He wrote a letter, stuffed it into an envelope, and left it on his desk. Once a month, Mr. Ambrose came by to deliver goods. The next time he came, he would check the lighthouse and find the envelope.
Then that evening, even though he knew in his heart the love of his life was gone, he still lit the candles at the top of the lighthouse so the beam would shine for Circe and Hedera, as promised.
Then he walked to the watch tower and looked out into the horizon of Weeping Hollow as the sun descended, wishing the entire town would feel as cold and dark as the hole in his chest. These were his thoughts as he gripped on to the railing, hanging over the rocks, watching his last sunset with tears in his eyes.
He wasn’t scared.
And then he let go and fell to his death.
However, the sapphire was broken. So, there his soul was trapped in an echo until the day the sapphire could be pieced together again.
Over the decades, Bone Island, which was once a warm, comforting home, full of love, smiles, and laughter, became a dreadful place. Alec and Circe’s boat, the Wistoragic, remained for decades, slamming against the sharp rocks until it was shredded to pieces, becoming shipwreck. Trees lost all life, and the lighthouse’s paint faded. But the beam rotated every night as if by magic.
Over a century would pass until life would swirl the dust in the lighthouse, whispers would be heard inside the walls, and Bone Island would be made into a home again. The Wistoragic would not be forgotten, its shipwreck later becoming the bands wrapping around undying lovers’ ring fingers, their adventure carved into the wood. Warmth, smiles, tears, and laughter, the story repeating, hoping for a different end.
CHAPTER 59
STONE
Adora!”Ivy called, running toward us as we boarded her father’s boat.
Adora’s face lit up, her green eyes sparkling, when she looked back at me. Grabbing her hips, I hoisted her out of the boat, and she took off, sprinting down the dock to meet her sister. On the starboard side of the boat, I stepped up onto a cleat, holding a pole while the engine rumbled beneath me. I did not wish to lose sight of her.
After the two embraced each other, Ivy handed her something, and they walked back this way.
“Ivy’s coming with us,” Adora announced, grabbing the pole and climbing back onto the boat. “And you can drive,” she told her sister. Then, under the light of a silver moon, the Finneuma sailed to Bone Island.
At the bow of the boat, Adora sat in my arms as the cold pricked our faces like the ends of pins. She had sunk against my chest, hiding inside my coat as I twisted her wedding band that Ivy had returned around her finger where it belonged. After all these years, the sapphire was melted and placed back in its proper setting, dangerously tucked away inside Adora’s coat pocket.
Phoenix and Zephyr sat across from us. The nightly waves, and what was to come, kept us quiet. Above, the vast, marble night sky meandered for eternity, and all around us, snowflakes tumbled and darted. The lighthouse beam rotated, its light sliding across our somber yet contented faces. And every wind sent Adora’s vanilla scented hair tousling about my face, and I wanted to soak this moment into the palms of my hands.
“In this boat we were in the habit of going on some of the maddest freaks in the world,” I said, sliding a gaze to Zephyr with a grin.
“Eddy P.,” Zephyr echoed.
At the stern of the boat, Julian, Fallon, and Beck gathered. Ivy sat in the captain’s chair. Fallon was here for a reason, one that I had not yet told Adora about. I was not entirely certain if Julian had been truthful with Fallon, either.
“Stone,” Ivy called.
I turned, and she jerked her head in the dark, the small console lights from the boat hitting her face, indicating that I should join her.
“I’ll be back.” I left Adora my coat and joined Ivy in the cockpit.
Standing beside her, I grasped the frame, shivering and squinting my eyes against the wind.
“You really do love my sister,” Ivy said. Bold and blatant.
“I do,” I replied, looking down at Adora, who was facing the lighthouse. I gripped the back of my neck, tilting my head slightly to face her, grinning nervously. “I don’t know what will happen, if she’ll be with him for the rest of her life or if by some miracle we can be together. I don’t know, but regardless, I promise, so as long as I’m walking this earth, I will do everything I can to make sure nothing harms her.”
“I believe you,” she said, smiling, bidding me a look. “You know Adora designs dresses, right?” I nodded, unsure of where her question was leading. “First, it starts in her notebook, and she draws out a design. Then comes the obsessive part when she gathers all the fabric and locks herself up for hours. She won’t eat. She won’t sleep. She will sew and sew until her fingers bleed and the design is done.” She held up a finger. “But it’s not until that dress is on a body, and Adora experiences the first look. When that happens, for a split second, you can see the child in her. Like she’s five again, and there’s no pain, or worry, or the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s not angry, or sad. For one second, there is pure happiness in her eyes.” I was looking at the side of Ivy’s face as she stared straight ahead, a tear rolling down her cheek. “She had that look when she told me about you.” She wiped her face.
Despite the cold, my chest warmed by her words. I chuckled nervously, blinking the water from my eyes, holding my palm to my chest. I wanted to say something, but words were knotted in my throat.
Ivy quietly laughed at me, shaking her head.
“I’ve never had a father, and not much of a mother,” I told her. “But I wonder what I would be like if I had someone like you in my life.” I leaned forward on the console to catch myself on a breaking wave. “She looks to you for guidance and stability and love, and you’ve given this to her. What I’m saying is thank you because she’s a remarkable woman because of you.”
Ivy’s face fell when she looked at me. “Why are you saying this?”
