“But if you see it,” Ethan presses, “can’t you change it?”

“That’s what I tried with Hank,” I say. “But it didn’t work. I don’t know how it works. The only way I control it is by touching someone. That’s it. I can’t tell what I’m going to see. I can’t pick where in someone’s future. It just happens. Truth is, I don’t know if changing it is possible. I don't know why this has happened to me. I wish it would go away."

Ethan looks at me as though he is scared. “Are we at Crestwood when it happens?”

“No, but like I said, I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t know any more than that. It’s as much of a mystery to me as it is to you. I’m still trying to figure out a way to keep Gilbert alive.”

“Sorry I pressed you,” Ethan says sincerely. “It’s just crazy to me is all.”

“You and me both,” I say. “I didn’t ask for this. I’d like to know why it is happening at all. It makes me feel strange. Like an outsider.”

“Well, that’s why we have to keep it a secret,” Ethan says. “You’re no outsider to me, but this is the kind of thing that if word got out, people would flock to you to see what their future is. People used to pay for this kind of stuff.”

“I suppose I could get pretty rich off of it,” I say.

“Well, I don’t know about that. You might not make a good living giving people bad news all the time.”

I don’t know why, but this makes me laugh. It feels nice.

“I don’t know much about you,” I say.

The smile fades from his face and he looks away. “There’s not much to know,” he says. “I’ve lost the same as everyone else. Family. Friends. I’m all that’s left.”

I nod, knowing that going into details isn’t necessary. We all really have the same story, don’t we?

“But Crestwood will give us a bright future,” he says.

I just have to figure out how to keep Gilbert from dying.

My eyes feel so groggy when I hear a knock at my apartment door in the middle of the night. Actually it’s more like a pounding than a knock. At first, I think that it might be Ethan coming to tell me something is wrong, but when I unlock the door, it’s Gabe. My heart begins to pound at the sight of him. Every time I see his face, I can’t help but think of the vision I had before. His coming in the middle of the night can only be bad news.