Part Three- Chapter 32

"When did the future switch from being a promise to being a threat?"

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SOOTHSAYER P.O.V

Sounds of leaves crushing as someone stepped over it. A girl running in the woods. Her blonde hair flaying as she kept running like hellhounds was behind her.

A stray tear drop dripped from her chin and when it fell on the ground with a little splash, it was red... the colour of blood.

Gasping, I sat up and took deep breaths to calm my pounding heart. As I clutched the sheets tightly, a drop of sweat rolled down from the corner of my forehead.

For a long time, I sat there and tried to supply as much oxygen as possible to my lungs. Wiping my face with my hands, I threw the sheet away and got off the bed. In the washroom, I collected a handful of water and splashed it on my face. Holding the edges of a sink, I closed my eyes and flinched when I was hit by that same vision again.

I wasn't scared of the vision. I was scared of the drop of blood, which implied threat to life or... death!

Gritting my teeth, I stared at my reflection and gulped when I saw that my eyes were shining gold. The color it usually turns, when either my wolf is at bay or— like in the present case— when I get images and visions of future events.

I do not want to do this. I do not want to do this. I kept repeating in my mind while I was brushing my teeth.

After showering, I got dressed and went downstairs where my mom was there, reading a paper. "Good morning" I said kissing her cheeks and she replied the same as I dropped my bag on the couch.

"Your breakfast is in the table" she said while I picked the plate. After switching on the Television, I increased the volume and sat beside her on the couch.

"What happened?" mom asked folding the newspaper.

"Nothing" I replied with a careless shrug as I ate. Sighing, she got up from her seat and switched off the Television.

I looked away as she crossed her arms and stood in front of me, patiently waiting for me to open up.

I didn't.

"Well, what was it?" she inquired, after some time.

"Mom... please!" I pleaded and closed my eyes. The vision was back and I growled loudly as my eyes flew open.

"Fine" she sighed and my head whipped to look at her.

Fine? Really?

Finding it hard to believe, I cocked an eyebrow questioningly and smiling, mom sat on the coffee table in front of me.

"It's a gift" she stated and I gulped. "The visions might be shocking, but there obviously is a reason why the nature Goddess chose only you to have it."

"Not only me. There was one before me and he got killed because of his gift" I said flatly.

"He sacrificed himself. There is a difference" she pointed out.

"Bottom line— He went up!" I said pointing my index upwards.

Mom smiled, "I know you are not scared of dying. So why do you keep insisting on denying your gifts?"

I was scared for her, for my family. If Konrad comes to know about my gifts, then he will target them just so that I could be his puppet. I did not want that. I have seen through my own eyes how miserable he has tried to make Darya's life. He had her mother killed in front of her and the thought of something happening to.... No!

I do not want any such thing and the best way to avoid this is denying my destructive gift so that at some point of time, I stop having those visions.

When I did not reply to my mom, she placed a gentle, caring hand over my clenched fists. "The gift is given to you so that you can revise the course of future. Avoid any events that are ghastly and hurtful. Especially the ones that would cause pain to those whom you love"

I stiffened as I heard it and my eyes clashed with my mom's blue ones.

"Paulo could have avoided it... he could have saved his pack. His gift did not help him then" I said with a frown.

"He did... in his own way"

"By creating that monster?" I demanded sharply and mom narrowed her eyes, at my tone.

"I am sure he had his reasons and one day, it will come out. I just hope, that that day, you don't feel as ashamed of your gift as you do now" mom replied and then stood up.

"I have to go to work darling" she said and picked her bag. "Do what you think is right." After kissing my cheeks, she went out.

I don't know for how long I sat there, staring at the floor and debating on what to do. In the end, I retrieved my bag and decided to attend the class.

__

In the first period, Mr. Fossberg was blabbering something and I couldn't even hear a word of what he was saying because I was unable to concentrate.

The vision I had seen earlier today kept repeating in my mind and I held the edges of my desk in a tight grip.

'What's wrong?' my friend, who was sitting beside me, asked and I shook my head.

The gift is given to you so that you can revise the course of future. Avoid any events that are ghastly and hurtful. Especially the ones that would cause pain to those whom you love—I could hear mom's words over and over again in my head.

The one's I love!

I wanted to avoid causing them pain. Yet what if one of them is going to get hurt...

My wolf started pacing inside me and whined repeatedly. That's when I knew some serious shit is going to happen.

Gritting my teeth, I grabbed my bag and dashed out of the class.

Twenty minutes later, I was at home and standing outside a room specially done for me. I had locked the room two months ago and had blindly thrown the key out of my window. That day, I had not liked what I had seen in the future and so, I had even sworn never to step into this room.

But what if, someone's life was in danger?

One forceful shove from me was all it took to break open the door. One corner of my lips tilted upwards as I saw the red paint of the room. The walls were red, the ceiling was red and even the floors were of red marble. It was done by my mom, who believes that the colour red helps in concentrating.

There was one wooden table and chair at the center of the room. On the table there was a bundle of papers and two bowls. One bowl had the pristine white screw shells and the other contained chunks of charcoal.

I walked towards the table and collected a fistful of screw shells, from the bowl, with my right hand.

After taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and threw all the screw shells high in the air. And as they were flying in the air, I placed my empty hand and caught all those which directly dropped itself to my palm. The remaining fell on the floor.

Opening my eyes, I placed the collected screw shells on the table and divided them into pair. I grimaced when I saw that one was left out.

An odd one. Definitely something bad!

Even though I could see the future like Paulo, I was quite different from him. I have heard that he could see the exact thing happening, whereas I cannot. The so called gift I had was still developing and hence I couldn't see the exact thing. I didn't even want to see the exact thing because what I could already see was disturbing.

Wolves used to call Paulo a soothsayer and I shuddered as I recalled it. Soothsayer? Really? That sounds so medieval, lame and boring.

I prefer being called a psychic. Astrologer too was okay, but not that stupid name. But let's face it... no one would call me by any of the names because other than my immediate family and few selected friends, no one knew about my so called gift.

And I preferred it that way.

I don't know how it was for Paulo, but for me it starts with the dreams. To see if what I dreamt about is good or bad, I usually throw the screw shells and collect the ones, which fall on my hand. And if they are odd numbered, like in today's case where I collected only eleven screw shells, then definitely something bad was happening.

As my visions did not show me the exact event, I had started practicing this other technique which helps me. I have learnt this from my Guru in Bali when I went there one summer to develop my so called gift. This technique helps me in seeing a vision that was almost close to the exact thing.