Oath Bound
Page 33
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“Service?” From Vanessa.
“Information?” Kris held my gaze with an intense one of his own. “Do you have information Julia wants?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Are you going to sign with them?” Vanessa repeated, her forehead deeply lined. Kori hadn’t asked me if I would work for the Towers—only if I had. “Don’t sign with them.”
Before I could answer, Hadley spoke around a mouthful of noodles. “Sera won’t work for them.” The child chewed and swallowed, while every head in the room turned toward her. “She’ll work for herself.”
“What, she’s a Reader, too?” I couldn’t tear my gaze from the little girl, who seemed completely unaware of the seven sets of eyes staring at her. “What is she, five?” How could a child that young already have a Skill?
“Seven...” Anne mumbled. “But she’s not reading you.” The mother sank into a squat next to her daughter’s chair, one hand on the little girl’s denim-clad knee. “Hadley, honey, how do you know that?”
Hadley shrugged, digging another spoonful from her bowl. “Dunno.”
“Are you sure?” Anne asked, while everyone else seemed to be holding their breath, and I wasn’t sure if she was asking whether the child was sure about what she’d said, or about not knowing how she knew.
“Yeah.” Hadley looked up from her bowl. “Can I have some cheese? The sprinkle kind?”
Ian opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a green canister of Parmesan, then set it on the table in front of Hadley, who immediately opened it and dumped what must have been a quarter of the canister into her bowl.
“Do you know anything else interesting?” Anne said, while her daughter stirred dried cheese into her noodles.
“About her?” Hadley glanced at me, and my stomach started to twist.
“Sure.” Kris had given his full attention to the child. “Or about anything else.”
The little girl blinked at me, apparently considering the question. “She’ll go back to that house. And she’s gonna tell you she’s not really Sera.”
“What?” The unease in the bottom of my stomach spread until my entire body felt tense. “What the hell is she talking about?”
“Holy shit, she got Elle’s Skill,” Kris half whispered, and my confusion thickened.
Kori shook her head. “No way. She’s too young.”
Kris shrugged. “Elle was young, too.”
“Who’s Elle?” Vanessa glanced from one face to the next expectantly, and I was relieved to see that someone else seemed as lost as I felt.
“Not that young,” Kori insisted, and it was clear the Daniels siblings were holding their own conversation.
Anne stroked her daughter’s hair. “We don’t know when Elle’s Skill manifested. It was before any of us met her. That’s all we can be sure of.”
“Okay, who the hell is Elle, why would Hadley have her Skill and what does she mean I’m not really Sera?” I demanded, hands flat on the table. “Is there another Sera I should know about?”
“Noelle was Hadley’s biological mother,” Kori said, but I think she was explaining more for Vanessa’s benefit than for mine. “She died six years ago. She was a Seer.”
“Seriously?” Vanessa’s eyes were huge. I shared her surprise. According to my mom, Seers were very rare. They were also notoriously ambiguous.
“You’re telling me that first grader is a Seer?” I studied Hadley, searching for some sign that she knew more than she should about...anything, but she seemed completely oblivious not just of the future, but of the present. She sat there scooping the last cheese-coated bits of noodle from the bottom of her bowl, evidently unaware that everyone in the room was either scared of her or in awe.
“We’re as new to this particular party as you are.” Kori scooted her chair closer to the child’s, but before she could ask another question, Kris spoke over her again.
“Hadley, what else can you tell us about Sera?” Kori glared at him, and I joined her, but Kris only shrugged. “What? That’s what they’re here for, right? To find out why Sera was with Julia? To see if we can trust her?”
“That’s not...” Kori started, and this time it was the child who interrupted.
She was staring straight at me.
“He’ll bleed for you.” Hadley’s words sent chill bumps marching over my skin like troops on the battlefield. “He will cry for you, and he will lie for you, and he will kill for you. And you will leave him on the floor, like she left him in the bed, and he will never forgive either of you.”
Stunned silence settled over the room and we all stared at her. Then, as if she hadn’t heard a word she’d just said, Hadley pushed her empty bowl toward the center of the table. “Can I watch TV? Do you have The Little Mermaid?”
Vanessa practically jumped at the chance to park the child in front of a movie. “I don’t think we have that one, but there are several kids’ channels on cable.” She escorted Hadley out of the kitchen and a moment later a children’s laugh track bubbled out from the television in the living room.
“That’s a creepy little girl you’ve got there, Anne Lawson.” Gran set her bowl of pasta in the sink, almost untouched.
