Sally didn’t know what to do or where to go. She tried to follow Riley. But Jorden grabbed her shoulder and held her firmly. There was nothing for Sally to do but close her eyes and try to shut out the world around her. Fire filled her mind and burned her thoughts to ash. That was what had happened to this place. These poor people. The pain of her own burns had been awful. But these people had died in the fire. They had died while experiencing that same burning, maddening pain. If only there was some way for Sally to burn out those memories. She couldn’t bring herself to imagine the pain that these villagers had felt.
The car door opened. Sally looked up. Thank goodness. Riley and Lisa were back. They appeared to be unharmed. Fear was written all over their faces, but Sally couldn’t make out any injuries. What had happened? Lisa was shouting at Jorden to go. But Sally could hardly hear Lisa over the pounding of her own heart. Questions, questions, questions, so many questions. Would any of Sally’s questions ever be fully answered? Maybe Lisa could explain some things to her at some point. Sally glanced out the window as the car sped off. She was just able to catch sight of three figures running after them. But Sally couldn’t tell if they were humans or Forma.
What in the world was happening? Sally wished there was a way for her to keep herself from asking questions. Curiosity was a curse. There had to be a way to get rid of it. But Sally didn’t want to live in a world where questions were never answered. That sounded terrifying. The three figures vanished as the car drove into the forest.
Well, what mattered was that Lisa and Riley were out of harm’s way. They still didn’t have anything to eat. But they were all safe for now. Sally felt Riley’s arm around her shoulder. She relaxed a little bit. Next time Riley tried running off like that, Sally would stop her. There were many things that Sally admired about her sister, but she wished that Riley wasn’t so reckless. Sally closed her eyes and tried to focus on breathing. She needed to stay calm. It didn’t matter what had happened. What mattered was that they were safe. They could find the food later.
Riley’s hands were trembling. Sally smiled at her. Riley smiled back. Maybe she could just keep trying to distract Riley from all the things that had been happening. She watched as Riley closed her eyes and sighed. Weariness spread across Riley’s face, replacing the fear. Soon she was snoring softly. Maybe Sally could use a nap too. She closed her eyes and snuggled up next to her sister. One nice thing about taking naps was that you couldn’t feel hungry while sleeping. The hunger in Sally’s stomach faded away as dreams filled her mind. She was no longer scared or sad. She wasn’t in the car. Sally was somewhere far away
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“You’ll get it eventually!” said the lady. Her voice sounded bright and cheerful as always. Sally sighed.
“You keep saying that. What about Riley? She hasn’t had any time to train. How is she supposed to learn if she won’t listen to you?” Sally muttered.
“She’ll have to listen to me sooner or later. The good thing is that you’re both here now. Remember, both of your powers are much stronger now that you’re together,” said the lady. Sally smiled. That was a good point. Maybe things would be easier now.
“I see. You found Riley in America, right?”
“Yeah. It’s amazing that I was able to find her. I-I was starting to worry that I never would.” The lady shivered. “But we found her. Everything is okay now.”
“Maybe I should try talking to her again,” Sally suggested.
“That is a good idea,” the lady said.
“When did you first learn of me and Riley?” Sally asked. She had always wanted to know.
“There was an old folktale that the Formas have carried through generations. But recently, we’ve found some scientific evidence to support the tale.”
“Was the tale about Riley and me?”
“We think so. The girls in the tale didn’t have your names. They weren’t given any names. But you two match the girls in the story,” said the lady.
“Can I read the story?”
“No!” A sharpness entered the lady’s voice. “No. Maybe someday. But I think you should wait for your destiny to find you. We don’t want to rush fate.” That made sense to Sally.
“Okay. May I have lunch now?”
“Yes dear. Don’t you worry about your sister. She can’t run from her own destiny. We need her and we need you. Don’t worry.”
“I won’t!” Sally said cheerfully.
“Good girl.” The lady smiled at her.
The memory was sweet. But as Sally opened her eyes, it lost its sweetness. Fear and hatred filled her as she sat up. Riley was still asleep, and Jorden was still driving. Jorden and Lisa were talking. Jorden spoke with a calm tone. His smile and voice were very controlled. Now Sally understood. That strange feeling that Jorden gave her was the same feeling the lady had given her. It was something in the way that they carried themselves. It was in the way that they spoke. Both Jorden and the lady lived in nice large houses with lots of books and pretty gardens. Jorden seemed nice. Lisa and Riley both seemed to trust him. But there was just something about him that would always remind Sally of the lady.