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As soon as my eyes land on her unobscured, sweaty features, I stumble back a step. She screams as she leans forward, bearing down as one of the women bends over to peer between her spread knees.
“She’s coming.”
“No,” I breathe. “No, no, no, no, no.”
“Eden.”
The vision vanishes as my eyes open, the bright sunlight forcing them to close again as fresh pain sears through my head. I groan as strong fingers massage my temples, easing some of the pain.
“You’re okay, Eden. Everything is going to be okay.”
Jesse’s deep voice calms me, and I flick my eyes open again. I’m stretched out on the ground, looking up at several faces hovering over me. Jesse, Erik, Steph, and a few other witches who’d been sitting nearby stare down at me with concerned expressions as I blink away the rest of the pain. Grunting, I dig my fingers into the grass beneath me and struggle to push myself up. Jesse’s arm immediately curves around me to help.
I look to my right and see the top of Bernadette’s coffin peeking out of the grave. I’d apparently caused a scene, halting the service while people checked on me. My gaze snaps to Steph.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m just glad you’re okay. Was it…?”
I nod slightly, then look at Jesse. “Can you get me out of here?”
“Of course,” he says, then gingerly helps me to my feet.
“I’ll come by your apartment after this,” Steph whispers, and I nod.
All eyes are on me as we pick our way through the crowd, and I offer quiet apologies to each of the mourners as we pass. Some look at me with questions in their eyes, others gaze knowingly like they are certain of what just happened.
That I’d had a vision, and despite the inappropriate time and location, they’re grudgingly impressed.
Jesse doesn’t ask any questions as he leads me to the car he rented when we flew into Atlanta. He helps me into the vehicle and buckles my seatbelt for me, but I don’t complain because my mind is reeling.
I stare through my window with unseeing eyes the whole way back to my apartment. The scene from my vision plays over and over again in my head as my mind tries to negate what I saw.
Who I saw.
It can’t be right. Maybe something is wrong with the necklace, and it’s showing me only part of the story while my mind fills in the blanks. I need to ask someone who’s more knowledgeable about visions if that’s something that happens.
Maybe Bernadette could tell––
Oh, yeah. She’s gone.
Fresh grief over the loss of her mingles with the confusion and horror over what I saw in the vision, and my mind goes fuzzy. Like it’s shutting down to protect me from the overwhelming swirl of emotions.
“Eden,” Jesse says as he reaches out to take my hand. “I’ve got you. We’re almost there.”
The fog clears, and I squeeze his hand in thanks. He’s my rock. My true north. The one person who can get me through this and help me find the truth.
When he parks the car, he rushes around to open my door and help me out. Keeping an arm firmly around me, he walks me to my apartment and takes the keys from my shaking fingers to unlock the door and let us in.
I feel a bit better as we enter the familiar space, surrounded by my furnishings and my books. I head straight for the couch, plopping down before hanging my head and covering my face with my hands.
The cushion dips as Jesse sits beside me, and I lean into him as he slips an arm around my shoulders. He doesn’t ask any questions as he holds me, just waits patiently for me to finally speak. His lips press against my head, and I turn my face to nuzzle into his chest.
When I finally feel in control enough to tell him about the vision, I sit up and stare straight ahead, my gaze unfocused as my mind replays the scene while I speak.
“I woke up in that room again. The one where I was born,” I say slowly. When Jesse only brushes a hand up and down my back, I go on. “It was all the same. Same furniture. Same people. Same words spoken. Only this time, the faces weren’t blurred. I could see them.”
I pause and curl into myself as a sob pushes up my throat. Jesse continues to rub my back in a slow, comforting motion as he waits patiently for me to pull myself back together. I take a few deep breaths on instinct, alone, knowing it’ll make me feel calmer even if I don’t actually need the oxygen.
