Foretell (9 page)

“Not always,” Gabe said from up ahead.

“Eavesdropping much?” Lola asked. She was still annoyed with him for tying her up on the train. Gabe flashed a grin at her. Then he walked ahead a few more paces, respectfully leaving us with a measure of privacy.

“He used to show his work,” Lola explained. “But that was a long time ago. Back in his happier, carefree days.”

“What did the girl do to him?” I asked. “She must’ve really hurt him, being that he’s changed so drastically because of it.”

“Well, she had a lot to do with it. But his shift in attitude wasn’t entirely her fault. I personally believe the Constantin’s decision to abandon the Royal Courts had a greater impact on Rex’s attitude.”

“The Royal Courts?”

“The five royal families. Well, there’s only four now, if you exclude the Constantins. There’s the Bonjaras, Gabors, Dandolins and the
Lüceanus. Anyway,
the Constantins abandoned the courts and their people completely, which was no small thing. Within the gypsy tribes, abandonment is a huge disgrace.”

“So why did the Constantins leave?”

“For many reasons. It was hundreds of years ago when it happened. Times were different then. Many of the Royals were corrupt, immoral and greedy. There were constant power struggles. And like Gabe told you earlier, his mother was murdered by one of the former kings. For the Constantins, that crossed the line. They chose abandonment shortly after.

“It had been really hard on Rex. He’d embraced a sort of fellowship with the other Royals. Their betrayal was a shock to him.”

“I don’t blame him. That’s horrible,” I said. “So they’re no longer travelers?”

“They still travel every now and then. They just don’t live on the road with a tribe anymore.”

I thought about what Lola told me. Losing the life one was born into would be difficult. I knew a little about that. My life was never the same after my father died, and especially after the beast inside me revealed itself.

“So what about the girl in the picture?” I asked. “What happened with her?”

“I think her name was Tatiana, if I remember correctly. She was a royal too-a princess. She and Stefan were betrothed from birth. Betrothals are common amongst gypsy tribes, although, the practice doesn’t usually work out as well as it did for Tatiana and Stefan. They ended up falling head over heels in love with one another. It’s not a normal sort of thing you see within the Royal folds. They were extremely lucky.

“So anyway, they got married. The princess bore a son and supposedly they lived happily ever after. Until about a year after their son’s birth.”

I held my breath, enraptured by Lola’s words. “What happened?”

“The Royal Courts were already showing signs of corruption during that life. The Constantin family held a meeting to discuss the possibility of breaking away from the courts. Though they didn’t choose abandonment at that time, Tatiana and the boy mysteriously disappeared on the same night they discussed it.”

I sighed loudly, with a newfound compassion for the past version of Rex.

“It tore him apart,” Lola said. “He searched for them everywhere. He even enlisted the help of psychics, but none of them could see where she was.”

“What about later on?” I probed. “Did he find them in another life?”

“He wouldn’t have been able to look for the baby even if he’d tried. In order for a gypsy to be remembered, they must reach an age where they come into their personality a bit more. I’d say around seven or eight years old at the very least.”

I swallowed. I couldn’t imagine how hard that must have been for Rex, starting a family with the person he loved and adored, and then having it ripped away. The not knowing must have been the hardest part. It must have driven him crazy. If it were
me
, I would have gone mad just from the not knowing.

“In his entire existence, he’s only changed his name twice,” Lola told me. “Once when he lost his family, and the second time after he lost his people. His name was Ralph in that life.”

“It’s a little easier to understand him now,” I admitted to her.

She smiled. “Deep down, he has a good heart. I know he’s not the most pleasant person to be around.
Especially if you’re female, in particular.
To be honest, Rex and I didn’t get along at all when I first met him. Matter of fact, I punched him square in the jaw before speaking a word to him.”

I laughed, trying to imagine that happening. “Did you hurt your fist?”

Lola snorted. “Actually, I bloodied
his
nose, if you can believe it.”

I raised my brows in surprise. “That is hard to believe. Was he furious?”

“I’ve never seen him so angry in all my lives. I think I wounded his pride more than anything though.”

I laughed some more, but my laughter died down, cut off by the sound of an overjoyed squeal of delight coming from up ahead.

“That must be Lina,” Lola explained.

The silhouette of a young woman ran through the inky darkness at full-speed, crashing into Lola, wrapping her arms around in a tight hug. Giggles resounded throughout the forest.

Long, auburn hair swished around the woman as she bounced. A glimmer of bangles illuminated her wrists and ankles, clinking together noisily.

“You’ve made it,” Lina cried happily. “I knew you would!”

“Yeah, well we had our roadblocks, believe me. Salazar’s men managed to follow us to the train.”

Lina scowled. “Of course it would be Salazar. But you made it anyway. I’m ridiculously happy about that. So where is it? I want to see it.”

Lola chuckled, as if she were in on a secret her friend didn’t know about. She gestured to me. “In the flesh.”

Lina turned to me, giving me a once over. I shifted my stance awkwardly. I felt as if I were a novelty item, being appraised at an auction. Then Lina put her hands on her hips, confused. “I don’t get it. Does she have the crystal?”

“
She
is the crystal.”

It finally occurred to me where Lina’s confusion stemmed from. Earlier on the train, Lola had explained to me that before her memories of me came back, everyone believed the oracle was a crystal ball. No one ever considered
their
legendary oracle would be flesh and blood.

Wonder spread over Lina as she pieced it together. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Crazy, right?”

Lina nodded, still staring at me in wonder. “How does it work?”

I stuck my hand out, not caring much for being referred to as an object. “Nice to meet you. I’m Estelle Spencer.”

