"I can't believe my eyes, are you real?" he had asked. His hands wanted to reach out to touch me, to feel me , to be certain that I was really here.

"Yes. I have been looking for you. Do you know who I am?" I asked, walking closer to him.

He put his hand on my shoulders, while his eyes filled with tears. He stood there for what felt like eternity just staring at me, hoping that his mind was not playing tricks on him. He skimmed the side of my cheek with his hand and continued to go over the bridge of my nose to the other side and then down to my jaw bone. "She said that you would come. Maybe now she will rest." He took me by the hand and pulled me into his arms. The feeling was so unreal, so unbelievable. My eyes filled with tears as well. I felt so safe, complete.

"She told me to follow the signs. She was trying to lead me to you wasn't she?" I hugged him even tighter, not wanting him to let me go.

We went into the house and he started to pull all these pictures and articles out placing them on the kitchen table. Some of the articles I had read already. I looked through the pictures. "You really loved her didn't you." I looked back up at him knowing that he was nothing like Dedrick, that's way she had loved him so much more. There was a charm to him and so much more.

"I will always love her." He got up to get a drink, bringing me one as well. I took the glass of iced tea, taking a small sip then setting it on the table. "She was my soul mate."

"So what happened? Why didn't you go to her? She waited for you for months and you never came. She gave birth to me, scared and alone. Where were you?" I asked again, this time looking, searching into his eyes for the answers.

He sat back down shaking his head. "Her father caught up with me the night I was going to meet up with her. He had me arrested. I was tortured for hours. When Dedrick got there he started wailing into me as well. I ended up in the hospital with a few broken ribs and other bones, including my jaw and nose. They had to screw my jaw back in place. By the time I was able to walk on my own, they said that she was dead. I was blamed for everything. If they never got their dirty hands on me she would still be here. We would have been a great family."

"So you really tried to go to her." I fumbled over more of the pictures, pictures of the two of them together. "You knew that she was pregnant?"

"I did. I can't imagine what she was going through. When they found her you were gone. They looked everywhere for you. I looked everywhere; I never gave up on you." His hand reached over to mine. "I can't believe that you are really here all this time I was looking for you and you found me."

"It wasn't easy."

"How is your life, do you have a good family?" He had asked out of curiosity.

"I grew up with a family that I thought was mine. My mom took very good care of me. My dad tried, but he would get so angry with me. We were always fighting in the end; I could never seem to please him. I had a brother too." The tears started stinging my eyes, as I held them back. "I guess you could say that I had a family. A family that took me in and made me apart of theirs but it wasn't my real family. Anyway there was a bad accident and it took their lives. I believe that Kamilah saved me that night. She has come to me several nights and in my dreams. She is always looking after me."

He smiled solemnly, "Sounds like Kamilah. She would have done anything for you."

"Can you tell me about her?" I flipped through some of the pictures that he had of her.

"Well let's see, I was crazy about her. She had the deepest blue eyes that I had ever seen. Her smile was bright; she always managed to smile even when she wasn't happy. She had the perfect personality; she got along with everyone at school even those kids that no one would talk to. I guess you could say that she was very popular back in the day. I was upset when she told me that her parents were going to force her to marry Dedrick. We were crazy for each other the very moment we layed eyes on each other. I promised her the moon. I promised her that I would save her from marrying him. We went out a couple of times, sometimes getting too close. Well that's when you came along. She was so happy to tell me about you, but so scared to tell her father. She said that the marriage was arranged already and she was to get married as soon as graduation was over. The thing is her stomach, or should I say you was getting bigger by the minute. She was to have his baby, not mine. She laid out the escape plan. She had everything ready to go all I had to do was meet her. We were going to travel far away from this place and raise our baby, you, without the relatives interfering." He lowered his head. I knew he was thinking of her in his moment of silence.

"And, what happened; why didn't you?"

"We never left. We were doomed to stay here. Their magic kept us here. No matter where we were it was like they knew. She had made her own spell that would keep her safe from them" He stopped for a second and looked at the amulet that dangled around my neck. "How did you get that?"

"It was given to me. It was hers, wasn't it?"

"Yeah! That was hers, she made her own spell, hoping that it would protect her and you. Anyway she died all alone and me well I got banned from the town. I live out here in the middle of nowhere. I would have moved farther away but I was hoping that one day our lives would cross. She promised me that we would find away to be together."

"So you never got married?"

"Your mother was it. After I found out that she died, I just couldn't stand seeing anyone else. She was my soul mate, the love of my life. One day I will be with her again and she will be wrapped in my arms just like she did back in the day. But for now I think she helped you find me."

Just then the phone went off. I reached into my back pocket, looking at the caller ID. I knew he would be wondering where I have been and it's about time he called. "Sorry I got to get this." I answered it, "Hey, you'll never guess where I am."

I did not get the reaction that I was looking for. "Where have you been? Your grandparents said you were in town. I find their car up there but not you. I bumped into Isaiah and guess what he had to say? Go on guess?"He sounded upset and irritated because he knew where I had gone and now he was nagging me to answer him immediately on demand.

