Fateful Signs (Ballad of the Seer, Book Three)

Chapter 5 - A Familiar Face

It had been almost thirty minutes since Lily and Duncan escaped from the guardians. Just as Lily was feeling safe and in the clear, her intuition kicked into high gear. Up ahead, several men and women were weaving through the small crowd, scanning each face as it passed. They each clutched a blue stone in their hand. Thanks to Ms. Birch, Lily knew exactly what they were doing. Those stones would show the blurry edges of glamours that were normally invisible to the eyes. If they spotted Lily and Duncan, they would see through their disguises immediately.

        Lily pulled Duncan into a small boutique, which she soon realized sold nothing but lingerie. "Feeling frisky, now?" he whispered amused.

        "May I help you find something?" the sales lady asked. She was short and plump, with round cheeks and curly hair. A string of pearls hung around her neck and matching earrings adorned her earlobes. A large diamond sparkled on her left ring finger.

        Lily froze, unsure what to say. Duncan, however, took over without missing a beat. "My fiancée is a bit shy." He placed his hands on Lily's shoulders. "She was just looking for something to wear for our wedding night. We're eloping, you see. On our way to Vegas after we leave here."

        The woman clapped her hands excitedly. "I just love to see such a nice young couple in love. I'd be happy to help you select some things."

        Lily nodded and the woman took her hand, pulling her toward the dressing rooms. She couldn't help but look back at him though. What he'd just done was so out of character for him. He rarely spoke to any of the strangers they'd met so far. And he was generally a terrible liar when he did. Making up phony back stories was typically her area of expertise.

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Dianna was running late this morning. Her alarm hadn't gone off and, as a result, she did not have the time to fix her hair or makeup. Normally, when something like that happened, Dianna could rely on her little brother to rudely awaken her in time, but today, of all days, Jonny had woken up with a fever. Their parents made him stay in bed. Nobody thought to mention that to Dianna, though.

        The halls were empty as she rushed to her second period class. Everyone looked up from their note-taking when Dianna entered the room. "You're late." said Mr. Murdoch, as if Dianna didn't know that. She almost made a snarky comment about it, but her better senses took over and she clamped her mouth shut, simply giving a nod to acknowledge what he'd said. "Do you have a note?"

        Dianna had used her last note from Nurse Judy yesterday, when she was late to Geometry, after her breakdown in the bathroom. She didn't expect that she would be getting anymore, either, since Nurse Judy had separated from her husband. Without her worrying that Dianna would tell what she had seen at the end of freshman year, Nurse Judy had no reason to continue supplying the notes. The nurse's fears were totally unfounded, though. Dianna never would have told Mr. Nurse Judy.

        Bobby gave Dianna a questioning look when she sat beside him. Dianna said nothing. Mr. Murdoch went back to giving one of his patented long-winded lectures.

        After class ended, Bobby followed Dianna to her locker. "Did you hear from Lily last night?"

        "No," Dianna said curtly, letting her hair loose from the messy bun, shaking her fingers through it to give it some volume, which didn't really help. "I didn't." Lily was the reason that Dianna had stayed up so late. She was supposed to call. She didn't. As the hours ticked by, Dianna grew weary and worried, wondering if something had happened to them. Lily never missed a scheduled call. Dianna had waited up until she could no longer hold her eyes open. At around three in the morning, she passed out, which is why she forgot to set her alarm.