“Gran!” Kris scolded.
“Information?” Kris held my gaze with an intense one of his own. “Do you have information Julia wants?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Are you going to sign with them?” Vanessa repeated, her forehead deeply lined. Kori hadn’t asked me if I would work for the Towers—only if I had. “Don’t sign with them.”
Before I could answer, Hadley spoke around a mouthful of noodles. “Sera won’t work for them.” The child chewed and swallowed, while every head in the room turned toward her. “She’ll work for herself.”
“What, she’s a Reader, too?” I couldn’t tear my gaze from the little girl, who seemed completely unaware of the seven sets of eyes staring at her. “What is she, five?” How could a child that young already have a Skill?
“Seven...” Anne mumbled. “But she’s not reading you.” The mother sank into a squat next to her daughter’s chair, one hand on the little girl’s denim-clad knee. “Hadley, honey, how do you know that?”
Hadley shrugged, digging another spoonful from her bowl. “Dunno.”
“Are you sure?” Anne asked, while everyone else seemed to be holding their breath, and I wasn’t sure if she was asking whether the child was sure about what she’d said, or about not knowing how she knew.
“Yeah.” Hadley looked up from her bowl. “Can I have some cheese? The sprinkle kind?”
Ian opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a green canister of Parmesan, then set it on the table in front of Hadley, who immediately opened it and dumped what must have been a quarter of the canister into her bowl.
“Do you know anything else interesting?” Anne said, while her daughter stirred dried cheese into her noodles.
“About her?” Hadley glanced at me, and my stomach started to twist.
“Sure.” Kris had given his full attention to the child. “Or about anything else.”
The little girl blinked at me, apparently considering the question. “She’ll go back to that house. And she’s gonna tell you she’s not really Sera.”
“What?” The unease in the bottom of my stomach spread until my entire body felt tense. “What the hell is she talking about?”
“Holy shit, she got Elle’s Skill,” Kris half whispered, and my confusion thickened.
Kori shook her head. “No way. She’s too young.”
Kris shrugged. “Elle was young, too.”
“Who’s Elle?” Vanessa glanced from one face to the next expectantly, and I was relieved to see that someone else seemed as lost as I felt.
“Not that young,” Kori insisted, and it was clear the Daniels siblings were holding their own conversation.
Anne stroked her daughter’s hair. “We don’t know when Elle’s Skill manifested. It was before any of us met her. That’s all we can be sure of.”
“Okay, who the hell is Elle, why would Hadley have her Skill and what does she mean I’m not really Sera?” I demanded, hands flat on the table. “Is there another Sera I should know about?”
“Noelle was Hadley’s biological mother,” Kori said, but I think she was explaining more for Vanessa’s benefit than for mine. “She died six years ago. She was a Seer.”
“Seriously?” Vanessa’s eyes were huge. I shared her surprise. According to my mom, Seers were very rare. They were also notoriously ambiguous.
“You’re telling me that first grader is a Seer?” I studied Hadley, searching for some sign that she knew more than she should about...anything, but she seemed completely oblivious not just of the future, but of the present. She sat there scooping the last cheese-coated bits of noodle from the bottom of her bowl, evidently unaware that everyone in the room was either scared of her or in awe.
“We’re as new to this particular party as you are.” Kori scooted her chair closer to the child’s, but before she could ask another question, Kris spoke over her again.
“Hadley, what else can you tell us about Sera?” Kori glared at him, and I joined her, but Kris only shrugged. “What? That’s what they’re here for, right? To find out why Sera was with Julia? To see if we can trust her?”
“That’s not...” Kori started, and this time it was the child who interrupted.
She was staring straight at me.
“He’ll bleed for you.” Hadley’s words sent chill bumps marching over my skin like troops on the battlefield. “He will cry for you, and he will lie for you, and he will kill for you. And you will leave him on the floor, like she left him in the bed, and he will never forgive either of you.”
Stunned silence settled over the room and we all stared at her. Then, as if she hadn’t heard a word she’d just said, Hadley pushed her empty bowl toward the center of the table. “Can I watch TV? Do you have The Little Mermaid?”
Vanessa practically jumped at the chance to park the child in front of a movie. “I don’t think we have that one, but there are several kids’ channels on cable.” She escorted Hadley out of the kitchen and a moment later a children’s laugh track bubbled out from the television in the living room.
“That’s a creepy little girl you’ve got there, Anne Lawson.” Gran set her bowl of pasta in the sink, almost untouched.
“Gran!” Kris scolded.
