Page 5 of Gift from the Source (Source of Elementra #5)

Three

Tillman

Breathe in. Breathe out.

I’ve had to mentally coach and remind myself how to fucking breathe since we stepped foot in this realm. It’s been difficult keeping my calm, steady focus, and composure on this little rendezvous.

Willow’s handled herself impeccably in my opinion being back in the place that caused her so much fucking hurt, trauma, and pain. I, on the other hand, want to tear the walls down every time I hear her thoughts as she plays memories through her mind.

If I could rewind time, I’d choke Franklin before we killed him. And don’t get me started on Donald.

My brothers and I are going to enjoy the shit we put him through.

I inhale deeply once more as Will’s finger begins rounding the bloodied design we can see floating in the air, presumably against a ward. I release it slowly, pulling a Corentin and counting back in my mind.

My walls nearly crumbled when Ry’s, Lyker’s, Trex’s, and my ass almost got burned beyond repair. Will’s quick vision threw me through a loop.

As much as I hate it with every fiber of my being, I had no choice but to let her handle this on her own, without me leading her way protectively .

Once again, my little warrior’s vision came through and saved me from shit I couldn’t even see. So as much as I hate that she’s doing this step by step by herself, my belief in her far outweighs my fear.

I can say quite literally by this point, I’d die without her.

“Everyone, hold steady, it’s coming down,” I command.

The violent shaking is a dead giveaway even if we can’t tell what’s going on fully just yet.

The final illusion crashes down, and I expected to see the same brick prison walls, but instead, it reveals what looks like Dec and Xander’s living quarters.

If that’s what you want to call this closet of a space.

There’re two beds, two rugs, two dressers, and that’s about it when it comes to any sort of comfort. Nothing about it is homely, and the meager number of belongings tells me one of two things. Either they’re moved around a lot, so they’re not allowed to have a lot of stuff, or they refused to make any place they were in more comfortable.

A surge of panic slices across my chest at the same moment small vibrations move through my boots and my head whips up. Those trembles are different than the ones that rocked us all when the illusion came down, and whatever it is has Willow on the verge of freaking out.

She stands statue-still in front of the two men, both of whom have their hands up defensively, and my feet move faster than my mind.

I’m nearly to her when I slam to a stop, holding my fist up to make everyone behind me freeze.

“Don’t move or make any sudden moves. No fucking one.”

“If they hurt her, I’ll kill—”

“Enough, Caspian, they aren’t going to hurt her. They’re protecting her,” I bark.

That doesn’t calm any of my brothers down. They ignore what I just commanded and come to stand beside me, but what they see has them freezing as well.

“Back up, princess. Get over here now,” Corentin orders.

“No. Don’t, Willow. Stay right where you are,” I say gently.

Now that we can see the arch in the doorway, the room it leads to reveals high ceilings and a hallway that stretches farther back to another space.

Blocking our way through there, is Dec and Xander, who stand between Willow, us, and the twelve-foot giant that’s heaving heavily, staring at my little warrior.

I take in his features quickly, mapping out his not quite average size, his smooth face, and fucking gigantic muscles. Three things register to me immediately.

One, his hands aren’t balled into fists. They’re relaxed by his sides despite the rapid rise and fall of his chest.

Two, his eyes haven’t taken on an unearthly appearance. It’s said that when a giant falls to his or her protective instincts, their eyes go completely the color of their irises. So in this guy’s case, if he were triggered, his entire eyeballs would bleed orange.

Thirdly, he’s young. Very much so. I can tell by his smaller height. Fuck if that’s what you call a twelve-foot person.

“No one move or attack. This is a young giant, maybe even still juvenile. He’s not going to be able to control his instincts like a grown-up would.”

“He…he…fuck, I don’t know what to do right now. I’ve read minimally on them. They can talk, right? They’re plenty smart. But have unmatched strength,” Willow whispers.

“He can talk, but I’m afraid right now, he’s on the verge of feeling cornered,” I tell her.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I promise,” Will mumbles, holding her hands up toward the giant.

His eyes soften on her.

Then he charges.

“Shit. Carrington, be easy,” Xander shouts as he and Dec rush behind Willow, blocking us from getting to her. “Don’t attack him. He won’t hurt her.”

