by Alicia Rades
My eyes sprung open. “The day at the paintball arena. It was warning me of this.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s there.” I pointed to the road that had taken her to the trees.
Robin turned down the road and found a parking space alongside the curb. I kicked my door open before he even stopped, and I ran toward the trees the same way Sage had in my vision. My dress flew out around my legs, but I pressed forward. Robin didn’t run much thanks to his leg, but I knew he was following me as quickly as he could.
As soon as I broke into the trees, I slowed. “I—I don’t know where I am,” I spoke to thin air. I scanned the ground for any sign of footprints or broken twigs, but I had no experience tracking someone. My heart sank, and I fell to my knees.
Robin was at my side as soon as he caught up. “Crystal.”
“I—I don’t know what to do next. The trees are all I saw, but I don’t know where she is in the trees.”
Robin knelt down next to me, but he kept his eyes on the forest, no doubt searching for a sign of Sage.
“Where are we, anyway?” I asked. “What’s a forest doing in the middle of the city?”
“Don’t you know where we are?” he asked.
I looked at him stupidly.
“This is Bradshaw Park. That’s what you were describing before. I thought you knew where we were going.”
A feeling of confusion overcame me, but it only lasted for a moment. This is where Troy held his birthday party. It’s where Sage and I took a walk together and where she called me crazy.
But it’s also where Sage told me . . .
“I know where she is!” I exclaimed, rising so quickly that I got a head rush. I took off again after the dizziness passed. I didn’t know where I was exactly since I’d never been on this edge of the park, but I knew Sage was somewhere in here, and if I could find the path, I knew exactly where she would be.
“Where? How?” Robin called behind me and spoke between breaths.
“It’s where Sage told me she comes to think.” I breathed heavily. Since it’d been a while since volleyball season, I wasn’t exactly in the best of shape. “It’s where she feels safest.”
We finally hit a path, and I started toward the center of the park.
“How do you know where you’re going?” Robin asked.
“I don’t,” I admitted, but I pressed on. After only a few moments on the path, I saw the bridge up ahead. I sprinted faster, leaving Robin in my wake. Please be okay, Sage.
I dodged the bridge and headed to the edge of the water. I didn’t calculate my momentum and ended up sliding down the steep bank. My wrist caught my fall, and it ached. Dirt coated my lavender dress, and my right foot fell into the water.
But I didn’t care. That’s because the sight I saw in front of me was more horrifying than anything I’d ever seen before. I’d seen things like this on TV before. I’d even seen flashes of blood in my mind. But none of it could prepare me for witnessing it in person with my own two eyes. Not even the sight of my father’s casket when I was little could measure up to this gruesome moment. I immediately wanted to hurl.
Sage’s body lay unmoving on the sandy platform. A bracelet of red liquid wound around her wrist and dispersed into her palm and off her fingers. The bloody image from my crystal ball came to life right before my eyes.
23
I rushed to Sage and fell into the sand next to her unmoving form. We’re too late, was my first thought. My breathing grew heavy, and I took a split second to assess the scene. Sage’s red cardigan was pulled up past her elbow. All along her right arm lay red marks, some fresh while others were already healing.
I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I’d always noticed how she nervously tugged at her sleeves, but what I didn’t notice about it was that she was always wearing long sleeves. Now I knew why. She was hiding something beneath them.
Robin appeared next to me and pulled his suit coat off. He wrapped one of the sleeves around Sage’s bloody wrist. Neither of us cared that it was a rental. Sage’s life was all that mattered right now.
“Is she . . .” I couldn’t finish my sentence. All I could do was stare at her pale, lifeless body and hold my breath.
Robin leaned down to her face. “No. She’s still breathing.”
“Should I call an ambulance?” I cried.
Robin shook his head and shifted, pulling Sage into his arms. Sage groaned slightly as Robin lifted her body. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was still with us, if only slightly.
