Deceptions (Cainsville 3)

Walter looked at Ida, and Ida stepped back and started to close the gate.

Gabriel strode forward, so abruptly he startled them. "No," he said. "Actually, I don't want you to leave. I want you to fix this."

"Fix what?" Ida asked.

He waved at me.

When they looked perplexed, I said, "He means me. Apparently, I'm broken, and it's annoying him."

Now I got the cold glower. I met it with one of my own. He turned back to the Clarks.

"Olivia is having visions, and--"

"Visions?" Ida worked hard to affix a proper expression of sympathy on her face, but she looked like a starving coyote spotting roadkill. "What kind of visions?"

Gabriel moved between us. She looked up at him. "What kind of visions, Gabriel? I can't help her if I don't know."

He met her gaze and said nothing. After five seconds of silence, he replied with, "She is having visions. You will fix them or tell her how to fix them. Now."

"The visions are important for--"

"For you, I'm sure. For Olivia, they're dangerous. She spiked a hundred-and-four-degree fever after one last week. I understand that you might not be well versed in human physiology, so let me explain. At a hundred and five degrees, brain damage can occur and the fever becomes life-threatening. If you suspect me of exaggerating, please speak to Dr. Webster."

A hundred-and-four-degree fever? No wonder he worried every time my temperature rose.

"I'm sorry--" Ida began.

"No, you're not."

Her lips tightened and a warning flashed in her eyes. "Yes, Gabriel, I am. You're upset, so I'm tolerating your disrespect--"

"You will tolerate my disrespect even when I'm not upset, Ida. Or you can ask me to leave Cainsville. If I was respectful in the past, it was due to compulsion. I don't give a damn what your plans are. I care that Olivia is being forced to watch visions of people and fae dying, horribly, for no apparent purpose--"

"There is a purpose, Gabriel. Anything she's seeing is for a reason."

"She's having dangerous fevers and falling into visions in the street, ones that could have her stumbling into the path of a car. If anything happens to her, Ida, I will hold you responsible."

"We would never hurt--" Ida began.

"Then fix this."

Ida locked glares with Gabriel. "If Olivia is seeing visions, Gabriel, it's because she needs to see them. We can't stop them. As angry as you are right now, I know you understand how important Olivia is to us and that we'd do nothing to harm her."

"Can I control them?" I asked. All three looked at me as if one of the statues had begun speaking. "Is there some way of letting them play out, fully and safely, and getting it over with?"

The silence that followed told me the answer was no, but after a moment Ida said, "If you tell us exactly what you're seeing--all of it--we might be able to figure out some--"

"Nice try," I said. "Let's do it the other way. Tell

me when you figure out how I can have these visions safely, and if it works, I'll share what I see. Deal?"

Gabriel nodded, agreeing with my suggestion. Then he put his hand to my back and steered me past them to the gate.

"We'd still like to speak to you, Olivia," Walter said. "Not about this. About other things. We're glad you're back."

"Temporarily."

"Still, we're glad you're back."