My vines shoot out, wrapping the two brothers up to move them the fuck out of my way, and shadows spread across the giant’s legs. We ignore the two of them as Corentin and Draken barrel forward, but they stop when we hear Will’s sweet voice.

“It’s okay, big guy. Everything’s going to be okay now.” She coos as though she’s speaking to a baby, not a fucking giant.

Said giant, I guess Carrington, gently sways back and forth as he holds her cradled to his chest. He softly hums repeatedly the more she shushes him and pats him on the back.

What she can reach of his back.

“If he doesn’t stop hugging my little wanderer, I’m going to fry his ass,” Draken says, causing the giant to spin Willow away from us and growl menacingly at him.

To which Draken growls back.

Fuck me.

“No one’s going to hurt you or me, I promise. Let’s introduce ourselves, okay? Will you put me down?” Will asks softly.

Carrington tilts his head down to look at her, then over at all of us before giving her a clipped nod. The size difference between the two of them is absolutely petrifying and it takes everything in me to hold my position.

“Explain, now,” Corentin whisper-yells at the brothers when we release them.

“This is Carrington. He’s been tasked with protecting Willow’s blood for…some years now. It’s ingrained in him, so when he smelled her…” Dec trails off.

“He had the urge to protect.” I finish, releasing a deep breath.

“Come on, Car, get it together and show some manners,” Xander says playfully.

Carrington’s face turns a red shade as he takes a step away from Willow, rubbing the back of his neck like an embarrassed teenager.

“Uh, sorry about that,” he says sheepishly as he clears his throat.

“It’s okay. No harm done.” Willow laughs, walking toward us.

I sense the adrenaline pumping through her with every step she takes. Part of her knew everything was okay, while the other was scared to death that she was about to get squashed .

“Fuck, that’s exactly what I was feeling,” she says as she crashes into my chest and the rest of our family surrounds us.

“I can’t wait any longer,” a breathy voice sounds from behind us, seconds before Trex barges through our group.

Dec and Xander pale as though they’ve seen a ghost, but the stupor is broken when Trex pulls them in for a hug. The three of them fall into each other silently. No words are spoken, but you can feel the emotions in the air. They have so much to catch up on, it’s ridiculous, but for now they seem more concerned with just making sure this is real.

“Hold tight,” Trex mumbles.

A hiss falls from Dec’s throat when Trex places his forehead to his, and the small beam of light passing between the two of them makes the entire room fall quiet as we stare in fascination. Keeper is the only one to react, and he moves closer to them, watching the process keenly.

Once Trex finishes with Dec, he moves to Xander, repeating the same thing, and right before our eyes, the two men seem to come to life.

They stand taller, their skin brightens, and their dull eyes begin to shine. Just like when Keeper and Aria helped Trex, it’s as though life has been breathed back into them with the rune removed.

“Remarkable, truly. Do you need assistance removing your own or shall you do it?” Keeper asks Trex. He’s not the least bit upset or worried that Trex is able to do this. He’s impressed.

“I can do it. Will you make sure theirs is completely gone, though? Please?” Trex asks, surprising the fuck out of me.

I think that’s the first time he’s been nice to anyone other than Willow or Codi.

“Of course. If they’ll allow it,” Keeper says, arching a brow at the very nervous-looking men.

“Are you okay?” Willow asks as the two men nod and Keeper walks toward them. At first, I thought she was asking me, until I look down and she’s staring behind me.

Glancing over my shoulder, Codi is standing there, awkward as fuck with his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth. He looks like a lost puppy, not at all the E.F. member I’ve trained him to be .

“Didn’t want to interrupt their moment, that’s all.”

“It’s your moment too. Go introduce yourself. We got your back,” I tell him.

He blows out a harsh breath and his fists flex inside of his pockets. The nerves are obvious, but as soon as their bond snaps in place, it’ll go away. Jamie was this same way when he first met Ry, Nikoli, and San, but it vanished instantly when their bonds completed.

Nodding, he steps through us as Keeper steps away from Dec and Xander.

“Hey,” he says fucking weirdly with a small wave as though they can’t see him.

Draken snorts beside me, but the noise abruptly ends when the room surges with power. It’s fleeting but powerful enough none of us could move even if we wanted to.

Seconds pass as the three of them stare at each other.

Then they collide.

