Page 34 of Out of Sight

They didn’t remember her. Ted had kept herself in their lives with work and associates. They had remembered her when they saw her. Lucia had been gone before she disappeared, and she was seeing the result of that distance now.

She sighed and walked into the house. Ted was happy. The family was happy, and Lucia was getting some lemonade.

She looked around the comfortable house, trying to figure out what she would do next. Her brothers and parents couldn’t remember her, she didn’t know her in-laws, and the nephews weren’t looking at her in a good way.

A voice said, “Are you a friend of Ted’s?”

Lucia turned to look at her grandmother. “I am. We met when she helped me out from under the same kind of curse that had gotten her.”

“She helped you?”

“She did.”

Anya smiled. “I am so proud of her. She has been through so much.”

“Yes, she has.”

“Where are my manners? I am Anya.” She extended her hand.

“Lucia Danyova.” She extended her hand, and when they made contact, Anya fainted.

Lucia caught her and walked outside. “Does anyone know first aid? Anya fainted.”

Nora looked at her and checked Anya’s pulse. “Pulse is steady. What was going on when she fainted?”

“I introduced myself, and we shook hands.”

“Put her on this lounge chair. One of the cousins is an EMT.”

She looked at her third brother and nodded as he controlled the landing of Anya with gentle instruction.

She settled her grandmother, and Demmer took her pulse and nodded. “Nothing beyond the handshake?”

“I believe she got a sensory overload. My energies aren’t stable yet.”

The family started edging closer to Anya, and Lucia backed away. She pulled out her phone and was about to hit the car app when she heard, “Lucia!”

Lucia paused and looked around. Horror was filling the faces of the people around her grandmother, and the woman was sitting up and staring at her. “You are really Lucia?”

“Yes, Nanna Anya.”

Olyna was standing near her sister. “You... are Lucia?”

“Yes.”

“You left.” The accusation was in her tone.

“I went to university, Auntie. I was attacked there, and I disappeared from the memory of those who knew me. It’s an effective spell. It meant that no one would ever come looking for me.” She looked at Olyna. “None of my family came for me. No one looked for me because I was arrogant enough to insist on going to school. You were very adamant that I not bother with a degree, Olyna. You said a girl as pretty as me didn’t need more of an education. I needed to focus on doing nails and waiting for Nanna to find me a nice, stable alpha. You told Nanna Anya that I would come to my senses and return to the family when I realized what was good for me. And Nanna? She believed you.”

She looked at her grandmother. “What did you see?”

“I saw it all. Oh, Lucia. I saw it all.” Her grandmother scrambled to her feet and walked toward her, hands outstretched. “You were so alone.” Anya was sobbing.

“So you understand how many times I tried to kill myself to end it.”

Her grandmother rushed her and hung on.

Ted was looking at her in shock. “Lucia?”