Deceptions (Cainsville 3)

He laughed, and it was a glorious thing to hear, and I wanted . . . I wanted more. I wanted to capture this mood and hold on to it. Abandon any purpose for being here, grab his hand and race around to the lake side, show him the best place to climb up and gaze out over the water, to explore the ruins and not care why we'd come. Seize this playful mood of his and see how far I could take it. To be immature and, yes, childish.

The moment I thought that, I heard a child's giggle. I spun around.

"Olivia?" Gabriel said.

He stepped closer, shades off as he looked about, frowning slightly, but the good humor lingering in his eyes, along with a warmth and an openness I hadn't seen there before.

The giggle came again. I wanted to ignore it. Go away and let me have my moment. It might never come again and--

A small figure slipped from the shadows of the garages. It was the blond girl from my dreams and visions. She wore Mary Jane shoes and an organdy party dress covered in roses.

I spun to check on Gabriel.

"Don't worry," she said. "He's still there."

He followed my gaze, and his frown deepened.

"He doesn't see me." She tilted her head, her eyes fixed on him. "Not really. But he senses I'm here."

I remembered the alley, how we'd been separated and I'd seen Gwrach y Rhibyn washing what seemed to be his shirt. I glanced back at him. "Stay close, okay?"

Another lift of his brows, as if to say, Of course.

"He will," the girl said. "For as long as you let him. And you must let him. Both of them. It's when you choose that you are doomed. All of you. All of us."

"I'm not good with riddles," I said.

"Olivia . . . ?" Gabriel's voice was low, as if to avoid frightening away whatever he could not see.

"It's the girl," I said.

"The girl?" She scrunched up her nose. "I have a name. Many of them."

"And they are . . . ?"

"You already know a few. Matilda. Eden. Olivia. I have more, but the others aren't as important."

"So you're . . . me? Some memory of myself?"

"I am you, and I'm not you. I'm all of you. All of them. They are you, and they are not you."

"More riddles. Great."

Her nose scrunched again. "They aren't riddles. They're facts. You just don't understand them. I need to tell you the story."

"Is that why we were summoned here?"

She hesitated. Then she gave a sly smile. "Yes, that's exactly why--"

"How'd you do it?"

"Summon you? I . . ."

"You didn't. Someone else did, for some other purpose."

"Yes, but it's not important."

"It is to me."