Fate's Demand (Twisted Fate, Book 3)

Chapter Thirty-Two

A/N: This took a while to post, and I am sorry. You get an extra long chapter for being patient :)

She bit her lip and began thinking of school, the new friends she'd made at Glory Academy, and... Mike. Anything but what I asked for. Unless she'd thought of Mike because I asked about David? But then, had she thought of Mike because he was David or because she was trying not to think of Gabe, who was really David? I was so confused.

"Come on, Suzie! I deserve to know!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Gabe asked, looking at Suzie's pinched expression.

"She wants to know who David is." Suzie's voice was strained as she tried to speak without thinking of the answer.

She was smart, though. Instead of trying to think of something opposite of what I wanted to know, she started to think of Mike and Gabe together. When I hadn't heard anything during the chaos of grad and then when the quiet had continued when we arrived at Glory Academy, I'd thought my ability to read minds had faded. Or maybe that it had just been a side-effect of what they called my transition that lead to my eighteenth birthday. Maybe it had been my imagination all along and Suzie didn't really think I was crazy.

Turning, I faced Gabe, Mike, and Raffy. Nothing. Why couldn't I hear anything from them? Was it because they were angels? Was I limited because of where I was? Maybe that's why I hadn't heard anything until Suzie was here. All the Pure Souls were dead, and angels were never born. Suzie, however, was still alive.

"Suzie, you should go," Raffy said, nodding to the door.

It wasn't an order but a suggestion, firm but kind.

"No," I said. That was an order, but Suzie still edged towards the door. I faced her again. "Why are you leaving?"

"Because you are reading my mind!" She reached for the handle. "I'm sorry, Aly."

"Wait."

Suzie looked up, still concentrating on not providing me with the answer to my question. It looked painful, I realized, and then felt bad for pushing—friends wouldn't be so hard on each other. A weight settled into my stomach and I swallowed the lump in my throat.

What would I do if our roles had been reversed? While it was clear that Suzie both idolized and feared the authority of those who brought us here, we were best friends. If it was me, I would tell her whose face the boy she loved hid behind and then make sure to convey the dangers of whatever her visions had shown to make her hesitant. But then, she couldn't possibly understand that it would be enough to know, even though I couldn't act on that knowledge.

She thought she was doing the right thing.

"I'm sorry for asking," I said, catching her eye. "Can you please tell the people in the hall that I need some time before we talk? They should go to whatever their next class is." I paused until she nodded, and then added, "Tell them I'm sorry."

Suzie nodded and left, and the door clicked shut quietly behind her. Mike's face flashed as she retreated, leaving me further confused. Her voice rose as she relayed what I'd said, and I felt a twinge of guilt seep into my conscious.

Suzie was so excited to come here. Why couldn't I just let her enjoy it? At the very least, I could give her a day to get settled and make friends. I mean, if I were to accept my role, I probably wouldn't have the same time with her as we usually did. Suzie wasn't the type of person to be okay sitting around with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Perhaps that was why she was getting so close with Mike.

"Alyssa?"

Gabe's voice startled me from my thoughts, and I looked back to find all three of them watching me.