“Hey, kid.”
I felt as if someone had punched me in the gut—I couldn’t seem to breathe or form words. Every part of me had wanted to see them again. There were so many nights when I thought of what I would say if I ever saw my mother or Andrew again. The only problem was that the words piled up in my tightened throat, jumbling like cars in a wreck on the highway. I swallowed hard and pushed past the lump in my throat.
“There are…so many things I’ve wanted to tell you…” I began, but my mother shook her head, a soft smile gracing her lips.
“We know what you’re thinking, mi hija. We know you’ve missed us.”
“More than you can imagine,” I mumbled.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around me, solid, warm, comforting. Tears burned in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks in rivulets as I hugged her back, breathing in her scent, afraid that she’d disappear again. After a moment, she drew away. I turned my attention to the Seer by her side.
“Andrew, I—”
He shook his head when he saw the wounded expression on my face, removing his hands from the pockets of his black slacks.
“It’s alright. I’m not angry with you.”
My voice came out a near whisper. “I’m so sorry.”
He sighed, giving me a look as if I were hopeless. “It wasn’t your fault. You were young, and in danger.”
“But—”
Andrew laid a gentle hand on my head, stroking my hair. “I forgave you a long time ago, Jordan. It’s about time you did the same.”
His words somehow jolted me back to realize our strange surroundings. “Oh, God. Am I dead…again?”
Andrew chuckled before answering me. “No, you’re not dead.”
A great exhale escaped my lungs. “Where are we, then?”
My mother answered instead. “Think of it as a world between worlds—a space suspended from time. We thought you could use some help, so we brought you here.”
They started walking and I followed, wondering where we were going. The ground felt solid beneath me, but it didn’t have a texture. It was like being inside a snow globe.
Just as I opened my mouth to ask her what she meant, they stopped. I nearly tripped when I realized we’d reached a cliff of some kind, where the ground gave way to an enormous gorge. I could only stare in awe.
There were millions of spirits, wispy and grey, floating through the chasm below us. The stream of ghosts stretched from as far as I could see in both directions. Some were holding hands, others gliding past alone with expressions of wonderment. No one seemed to be in a hurry; they all crossed my vision leisurely. No soul traffic. Good to know.
“What is this place?”
“This is where the dead cross over to Heaven for final judgment. Think the River Styx, but a little more pleasant,” Andrew said.
I nodded, trying to wrap my head around the concept. “Why did you bring me here?”
They both turned to face me with mirrored serious expressions, so exact that they seemed as if they were one with each other. “There are quite a few people down there that you’ve helped,” my mother said. “You’re far more important than you think, Jordan. Seers are rare, and that makes you a very valuable woman.”
“So there aren’t others like me?”
“There are some, but they don’t surface until their abilities have matured.”
“Like you?” I asked.
“Yes. I had the same ability as you, though you were probably too small to remember.”
“I thought so. Look, all of this is a relief to know, but shouldn’t I be getting back? There’s a war going on and we’re not doing so well.”
Andrew glanced at my mother and she nodded slightly in response. He squared his shoulders, the pleasant smile evaporating. I immediately missed it.
“Before we get to that, there’s something we need to tell you. We wanted to wait until you were strong enough to handle it.”
I swallowed, heart fluttering in my chest. “About what?”
My mother spoke in a gentle voice. “How I died.”
I wrapped my arms around myself and averted my eyes to control the wave of loss that rolled up my body. No. I could handle it. This was the goal of my journey—to find out the truth. I needed to know what she had gone through for me, for herself, for the security of the world. I needed to know what they had sacrificed in the fight against evil because soon I would have to do the same.
Finally, I took a deep, shaky breath.
“Tell me.”
Time had run out.