The Prophet Read online

  “No.” Her eyes widened, and she shook her head, causing her earrings to jingle. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean I saw anything. It’s just… When I heard about your brother’s accident, I felt bad for you and wanted to see if you were okay. That’s when I learned your mom checked you into the hospital for psychiatric treatment. And that’s when I realized maybe your visions weren’t always as happy as mine.”

  Hazen took a drink of water to steady himself.

  I can finally talk about this, he thought. She won’t think I’m crazy.

  “When I was seventeen, I had a nightmare where I saw Chuck die in a car accident. I tried everything to stop it. I begged him not to go out that night. I hid his keys. He told me he’d stay home. But I woke up the next morning and heard my mom screaming and crying. I knew immediately I hadn’t stopped the nightmare from coming true. I was so traumatized I told my mom about it… Big mistake.”

  Renny gave him a second.

  He took a breath. “So, yeah. I have nightmares and try to stop them. But I can’t stop all of them. The problem is, I never know which can be changed and which can’t.” He rubbed his sweaty hands on his jeans. “Do you think what happened to my brother was for sure a nightmare I couldn’t have changed?”

  It was a sick thing to hope was true, but…

  Renny nodded, her expression again conveying sympathy. “Like I said, I only see events you can turn into happy endings. For years, I never knew you had different dreams from mine, more dreams than mine. I’ve never seen anything you couldn’t prevent. I didn’t see your brother’s accident at all. I don’t think it was something you were allowed to change.”

  Hazen sighed. He looked down at the crumbs on his dessert plate and tried to collect himself.

  Renny opened her clutch, took out a few bills, and tossed them on her original table. “Come on. Let’s get some air.”

  Hazen had already paid, so he stood from the table as Renny gathered her things. Together, they exited the restaurant and stepped onto the dark sidewalk along the lakefront.

  It was windy but not too cold, and the streetlights along the cement path shone the way into the city. Renny was as tall as he was, and they walked in step along the sidewalk.

  “So,” he asked, “you don’t see my nightmares?”

  “No. Never.”

  He tried to make sense of this. “If you don’t see a correlating dream, my nightmares are what will happen. But if you see a dream, that’s what will happen.”

  “I think so, yeah. That’s why I finally realized I should find you. I can tell you which visions you can do something about.” Renny looked over at him as they went by a streetlight. “When you can’t change something, it’s not your fault. For whatever reason, I guess some of your nightmares are meant to happen.”

  Hazen took a second with this unexpected, life-changing relief.

  For years, he thought, I’ve wrestled with the guilt. The responsibility. Not knowing if I wasn’t doing enough… Now I have a partner. I’m not alone.

  He exhaled a long breath into the dark night. With another thought, he looked at Renny. “Do you get other visions without me in them?”

  “Yeah, though not as often. Those dreams…” She whistled. “They’re not from any near future.”

  Again, relief washed over him. “They’re weird, right? Snippets that don’t make sense. And they’re far in the future. It’s cool to see things like hover cars, palm scanners, new glowing money. But things are wrong too. I see pollution, decay, whole cities in ruins. I keep seeing people’s faces, and they all look scared. And there’s this horrible virus that turns the infected into…” He studied her face. “Is that like your dreams?”

  “Somewhat, but I don’t see anything scary.” She scrunched her face in thought. “It must be like how you have nightmares and I have dreams. You see the bad stuff; I see happier things. I mean, from what I can tell, the future itself isn’t great, but I always feel a sense of hope, love, loyalty. I can’t explain it very well. Nothing’s ever decipherable. My dreams of the distant future are way more jumbled than my normal dreams. I see faces, buildings…”

  He nodded. “And sometimes there’s this swirling red and yellow light.”

  “Yes! And this…” Renny pulled back her sleeve.

  Hazen was only slightly surprised she’d tattooed the Mark on her arm. He pulled up the sleeve of his hoodie to show her his fresh, wrapped Mark.

  Renny smiled. “You see the kids too?”

