Transcendence (7 page)

“Oh?” Keelie raised an eyebrow.

“This is going to sound strange,” I warned
her. “But do you believe in reincarnation?”

“That’s random,” she said. I had a feeling
she was stalling because the question was so unexpected that she
had no idea how to reply. “It’s one of those things that would be
cool if it were real, but I never thought of it as an actual
possibility.”

“So you don’t believe in it?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “Why? Do you?”

“Well, I didn’t believe in it … until I met
Drew.”

She looked at me in disbelief. “And since
you met Drew, you believe in reincarnation?”

I nodded, my cheeks turning red. This was
more humiliating than I had anticipated.

She leaned forward, and I hoped she was at
least intrigued. “Do you think you and Drew … knew each other in a
past life?”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “I know so.”

And the story spilled from there.

* * *

“You believe me?” I asked after I finished
telling the story. The only part I kept to myself was how Genevieve
was Shannon’s aunt. Chelsea had promised Shannon no one would find
out, and I didn’t want to break that confidence.

“I think so,” she said. “There’s no reason
for you to make this up, and I don’t think you would have told me
if you didn’t believe it. Also, it would have been too coincidental
for you, Drew, and Chelsea to remember the same things without
talking with each other about it first. So it’s the only
explanation that makes sense. It’s a lot to take in, though.”

“It was like that for me at first, too,” I
said. “Sometimes there are still days when I wake up and wonder if
this has actually happened, or if it’s been one long dream.”

“I suppose I can believe the past life
stuff,” she said. “That you and Drew are soul mates and were
reincarnated to be together. It’s romantic. But the rest of it,
with the spells and the time travel—that’s where it gets hard for
me to believe.”

“Understandable,” I said. It seemed like she
thought I was loony for believing that time travel might be
possible, but she was being nice in not making me feel bad about
it. “I look at it like this. If it’s possible, then I’ll go to
England, visit a time that I never thought I could, and make it so
Chelsea’s spell has no effect on this life. If the spell didn’t do
anything and we can’t go back in time, then at least I’ll have gone
to England with Drew, and have had an incredible Christmas.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about it when
you get back,” Keelie said.

“I will,” I promised.

Hopefully when I returned, I would have only
good things to share.

I wrote every character biography that
appears in this guide before I drafted
Remembrance
, to give myself a basic idea of the
history and personality of the characters. These character
biographies were starting points, since the characters evolved as I
wrote.

Full Name:
Elizabeth Claire
Davenport

Nickname:
Lizzie, Liz

Birthday:
May 16, 1994

Place of Birth:
Pembrooke, NH

Residence:
Pembrooke, NH

Occupation:
Student

Family:
Emily Davenport (mother) --
psychiatrist. George Davenport (father) - divorced since she was in
preschool. He cheated on her mother after she was born, not wanting
to have to deal with the difficulty of a new baby. They divorced
when Lizzie was 4, and he moved to Pennsylvania to work as a money
manager at a large firm. He married a woman at the firm, and Lizzie
stays with him over the summer, although they don't talk much
during the year.

Loves:
Drawing. Reading. Piano. Drew.
Swings. European History.

Hates:
Watching sports. When people
think she's stupid in French class. Rap music. Being dragged
places. Being told what to do. People who are over-bubbly
(fake).

Fears:
Jeremy not returning to the way
he was before he became obnoxious. Heights. Car accidents. Always
being thought of as Jeremy's girlfriends and people not liking her
for her.

Education:
Junior in high school.

Views on Love/Death:
Has always
believed in soul mates, and has always known deep down that Jeremy
wasn't hers. Believes people are reincarnated after they die.

Favorite Place in the World:
The lake
with Drew. The swing set at school.

Least Favorite Place in the World:
LA.
She went there once with her family and hated it. People were too
obsessed with themselves.

Hobbies:
Drawing. Piano. She used to
ice skate until 9th grade when she hurt her ankle and was told to
stop skating intensely or risk permanent injury.

Reputation:
Sort of quiet. Being
Jeremy's girlfriend. (She doesn't like that one).

General Viewpoints of Importance:
Doing well in school. Learning through reading and learning about
herself through drawing.

What makes the character tick:
People
judging her without reason.

What makes the character likable:
Cares about not hurting people's feelings. Is nice, but for the
most part doesn't let people walk over her.

What makes the character detestable:
The way in which she goes about getting together with Drew. Hurting
Chelsea and Jeremy (even though she didn't do it in a mean
way).

Favorite ice cream flavor:
Vanilla—“There is nothing plain about you. You are a colorful risk
taker who relies more on intuition than logic. Emotionally
expressive and idealistic, you tend to set high goals and push
yourself to meet and exceed them. You are most romantically
compatible with those who prefer rocky road.”

Eye Color:
Blue

Hair Color:
Blonde, curly.

Body Type:
Skinny.

Age:
16

Apparent Age:
16

Skin Tone:
Pale to slightly
tanned.

Physical activities:
(sports, etc.):
Not a big fan.

Here is a collection of “This or That”
questions I’ve answered from Lizzie’s point of view for
interviews.

Winter or Summer?

Summer. I don’t like the cold weather in the
winter.

In or Out?

I’m guessing this means inside or outside?
I’m definitely an indoors girl.

Dresses or Pants?

I usually wear jeans, but I like wearing a
dress when I’m going somewhere nice, as long as it’s not too cold
outside.