“Sorry. How rude of me. I’m Lina Drynski, and the pleasure is all mine.” She smiled brightly, shaking my hand. Lina’s features were exotic like Lola’s, but she looked slightly older than her friend, probably somewhere in her mid-twenties.

“We’re both exhausted,” Lola said. “And starving.”

I nodded my head in agreement, feeling my stomach growl at the mention of food.

“Of course you are,” Lina said. “I brought my own RV. It’s about a quarter mile that way,” Lina pointed. “There are two bunk beds and the sleeper sofa. I imagine we’ll all fit comfortably. And I’m a dancer, not a cook. You’ll have to make do with some grilled cheese sandwiches.”

“Sounds delicious,” Lola replied. “Practically gourmet.”

Excitedly, Lina led us through the campground filled with RVs and trailers. Most of the residents were outside, sitting around huge bonfires, laughing and talking. Some of them stared curiously at us as we walked by. I gathered these must be the Irish travelers Lola had mentioned.

Lina showed us to her tiny but cozy RV. There wasn’t much room inside, just a
sofa,
a built-in dinette and basic kitchen appliances occupied the front room. Two sets of bunk beds and a small bathroom occupied the back.

Once settled, she fed us her specialty grilled cheese sandwiches, and then showed us to the showers. I scrubbed at my body with a vengeance, trying to remove the dirt and grime produced from traveling over the last two days. After I was completely washed and towel-dried, I felt so much better.

Thankfully, Lina had a small heater running in her RV. It kept the tight confines of the space warm and toasty.

Everyone sat in the living area talking when I walked back inside.

“There’s a wedding tomorrow,” Lina announced, just as I closed the door. “It should be fun, perhaps take your minds off reality for a while.”

I took a seat at the dining table, listening quietly.

“Will any Roms be attending?” Gabe asked. “We can’t risk coming into contact with more mind readers.”

“As far as I know, it’s only Irish,” Lina replied. “I don’t think you’ll have anything to worry about. However, I’ll keep my attention focused on the future as a precaution.”

Gabe nodded, indicating he thought it was a good idea.

“There’s something else you should know,” Lina said. “I spoke with Zetta earlier. She wants to speak to you about Estelle. I think she’s had one of her dreams. I never mentioned the oracle was a person, yet she knew.”

Lola presented me with a sideways glance. “I’ll call her. Maybe she can tell me what to do from here.”

“Who is Zetta?” I asked. Everyone turned
their
attention to me, making me wish I hadn’t interrupted.

“She’s my aunt,” Lola answered. “The one I told you about. She originally erased our memories with her spell. If she wants to speak to me, it must be important. So let’s just hope her news is good rather than bad.”

“She’s a powerful psychic,” Gabe explained. “Whatever she sees happens. There’s nothing we can do to change it.”

They seemed afraid to hear what this Zetta woman had to say. I didn’t understand their fear. I was ready to meet this woman, excited even. If she had originally placed the spell on me, then it only made sense for her to know why I’d been cursed in the first place.

“Come on, I’ll show you to your bed,” Lina said. “You look sleepy.”

I yawned as soon as she said it. I shouldn’t be that tired; I slept during the drive. However, I felt exhaustion slowly creeping into my body. I also wanted to lie down on a bed for a change.

Lina took me to the back of the RV to two sets of bunk beds. “You can have your pick,” she said. “Top or bottom?”

“Bottom, definitely.”

I wasn’t exactly fond of heights, or falling out of bed in the middle of the night.

“Rex gets the top then, because I’m taking bottom on the other side.”

“Rex is sleeping in here, too?”

“Yeah, I figured we’d leave Gabe and Lola the sleeper sofa in the front, and the rest of us can bunk back here. It doesn’t make you uncomfortable does it?”

“No, it’s fine,” I lied. The truth was, it would make me uncomfortable under normal circumstances. I was so sleepy at that
point,
a grizzly bear sleeping in the top bunk wouldn’t bother me.

“What about Abby?” I asked. She leapt onto one of the beds, circled around, and then plopped down.

Lina chuckled. “Apparently she made her decision. She’s sleeping with you.”

I waited until Lina left the room before I changed into some flannel pajamas. Indie would’ve made fun of them. At sixteen, she was against wearing anything un-sexy to bed. Then again, she had many boys to impress. I didn’t have any. So flannel pjs were perfectly fine in my book.

Shivering, I crawled into bed, snuggling next to Abby. The warmth of the heater hadn’t traveled to the back of the RV yet. I pulled the blanket up and covered us both.

“Good night, Abby.”

Someone was shaking me.

“Estelle,
Estelle!
”

My eyes shot open and my body stiffened. Both Lina and Rex stood over me, wearing equally horrified expressions.

I realized just how heavily I was breathing. Practically gasping for breath, the air wouldn’t go into my lungs quick enough. My hands clung to the sheets, clutching the fabric in tight knots. I loosened my grip, wondering what would cause me to hold onto my bed for dear life.

“Are you okay?” Lina asked me in a concerned voice.

“Yes, I think so,” I said between short, choked breaths. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “What’s the matter?”

Lina seemed confused. “You were
screaming.
. .”

It took me a while to process what she told me. “Screaming?”

“Something about a girl in a white dress,” Lina said. “And lots of blood.”

I immediately thought of the little phantom girl from my bedroom. Had she been haunting my dreams as well? I raked my hands through my hair, pulling long strands away from my face. My skin was uncomfortably clammy. I wrapped myself with a blanket.

“I don’t remember,” I told them. “I’m sorry.”

They met each other’s anxious expressions. That must have been code for
what the hell is wrong with this crazy chick?
But I didn’t know what to say to make the situation less strange.

Rex spoke, his voice more serious than I was used to hearing. “Lola said her first sets of memories came back to her through her dreams. Do you think that’s what’s happening to you, Spencer?”