by Alicia Rades
The truth was, I did, but I’d promised to keep Sage’s confession about her uncle secret. I wanted to open up to my mom about it because I still wasn’t entirely sure if Sage was just being paranoid or not, but I promised Sage I wouldn’t tell.
“No,” I lied. I managed to keep a completely serious face without a single twitch of my eyebrow. “I’m just saying that this is your wedding day. If something did go wrong, I wouldn’t want you postponing something or doing anything that would make you miss out on your special day.”
My mom took a strand of my long blonde hair and tucked it behind my ear. “Maybe we should have rescheduled.”
“No!” I said almost too quickly. “That’s what I’m talking about. I don’t want my abilities to get in the way of things like this. Besides, how much would that have mattered?”
My mom twisted her lips in thought. “You realize that I’m going to worry about you whether something happens to Sage or not.”
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, you probably are.”
“I’ll be worrying about her, too, but cancelling it won’t change your prophecy.”
“Are you sure?” I asked half-jokingly, even though I agreed with her. There simply wasn’t anything she could do.
“If it’s what you want, I’ll give you some space,” she told me.
“Promise?” I didn’t know why I was asking her this. I didn’t even expect something bad to happen, but now that we were discussing it, it made the possibility a reality in my head.
“I’ll try.” She smiled.
“Okay. Now go get your beauty rest.” I pushed at her playfully.
She headed toward the door, but right before she shut it, she said, “I love you, Crystal.” Her tone conveyed true worry, as if she thought this was the last time she was going to see me. But I was going to be fine, wasn’t I?
“I love you, too, Mom.”
Are you going to be alright, Sage? I wondered after my mom shut my bedroom door. I took a deep breath. Only time will tell. Just to be sure I wasn’t missing anything, I stretched out on my yoga mat and channeled my energy. Sage is going to be safe, right? I mean she has to be. I can’t fail her.
I took deep, long breaths as I focused my energy on my fingertips to clear my mind. I couldn’t help it when my mind raced with the possibilities.
Was inviting Sage to my mom’s wedding the best idea? What if I’m wrong about the entire prophecy? What if this isn’t when Sage is supposed to die? But if her uncle is stalking her, he might come to the wedding. What if her uncle finds her?
The idea of Sage’s uncle finding her played through my mind, almost like the thought was mocking me. Had I been ignoring his involvement for too long? Alan was the one thing in all this that felt completely out of my control. I didn’t even know much about him. Should I have told Teddy? He may have been able to help make sure Sage wasn’t being stalked. But Sage told me not to tell. Was that a mistake?
So many worries flooded my mind.
“Daddy,” I called out, my eyes still closed and my legs crossed on the mat. While I didn’t know if he could even hear me, it eased my nerves a little to believe he could. “I need help,” I whispered. “I need to know that Sage is going to be safe tomorrow. If her uncle is somewhere nearby . . . Well, I just need to know that I’ll be able to save her. Please send me some sort of sign so I know what to look out for, so I can save her like Melissa asked.”
It was already super late, but I sat silent for another hour or so. Much of my anxiety subsided, but nothing profound came to me. I decided to have a go at my crystal ball, hoping it would show me something that would help guide me in the day ahead.
I situated myself at my desk and relaxed enough that glowing colors swirled within the ball almost instantly. I only had to remind myself once to go into it with no expectations.
The swirling colors turned to fire like they had last time. Just like last time, the flames transformed into a deep red and took the shape of fingers. A hand lay limp in the crystal ball, floating there without a backdrop or surroundings to tell me where this would happen. Even as the image faded, I managed to keep most of my anxiety from rising back up in my chest. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the rest of my nerves fall away.
I can do this, I told myself.
I wasn’t entirely sure what the image meant. Did it mean Sage was still going to die? Or was the ball just trying to deliver my still unanswered question: how was Sage supposed to die?
I wasn’t sure. The best I could do was crawl into bed and hope that the next day would run smoothly. Before I slipped under the covers, I dug around in my book bag and pulled out the picture of Alan.
Are you dangerous? I pondered. I studied his face and wondered about him until I fell asleep.
***
A man balanced on a rooftop, arranging new shingles before nailing them in place. Sweat glistened off his back, and his brown hair—that shone slightly red in the sunlight—stuck to the back of his neck. A few other guys milled around atop the roof.
“Carl,” a man called from the ground, but Carl couldn’t hear him over the noise of his nail gun. “Carl,” the man called louder.
Carl stopped and turned to the man on the ground. His waterfall of hair fell to his chin and concealed his face.
The man on the ground motioned for Carl to come down, and he did as he was told.
“What is it, boss?” Carl asked with annoyance.
“You’re supposed to be on break.”
“And?” Carl challenged.
“I can’t afford to pay you guys overtime. Besides,” his boss said, gesturing to him, “you look like you could use a drink. I can’t have guys passing out up on that roof.”
“I’ll be fine, boss.” One could practically hear Carl gritting his teeth.
“Carl,” his boss said sternly. “Take your break.”
Carl let out a puff of air. “Fine.”
