Surprise had her eyebrows knitting. “Declan Wilkes?”
The way she said it served as a confirmation of sorts. “You haven’t seen Declan? That means it’s Bogdan.”
“I don’t know who it is,” May replied. “I’ve only seen a shadow. I don’t know what it means, if whoever it is turned himself into that, but I can’t make out any facial features. It could be either one of them.”
“Oh.” I deflated a bit. “I guess that makes sense.”
“I do my best to avoid him.”
“But there’s only one of them?”
“I don’t know that either. I haven’t been near the shadow by choice. There could very well be more.”
“Can’t you use one of the doors to come back?”
“I’m not coming back.” She looked pained to say it.
“Of course you’re coming back. Just find Mom and she’ll show you the doors … .” That’s when reality hit me in the face.
May nodded, recognizing the moment the truth became obvious. “It’s not safe for you over here,” she said in a soft voice. “I know you, Hadley. You’ll try to cross over just to make sure the shadow is no longer a threat. You can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I challenged, crossing my arms.
“It’s not worth coming for me. I want to stay.”
My heart threatened to rupture. “You want to stay with Mom. Thatisher.” It wasn’t a question. Something inside of me had recognized that as the truth from the beginning.
“I don’t know how it’s her.” May held out her hands and shrugged, “but it is. She knows everything from her childhood. She told me about planning for your birth. She remembers our fight.”
“What is she doing there?”
“She doesn’t know. The last thing she remembers is being in the hospital, having you. Then she was gone into … nothing. Then, somehow, she emerged over there. She’s been there ever since.”
“But that makes no sense,” I protested.
“It doesn’t matter.” May vehemently shook her head. “It is her, and I won’t leave her. Not again.”
My mother had technically left May. There was no point reminding her of that, however. May hadn’t gone after my mother. She said it was one of her greatest regrets. I took a different tack.
“Maybe we can get both you and Mom back here,” I said. “Wouldn’t that be better?”
May’s eyes filled with sadness. “Not if you put yourself at risk.”
“I won’t leave you there,” I insisted.
“You must.” May sounded exasperated. “Your life is on Moonstone Bay with Galen and your friends.” She swallowed a sob. “Your grandfather!”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Grandma—” I almost always called her May but that felt wrong in this moment.
“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t leave my girl. Not again. I need you to take care of your grandfather. Tell him … tell him I’ve always loved him. Tell him I always will. He’ll understand why I have to stay with Emma.”
Wesley would understand, but he wouldn’t let it go. I thought about what Galen had said: “He’ll never stop trying to get you back.” I was broken inside.
“I know.” May looked troubled. “You have to help him. I can’t take care of him and Emma. He would want me to take care of our daughter. I didn’t even know she was here until you sent her looking for Wesley. You have no idea what that reunion was like.”
“Wesley doesn’t remember.”
“I made sure of that. I thought it would be harder if he did remember.”