“There’s a hospital a block away,” Robin told me. “It’ll be faster if we took her there ourselves.”
After Robin swooped Sage into his arms, I spotted a silver object in the sand. I snatched it up, along with her purse, and trailed behind him. “Are you sure you can carry her that far?” My throat felt like it was closing up, causing my voice to come out a few notes higher than normal. “What about your leg?”
“I can carry her, Crystal. She hardly weighs 110 pounds. We’ll make it there. It’s just a matter of getting there in time.” Robin’s words sent a nauseating sensation through my gut. He quickened his pace when he reached the path.
“Is she going to be okay? How far is the hospital? Do you need any help?” I couldn’t stop babbling like a fool. Had I failed her?
Although we were walking as quickly as we could with Sage in Robin’s arms, the stretch to the hospital seemed to drag on forever. As Robin said, it was only a block away, but every step we took closer to the hospital made it feel another mile away. Tears fell down my cheeks in fear for Sage.
I placed a hand on her head as we walked in hopes of comforting her if she was even mildly conscious. What I saw—or rather felt—twisted my gut.
Even as I touched her, I didn’t think I understood what she was going through. I could feel her fear, and for a moment, I was able to see her uncle’s face from her perspective, as a nightmare. The revolting feeling that hit me was nothing compared to the chronic fear Sage faced every day. In the moment my hand made contact with her head, I understood why she wanted to kill herself, why she wanted the nightmare to end.
The feeling was too overwhelming. I jerked my hand away almost immediately, like I’d just touched a hot stove.
Thoughts played through my mind as we neared the hospital. Why didn’t I send someone to pick her up? Why didn’t I mention her uncle and his arrest sooner? Then she wouldn’t have been so scared.
Finally, we reached the door to the emergency room. The lady behind the counter noticed us immediately and came rushing to our aid with a wheelchair. As Robin set Sage down and helped balance her semi-conscious body in an upright position, I finally got a good look at her face. Her lips were drained of color, and her normally bright freckles seemed faded.
“What happened?” the lady asked.
“She lost a lot of blood,” Robin said breathlessly.
The lady gazed down at the coat tied tightly around Sage’s wrist. “How long ago?”
Robin and I exchanged a glance, but it was Robin whose head was clear enough to speak. “We don’t know. We found her like this 10 minutes ago. Maybe sooner.”
Another nurse was already by our side trying to calm us down. “Are either of you family?”
“No,” Robin said, but his breathing sounded labored. I wasn’t sure if it was from carrying Sage or because he was just as scared as I was.
Sage moaned, and I was instantly at her side.
An unfamiliar hand, undoubtedly the second nurse, grabbed at me. “Ma’am, we need to get her to a doctor.”
I shook her off and gripped onto the wheelchair. “Sage?”
Sage forced her eyes open halfway and spoke my name in a hoarse whisper. “Crystal?”
Robin’s hands were the ones that gripped onto my shoulder next. I managed to relax my hold on the wheelchair, and the first lady wheeled Sage away.
“I’m her friend,” I cried after her, but the second nurse was pushing me back
. “No,” I struggled, raising my voice. “Sage needs me. Melissa said I was supposed to save her!”
Robin entwined his fingers through mine and pulled me into a one-armed hug. I nuzzled against his shoulder, and tears fell from my eyes.
“You already saved her,” he told me, leading me to one of the chairs in the waiting room.
“You think that’s it?” I finally asked after a brief silence, lifting my head to meet his gaze. “You think that’s all I needed to do?”
“We’ve done all we can. What I don’t understand is why she did it.”
I went silent for a moment. Sage had confided in me about thinking she was seeing her uncle. I told her I believed her, but I could see now that she really was being paranoid. Still, I did promise not to tell anyone about that.
“She was just scared,” I finally said. I shook my head during the silence that followed. “The stupid thing about all this is that if I hadn’t invited her to the wedding, it may have not happened at all.”
