A Meeting With An Immortal
This chapter contains spoilers for the entire series. It’s taken from The Lost Moments, so if you haven’t read the books yet, read at your own risk. For those who have—and who want to understand why Sierra did the awful things she did in Books Three and Four—this is your chance to follow along. Each week, I’ll be posting a new chapter from Sierra’s POV in order, showing her side of the story as it unfolds during the events of Books Three and Four.
I exhaled a sigh of relief, my shoulders easing as the ceremony drew to a close. Finally, I was no longer bound to Foothills as a student.
With the start of the next term, I’d transition into the role of a teacher, and perhaps the relentless scrutiny and animosity would relent. My impending marriage to Justin, though already tinged with uncertainty despite not being official yet, might also serve as a shield against the relentless criticism.
As the last photographs were taken, I approached Justin with eager anticipation.
But as I met his gaze brimming with excitement, I was met with a frown and a sense of hesitation after I asked if he was excited to start our lives together.
“What’s the matter?” I inquired, a hint of apprehension creeping into my voice.
Had he decided to call off the wedding again? He’d done it once already and then almost did again, but I had persuaded him not to. The tension in his expression hinted that he might reconsider again.
“I just think we should postpone it to October sixteenth,” he replied, his tone uncertain. “What’s a couple more months?”
My heart sank at his suggestion. “So I return to Foothills as a married woman, and it’s the only date available,” I explained, a note of frustration creeping into my voice. “It’s Ernie’s fault. It should have been the seventh of August, but he can’t be back until the eighth.”
“I don’t want to have the wedding on Amber’s birthday,” Justin sighed, his shoulders slumping forward. “It’s her eighteenth birthday, Sierra. I wouldn’t feel comfortable celebrating on that day, especially when she had plans with her friends.”
“Well, she can celebrate with us at the wedding,” I reasoned, my patience wearing thin as we revisited this debate again. “We already discussed it with her, and she was fine with it. You were fine with it! Don’t tell me you’re going to cancel again!”
Despite Amber’s approval, the decision faced relentless criticism from those around us, including Carly, who typically supported me.
The weight of their objections added to the stress of planning amidst the chaos of missions against the immortals.
As the pressure mounted, Amber’s birthday became the only available summer date. Everyone was busy, leaving our wedding plans tangled in a web of conflicting priorities.
“Sierra, why can’t we wait until October? Why does it have to be on Amber’s birthday?” Justin implored, his frustration evident in his furrowed brow and the restless gesture of his hand through his blond hair. A flush crept up his cheeks.
“Because I want to return as a married woman, and that’s the only day everyone will be home!” I shot back, my voice tinged with anger. Heat rose to my cheeks in tandem with my rising frustration.
“Yeah, because it’s Amber’s birthday! We were going to celebrate it with Mason, as well! They were going to have their birthdays with the family, but instead, you’ve decided to have our wedding that day!” Justin retorted, his tone full of exasperation.
“And that is when we are going to have it. You know that everyone has been giving me hell since last year because of my teaching position and all the stuff I put Amber through. They’ll take me more seriously if I return as a married woman! They’ll forget all that once they see how wonderful of a teacher I can be!” I yelled at him, frustration boiling over as I struggled to comprehend his reluctance.
“Do you not want to marry me? Is that what this is? You want to keep postponing it until we decide not to do it!? Well, you’d better tell me right now what you want! If you don’t want to marry me, now is the time to tell me!”
“I just don’t want to have it on Amber’s birthday!” Justin shouted back.
With a glare, he turned on his heel and strode away, disappearing with teleportation. I stood there, seething with anger and exhaustion, unable to follow him as my own lack of teleportation abilities left me stranded in place.
The sudden escalation of conflicts between us weighed heavily on my heart, leaving me weary and disheartened, longing for the days when our relationship had been free from such strife.
This was supposed to be a fun day. It was graduation, and all around me, the air was filled with laughter and embraces while I struggled to keep my emotions in check.
I fought back tears as Hilda and Brianne rushed over to me, their faces beaming with excitement as they enveloped me in a tight hug.
“We did it!” Brianne exclaimed, her voice full of elation. “I’m so thrilled, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel some sadness knowing we’ll be leaving Foothills.”
“Well, we’ll make the most of the next two weeks before we part ways,” Hilda reassured her, her arm intertwined with mine as she guided me toward our family.
As mermaids, Hilda and Brianne planned to seek out mermaid pods for allies. They had discussed this topic eagerly throughout the year, and they were both looking forward to embracing their forms long-term as they swam to Africa, where the biggest mermaid pods supposedly were in the Mortal Realm. They were leaving in a couple of weeks but would be back in time for the wedding.
As they excitedly discussed their plans, including a trip to Egypt, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. Part of me longed to join them, but I knew I had responsibilities to fulfill back at Foothills.
Yooper and Hornora had scheduled intensive training sessions for me all summer, ensuring that I would be well-prepared for my upcoming role as a teacher.
“Are you okay?” Hilda’s voice broke through my thoughts, and her concern was evident in her tone. Despite the celebratory atmosphere, she seemed to sense that something was amiss.
