Authors: Tammy Blackwell
“
But what if we can win?
What if you’re wrong?”
His eyes dropped to my
stomach. “
I’m not.
”
***
“
How does he do it?” I
asked once we were back in Miriam’s Saab. The day had turned
overcast and a cool dampness clung to my clothes. I found it a bit
annoying, but not overly so. Miriam, on the other hand, cranked the
heater all the way up and was holding her hands over the vents,
waiting for them to de-thaw. “How does Spence suppress his
Sight?”
Miriam flexed her fingers. “With a great
deal of effort.” When I continued to wait for an answer she went
on. “Seeing is a gift, but sometimes it is also a burden. For
Spence, it was more than he could handle. Couple that with being a
male Seer and…” She shrugged. “Seeing requires a certain amount of
openness to work. We have to connect ourselves to other people,
especially Shifters, and be willing to let in whatever it is the
universe wishes us to See. However, if you cut yourself off from
the world, stay away from others like us, with enough will power
you can choke your Sight and hinder your ability to See.”
“
But Spence runs a store
and hangs out with you guys. That doesn’t seem very reclusive to
me.”
Miriam turned down the heat
one notch, an action which was met with a silent
“Hallelujah
” from me.
“Spence owns the store, but he runs the business from his home. All
the day-to-day operations are handled by his managers. And this was
the first time I’ve seen him in… five? Six years?” She shook her
head as if she couldn’t believe it had really been that long. “He
only came today because I called in a favor.”
I had been more than a little annoyed with
him back at the store, but now I felt my agitation giving way to
sympathy. Spence didn’t seem like a natural hermit. Hiding himself
away, cutting himself off from everyone and everything just to keep
himself from Seeing had to be torture.
“
What does he See? What
could be that bad?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Miriam replied.
“Death.”
“
Like that kid on that
movie? The one who sees dead people?”
“
No, not like that. It’s a
variation of a Future Seer. When he looks at a person, he can See
their moment of death.”
My hand automatically covered my stomach,
the scars tangible even through my shirt.
“
All people?” I asked. “All
the time?”
She nodded. “Every person he comes in
contact with. Everywhere he looks, all he Sees is death. He knows
if you will be young or old. He knows the pain and the peace.” She
pulled the car into the garage. “Can you imagine what it must be
like for him to have that burden on his heart all the time?”
No, I couldn’t, nor did I want to. I was
with Spence; it was too much for a person to bear. It angered me
that Miriam had forced him to open himself up to all that horror
just to run a practice test on my weird abilities.
“
Spence said most male
Seers don’t live past twenty. Is that because they all have macabre
powers?”
Instead of getting out of the car, Miriam
turned to me. “Why are you one of only a handful of female Shifters
in the world?”
“
Because the Alpha Pack
kills all the little girl Shifters so there isn’t a threat to the
Alpha Female’s position.”
“
So, why do you think male
Seers don’t have a long life span?”
Good grief. No one told me there would be an
oral exam. “Can male Seers challenge the Alpha Female?”
“
No, think about it. What
does the Alpha Pack claim to value above all else?”
Crap. I really hate not knowing all the
answers. “Shifter unity?”
“
Tradition.” Miriam leaned
in. “They rule the Shifter and Seer world with the oppression of
tradition.”
“
Like the whole turning
people who don’t go through with a mating ceremony into
exiles.”
“
Exactly.”
“
So… What does that have to
do with male Seers?”
“
Our entire political
structure is based on male Shifters and female Seers. When
evolution introduces female Shifters and male Seers in the mix,
things start getting confused. The traditional way of picking our
Alphas becomes invalid, and when it does, a new way will have to be
adopted.”
I started to understand. “A way that will
take power away from those who currently hold it.”
"I knew you were bright."
“
But I still don’t get it.
How do they kill off the male Seers?”
“
Most of them they don’t
kill. Instead, they convince them they’re crazy. Those whose Sight
can’t be refuted usually find themselves involved in some horrible
accident before they can get old enough to start causing too much
of a ruckus.”
In my head I saw Nicole as a human child
standing on a street corner, watching a car heading straight
towards her.
“
This can’t go on,” I said
despite the nausea I was fighting. “This can’t keep
happening.”
Miriam cupped my cheek in one hand. “Then
make it stop.”
Chapter 16
Miriam is a talker. The woman used more
words in a single day than Liam does in a year. During the week we
stayed in Fargo I learned about different Shifters and Seers
involved in the whole rebellion, including various tidbits about
their personal lives, especially the parts they probably didn’t
want anyone else knowing. She talked about what Liam and Alex were
like when they came to live with her after their parents died. She
laughed at Alex’s non-stop antics and worried at Liam’s unbreakable
seriousness. I even endured countless stories about her family,
including her favorite nephew, Diaz, which explains how Liam knew a
gang leader in Texas. However, despite Miriam’s love of gossip, I
got the impression she thought her nephew was a nice, law-abiding
boy.
Hank turned out to be Fargo’s most
well-respected lawyer, which meant he was either in his downtown
office or court most days, but he always made it a point to be home
for dinner. He would then spend the evening watching Liam and me
spar, offering up some pointers for the both of us, or he would
huddle in his home office, talking with Liam about Shifter politics
and making conference calls to other Shifters and Seers around the
world.
Hank and Miriam’s house felt like a home. We
didn’t know each other well enough for it to be a home filled with
love, but feelings of respect, concern, and safety abounded. Even
Liam seemed to relax during our stay.
But for me, and I would wager Liam too,
there was a sadness clinging to every corner of the house like a
cobweb of grief and loss. Every time Miriam shared an Alex story, I
could see the ghost of him there. I could only imagine how much
worse it was for Liam, who had seen Alex lounge on the sofa in the
family room and eat at the counter in the kitchen. By the time we
left I couldn’t decide whether I was grateful to run away from the
reminders of the dead, or heartbroken to be leaving the only
comfort and safety I had known in a long time.
