Page 2 of The Book of Legends
Tears sting my eyes, blurring my vision. I’ve cried so much since the cardiologist told us there was nothing more they could do: end-stage heart failure. She had six months, maybe less.
That was five months ago.
It’s only a matter of time now.
I don’t know how I’ll survive without —her love, her wisdom, her presence. When she’s gone, I’ll be alone. There’s no family left.
Micah is all I have, and even that isn’t guaranteed. College has kept us both busy—him with baseball, me with school and my aunt. We barely see each other anymore.
Her tired eyes meet mine. “When the time comes, there’s something I want you to do for me.”
I straighten. “Anything.”
“I want you to live, Selene. Fall in love.”
I turn away, the words slicing through me. She doesn’t understand. That isn’t possible.
I’m going blind.
If I find someone before it happens, no one will knowingly choose to be with a blind woman.
My stomach knots. I remember the taunts from school, the endless bullying as my lenses thickened with each passing year. It was like no one could look past them and see me.
No one, except Micah.
“You know that isn’t possible, Nan.”
“Oh, honey.” She sighs, shaking her head. “I know it is. I’m sure of it. One day, there will be a man who sees how breathtakingly beautiful you are. Those glasses are just windows hiding the true beauty underneath.”
I grin, locking this moment into memory. The warmth in her voice, the way she looks at me—as if I’m part of a fairytale she hasn’t read yet.
“He’ll pull them off your face,” she whispers, “and fall in love with your soul.”
“You read too much, Nan.”
She laughs, but there’s something knowing in her eyes as she glances at the gilded mirror—the one that has been in our family for generations.
“He will come when you least expect it. Or maybe…” She tilts her head. “He’s been around you all along.”
I swallow. She probably means Micah.
But for a split second, it feels like she means someone else.
Someone I haven’t met yet.
I pull out my phone, scrolling through the last message I sent to Micah.
Selene: Are we still on to hang out tomorrow?
Micah: After practice.
Selene: See you later.
“Ithought we were meeting after practice,” I say, raising my voice through the phone.
Muffled voices filter through my bedroom door, and I know they’re talking about me—about Micah and me arguing.
I’m irritated that my roommate and her friends chose now to waltz in, right when I got back. I’ve been trying to reach Micah since I left my aunt’s house. It’s not the first time he’s done this, and I hate it. Because the moment I leave her room, the despair of losing her and being alone hits me square in the chest.
