Page 57 of Séance

Vision!

That meant he wasn’t dead yet.

I’d never had the opportunity to change the horrible futures I see. I thought it was impossible. After witnessing Gunner’s death, I refused to accept that.

By using half truths, I managed to convince Hicks to help me.

And it worked.

I stare unblinkingly at Gunner in the front seat of the car, barely resisting the urge to touch him and confirm he’s still alive.

Then my mind jumps to the people who were hurting him.

“Did I kill those men when I ran them over?” I’m not sure how I feel about that. I know Ishouldfeel bad, but I only feel justified.

Okay, and maybe a little bit vindictive.

“Nah, injured maybe, slightly maimed, but you didn’t kill anyone,” Hicks replies, surveying me in the rearview mirror with measured green eyes that miss nothing. “If it weren’t for you, they wouldn’t have stopped until he was dead.”

“I know,” I answer distractedly, wilting back against the seat. But instead of being relieved that I’m not a murderer, I’m disappointed.

The fuckers deserved to die.

A tiny smile curls his lips, as if he could read my bloodthirsty thoughts and approves. I purse my lips, looking away from his penetrating gaze, not sure of what type of person I’m becoming. Thanks to my parents, I’m pretty ambivalent to violence.

My eyes are drawn to Gunner, but the man hasn’t moved since entering the vehicle, and I’m not sure if he’s conserving his energy or unconscious.

Tears burn the backs of my eyes. We made it in time. We were able to change the future.

A ghostly image takes shape in the car next to me, and I do my best not to lurch away in panic. I relax slightly when I recognize the young girl from my bedroom. She’s dimmer than before, like her interaction with me exhausted her.

Tears shimmer in her eyes as she studies her brother, then she looks at me and mouths,Thank you.

I can almost hear her in my head, like a faint echo. I give her a hesitant nod, and she vanishes from the car. I reach out, my hand passing through the spot where she was sitting, but I don’t feel any residual energy.

She’s really gone this time.

I’m a little disturbed that she was able to contact me so readily.

When my eyes land on Gunner, I swallow hard.

It’s not me.

It’s the guys.

My connection to them is like an open window. All the spirits have to do is find the guys, and they can find me.

Not good.

I can at least defend myself. The guys don’t have anything to protect them. I fiddle with my rings, then I stop and realize that I have two choices—leave and never see them again, or find a way to protect them from the danger.

While I would love nothing more than to bury my head in the sand and pretend nothing is wrong, my life doesn’t work like that. Spirits, especially vengeful spirits, can be deadly. If the guys plan to stick around, I either need to tell them the truth and risk losing them, or find a way to ward them without their knowledge. The safer bet would be to just leave. Unfortunately, I very much fear it might already be too late. If spirits are already aware of them, leaving would only make them vulnerable.

I mentally curse the fact that I ever thought I could be normal, even for a second, and I struggle to come up with a temporary solution that will keep them safe if anything were ever to happen to me. I swirl the ring on my finger slowly, then look down at my hands.

The rings.

Since I was already picking up something for Jaceson, it would be easy enough to grab something for the others. The solution is temporary at best, but it’s all I have until I learn more about my heritage.

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