Twenty-Eight

Cole

The sun was just beginning to set when Bobby called. I put away the laptop and pictures we'd printed earlier and answered his call. "Did you make it home?"

"Yes, I just pulled up to my house. Do you miss me yet?"

"I do miss you," I said, and tried to ignore the way my cheeks hurt from smiling so wide.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about a few things," Bobby said, his voice suddenly serious.

"What's going on?" I hoped he wasn't about to tell me he was done with all the weird shit, but hell, even I was done with it. I just wanted more normal boring days like today.

"I stopped at the carnival on the way home," he said.

"What for?"

"I wanted to see if I could find out more about why you could hear thoughts once we were there."

"I hadn't thought of that. What did you find out?" I asked and held my breath waiting for his reply.

"I spoke to the two men that were at the entrance. I didn't get the feeling they were open to telling me too much, but one guy, Errante, gave me an idea. He said if you had been touched by magic it would leave a trace, and a psychic might be able to help you learn more about it."

"I don't know anything about that," I said, and cold dread washed over me. First it was lightning, then hearing other people's thoughts, now magic and psychics? What was next, werewolves and vampires?

"I spoke to my mum. I don't know if I told you, but she's gone to a psychic for as long as I've been alive. In fact, one of them told her when she'd get pregnant and when she'd give birth. I know it sounds crazy, but I can tell you it's the real deal." Bobby was serious and I trusted him no matter how crazy I might have thought this was a few months ago. Now I knew there was a whole world out there I knew nothing about, but that didn't make it any less real.

"Where is this psychic?" I asked, not sure what else to say.

"She's in Ireland, but my mum does sessions with her virtually, so she's going to ask her when she's available and whenever that is I'm going to make sure we're both there. I won't let you deal with this alone." The sincerity in his voice rang out clear and my heart clenched at the thought he cared enough to make sure he was there for me. That meant more to me than I thought it would.

"Let me know and I'll make it happen. I know the time difference might be an issue so just tell me and I'll come to your house. I mean if that's okay with you." I didn't want him to think I expected an invitation, but I knew I'd be a nervous wreck if I was home by myself and I knew he was in the middle of it by himself. I'd never talked to a psychic before, and I would have been lying if I said I wasn't nervous. But if it helped me to be rid of this power and all the bullshit surrounding it, I was more than willing to try anything.

"I'll let you know. I really think it's better for you to come here. My mum can join us, she has a lot of experience with psychics, so she'll know just what to ask. I hope you don't mind, I filled her in on all that's happened."

"Bobby, thank you. You didn't have to do any of this, and I want you to know I really do appreciate it. If I was on my own—well I'm not sure what I'd do," I said, and swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.

"We'll figure it all out, and we'll get through this," Bobby said, and I believed him. Because Bobby wasn't a quitter and he'd done everything in his power to make sure I was safe and that we had as much information as we could find. "I mean it, Cole."

"I know you do. I just worry what happens next. Every time we find out one thing, it seems like something else happens. I can't live my life always waiting for whatever weird thing comes next."

"I wish I was there to hold you. Please don't give up hope. I promise, Cole, we're going to figure it out."

"Thank you, Bobby." His words touched a part of me I never knew existed. The part of me that wanted love and needed to know there was someone out there who would care if I wasn't here anymore.

"Did you find anything in the mural?" Bobby asked, thankfully changing the subject.

"I did find one thing, but I'm not sure what it is exactly or if it means anything."

"What is it?" he asked.

"I was working on that one part that was written smaller than the other writing. There was a word I didn't recognize. Haniel, any idea what that means?" I shuffled the paper I'd printed off to make it easier for me to keep track of what we'd gone over already and what was still left.

"No, it's not familiar to me. Did you try searching?" Bobby asked, and I knew he'd be on it when he put the phone on speaker.

"No, I just found it before you called. It was all written so small I had to blow it up and print it off. It's more of the same ramblings but then that word, over and over again." I typed the word into the laptop and scrolled through the results. "That can't be right."

"What did you find?" Bobby asked, but I could tell he was seeing the same thing.

"An archangel," I whispered.