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“Cleo, do you know where your dance shoes are? We don’t want to be late for your class today!” I call out, checking my watch for the third time. I’ve been sending Cleo to a special sports academy preschool once a week for the last year. It’s donewonders for her social abilities and the emphasis on physical exercise has helped with her crazy energy levels.

“Mama, you can’t go to the hospital. You can’t,” Cleo says, appearing behind me. Her dance shoes are gripped in her hand so tightly that her little knuckles are white. She looks terrified.

“Honey, what are you talking about?” I ask, kneeling down to pry her shoes out of her hand.

“Promise me you won’t go,” she cries, flinging herself into my arms. Her hot tears soak my shoulder and I hold her tightly. “I don’t want you to die.”

“Honey, no one is going to die. And I’m not scheduled at the hospital today. I’m going to work at the clinic. Let’s get you to class, okay?” I brush away her tears and help her put on her shoes.

She drags her feet as we walk to the car, her little sniffles breaking my heart each step of the way.

We make the short drive to the academy and I help her out of her booster seat and hand her the pink dance bag.

“You promise you won’t go?” she asks, solemnly. I kneel down to her level and give her a hug. “I promise, honey. Now go have fun at the dance, okay?”

I watch as she walks off toward her dance studio and give her a little wave when she turns back.

My anxiety is sky high as I get into the car.She’s having visions. Terrible visions. What if they’re true? But they can’t be, right? I don’t work at the hospital. I work at the Ruby Clinic. Maybe this is all just a coincidence…

I navigate out onto the freeway and make my way toward Ruby Clinic. As I reach my exit, my phone rings and I answer it on the hands free.

“This is Yelena,” I say as I merge onto the exit.

“Yelena, thank God. Are you on your way in?” Dr. Taylor asks. He sounds frantic.

“Yes, Doctor. I’m about ten minutes away. What happened?” I ask.

“A passenger train derailed at rush hour. There were multiple casualties. Many injured. We’re sending everyone we have to help up at the hospital. Can you make it over there?”

My blood runs cold, and I swallow hard.The hospital. The one place Cleo made me swear I wouldn’t go.

“Yelena, did you hear me?” Dr. Taylor says again, his voice tight with worry.

“I heard you, Doctor,” I answer quietly. My heart is torn. As a healer, I’m duty-bound to assist where I can. All those people suffering…if I could help them, I know where I need to be.

But Cleo…she’s my life. Her vision saw me dying if I went to the hospital. That’s horrifying too.

I take a deep breath and pray to the Moon Goddess, asking for whatever grace she might give me.

My decision is clear.

“I can be at the hospital in twenty minutes,” I tell him.

“Good. We’ll see you there.”

I hang up the call and grip the steering wheel.

Moon Goddess, protect me. Please.

Chapter Twenty One

Austin

“Austin? Austin is this you?”

I grip my phone tightly to my ear as the tiny voice comes through the receiver. “Yes, this is Austin,” I answer. There’s a lump in my throat. When I left my card at Yelena’s last night, I figured she would throw it away. I never dreamed that Cleo would call.