Dec and Xander hug, pat down, and smile at Codi like they’ve been waiting a lifetime for him—which I guess, to be fair, they have. Although I’ve seen Nexus members meet for the first time, this experience will never get old. It’s hard to explain the rightness that comes over you when you meet your Nexus brothers, but it’s a feeling of completeness that’s unmatched.

Well, that is until you complete your bond with a Primary. Then you finally see the realm in colors you never could’ve imagined.

“I hate to rush this endearing reunion, but we need to finish what we came for and get out of this place. Proper introductions will have to wait. You two recognize Willow. She’s in charge. The mini giant behind her is Tillman. He’s E.F. Leader. Whatever the two of them say goes,” Corentin orders and everyone’s shoulders straighten.

“Right, her blood,” Dec says, looking at my little warrior. “Prepare yourself. I’m not sure what you’ve imagined this moment or view to look like, but I just want you to know ahead of time, it may be a lot for you.”

Will’s eyes widen slightly, and running through her mind is the fact she hasn’t really thought about it at all. She hasn’t been picturing what it may actually look like, only that there was a stockpile somewhere and it needs to be destroyed.

Clearing her throat, she bobs her head toward the hallway Carrington is standing in front of. “I’m assuming it’s through there?”

“Yeah.” He nods, then turns to the real giant in the room. “Okay, Car, remember what we talked about. Now that the owner of the blood’s here, you don’t have to protect it anymore. Then we’re getting out of here, okay?”

“I remember. It’s hers so she can do with it how she pleases. Then we leave,” Carrington says, nodding repeatedly like they’ve gone over this plan with him a thousand times.

“That’s right. We’ll get you home after this,” Willow says brightly, already planning in her mind that she’ll figure out how to open a portal to Colosyree for him.

“Where we go, he goes,” Xander says sternly, and my head whips toward his tone.

I find his eyes already on me, and I crash into his mind with ease. He doesn’t even resist, either knowing he couldn’t stop me, or he wants me to hear what he’s thinking.

Fuck.

“He was kidnapped. He’s eighteen now and this happened when he was thirteen. There’s no one for him to go back home to. They’ve been taking care of him for five years now,” I tell my Nexus.

“Oh no,” Will mumbles sadly.

“Great, so we’re taking an overgrown toddler back with us. How the hell do you suppose we hide a giant in Elementra?” Cas asks.

His attitude is nothing but a deflection he doesn’t need to bother using anymore. The undertones we all hear speak his truth about how Carrington’s situation affects him.

“We freed a real dragon. A giant’s going to be nothing,” Draken says.

“He’s coming. It’s decided. Let’s go,” Corentin orders, taking Willow by the hand and pulling her forward.

“You all will be returning with us. Lead the way and let’s get this over with. Gaster, Ry, no sense on anyone above us?” I ask .

“No,” they both respond.

The sudden nerves running through Willow have the other three of us stepping closer to her and Corentin. Her shoulders begin to relax once again, and her chest rises and falls in measured breaths. Mine instinctively race to match hers until I know our hearts beat the same.

“No matter what’s in here, little warrior, we’ve got you,” I tell her.

“I know. Just until this point, I haven’t let myself dwell too deeply on how this got into their possession. I’ve just focused on the mission in front of me. I feel like the reality is about to slap me in the face.”

“It is, Primary. But we’re here.”

She doesn’t respond with words. Rather shadows lace their way around our wrists and she creates ties to each of us as she grounds herself. I allow myself a moment to relish in the feeling of her gift before steeling myself to what we’re about to see as the distance in the hallway shrinks.

No matter what, we’ll be strong for her.

Carrington continues on in the room that we can’t quite make out yet, but Dec and Xander stop a few feet in the doorway, turning back around to face us all.

Rapidly, Keeper steps around, standing between them and us before they can speak and looks down sadly at Willow. “Let me handle this, Adored. You don’t need to go in there.”

“That bad, huh?” she asks quietly.

“Worse than I could’ve imagined,” he murmurs.

Her body shivers, but she doesn’t cower and I already know her answer. She’s going to want to see it, do this for herself.

“We’ll do it together,” she states calmly.

He doesn’t argue, although his pupils bleed the slightest bit crimson, and my brothers and I share a look. Each of us thinks about just grabbing her and running, but we know that’ll get our asses fried.

