Page 66 of The Wonder of You
Things start to return to normal a little. This afternoon, Maudie and I paint some rocks together, just like we used to. She’s a little nervous around me since I came back, but that only feels natural. I feel a bit shy too. I smile as I see her paint a ladybug onto a large, flat stone. She lifts it gently and checks that the red paint is nice and smooth. She doesn’t want any sign of the colour the rock used to be before the paintbrush hit it. She moves onto another one, a ladybug again, but this time blue. They are so cute, and I love the determination on her face as she paints them, her little tongue sticking out as she really concentrates. I must admit, I have lost my creative side in this lifetime. It doesn’t feel as natural, like I have to practise all over again.
“Do you mind if I copy yours?” I ask Maudie. Her eyes shine as she looks up at me with a huge smile.
“You like mine?” she asks, as if she’s surprised.
“Of course I do, they’re amazing!”
Instantly, she drops the paints and rushes around the little fold up table to hug me.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too, kiddo. What was it like without me?”
“Awful!” she says loudly. “Everyone was so sad all the time. Phoenix never left the cabin. I was so scared without you.”
I push a strand of her hair back from her face.
“I’m here now, and things will be just like they were before, okay? Best friends?”
She holds out her little finger and I wrap mine around it. We giggle like children. Maudie stops laughing and looks at me with an expression too serious to be from a child.
“I wish you were my mum,” she whispers. I am reminded of the last day when the witches tried to take us both. If a child said that to me recently, I’d have freaked out, wondering what on earth they were thinking. Maudie and I are close, though, even after all this time. I feel a warmth inside me. A natural connection. A feeling that is almost primal. I will help to protect this little girl at all costs.
Maudie suddenly gasps.
“I forgot, I nearly forgot!” she squeals. “I made you a present! Daddy said I should give it to you once you were back properly! Can I get it?”
“Of course,” I respond, but she’s already running off to her own caravan.
While she is gone, I admire the circus again but I don’t have much time to focus on the colourful tents or bright game stands. I watch as Phoenix notices me alone and begins walking over. He wraps his arm around me and I melt into his touch.
“I like the ladybugs,” he smirks. I sigh.
“I’ve lost my touch; do you think I’ll ever get it back?”
“Yes, of course you will! When you first started, you were always worried they were not very good. Each one was perfect, but you got better and better.”
I remember this and I smile. Sometimes little snippets of my former life connect themselves back to the puzzle pieces of my mind. With each little resurfaced memory, I feel more grounded.
“I’m so glad to be home, Phoenix,” I tell him, still embracing this moment, this life. A silence falls over us, a comfortable safe silence, both of us appreciating each other and our surroundings.
I notice Henry trying to stick a pole into the ground, one of the circus tents flapping around loosely. He looks as if he’s getting frustrated, kicking the pole as it refuses to go into the ground deep enough to stay put.
“You should help him,” I suggest.
Phoenix sighs. “I would but… I like being here beside you, is that selfish?”
“No, but I am here forever now, Phoenix. I assume you’ll be all mine tonight? I am staying here, right?”
He smirks at me and my whole-body tingles. Phoenix doesn’t need to answer the obvious, so instead he leans down, taking my face in his hands and kissing me. First, he is soft, but the hunger kicks in and for a moment, I think we’re going to forget ourselves and rip each other’s clothes off, right here outside in front of everyone - a circus performance no one wants to watch.
“Hey!” a little voice breaks us apart; we both laugh as we see Maudie watching us with her arms crossed, a little pout on her lips. How can someone so cross look so adorable?
“I have a present for Renée! Shoo, shoo!” She waves her hands at Phoenix, shooing him in the direction of Henry. A giggle breaks from his mouth and I want tojump him even more. I bite my lip as I watch him walk away. My thoughts turn innocent when Maudie walks towards me. She doesn’t say anything, just holds out a bracelet. I take it from the palm of her hand and admire it. The little circles remind me of the wrapper candy which is sometimes handed out on Halloween. It is white with shades of pink and a light purple colour. I move it round and see more white circles, but these face upwards. Each one has a letter on it that spells my name.
I want to cry at this token of friendship. But I know Maudie sees me as some kind of mother figure and that makes me want to cry more. I remember the girls in school exchanging friendship bracelets, and I always wished I had one. I didn’t expect it to take twenty-nine years to find my people, and to discover memories of a past life. This is worth the wait, though. It was worth everything. This bracelet is so lovely, so meaningful and I feel a tear trickle down my cheek.
Maudie gasps. She leans forward and wipes it away.
