Page 66 of Visions & Shadows

I remember the agonizing burning, and wrapping my arms around my middle, my teeth worry my bottom lip.

When Fleur returns with two plates of meat, veggies, and mashed potatoes, my appetite is long gone.

I take a seat and give her a smile as she hands one of the plates to me.

Not wanting to talk about Adeth, I steer the conversation in a different direction by asking, “Is there something going on between you and River?”

Fleur almost chokes on the bite she just took and clears her throat before asking, “What makes you think that?”

“You almost choking, for one.” I force a grin to my face. “You really like him a lot, don’t you?”

Worry flashes over her pretty face. “By Awo, is it that obvious?”

Not wanting her to panic, I shake my head. “I just picked up on the way you look at each other.” I scoop a bit of the mashed potatoes onto the fork, then add, “I think you’ll make a cute couple.”

“The way we look at each other?” she asks, her cheeks turning pink. “River doesn’t even know I exist.”

I lock eyes with her. “Trust me, girl. He knows. You’re the nicest person I’ve met on Vaalbara, and I’m sure he sees it too.”

A wide smile spreads over her face. “Do you really think so?”

“Of course. You’re beautiful, and he’d be blind not to see you.”

A dreamy expression fills her eyes, then she leans forward and whispers, “I’ve had a crush on him for years. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

We chat about random things while we enjoy our food, and when Fleur collects our empty plates, she says, “Don’t run off without me tomorrow.”

“Do you mind getting up early?” I ask.

“Why?”

“I’d like to watch the sunrise.”

She nods, then says, “See you at the crack of dawn.”

“Bring coffee,” I add before she can disappear out the door.

“Will do,” she chuckles.

I get up from the chair and head to the bedroom. While I go through my nightly routine, my thoughts alternate between Raighne’s behavior today and the visions.

Once I’m dressed in a white nightgown, I walk to the living room and stand in the open doorway. My eyes drift over the other tents and a bonfire where a group of people are sitting on logs.

When I see Fleur sitting beside River, the corner of my mouth lifts.

I recognize Storm, then my eyes land on Raighne. He’s smiling at something a woman says, and there’s an unexpected burst of jealousy in my chest.

Not wanting to see anymore, I turn around and walk to one of the chairs. Taking a seat, I pull my legs up and rest my chin on my knees.

Thinking back to when Raighne pretended to be my friend and how happy I was, the crack in my heart runs deeper.

I looked forward to finding his truck parked in front of my house and our short drives to school. I miss all the times we sat by the waterfall talking about our lives.

Come to think of it, I did most of the talking.

I let out a sigh, and intense loneliness digs its claws into my heart.

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