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Ms. Williams folds her arms, which is answer enough. “First I want to know what this is about.”
Kate takes a deep breath, clearly trying to keep her cool. But then it just bursts out of her. “I think I have clairvoyant powers, and I want to talk to you about it.”
It’s the first time I’ve seen her mother at a loss for words. She stares incredulously at her daughter. I try to read the emotion in her expression. Fear, because she knows what a burden it is? Disbelief? Horror?
Eventually, she shakes her head without taking her eyes off Kate. “Can you please tell me where you got that ridiculous idea? Is this some kind of adolescent nonsense? Are you starved for attention? This can’t be coming from you. What kind of company are you keeping? Tell me! Who filled your head with this nonsense?”
Her eyes flash with a cold, all-consuming anger. She clearly doesn’t believe it for a second. Is that possible? Kate was certain that the letter matched her mother’s handwriting. Why is her mom reacting so dismissively?
“I want an answer now, young lady. Do you hear me? I won’t allow you to get mixed up with some esoteric group, or worse. Next thing you’ll be joining a cult and dancing on graves. No, I won’t stand for it.” She runs her hand through her hair, looking stunned, and walks toward the door. “Come down to the living room, and we’ll talk this over. I want to know exactly who put this outlandish idea in your head. Although I already have my suspicions.” She glances at me. “I knew it was a bad idea to let you board at the school. You need a guiding hand, someone to keep you on the straight and narrow.”
“That’s not true, Mom,” Kate shrieks, standing her ground. “I know you have clairvoyant powers too. We found the letter you wrote to Mr. Brian. You’re a seer. Why are you denying it? We know everything! And now I’m standing here in front of you – your own daughter. I have the same ability, and I’m asking for your help. It’s too much for me. I’m scared of my visions. I have no control over them. But you… you’ve obviously found a way to deal with them. Please, help me!”
Her whole body is tense; she’s shaking, and her hands are clenched into fists. But she doesn’t look weak. She looks as if she’ll stop at nothing in her desperation. And it must be clear to her mother that she’s not about to relent. She wants answers.
“Kate,” her mom says in a softer tone. She moves a step closer to her daughter and touches her arm. “I really don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours right now. You’re obviously very confused. But don’t worry. Your father and I are here for you. We’ll get you some help. I’m sure there are specialists for this kind of thing.” She sighs. “I was hoping we’d never need the services of someone like that. But… I can accept it. I’m a good mother, and I’m always here for you.”
Kate stares at her. She seems as stunned as I am that her mom continues to cling to this lie. But is it really a lie? What if we’re barking up the wrong tree?
“Ms. Williams,” I begin, “please, if you don’t want to talk about it in front of me, I get it. I can leave. But please talk to Kate. Tell her why you wrote the letter and what Mr. Brian was planning. It’s important for all of us.”
Ms. Williams’ lips narrow as she looks at me. “I have no idea which letter you’re talking about. I don’t know a Mr. Brian.”
Now I’ve had enough too! I stomp into the room, pull out the letter, and hold it under her nose. Kate’s mom’s eyes widen as she reads it.
It’s quiet for a few minutes. Then she looks up at me and says, “What is this nonsense? Did you orchestrate this? Did you imitate my handwriting and forge this thing?” Her eyes flash with rage, but that’s all. No insight, no glimmer of recognition. She really doesn’t seem to know anything about it.
“Did you… Did you maybe forget?” Kate ventures. “Did the visions stop after you lost parts of your memory? Is that why you can’t remember this?”
She gives her mother a piercing look, but the woman is in shock. And yet her mind seems to be ticking over.
“I… I don’t forget things. What a thing to say! You’re the one who gets confused. I can never rely on you to remember things I’ve discussed with you. I… I’m not forgetful.”
But the uncertainty in her voice is unmistakable, and I can see fear in her eyes. Kate seems to have hit the nail on the head. Her mom forgets more than a healthy person should. I’ve noticed it too. Maybe she’s suffering from early onset dementia.
Kate nods and moves a step closer to her mother. She puts a comforting arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay, Mom. Forget about what I said before. I just wanted to test something out. And I think I know the truth now.”
With that, she takes the letter from her mother’s hands, turns around, and leaves the room. I glance back at Ms. Williams. For the first time since I’ve known her, she looks totally helpless. Not a word passes her lips. She seems no longer able to disguise her fear of losing herself, her life, her family.
I hurry downstairs after Kate.
“Kate,” I call. “Kate, stop. What is it?”
I get that she’s upset, but there’s something else too. She seems cold, as if she’s trying to hide something from me. I grab her arm and spin her around. There are tears in her eyes.
“Kate?”
It’s all I can say before Kate whispers desperately, “You want to know what’s up with me? My worst fears have just been confirmed. Mom’s sick. She’s been forgetting things for years. It’s getting worse. Dad’s noticed it too. He’s been wanting to take her to a doctor for a while, but she refuses. And you know what? It’s already happening to me too. I keep forgetting things. And since you found that letter, which my mom obviously wrote, and I saw her reaction…” She sniffs. “I’ve suspected for a long time that my forgetfulness is related to my clairvoyance. Because the more I have these visions and the more I see, the more my memories seem to fade.”
I can’t believe what Kate’s telling me. Why did she never mention this to me before? I guess I know the answer: She was afraid, and as long as she didn’t voice her fears, she could pretend they weren’t real. I put my arms around her and squeeze her tight.
“Her mind has been eaten away by her visions. She’s so damaged that she can’t even channel the visions anymore. The images have destroyed her bit by bit. This ability is a ticking time bomb, and in the end, it’ll destroy me too.”
I just hold her. I don’t know what to say. There’s nothing I can say to comfort her. All I can do is let her know that I’m here for her. And I swear to myself that I’ll do everything I can to make sure Kate doesn’t succumb to the same fate as her mother.
Chapter 27
For the next few days, Kate’s feeling pretty low, which is understandable. Her worst fears have been confirmed, and this new information worries me too. Obviously, it’s disappointing that we still don’t know why Kate’s mom wrote the letter to Mr. Brian and what he was planning. But what’s far worse is the realization that Kate has been carrying this sense of dread alone all this time. Sure, I’ve noticed once or twice that she’s forgotten something. Like the time we visited Alex and Kate had no recollection of a confrontation she’d had with Maria back in the day, whereas Alex and Chrissy remembered it vividly. Kate was aware that she was becoming more forgetful, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk about it and give credence to her fears.
