“Would you mind if I joined, too?” Marius asks. “Not out of curiosity. But I have worked with a lot of victims. I have a good feel for certain things. Plus… I can try my gift.”
“Oh, yes!” Annie says. “I didn’t even think about that option.”
“What is your gift?” I ask.
“Technically, I can get a glimpse into someone’s mind,” he says.
It dawns on me what he is trying to do. If he indeed sees a glimpse of her mind…. Maybe it will give us answers. “It would be awesome if you tried,” I say.
“I agree, I think it’s a very good idea,” Liam says.
“You have more faith in my gift than I do,” Marius sighs. “We both know I am not good at it. I need to practice much more.”
“You are selling yourself short,” Liam argues.
Marius snorts. “Always the big brother,” he chuckles. “There is no switch to turn it off, huh?”
“Like you don’t have a brother complex,” Aurelia says. “Liam has always been your role model.”
Liam raises his brows. “Oh, is that true?”
“What?!” Marius groans. “Obviously not. Why would I? You are all delusional.” He gets up. “So, are we ready to go?”
Hey, babe, do you want me to come with you?Felix links me.
I think I am okay,I tell him.Maybe it’s better if you take everyone to our place and show them our zoo. That would really help. I think it would overwhelm me a little if I had to do it later.
Got you!
True to his words, Felix steps forward and ushers everyone else away, while Annie, Marius and I stay behind. I let out a relieved sigh.
“You have issues with big crowds, don’t you?” Marius asks. “I sometimes get overwhelmed, too.”
“I am just not used to it,” I admit. “Does it get easier?”
“For me it did,” Marius says.
“Just don’t stress over it,” Annie tells me. “Take the time you need.”
“So, ready to go?” Marius asks.
I nod, following them out into the corridor. Marius and Annie know the way better than I do, and soon we find our way towards the infirmary. I am still caught in my thoughts, thinking about the talk we all just had.
“You all get along so well, Marius,” I say. “I mean, you and your siblings. I am an only child.”
“It wasn’t always that way, especially not between Liam and me,” Marius admits. “I wasn’t a good brother, but he always was. I will never forget that he was there for me in my darkest hour and believed in me.” He squeezes Annie’s shoulder. “And I will never forget how kind and forgiving my sister-in-law was.”
“Yes,” she says seriously. “I am just that awesome.”
Marius snorts. “Liam is rubbing off on you!”
Dad and I were always alone, just the two of us. Being part of such a huge family might be a little overwhelming, but it also makes me happy to finally have the chance to experience what I never could.
“Oh, there is Celine,” Annie points out.
Celine must have heard her, because she turns her head and smiles at us. Marius picks up his pace to be with her quicker, wrapping an arm around her once he reaches her. She is standing in front of a door. “Faye is inside with Marina,” she tells me. “One of the nurses put a small bed in there for her. I don’t think she will want to leave.”
I sigh. “That’s what I feared.”