Brother or Sister?

I’m an only child, but I’ve always wanted a
younger sister. It would be nice to have someone to teach how to
draw and recommend my favorite books to.

Black or White?

White. It’s also one of my favorite colors to
wear.

Red or Blue?

Blue, because it matches my eyes.

Facebook or Google +?

I have Facebook, but I don’t check it
obsessively (like some people I know do.) I don’t even have Google
+!

Macaroni and Cheese or Peanut Butter-Jelly
sandwich?

Mac and Cheese. I used to eat it all the time
when I was younger.

Past or Present?

The past—I love learning about the different
ways people lived in other times.

Work or Play?

If reading for fun counts as play, then
definitely play. I always get my work done first though.

Boyfriend time or time with girlfriends?

Boyfriend time. Balancing my boyfriend time
with time with my girlfriends is something I need to work on. I
think my friends get frustrated with me sometimes.

TV or movies?

TV, because I feel like you can get to know
the characters better when watching them every week on a television
show.

Apricots or Peaches?

Peaches, because they’re sweeter.

White horse or mustang convertible?

A white horse sounds romantic.

Hot or Cold?

Hot! I really don’t like cold weather. (Which
makes living in New Hampshire in the winter pretty rough.)

Morning or Night?

I’m a morning person. I have no problem
getting out of bed when my alarm goes off (sometimes I even wake up
five minutes before the alarm goes off.) I have trouble staying up
late—I get so sleepy!

Jacob or Edward?

Edward. Jacob is a little too reckless for my
taste, with all the motorcycling and cliff jumping.

Poptarts or Cereal?

Cereal, specifically Cheerios.

Hot Chocolate or Coffee?

Neither—my hot drink of choice is tea. I
suppose if I had to choose it would be hot chocolate (if the
chocolate wasn’t too strong), because the taste of coffee grosses
me out.

Mountains or Beach?

Beach! I love quality beach time with my
Kindle.

Dark Hair or Light Hair?

I’m partial to dark hair on guys.

Fall or Spring?

Spring, because it means summer is
approaching.

Christmas or Halloween?

Christmas—I absolutely love Christmastime!
The evergreen trees, twinkling lights, and fun decorations make
winter more enjoyable.

This character interview was held by Molli
from Once Upon a Prologue. Lizzie’s answers are by Michelle
Madow.

http://www.onceuponaprologue.blogspot.com

Molli: What is the one thing that has
surprised you the most about Drew?

Lizzie: How he can be on the same wave-length
as me, without me having to say anything. When I was dating Jeremy,
it was sometimes a chore to explain my point of view and get him to
understand it. He tried, but we viewed situations differently, so
it could be difficult to be on the same page as him. With Drew,
sometimes it’s like his thoughts are an extension on mine—he takes
in situations the same way, and naturally understands how I feel
about things.

Molli: If you could spend one day doing
exactly what you wanted, what would it be, and why?

Lizzie: First of all, my perfect day would
consist of not having to worry about anything—whether that is
homework, or trying to stop my death in the past from happening
again in the present. I would want to spend that day with Drew, in
England, doing as many tourist activities as possible!

Molli: Who is your hero and why?

Lizzie: Jane Austen, for writing such
incredible and inspiring novels.

Molli: Where do you see yourself in 5
years?

Lizzie: In college, majoring in English and
minoring in Art.

Molli: What one song would you say describes
you and Drew?

Lizzie: The first song that comes to mind
when I think of Drew is “Minuet,” because the songs means so much
to both of us. The lyrics to “Love Story” by Taylor Swift remind me
a lot of our relationship, too ;)

Molli: How have your impressions of Drew
changed from when you first met?

Lizzie: My impression of Drew has changed
greatly from the first time we met. At first, I felt connected to
him, but wasn’t sure why. Then he treated me coldly, and I honestly
thought he was a jerk. (Although I still couldn’t get rid of that
connection I felt to him, which was quite irritating!) Now that I
know him and understand why he acted the way he did, I learn more
every day how sweet and loving he is.

Molli: How does it make you feel, knowing
you lived a life before this one?

Lizzie: There are so many days when I wake up
and am amazed that I lived a previous life. It’s incredible to
think about, and it’s also assuring to have concrete proof that
life doesn’t end at death.

Molli: What three things are most important
to you?

Lizzie: My family, Drew, and my friends.
People are more important than anything else, because they are
irreplaceable.

Molli: What is your favorite memory of
Drew?

Lizzie:

Past life—When he proposed to me in the field
outside my house.

Present life—When he showed me the music box
after the first time we went out on the lake.

Molli: What is the best advice you were ever
given?

Lizzie: My mom always tells me not to react
to situations immediately, and to give myself time to “mull things
over” before coming to a conclusion. I try to do that as often as I
can, although sometimes it can be difficult!

1)
Pride and
Prejudice
by Jane Austen – Lizzie and Mr. Darcy (Book, the
BBC miniseries, and the 2005 movie)

This is Lizzie’s favorite love story of all
time, because it’s the one she relates to the most. She saw the
movie in middle school and fell in love with it, but didn’t read
the book until it was assigned for her AP English class at the
start of her junior year. She fell in love with the book. Realizing
that a lot from the book was left out of the movie, she watched the
BBC miniseries, since it is much more detailed. She loved that,
too!