Prophecy Girl (Lacuna Valley #1)

Chapter Eight

“So that's how your mother knew! Wow, I really don't know what to do right now.” Nick ran both of his hands through his hair. He kept peeking at Sam, smiling, shaking his head, and looking all around the room.

“So, you're...” Sam picked at hangnails and stared down at her hands. “You're the...”

“Boy who guards the orb. Unless of course she meant my dad.” Nick laughed nervously, sat on his hands, and then jumped up and stood in front of the window.

“Nick, I need to know everything.”

Nick turned back to her. His eyes were wide and full of innocent surprise. “Samantha, I really don't know anything about all of this. It was hard enough going up and talking to you when you were just a pretty girl. I don't know if I even could have done it if someone had told me you were also my destined wife. This is way over my head here, Sam!”

Sam turned her face into the arm of the sofa. This was not the conversation she wanted to be having. “I meant the orb, and Violet manipulating things, and the mechanics of all this fortunetelling stuff. And what you knew. And everything. Tell me everything that's going on here.”

“Oh. Oh, jesus.” Both of his hands slapped over his face.

“Moving on...” Sam prompted when it didn't look like he was going to say more.

“Right, okay. Well, it's all really this whole big long... thing. The whole mechanics of fortunetelling, I mean, I only know so much. What do you want to know?” Nick was talking with his arms waving wildly in the air, pacing in front of the sofa Sam was curled up on.

“Well, my grandmother had these dreams and wrote them down in this journal. But from what she said, it looks like things were similar from the dreams, but the actual events were a little bit different. So, what's all that about?”

“Dreams are always kind of abstract, right? I don't really know that much about it, but my dad has a bunch of books about dream interpreting and stuff over there.” Nick pointed to the stacks of books surrounding a computer in the dining room.

“So, do all her dreams really happen then?” Sam's face was bright red. She felt exposed and powerless and she hated everything about all of this. She hated having to get answers about her own life from someone she barely knew.

Nick stopped in his tracks. “Well, I don't know. My dad has always said that nothing is set in stone, and everything we do forges our futures, so we better get off our butts and do something.” Nick smiled to himself. “But, has anything in that journal not happened?”

“Not that I see.”

“Well, okay then.” Nick shrugged and sat back down next to Sam, suddenly relaxed.

“I guess that means my mother is going to kill Violet. And me.” The rock in her gut sunk a little deeper. It wouldn't be as bad if she didn't know. It's not like she hadn't always thought her mother might kill her, but Violet? And to know was so much different than just to believe. It wasn't an abstract fear anymore. There was no telling herself that the bee wouldn't sting her if she stayed real calm—the bee was going to sting her. The only real question, was when.

“That isn't going to happen. I promise.” Nick's fists clenched in his lap.

“But everything that is going to happen, happens.”

“She saw your mother ordering your deaths. That just means she intends to kill you. We'll stop it.” Nick folded his arms across his chest and nodded to himself. This did nothing to comfort Sam at all. The dreams seemed a clear enough mandate to her. She stared at him for a few minutes until her anger swelled. Behind all the fear that was controlling her, was pure fury. And suddenly, she remembered exactly who to be mad at. She sat up straight on the sofa, her eyes coming into a cold glare, and folded her arms across her chest.