“We’re just surprised to see you, that’s all. What’s up?”
Allegra leaned in, her glossy black ponytail hanging over one shoulder. “Why don’t you tell me?”
The words hung in the air for what seemed like forever before Claire was able to formulate a response. Even then, it wasn’t exactly brilliant.
“Uh . . . What do you mean?”
“Seriously?” Allegra tipped her head, looking from Claire to Sasha and back to Claire again. “That’s how you’re going to play it?”
Claire was relieved when Sasha stepped in. “Why don’t you tell us what you’re getting at, Allegra? Save us all time.”
Allegra leaned back. “You’re keeping secrets. I don’t know exactly what they are, but I’ve been seeing them.”
“Seeing them?” Claire repeated.
“I get these . . . visions . . . dreams,” Allegra explained. “I don’t know. Call them what you want. I don’t get them all the time, but when I do, they’re almost always right.”
Sasha’s face was guarded. “And you’ve been getting them lately?”
“Yeah, but I’m only getting pieces. Something about pictures and . . . letters, I think, and maybe a little girl or something. I can’t make sense of it.”
“A little girl?” Claire could explain the pictures and the letters, but the little girl didn’t fit.
Allegra waved her hand. “Whatever. You know how it is; I can’t always see the details right away.”
Claire didn’t know how it was, but she didn’t say anything.
“The point is,” Allegra continued, “something’s going on. I’ve been feeling a threat for a long time. A threat against the Guild. But I haven’t been able to see it clearly. Then the thing with the panther blood happens, and all of a sudden, I see all this other stuff.” She looked pointedly at Claire. “Then, I started seeing you.”
“Me?” Claire’s stomach turned over. This was the second time that someone from the Guild had told her they’d had a dream or vision involving her.
Allegra nodded. “I think it’s all tied together, but the parents have locked lips. No one’s talking, not even my mother, and you know how unusual
that
is.”
Claire considered her options. She could deny everything. Wait for Allegra to leave and fill Sasha in like she’d planned. But Allegra
knew.
Claire didn’t know Allegra well, but she was willing to bet that she wasn’t the kind of girl who would just give up and walk away. Not when she sensed a threat
and
a secret.
“What makes you think I know anything?” Claire finally asked.
Allegra shrugged. “Call it a hunch. Only my hunches are better than most.”
Xander wasn’t going to like it. He hadn’t even wanted Sasha to know.
Claire sighed. “Okay, but this is just between us. Between us and Xander. No parents and no Guild until we say so. You have to agree or I can’t tell you anything.”
“Done,” Allegra said without hesitation.
Claire looked at Sasha. “Sash?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Sasha sounded offended. “If you tell me not to say anything, I won’t say anything. You know that.”
Claire’s nod was slow as she tried to think of a place to begin. Finally, she reached into her bag and pulled out the letters she’d printed from her computer. She pushed them across the table.
Allegra reached for the stack of paper. “What is this?”
“They’re letters. Just . . . look at them,” Claire said. “I took them with my phone, but I transferred them to my computer and printed them out. I think they’re pretty clear now.”
Allegra unfolded the papers and shuffled through them.
“Who talks like this?” she asked, setting them down on the table. “It’s like reading Shakespeare.”
“Look at the dates,” Claire instructed.
Allegra sighed and picked up the letters again.
“Eighteen eighty?” She looked up.
“Turn them over and look at the signature lines,” Claire said softly.
Sasha grabbed the stack of paper out of Allegra’s hands. She
Allegra leaned in, her glossy black ponytail hanging over one shoulder. “Why don’t you tell me?”
The words hung in the air for what seemed like forever before Claire was able to formulate a response. Even then, it wasn’t exactly brilliant.
“Uh . . . What do you mean?”
“Seriously?” Allegra tipped her head, looking from Claire to Sasha and back to Claire again. “That’s how you’re going to play it?”
Claire was relieved when Sasha stepped in. “Why don’t you tell us what you’re getting at, Allegra? Save us all time.”
Allegra leaned back. “You’re keeping secrets. I don’t know exactly what they are, but I’ve been seeing them.”
“Seeing them?” Claire repeated.
“I get these . . . visions . . . dreams,” Allegra explained. “I don’t know. Call them what you want. I don’t get them all the time, but when I do, they’re almost always right.”
Sasha’s face was guarded. “And you’ve been getting them lately?”
“Yeah, but I’m only getting pieces. Something about pictures and . . . letters, I think, and maybe a little girl or something. I can’t make sense of it.”
“A little girl?” Claire could explain the pictures and the letters, but the little girl didn’t fit.
Allegra waved her hand. “Whatever. You know how it is; I can’t always see the details right away.”
Claire didn’t know how it was, but she didn’t say anything.
“The point is,” Allegra continued, “something’s going on. I’ve been feeling a threat for a long time. A threat against the Guild. But I haven’t been able to see it clearly. Then the thing with the panther blood happens, and all of a sudden, I see all this other stuff.” She looked pointedly at Claire. “Then, I started seeing you.”
“Me?” Claire’s stomach turned over. This was the second time that someone from the Guild had told her they’d had a dream or vision involving her.
Allegra nodded. “I think it’s all tied together, but the parents have locked lips. No one’s talking, not even my mother, and you know how unusual
that
is.”
Claire considered her options. She could deny everything. Wait for Allegra to leave and fill Sasha in like she’d planned. But Allegra
knew.
Claire didn’t know Allegra well, but she was willing to bet that she wasn’t the kind of girl who would just give up and walk away. Not when she sensed a threat
and
a secret.
“What makes you think I know anything?” Claire finally asked.
Allegra shrugged. “Call it a hunch. Only my hunches are better than most.”
Xander wasn’t going to like it. He hadn’t even wanted Sasha to know.
Claire sighed. “Okay, but this is just between us. Between us and Xander. No parents and no Guild until we say so. You have to agree or I can’t tell you anything.”
“Done,” Allegra said without hesitation.
Claire looked at Sasha. “Sash?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Sasha sounded offended. “If you tell me not to say anything, I won’t say anything. You know that.”
Claire’s nod was slow as she tried to think of a place to begin. Finally, she reached into her bag and pulled out the letters she’d printed from her computer. She pushed them across the table.
Allegra reached for the stack of paper. “What is this?”
“They’re letters. Just . . . look at them,” Claire said. “I took them with my phone, but I transferred them to my computer and printed them out. I think they’re pretty clear now.”
Allegra unfolded the papers and shuffled through them.
“Who talks like this?” she asked, setting them down on the table. “It’s like reading Shakespeare.”
“Look at the dates,” Claire instructed.
Allegra sighed and picked up the letters again.
“Eighteen eighty?” She looked up.
“Turn them over and look at the signature lines,” Claire said softly.
Sasha grabbed the stack of paper out of Allegra’s hands. She
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