Page 108 of The Last Session

“It’s huge.” I sucked in my breath. “It just stopped right in front ofus.” Its head—about the size of a watermelon—floated at my level, its eyes large as marbles. A thin purple tongue darted in and out of its jaws. Its scales reflected the sun so brightly I could barely look at it.

“What’s it doing now?” she whispered.

As I sank further into the vision, my body cried out in agony; the sun was baking us alive. And then, right when I thought I couldn’t stand a second more: sweet relief. An animal hide stretched over us, providing shade.

“We’re under a tent,” I said. “I think the snake made it appear.”

On the floor next to me, Catherine murmured in gratitude.

“What’s the snake saying to you now?” Moon asked.

I could hear the words, a conversation unfolding. The snake’s voice was low and booming, but coming from inside my head. I was answering in kind, too weak to speak out loud.

“It… I’m asking it: Is this tent real? And it’s saying: In a sense, yes.”

“And now?”

“It’s telling me that we were put in its path for a reason.” I swallowed, my bone-dry throat swollen. “That normally it can’t communicate with our kind, but that we’re special; we’re able to connect to other worlds. It’s saying it knows that our entire community betrayed us because they were scared of our power.”

Can you help us?Catherine asked; she was involved in this psychic conversation too.

It is too late for this lifetime.The snake’s eyes were like stone. I had the sense it had been here long before humans and would remain long after we were gone.You will soon be bones and dust.

The words filled me with heavy sorrow and regret.

But I can give you an opportunity, it went on.

“What’s the opportunity?” Moon asked when I relayed the statement.

“It’s…” Here the conversation glitched, the words not quite making sense. “Something about how being betrayed by our entire community gives us power… that we can make the decision to sacrifice ourselves in the future, and that act can cause a shift in humanity. Or a jump ahead, or something like that.”

There was a repeating high-pitched rasp; I realized it was me wheezing. Catherine and I were so close to the end.

“What’s your response?” Moon’s fingernail pierced my skin and thebright pain brought me back into the tent. They were all staring at me, eyes wide, faces red and gleaming.

I tried to pull away. “It’s too hot.” I started to get up, suddenly desperate.

“No!” Moon wrenched me back down.

“I need to get out.” White spots sparkled at the edges of my vision.

“Keep going.” Sol was on my other side, holding my arm, keeping me in place. “We’re almost there.”

“What did you say?” Moon hissed.

I squeezed my eyes closed. And there they were: the watchful eyes of the snake.

Fuck humanity.My inner voice was scornful, and rage surged up through my belly.They deserve to burn.

Don’t die with hate in your heart.Catherine’s psychic voice was almost too faint to hear.There will be consequences.She was usually the impulsive one, the selfish one. What right did she have to chide me now?

There isn’t much time.There was a touch of some emotion in the snake’s resonant voice, maybe pity.What is your answer?

“Thea!”

I plunged through a dark tunnel into wakefulness. Someone was grasping my shoulders. Dom? Had I missed my alarm?

Moon let go of me and Sol and Jonah blinked down at me. Consciousness rushed in: I was at the Center.