Part 17 (2/2)
Dana jerked her head at Laurel, and her red curls s.h.i.+mmered in the firelight. ”You told us she's a precog,” she said, directing her words at Laurel.
”She is,” Laurel said, eager in her response. ”She knows something is going to happen in Sage Springs. I told her about the Disruptive Convergence, and about-”
”You did what?” Dana snapped, her green eyes flas.h.i.+ng with anger.
”She knows something bad is going to happen in Sage Springs. She's already seen it, and she's seen the pools too. Flynn took her there.”
”Flynn? d.a.m.n him. I should have known a pretty face would get in the way of his duty.”
Okay, I'd had enough of them talking about me like I wasn't there. But I had no intention of telling them Riley had also taken me to the pools, and that we'd dumped a dead body there. ”Look, Dana, I understand your concern, but I'm no threat to you, or anyone else. I want to help. I want to understand exactly what is going on here and do something to stop it.”
She shook her head. ”I don't know if it can be stopped.”
My eyes widened. ”It has to be! If we don't, it could mean the end of every one who lives in Sage Springs. I'm not sure, but it might spread even further. Everyone is in danger here, we have to do something.”
”We can't change the pattern of the planets,” she said.
I shook my head. ”It isn't just because of the planets. Someone here, in Sage Springs, causes what's going to happen.”
She gave a cold laugh. ”How can you say that? Nothing is more powerful than the Convergence.”
”Maybe not, but someone is going to use that power, and it creates what I've seen. Please believe me.”
”Why should we?”
I tried to think of something I knew that would help her believe I was on her side.
”The carnival guys definitely have something to do with it,” I said. ”They made the accident happen on purpose so they could stay in town while the Disruptive Convergence was happening. They knew the cops would shut them down while they investigated the accident. Of course, they hadn't expected for me to see it before it happened. They'd been expecting people to be more badly hurt than they were.”
Dana's eyes narrowed again. ”How do you know this?”
I had to lie, at least a little. ”I picked it up off one of the carny guys when he pushed me to get me off the midway.”
”What were you doing at the carnival?”
I shrugged. ”Snooping around. I knew something was up with that place, I wanted to know what.”
”And what did you find out?”
”Nothing more than I've already told you.” I thought for a moment. ”But I might know someone who I can ask.” I wasn't sure how Riley would react to me asking him about this stuff. Our relations.h.i.+p was still so new, fragile, careful pieces slotted together. I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that, but if I didn't, there might not be an us' to save.
”Who?” said Dana.
”I don't want to tell you. Sorry.”
”I thought you were on our side,” said Laurel.
”I am. But the carny guys are really private. If he knows I'm trying to get information out of him, he might just shut down on me.”
Kayla gave a smirk. ”I know who she's talking about. It's that hot guy on the motorbike you've been hanging around with.”
Laurel turned to me. ”The same one working the ride that night?”
Suspicion thickened the air like syrup. ”How do we know she's not here to get information for them?” Melissa declared.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. ”Because I'm not. What possible information do you have that they would want?”
”There's a spell we can do,” Dana said. ”An honesty spell. It will show us the truth about you.”
I blanched. I didn't want them to conduct any spells to do with me. There was a good chance they would not only find out that I was half vampire-from past experience I was aware vampires and witches had a long standing hatred of each other-but also that I was responsible for the murder of Jordy, a death I felt sure would become public knowledge in the next day or two. As long as the Convergence didn't end everyone and everything in Sage Springs, that was.
They took my hesitation as an admission of guilt.
Melissa lifted her hand and pointed a finger at me. ”See! I knew she couldn't be trusted.”
I wanted to cry in frustration. ”You're wrong! I only want to help. Something is coming tomorrow night, and I've seen what it will do to everyone. It'll take their souls, everyone in this town!”
They exchanged worried glances.
”I won't let you do spells on me. It might affect my ability to predict things, or see things about people, and I can't afford for that to happen.”
”The spell is safe,” said Dana.
”So you say, but how do I know I can trust you? It goes both ways, you know, and I've hardly been welcomed in with open arms. I thought you liked me, Dana. I thought you saw something in my writing, but all along you were spying on me.”
”I always liked your writing, Beth. The offer to join my staff had nothing to do with what's happening now. As for spying on you, well, I had to do what I had to do.”
Anger roiled within me. ”By sending your little spies after me? And what about Flynn? I a.s.sume he's in on this, too?”
”Flynn is the guardian of the pools. Of course he knows.”
I thought back to how a wind seemed to have frightened him away from the very place he was supposed to be guarding. ”For a guardian, he's not doing a very good job.”
”This is harder for Flynn. He feels the water so much more intensely. The position of the planets has already created a change in the depth of the pools, the divide between the two worlds has grown thin, the water more shallow, even if it looks the same as it always has. He can tell a change is coming, and it's unnerved him. He's not himself.”
”If he can control the water, can't he just make it deeper again?”
”He's tried, but something is working against him. Another force.”
”From below?”
”We don't think so. Until the Convergence, the other world's magic can't affect us. We think it's someone else with great power.”
”Maybe someone from the carnival?” I suggested.
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