I stood to walk around the table then out the door to the porch before answering him. "I don't know what did he tell you?" I whispered. My voice now not so chipper as before as I asked him about Isaiah.

"What the hell where you doing in Shady Grove? You said that you would not go, promised that you would not go by yourself. What do you have to say?" he scolded me as if I had to have his permission to do something before doing it. "Your Grandparents don't know that you went there; I won't tell them but where the heck are you now?"

I raised my voice a little louder, but hoped that Sonam did not hear me. "He is the one who took me there. Don't be like this Joel. Look I am fine I was just fixing to tell..."

He cut me off, "I don't want you hanging around Isaiah. Where are you? I will come and get you."

"No, you still sound mad." I replied, tapping one of the windchimes with my hand. I wondered if Sonam could hear me. But should it even matter, it's not like he raised me over the years.

"I'm just very irritated right now. I have been searching this whole damn town looking for you. Now where are you?" he insisted.

"I'm in Macon County." I paced the front porch waking to the end and back to the other end in front of the front door, both dogs lay down beside the steps now watching me with ears perked as if they were hearing the whole conversation.

"That's a good forty-five minutes away. What are you doing there?" he asked.

"I was trying to tell you but you keep interrupting me. I found him. I found my father." I looked up and Sonam was standing in the doorway now looking at me. "Hold on a minute Joel." I put the phone up next to my shoulder muffling out the sounds around to that he could not hear anything and asked my father. "Can you drive me back into town?"

"Sure." He said softly and sad like as if he had wanted me to stay longer.

I turned the phone back over so that I could hear Joel. "I will be there in about an hour. Talk to you then."

"Whatever, Shayla just get home." The phone clicked.

"You sure you don't mind taking me back?" I asked again.

"Not at all, I take it that was your boyfriend. Is he good to you?" He asked as if he was the father that raised me.

"Yeah, I think he is just a little worried about me right now. He saw my Grandparents car in town and has been searching everywhere for me."

"Well in that case I guess we need to get you home." I started to walk over to his car noticing that he had left the front door open and when I got into the passenger side of the car the keys were in it. I guess no one ever comes out this far in the woods so there is no reason to lock anything up, besides the dogs would take care of anything that came close to the house.

We really didn't say much on the way back to town for the first ten minutes or so. Basically I just told him where to turn and all.

"So you say I look like her."

"Yeah, she was pretty just like you. Her hair was longer though and I don't recall her wearing that much black." He smiled.

"After the accident I felt like my life was over. I thought if I cut the hair, dye it black and wear black that it would hide the true me. I felt like I didn't deserve to be happy considering it was all my fault. I could get lost in the blackness, the darkness of my own soul and I hoped that everyone would just leave me alone."

"I take it that it didn't matter what you looked like or what you wore."

"Guess not. Everyone either made fun of me or wanted to get closer to me."

"Like this boyfriend of yours?"

"Joel is good to me. He is one of the few that sees me, the real me underneath all of this." I pulled on my shirt. "I really think he is the one. He enjoys just being with me."

"You make it sound like there were others that took advantage of you."

"My first boyfriend back home, I believe he was really in love with me. When I moved here it was like a few of the guys just wanted to try out the new girl." I noticed his expression so I corrected the statement. "They wanted to but we didn't do anything."

"How many guys are we talking about here?" He questioned like a worried father.

I started to roll my eyes but stopped in the middle of looking up. "Just Joel's cousin Landon, Mr. Foster and Isaiah, Dedrick's son."

"You know Dedrick and his son, Isaiah?"

"Isaiah had been backstabbing me this whole time. I thought he was a friend. He found me in therapy and got close to me, found out my feelings and found out about me I guess you could say. He is not my friend anymore and I would rather not talk about him."

"Alright for now, maybe later we can talk about that. Did you say something about a Mr. Foster? Who is that?"

"A teacher at school. He uhm! I'm uhm! Not supposed to say anything about it."

"About what?"

"I guess since technically you're my father I can tell you." I looked over at him and then back out the passenger side window. "He....uhm...." I took a deep breath. "He has weird feelings for me. He kissed me after the play. He played with my hair and felt under my shirt. I tried to leave, I did. He cuffed one of his hands tightly around my throat and told me that it never happened. I was to tell no one." I paused releasing the air within my chest. "Not even you."

"You haven't told anyone about this?"

I shook my head. Then stated, "Well I have said something to my best friend back home but she keeps everything to herself, things like this anyway."

He didn't say another word about it. And we didn't talk the rest of the way home. Maybe I should never had said anything about it. Now I wonder what he will do or say. Will he tell my Grandparents or keep it to his self?