He stalked off toward a white van and reached inside for a water bottle. After slamming the door, he leaned up against the side of the company vehicle. The big red logo advertised Sorensen Construction based out of Woodmont, Indiana.
Instead of drinking his water, Carl poured half the bottle over his head. Only when he pushed the hair out of his face did his appearance become clear.
***
I woke with a start. Even though his hair was longer and his eyes had become cold over the years, I still recognized him. I threw the covers off instantly without even bothering to see what time it was. I burst into my mom’s room without thinking to knock.
“Teddy,” I said breathlessly, although his room was only across the hall, so I wasn’t sure why I was out of breath. All I could think was that I was relieved, and I knew I needed to act upon my dream quickly.
Teddy groaned and rubbed his eyes. I looked at the clock on my mom’s nightstand. It was 5:30 in the morning.
“Crystal? What is it?” Teddy asked with a tired voice.
“I know where he is! I found him!”
My mother cleared her throat and sat up in bed. “Found who, sweetie?”
“I found Alan! He goes by the name Carl now, but it’s him.” I couldn’t help but smile at my victory. I made my way fully into the room and plopped down on my mom’s bed. “He’s in Indiana, and he’s working for this place called Sorensen Construction.”
Teddy was already reaching for a pen and paper out of his bedside table. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” I answered confidently.
“Okay.” Teddy dragged out the word as he wrote down the information. “I’ll call Roger and have him contact the police down there and get this figured out. After all,” Teddy said, turning to my mom with a smile, “I shouldn’t be working today. It’s my wedding day.” He leaned in for a kiss.
“Yuck,” I groaned. “Get a room.”
My mom blushed and threw her pillow at my head. I ducked just in time, and it hit the wall behind me.
“Well, I guess there’s no p
oint in going back to bed,” my mom said. “I’m too excited!” She bounced up and headed to the bathroom.
“You know what this means?” I asked Teddy since he was the only one around.
“What?”
“That everything’s going to be okay! Since Sage’s uncle is in Indiana, she’s safe. No one is going to hurt her. It’s going to be a beautiful day and an amazing wedding!” I headed back toward my bedroom. Just as I was about to close my mom’s bedroom door, I turned back. “Teddy?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you let me know what happens with Sage’s uncle?”
He nodded. “I will.”
“Okay, thanks.”
20
“Crystal, has anyone told you how beautiful you look?” Diane raved.
I sat in front of a mirror at the salon, and the stylist had just finished curling my hair.
“I hope Robin tells her that all the time,” Sophie said as another stylist twisted her curls into a bun. “Otherwise, you should ditch him, Crystal.”
I laughed. “He does tell me that, and I’m not going to ditch him.”
A sense of happiness filled my heart. My mom’s marriage became more of a reality as the day wore on. There was the added perk that I’d texted Sage earlier and she told me she was still coming to the wedding. Everything was going great.
Mom, Sophie, Diane, and I laughed and joked until we were in full hair and makeup. Once we were done, we drove to the hotel and piled the last of our supplies into a small event space. We were the only ones there so far, and we took this time to arrange last-minute decorations that we hadn’t finished setting up after the rehearsal dinner last night. Since it wasn’t a big wedding—and the hotel we were at didn’t even have wedding planning services—it was all up to us to set everything up. Everything, that is, except the catered food and the music, which Robin’s band was providing.
I stayed with my mom in the smaller of the two conference spaces where we were holding the actual ceremony. Diane and Sophie were taking care of decorations for the reception in the other event room.
Just as I was helping adjust the last of the tulle, Robin popped his head in the door.
“Hey,” he said. “We’re here to set up the band equipment.”
I smiled and hopped down from the chair I was standing on. I greeted him with a hug and a small kiss.
“Eww. Get a room,” my mom joked.
I rolled my eyes at her. It was the best I could do since I didn’t have a pillow to throw at her head.
“Come on,” I said, taking Robin’s hand and exiting the room. “I’ll show you where the other event space is.”
“I’ve been texting Sage,” Robin told me in the hallway. “She says she still plans on coming. Are you still feeling good about this?”
I nodded excitedly. “I,” I started, looking around to make sure no one was listening. “I have to tell you something.” I pulled Robin down a secluded hallway and told him about my dream.
“Teddy didn’t say yet if they caught the guy?”
I shook my head. “It’s only been a few hours, and I haven’t seen Teddy since this morning.”
“Okay. Can you show me where to set up?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s this way.”
Emma and Derek showed up a few minutes later to help us. I carried in band equipment and set things up for a while until Diane told me it was time to get dressed. Mom, Sophie, Diane, and I piled into a private hotel room to finish getting ready.
A few people came and went from the room to congratulate my mom in private, including Teddy’s mom, Gail, along with some of my mom’s cousins who I didn’t even know. After the greetings died down, I helped my mom into her dress, and Sophie attached her veil.
“Wow.” I stood back from my mom to get a good look.
She gave me a grin that bordered somewhere between excited and nervous.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this again,” Diane said.
I pulled my mom into a hug. “I’m so glad I get to be a part of it.”
