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“Sending her away won’t keep her safe,” she replies quietly.
Dad whips around, narrowing his eyes on her. “What do you know?”
Mom looks away quickly, shaking her head and stepping over to fiddle with something on the dresser, but my dad isn’t having it. He follows her, sliding an arm around her waist and spinning her around to face him.
“Astrid, you have to tell me,” he urges, cupping her cheek in a hand. “She’s my little girl…” His voice breaks as it trails off, the agony in it palpable.
My mom draws a deep breath, her brow furrowing in consideration. She doesn’t typically share her visions of the future. She keeps them close, never risking how sharing them could interfere with fate.
“I had a vision,” she starts quietly, eyes flickering up to meet his. “Sloane… when she’s older, she gets hurt. I think… maybe it’s the hunters.” She sinks her teeth into her lower lip, shaking her head. “All I saw was her standing in the woods, yelling Madd’s name like they were having an argument, then she gets shot. I’ve tried to see past it, but I can’t.”
Dad flinches back, his expression twisting with a mixture of shock and grief and rage. “It all comes back to that fucking Kessler kid,” he growls. “I’ll fucking end him…”
Mom shakes her head again, her light brown curls bouncing around her face with the movement. “No, you won’t,” she says gently, reaching out press her palms to Dad’s chest like she always does when she needs to calm him down. “Be reasonable. Our daughter loves that boy. And she’ll survive it. I’m not sure how I know, but deep down, I just do. Fate didn’t show me her death. It showed me a defining moment in her life.”
My dad turns away and strides over to the bed, sinking down on the edge and burying his face in his hands. “I can’t lose her, Astrid,” he rasps, his voice muffled in his palms. “I can’t…”
The vision is abruptly cut off as I start to come to, overwhelmed by the emotions it contained and fighting the urge to cry. My eyes struggle to adjust to the florescent lighting overhead as I blink them open, confusion setting in when I realize I’m waking up in an unfamiliar place.
“Hey honey, welcome back.”
I turn my head to see my mother sitting beside the bed I’m lying in, clutching one of my hands in both of hers.
What’s my mom doing here?
Then it all floods back.
The argument with Madd.
The forest.
The gunshot.
I blink against the bright lights, sliding my elbows back and wincing as I try to slide back and sit up.
“Hey, take it easy,” Dad barks out, and I glance past my mom to see him posted up near the door, watching me like a hawk.
“I’m fine,” I say hoarsely, casting a wary look his way as I shuffle to sit up on the cot.
Mom turns to look at him over her shoulder. “Can we have a minute?” she asks gently.
Dad’s jaw clenches like he wants to object, his gaze sliding hesitantly between the two of us. Then with a heavy sigh he finally nods, grunting in frustration as he abruptly turns around and exits the room.
I watch after him for a moment, my heart aching from the vision I just experienced.
“I know that look,” my mom says quietly as soon as he closes the door, giving my hand a little squeeze. I swing my gaze back to hers as she leans in a little closer, asking, “What did you see?”
I wet my dry lips with my tongue before parting them to speak. “You two talking about…this,” I whisper.
Mom squeezes my hand tighter as she blows out a slow breath.
“You knew.”
She nods sadly, tears shining in her eyes.
“But you knew I’d be okay.”
My mom nods again.
