Page 11 of The Mist of Stars

“Oh.” A crease forms between his brows as he reaches forward and moves tree branches out of the way. “When did this happen?”

“This morning.” I stare at him. “Why does it even matter?”

He rubs his lips together. “It doesn’t.” He faces the forest, still holding the tree branches out of the way. Then, sucking in a breath, he steps into the trees.

I follow suit, and my jaw drops.

The leaves, bushes, and flowers dotting the area emit a lavender glow, sheltering everything from the darkness.

“Wow,” I whisper in awe as I turn in a circle, taking in the way the leaves dangle above us, glowing like a massive chandelier.

“As pretty as this is, we still need to be on alert,” he stresses, his body tensing. “For all we know, there could be?—”

He’s cut off by the sound of laughter echoing through the air.

It sounds close.

Really, really close.

Our gazes lock, and then he’s snatching a hold of my hand and yanking me behind nearby bushes. He pulls me with him as he quickly crouches down.

“What—”

He hurriedly places his hand over my mouth. “Shh …” he whispers, giving me a pressing look.

Before I can question what the hell his problem is, voices flutter from the other side of the bush.

“What’re we doing out here?” a girl asks in a light tone. Her voice sounds familiar.

“I have a surprise for you,” a guy replies, his voice filled with both excitement and nervousness. “Just stand right here, okay?”

She laughs, and that’s when it hits me.

“Wait …” My voice is muffled against the palm of Alex’s hand. I don’t need to speak the words aloud, though. His expression reveals that he already knows.

That the two people standing on the other side of the bush are us.

4GEMMA

I’ve heard my father talk about the visions he’s seen, what they look like, how they come to him. He says it’s like entering another world where the vision exists in that realm. He’s part of it, and the people in it can see him.

If we’re in a vision, which this seems like we are, then we need to stay hidden.

Although, perhaps they’re doppelgangers.

“How the heck did we get into a vision?” Alex whispers under his breath as he lowers his hand from my mouth.

“How do you know that’s what this is?” I whisper back.

His mouth opens then closes as the vision version of me says, “What was that?”

“I’m not sure,” Vision Alex tells her. “Maybe the wind.”

We hold our breaths, hoping they don’t come looking for us. Not that I’m afraid of them, but it’s weird, and if this is a vision, we could mess up future events.

“Maybe we should go back,” Vision Me says with a bit of anxiousness in her voice.

“No, wait—I need to give you your surprise,” Vision Alex hurriedly says.