“All the wards have been broken aside from the one on the door in here. Just don’t try to open it. It’ll electrocute you. There’s nothing on the other side but a hall that leads under Franklin’s house. There’s another relic here as well. It’s evil, plain and simple, so just don’t touch it,” Xander says as he turns and walks through the threshold.

Willow takes that as her sign to follow. With purely faked confidence, she strides forward, ready to face whatever this room holds.

Four steps past the threshold, a choked gasp gurgles from her and she lifts her hands to cover her mouth.

“Elementra, no,” she breathes as she starts to sway.

Her whisper plus Oakly’s and Aria’s sharp inhales seem to echo in the otherwise silence. The tension grows to unbelievable heights as the rest of our family glares around the room that is far, far larger than I expected.

My neck cranes as my gaze follows the red shelves up to almost the ceiling, and the precise organization of the gallon-sized jars makes my eyes sting. There’re no decorations, no frills, nothing but four remarkably high walls filled to the brim with my little warrior’s, her mother’s, and grandmother’s blood.

I’ve seen my fair share of blood. My hands have been covered in it more times than I could admit. They’ve been painted red by my Primary, brothers, best friend, E.F. members, enemies, and innocents alike, but this is one of the most horrific things I’ve ever witnessed.

A strangled sob attempts to fall from Willow’s chest, but she takes a deep breath, closing her eyes as they leak tears. Her body trembles as we crowd behind her, rubbing our hands down her back as Oakly, Gaster, and Lyker surround her from the front.

“It’s okay to let it out, but she wouldn’t want you to cry for her, little dragon,” Lyker whispers, cupping her cheeks as he uses his thumbs to wipe her tears away.

“There’s so much more than I thought.” She hiccups.

“I know. None of us expected this. All the more reason for us to do what we’re meant to do now.”

“I’m going to kill him,” she swears quietly.

A small, predatory smirk crosses Lyker’s face that has all of us mimicking the gesture. “Then come on, fortune teller, tell us what to do.”

She blows out a steady breath as he lets her face go, and she grips Oakly’s and Gaster’s hands tightly before turning to us. We know we don’t have time to comfort her the way we want to, but collectively, we surge her bond .

“What’s the new plan, princess?” Corentin asks.

Originally and after discussing the proper storage of blood with Jamie, we anticipated to find vials of it. We also assumed we’d be in Elementra when we found it, and Will wanted to release it into the earth.

We had planned for her to open a hole right where we found it and deposit it there. If that wasn’t going to work, we discussed her and Caspian using their shadows to move it, or hell, we’d carry it out if need be.

The sheer volume we’re seeing now, I haven’t the first idea of how we’ll get this back to Elementra. Nor can we destroy it here. If she were to release it now, we’d be swept away in a river of red and I don’t think she and Caspian can carry all this in their shadows then hold it while we move realms.

“I’m not sure. I don’t even know where to start,” she says as she walks over to the wall and lays her hand softly against a jar.

“Do you still want it in Elementra, child?” Gaster asks.

“That’s what I’d like. I’ve had the gut feeling it needs to be returned to Elementra, but this…this is an overwhelming amount of blood.”

Gaster and Keeper share a long look with one another that has my gaze bouncing back and forth between them. They can’t speak to one another mentally, but their glances scream they’ve already discussed whatever it is they’re about to announce.

“We can move it for you, Adored, if that’s what you still want. We will make it possible,” Keeper says.

“How?”

“I have multiple pocket dimensions. Keeper can command the blood in one of them that’s not used,” Gaster says.

“You two planned for this. You created another dimension just for this,” Caspian says calculatingly as he stares between the two of them.

“Not this exact scenario, but yes, we discussed the possibility of there being a chance the blood would need to be transported farther than we were going to be able to do with our hands or gifts,” Gaster says.

“And why didn’t you share this plan with us?” Corentin asks.

“He had a gut feeling but didn’t want to speak it into existence or upset me, so he only coordinated with Keeper. It’s fine and works out for the best for now. Let’s hear the plan, please,” Will says, pleading with her eyes for Corentin to drop it.

“You read his mind?” I’m surprised by her invasion of his privacy. I mean, I’m not above that, but she usually holds herself to a much higher standard than I do.

“No, he just told me so I wouldn’t be mad with him. If there’s anything any of us have learned, these gut feelings aren’t random or coincidental. The two of them were the best to organize this. The rest of us would’ve been emotional over the possibility. We all know that.”

