CHAPTER SEVEN

"Hi," said Conor, taking the seat across from Sydney. Suddenly, all the wives left the table, and Sydney was on her own.

"Hi. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes. I'm perfect, thank you," he grinned. She frowned at him.

"How? How is that possible, Conor? I saw you. I saw what they did to you. You shouldn't be able to walk around, let alone sit here and have a conversation with me. I'm not even seeing any signs of bruising. That's just not possible."

"There's a lot about this place that you don't know yet, Sydney. The land, the gardens, the people, all of it, are extraordinary. But we're very careful…"

"I know, I know," she said, raising a hand. "You protect your anonymity, location, secrecy, I get it. Luke was very clear about that, but it doesn't explain you."

"I'll get to that later," he smiled. He stared at the woman, realizing just how very beautiful she was. She could have been Raven's twin if she were shorter. "Why did you come back for me, Sydney?"

"I already told you. I thought you were cute." She blushed, then looked away, trying not to look directly into his eyes.

"That's not why."

"You don't think you're cute," she grinned. He stared at her, his piercing eyes boring into her. "I was asked to find you by the POTUS. He knew who your family was and didn't want World War III to break out if they went over to find you. I didn't expect to trip over you in the truck with me."

"Someone turned you in?"

"I think so. I think someone leaked something that made them suspicious of me. I'm not sure. I was pretty sure I could get out of it, but when I saw you in the truck, I just figured it was my opportunity."

"Your opportunity."

"I mean, my chance to get you out of there," she blushed.

"In case you missed it, Sydney, you were a prisoner as well. A prisoner that came back for me. As much as I appreciate that, you risked your life for a man you didn't know."

"It's really warm in here," she said, fanning herself. "Can we go outside?"

"It's cool in here. We have excellent air conditioning. Why, Sydney?" She shook her head, looking at him, then realized that the other men were standing around her as well. His grandfather sat next to her, his father on the other side.

"You'll think I'm crazy."

"Nope. I already know you're crazy," he smirked. "You risked your life to come back for me through North Korean forces, electric fences, and possible gunfire. All so you could try to save me." She couldn't believe she was going to have to admit it. They were going to think she was mad.

"A voice told me."

"A voice?" frowned Titus.

"I told you you'd think I was crazy," she said, trying to stand. Dom grabbed her hand with a gentle squeeze.

"No one thinks you're crazy, honey. In case you haven't picked up on it yet. Things are a bit different around here. What voice?"

"I don't know. It was in my sleep constantly. Whisperings like, He's important. Find him!

Don't let him die. You need him! Bring him home. I knew he was important, but the voices were non-stop. I was steps away from boarding a plane, wide awake, and the voice of this sweet woman said, Save him."

"And you did," said Conor.

"You don't think I've lost my mind?" she frowned, looking down at the table.

"No, we don't think that at all," said Titus. "Mysterious things happen sometimes. Things that can't be explained, like voices in your head or bodies getting healed instantly. Sometimes, you just have to roll with it, Sydney."

"That's right," said the woman's voice walking toward them. "Sometimes it's important to just come home."

"Your voice," whispered Sydney. The color drained from her face as she stared at the woman walking toward her.

"Hi, Aunt Claudette," smiled Conor. He kissed the older woman's cheek as she gripped his face, staring into his eyes. Nodding, she looked back at Sydney.

"Thank you for bringing our boy home."

"I-I didn't. I mean, I was there, but I didn't bring him home. I mean, I tried, but I couldn't… Your voice."

"You brought him. You were the one that led our boys to him," she said with confidence. When Irene walked up and spoke, Sydney thought she'd lost her mind.

"I was waitin' to see you this mornin'," smiled the old woman.

"H-her voice."

"Hello, my child," said Irene. "We are indebted that you brought our boy home to us. We don't like it when our boys go missin', so we gotta take help where we can find it. We've done it before, and we'll do it again."

"Wh-what is happening? I'm going crazy, aren't I? You've done something to me. Drugged my food."

"Sydney, no one has touched your food or drugged you. This is my grandmother, Mama Irene, and my Aunt Claudette," said Luke. He looked at his grandmother and aunt with suspicion. "Do their voices sound familiar to you?"

"Familiar? They are the voices that spoke to me," she said, panicked. "How? How did that happen? How!" Claudette pushed Titus out of the way, taking the seat beside Sydney. She gently grabbed her hands, the warmth and softness calming Sydney. Breathing heavily, she smelled the fresh fragrance of roses, magnolias, and freesia. It was heavenly and calming, making her take a deep breath.

"Honey, sometimes we can't explain things. Dreams are powerful, amazing forces. They send us messages when we need them the most. No explanations needed."

"But I heard your voice and hers," she whispered. "I'm not crazy. I know what I heard, and I know what it sounded like. And it sounded like the two of you."

"Maybe," smiled Irene. "I was prayin' awful hard for Conor. Who knows how loud I really was? Sometimes clouds carry sound. It's a miraculous thing." The others all smirked, but Luke was glaring at his grandmother.

"Why don't you take her for a walk," said Claudette, looking at Conor. "Show her the gardens. They're powerful. Then maybe take her out to the pond."

"The pond?" asked Sydney.

"Come on," said Conor, gripping her hand. "I'll explain as we go." They watched the young couple leave, then the boys all looked at Irene and her daughter, Claudette.

"Grandma? Aunt Claudette? Explain," said Luke. "How could you have been praying for Conor when we didn't even know he was taken captive until we found him?"

"I'm not sure what you want explained, Luke. Mama and I prayed for Conor to come home safely from his deployment, just like we pray for all our children. And look what happened, he's home. It's a miracle!"

"A miracle, Claudette!" laughed Irene, walking away from the boys, her daughter following. Luke felt Hex nudge his side, and he looked at his friend.

"Luke, I'm not sure what those two are, but they are not human."