissed her.

  She smiled. “Me either, Kase.”

  “How did you get to Angeline?” I asked.

  “We held hands, and I rubbed my coin.” Dad looked at Mom. “I still think it's funny we beat Damion.” Dad smirked.

  “At least they finished the first part of the Quest in time.” Mom's eyes sparkled.

  “Wait, like Uncle Damion?” I asked.

  Mom nodded.

  “But he's like 5 years older than you.” I blinked twice.

  “Yep.” Dad grinned.

  I exhaled.

  “One year in Angeline...together?” I felt JJ's eyes on me.

  “Yes.” Dad answered.

  “You come back the same minute you left.” Mom reiterated.

  “We'll have to give it some thought.” I chanced a glance at JJ. He was still looking at me.

  The thought of spending a year with JJ to complete the Quest was...I don't know...I've been to church camp a few times and each time I came back feeling different. That was only two weeks. A year would feel like a lifetime.

  “You have until your 25th birthday, Miss Callie.” Dad stood up and stretched.

  “Plenty of time.” Mom smiled.

  Somehow, it didn't feel like plenty of time. Alison would be 17 soon. Part of me wanted to make sure I finished before my sister. I was used to doing things first. I didn't want this to be the exception.

  34

  “So this Quest...?” JJ waited for me to say something.

  “A year is a long time.” I sat on the picnic bench.

  JJ sat down beside of me. “Being a Storyteller has some major perks.”

  “I know.” I rubbed my necklace, and it glowed.

  JJ's necklace glowed. For one split second, we shared a stunned look. In the next second, we were standing in the middle of an old village like I had seen in the movies.

  My mouth was open. I looked around. JJ was standing beside of me.

  “I am so sorry.” I looked up at him.

  JJ looked around in surprise. Several villagers waved at us like they knew who we were. We awkwardly waved back before his gaze came back to me.

  “I guess the choice is made.” JJ smirked.

  “I'm sorry.” I reiterated.

  “It's cool.” JJ took my hand and smiled. “It was going to happen sometime, now is as good as any.” He finished with a shrug.

  “Hello, I am the Good Friar. Come with me to begin your Quest.” The balding man in a robe turned and walked away.

  The next thing I knew, we were following the Friar into a church.

  “What kind of Quest begins in a church?” JJ whispered.

  “This one.” I shrugged.

  As soon as JJ and I passed through the doors, I was wearing a wedding dress and JJ was wearing a suit and tie. I swallowed. JJ didn't seem to know what happened until we were at the front of the church, and he turned to look at me. He went white as his shirt.

  I tried to walk the way I had come, but I couldn't move off the platform. The Friar started going through the vows with JJ first. The Friar got to the ‘I do’ part with JJ. JJ looked at me half horrified.

  “Can we have a minute?” I asked the Friar.

  The Friar shook his head no and repeated the last question.

  I tried to talk, but no words came out. JJ tried to say something, but no words came out either. His hand went to his throat. He looked at the Friar and then at me.

  “I do.” JJ winced, almost like he was trying to see if the words would hurt.

  The Friar went through the vows with me. I tried to say something, but the words still wouldn't come out. JJ's wide eyes didn't budge off my face.

  “Do you take 'JJ' Jonathan James Poveste to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The Friar finished.

  A series of thoughts flashed through my mind in a millisecond. The night in the gas station...on the beach...the lockers when I told off Jenny... the first day at school...the first day he got in my car... graduation... court earlier today. I loved JJ, truly loved him. I rubbed my lips together, unsure of what would come out of my mouth.

  “I do.” My voice came out stronger than I thought it would.

  JJ looked instantly surprised.

  “You may kiss the bride.” The Friar told us.

  JJ's eyes searched mine, looking for answers. We shared a quick kiss.

  “Please help me give a congratulation to Mr. & Mrs. Poveste.” The Good Friar and the crowd cheered.

  The next thing I knew, we were walking into the daylight. Our dress and suit disappeared into the same clothes we were wearing when we entered the Quest.

  “I think we're married.” JJ whispered in my ear. “I didn't know what to do.”

  My mouth opened, and I shut it. I closed my eyes. My thoughts were bouncing in my head like ping-pong balls.

  “Callie?” JJ's earnest brown eyes searched mine, hoping I had all the answers. I didn't, but I could fake it.

  I took JJ's hand. “I actually remember this place. Not the wedding part.” I laughed nervously. “But Mom and Dad always took me to the fountain first and last.”

  “Okay. Let's go check it out.” JJ nodded.

  We had passed the fountain on the way to the church. It only took a minute to walk back to it. The fountain was carved out of stone. There was a man holding something. I leaned closer. It said RULES. I could barely reach it. JJ came around me. As soon as he touched it, the tablet collapsed from the stone man into a book instead of stone. JJ sat on the fountain wall and opened the book. I sat beside of him.

