My consciousness blinks. Darkness creeps in. I stop fighting.
And then she’s gone.
Gasping, I roll onto my front, then come up onto my hands and knees. Squeezing my eyes shut, I press my forehead against the ground, working on catching my breath and slowing my heart.
After a few long minutes, I manage to calm myself enough to rise, where I then stand on shaking legs, staring wide-eyed at the greyness surrounding me.
“Vivian!” My shouted name has me spinning in circles, fisted hands raised in front of me, defensively. “Vivian!!”
Whirling again, I find Gemma running toward me, panic on her features, worry shining from her eyes. Frowning, I step back and shout, “Stop. Don’t come any closer.”
She stops rushing toward me but doesn’t stop coming closer, as she asks, “Viv. What is it?”
I take a large step back, turning my palms toward her as I shout, “Stop.”
She stops and cocks her head at me. “Whatever is the matter with you now?”
I flinch, anger rising inside of me as I sputter, “You’re what’s the matter with me.”
Her jaw drops, her brow creasing as she jerks back as if slapped. “Me? What did I do?”
“Don’t play stupid with me,” I respond, my hands fisting in front of me. “You tried to kill me.”
She glances at my fisted hands, then meets my eyes. Lifting a brow, her lips curve slightly as she says, “Oh, come on, Viv. That’s just crazy talk.”
I bristle at her words. Always with the crazy talk. Always with some excuse that whatever she has done wasn’t anyone’s fault but mine.
Straightening, I snarl, “No, that’s exactly what happened.”
“You must’ve blacked out when you fell,” she responds with a snort. “I just got here. I swear it.”
Narrowing my eyes, I point at her accusingly and repeat, “Don’t try to deny it. Itwasyou. You tried tokillme.”
Now Gemma rolls her eyes and mutters to herself under her breath, but I still hear her words. Crazy. Insane. Grand illusions at their finest.
Bristling again, I stomp my foot, ready to really blast her, but she rushes me, cutting off my accusatory tirade. I try to jump out of her way, but I’m a moment too late, and she manages to grab onto my upper arms, keeping me in place. I struggle, but she yanks me closer, leaning in and forcing me to meet her eyes.
Her glowing, otherworldly eyes.
“Who are you?” I whisper, giving up on trying to escape.
She raises her brows at me, leans in so close that her two eyes become one. “It’s me, Viv. Your sister.”
“I don’t have a sister,” I whisper, feeling my resolve weakening.
Her hands on my arms tighten, and she gives me a shake, that eye blinking and then boring into me intently. “Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she murmurs, the word floating from her lips, dancing around us before sinking between my ears. I open my mouth to once again deny her claim, but nothing comes out. I stand there. Bewitched.
The pressure on my arms eases, and I find myself leaning toward her, my initial urgency suddenly dissipating.
And then, I smile, relief rushing over me. “Gemma. Thank God you’re here.”
TWENTY-SIX
A TRICKY DETOUR
