Page 23 of The Mist of Stars
Then I feel it—a shift in the air. My gaze is drawn to the stairway, where a girl with long brown hair and violet eyes is descending.
It’s me.
Before she can see me, I hurriedly duck behind a sofa. Then I hold my breath, waiting to see what will happen.
“You’re so slow,” the woman scolds Vision Me. “You need to skip breakfast and get your butt out to the bus stop.”
“Okay,” I reply, my voice sounding strangely numb.
I peer around the side of the sofa to see what’s going on. I spot Vision Me walking toward the front door while adjusting her backpack. She has the same eyes as me, the same face, the same hair, and yet something feels different. Perhaps it’s how detached I look.
Once Vision Me exits the house, I hear the woman in the kitchen.
“I really wish this hadn’t been put on us,” she gripes. “She’s exhausting.”
“She’s empty,” a man responds in a blasé tone. “What else do you expect? She’s practically walking around like a robot. And that was your choice—you’re the one who cast a spell on her soul.”
My eyes widen. What the heck is this?
“You were part of that, too,” she snaps. “All the keepers were. Well, except for the rebellious ones. But those are few and far between anymore.”
“Speaking of which,” the man says, “have you heard from Stephan lately?”
Stephan? As in Aislin and Alex’s father?
“No … It has me concerned, especially since the last time I spoke with him, I told him about my concern over Gemma showing signs of emotions,” she says. “I’m worried if she keeps heading in that direction, the star’s power will be at risk.”
Star?
Power?
Huh?
I’m on the verge of doing something super stupid—stepping out and demanding some answers—but I’m jerked back the moment I stand up.
I gasp as light circles me, and then I suddenly land in the witch’s shop. My boots scuff against the floor as I struggle to keep my balance.
“Gemma!” Aislin screeches. “Oh my God, you made it back.”
I blink until my vision comes back into focus.
She’s standing in front of me, her face pale, her eyes wide with worry.
“I left?”
“Um … yeah.” She assesses me with deep concern. “Do you not remember?”
I rub my head, glancing back at the crystal ball that’s on the counter. “No, I remember. I was just hoping it was a dream. Apparently not.”
“Here you go.” Amelia pushes through the beaded doorway again. She has a few small boxes and glass bottles in her hand. She takes one look at us and frowns. “What’s wrong? You two look very pale.”
“Nothing,” Aislin and I both say simultaneously.
I’m glad we’re on the same page to keep what just happened a secret, especially since I have no idea what exactly occurred. Did I really go into a vision? If so, who were those two people who treated me so cruelly? And who the heck is this Nicholas guy?
Amelia looks unconvinced but doesn’t press as she sets the boxes and bottles down on the counter beside the wooden box that contains the stardust. “This is everything you’ll need for the spell,” she informs us, her gaze bouncing between the two of us. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Yep,” Aislin and I both lie again, probably looking so sketchy. But what else am I supposed to do? If I did enter a vision without the mark, then that probably means something is wrong with me. And according to the vision I saw, something definitely is.