I hesitated for a moment before confiding in them about my argument with Justin. As I recounted the details, I could see their skepticism, especially when I mentioned my insistence on having the wedding on Amber’s birthday.
“You agree with him,” I stated bluntly, sensing their unspoken disapproval as they exchanged looks.
Hilda spoke up first, her voice measured yet firm. “I just don’t think having it on someone’s birthday is fair.”
“But it’s the perfect opportunity,” I countered, my frustration mounting. “With everyone home and the full moon, it’s the ideal time for the wedding.”
Brianne nodded in agreement with Hilda, her expression serious.
“Amber was really looking forward to celebrating her birthday on the full moon. It’s almost like a once-in-a-lifetime event, especially turning eighteen on a full moon. You can always choose another full moon for the wedding. Everyone will be home more later in the year or even next year. This summer is busy.”
“But I need to go back as a married woman,” I reiterated, feeling the weight of my argument.
The girls exchanged another glance, a silent communication passing between them. It seemed that no one fully understood my perspective, and the conversation ended abruptly as we joined the rest of our family, who were excitedly discussing plans for a celebratory dinner.
“And then a party at our house!” Brianne exclaimed gleefully, her excitement infectious. “Everyone said they can make it. I can’t wait to let loose tonight.”
She leaned in closer to Hilda and me. Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “That Jack guy is going,” she confided. “I’m definitely taking him to the back gardens tonight.”
A mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes as she continued, “And Amber has that portal in the bushes. We might just sneak over to your place tonight, Hilda.”
She ended with a playful giggle, clearly relishing the idea of a clandestine adventure. “Everyone will be at my place, so they’ll never know,” she winked.
As Hilda and Brianne shared their excitement, I forced a laugh, not wanting to dampen their moods, but it felt hollow.
Why was everyone seemingly against me? With a quick excuse about meeting someone in town to say goodbye, I extricated myself from the group, not allowing them to inquire further.
Making my way swiftly to the bus stop, I sought solace in the solitude of the journey to town. My thoughts churned with frustration and confusion. I considered writing to Justin, hoping to arrange a meeting, but I needed to be alone for now.
At this time of year, the town was usually full of younger students celebrating to be done, so I’d have to be discreet. The last thing I wanted was to get bullied, so using a concealment charm I’d been using when I needed space, I quickly applied one to my face and boarded the bus when it arrived.
I tried not to use it often, and the teachers had often scolded me for it, telling me it should only be used on missions, but at the moment, it felt good to walk down the street with my head held high, without horrible words shouted out in my direction.
The town was crowded with Foothills students, so it had been a wise decision. No one looked at me twice as I made my way to Brewtiful Beans Cafe, the least populated shop in town. Most preferred Foothills Coffee Shop.
Just as I was about to enter, someone grabbed me from behind, and I let out a shriek, but I was silenced before a sound could escape my lips. Whoever it was pulled me to an alleyway between the coffee shop and candy store, hushing me, though it wasn’t necessary.
“I’m sorry about startling you, Sierra,” a man with dark hair said, smiling at me, and I backed up. “I’m not going to hurt you. I tried getting your attention all the way here, but you didn’t notice, and we’d be overheard inside. My name is Charlie, and I am a good friend of Audrey’s. I am going to give you your voice back, but please don’t scream. I swear I mean you no harm.”
“How did you know it was me?” I asked him, moving further back from him.
“I was at your graduation, and I saw you use the concealment spell on yourself. Listen, a team of us immortals are against everything Fergus and his group are doing, and we are working underground to stop him. We’ve been doing it even more since the coward murdered Audrey. We want to help you, but it isn’t easy because they think we are on his side. We’re trying to take them down from the inside, and you, young lady, are the key.”
Though I likely should have run to tell the others, I felt good about him. By that point, he could have done more to me, and I sensed that he was a dark magic wielder. He could have teleported me if he’d wanted to, and no one would have known.
We’d all also reasoned if immortals like Audrey existed, there must have been more, and we needed people on the inside, so I gave him a slight nod, though I told him I would scream if he tried anything.
“I could never imagine hurting you or any of the others,” he told me. “But if it makes you feel better, put up a truce spell between us. Once you cast it, neither of us can touch the other. Do you know what it is?”
I nodded, unsure how I knew, but since getting my powers, I’d been running on instinct, so before he said anything else, I put it up, wondering if Justin could sense my anxiety. We often could feel each other’s emotions, but maybe he didn’t care.
He seemed to care more about Amber’s feelings these days, even if she didn’t care about us having the wedding on her birthday, but I shook those thoughts away as I focused on Charlie, trying my best not to feel my resentment for everyone lately.
“Good,” he said once it was up before explaining to me he was convinced that no matter what we came up with, Fergus would get the upper hand, and we’d be in a field someday, chanting the words to our doom.
