Diving for Pearls: The Complete Collection (The Pearl Makers) Read online

  She rushed to the bedroom down the hall, Peter following close behind.

  “Elizabeth, this is—“

  “I know,” she responded before he could finish. “It’s her.” Happiness swelled in her heart as she studied the naked infant rooting about for her mother’s nipple. And suddenly Elizabeth felt whole again. She hadn’t realized how badly the absence hurt until that special place in her heart was filled once again. An angel without a charge no longer, her purpose had returned.

  “This is Floramaria,” Peter explained softly. “It seems you’ve already recognized her spirit. When her last body died, her soul came here for another chance at the Gates.”

  Elizabeth had tears in her eyes. “I’d know her anywhere.” The baby’s dark hair and tiny form looked so unlike the Daisy she’d left behind, but there was no mistaking the energy that surrounded her, the gleam behind her tiny nearsighted eyes.

  “You see,” Peter continued. “The spirit cannot be broken. It cannot be killed. It will always fight to survive in one form or another until the day it can return to its Maker.”

  “To Heaven, you mean? Through the Gates?”

  “That’s precisely what I mean.”

  “It was so hard to watch her die. I wish I’d known…” Elizabeth sucked in a deep breath. While it was true she no longer needed to take in oxygen, mimicking such human gestures often brought a special kind of calm—one she needed now.

  Peter sighed, too. “It never gets any easier. Each death will be impossibly heartbreaking, but each new birth impossibly joyful.”

  “So how many does it take? How many lives until we can be together again?”

  “It’s different for every person. When Daisy—when Floramaria—has learned all humanity has to offer, that’s when her soul will be complete. That’s when she can return, and you with her.”

  “And that’s it? She’ll die and be reborn until she’s good enough for Heaven?”

  “More or less.” Peter’s voice dropped to a whisper. “With a few exceptions.”

  “Exceptions?”

  “Never you mind that. Look, she’s opening her eyes. Go to her. She’ll be able to see you again. Remember? She’s still close to the other realm. She can sense things adults cannot. Comfort her now. She needs you just as she always will.”

  And with that Peter vanished.

  * * *

  Elizabeth’s new home was filled with joy in the months that followed Floramaria’s birth, a pleasant difference from how the time following Daisy’s birth—and her own death—had been. She enjoyed being part of this new family. Floramaria was the third child but first girl, and everyone doted on her—not just the immediate family, but the extended one as well.

  A constant stream of visitors flowed through the cramped living room, bringing home-cooked meals and telling stories, watching Floramaria as she learned to crawl. Her brothers, as they played nearby, kept watch over the newest member of the family. Elizabeth was happy her daughter had found such a good home the second time around, but also saddened by the fact that she hadn’t been the one to provide it for her.

  She thought often of Theo and Tina, of how their lives must be in the wake of Daisy’s death, of what things would have been like for them all without the arrival of the Larsens, what things could have been like had she never died in the first place, had she been allowed to raise her daughter the way nature intended.

  A few months after Floramaria and Elizabeth joined the family, the other angels decided to announce themselves—and they formed a veritable choir, the four of them plus Elizabeth together.

  “I’m Julio,” one of them said. “She’s mine.” He pointed to the wife. “Alexis here looks after him, and Naomi and Vlad watch the boys. Not a lot tends to happen. And, hey, that’s for the best, right? So, anyway, tell us about you. Tell us about the new girl. You are a protector, aren’t you? You look like a protector. Not one of those…”

  “Julio, hush,” Alexis warned as if they too were some sort of married couple.

  “One of those what?” Elizabeth asked. She hated being the last to know, especially given what had happened the last time other angels had attempted to keep a secret from her—that had been the beginning of the end for Daisy. As far as she knew now, there was no plan. Although obviously there was a plan, it just wasn’t known to any of the angels yet. She hoped this time Peter would confide in her first. Was that too much to ask?

  “It’s nothing.” Alexis shot Julio a dirty look. “He just meant the wardens, and you’re clearly not one of them.”

