Chapter Two
"Abigail McBride, you look a fright." Gwen said to Abby as she walked in the door of the bookshop. Abby gave her a half smile. A total of 2 ½ hours of sleep could do that to a person, she thought, but didn't speak. She could see Gwen was concerned already. "Abs, seriously. I'm worried about you. When you start look like that, it begins to keep me up at night."
Gwendolyn Page had been taking care of Abby since she showed up in the shop 8 years earlier. She hadn't known Abby's mother that well, but knew what had happened to her. Once Gwen saw the sadness in Abby's eyes she vowed to look after her, since it seemed she had no one else left in the world. Little by little, Abby let Gwen in, and though she would have never thought she could, she trusted her completely. So much so, that one night, it all spilled out. The secrets she held, about her past, and about her gift.
Gift. Huh. Some gift. It was the reason she was sleep deprived, the reason she never got close to anyone anymore.
Not after what happened to her mother.
Not after what happed to Cameron.
Gwen was the only exception, and Abby guessed it was because she needed Abby as much as Abby needed her. It was a risk she knew, getting close to anyone again. If anything happened to Gwen..well, Abby couldn't think about it. If she did, it'd drive her crazy. Crazier, anyway. Most people called her crazy already.
What good was having a gift if it left you powerless to help the ones you loved most in the world? If you could see the future but couldn't stop the inevitable? Never knowing what day, or week, or month spelled disaster for the ones you cared about?
What an odd pair. Gwen with her riot of red curls and colorful clothes. Abby with her light brown hair that lay straight as an arrow, and attire straight out of J Crew. Gwen's laughing green eyes. Abby's hidden behind the tortoiseshell frames she always wore. If she ever took them off, you'd see her eyes were blue as sapphires. But they were sad. They hadn't always been.
After mildly convincing Gwen she was OK, Abby sighed and went about straightening the shelves. She wandered over to the travel section, where there was a rather wide selection of maps and atlases for such a small shop. Abby always suspected it was because Silver Canyon was nestled halfway between Vail and Aspen, and the wealthy loved to travel. Looking quickly over her shoulder, she took out one labeled "US - Northeast and New England". Thumbing through quickly, she found what she'd been looking for. Port Charles, NY. Wow, it really was so far away. She'd never been there, but she knew the town as if she'd grown up walking its streets. Soon she actually would be.
"Caught you, kiddo. What gives?" Gwen snatched the map from Abby's hands. "Goin' on a trip?"
It was time to fess up. Abby knew she had to tell her.
"It's happening again." Abby said gravely, looking down at her feet. She stared at her boots as if they were the most interesting things she'd ever seen.
"I knew something was up with you. You're going, aren't you? And soon, I can tell. Abby, why did you wait to tell me?" Gwen grabbed her hand. "Honey, c'mon. Sit down. I hate it when you try to go through all this alone."
Gwen placed Abby on the couch near the back of the store. She ran to the door, locked it and hung up the "CLOSED" sign, even though they just opened. This was more important. She walked back over to where Abby sat.
"Start talking." Gwen demanded.
"OK. Last night, oh God, oh God, Gwen, I saw him kill her". Abby looked up, her eyes filled with tears.
"Shh, Abby." Gwen reached to smooth her hair.
"Not just kill her, it was like torture. For both of them. He made him watch while he did it. He couldn't stop him."
"Abby."
"No. Alison! NO!" Abby screamed herself, and started to shake. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She barely noticed.
"I could feel it, Gwen. Like it was happening to me, I could feel it."
"Because it almost was."
"I know. I know. I should be used to it by now. I've seen her all my life. It was easier though, when I didn't know her name. Just knowing her face was easier to deal with." Abby took a deep breath, and finally told Gwen what she already knew.
"I think there's still time. I have to go and warn them."
"Abigail McBride, you look a fright." Gwen said to Abby as she walked in the door of the bookshop. Abby gave her a half smile. A total of 2 ½ hours of sleep could do that to a person, she thought, but didn't speak. She could see Gwen was concerned already. "Abs, seriously. I'm worried about you. When you start look like that, it begins to keep me up at night."
Gwendolyn Page had been taking care of Abby since she showed up in the shop 8 years earlier. She hadn't known Abby's mother that well, but knew what had happened to her. Once Gwen saw the sadness in Abby's eyes she vowed to look after her, since it seemed she had no one else left in the world. Little by little, Abby let Gwen in, and though she would have never thought she could, she trusted her completely. So much so, that one night, it all spilled out. The secrets she held, about her past, and about her gift.
Gift. Huh. Some gift. It was the reason she was sleep deprived, the reason she never got close to anyone anymore.
Not after what happened to her mother.
Not after what happed to Cameron.
Gwen was the only exception, and Abby guessed it was because she needed Abby as much as Abby needed her. It was a risk she knew, getting close to anyone again. If anything happened to Gwen..well, Abby couldn't think about it. If she did, it'd drive her crazy. Crazier, anyway. Most people called her crazy already.
What good was having a gift if it left you powerless to help the ones you loved most in the world? If you could see the future but couldn't stop the inevitable? Never knowing what day, or week, or month spelled disaster for the ones you cared about?
What an odd pair. Gwen with her riot of red curls and colorful clothes. Abby with her light brown hair that lay straight as an arrow, and attire straight out of J Crew. Gwen's laughing green eyes. Abby's hidden behind the tortoiseshell frames she always wore. If she ever took them off, you'd see her eyes were blue as sapphires. But they were sad. They hadn't always been.
After mildly convincing Gwen she was OK, Abby sighed and went about straightening the shelves. She wandered over to the travel section, where there was a rather wide selection of maps and atlases for such a small shop. Abby always suspected it was because Silver Canyon was nestled halfway between Vail and Aspen, and the wealthy loved to travel. Looking quickly over her shoulder, she took out one labeled "US - Northeast and New England". Thumbing through quickly, she found what she'd been looking for. Port Charles, NY. Wow, it really was so far away. She'd never been there, but she knew the town as if she'd grown up walking its streets. Soon she actually would be.
"Caught you, kiddo. What gives?" Gwen snatched the map from Abby's hands. "Goin' on a trip?"
It was time to fess up. Abby knew she had to tell her.
"It's happening again." Abby said gravely, looking down at her feet. She stared at her boots as if they were the most interesting things she'd ever seen.
"I knew something was up with you. You're going, aren't you? And soon, I can tell. Abby, why did you wait to tell me?" Gwen grabbed her hand. "Honey, c'mon. Sit down. I hate it when you try to go through all this alone."
Gwen placed Abby on the couch near the back of the store. She ran to the door, locked it and hung up the "CLOSED" sign, even though they just opened. This was more important. She walked back over to where Abby sat.
"Start talking." Gwen demanded.
"OK. Last night, oh God, oh God, Gwen, I saw him kill her". Abby looked up, her eyes filled with tears.
"Shh, Abby." Gwen reached to smooth her hair.
"Not just kill her, it was like torture. For both of them. He made him watch while he did it. He couldn't stop him."
"Abby."
"No. Alison! NO!" Abby screamed herself, and started to shake. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She barely noticed.
"I could feel it, Gwen. Like it was happening to me, I could feel it."
"Because it almost was."
"I know. I know. I should be used to it by now. I've seen her all my life. It was easier though, when I didn't know her name. Just knowing her face was easier to deal with." Abby took a deep breath, and finally told Gwen what she already knew.
"I think there's still time. I have to go and warn them."