Beni sniffed as he ran his hand through his shaggy hair, but his eyes were filled with wonder as he stared at his light. “Yeah, me too. Who did you see?”
Scarlett hesitated, but Beni had just told her about seeing their dead father. “Brayden.”
Beni’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But he’s not dead. How does that work?”
“It was a future version of him, I think. A possible future version, anyway. It was surreal.” She wasn’t ready to share all the details. Maybe she never would be.
“Whatareyou?” asked Beni as he sat on the marble floor.
“What?” Scarlett joined him, folding herself into a cross-legged position. The mirror room was resplendent, and she was in no rush to go back through that archway.
“I’m asking Riley,” said Beni.
“I’ll answer too,”said Nori.“I’ve been with you since you wereborn, talking to you in your dreams and planting happy and helpful thoughts in your subconscious. I’m pure divine energy, and I’m here to help you through your life in any way I can.”
Scarlett glanced over at Beni. He was studying Riley intently, and she assumed he was in a similar mind-to-mind conversation. She focused on Nori.
How does this work? Can you see the future?asked Scarlett.
“Time isn’t linear for me. I see all the possible outcomes you could bring to fruition from this point onward.”
Scarlett cocked her head to one side.What, like Manon’s oculus ability?
“Not exactly. I see more than she does, but I can reveal less, as I’m here to guide you, not to help you cheat at the game of life and personal growth. I’m also most attuned to your timelines, whereas her valor allows her to see the timelines of others.”
A limited ability to see the future. Scarlett sighed. A desire to think something snarky rose in her, but not wanting to offend Nori, she moved on.
Can you tell me something about my most likely future?
“In all your timelines, you’ve got lifelong connections to the Maddox family,” offered Nori.
Am I going to marry Brayden someday?The embarrassing question had been in her heart since she’d spoken to mirror Brayden.
“What do you think?”asked Nori.
I think I’m excited to find out.
“I’m excited too.”
Scarlett held out her palm in invitation to the ball of light. Nori obliged, moving to hover directly over it. The light answered her unasked question as Nori movedthroughScarlett’s hand. There was a tiny amount of heat radiating from Nori, but that was it. She was a light without a body.
“What was that voice I heard in the archway?” Scarlett asked.
“The spirit of the Forest Temple speaks through the arch. The spirit is a vessel of the Goddess. Not to worry—you won’t be held up on the way out.”
She shuddered as she remembered the sensation of being frozen in place. It’d be more than fine if she never encountered that spirit again.
“Did you hear singing in the archway?” Beni asked Scarlett. “That’s what I heard.”
“No. A voice talked to me about unconditional love,” she answered hesitantly.
“That sounds… boring. Are you going to be able to help me charge my phone?” was Beni’s next question for his light.
Scarlett snorted.
Nori laughed at Beni’s question, the sound like small bells tinkling.“Yes, I can help you charge electronics. The universe is made of energy, and now I’ll be able to help you harness it.”
After learning more about you, I can’t believe the main reason I wanted to come here was so you could help me charge my cell phone,said Scarlett.
