Part 16 (2/2)
”You cannot Travel again. Do you understand?”
”No,” I say, trying to s.h.i.+ft out of her grasp, but her fingers dig into me too deeply.
”There have been horrible consequences already from your Traveling-don't you see?” my mother hisses.
”But why can't I just go back and fix it?” My mother gives me a little shake.
Enough to make my back teeth rattle.
”Ow, Mom-”
”You cannot just *fix it' as you so blithely call it, because Time, as we have been telling you, is extremely delicate. Once you pull one thread, you warp something else in the pattern.”
”Okay, but-”
”Promise me you will not do this. Promise” My mother's eyes are narrowed points of light boring into my skull.
”Okay, okay.” Finally, she releases me and takes a step back and the blood starts returning to my arms.
”Tell her,” my father says softly behind her, and the color seems to drain out of her face.
”Tell her why.”
”Rowena can ... can read the future, too.”
”Of course she can,” I mutter. And really I'm not surprised. Rowena is the most powerful one in our family, next to my grandmother. I've always known this, accepted this. Until today. But abruptly I tune back in to my mother, who is adding, ”And she's ... she's read some of it. Before I caught her. Before I stopped her.”
I feel myself grow very still.
”And she told you what she read?” I whisper.
”She read ... she read where you Traveled and you didn't come back. You couldn't, for some reason.” I press my lips flat as if that can contain the trembling. It doesn't work.
”Please, Tamsin,” my mother says, and then her voice cracks.
”I don't need to lose you and your sister both.”
SEVENTEEN.
I FIND GABRIEL in the downstairs parlor, playing cards with my cousins Jerom and Silda and Aunt Beatrice, of all people. I let myself in quietly and shrug at Gabriel in response to his raised eyebrows. His hands flick cards around the small walnut table, and they are either exchanged by the players or folded away in what seems to be a discard pile. Occasionally, Gabriel allots a few more from the deck that rests in the center of the table next to three beer bottles and a tiny crystal gla.s.s of what looks like sherry. No doubt who that one belongs to. In one swift movement Aunt Beatrice knocks back the contents, then bangs the gla.s.s staccato style on the table until, rolling her eyes, Silda gets up to retrieve a decanter from the sideboard.
”Here, Aunt Beatrice,” she says and dribbles a little more amber liquid into the gla.s.s.
”But that's it, now. No more.” Somehow, I think she's said this before. Apparently, Aunt Beatrice doesn't seem too fazed, either, because she salutes Silda with ”Mud in your eye,” cackles, and slaps her cards face-up on the table. Everyone groans as Beatrice flings out her hands and scoops up a pair of earrings, a pair of cuff links, and several crumpled bills.
”No poker chips,” Gabriel explains as I walk over to stand behind him. I pick up what I hope is his beer and take a healthy slug.
”Everything okay?” I shrug.
”Not really. But keep playing,” I urge in a whisper as Jerom deals out the cards this time, his fingers an impossible blur. Gabriel sinks back in his seat.
”Want to play, Tam?” Silda asks, already inching her chair over to make room. I shake my head and remain standing.
”No, thanks.” Then with a grin I add, ”But you should probably know that Jerom just made a couple of cards disappear. My guess is that they're aces.”
”What?” my cousin says, his hands frozen over the table in the act of dealing a card to Aunt Beatrice.
”That's such a lie,” he insists, his blue eyes widening dramatically. Silda looks at him, her mouth pursed in a small b.u.t.ton shape.
”Did you cheat again, Jerom?”
”I've never cheated,” her brother persists, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling as if seeking verification there.
”Oh, yeah? Well, what's this?” Gabriel says, reaching down around Jerom's foot and pulling up a thin rectangle of a card. The queen of spades seems to wink at us all.
”Jerom!” Silda cries.
”Oh, dear!” Aunt Beatrice says. She peers at the card closely.
”Is that the one ... no, that's not what I lost” She sighs, slurps down most of her sherry, then begins waving her gla.s.s in a swooping arc above everyone's head.
Drops of liquid rain down across the table and cards, and everyone starts speaking at once.
”Aunt Beatrice!”
”Someone deal. Someone besides Jerom!”
”Well, isn't it amazingly convenient how Gabriel's been finding all of his cards just in the nick of time!”
”Hey! I just got lucky.” I reach over Gabriel's shoulder, snap up the pack, and riffle through it.
”Who changed all these to aces?” I ask as I flip over four aces and then five more staggered throughout the deck.
”I'm no poker champion, but I'm pretty sure there are only four aces in each deck.”
”Silda,” Jerom says, his voice heavy with disapproval.
”You? I can't believe you,” he finishes, shaking his head.
”Oh, shut up, Jerom. Like you weren't cheating the whole time.”
”I could use another drop or two,” Aunt Beatrice says, coughing delicately.
”And then perhaps Tamsin could deal. She can stop all this nonsense anyway.
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