About fifteen minutes later we came into town. My grandparent's car was gone. When I called Joel back he said that he had taken my Grandfather back into town to get it. So I had to ask Sonam to take me all the way home. When we got there Joel's truck was in the drive as well. I got out and asked him to get out as well. We walked up to the front porch. Grandma was sitting on the porch swing. Grandpa and Joel were sitting in the rocking chairs waiting for me. I will never forget the look on Joel's face in that moment. I started to introduce Sonam.

"Sonam this is my Grandfather and that's my Grandmother, they are my mother's parents. Well the one who raised me I guess I should say. They took me in after the accident." He shook hands with both of them. I looked up at Sonam and said, "This is my real father." They started to look at each other in amazement but then gave way to a weak smile. I thought that they would be happy but at this moment they were sad as if maybe now I would leave them to be with him.

Before I was able to introduce him to Joel, he shook his hand and said, "You must be the worried boyfriend, nice to meet you Joel."

"Likewise, sir." He shook his hand and then reached for me, pulling me into his arms. "Thank God that you are alright, I was worried about you." He whispered in my ear, but loud enough for the others to hear.

"Well I made a mean casserole, please stay and eat with us." My Grandma requested.

"I couldn't impose on you nice folks."

"Nonsense, now you come in here and get you a bite to eat before you go," she demanded this time.

I grabbed his hand. "You might as well stay she won't stop until you do."

The five of us sat around the table that night, eating like a family. Sonam told my Grandparents all about my mother. "We were young. My Kamilah looks just like her daughter, our daughter that is." He looked over toward me. "She had that nose and eyes and some of the things you do remind me of her, like the way you are sitting right now. She lived life to the fullest. She died giving birth to our daughter and that's when your daughter stepped in and saved her." He knew about their daughter and how she had taken me in like one of her very own. He praised her for that. "I thank you and your family for taking good care of my little girl." He patted my hand as I smiled back at him.

He talked with Joel, asking him so many questions about his life and our life for that matter. I wasn't shocked when Joel started talking about his family. He talked about his dad some and about Catori how that horse of his saved his life in more ways than one. He had answered questions about us as if we had been together for years. Maybe we were soul mates.

"So the two of you are seriously in love with each other?" he asked Joel.

"Kinda." I blurted in.

Joel looked at me contently and then stated, "Yes sir, I have fallen hard for her. I know we haven't been together that long but I know she is the one. Do you get what I'm saying sir."

"Ah, yes I do. I had those feelings before. Well I just hope you take good care of her son."

"Don't worry I will do my best to take good care of her." He grabbed my hand into his.

"Well, that's all that matters." He looked back towards me. "I wish the two of you the best."

Grandpa and Grandma smiled and then finished eating.

After supper they all went out on the front porch and talked while Joel and I ran around to the back of the house. We held hands for a while and then one hand looped around my waist pulling me into him. "Your father is cool. I'm glad you found him, but I wished that you would have went with somebody. Heck I would have taken you there for crying out loud you could have been hurt."

"Not a chance." I laughed and kissed him. Then for some reason I grabbed a hold of his hat and ran from him. He started chasing after me.

"Girl, you gonna get it when I get a hold of you." He promised.

I ran around front and then back around the house. The Grandparents were still talking with my father. They stopped for a few minutes to watch us act like seven year olds chasing each other in the darkness. Joel was still running after me. I was laughing hysterically as I hit the back yard. And that's when I saw her under the Weeping Willow tree. I froze in mid run. Then slowly, I walked up close to her as if I was in a trance. She shimmered in the light hues of blue. She seemed so far away yet so close as she reached out for me taking me by the hand.

About that same time Joel stopped in his tracks watching me. I was standing there all alone as if holding on to something. But he saw nothing.

I started talking to her. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."

"You deserve to know your real father and he deserves to have you as well. Take good care of each other my little Aislinn."

Joel had gone back around to get my Grandparents and Sonam. "I don't know what happened, she was running and laughing and now she looks like she's in a trance of some kind. She's talking to herself."

The three of them went around the house with Joel; I was still standing under the tree. She looked up and saw Sonam, tears twinkled down her cheek. She smiled at him and when I looked back to see him he was smiling back at her. He walked over to us. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "You are so beautiful, my love."

"I found her Sonam, I found her. Please take good care of our daughter." She placed both of our hands into each other's and she held on as well forming a circle, a bond.

"I will." He looked at me, putting his arm around me. "She is a spitting image of you my love. She is home; she is safe now."

Then she was gone. I yelled, "I love you, I've always loved you." I looked up to my father. "Do you think she heard me?"

"Yeah! She heard you." He held on tightly looking down at me.

"Do you think she will ever come back?" I asked.

"When you need her the most, she'll be back. She's always there Shayla watching over you."

We turned around at the same time and my Grandparents were still staring and Joel still looked confused. "They can't see her can they?"

"I'm afraid not. Only we can see her." He stroked my shoulder and down along my back for comfort.

My father left that night with a smile on his face promising me that he would see me tomorrow. After Joel left, I went up stairs and laid on the bed. I slept peacefully for the first time in a long while holding my mother's amulet so close to my heart.