Spirits and Sorrows
THREE

Hannah and Heather sat in the breakroom for their lunch break at Enchanted Sorcery, Odette’s store. Both of them had been working there for the past four years.

Odette had given Hannah a job at her store after she expressed her desire to move out of her parent’s house. She enjoyed working with her and Heather and the pay was good. However, business was slow and Hannah was worried Odette might have to close the store since they didn’t have many customers but tried not to worry about it. When they weren’t working in the store, Odette taught Hannah and Heather magic and Hannah had become skilled at illusion and healing magic.

Hannah was grateful that she got out of her parents’ house. Her parents never forgave her for going to the Eternal World and had remained cold and distant all these years later. At first, she understood their bitterness over the situation but four years had passed. Despite the numerous times she apologized and tried to make amends, they still held onto their anger and wouldn’t move past it. After so many times, she gave up and wanted to get away from them since the home environment was hostile.

The only family member she got along with was her little sister Carrie, who moved to Florida for college shortly after Hannah moved out. She selfishly wished her sister was still here but knew her sister was happy in her new home. She didn’t want to stop her sister from living her dreams but wished she was here since she was the only family who would talk to her.

She told her parents about her relationship with Peter which they didn’t accept at all. They didn’t want her to have a relationship with someone from the Eternal World or meet anyone from there. When she was still living with them, they tried to forbid her from seeing him despite her being an adult who was about to move out. They told her they would never accept her relationship with him and refused to meet him.

They wouldn’t hear anything else about the Eternal World. She excluded the war and tried to tell them all the great things in the Eternal World but they didn’t care. They wouldn’t even hear about her aunt Mary, who’d taken care of her when she arrived in the Eternal World.

Hannah understood their anger and hurt about the way she left for the Eternal World. She acknowledged that she was wrong for how she did it. Instead of giving them proper goodbyes, she’d left notes for them and they woke up the following morning to her being gone with the chance of never seeing her again. But four years had gone by and they still wouldn’t let it go despite her doing her best to make amends so she gave up. There was only so much she could do.

Despite living in the same city, she hadn’t seen them much over the past four years. She would come over for holidays though it was very tense and awkward. She wouldn’t go over there at all if Carrie wouldn’t come home. She would see them if they happened to run into each other and they would quickly excuse themselves.

She forced her parents from her mind and thought about her fourth anniversary with Peter. She was excited to have spent this long with him and what they were going to do. She was taking off work so they could go to the park and have a romantic picnic and go home to watch their favorite movie.

She was telling Heather about their plans for their anniversary when she noticed an odd expression on Heather’s face. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Heather said and continued eating her food, but Hannah knew something was on her mind.

“What is it?” she pressed. “Something’s on your mind. Spill it.”

“I know it’s between you and Peter, but have you thought about what’s going to happen if we ever get the portal open?”

“I . . . He would go back to the Eternal World and I . . .” She trailed off, realizing that despite the four years that had gone by, she never thought of what would happen when the portal was open. She knew for sure that Peter would go but she was unsure if she wanted to go back herself.

“And what?” Heather pressed. “Would you go back with him? Would you stay here? You’re the one who had visions of the Iron Arrow and you’re in a serious relationship with him. There’s a horrific war going on and you don’t know if things have gotten worse since you last left. You need to be thinking about this stuff.”

Hannah was speechless for a moment before asking, “Why are you asking me this?”

Heather looked away for a moment before saying, “Next month I’m moving to Florida to go to college and I think Odette might close the store and move out of the state.”

“What?!” Hannah nearly screeched, unable to believe what she just heard. “You and Odette are moving and you’re just now deciding to tell me this?”

“I didn’t want to tell you because I was scared I might not be able to get in and I don’t know for sure if Odette is closing. I’m not going to be able to help you anymore and Odette might not be able to either. You and Peter might have to accept the fact that you might never get back to the Eternal World and you need to make a life for yourself.

“For the past four years, you’ve sacrificed so much for him and put your life on hold for him and trying to get back. You and him have to accept the fact that you might never get back and try to make lives for yourselves instead of spending the rest of your lives chasing something that might never come true.”

“ I - I -” Hannah stuttered, rage rising inside her. “I’m the one who brought him here against his will! I owe it to him to help him get home! I swore to him I would help him get home no matter how long it took! And what happens between us is none of your damn business.” She couldn’t believe Heather was saying this right now. Who the hell did she think she was?

“It is my business because you’re my best friend and I’ve been up close and personal and saw everything. I’m trying to help you make the right decision before you waste your life on something that might never happen and miss out on opportunities you might only get once. Peter needs to try to make a life for himself and quit holding onto hope. He can make a life here. Odette has connections and can get him set up instead of him living in the shadows for all of his life.”

Hannah surged to her feet, shaking with rage even though she knew, deep down, Heather had a point but she didn’t want to hear it. “Who in the hell do you think you are to tell me about my life when you’re the screw-up?!”

Heather’s eyes widened with shock and hurt. “Hannah!”

“You’re the one who dropped out of high school because you wanted to marry that drug addict but got dumped a month later! You got kicked out by your parents because you were selling drugs from their basement! You probably conned your way into college because you could barely pass school and couldn’t do a simple thing to save your life! Don’t try to tell me what to do with my life when you’re the one who ruined your life!”

The second the words left Hannah’s mouth she instantly regretted it.

Heather’s eyes darkened with emotion for a moment. Then she surged to her feet in a blur of motion. She stood face-to-face with Hannah, her face clouded with hurt and rage, her hands balled into fists. For a brief second Hannah thought Heather was going to hit her but Heather spun around and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Hannah stared after her for a long moment. Her words echoed throughout her mind and she broke down into tears, realizing the fatal mistake she just made and that she probably just ruined her friendship.

She sank onto the bench, holding her head in her hands as she thought over what just happened.

She couldn’t believe she said those things to her friend, the person who’d been there for her through thick and thin for all of these years. She was disgusted with herself for saying those things to Heather and had no idea what she could do to make amends with her. She knew Heather had a point and was looking out for her and instead of appreciating her friend, she insulted her and threw all of the low points in her life in her face.

She walked out and saw Heather had gone home and from the withering look Odette threw at her, she knew she’d messed up royally bad.

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