  “Yeah. Four of them. Mostly when they’re really little. But also some when they’re grown up. They seem…important.”

  And, thought Hazen, like they might be the whole reason I – we – have these visions.

  He scowled. “Do you have any idea why this happens to us?”

  “Nope, but I might know people who do. In college, I went on a mission trip to Africa with a group called the Kota. Three of the Kota mentors were particularly kind to me, and we’ve stayed in touch. I told them about my dreams, and they’ve helped me a lot. They actually paid for my trip here because they thought it was important I find you.” She looked like she expected him to freak out. “Sorry to spring this on you, but they want me to bring you to them. They won’t tell me anything specific, but I have a feeling this is important, Hazen. They say we’re not the only ones with visions.”

  “There are others? Do the Kota have visions themselves?”

  Renny shook her head. “I don’t think so. At least, my mentors don’t. But they’ve been looking into this for a while. And I think they can give us answers, maybe help us with whatever future we’re being shown.” She looked at him as they crossed a street. “I feel like something big is coming. Do you?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I’ve been doing what I can with my nightmares for years, but there’s always something more with those stranger visions of the future. I just don’t have all the pieces.”

  She nodded and bit her lip in thought. “I know it’s asking a lot, Hazen, but would you come with me to meet the Kota? If this is as important as we think… Let’s hope the Kota can help.”

  He let out a breath as he spotted his parked car. “So where are the Kota? Where do we go next?”

  Renny laughed. “Vegas.”

  “Okay… Why’s that funny?”

  “You’ll understand when you meet them.”

  He didn’t get this, but he motioned to his car. “This is me. Can I give you a ride somewhere?”

  “Yes, please. I walked from my hotel.” She looked relieved he accepted all this.

  But why shouldn’t I? he thought. This is so weird, but I trust her. She might turn out to be the best friend I’ve ever had. We’re like each other’s yin and yang, or something. I’m not alone anymore. And if these Kota people have even more answers, you bet your butt I’m going to meet them.

  As they climbed in the car, Renny smiled at him. “So, Hazen, what kind of books do you read?”

  3

  The Trapezist

  People scream and run across the sidewalk in front of the hotel. Flashing and twinkling casino signs illuminate the night. A man with a gun turns and flees the scene. A cop car approaches, its sirens and lights further adding to the chaos.

  Hazen runs to a woman lying on the ground. He kneels beside her. She’s covered in blood from a gunshot to her chest.

  The cop car pulls up.

  “That way!” Hazen shouts as he points up the sidewalk. “The shooter went that way!”

  One cop sprints off down the sidewalk, and his partner returns to the car to radio for backup.

  The woman grabs Haven’s shirtsleeve. “Win…” She gasps for breath, but a second later her head drops and she’s still.

  An ambulance arrives, but Hazen knows it’s too late.

  “I’m so sorry,” he says to the dead woman. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  Hazen woke and looked around to place himself. He was on the bed of his hotel room. He’d only meant
to rest his eyes, but he’d fallen asleep.

  Oh, no, he thought. Does this nightmare happen tonight? Tomorrow night? Shit…

  He stood from the bed, winced from pain in his arm, and grabbed the tube of cream off his nightstand. While he rubbed cream into his healing Mark tattoo, he walked to his window.

  It was still bright afternoon. He’d been to Vegas during his ‘misspent youth’ period, his floundering college years. As he looked out his high hotel window now, he saw everything along the strip looked much the same as he remembered. A few old casinos had been demolished and replaced by newer, grander buildings. But the general ambiance was the same.

  Should I tell Renny my nightmare? he thought.

  While flying to Vegas on his private jet, Hazen and Renny had discussed every vision they could remember. Many of Hazen’s nightmares had correlated with Renny’s dreams. But there were also events only Hazen had envisioned, and Renny had never known these things Hazen hadn’t been able to change. Also, Renny sometimes had dreams of Hazen that he didn’t envision at all – such as his blind date with Maghen. If she ever had another dream about him, she promised to tell him.

