16
Idon’t know much about the Amish. Some are stricter than others, and some refuse modern medicine. I put my hand on my chest, still feeling the burn with each breath. Gemma is sick. Really sick.
“Ace?” Jacques repeats. “Did you dream about her again?”
“No,” I say, knowing he’s asking about Braeya. “Gemma. I think she’s in trouble.”
Jacques’s brows pinch together. “She helped a woman try to kill you.”
“I know.” I pull the sheet over my arms. The room got a chill overnight. “Is it stupid that I’m worried about her? Shouldn’t I hate her with a fiery passion?”
“No. You have a kind heart, Ace.” He smooths my hair back and takes my hand.
“And that makes me stupid.”
“No,” he says again. “She was wrong to try and hurt you. Wrong to believe Marissa. But I know you don’t believe she’s actually a bad person.”
“I don’t.”
“Then forgiving her is not stupid.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know if I totally forgive her yet. But…I don’t want her to die.”
“Forgiveness is a hard thing to do. Not wanting her to die is a start.” He gives me a half smile. “Tell me about your dream.”
“I need to tell you about the medium we talked to first.” I flick my eyes to him. “He told me someone wanted me, and said he saw a woman in an old-fashioned setting. I assumed he meant Braeya. But this dream…it was everything he described, though this time, I saw it. Gemma’s family is Amish. They would look old-fashioned and from another time to anyone who doesn’t know.”
“Can you check on her?”
“I don’t know where she is.” I bite my lip, thinking. “Being Amish means they don’t go by normal societal rules. They don’t approve of a lot of modern inventions, and if they’re super old-school, then Gemma won’t have access to her phone. She shouldn’t have left the hospital when she did. It’s been days…she could be in really bad shape.”
“Do you think you can find her?”
“Yes, and I should have looked right away when I was told she was taken from the hospital. But I didn’t—”
“Don’t blame yourself. You’ll look now.”
“Yeah. I will.”
Jacques turns to the window. “It’s almost sunrise. Stay,” he says before I get out of bed. “Try to go back to sleep. It’s early.”
“Okay.”
He kisses me, lips lingering on mine before he gets out of bed. “I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you too.”
I watch him leave and hear the others move through the house. Lying back down, I toss and turn, tired but unable to fall asleep. Still, I stay in bed for two more hours and doze off for maybe half an hour before getting up.
The nurse at the hospital didn’t know where Gemma’s aunt and uncle were from. Gemma never talked about friends other than Marissa, who’s not only permanently on my shit list but is also wanted by the police. My best bet is Lyra, and her store opens at nine.
* * *
“Back again?”Lyra asks, unlocking the door a few minutes early for me. “Is everything okay? You’ve bought a lot of magical self-defense items lately.”
“I’m just here with a question today.”
“Oh. Of course!” She turns on the open sign. “What is it?”