Just then, a knock rapped at the door. Sophie hopped up from the bed to answer it. My Grandma Ellen—my mom’s mom—stood on the other side of it.
“Grandma!” I rushed over to give her a hug. I hadn’t seen her in ages.
Grandma Ellen adjusted her glasses. “Crystal, is that you? You’ve gotten so big.”
I rolled my eyes at her.
“Oh, Mom. Come here.” My mom crossed the room to hug Grandma Ellen. Tears of happiness pricked at both their eyes, but they did their best to hold them back.
“You guys can’t cry, because then I’ll start crying,” I complained.
“Well, why don’t you go put your dress on?” Sophie suggested.
I locked myself in the bathroom for privacy, but when I pulled my dress off the hanger, a lump formed in my throat.
She’ll take her last breath the next time you wear that dress.
This can’t be it, I thought. Sage is going to be alright.
But how did I know? A sickening feeling hit my stomach, and I sat on the toilet for support. I held the lavender dress out in front of me. I didn’t move for nearly a minute as Melissa’s words echoed in my mind. After what seemed like several minutes of holding my breath, I stood and put the dress back on the hanger.
“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” Sophie asked when I emerged from the bathroom. “What were you doing in there?”
“I’ll be right back. I just don’t want anyone seeing me in my dress yet. One of you can get dressed first.” And then I left the room.
I made my way down the hall to the room I knew the groomsmen were getting ready in. After I knocked, Robin answered.
“Can I talk to Teddy real quick?” I asked.
“Yeah, sure.” Robin pulled the door open wider to invite me in. “Why aren’t you dressed yet?”
Teddy turned from the mirror as he finished adjusting his tie. “Crystal, I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to let you know that Roger called me back. Your anonymous tip was right. They picked Alan up this morning.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “That’s great!” I threw my arms around Teddy’s neck in excitement. “Sage really isn’t in any danger, then.” I had the confirmation I needed, and I knew now that Sage had just been paranoid about seeing her uncle. She was never in any true danger from him. “Oh,” I said, turning back to Teddy. “Congratulations.”
Moments later, I was back in the ladies’ hotel room and was pulling my dress off the hanger again. Each time I saw it, those words repeated in my head.
She’ll take her last breath the next time you wear that dress.
What if she was never in danger from her uncle? What if it was something else all along? I wondered.
I pulled my cell phone from my back pocket.
“Hello?” Sage’s voice answered.
“Sage,” I said with a breath of relief. How could I think she wasn’t going to be safe? After all, I’d invited her to the wedding and changed the course of the future. When she came, I’d be able to keep an eye on her all day. “Are you okay?” I found myself asking.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”
“You’re still coming, right?”
“Yeah. Actually, I was just headed out the door. Your hotel is only a couple of bus stops away, so I’ll be there soon.”
A smile formed across my face. I was right. I did change the future. She was going to be okay. “Okay. I will see you soon.”
“Okay. Bye.”
Once I hung up, I finally relaxed. I slunk down onto the closed toilet lid and took a few deep breaths.
A knock at the door pulled me to full attention. “Crystal,” Diane said through the door, “you should be dressed already. Guests are arriving!”
I pulled the door open with my dress still in my hands. By now, my grandma was already gone, so it was just my mom and her bridesmaids in the room.
“This dress,” I said, holding it out as if that explained everyt
hing I wanted to say.
They all looked at me quizzically.
“You guys think Sage is going to be okay, right?” Why was I bringing this up, anyway? I mentally scolded myself. It was my mom’s special day. She shouldn’t be worrying about things like this.
My mom made her way over to me and gave me a hug. “Honestly? Yes, I do think she’s going to be okay. She has you on her side. Shall I also add that you changed things? Without you, she wouldn’t be coming to the wedding. Without you, she’d be on a different course. And now, she’s on one that leads to you. You’ve already changed her destiny by becoming her friend.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, absorbing my mother’s confidence the best I could.
Sophie squeezed my hand for encouragement.
“Okay. I’ll go get dressed now.” I locked the bathroom door behind me for a third time and stripped down. I pulled the dress up over my hips and managed to reach the zipper this time. It hugged my body the same way it had the first time.
I emerged from the bathroom to find my mom and her best friends smiling at me.
“You look great, Crystal,” my mom said, pulling me into a hug. Jeez. There were so many hugs going around today. After a moment, Sophie and Diane joined us, and we ended up in a group hug.
The ceremony grew closer, and we finished up last-minute preparations. Just as I was placing my pearl earrings in my ears, another knock came at the door.
This time, Grandpa Ed came in. “Are you ready to walk down the aisle?” he asked.
My mom nodded, though she appeared at a loss for words.
Grandpa kissed her on the cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”
She wiped at her eye carefully as to not mess up her makeup. “I know, Dad.”
Grandpa checked his watch. “It’s just about time.”
My mom gave another one of those nervous but excited grins.
“Crystal, don’t forget your shoes.” Diane handed me my sparkly flats and my bouquet. This was it.
After a few more minutes of talking with my Grandpa and waiting for the ceremony start time to approach, we made our way downstairs. I gripped onto my owl necklace the whole way down.
