violet eyes were huge and I wondered from the terrified expression on my face, if when this had all taken place, I’d sensed something terrible was about to happen to me.
“Here she is,” Marco said, handing me over to Stephan.
Stephan stared down at me with what only could be described as the most sinister look I’ve ever seen. “Hello, Gemma. Are you ready to go?”
Little Gemma shook her head. “No.”
“Well too bad.” Stephan raised his eyes away from me and looked at Sophia. “Let’s get this taken care of.”
Seeing Marco and Sophia standing there, being a part of all of this had me shaking with anger. Yeah, I already knew they played a part in this, but seeing it…It was sending me into a fit of rage.
Stephan told Little Gemma to go sit down in the chair, and with great reluctance she obeyed. I wondered if I ever thought about running. I wondered if I had any idea of what was about to happen to me.
Sophia stood in front of me as she hesitantly reached for my head. Little Gemma recoiled, pressing herself back into the chair. She knew something bad was about to happen. I could tell—I could feel it in my own bones.
To my surprise, Sophia pulled back her hand. “Are you sure this has to be done?” She asked Stephan. “She’s just a little girl—Jocelyn’s little girl.”
“I understand that. But even before she disappeared, Jocelyn agreed that this must be done,” Stephan’s voice seemed to have a hypnotic effect on Sophia, like he had lulled her into a calming state of mind. “We have to do this to save the world. If Gemma keeps…” his eyes wandered over to Little Gemma who was listening intently. “Yes, we have to do this. Now get it done.”
Looking extremely upset, Sophia turned back to me, and put her hands on my head. “Just relax, Gemma. It will be over in a moment.”
Marco put his hand on Sophia’s shoulder, comforting her. And I—and I mean the real foreseer-traveling-me—stood gaping in horror at this scene. They didn’t know. Marco and Sophia hadn’t known what Stephan was really planning to do. They thought they had been doing the world good. All those horrible, torturous years of living with them, and their cold and distant behavior, had all been because of Stephan’s lies. I never thought I could hate someone so much. But, oh yeah, I did. The rage of prickles on my neck was letting me know that.
“Just a second,” Stephan said suddenly. He moved toward Little Gemma and grabbed hold of a thin chain hanging around her neck—my locket.
“Hey,” Little Gemma protested as Stephan yanked it off of her neck, snapping the chain. “My mom gave that to me.”
Stephan gave her a look that I’m sure had to have sent a shiver down her spine, because it sent one down my own. “You’ll get it back just as soon as Sophia is done.”
Liar.
Putting her hands back on my head, Sophia muttered something under her breath, and her hands started to glow a bright gold. I gasped at the same time Little Gemma gasped, and I actually saw…I actually saw the life slip from her violet eyes, like a light switch had been flipped off.
Sophia pulled her hands away, the golden light fading from her hands. “There, it’s done.” She turned to Stephan. “Now what do we do.”
“Now you and Marco will take her to Afton, just like we talked about,” Stephan said, seeming pleased. Umm…How could they not be suspicious of him? “And you’ll make sure she stays this way. Understood?”
Sophia nodded. “Okay, then.”
As they all gathered to leave, I watched Little Gemma move robotically as Sophia guided her out of the room. I did not follow because I didn’t want to follow. I wanted to go back and forget this ever happened. But deep down I knew only one of these things was possible.
I closed my eyes and willed myself to leave this place. And before I knew it, I was being yanked back.
Chapter 12
My eyes shot open and the first thing I saw was a dark blue ceiling. Then Laylen’s worried faced appeared above me.
What just…happened?” He spoke slowly as if he was too terrified to speak.
I started to sit up, but he put his hand on my shoulder, pinning me down. “Don’t sit up until we figure out why you passed out.”
“I didn’t pass out,” I told him. “I went into a vision.”