Page 87 of Gifted

“All I did was sit with you until you woke.”

“I woke because of you. I knew what I was doing. I should be dead.”

“You’ve tried and failed before.”

“Exactly. It wasn’t going to happen again. Not with so much at stake this time. But you couldn’t let go, and now you’ve put a huge target on your back.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Think! I’m not going to be able to help you much longer, so you have to start playing for yourself. This is a chess match. We don’t have much left except a pawn and a knight.” His words sound condescending at first, but there’s fear behind the dire analogy.

“They think I saved your life with my vision of the future.”

He nods, his expression changing. “Yes. Keep going.”

My heart beats faster. “Which means they think I can affect the future.” Our eyes meet, and I can’t breathe. “They’re going to use me like they’ve used you all these years. I’ve become your replacement.”

He nods as I try to calm myself enough to take a full breath. But my hands are going numb, legs shaking.

“Hey! Listen to me.” He forces me to look at him. “We’re not there yet, okay? I’ve been doing everything I can to keep them away from you. It’s not over yet.”

I shake my head and lose control of the tears. “But you were going to leave me with them! Alone and weak! I can’t fight them without you!”

He sets his jaw. “No, I was removing myself before they could learn the truth about you. If I was gone, you would have left this place and they never would’ve known for sure.”

“But you’re here.”

He leans against the wall again. “Because of you.” He rests his chin on his arms and stares at the door. “I didn’t know if it was true either. I was hoping it wasn’t.”

“I still don’t think I can accept it.”

He looks at me again, and I suck in a breath. “How can anyone know what’s possible and what’s not? All I can say for sure is that I wouldn’t be here if not for you. What was the vision, anyway?”

“You can’t see it in my head?” I ask in surprise.

“No, I can’t see your visions. I’ve never been able to.”

Interesting. “Then I think it’s my turn to keep a secret.”

“Come on. We can’t afford to play games with each other.”

“I’m not playing. You said it yourself. This is chess. I’m the pawn, you’re the knight, and we have to fight the entire army of our enemy. I need you as strong as possible. Knowing the future makes people weak in the present.”

His silence is telling, and I’m surprised by the change that comes over him. “Fair enough. But you’re wrong about something. You’re not the pawn, I am. You’re the knight.”

Shocked, I stare at him, recasting our entire situation in a new light.

“We should discuss the reason you’re here,” he continues finally. “If you don’t go back to them with information, they’ll never let you see me again.”

I take his arm and lean against him. “You probably read my mind so you know what they want from our meeting.”

“Details on how I did it.”

I close my eyes. I’ll never be okay with this topic. “Can’t they just test you to find out?”

“They did. What they don’t know is how I got it, and that’s our next move.” He has my attention. “Tell them exactly what I say. Nothing more, nothing less. If they question you, just claim that’s all you saw.” He searches my eyes to make sure I understand. “Tell them you saw me take a handful of green pills.”

“Green pills?”

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