Foretell (17 page)

Only people who were in love made those kinds of gestures.
The realization shocked me.

Maybe he did have feelings for me.

I grinned ecstatically, surprised to be so delighted by this revelation. But while I was basking in my discovery, I failed to pay attention to where I was walking, and tripped over a tree branch. I fell straight to my hands and knees, scraping them.

Landing on the hurt knee would’ve made me double over in pain if I hadn’t already been doubled over in the first place. I moaned, feeling the area throb as if it had its own heartbeat.

Slowly, I stood, brushing leaves and dirt off of my clothes. I took a few deep breaths, feeling the pain subside a little.

“Are you okay?” Rex called out from up ahead.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. Just being a major klutz apparently.

He waited for me to catch up to him. I tried desperately not to wobble as I walked.

“You’re bleeding again,” he pointed out. Sure enough, there was blood soaking through my leggings.

“Gross,” I said, and bent down to pull the fabric up.

Before I knew what was happening, I was literally being swept off of my feet. Rex picked me up like some damsel in distress.

The intoxicating smell of evergreen soap surrounded me and the sound of Rex’s heartbeat pulsed against my side. His arms were wrapped around me, carrying me as if I weighed nothing at all. They created a sense of safety, a sense of belonging there, enfolded within them. It was too much for me to handle.

“I don’t need you to carry me,” I insisted. I struggled against him, trying to get him to put me down.

“Shut up, Spencer. If you bleed anymore than you already are, you’re going to attract the bears.”

I looked around, surveying the forest suspiciously. “There are bears in these woods?”

Rex laughed. The rich, hearty sound echoed throughout the forest.

In the meantime, I’d struggled enough to escape his grip. I slid out of his arms, landing flat on my butt.

“Ouch,” I muttered, picking myself up again.

Great, second time falling in the last few minutes. Maybe that whole thing about falling head over heels wasn’t so far off the mark.

“You’re being ridiculous, Spence. If you walk on your leg, it’s going to make the pain worse and it won’t heal.”

“I’ll manage,” I said stubbornly. Except the limp in my walk wasn’t helping to support my statement.

He groaned, exasperated, and threw his hands up in the air. He trekked downhill without me, grumbling in what I surmised to be Romanian. I think I also heard something in English about me being a real pain in the ass.

My earlier burst of euphoria faded. The roses and stars fell out of my eyes. It was becoming apparent once again that Rex Constantin was no prince charming.

Soon there was a good amount of distance put between him and me since I wasn’t able to keep up. I wanted to prove I could handle myself, but every step took effort. It surprised me when Rex began hiking back uphill. Reaching me, he tore a shred of fabric from his t-shirt and held it out.

“Tie this around your leg for pressure at least?”

I accepted the fabric from him. I wrapped it around my knee several times, until it formed a tight bond. While I did this, Rex kicked the dirt and brambles surrounding us and picked up random sticks, inspecting them. He found a large, thick one and tested its sturdiness by leaning his weight on it. Satisfied, he handed me the stick.

“You can use it as a sort of cane since you’re against me carrying you.”

I accepted the stick he offered, mumbling
a quick
thanks before he walked away.

As we headed back to camp in silence, I began to feel really, really bad. Here he’d gone to all this trouble to bring me up here, and I’d repaid him by acting like a complete brat.

Great job, Essie, I thought to myself, sighing. I was mean to him when I decided I didn’t like him, and I acted even worse when I decided I did like him. There was something seriously wrong with me.

Later that afternoon, I crept into the back of the RV, thankful to find a moment all to myself. I took it as an opportunity to gather my things, including the maps I’d purchased, quickly stuffing them into my duffel bag. Earlier I’d noticed the keys to the car were lying in the front console of the RV. Somehow I needed to grab those keys before Lola and Gabe went to sleep. They would definitely hear me creeping around in the dark if I waited until later tonight.

Once I was finished packing, I decided to say goodbye to Abby while I had the chance. I tried not to get all weepy over the separation, but it wasn’t really working.

“You’re my only real family,” I told her miserably. “And hopefully, when tomorrow comes and you see that I’m gone, you won’t think I’ve abandoned you. I hope you’ll know that it’s only for a little while. Not forever.”

Abby rested her chin across my thigh languidly, as if she knew something was wrong. I patted her head and scratched behind her ears. “Rex will take good care of you,” I promised her. “I know he seems like a jerk most of the time, but deep, deep down, he’s a good person. And I know he likes you, Abby. Even if he won’t admit it.”

Suddenly feeling as if I were in some Disney movie, I swallowed and composed myself. I stood to leave the room, but stilled as I noticed Zetta standing in the hallway.

Had she overheard me saying goodbye to Abby?

“Don’t fret, child,” she said in her thickly accented voice. “I’ve already seen you leave in my dreams. I do not intend to tell anyone.”

She moved towards me, reaching for my hand. She turned my palm over, slipping a piece of paper into it. “I’ve come to give you this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s Marcellus’s address. After hours of searching my mind, I was finally able to see it clearly.”

I glanced at the paper, noticing the Vancouver address scrawled across it.

“Thank you,” I said gratefully. “This will be an enormous help.”

For a moment, her dark eyes beheld me in an endearingly familiar manner. “Be careful,” she told me gravely.

“I will,” I promised.

She turned to leave, but I stopped her. “Zetta?”

“Yes?”

“Did you see me find him? Did you see this curse end for me?”

I stared into her eyes, desperately waiting to hear the answer I longed for. But she couldn’t give me that answer.