Robin pressed his lips together in thought. “I don’t know about that.”
“But then she never would have been on that bus, and she never would have run to the park, and never would have . . .” I couldn’t finish over my sobs.
Robin hugged me tighter. “This could have happened at any time. The difference is that because it happened like this, today, you were able to stop it.”
After a long silence, I spoke again in a small voice. “I saw her thoughts, Robin. She wasn’t even thinking about the wedding. On some level, I think she forgot where she was headed and was so caught up in her fear. She just wanted out.”
“Where’d she get it, though?” he asked.
I looked at him. It took me a moment to realize he was talking about her weapon of choice. I still had her bag slung over my shoulder. I reached into it and pulled out the blade, twisting it around in my fingers. A string of blood ran along the length of it. Thank goodness I was sitting down because when I spotted the blood, I grew queasy.
An image flashed through my mind. Sage sat in the bath tub, and I watched the scene from her eyes as she spread soap across her leg. She reached for the razor and ran it across her skin. On the third stroke, it caught the end of her ankle. A single drop of blood fell into the water and dispersed in an almost artistic display.
The scene only lasted a second before my eyes focused on the room once again.
“Look at it.” I held the blade out toward Robin. “It’s from a bathroom razor. She tore it apart a few months ago.”
“How do you know that?” He looked at me, but a moment later, his face softened as if to say, Well, of course because you’re psychic.
“I just do.”
Robin handed the blade back to me, and I slid it back safely into Sage’s purse. The thought to bury it later and put the memories of Sage’s attempt in the ground crossed my mind.
I excused myself briefly to go clean up. Luckily, I'd only accumulated a bit of dirt, so it wasn't too hard to dust off, although I had to wipe down my wet shoe since sand had gathered on the sole and sides. When I emerged from the bathroom, I was as good as new—at least, I looked that way; I couldn't say the same about my aching heart.
As soon as I sat down, a man behind us cleared his throat. The second nurse from earlier stood beside him.
“Hi,” he said with a smile. It didn’t do much to cheer me up, but I knew it was supposed to be welcoming.
“Hello,” I managed to croak out. I knew a series of questions was about to ensue.
Robin and I stood to meet the man’s outstretched hand.
“I’m Cole DuBois, and I’m a social worker here at the hospital. I understand that you just came in with a female patient. In order to provide the proper care, I was wondering if I could ask you two a few questions about her before you leave.”
“I don’t want to leave,” I told him. I glanced at Robin to make sure this was an appropriate response. He gave me a slight head nod. “I want to stay until I can talk to her.” I had to. She had to know her uncle wasn’t a threat. Maybe then she wouldn’t be so scared.
After we answered Cole’s questions—like how we knew Sage and what her home life was like—we remained in the waiting room.
Robin checked his cell while we waited. Apparently Emma had already called four times, so Robin called her back. He explained most of the story to her, leaving out the part about me astral traveling in case anyone else overheard. Then he handed the phone to me.
I stared at it questioningly.
“She wants to talk to you,” he explained, shoving the phone in my direction.
I took it warily before putting it to my face. “Hello?”
“Oh, good,” Emma said with a breath of relief. “Your mom wants to talk to you.”
Before I could say anything else, my mom’s voice came over the line. “Crystal?”
“Hi, Mom. How was the ceremony?”
“We didn’t start yet,” she admitted.
“Mom! I told you to go ahead without me. You promised.”
“That wouldn’t be fair.”
“You’re wrong. It’s unfair to you that Robin and I are keeping you and your guests waiting.” Of course I wanted to be with my mom on her wedding day, but I couldn’t leave now, not until I knew Sage was alright, and that could be hours from now. I also didn’t want my mom rescheduling her wedding because of me. “Mom, seriously, don’t worry about me.”
“How can I not worry about you?” she asked.
I sighed. “Look, Mom, I can’t leave Sage right now, but it’s only fair that you get married today, so will you please stop keeping your guests waiting and walk down the aisle already?”