  After tossing his tube of cream back on the nightstand, Hazen walked to the door connecting their adjoining rooms. He knocked. A second later, Renny opened the door. She wore the same jeans and T-shirt she’d traveled in. Since she hadn’t yet changed for the show they were going to, Hazen guessed he hadn’t napped that long.

  Renny saw his face and furrowed her brow. “What’s wrong?”

  “I had a nightmare.”

  Why now? he thought. Can’t I have one day to tend to my own life?

  Renny stepped into his room and sat in a chair facing his bed. Hazen took the hint and sat on the bed, facing her. Then he told her every detail he could remember of the nightmare.

  He took a shaky breath before he dared ask, “Did you dream?”

  With a sad look, Renny shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I took a nap too, but…nothing.”

  “Great.” He frowned. “So this nightmare’s going to happen no matter what.”

  “Did you know the woman?”

  “Never seen her. And you’re the only person I know in Vegas right now. But…”

  Renny made a face. “But maybe it’s one of the other vision-seers we’re here to meet. Lhamo said one is a woman.”

  Lhamo, Seth, and Mino were her three Kota mentors. She’d called them from the Canadian airport to say she and Hazen were on their way to Vegas. Once they landed, the mysterious Lhamo had called with instructions, and in a few hours they were supposed to meet up after a show.

  Hazen let out a breath. “The woman could be whoever we’re meeting today. But I don’t know.”

  Renny looked at the television’s display module showing the time. “We’d better get ready. Are you going to be okay?”

  Pulling himself together, Hazen nodded. He tried a smile. “It’s not my first awful nightmare. Won’t be my last. I’ll try to put it out of mind until it starts to happen in the present.”

  Renny nodded and, still looking concerned, returned to her room and shut the door.

  I have to focus on why we’re here, thought Hazen. I can forget that nightmare for a while – I’m not new to this. And in a weird way, it’s a relief to know Renny didn’t dream an alternative future. That means there’s nothing I can do to save this woman, whoever she is. The best I can do is help her die in peace when the time comes. And I send the cops after the shooter. That’s something.

  Hazen walked to his unpacked clothes and laid out the best suit he’d brought this trip. If he wanted help from these Kota people, he figured it’d be best to make a good impression. After a quick shower, he dressed and fixed his tie before putting on his vest. It was definitely too hot for the suit jacket.

  Could these Kota people really know what’s going on with our visions? he thought. I looked them up on our flight here. They sound pretty docile – charity events, global outreach, refugee work. They sound respectable. So how do they know anything about trippy visions of the future?

  Fully dressed, Hazen examined himself in the mirror and figured he looked presentable. With a shrug at his reflection, he walked to the connecting door and knocked again.

  “Come in. I’m almost ready.”

  Hazen opened the door and entered Renny’s room, which matched his. As he looked toward the open bathroom door, Renny hopped out on one foot, trying to put on a sandal. She wore a bright red, sleeveless summer dress, showing off her beautiful dark skin. The dress hung to her knees, and she wore sandals which exposed a toe ring. Her short hair looked wet from a shower, but she’d put on eye makeup and matching red lipstick.

  Hazen looked down at himself. “Am I overdressed?”

  She smirked. “A little. And it’s hot out, so you’re going to bake.”

  “Hmm.” He took off his vest and tie, tossing them over a nearby chair. Next undoing the top button of his white dress shirt, he asked, “Better?”

  “Much. But you still look tired. Did you get any sleep before your nightmare?”

  “A little.” He blinked. His eyes were dry.

  “You need sleep, Hazen.”

  “Yeah, well…”

  Easy for her to say, he thought. Renny only sees the happily ever after dreams, not my nightmares.

  Renny went to a table and picked up her clutch and phone, then noticed something on the screen. “Lhamo says…” She started laughing.

  “What?”

  She held out the screen to him. “The names. Look at their names.”

  The text said, “Jazzmon and Oryan will meet you in your seats at 2:00 p.m. Enjoy the show!”

