Free Wicked Sense by Fabio Bueno

bothers me.
    Boulder stops and looks at me. “No, no. What you’re saying is you don’t want to go. But you are going.” When I open my mouth to pr otest, he pokes me in the chest. “You are , ” he says.

Chapter 16: Skye
    I hate hospitals. However, in one week, I’ve been to two hospital s in two different continents. Mum is in her bed, looking surprisingly good for someone who had a heart attack the day before . Maybe her Allure is working overtime.
    Aunt Gemma and Judi are in a corner of the room, silent.
    I’m relieved Mum’s doing so well, considering. Maybe joie de vivre isn’t just an abstract concept; maybe hers helped her turn this around. The concern remains, but most of the grim thoughts are in the back of my mind now.
    “You didn ’t need to come back, darling,” Mum says, her voice betra ying some weakness. Her hand clutches mine.
    “Of course I needed to be here , Mum,” I protest .
    “I’m glad you did , though .” S he taps my arm with her other hand. Age is catching up to her. Slowly, because of her Allure, but nobody can stop time. Not even us . Her eyes still shine with youth, though, even after the scare. She takes a deep breath . “But your mission is important; you must go back.”
    “What?” What’s going on? I voice the same concerns I h ad before going to Seattle. “Why ? We’ve been searching for almost two years now, and I’m just one of the Sisters planted in high schools over there. How can I make a difference?”
    The answer I received the first time was : we all need to do our part. Mum looks at Judi, who’s been by Mum’s side since she came to the hospital.
    Judi says, “We’re running out of time, dear.”
    “But I— ”
    “Bu t you , Skye,” Judi interrupts me, “are a great asset. True Sight is rare, and yours is powerful. We put you in one of the most likely places — where you can get a whiff of energy to put us on the right path.”
    “But now is not the time,” I say, pointing to my mother.
    “Don’t you worry about me,” Mum says. “I have the best medical support money can buy. Also, I have the best alternative medicine available.” She winks.
    “ Our coven is having a circle of prayer tonight for your mother . And I won’t leave her side,” Judi assures me.
    It’s hard to think clearly when the magical signature s Judi and Mum release are so intense. In closed quarters, the combined energy of the two Sisters is overwhelming.
    I shake my head. “Mum, I want to be here. You just had a big scare; you’re weak and alone. You need me.”
    “Alone? I have my Sisters and a house full of servants. I’m back home tomorrow,” she says.
    “I can’t leave. You just had a heart attack , and you’re asking me to leave? It’s not normal.”
    Mom shakes her head, a weak smile on her face. “And when did we have a normal life, darling?”
    ***
    I’m exhausted. Unlike Aunt Gemma, who slept through the whole nine-hour nonstop flight, I never closed my eyes. We went from Heathrow to the hospital, and now the sleeplessness is catching up to me.
    A cab takes Aunt Gemma and me to my mother’s house. I mumble hello s to the servants, who all express their concern about my mother. My old room awaits me. It feels familiar and strange at the same time. Mum and I were always on the road, in hotel rooms, in trailers . We rarely came back to the house. When she had time between projects, we went on vacations . T o more hotel rooms. Nice ones, some close to beaches, some close to ski slopes, but soulless hotel rooms anyway . We always had this house, but we never had a true home. 
    I see the flowers people sent her. It must be nice being beloved: friends, actors, directors, agents, studio executives, crew unions(!), and, of course, fans sent all kinds of mementos. Get-well cards, stuffed animals, pictures. Even the not so thoughtful ones — a recent heart attack victim certainly doesn’t need boxes of chocolates or bottles of scotch — have a certain