“You don’t know how determined he is,” Charlie told me, sighing as he folded his arms. “He’s been waiting for ten thousand years—well, even more, to rule over everyone, but it keeps backfiring him. This is the first time they’ve gotten ahead in eight thousand years—they nearly had everyone under their rule back then, but as you can see, they didn’t. He won’t let it go so easily this time. That man is dangerous, but ever since you all killed Mara, he’s on a rampage. Some of the immortals on his side are even scared of him, and the rest of us are terrified. That’s where you come in.”
He continued to explain that Fergus’s new plan meant killing billions of people instead of just a war between realms and that we needed a backup plan, one that involved me betraying everyone, including Justin! Sure, we weren’t getting along, but the thought of betraying him or the others had never entered my mind.
“I can’t—” I protested, but he cut across from me before I could finish what I was saying.
“Then he’ll win!” Charlie exclaimed. “Listen, for some reason, he’s taken a liking to you out of them all. You can pick four other people—not your moon mate. Fergus won’t like that. He will kill Justin on the spot. He’ll allow anyone else you choose to live through everything. Not that it matters, because if you follow my plan, you’ll all succeed, and if Ruby is right about something she found, Fergus and the others will finally lose their powers for good. Just hear me out before you say no. I’m about to make you a deal of a lifetime.”
I had no idea what to say to that, but after a few moments of silence, I finally gave him a small nod, showing him I was willing to at least listen. What I didn’t say was it had to be a pretty damn good plan for me to do it.
As he spoke of Fergus’s plans to force at least fifty thousand descendants to a field in the future for a ritual to merge all the realms, just as he had done to our ancestors, I could see why it would be a good idea to help as he explained every detail.
As much as I hated to pretend to betray everyone, including Justin, I knew that it was a better alternative to dying, and the longer Charlie spoke of the plans, the more I was inclined to agree.
There were so many families like mine, those who had their parents or children switched on them, and though it could be hard to get them there to see each other for the first time, I couldn’t wait to see the look on Fergus’s face when we succeeded, and his sick plans to ruin families would backfire on him.
I could never forgive Fergus for it. While I hadn’t gotten it as bad as Amber when we were children, our home life still had been toxic, and I had memories that haunted me from when we were little. Besides, wasn’t I paying the price now?
Everyone would understand in the end, anyway. So I agreed to the plan, knowing that everyone would resent me for a few good years, but in the end, it would be worth it, even if we didn’t make it up. After all, what mattered more? Fifty billion lives or our feelings?
“Remember, don’t choose more than four people,” Charlie told me, “and it can’t be Amber, Ben, Michael, or Ellen. Fergus would see it from a mile away. It needs to be people who aren’t in the spotlight as much.”
Not wanting to rope Hilda or Brianne into this, I thought over everyone else, knowing Carly would agree to help me without a doubt, but I wasn’t sure who else.
The Campbells certainly wouldn’t, and neither would Kellen, who was as much of a goody-two-shoes and so eager to please Amber that it could be annoying.
I cared about her, too, but all of them, Justin included, acted like she was frail, and if anyone said anything about her behind her back, it was the worst thing ever. While talking about anyone behind their back was cowardly, they all did it at times to someone, unless it was Amber, who was off-limits for some reason.
So I had to choose people who weren’t as close to her, and as I went over the list of Ben’s siblings, I knew there was only one I could choose.
Most of his siblings didn’t like me, except a few exceptions such as Scott, Barry, Brianne and Brenda, but I knew Barry well enough he’d say no, and if I couldn’t have Justin with me, then Carly couldn’t have Scott, but Brenda would likely co-operate, which left two more people.
My mind went to Isabella, who loved Amber. The two weren’t that close because of their age difference, and she liked me well enough, so she’d likely help, but I had no idea who the fourth could be.
As I made my way back after my talk with Charlie, lost in thought about who else, I bumped straight into Billy, who apologized immediately, not recognizing who I was because I still had my concealment charm up.
“It’s Sierra,” I told him after telling him it was all right and explaining why I had the concealment spell on me.
“They sent me looking for you,” Billy told me. “Everyone is waiting, and Hilda and Brianne said you were upset about a fight you and Justin had, and he didn’t want to come, so I came. I have to say, I agree with him—”
“I don’t want to fight about that right now, and I am not changing the date unless Amber says otherwise,” I interrupted, feeling frustrated.
My mood had shifted considerably since talking to Charlie, but as I gazed up at him, it hit me who could be the last of our team.
Billy cared about all of us equally and never played favourites. I couldn’t recall the last time he spent one-on-one time with Amber—probably not since our camping trip. Of all of us, they were the least close, making him the best person to approach.
“Listen, I need you for something to take the immortals down, but you can’t say anything to anyone about it, especially at dinner tonight. I need you, Carly, Isabella, and Brenda to meet me at Justin’s place and mine tomorrow. He won’t be home, and we will need privacy.”
Waiting for him to ask follow-up questions, I was surprised when he shrugged and then put an arm around me, steering me back to the bus stop.
As we went, he changed the subject to graduation, and my mood lifted as we headed back. Justin and I were moon mates and voted as the perfect couple in our yearbook, no matter what the haters liked to say. We’d be okay no matter what.