Grandma Kennard was looking directly at Bette with a clear gaze and continued talking, “The paintings were in the family chest in the attic, right underneath Elizabeth’s miniature. I remember when my mother showed me that beautiful miniature…I just turned 17. Elizabeth is gorgeous, honey…I’m glad you and she were able to meet. Tina, dear…love her, cherish her, protect her…she is your destiny…look for the diary…such soft leather…red…beautiful handwriting…beautiful and confused mind…find the diary, Tina,” her voice was getting softer until it was barely coherent.

Tina gasped in excitement, “Grandma, you remembered…can you tell me more please…where are the paintings now?” She looked at Bette who was sitting silently, unable to utter one word or to produce one intelligent thought.

The blank, vacant stare returned to the old woman’s weary eyes and she transformed back into a mere ghost of herself. The nurse came into the room and began preparing grandma for her shots and dinner. Tina realized that they stayed in there for a couple of hours and thought that it was time to get back to Julie’s house.

“That was weird,” Tina uttered slowly, still under the spell of grandma’s words while they were waiting outside for the taxi.

“It was weird,” Bette echoed, “It seemed like God or a fate keeps giving us those little clues about me, my past…about us.”

“Us? How so?” Tina asked, wrapping her arm around Bette’s waist and leaning on her shoulder when they got into the back seat of the taxi.

“She was speaking as if she knew that I was Elizabeth,” Bette said slowly.

“Of course she knew, I told her your name…”

“No, Tee…not Bette or just Elizabeth…she somehow knew that I was the Elizabeth Porter from the miniature. And the diary…she described my diary that I got for Christmas when I was 10 years old. I always wondered what had happened to it…if we can find the paintings I can finally finish them,” Bette replied pensively.

“Bette…this is so spooky. How could grandma know?”

“Maybe she has a gift…like a seer or an oracle. We had a lady like that in my home town. Everybody thought she was crazy but secretly went to her to know about their future. I went once…accidentally,” Bette laughed at the memory. “I was almost 16, I think. Katie and I went for a walk in the forest where that crazy lady lived, in a small hut. We began playing hide-and-seek and I got lost. I became really frightened when I couldn’t find my big sister and suddenly I saw this old lady, gathering leaves and plants. I froze because I was so afraid she was a witch and she would curse me or something. She came up to me, took my hand and said in a very soft and gentle voice, ‘Your destiny has just found you…now it’s your turn.’ She turned me around and pointed the direction. I was so dumbfounded to even think or comprehend anything, so I just ran along the path she showed me and soon I heard Katie calling my name. It was such a scary experience that I forced it out of my mind. I don’t know what made me think of it now. I guess your grandmother reminded me of that lady.”