Page 70 of The Sisters of Crimson House

Celeste nodded, unable to hide the tears that flowed down her face. “My gift,” she said softly, wiping at her face with her hands.

“Did you try to warn them?” pleaded Charley, and the look on Celeste’s face told her everything she needed to know.

Her aunt laughed bitterly. “They never believed me.”

“But how?” said Charley, shocked. “You’re…you!” she said, gesturing at her aunt. “This is what you do. Why didn’t they listen to you!” It was impossible, the knowledge that Celeste could have saved her sister and brother-in-law if only she’d made them listen.

“That’s the funny thing about how humans work, Charlotte,” Celeste said with a sad smile. “We’re hopeful little creatures. Our family had no problem telling clients what they saw in their past or in their futures, but when it came to your parents, they were optimists until the end. They knew it was all going to work out. Even with a vengeful spirit on their tail.”

“When you see someone’s future,” said Charley, a thought occurring to her. “Is it set in stone?”

Celeste considered the question, absentmindedly twisting her long braid. “There was only one outcome when that spirit arrived the day you were born. I saw so many scenarios, but there was always the one outcome. It took your parents. It was only a matter of time before it took the rest of us.” She sighed. “I’m not as gifted as your mother when it comes to healing. I could sing it to sleep but not the way she could. It’s why I took your sister far away from here. In the hope that we could spare you and Sadie by staying far away, forever playing decoy if we had to. I truly believed we could find a way to get rid of it,” said Celeste, rubbing at her temples in exhaustion. She looked so tired. “We would banish it before it could make the outcomes I saw a reality.”

How her world had changed once again overnight. Celeste the villain had become…poor Celeste?

“But you’re home now.”

“Because we failed,” said Celeste simply. “You were never supposed to develop that Star. It didn’t matter how far we ran. Once that Star appeared, the entity knew exactly how to find you and worm its way in.”

“But you don’t get to give up now!” Charley said, and she realized she was yelling at her aunt. But she didn’t care. The tears she’d tried to hold back fell in earnest. It was too plain. Too cruel. “Not when we’re together. I am only just learning what I’m capable of.” A Star in her hand—a universe of possibilities. So many ways the other side had revealed itself to her mother, her sister, to herself. There was so much yet to learn, like which one of her family’s abilities would manifest the strongest. The thought came to her then, fully formed.

“You can sing Caroline to sleep?” Charley asked. “I know you said that was Mom’s gift, but you can as well?”

Celeste nodded. “Not as assuredly as your mom. But if I have time to prepare, yes.”

Charley showed her the Star on her hand. “What if I could ensure a moment where we make that happen?” Celeste stared at her, her features inscrutable. “When Miranda and I are on that stage together and she opens herself up to the passengers, do you think Caroline will make herself known?”

Celeste nodded thoughtfully. “It’s highly likely that Caroline would choose that moment to try and attack her.”

“And you can help Miranda contain her?”

“Indeed I can.” Celeste studied her for a long moment, a smile at her lips. “You are so much like your grandmother, chère. I know you made her proud.”

Charley laughed, a derisive sound. “I don’t know about that.”

“It’s true. And you never needed a Star on your hand to prove your worth.”

Hadn’t Sadie said the same? Charley looked at the floor where the Seeker’s Star had been carved into the floor. An act of love to keep her protected? An act of violence to trap a demonic force? There were more questions than answers, and her Seeker’s Star had yet to provide any conclusion.

“I think when you get the final mark on your hand, you will have all the answers you’ve been searching for,” Celeste said thoughtfully.

When. Charley’s breath caught in her throat. When I get the mark. “Do you know what’s going to happen to me?” She had always wanted to know the answer to that question, even if she’d complained when her family tried to peer into her mind when she was little. There was no point when there was no Star. But now?

“Look at me, child.” Celeste pointed her chin at Charley so that the scar running down her cheek was prominent. “Is this the face of someone at peace with knowing the future?” She smiled ruefully. “Because I love you, I would never do that to you.”

Charley wiped the tears from her face. “We’ve got a murderous spirit after us. I think I deserve a little heads-up.”

Celeste fell silent, considering Charley for a long time.

“I will tell you this much,” she said finally, offering a cryptic smile. “You’re going to throw the most memorable Spectacular this house has ever seen.”

Thirty-Four

October 24, 2008

The TV appearance may have been a disaster, but disasters sold tickets.

“Charley!” exclaimed Zavier, wrapping both her and Astrid into a group hug when they’d barely reached the landing.