Page 13 of Forty Deaths Till Us Part

She frowned as glanced between me and Rene. “What would that have to do with being a witch?”

Rene shrugged casually. “I believe it is a human ability and has nothing to do with magical power. You have no magic, but you can create this connection with your mother.”

Jana nibbled her lip. “I am pretty sure Mom creates the connection. She seems to know when I need it, but it hasn’t happened a lot or anything.”

Rene nodded. “While your mother’s gift is likely stronger than yours, you must have some level of ability. May I ask if you remember the first time it happened?”

Jana was quiet for a moment. “Mom told me about the incident when I was a toddler, but I don’t remember that. When I was ten, I was swimming, and I swam underneath the wharf, despite my parents telling me not to, when we were at the lake. I bumped my head and began to panic, but Mom invaded my mind and... commanded me not to panic. She told me to swim down a bit and resurface outside the dock, and I did. She was already swimming toward me when I got on top. I had a goose egg the size of Mars, but it could have been a lot worse.”

My heart squeezed a little at the memory. “I was so freaked out by that incident. I don’t think I let you out of my sight for six months.”

Jana nodded. “I could feel you checking on me when I was in class. I guess I am never really away from you.”

I frowned. “I don’t have the ability anymore, honey.”

Jana’s eyebrows furrowed. “Really? It was always kind of comforting to know you would come if I called you.”

Rene shifted in his seat slightly. “I am not convinced that Raven won’t regain her abilities. It is too soon after her transition to make such assumptions. Vampires develop over decades, not weeks.”

Jana sighed. “I could be eighty before Mom regains it though.”

The slight blip of fear that squeezed my heart earlier was nothing compared to the twisting in my core at the thought of me outliving Jana.

Rene glanced at me, but his face remained stoic. “I hope you will consider testing when you are ready. But you are a part of my family, no matter what you decide.”

Rene’s statement helped ease the tension in my core. But this predicament was why vampires were vetted and their family dynamic weighed upon before approval. Unfortunately, I knew the truth about Jana. “She doesn’t want to be a vampire, Rene. I didn’t either, so I have to accept the consequences of these events... someday.” I heard the pain in my voice. So did Rene and Jana. There was a good chance I would follow my daughter when she left this world. I could handle her aging, but not dying.

Jana was quiet for some time. “I want to talk about that, but let’s focus on why you think Mom’s telepathic ability is somehow responsible for her transition.”

Rene was staring at me. “I can’t confirm it is. Raven, when did you begin to... sense things?”

I never thought about the strange ability I had. “I don’t remember a time when I didn’t. It was more of a sixth-sense thing when I was younger. Nothing overt and everything I did was easily explained, so nobody ever noticed it... well, until Jana.”

“Your mother did not have this ability?” Rene asked.

“No. The earliest... occurrence was when I was eight. My mom was cooking pasta, and she had an apron on. It came undone and caught on the pot handle. Seconds before she would have pulled the boiling water onto herself, I yanked her out of the way. The pot hit the floor, and she still got a minor burn through her pants, but it could have been a lot worse if that water hit her arms.”

“That could have been passed off as instinct. Not... premonition.”

“It was. I assumed I saw what was about to happen, but I was in the other room and had to rush to the kitchen.”

“You realize what you are describing differs from what you did with Jana. You did not command your mother. You simply sensed danger.”

I shrugged. “Maybe my gift developed over time, too. I was a child then. And in every instance, my connection was with a family member. I have never been able to avert an accident for Isra, and I love him.”

Rene’s jaw twitched. “You never attempted to develop this ability, so it is impossible to say whether you could have learned to connect to those around you.”

I shrugged. “Nothing showed in the witch testing, so there wasn’t anyone to help train me. I didn’t recognize it as anything special. Even when I connected with Jana, and I was happy that I did, part of me felt more alone than ever. Like I was some kind of mutant.”

Jana’s eyes widened. “No way. You are amazing. I can’t believe you said that. Or felt that way. It was the complete opposite for me. I felt like we were superheroes keeping our identity secret.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Superheroes. Really?”

Jana laughed. “Give me a break. I was a kid.”

“Thank you for telling me. I am sorry I lost it now.”

Jana tapped her chin with her finger. “I wonder if I will develop the ability in time. Where I can connect with and not the other way around. I do sense things sometimes.”