Unfortunately, she’s right.

If we had considered this amount of blood to be a realistic possibility, we would’ve planned emotionally rather than strategically.

“Gaster will open his pocket dimension and I will flow the blood in. Just as I moved your blood into Oakly, I will do the same now,” Keeper says.

“I’d like to help some way.”

“Of course, child. Your signature is already ingrained into the dimension. All my dimensions. You can help me open it.”

“Then you can use your water or air element to help me direct the flow,” Keeper tacks on.

Obviously, she was at the forefront of their minds when they came up with this, and her shoulders relax at the inclusion.

“The rest of us will step out. Scout the house. Dec, Xander, Carrington, go pack what you want or need,” Ry commands, ushering everyone out, and I give him an appreciative nod, while Lyker and Aria hug Willow.

“Shit,” Oakly mumbles, causing her and Will’s bodies to tense up in their embrace.

“What’s wrong?” Willow asks, turning in Oakly’s arms to see what she’s staring at. “Fuck me.”

Following their line of sight, my eyes widen as they land on the relic in the corner of the room that Xander warned us about. It’s encased in a glass box, sitting on a stand. It’s obvious why they’d say it was evil .

The globe itself glows, but the swirling black smoke within it looks poisonous. Deadly. The purpose of it pulses around us, warding you away from it naturally.

This isn’t any ol’ relic, though.

It’s The Gods Binding.

“There’s no way he’d leave this here. He needs it to steal gifts,” Willow whispers.

“He has two of those monstrosities. That one’s full.” Xander hisses.

“Full? What do you mean?” Willow asks, whipping toward him.

“Not sure how to explain it, but all I know is the one that used to travel with us didn’t give off that energy. It didn’t do anything. That one, though…” He growls, pointing at it. “Is all wrong. It feels like death.”

Without a backward glance, he stomps from the room and his brothers shoot him a worried look but don’t immediately follow him.

“Sorry about that. X…” Dec breathes, running his hand through his hair. “X believes his parents are stuck in there. He swears he feels them, and it haunts him.”

Fuck…their gifts.

“We’ll explain more when we get back home. Oakly, Gaster,” Willow says, nodding toward it.

“Wait, you can’t touch that thing,” Carrington blurts out, shaking the room as he takes a couple steps toward us.

“It’s okay, they know what to do. Trust me,” Will says softly, holding her hands up to stop him. He looks around nervously, but with some coaxing and guidance from Dec, he relents and leaves the room.

“Same as the others, my girl,” Gaster whispers to Oakly encouragingly as they get in position.

Her hands, unlike the other times, shake slightly, but that doesn’t stop her from reaching out as Gaster disintegrates the glass casing, then opens his pocket dimension.

The second the relic is removed and placed inside, I swear the room takes a deep breath. That haunting, depressing feeling that was weighing down the space evaporates, and everyone relaxes as much as we can .

“You did so good,” Willow whispers as she pulls Oakly back into her arms.

“And so will you,” Oakly says, giving my little warrior a kiss on her cheek before walking into Ry’s arms and out the door.

Willow watches until everyone is completely out of her sight before her heavy breath makes her whole body slump. “Let’s do this.”

“Come then, child,” Gaster says, waving her over.

My fists flex at my sides as her shadows withdraw from around my wrists. The loss of the grounding has me tensing up and craving it back now that my hackles are raised. I mentally prepare for the worst as I watch her walk into Gaster, but when she glances over her shoulder at each of us, I force away my desire to snatch her back into my arms and smile.

“You’ve got this.”

“What do I do?” she asks the old man.

“I casted this one to match the way you open your pocket dimension. This first time, we’ll do it together, but any time after that, you’ll only need to think of my magical signature, and you can open it yourself.”

Nodding, she laces her hand with Gaster’s and together they raise their fingers, casting their magic out. The two powers combined are a heady concoction in this room and I have no doubt, their forces are some of the strongest, if not the strongest, we’ll ever have the privilege of witnessing.

My brothers and I stand still, hyperaware of every move they make. The very familiar circle opens with ease, and I’m not the least bit shocked by the swirling pool of silver that almost matches her own that appears. The smallest difference is the traces of lavender that match the thread of their bond.