“Snarky, are we?”
“Well, it’s the only way you’ll get married today.”
My mother sighed in defeat. “Okay, I’ll get married. You’re fine, though, right?”
I loved how much my mom cared. “I really am. I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetie,” she told me before we said goodbye.
“I better call her aunt and uncle,” Robin said after I handed his phone back to him.
“It looks like the hospital beat you to it.” I pointed to a man seated away from us. Brian and Anna must have come while we were talking to Cole.
Robin rose from his seat and cleared his throat. Brian turned toward us.
“Hello,” Brian greeted quietly, sorrow full in his voice. “I—” His voice cracked, and he swallowed to clear his throat. “I’m sorry. I’m just so mad at that girl right now.” Brian said he was mad, but his demeanor showed he was more sad than anything. “I just don’t get it. We take her in, put a roof over her head, and then she goes and pulls this stunt.”
I wasn’t even about to explain it to him. I knew he wouldn’t get it.
“Anna is in there with Sage’s therapist.”
“Can we see her?” I asked, but I knew it was probably a dumb question. Of course I couldn’t go in there while she was talking to her therapist, if, in fact, she was actually awake and talking.
We sat in the waiting room for another long while. The only thing I could do was worry about Sage.
“I feel like I could have done more,” I told Robin when Brian stood and went to the restroom. “I should have sent you to go pick her up or something.”
“Crystal, there’s no point in worrying about what you should have done. Take a look at what you did do. You knew where to find her. You—and your abilities—saved her life. Do you have any idea how incredible you were today?”
I managed to crack a half a smile. He was right. I had astral traveled and managed to get to Sage before it was too late. A sense of pride washed over me at the thought that my abilities saved her, just like Robin had said I’d do all along.
I closed my eyes right there in the waiting room and whispered a short prayer to my father. I still wasn’t sure if he was the one who had helped me, but it soothed my nerves nonetheless. “Thank you, Daddy,” I said in such a low voice that
even I could hardly hear it. I only hoped my words would find him.
Several hours had passed since we’d found Sage, but eventually, Anna and Sage’s therapist approached us in the waiting room. Anna came to our side immediately. Her eyes were red like she’d been crying. Before I knew what was happening, she was pulling us both into a hug. “I just wanted to let you two know how thankful I am that you were there today. Your instinct was right, and if it wasn’t for you, we may have lost her. I’ve always known Sage had issues, but I didn’t realize how bad. I’m just so happy to see she has friends like you.”
All I could do was force a friendly smile in return. After we exchanged thank yous and you’re welcomes, a nurse led us to Sage’s room.
As soon as I walked in, I immediately rushed to her bedside. Her face was gaining its color back, but her expression was stone cold.
“You should have let me die,” Sage whispered.
I looked toward Robin for help and then back to Sage. I grabbed onto her good hand for encouragement. “No, I couldn’t do that.”
Sage closed her eyes and went quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry I ruined your big day,” she finally said. “My aunt and uncle, and my therapist, are really disappointed in me. I can’t imagine how mad you are.”
“I’m not mad.”
She threw me a sideways glance. “If I had died, none of you would be bothered by me.”
“You’re not a bother, Sage,” Robin assured her. He stood at the foot of her bed.
“I’m not trying to gain your sympathies. I just—sometimes I feel like I don’t want to face things anymore. Sometimes I just want it all to go away.”
I shifted and squeezed her hand tighter. “Sage, there’s something I need to tell you, and I hope once I do, you’ll change your mind.”
She looked at me with an expression of confusion.
“Your uncle—not Brian, but Alan—they found him this morning. He was living under an alias, but he was arrested in Indiana earlier today.”
Sage’s eyes widened. “No. That’s not possible. Remember what I told you?”
I glanced toward Robin nervously since he didn’t know what she was talking about, but he remained calm.