  The other four angels shuddered.

  “What are the—?”

  “See?” Alexis gloated. “She doesn’t even know what they are. You must be a baby angel, huh? How many births has little Floramaria had before this one?”

  “Just one.”

  “Oh, wow! You are young. You probably even remember your human life, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I—”

  Alexis eyed her with contempt. “Well, be careful about that! Angels like you can really do a number on their charges.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair!” Elizabeth felt meek and foolish, something neither Daniel nor Duke had ever done to her. She missed them now, almost as much as she missed her human family.

  “This is true,” Vlad said with a thick Slavic accent. “You hear stories of what they call past life regression? Is no regression, ha! Is angel refusing to let go.”

  “They make a point,” Naomi said, with a look of sympathy. “It may seem great to be able to go back, but, believe me, it’s not. Do Floramaria a favor and let it all go. It’ll be doing a favor for yourself, too.”

  “Well, I think we’ve done enough damage here,” Alexis said. “We should really be going.”

  All the other angels snapped to attention, ready to follow Alexis’s lead.

  “We’ll see you soon, okay?” Julio said, patting her on the shoulder before they all disappeared.

  * * *

  Elizabeth tried to put the strange encounter with the other angels behind her, but the more she puzzled over their cryptic warnings, the more she found herself missing the life she had left behind.

  She enjoyed dancing for Floramaria and making silly faces as she hovered near the baby’s bouncer. Above all else, she loved hearing the little girl’s laugh. Laughter, she realized, belonged to the soul—because it sounded exactly the same coming from Floramaria as it once had from Daisy.

  And she laughed often. The big, loving family made sure of it.

  But the more she sat by and watched the happy married couple snuggle up on the sofa for date night or sit down together at the table for a home-cooked meal, the more she found herself longing for Theo.

  The other angels didn’t visit her often, and whenever they did, they mostly stuck to bickering with each other and wondering aloud about Elizabeth’s past rather than providing any actual companionship. This meant she missed not only Theo, but also his angel Daniel. Daniel had always done right by her, had been a friend to her when no one else would.

  Peter came to visit her every so often, but their talks focused largely on her duties and Floramaria’s progression through life and toward the Gates. Any time she tried to talk about her feelings, Peter would provide a terse reply and either redirect the conversation or disappear altogether.

  Watching the family’s happiness had become a double-edged sword. Their bliss cast a light on all that was missing from her existence.

  Daniel. Duke. Tina. Theo. Who she once had been.

  But the speculation, the loneliness, the vicarious joy—it had all fashioned itself into her new normal. She thought nothing of it until Floramaria began to mumble her first words.

  “Mama,” she said, and her parents oohed and ahhed and sent mass texts to the family to share this important milestone.

  “Papa,” she said, and they were every bit as proud.

  “Tio,” the baby said. “Tio, Tio, Tio.” Every time she would fix her eyes on Elizabeth and smile as
the syllables escaped her tiny mouth.

  “You want Tio Rodrigo, Flora?” her mother asked, then excitedly called her favorite brother over to see his niece who was asking for him by name.

  “Digame tio? Can you say Uncle Rodrigo?” The parents prompted.

  “Tio,” Floramaria said proudly, pounding on the coffee table and smiling Elizabeth’s way.

  “Yes, that’s right, baby! Me llamo Tio Rodrigo.”

  The baby shook her head and pointed to the corner of the room where Elizabeth sat watching the exchange. “Tio!” she said emphatically.

  And that’s when Elizabeth knew for certain. Floramaria wasn’t asking for her uncle, but rather for Theo.

  What would happen when the little girl learned to enunciate her th? Would the family take any of this seriously?

  She thought back on the other angels’ warnings and felt frightened, until she realized what this new turn of events could mean. It meant Floramaria could build a bridge between their former lives and this new one. She could bring them back to Theo, help tell him that both of his girls were okay, that they’d both moved on to new existences, that they’d see him again someday beyond the Gates.