A whisper of a smile crosses her face as she takes a moment to admire the pocket dimension before moving over to where Keeper’s waiting patiently for her.

“I can just command it to us if you’d like to guide it fully, Willow,” he says softly.

“I would, thank you.”

“Of course, Adored. I’ll start at the top, moving around the whole room, then continue down each layer. You guide the blood in. Gaster will close it when we’re done,” he says as his eyes morph fully into their crimson shade.

The language of the Keep echoes around the room as the power in Keeper’s voice calls to the blood. The jars vibrate, clanking together and making the smallest of noises like my wind chimes moving from a soft breeze. The magic from his words is so different to the magic we’re used to, but captivating nonetheless.

“I wonder what he’s saying,” Cas says.

“By veins unseen, heed my call. A lifeforce feeds, large and small. Blood of life, red and pure. Bind to me, swift and sure,” Draken says.

“How did you—”

“His communal knowledge,” Cas breathes, cutting Corentin off and staring at Draken in fascination.

“Or his bestowing. I don’t know, but I know what he said. Shit… Gaster’s going to be pissed I know this language but not Elema Lingua Vetus,” Draken says, seemingly more worried about that than him suddenly understanding a language he’s never learned.

“You’ll teach me?” Caspian asks.

“Hell yeah. Then we can talk and no one will know what we’re saying. It’ll be our little secret,” Draken whispers with the biggest grin and surprisingly, instead of glaring, Cas smiles back.

“Ready, Willow?” Keeper asks, silencing our minds and grabbing our attention back instantly.

“Ready.”

Corks begin popping free from the jars, causing a rush of blood to shoot out faster than I saw coming. Willow’s just as surprised but quickly recovers and she slings her hand out. Her air element shoots from her palm, wrapping around the wild red rapids like a tunnel for the flood to flow through.

Gaster and I have the same thought as our earth elements command all the remaining corks in the room to disintegrate. The oncoming waves of blood slow down to a more bearable speed and Willow’s shoulders relax as she starts maneuvering around the room.

Witnessing her and Keeper move from shelve to shelve, wall to wall, is like watching the realm’s most emotional ritual. It’s a slow choreographed dance that invokes so many emotions in me, I have to breathe through the onslaught of them.

I’m not the only one feeling it.

My brothers beside me watch every graceful step Willow takes. Each of our eyes are glazed, watching her free a part of herself that’s been so cruelly and wrongfully locked away.

Gaster’s beside himself as his tears disappear into his white beard, but he keeps his sobs silent and his love for her loud.

Keeper’s steadfast and sure with the words he continues to chant, but there’s a secondhand sadness surrounding him. Every few jars that empty, his glossy crimson eyes look over at Willow.

Slow streams of tears fall down her cheeks, and I realize now would be the right time not to invade her thoughts, but I can’t help it. She’s been gently knocking on my mind every few seconds as if she’s checking to make sure I’m still here. She’s doing the same to my brothers, but in her own special way she has for checking on each of us.

I don’t intrude or comment on anything I hear from her, although when she starts murmuring who the blood belongs to every jar, like she’s taking a mental tally, I want to. I want to reassure her, her grandmother, her mom, and herself will be justified. We’ll right the wrongs that were done to them, and their sacrifices will not be in vain.

Keeper’s words fade out as Willow holds her hand up for him to halt. The last remaining jar stands bright red, stark against the now clear glass surrounding it. She slowly approaches it, wiping her face clean, then drying her hands with her air.

Picking up the jar, she walks it back to Gaster’s pocket dimension, whispering to it so quietly, I don’t hear what she says. Nor do I attempt to pry. This is a moment meant and needed just for her.

As the last red drop slides over the glass rim, she closes the pocket for Gaster and exhales so deeply, wind gently whips some of my loose curls in my face.

“Almost done.” She sniffles when she turns to us, and we surround her .

“Almost done, Primary.”

“It’s almost over, princess.”

“This is the end, little wanderer.”

“Let’s go home, Will.”

Sighing, the glass jar slips free from her fingers, clanking against the floor loudly, but not shattering. It rolls somewhere across the room, but she never looks for it, never bothers to take her eyes off us.

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

We follow her out of the threshold, and the pride that swells in my heart almost causes me to combust.

She never looks back.

She doesn’t dwell.

She leaves that room with another piece of her healed.