Page 161 of The Moon Sister
‘Yes, those things definitely played a part.’
‘I hear you spoke to Maia,’ said Ally.
‘Yup. She confirmed everything I was feeling. I said no to the job, of course.’
‘Theo says he’s an absolute prick,’ she said with a sad smile.
The way Ally talked about the father of her child in the present tense brought a lump to my throat. I gazed at her, feeling the same admiration for my big sister as I had when I was a child. As I had so often been confined on the attic floor due to my regular bouts of illness, I’d spent many hours on the window seat watching Ally speed across Lake Geneva on her Laser. I’d seen her capsize, then haul herself up and out of the water, only to start all over again. I, more than anyone, knew the courage and sheer determination Ally had shown to get where she’d wanted to be. Without a doubt, my strong, capable sister was who I’d aspired to be when I was younger. And her presence here tonight – especially given the fact she shouldn’t be here at all with so little time to go until her baby made an appearance – touched me enormously.
‘Zed was so weirdly mesmerising, Ally. It’s like . . .’I searched for the right words. ‘Well, you’re the only person in the room. He focuses all his attention on you and it’s the same feeling as being a rabbit caught in the headlights. He . . . hypnotises you and won’t take no for an answer.’
‘I think what you’re trying to say is that if he wants something, he’s unstoppable in his pursuit of it. And for some reason none of us can understand, he seems to want the D’Aplièse sisters. Maybe it’s coincidence, but it’s pretty strange that I should see Kreeg Eszu’s boat next to Pa’s during his private funeral. You’re the one with the instincts, Tiggy. What do you think?’
‘I don’t know, Ally, really.’
‘I know that in the past I’ve teased you about your weird beliefs, but . . .’ Ally bit her lip. ‘Sometimes I swear I can hear Theo talking to me. Telling me off about something or other, or saying something funny to make me giggle when I’m missing him.’
I watched as my sister’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
‘I’m sure heishere, Ally,’ I said as a sudden tingle ran up my spine, and I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end. I’d always wondered what it meant, and Angelina had explained it was because a spirit was present. So I smiled as I heard Theo ask me a question for Ally.
‘He says he wants to know why you’re not wearing the eye,’ I said.
Ally’s face drained of colour as her hand went automatically to her neck.
‘I . . . Tiggy, how can you know about that? It was a necklace he bought me just after he proposed. It was only cheap and a few weeks ago, the chain broke and I still haven’t got round to getting it fixed . . . oh my God, Tiggy, oh my God.’
Ally looked so terrified that I immediately felt guilty, but I was sitting in the sacred caves of Sacromonte with all the power that they held from centuries of my ancestors, and I couldn’t stop what I was hearing.
‘He also says he likes the name “Bear”.’
‘We were once talking about what we’d call our kids, and I said I liked Teddy, and he said . . . he said’ – Ally gulped – ‘that he preferred “Bear”.’
‘He loves you, Ally, and he also says . . .’ I listened hard as I could feel the energy weakening, ‘to be prepared.’
She looked at me in confusion. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Honestly, Ally, I have no idea, I’m sorry.’
‘I . . .’ Ally wiped her eyes roughly with the backs of her hands, ‘I’m so . . . gobsmacked by what you’ve just said. My God, Tiggy, what a gift you have. I mean, really, there’s no way you could have known those things. Just no way.’
‘Something’s happened to me here,’ I said quietly. ‘It’s difficult to explain, but apparently I come from a long line of gypsy psychics. I’ve always felt things, but since I met Angelina, and after what she’s taught me, everything has started to make sense.’
‘So you have found a relative?’ Ally said as she visibly composed herself.
‘Oh yes. As Charlie saw earlier, I’ve actually got scores of them. They were all at the fiesta tonight, but I’ve been spending the most time with Angelina and her Uncle Pepe – my great-uncle.’
‘So . . . this is starting to make sense to me too. You’re descended from a line of gypsies, and we all know about their fortune-telling talents.’ Ally smiled at me.
‘Well, I haven’t seen a single crystal ball or a piece of heather so far,’ I said, suddenly feeling prickly and defensive. ‘Angelina is what they call abruja, in other words, a medicine woman, who knows more about herbs and plants and their healing properties than anyone I’ve ever met. She’s spent her life caring for not only the gypsies but thepayos– the non-gypsies. She’s a force for good, and what she does is real, Ally, I promise you.’
‘After what you just said to me about Theo, I’m ready to believe anything,’ Ally said with a shudder. ‘Anyway, before you freak me out any more, it’s time we both went to bed. Help me up, will you?’
Ally reached out a hand and I pulled her upright.
She winced slightly and clasped her belly, then looked up at me. ‘Want to feel your niece or nephew kick?’
‘I’d love to,’ I said as Ally guided my hand just to the left of her belly button. After a few seconds, I felt a sharp thrust into my curved palm. It was the first time I’d ever felt a baby kick and it brought tears to my eyes.