  The question remained, though. Would Floramaria’s new parents help the little girl find her former father, and would he believe that she knew him? They would, because Elizabeth would do whatever it took to make sure this opportunity didn’t pass any of them by.

  Part VII

  What had started as a tiny spark of anxiety quickly ignited into a raging fire—a thing of both beauty and danger. Floramaria had simply asked for Theo initially, but quickly moved on to more specific discussions of her past life. The little girl placed her hand on her tummy. “I hope my baby will be a girl,” she said, tenderly rubbing her flat abdomen. “It would be nice to have a daughter. I hope Victor thinks so, too.”

  “Mija, who’s this Victor?” the father asked. He turned to his wife and whispered, “Do we know a Victor?” Like Elizabeth, her earthly parents had become quite worried—even more so, given they did not understand the reasons behind their daughter’s strange behavior.

  “We need to see Daddy. He will explain everything.”

  “I’m right here, Floramaria, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  The little girl blew a raspberry and rolled her eyes. “Not you, Daddy. Theo. I used to be Daisy, but then I died. There was a lot of blood. When I woke up again, I was Flora, but inside I’m still Daisy, too.”

  Husband and wife exchanged a nervous look and put on their daughter’s favorite TV show to distract everyone from the frightening things she was saying.

  At night, after tucking all their children into bed, they spoke again.

  “It’s getting worse by the day. What should we do?”

  “I think we have to find this Theo person for the answer. It seems the only way.”

  Floramaria’s mother crossed herself and muttered a prayer. “I’m scared for her. I’m scared for us. Do you think it’s a curse from a demon?”

  He took her in his arms. “No, baby, no. She’s just a little girl.”

  “That’s what scares me so much.”

  They held each other for a long time but said no more.

  * * *

  In the morning, they dropped their sons off at Tio’s and strapped Floramaria firmly into her booster seat.

  “Are we going to find my first daddy?” the girl asked, a huge grin on her face.

  The palpable tension that filled the car told Elizabeth the answer long before either parent said a word.

  Her mother spoke first. “If we go and see Theo, will you drop all this nonsense?”

  “It’s not nonsense. It’s just what… what I remember.”

  “Answer your mother’s question, Mija.”

  Flora nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, I promise.”

  They pulled away from the curb. “Do you know how to find him?”

  Daisy nodded again. “His name is Theo Smith, and he lives at 2080 Mulberry Lane.”

  “In Texas?” Her mother asked, finally joining in the conversation. Elizabeth noticed how she twisted and wrung an embroidered hanky in her hands while she stared blankly ahead.

  Flora shook her head as she positioned her favorite blonde-haired dolly onto the seat beside her. “Michigan.”

  “But, Mija, that is so far! Maybe we can call him instead.”

  “No!” Floramaria looked up from beneath a furled brow. “I need to see him to make sure he understands.”

  “Understands what, Flora?”

  She shook her head from side to side. “I need to tell him. Sorry, Mama. Sorry, Papa.” She jutted out her lower lip, then whispered, “You still love me right?”

  “Of course, we love you, Mija. And, of course, we will go to see this Theo if that’s what you think you need to do.” The corners of his eyes crinkled in a smile as his vision shifted to his daughter in the rearview mirror.

  His wife did not smile. Quite the opposite. “But we can’t just—”

  “Hush, it is decided. We’ll take a long weekend. It will be nice to have a little road trip, just the three of us.”

  Floramaria and her father carried on a string of broken conversation as they drove, while the mother remained quiet, seething with anger, fear, or perhaps both.

  Elizabeth watched and waited. She tried to think of what the reunion would be like, but she really had no idea what to expect. Would Theo believe the little girl’s claims to be the daughter he’d lost? Would Flora repeat what Elizabeth had whispered into her conscience and deliver her own messages to Theo? It was impossible to say.

  As the terrain changed from desert sands to winter snow, Floramaria began to bounce in her seat. Her broad smile clearly unnerved her parents, but she was too excited—and far too innocent—to notice. She was coming home, Elizabeth realized. For she too felt more and more at ease as the journey continued. No matter what the other angels said, this was right—it had to be.

