Cold Tomorrow

[23]

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

I awake with a start, my stomach churning as if I've just jumped off a skyscraper. Images and voices swirl through my mind fast enough to give me a headache.

A second later, the exhaustion hits.

My muscles slackening, vision blurring, I can do nothing to stop myself from collapsing onto the couch.

"Melissa!" Katherine exclaims. Her voice reaches my ears muted, as if it's had to pass through a wall. "What's wrong with her?" she demands.

"She's just had a vision - possibly more than one - where for the first time she could control it," Renée tells her. "Obviously, it's used up a lot of her reserves. She's tired, is all."

But even with my sluggish mind, I know there's more to it. It's like with the truck at the intercept - for some reason, I'm not as strong as I once was. I'm tiring.

A few minutes later, my strength begins to return, regeneration kicking in and fuelling my tired mind and body. Gradually, I ease myself back up into a sitting position.

"Welcome back," Renée says, almost finished packing up her things.

I reach for her arm, stopping her. "Don't. I didn't finish."

Her eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't finish the vision. It - collapsed before I could. I was too tired." I take a breath, still working off the last of the exhaustion. "Please, you have to send me back. I have to see it."

Renée withdraws her arm. "I don't think that's wise."

"The prophecy?" Ethel asks from across the room.

I nod. "I was so close to seeing it. A couple more seconds was all I needed."

Renée finishes packing up her things and stands. Approaching her, Ethel asks, "Could you come back tomorrow maybe? Melissa should be rested by then and she only needs to have one more vision. It would hardly take up any of your time."

"My debt has been paid. I owe you nothing."

"Renée," Katherine says. "Without this prophecy, we won't know what we're up against."

"That is not my problem." Renée grabs her bag and heads for the door.

I look franticly between Ethel, Katherine and Renée. Without thinking, I push myself to my feet. Dizziness washes over me, my vision pinpricked with small dots of light, and for a moment I sway, on the brink of falling over. But my head clears and when it does, I rush after the witch.

She's already at the door and is swinging it open when I get there.

"Please," I say, and she turns to look back at me. "If I don't see that prophecy, something terrible will happen - and I won't be able to stop it. Don't you care what happens in this world?"

"My dear, I have never cared."

"But it's your home."

She narrows her piercing black eyes. "Let's not make assumptions."

"What do you mean?" I ask. "There's only one world." When she doesn't answer, I look to those around me. "What does she mean?"

"You know what I mean, you just haven't realised it," Renée replies. Then she seems to consider something. "Tomorrow. 10am. But this is a one-off."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Renée," Ethel says.

Renée just nods. Then the air around her begins to shimmer and warp, and a second later, she vanishes.