Tonight, Trix would be leaving their reality, going to live permanently in the Collided Cities, and they would need to make an excuse to tell Jonathan. The wider worlds of the Collided Cities were still coming to terms with what had happened and the staggering implications, but this world-the place Jim was thinking of as the first Boston-was protected from that. After all they had been through, he was glad.
Through McGee’s room upstairs, Trix might visit them from time to time. But she had promised Anne she would return, and wanted very much to find out if fate had allowed her to have her heart’s desire. She’d already returned briefly, and told Anne that she had things to finish here before moving over for good. Today’s date had almost taken on the importance of a wedding.
It was strange for Jim and Jenny to know that Trix would give up her whole world-her friends and family in this world-for a chance at happiness with Anne, the Jenny of another world. They didn’t talk about it much, but Jim could see that Jenny looked at Trix differently, because the two of them loved each other even more deeply now that the depth of Trix’s feelings for her had become known.
Anne wasn’t the only reason for Trix’s decision. The Collided Cities were full of people who needed help, not just to recover from the earthquake but to come to terms with the merging of two realities and what that meant for them-meeting their twins from an alternate Boston, or discovering that in that other world they had led very different lives.
Jonathan smiled at Jenny and Trix. “Next time you have a girls’ night, include me, will you? It’s not like I have anything else to do.”
Jenny touched his arm. “You’ll find someone else. Someone who loves you in spite of yourself.”
“Gee, thanks,” Jonathan said, with a laugh that did not reach his eyes.
“Don’t be sad, Uncle Jonathan,” Holly said, coming back from the window with the prism clutched in her hand. “You don’t need to find someone else. Philip still loves you. He misses you every day, and thinks what you do-that you’re both too stubborn to say it.”
They all stared at Holly. She had been easing into her role as the Oracle, only helping people who went through the usual ritual to contact Veronica. They were surprised to find a little girl in her place but happily accepted Holly’s help. They wanted the Oracle, and Jim supposed it didn’t matter to them who the Oracle was. But this was different. Jonathan didn’t know anything about the Oracle of Boston.
Jonathan looked at Holly, a range of emotions playing across his face. Finally, he forced a smile.
“That’s sweet, Holly darling, but Philip has moved on with his life. It’s all right. I’ll try not to be sad, okay?”
Holly shook her head, looking almost petulant. “You don’t have to pretend you’re all right just because I’m a kid, Uncle Jonathan. But I’m trying to tell you… you don’t need to be sad. If you love Philip, go and see him. He’s been sad, too. He doesn’t think you’d ever take him back after the things he said, but I know you would.”
Jim and Jenny and Trix all shared a look, and Jonathan caught it. He glanced at them in confusion.
“What are you guys not telling me?” he asked. “Did you hear from Philip? Has Holly been talking to him?”
“Jonathan,” Jenny began, but Holly interrupted.
“Listen to me, Jonathan,” she said-no more “Uncle,” and her voice had suddenly become startlingly mature. “Philip is sitting in the cafe in the big bookstore at Downtown Crossing. He’s alone. He’s reading and drinking-what is that?-chai tea. The sadness in him is so strong that even the people sitting around him can feel it.”
Jonathan stared at her, then looked up-not at Jim, but at Jenny.
Jenny took his hand. “We have a lot of things to talk about,” she said. “A lot to tell you. But before we do, maybe you should take a quick drive over to Downtown Crossing. It’s so close.”
Confused, Jonathan looked at Holly’s wise expression and laughed uncertainly, then turned to Jim. He tried to speak but could not. Jim realized that Jenny meant to tell Jonathan everything, despite what they’d agreed, and though he was worried he also felt relieved.
“Go, Jonathan,” Jim said. “You’ll be glad you did. Come back here after. Bring Philip with you. We won’t start dinner until you get back.”
“You’re serious,” Jonathan said, staring at him as if he were insane, and then looking around. “You’re all serious?”
Trix tapped his shoulder. Jonathan spun to stare at her. “Dude, seriously,” Trix said, grinning. “Go. You won’t be sorry.”
Jonathan laughed, a smile stealing over his face. Jim could see that he thought they had done something wonderful for him, that they had been in touch with Philip and somehow conspired to arrange a meeting. But that was all right. He would learn soon enough that they had not spoken to Philip at all during the breakup, and then they would have a lot of explaining to do.
“I’ll be back,” Jonathan said, pulling his keys out of his pocket as he pushed open the door. He paused and looked back at Trix. “By the way, I love the hair.”
Trix smiled and thanked him, and then Jonathan was gone.
The four of them stood in the foyer, silently acknowledging the bond that would always exist between them and the secrets that they shared. Jim reached up and touched Trix’s hair. When they had brought Jenny and Holly back to Boston and reality had adjusted to their return, Jim and Trix had both found that the changes they had undergone had been reversed. But Trix had liked her body and her look, and scant weeks after their ordeal she had dyed her hair the same bright pink. She was even thinking of piercings.
“It’s a good look,” Jim told her.
“Come on,” Jenny said, taking Trix’s hand. “If we’re going to be saying good-bye, I’m going to want wine.”
Trix allowed herself to be led toward the kitchen. “It’s not forever, you know. I’ll be back to visit.”
Jenny changed the subject, talking about the people who needed help in the Collided Cities, and she and Trix ventured off on that discussion path as they went down the hall to the kitchen.
Jim looked down to see Holly watching him. “Do you think Auntie Trix will be all right over there?” he asked his daughter. But, really, the question was for the Oracle of Boston. “Do you think she’ll be happy?”
“Silly Daddy,” Holly said, hugging him and staring up into his eyes. “I know all the secrets from the past, and I can tell you what’s going on in the city right now. But I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. Nobody does.”
That aged wisdom flickered in her eyes.
“That part,” Holly said, “is up to us.”