Once Again (28 page)

Back at school on Monday, the business with
Corey and Kara was all the talk. Luke had been cleared of all
wrongdoing when Kara told the police it was Corey who’d met her at
the creek, given her a drugged bottle of water, and then once she’d
begun to feel light-headed, hit her several times and knocked her
out.

His plan had not been well thought out. He
obviously hadn’t meant to kill Kara, as Carter had killed
Katherine, which in turn left her able to tell the truth about what
had been done to her and by whom.

I supposed it was a risk past-souls took when
they reincarnated into teenagers. Thankfully Lucas and I had been
able to sort through the images and information and discover the
truth that allowed Leo and Lillian to finally rest.

I’d thought all along that the intrigue of
what we’d experienced would make regular, high-school stuff - like
classes, tests, ballgames, and gossip - seem mundane and
ordinary.

On the contrary.

I was glad to get back to
normal
and
boring.

Luke insisted on picking me up on Monday so
that we arrived at school together, and when we walked into the
lobby, I felt all the excitement and nervousness I’d felt on the
first day of school.

The prospect of taking notes in chemistry
actually appealed. The thought of lugging my backpack from class to
class didn’t seem like a chore.

And I still felt a tad bit uncomfortable in
the spotlight.

Which was exactly where we were when we
stepped into the building.

There were hugs and pats on the back, and a
lot of “glad you’re okay” sentiments. Luke and I just smiled and
said thanks to everyone. We both knew the limelight would be over
soon.

When the warning bell rang, Kara approached
us, followed by, Erika and Tina, the same girls who forever trailed
along behind her.

She sported a multi-colored shiner on one
eye, and a nasty bruise across the other cheek. I was surprised
she’d come to school in less-than-perfect condition.

Luke nodded in greeting. “Kara.”

She looked from him to me, then back
again.

“I’m just here to pick up my assignments for
the next few days. I thought about sending my mom in to pick them
up, so no one would see me,” she said. “But I decided I didn’t want
to cover up what happened. People should know the truth.”

“Brave of you,” Luke said. “And I agree.”

“I know what you went through was terrible,
Kara,” I said. “But I’m really glad you weren’t seriously
hurt.”

She acknowledged me with a shrug, adjusted
the strap of her purse, then looked back at Lucas.

“I’m sorry about the prom pictures and the
sign on Layla’s locker,” she whispered. “I went along with Corey’s
plans to try and split you and Layla up because I was jealous.”

At least she was being honest, even if she
couldn’t apologize directly to me.

“I know,” Luke said, not exactly letting her
off the hook, but letting her know he wouldn’t hold a grudge.
“Let’s just put the whole ordeal behind us.”

“Okay,” Kara replied, and with one last
glance at Luke, she rejoined her friends before heading toward the
front door.

Erika and Tina headed in the direction of
their hallway, and looked back over their shoulders, giving me the
same once over they always did. With a roll of their eyes they let
me know that I still didn’t measure up in their book.

And then it hit me. Somewhere along the way,
I really had stopped caring what people like those girls thought.
I’d always wanted to be indifferent, to let those kinds of
judgments roll off me, but I’d never been quite able to get
there.

Now I just felt sorry for them.

Because I knew the truth. They judged because
they weren’t comfortable in their own skin. They had no idea who
they really were, and in order to make up for it, they cut other
people down.

What a miserable way to live.

But I knew who I was.

I looked at Luke and smiled.

He kissed my forehead with a slight chuckle
that said he knew some things never changed. “See you in lit
class.”

And off we went to start the day.

We were back at the beach. A month after the
incident with Corey, our past seemed a million miles away.

And, so far, my fears that Luke’s feelings
would change once the mystery was solved had not come to fruition.
With each day the doubts grew smaller. I felt as close to him as I
ever had.

The rock outcropping held so much
significance for the two of us, and no matter what, we just
couldn’t look at this place negatively. Even though the first time
we’d been here together had been in response to a dream that scared
us both, and despite the fact that Corey/Carter had tried to carry
out his plan in this very spot, there had been moments here we
could smile about.

Enough that we’d made the conscious decision
to make good memories here. A brand new beginning in the place that
had held such heartache in the past.

Starting today, in the cold, crisp morning
air, as we watched the sun make its first appearance on the
water.

“Does it feel weird being back here,” Luke
asked, reaching for my hand and lacing our gloved fingers together
as we walked toward the rocks.

I shook my head. “It feels right. Like we’ve
changed the history of this place. Maybe we haven’t erased the bad
stuff, but we’ve covered it up with good things.”

He smiled. “Yeah. I agree.”

White patches dotted the beach and topped the
rocks of the outcropping, leftover from last week’s snowfall. The
wind would’ve been brutal had we not bundled up in heavy parkas,
scarves, gloves, and toboggans.

Dealing with the cold might’ve seemed like a
lot of work in order to have a walk on the beach, but for us, it
was about more than just a romantic moment.

It was about creating our own history.

On the other side of the rocks, in the exact
spot where, in that terrible dream, I’d watched Leo die, Luke
pulled to a stop.

“I have an early Christmas present for
you.”

“Really?” Surprise bloomed in my heart, and a
smile spread across my face.

Removing his gloves, he reached in his jacket
pocket. He pulled out a tiny box, wrapped in silver foil paper and
handed it to me.

“I thought it was appropriate.”

“Appropriate?”

“Just open it, Layla,” he laughed. “I want to
watch your face when you see it.”

I’d given some thought into Luke’s Christmas
present, but it seemed he’d beaten me to the punch with his
pre-Christmas gift.

I tore the paper at the end of the box,
pulling until it was completely off, and lifted the lid.