“I’ve seen you leave quietly,” she said. “That is all.”

A wave of disappointment spread over me. “Oh…okay. Thanks.”

Zetta nodded solemnly before leaving the room.

I was ready to leave. My bag was packed, I’d said goodbye to Abby and now I had Marcellus’s address. I even managed to swipe the car keys from the console earlier, which meant I wouldn’t have to worry about Lola and Gabe catching me. All I waited for was for everyone to fall asleep.
And, of course, for my sense of bravery to kick in.

“What if we just tell Estelle we want to get rid of the curse?”

I gave Gabe my best
are you serious?
expression
from across the dinner table. The group had been brainstorming different ideas all night, but so far had not come up with any useful ones. Although I was dismissive of Gabe’s suggestion, I wasn’t all that surprised to hear it.

“Judging by that look, I’d venture to say you’ve already tried,” he told me.

I nodded, swallowing my bite of steak. “I tricked my sister into asking me, not just once, but a few different times.”

“And what was your response?”

“Nothing. I was met with my own silence every time.”

An idea coming to her, Lola quickly swallowed her food, and excitedly proposed, “Oooh, but what if it didn’t work because your sister didn’t genuinely want it? It’s no secret you’ve given her fame and fortune. That could have swayed her true desire.”

I considered the possibility,
then
held out my hand. “Go ahead. For kicks.”

Lola took my hand and said, “I want for you, Estelle, to be rid of your own curse. How do I do that?” She stared at me, hoping for a miracle.

I met her gaze, with no magical words coming to save me. I shrugged despondently. “Sorry.”

“Damn it all to hell,” she whined.

“It was worth a shot,” Gabe allowed. “I guess we’re back to the drawing board.”

After dinner, Gabe and Lola headed inside the RV for the night. My body tensed knowing the time to leave was drawing near.

Zetta was already gone. She had kept her word, and told no one about my plans. They took her to the airport earlier after an irate phone call from Lola’s father. He’d said she was costing him money, by hoarding both of his best psychics and that she needed to return one immediately. Lola ended up sending Zetta on the first flight out. I was upset to see Zetta go, strangely attached to her presence.

“You sure you still want to do this?” Lina whispered nervously. She confronted me as soon as Lola and Gabe went inside, moving to sit next to me. I glanced over at Rex, who was currently extinguishing the bonfire, worried that he might have heard Lina. Thankfully, it appeared as if he wasn’t paying any attention to us.

“Yes,” I whispered back. “I’m leaving as soon as everyone falls asleep.”

“Okay,” she murmured, sighing. “But I was sort of hoping you’d change your mind.”

“I have to, Lina. Besides, it will be easier on my own. There will be just one mind to read and track, instead of five.”

She took my hand, squeezing it. “Please be safe.”

I smiled. “I will.”

“I’ll watch your future to ensure you make it. If anything goes wrong, I can let you know.”

“Thanks, Lina.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “Just don’t make me regret it.” She stood to leave, taking her empty plate with her.

After she’d gone, I gathered my courage for one last task. There was one more thing I needed to do before leaving. I had to face Rex.

I needed to tell him how I felt.

I wished it wasn’t so important to me. In fact, I really wished it wasn’t. But there was some part of me that wanted him to know, especially after how I’d treated him on the hike back down the mountain. And truthfully, if I could ever get rid of this curse, this horrible
thing
looming over my life, well then, I wanted to be a part of Rex’s life. And I was determined for him to make room for me.

I took a deep breath and approached him by the fire. “Rex, I need to talk to you.”

He finished pouring the last of the dirt onto the flickering flames before giving me his attention.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” I assured him. “It’s
just.
. .there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Okay,” he said. “What’s up?”

“There’s no easy way to say this.” I wrung my hands together nervously. “And I really don’t exactly know where to start. I’m not really good at this, you know.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting impatiently. “Get to the point, Spence. Or do you plan to beat around the bush all night?”

“Right,” I said. “The point. The point
is.
. .oh geez, I’m just going to come right out and say it.”

“Sounds like a great plan.”

The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could take them back. “I like you, Rex.”

There. It was said. No taking it
back
now.

I held my breath in anticipation. Rex grinned. “Thanks, Spence. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“No, I mean really like you,” I explained. “Like in the romantic sense.”

He stared at me intently. “So you changed your mind about the casual sex?”

I groaned, mortified. “You’re not understanding me, Rex. I’m trying to tell you that I have feelings for you.”

He stepped back. An opulent silence hovered between us as the full realization of my words hit him. “Are you being serious right now?”

I nodded. “Completely.”

His lips parted just slightly; I thought I might have shocked him.

“Stop it right now!” he shouted.

I startled, and asked, “Stop what?”

“Stop
liking
me.” He said the word as if it paralyzed him with fear.

I frowned, not expecting such a strong reaction from him. “I can’t help it,” I said. “I know you’re an ass, but I can see beyond all that. Turns out, you’re actually a decent human being.”

Rex grimaced at my words.

I crossed my arms over my chest, annoyed now. He couldn’t at least feel complemented by my confession? “Believe me, it shocked the hell out of me too.”

“Spencer, this isn’t funny. You shouldn’t be telling me this.”

“Why not?”

“Because you don’t want to get
your
feelings hurt. I don’t like you, not in that way.”

I shrugged uncaringly.

He seemed to grow agitated, and raised a brow. “You seem rather nonchalant, what, with harboring all these so called feelings towards me.”