  Two boxes appeared on the first page. Short Version was in one and Long Version was in the other.

  “Short Version?” JJ asked.

  “Yeah, we can check out the Long Version later.” I was nervous.

  JJ tapped on Short Version and flipped the page. We both read quietly.

  Death- if you die in Angeline, you wake up in the real world at the same age as when you entered.

  “That's good, but we already knew that.” JJ commented as he flipped the page.

  Marriage- Yes, the marriage is legal and binding.

  JJ stared at the paper for a moment. It reminded me of the day he found out he was a Storyteller. He didn't move.

  “JJ?” I asked softly.

  “Yeah?” He was pale as he looked at me.

  “I'm sorry I dragged us here. I didn't know what would happen.” I started crying.

  JJ snapped out of it and put his arms around me. “Look, it's okay.” He rubbed my shoulder and leaned toward me.

  “But...” I still had tears in my eyes.

  “It was going that way anyway. I'm not mad.” JJ soothed.

  “You're not?” I bit my bottom lip.

  “No.” JJ chuckled.

  He looked more beautiful than ever before. There was no anger or malice. I smiled.

  “That's better.” JJ wiped the tears from under my eyes. “You're not supposed to cry on your wedding day.” JJ smirked.

  I nodded.

  JJ flipped to the next page. “Oh, the big one.”

  Children-If any children are conceived during this story, they will appear in the real world when the Quest is completed or death occurs for the parents in question. If parents and children remain in the story longer than 17 years, the children will exit the story no older than 17.

  “Let's pause on that.” JJ made a face.

  I laughed, and he flipped to the next page.

  Storytelling Abilities are able to be used, but have limitations.

  “Oo limitations. I don't like that.” JJ made a face.

  I laughed.

  “I wonder what the limitations are?” JJ looked at the book thoughtfully.

  “They are probably listed in the longer version.” I commented.

  “Sounds probable.” JJ smiled. “Looks like I have a pretty smart wife. What's next on the list since you have been here before?”

  “The store.” I stood up.

  35

  “Ifeel like we should go this way.” I pointed down the path leading out of town.

  “I trust you.” JJ smiled.

  We were walking down the well-worn path for several minutes, when I looked over to see JJ grinning like he had a secret. I didn't know if I should be worried.

  “What's that smile for?” I looked at him curiously.

  “I just realized I'll never be one of those guys who gets in trouble for forgetting our anniversary. I can remember my birthday.” JJ's smile was contagious.

  “You're funny.” I laughed.

  “Just don't forget my birthday.” JJ teased.

  “I will do my best.” I smirked.

  We were standing at a fork in the road. JJ headed off toward the left. I grabbed his shirtsleeve.

  “We can't go that way.” I frowned.

  “Okay. Any particular reason?” He asked.

  “It's not safe.” I didn't know why I knew that, but it was ingrained in me. JJ nodded, and we went off to the right.

  At the end of the path was a little cottage. It was the same cottage from my vision. I had really been in Angeline before.

  “Do you know someone who lives here?” JJ asked.

  “Us, I think.” I ran up the stairs and pushed the door open.

  The room had a fireplace and a small kitchen in the far corner. It was nice, but much smaller than what I was used to. I had the Basement at home to myself. This place was about 1/3 of that size. I started walking around and opening doors. It felt different from what I remembered. I rubbed my necklace, wishing it looked like it did when I was little. The kitchen changed before me. I walked back towards the main room and saw two more doors that hadn't been there before. One led to a spacious bathroom.

  The second door led to a little girls’ room with two small beds. This room captured my heart. I walked over and sat on my old bed. I closed my eyes and I could see my younger self and Alison come to life.

  We were jumping on the bed when Dad came in. We both sat down with our best toddler smiles. He pretended to be mad and then picked us up and threw us into the air, laughing. The memory ended in tickles and laughter.

  A flash of a new memory came of Mom laying in bed with me, reading me a story. Alison had already fallen asleep in her bed. It ended in a kiss on the forehead. “Goodnight Callie Flower.”

  “Are you okay, Callie?” JJ was leaning in the doorway.

  I nodded and stood up. I looked back at the beds and I could swear two little girls were sitting on each bed with a hand over their mouths, trying not to giggle. I smiled at the memory. I was happy here before. I turned back and fell into JJ's open arms. He pulled me close to him and held me.

  “You're really okay with this?”

  JJ nodded. His smile was genuine.

  I stared at him in disbelief.

  “Before you came into my life...I was a mess...I had faith in God to make a way, but nothing was happening. I did everything I could think of to keep Ash safe...but I was about to lose her...I had nowhere to go when I turned 18...I was a mess...And then you showed up out of nowhere and made life interesting...” JJ smirked. “Everything fell into place.” He smiled. “I need you Callie...and yeah...I'm okay with having you as my wife. The question is, am I good enough for you?”

 

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