Purple walls and glass counters surrounded me. I was back at Adessa’s. I’d made it. I wasn’t dead. My skin was dry. My feet were planted firmly to the checkerboard tile. The Foreseer’s Crystal Ball was cupped in my hand. “Ah!” I shrieked and dropped the ball. It hit the ground hard, causing it to crack down the center. “Gemma.” I looked away from the broken ball and found Alex standing right next to me, his green eyes wider than usual, his mouth set in a worried line. Behind him stood Laylen, with the same worried expression on his face. I breathed heavily. “What the heck happened?” “What do you mean what the heck happened? You touched the Foreseer’s ball after I told you not to.” His voice, although full of anger, slightly shook. “It was an accident,” I snapped. “I didn’t mean to touch that—that—” I waved my hand at the broken Foreseer ball. “Thing.” All three of us stared down at it. Water was seeping out through the crack, forming a puddle on the floor.
