Otherworld Nights Read Free Page B

that—his fascination with fire, his special abilities, those anomalies they found in his blood tests—is a cause for concern. We can continue to meet like this to monitor Adam’s progress and make him comfortable with his skills.”
    She looked Vasic in the eye. “Do people buy that bullshit?”
    He blinked and sat back.
    “You said you’ve met other children like Adam. Do their parents fall for that? You pat them on the head, tell them everything is fine, and they go away happy?”
    “A child’s welfare is paramount—”
    “I didn’t need you to tell me that my son is fine. I
know
he is. What I want is an explanation. Not a label. An explanation.”
    “There’s no need—”
    “—to raise my voice? I’ve been searching for an answer for months, Doctor, and now you have it and you think you can just tell me everything is fine and I should be happy with that?” She paused, reining in her anger. “You said you wanted to meet Adam?”
    Again, Vasic blinked, as if surprised by the change of tone and subject. Then he smiled and his eyes gleamed with barely contained enthusiasm. “Yes, certainly. I would very much like to meet him. He sounds … remarkable.”
    “He is.” She took out her business card. “Here’s my number. When you’re willing to tell me what’s going on, I’ll bring him by your office.”
    She let the card flutter to the table, and strode from the coffee shop.
    When a week passed with no word from Vasic, Talia began to second-guess herself. Maybe he hadn’t been as interested in Adam as he’d seemed. Or maybe he really didn’t know what was happening, only that he’d seen similar abilities before.
    No, he
was
interested. There had been no mistaking the way his mild gaze had lit up when she’d asked whether he wanted to meet her son.
    As for what was happening, he knew that, too. He wasn’t just fishing with his questions, like the other doctors and specialists who’d randomly tossed out queries. He’d known exactly what to ask, including about Adam’s father.
Especially
the questions about Adam’s father. Nothing she’d said had shocked or surprised him … because he’d expected it.
    After nine days with no call, Talia decided to light her own fire under Robert Vasic. First, she sent Adam to visit his great-great-aunt Peggy. Peg was like a second mother to Adam, and a fairy godmother to Talia. When Talia had been choosing colleges, her mother pushed her toward Berkeley, where her aunt Peg lived. Peg had offered to let Talia stay with her but had understood when Talia had wanted to try dorm life instead.
    After Adam came, though, her aunt had been adamant that Talia would live with her. She would stay in school, while Peg—a retired schoolteacher—looked after Adam. When Talia had graduated, she hadn’t left the area. After all Peg had done for them, Talia wasn’t about to wrest her son away from the old woman.
    Once Adam was at Aunt Peggy’s, Talia made the call. Then she waited. Less than thirty minutes later, someone pounded at the front door. Didn’t ring the bell or knock politely, but pounded. She opened it to see Vasic on her stoop, bareheaded in the rain, water streaming off his hair and beard, panting as if he’d run from the car and was unaccustomed to the exertion. Seeing him like that, she felt a little bad about what she’d done. But only a little, and only for a moment.
    “Are you all right?” His eyes were dark with concern, and she felt another slight pang of remorse.
    “I’m fine,” she said.
    As he searched her face, she knew she should try to seem more upset, even be crying, given what she’d told him on the phone. But making that call had drained her limited acting abilities.
    “You should sit down,” he said, taking her arm to guide her.
    He thinks I’m in shock
. She gently pulled from his grasp and led him to the kitchen.
    “Where’s Adam?” he asked.
    “Staying at his aunt’s.”
    A brief frown, as if surprised she wouldn’t