Page 141 of Javier

“Our dear Nix.” Thena’s gaze turned liquid. “His spirit is still with us.”

“I feel like he’s present, watching over us.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me at all.” Thena blinked tears off her eyes and, for a moment, we sat in companionable silence, remembering the brother we’d lost.

“You realize this is fascinating,” Thena said after she’d composed herself.

“Fascinating?” I squeaked. “This is freaking insane. Wait.” I eyed my sister closely. “You’re not surprised or shocked by something that’s been really freaking me out.”

“That’s because I’m not.” She lifted the pot. “More tea?”

“Thena?” My sister was holding something back. “Tell me why you’re not surprised.”

“Okay.” She blew out a breath and set the pot down. “Mom was a storyteller. Her stories were about odd and interesting characters. She once told me about the ‘dreamers’ in her family. She said her great-grandmother was a dreamer. Or did she call her a ‘dream walker?’ I can’t remember—”

I stared at my sister in disbelief. “You never told me about this.”

“To be honest, I remembered that story just now. Mom laughed about it, made it sound more like family lore, but maybe there’s more than a story. Something is going on with us.”

“Withus?” I frowned at my sister.

She straightened on her seat. “Do you remember when I said that Mom used to read the stars before making big decisions?”

“I do,” I said. “Everyone at the ranch knew she was a little eccentric.”

“Well, guess what?”

“Thena!” I threw my hands in the air. “The suspense is killing me!”

“I recently had an experience reading the stars myself.”

I made a great effort to close my mouth.“You?”

“Me.”

“This is getting even crazier.” I jumped up from the couch and paced to the window and back. “Are you saying that you, and maybe me—we—have somehow inherited these abilities?”

She lifted her shoulders and let them fall. “Can you think of a different explanation?”

“You mean other than hereditary madness?” I shot back with a straight face.

Thena broke out into laughter, a warm cascade of ringing bells that delighted my ears and made me feel almost manic with happiness, knowing that, even though weird stuff was happening to both of us, we could tackle it together.

“Oh, Missy, you always had a knack for making me laugh so hard.” She giggled a little more, her gray eyes shimmering. “I’m so glad you’re back.” She sobered up and sat forward on the couch. “Here’s what I think. Sure, Mom was a little unconventional. She said she came from a long life of gifted women, but I swear, she wasn’t crazy. She was the wisest person I knew. So, I think we can eliminate madness.”

“Are you telling me you’re gifted, whatever the heck that means?”

“Maybe, and perhaps you are, too, if your dreams come true or provide insights.”

“Holy Mother.” I stopped pacing and steadied myself by leaning against the window. “Maybe we should both get brain scans.”

“Here’s something else I find curious.” Thena paused but only for a few seconds. “You said your dreams started two or three weeks before Javier showed up. Am I right?”

“You are.”

Thena mulled on that. “I first read the stars more or lessin the same time frame.”

“What did you read in the stars?”

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