“Afghanistan. We didn’t hear from him for nearly a month and the network had no idea where he was or who had him. And then the kidnappers.
they released a. a videotape.”
“But you already knew, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” I said, shuddering at the memory of the horrific vision.
“There are some things in this world that are worse than monsters, aren’t there?”
I nodded. It was a strange thing to say, but he was right. “He was so mad at me when he left; he thought I was being selfish. I had seen everything — his kidnapping, his murder. I tried to tell him, tried to convince Patsy to make him stay, but he was furious. Said I shouldn’t scare Patsy like that, that she had enough to worry about with him away.”
“You can’t blame yourself, Violet.”
Tears burned behind my eyes. “I should have done more to stop him.”
“What could you possibly have done to stop him? Some people don’t want to believe anything beyond the ordinary. They walk right into danger with their eyes wide open, refusing to see what’s right in front of them.”
I knew he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. “I should have made him see.”
“He loved his job, didn’t he?” Aidan asked.
“He did. Maybe more than he loved me.” As I said it, I realized that that was what was really bothering me, what was eating away at my insides.
He shook his head. “C’mon, Vi, do you really believe that?”
A single tear slipped down my cheek, and I wiped it away with the back of one hand. “I guess not.”
“What about your stepmother?” he asked. “What did she say when she realized that you had been right?”
“Are you kidding? She never believed it. I tried to tell her, tried to explain about the visions, but all that got me was a visit to the shrink. I guess she convinced herself it was just a coincidence. It’s not like it’s unheard of, what happened. Something like that was always a possibility, whether I had foreseen it or not.”
“I suppose so. But I saw what happened to you when you had a vision your first day here. You stumbled, and sort of zoned out or something. How did you explain that all those years?”
“Trust me, they dragged me to a ton of doctors. Never could find a medical explanation, so they just called it a mild seizure disorder and left it at that.”
“And you were okay with them thinking that?”
“It was either that or a padded cell. The rest of the world isn’t like Winterhaven, you know,” I said sharply.
“You’re right,” he said. “I’m sorry. I guess I’ve been here long enough that I sometimes forget.”
I took a deep breath.
“So, where do you live now?” I finally asked. “When you’re not here, I mean.”
“I have a place in Manhattan,” he answered.
“Alone?” He wasn’t an adult; he had to have some sort of legal guardian or something.
“I’ve got Trevors,” he clarified, and I could hear a trace of amusement in his voice.
He rolled onto his side, facing me. “Trevors is. like family.” Next thing I knew, his cool fingers were on my face, tracing a line from my temple down to my chin. I just held my breath, not moving a muscle, waiting for him to say something. I could feel my own heart beating fast and furious, and I wondered if his was doing the same.
Finally he spoke. “I don’t understand it, Violet. You’re both a part of my past and a part of my future. You feel it too, don’t you?”
“I think so,” I murmured. I was definitely feeling. something. I reached out and touched the cut on his forehead, my fingertip barely brushing the wound. “How’d you get this?” I asked, sensing his body tense beneath my touch.
There was a trace of amusement in his voice when he answered. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Well, I hope the other guy looks worse,” I teased.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“You’re really good at avoiding questions, aren’t you?” I said with a laugh.
“Hey, I’m not the only one who dodges questions. You never really told me what you saw in your vision today.”
“Do I have to?” I didn’t really want to think about it, much less discuss it.
He nodded. “It’s kind of. important.”
With a sigh, I relented. “Okay, fine. You were walking down a foggy street in Manhattan. A dark, seedy street, and I was following you. That’s about it,” I said, hedging.
“No, there’s more. You have to tell me exactly what you saw that frightened you so badly.”
I shook my head, trying to tamp down my rising panic. “No, I can’t. Besides, you can read my mind. You tell me what I saw.”
“I can’t see your visions,” he snapped, sounding frustrated.
My breath hitched in my chest. “Is that the real reason you brought me here tonight? To hear about my visions?”
His hand found mine. “No. I brought you here because I knew you would appreciate this place as much as I do, and because I wanted to spend some time with you. Still, I wish you would tell me exactly what you saw.” His fingers were on my face again, and I felt myself relenting. I knew he was somehow manipulating me, and yet I was powerless to stop it.
I sighed in defeat. “Like I said, I was following you down some seedy street. And then, I don’t know, there was a flash of movement, or something.
I called out your name and you turned around. There was. blood.” I swallowed hard, unable to go on.
“Blood where?”
I shrugged, not really wanting to remember. “I don’t know, your face, I think. That’s it, that’s all I saw.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, his voice firm.
And just like that, my fear evaporated. Disappeared. I sat up, shaking my head in frustration. “Stop it, Aidan. Stop manipulating me like that.”
He sat up too. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”