A silver necklace lay delicately on the white
tissue paper inside. Picking it up, I noticed the green stone
pendant. Silver wire wrapped around it in a whimsical pattern,
criss-crossing the bright green color of the glass.

I realized it then, that this was the piece
of sea glass I’d found the first time Luke and I came to the beach
together. My heart expanded with joy and tears filled my eyes.

“Lucas,” I whispered, looking up to find him
smiling brilliantly.

“It’s our good luck sea glass.” He took the
necklace from my hands, unclasped the hook, and stepped behind me
to fasten it around my neck. Even against the dark brown of my
parka, the green glass sparkled.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, reaching up to hold
the stone in my hand. “I love it.”

He noticed me looking down at it. “I wanted a
long chain, so you’d be able to see it when you were wearing
it.”

“You had this made?”

He came back around in front of me and took
my hands in his. “My mom knows a lady who makes jewelry from sea
glass. I took it to her a couple of weeks ago.”

“Thank you seems so inadequate,” I said,
holding the pendant once again. The necklace was exquisite and
perfect, but even more perfect was the thought and sentiment that
had gone into it.

Luke just grinned. “I love you, Layla.”

My world tilted, narrowed, until the whole of
my focus fixed on him. They were the words I’d wanted to hear...
wanted to say... the words that had lived for so long in my
heart.

I knew I should respond, give those words
back to him, but when I tried all that made it past the lump in my
throat was a surprised gasp.

Luke went right on. “I wanted to tell you in
a way that acknowledged the past, but didn’t dwell on it. From now
on, it’s just about us. About Luke and Layla. And we’re together
because we want to be, because we love each other.”

I felt the tears start down my cheeks, the
early December wind chilling them on my skin. Everything I’d
feared, all the uncertainty I’d carried, just melted away in that
moment.

Without even knowing, Lucas had put it all to
rest.

“Am I right?” he asked, placing his palm
against my cheek, wiping the tear with his thumb. “That we love
each other?”

I burst out laughing, not because it was
funny but because I was so incredibly happy.

“Yes,” I managed, though the word was drawn
out between giggles. “I love you, Lucas. I love you so much!”

I threw my arms around his neck, and his
encircled my waist, as he lifted me off the ground and spun me in
circles, laughing right along with me.

The sun shined like a ball of fire in the
distance, sitting just on top of the sea. The brilliant light hit
the edge of the outcropping, creating an almost blinding glow.

“Layla,” Luke whispered, placing my feet back
on the sand. “Look.”

Looking toward the rocks, I saw them. Leo and
Lillian.

They stood in the center of the light, hands
clasped together, smiles on their faces.

And in Lillian’s arms, a tiny, sleeping
baby.

My heart swelled with happiness as Luke’s arm
came around my shoulders, hugging me tightly to him.

They looked peaceful, content, as if at last
their past had finally been put to rest. I hoped their eternity
together was as beautiful as this moment was for Luke and me.

As we watched, Leo bent his head to brush a
kiss across Lillian’s cheek, then kissed the forehead of the sweet
child in her arms. When he straightened, his lips formed words that
needed no sound in order for us to understand.

Thank you.

The light began to fade as the sun rose
higher above the water, and Leo and Lillian waved to us as their
images became translucent, finally disappearing from our view. We
didn’t say it out loud, but we knew it was the last time we would
see them.

Luke turned to me and smiled, and love for
him burned bright in my heart.

And there, on the same beach that had brought
us together, between sweet, tender kisses and joyous laughter, we
began
our
chapter of history.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Durham discovered her love of writing in
the sixth grade. What began as a love of writing poetry soon turned
into stories scribbled into school notebooks. In the eighth grade,
her English teacher told her she was good at it and encouraged her
to continue to put pen to paper. At that moment, the die was cast,
and writing would forever be a part of her life.

As an adult, Amy focuses her efforts on
writing Young Adult Fiction... adventure, romance, and
life-lessons... woven together as imagination and escape for young
readers. Amy holds a firm belief that books are not only
entertaining, but have the ability to transform young lives. A book
can educate. A book can teach compassion and kindness. A book can
spark interest. A book can be a companion. Simply put, books can
accompany and guide young readers as they try to navigate their way
through the twisted, confusing roads of adolescence.

She lives in Kentucky, where she is a middle
school teacher. She and her husband of 15 years are raising three
wild, intelligent, and creative boys, giving her plenty of fodder
for the love and adventure she enjoys putting in her stories!

Amy loves to hear from readers. You can contact her
at:

[email protected]

amy-durham.blogspot.com

twitter.com/Amy_Durham

facebook.com/AuthorAmyDurham

Turn the page for a sneak peak at
Once and For
All
, book 2 in the Sky Cove Series.

How nice that at least one person was not in
the “Phoebe Campbell is a freak” club.

I liked Mr. Pierce, the guy who owned the
hardware store. Apparently he was too old to realize I was the most
uncool person in Sky Cove.

I crunched across the snowy mush in the
hardware store parking lot. Typical Maine, the day before New
Year’s Eve was drab gray and bitter cold, but I didn’t care.

I needed paint. And wood. And other artsy
stuff.

I loved Christmas break. Not because I got
all crazy with holiday spirit, but because it meant a break from
the black hole known as Sky Cove Senior High School. It also meant
loads of time spent in the little spare bedroom that my dad had let
me turn into an art studio two years ago.

Head down, I did my best to shield myself
against the biting wind, pushing toward the front door of Pierce
Home Improvement. Winter in Maine always sucked, but the wind made
today worse than usual. I was almost there, just about to step
inside and out of the icebox, when the door opened and someone in a
really nice pair of leather boots pounded out.

And straight into me.

My center of gravity already off from walking
half bent over with my head lowered out of the wind, I lost my
balance and tumbled back.