you did
it without me noticing. Do you still have it?”
“I don’t think so.” Grant patted the front pocket of his shirt and then the pocket s of his jeans. He looked bewildered when he pulled out a small key from his jean pocket.
“Strike that. Here it is.”
Ryan walked over and took it from Grant’s outstretched hand. “Get a better hiding place for it,” Simon said
harshly. His gaze turned suspicious. “Why do you need a gun anyway?”
Ryan laughed humorlessly as he unclasped his necklace and strung the key on it, a
small clang coming from it hitting his iridium coin. He turned to Simon after he had
refastened the chain. “Just because I’m bound to not kill people, even the ones overtaken
by vardogers, doesn’t mean I won’t us e a gun in self-defense.”
I was tired of the bickering, my mind settling on the question that had been whirling
in my head since we had returned. “I don’t understand why I wasn’t able to destroy
the vardoger but Ryan was able to.”
“Maybe he’s just stronger than you,” Sarah suggested.
I shook my head. “I don’t t hink that’s it. It wasn’t as though my powers just weren’t strong enough to destroy the vardoger. They were non-existent.
It felt exactly like when my father made me wear palladium. My powers suddenly disappeared.
I just don’t understand why it happened this time.” I looked at Ryan as trepidation
mounted. “Is it possible for a seer to lose their power?”
Ryan studied me before answering. “It’s very rare and usually due to some sort of severe physical
or mental trauma. I don’t think that’s the case with you.”
“Then what could it be?” I tried to suppress my frustration, but fear was making it
hard. If I didn’t have my powers, how could I defeat my father? Was it somehow connected
to my visions having stopped?
“You s aid if felt exactly like when you were wearing palladium,” Simon said slowly. “ Is it possible that you have some on you now?”
I shook my head. “It’s impossible. There’s no way–“
I had been patting my pockets, like Grant had moments before, although it was just
a gesture to show I had nothing, but my skin started to crawl when I felt a circular object
in my pants pocket. I dug my hand into my pocket, my heart beating erratically as
my fingers closed around a hard, round object. I already knew what it was before I
pulled it out, but a part of me was praying that I was wrong.
I opened my trembling hand, displaying the round, dull object that seemed to be mocking
me. Simon’s hand on my shoulder tightened but I didn’t look up at him. I couldn’t
concentrate on anything except the palladium coin in my hand.
“I–I don’t understand how it got there,” I stuttered, a chill running down my spine. There was no way I had put the
palladium coin that I had found at the scene of my mother’s accident in my pocket.
The last time I had seen it, it had been tucked safely away in my dresser , underneath a pile of clothes. No one knew where it was except Simon and me . To make matters worse, I had believed that I had to be directly touching the palladium for it to negate my
powers, but apparently it was so powerful that simply having it in my pocket was enough.
That fact was almost as frightening as realizing that, un be known st to me, someone had slipped it in my pocket.
“Where did you get that?” Ryan’s vo ice was quiet but it didn’t mask the intensity of his question.
I lowered m y hand, letting it fall limply o n my lap as the coin glinted darkly at me. “I found it when I went home to Philadelphia.
I had it hidden away in my dresser.” I shook my head. “I don’t know how it got into
my pocket. I didn’t put it there.”
“A re you sure? Maybe you put it in there by accident. Or maybe it fell into the pocket of the pants you’re weari ng while it was in your dresser. ” Sarah was grasping for an explanation.
“No,
it without me noticing. Do you still have it?”
“I don’t think so.” Grant patted the front pocket of his shirt and then the pocket s of his jeans. He looked bewildered when he pulled out a small key from his jean pocket.
“Strike that. Here it is.”
Ryan walked over and took it from Grant’s outstretched hand. “Get a better hiding place for it,” Simon said
harshly. His gaze turned suspicious. “Why do you need a gun anyway?”
Ryan laughed humorlessly as he unclasped his necklace and strung the key on it, a
small clang coming from it hitting his iridium coin. He turned to Simon after he had
refastened the chain. “Just because I’m bound to not kill people, even the ones overtaken
by vardogers, doesn’t mean I won’t us e a gun in self-defense.”
I was tired of the bickering, my mind settling on the question that had been whirling
in my head since we had returned. “I don’t understand why I wasn’t able to destroy
the vardoger but Ryan was able to.”
“Maybe he’s just stronger than you,” Sarah suggested.
I shook my head. “I don’t t hink that’s it. It wasn’t as though my powers just weren’t strong enough to destroy the vardoger. They were non-existent.
It felt exactly like when my father made me wear palladium. My powers suddenly disappeared.
I just don’t understand why it happened this time.” I looked at Ryan as trepidation
mounted. “Is it possible for a seer to lose their power?”
Ryan studied me before answering. “It’s very rare and usually due to some sort of severe physical
or mental trauma. I don’t think that’s the case with you.”
“Then what could it be?” I tried to suppress my frustration, but fear was making it
hard. If I didn’t have my powers, how could I defeat my father? Was it somehow connected
to my visions having stopped?
“You s aid if felt exactly like when you were wearing palladium,” Simon said slowly. “ Is it possible that you have some on you now?”
I shook my head. “It’s impossible. There’s no way–“
I had been patting my pockets, like Grant had moments before, although it was just
a gesture to show I had nothing, but my skin started to crawl when I felt a circular object
in my pants pocket. I dug my hand into my pocket, my heart beating erratically as
my fingers closed around a hard, round object. I already knew what it was before I
pulled it out, but a part of me was praying that I was wrong.
I opened my trembling hand, displaying the round, dull object that seemed to be mocking
me. Simon’s hand on my shoulder tightened but I didn’t look up at him. I couldn’t
concentrate on anything except the palladium coin in my hand.
“I–I don’t understand how it got there,” I stuttered, a chill running down my spine. There was no way I had put the
palladium coin that I had found at the scene of my mother’s accident in my pocket.
The last time I had seen it, it had been tucked safely away in my dresser , underneath a pile of clothes. No one knew where it was except Simon and me . To make matters worse, I had believed that I had to be directly touching the palladium for it to negate my
powers, but apparently it was so powerful that simply having it in my pocket was enough.
That fact was almost as frightening as realizing that, un be known st to me, someone had slipped it in my pocket.
“Where did you get that?” Ryan’s vo ice was quiet but it didn’t mask the intensity of his question.
I lowered m y hand, letting it fall limply o n my lap as the coin glinted darkly at me. “I found it when I went home to Philadelphia.
I had it hidden away in my dresser.” I shook my head. “I don’t know how it got into
my pocket. I didn’t put it there.”
“A re you sure? Maybe you put it in there by accident. Or maybe it fell into the pocket of the pants you’re weari ng while it was in your dresser. ” Sarah was grasping for an explanation.
“No,
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