  Flora would just tell her that they were both okay, then he could move on, they could move on. Everyone would be so much happier.

  To Elizabeth, it seemed no time at all before they arrived. Funny how being an angel removed all sense of time. Whether she’d died a moment ago or a thousand years back, the only point of reference Elizabeth maintained was the young soul who now went by Floramaria but who’d once been her daughter, Daisy.

  They arrived in front the house Elizabeth knew so well. The white shutters had since been painted over with a handsome forest green but little else had changed.

  “What will we say to these people?” the mother asked with her hand frozen over her seatbelt buckle.

  “Don’t worry, Mama. I know just what to say.” Floramaria skipped from the vehicle before either of her parents had exited and let herself right into the home that had once been hers.

  Elizabeth attempted to use her dodge to stop Flora, but the little girl moved too quickly even for her extracorporeal form.

  “Ease into it,” she whispered into her charge’s heart. “Don’t scare them.”

  “I won’t,” the girl answered back, shocking Elizabeth and drawing slack-jawed stares from her parents who stood in the open doorway.

  Elizabeth was startled by the girl’s words. It was almost as if, she… Impossible. She didn’t have time to analyze what had happened, not when the big moment she had waited for so patiently was now unfolding before her.

  “Anton…” Tina’s familiar voice rang out from the living room. “Close the door. You’ll let the flies in!”

  “But, Mama, I’m right here,” a little boy, who appeared to be roughly seven years of age, called from the floor. He kept his head down as he pushed racecars along a track.

  “Then who…?” Tina dropped her eReader to her lap and craned her neck toward the open door.

  “It’s me, Daisy. I came home,” the little girl said, stepping forward.

  Tina’s dark skin lost some of its luster as she moved to stand in fr
ont of the boy. “Daisy’s d-dead.”

  Flora giggled. “No, I’m not. I’m right here.”

  “Mama?” the boy tugged on the hem of Tina’s dress. “Who’s Daisy? Have I met her before?”

  Tina opened her mouth to answer, but the words seemed stuck.

  “Flora, get back here.” Her mother spoke firmly.

  The father took a step forward. “Mrs. Smith? Pardon us. This is our daughter Floramaria. She believes she knows you. It’s all very strange, but we mean no harm. May we come in?”

  “How do you know my name? How do you know Daisy?”

  “It’s a long story, and we’re not even sure we understand it all ourselves. Please can we come in? We’ve driven very far to meet with you.”

  “Theo?” Tina called. Her voice wavered, but her body stood stock straight. “Could you please come down here? We have company.”

  Nobody spoke until Theo emerged from his office and descended the stairs, a huge, welcoming smile on his face. “Hello, I’m Theo. How can I help you?”

  Floramaria ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his legs in a huge hug. “Daddy, don’t you recognize me?” Tears formed at the corner of her nut-brown eyes.

  “Recognize you? I’m sorry, but we haven’t met before.”

  Flora sniffed. “Yes, we have. It’s been a while since everything happened with Victor and the baby, but it’s still me. You haven’t forgotten me, have you?”

  Theo stiffened and moved himself away from the child. “What kind of sick joke is this?”

  “It’s not a joke, sir. She’s been speaking of you for years, says you were her daddy before.”

  “My daughter is dead.”

  “No, Daddy, I didn’t die, and neither did Mom. She is right here with me. She’s an angel now.”

  Theo’s face grew red. “First you demean the memory of my daughter, and then my wife? Who are you, and why are you doing this?” His voice shook.

  “We’re very sorry, sir. We didn’t mean to cause you any pain. Your family is all she can talk about. We thought maybe it was God’s will we should meet, but we can see now it was wrong. Again we are so very sorry. Flora, come. Let’s go home.” Her father motioned for her to exit through the still-open door, but the girl dug her feet into the carpet and crossed her arms over her chest.