Liam looked on the verge of tears when he
hugged Miriam goodbye. Hank drove us out to a Wal-Mart on the
outskirts of town and helped us load our bags into a pickup which
had seen many better days. There was a tarp over the back, and I
could just make out the shape of something that had to be a small
boat underneath.
“
Thank you,” Liam said,
shaking the older man’s hand in a stiff and formal manner. “I owe
you one.”
Hank used the hand Liam was
shaking to pull him into a hug. “You owe me nothing. I’ve told you
time and again, I will always be here for you.
Always
.” Liam merely nodded, his lips
pressed together tightly. Then we got in the truck and watched Hank
drive away.
And then we continued to sit there.
After three full minutes (I know because I
clocked it), I turned to Liam. “Are we waiting for someone?”
He shook his head.
“
So, we’re… what? On a
schedule? A sit here for a really long time schedule?”
Another shake of the head.
“
Liam, seriously. Why are
we sitting here?”
All of his air left his lungs in a rush as
his chin hit his chest. “I don’t…” He mumbled the rest of the
sentence so quietly even with my super-hearing I couldn’t discern a
word.
“
Care to try that again?
This time try using your tongue, lips, and vocal
chords.”
His head snapped up and the oh-so-familiar
Liam glare hit me full-on. “I said, ‘I don’t know how to drive a
stick shift.’ Happy?”
I probably shouldn’t have laughed, and I
certainly shouldn’t have done so until tears streamed down my
cheeks, but I couldn’t help myself.
“
I’m glad you’re enjoying
yourself,” he groused once I calmed into giggles.
“
What were you going to do?
Just sit here until it magically turned into an automatic?” I knew
he wouldn’t answer, so I went ahead and got out of the car and
walked around to the driver’s seat. “Scoot,” I said, opening the
door.
“
What?”
“
Scoot.” I made a shooing
motion with my hand to illustrate the point. “Slide over to the
passenger’s seat.”
Liam eyed me suspiciously, which just made
me smile bigger. This was so much fun.
“
I would try to tell you
how to do it yourself, but I suck as a teacher. So, scoot over and
let me drive.”
“
You know how to drive a
stick shift?” He was still suspicious, but he did move on
over.
I hoisted myself into the driver’s seat and
readjusted it so I could actually reach the gas and clutch. Stupid
boy with his stupid ridiculously long legs. “Of course. I was
raised in Kentucky, remember?”
“
That merely necessitates
that you know the basic rules of basketball and have an affinity
for open-faced sandwiches.”
“
And
know how to drive farm equipment." The truck started with a
grumble. “I was driving a tractor when I was seven.”
I didn’t mention how I ran over my father’s
foot the first time, or how I took out an entire fence row on my
second attempt. Things like that a girl should keep to herself.
“
But your family doesn’t
live on a farm. You don’t even have a garden, unless you count the
two tomato plants your mom planted too late in the season and then
forgot to water.”
I started to ask him exactly how he knew
about that, but then I remembered how he had been my personal
secret bodyguard over the summer. It was one of those things I knew
fundamentally, but when it came to realizing the actualities of it,
I was ignorant. Like, I knew Liam had hung around our house in his
wolf form, but I hadn’t thought about how he would have seen my
mom’s sad attempt at going organic.
“
My mom’s parents have a
big farm out in Livingston County,” I said, referring to the mother
who raised me instead of the one who died in child birth. “Jase and
I spent a week with them every summer when we were little. I had to
feed the pigs, gather eggs from the chickens, and work in the
garden. I was quite the little country bumpkin.” The truck jerked
to a stop at the red light. “Which way? Or does the driver get to
choose our adventure?”
“
I thought you said you
knew how to drive a stick.” Liam braced one hand on the dashboard
while the other clung desperately to the oh-crap handle.
“
I do. There’s an
adjustment period.”
“
Can we get to the part
where you’re not trying to decapitate me with the seatbelt
soon?”
“
I can’t promise anything,”
I said, jerking the gear shift back into first.
He led me through town and onto the highway,
which went straight north. Since we were in Fargo, North Dakota,
there was only one thing to the north.
“
Liam, are you taking me to
Canada?”
“
You’re the one driving, so
I think that means you’re taking me to Canada.”
“
Seriously?”
“
Seriously.”
“
We’re going to sneak into
a foreign country?”
“
We’re going to use the
world’s longest undefended border to our advantage.” I shot him a
panicked look. “Hey, it worked just fine for Pamela
Anderson.”
“
We don’t have passports.
Or legitimate driver’s licenses.” We were going to get arrested.
And what was in the back of the truck? Yes, a boat, but what else?
Was there a dead body under the boat? Or an arsenal of weapons?
Would I go to jail for murder or treason or terrorism?
“
Breathe.” Liam’s voice
interrupted my visions of handcuffs and mug shots. “I’ve got it
covered.”
“
And by ‘I’ve got it
covered’ you mean…?”
“
IDs. Passports. The
works.”
I’m not sure exactly what “the works”
entailed, but it turned out we didn’t really need them. At the
border, Dudley Do-Right simply glanced at our IDs and asked us what
we would be doing while in Canada. I wanted to answer, “Ingest as
much maple syrup as humanly possible,” but Liam, whose new ID
sported the name Sam Newman, told him we were camping before I got
the chance.
I was only mildly surprised to discover
Canada looks just like North Dakota. Even the road signs looked the
same, except for the whole kilometers thing. I entertained myself
by converting everything into miles while Liam channel surfed the
radio, only stopping for the occasional Guns n Roses or weather
report.