  Hazen smiled, having learned earlier that Renny found odd modern names hilarious. “More importantly, look at the time.”

  Renny looked at her phone again. “Crap. We’d better scoot.”

  They exited the hotel room and walked along the hall’s lush carpet to the elevator. After stepping inside, Renny tapped the lit control screen for the lobby, and they leaned against the back wall as the lift descended.

  Hazen was getting excited. “So this Jazzmon and Oryan. They’re vision-seers like us?”

  “Guess so. That’s what Lhamo told me earlier.”

  She doesn’t know much more than I do, thought Hazen.

  The elevator doors opened. They stepped into the hotel lobby, where other guests strolled toward the hall of shops or else headed for the revolving door that led outside to the sunny sidewalk.

  Hazen swallowed as he looked out at the sidewalk.

  My nightmare was at night, he thought. I have hours and hours before it comes true. There’s plenty to focus on until then.

  He followed Renny across the lobby to the casino wing of the building. A darker ambiance and the recognizable dinging noises of slot machines greeted them.

  I forgot how annoying that sound is, he thought. Then again, last time I was here I was stoned out of my gourd. It’s a wonder I remember this place at all.

  He shook his head at his youthful foolishness and followed Renny through the casino to the back section. Here stood golden, ornate, glass doors. A small group of people stood in lines here, and a pair of casino workers scanned tickets before allowing people to step through the doors. Renny got their tickets out of her clutch and let one of the workers scan them.

  “Enjoy the show,” said the man with a permanently pasted grin.

  “Thank you.” Renny pushed open the door to lead Hazen out.

  Outside, Hazen looked around a tiled courtyard. This casino was fairly new, and the white tiles sparkled without scratches or scuff marks. Stands selling trinkets and snacks dotted the open area, and exotic music played over speakers hidden in potted plants. Desert sun shone on the scene, but tall pillars supported giant woven fans that cast shade on those below. The afternoon air was dry and warm. Hazen noticed he was still overdressed as he inspected the crowd.

  Renny p
ointed to the far side of the courtyard. “Let’s go find our seats.”

  They walked over to where the courtyard ended and steps descended into a wide, C-shaped amphitheater. Different rows of seats were marked with Roman numerals, as if this added a touch of class and intrigue to the casino’s theme. The seats around the amphitheater were padded like good seats at a ballgame, and hundreds of people were already waiting for the show to start. The stage itself was wide and held a pool in its center. The back wall of the stage rose at least three stories before a ceiling jutted out over the stage. On this floating ceiling’s underside, different colored lights, metal walkways, and wiring were placed strategically. In the background of all this, a wing of the casino itself rose tall into the blue sky.

  Renny whistled. “Nice.”

  Hazen agreed and followed her down the amphitheater stairs. They looked at their tickets a few times to make sure they were in the right section, and eventually they found their row and shuffled past tourists already seated. When they at last reached their two open spaces, Hazen folded down his seat, sat, and activated the chair’s cooling unit.

  Oh, that feels amazing, he thought.

  Then he noticed the man and woman seated beside him. The tall, lanky, blond man wore dress shorts and a button-down T-shirt. He had a program for the show on his lap. His retro glasses made him look like a geek, but a sports watch also caught Hazen’s eye. The woman was pretty, athletic, with long blond hair and blue eyes. She wore white shorts and a flowing top with abstract flowers, but she didn’t strike Hazen as girly. In fact, she looked quite stoic. Both the man and woman were in their early thirties. Both looked at Hazen and Renny with equal curiosity.

  Renny had noticed this too and leaned over Hazen to see them. “Hi, are you Jazzmon and Oryan? I’m Renny.”

  The man extended a hand to Renny. He spoke with a Norwegian accent. “It’s Or-i-on – pronounced like the constellation, actually. My mom loved all the space discoveries when she was pregnant with me.” He chuckled good-naturedly and held out a hand to shake with Hazen. “Hazen, correct?”