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Openin scene of MAGICIAN'S MUSE

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MAGICIAN'S MUSE
Chapter One








The phone was going to ring.


I knew this for a fact; the way you see dark clouds in the sky and know it’s going to rain. Premonitions were no big deal to me. But the flash of fear that came with this sudden knowing was scary. Someone was going to call and I wouldn’t like what they told me. It could change my life. Not in a good way.


My cell phone sat on my desk beside my keyboard. Only a few feet away. But I didn’t move from my bed where I sat cross-legged in a festive jumble of wrapping paper, tape and ribbons. Seconds ago I’d been humming to my holiday playlist while transforming gift-wrapping into art with glitter, foil paper and miniature golden angels. Now my holiday spirit was dead.


Usually my psychic vibes clued me in on who was calling and I often made a game of caller-guessing. I tried to guess now; closing my eyes to concentrate, picking up a masculine vibe. Someone close to my age and to my heart. Immediately I thought of Dominic. Oh, no, please, not him! Since breaking up with my last boyfriend, everything had been made of awesome with Dominic. We talked endlessly about hopes, dreams and our future together. But what if something bad happened to him?


My cell phone rang.


I jumped, knocking a roll of wrapping paper onto the floor. Then I stiffened like a statue; cold and frozen inside and couldn’t bring myself to answer.


Finally by the fifth ring, I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed the phone and flipped it open—stunned to read the Caller I.D.


Josh DeMarco. My ex-boyfriend.


Only when I flipped open the phone, it wasn’t Josh. It was his mother.


“Sabine?” Mrs. DeMarco asked in an odd anxious voice. “Are you there?”
“Yeah,” I managed through surprise. My phone vibes usually weren’t this far off.


“Sorry to call you so early,” she told me.


“No problem. I’m an early riser.” A million questions slammed into my head but I focused on the most important one. “Um…how is Josh?”


“I-I don’t know.” She spoke so softly, her voice edged in sadness. “I was hoping you could tell me.”


“What do you mean? I haven’t seen him at school and heard he was out sick with a bad virus.” The timing of his virus and our breakup was too coincidental. I’d suspected he was faking an “illness” to avoid seeing me. I mean, our breakup had been that bad. Worse than bad: apocalyptic.


“You’re into the occult, the work of the devil,” he’d accused after catching me summoning ghosts in a séance. “I can never forgive that.”


That was over three weeks ago. When Josh walked out that day, I knew it was really over for us. I should have felt sad…but I didn’t. Instead I was relieved and hopeful we’d both be happier now. Josh would hook up with a nice normal girl who applauded his magic tricks and didn’t see ghosts or have telepathic conversations with her spirit guide. And finally, I was free to give my heart to Dominic.


Still our break-up left me with an unfinished feeling, like walking out of a movie before the final scene. I wanted to explain to Josh that being psychic was an important part of me and had nothing to do with black magic. But he hadn’t returned any of my messages.


And now his mother was calling…..


“Josh isn’t sick—at least I hope not. He’s…he’s-” Mrs. DeMarco cut off with a sob. “Gone.”


“Gone?” I tensed. “For how long?”


“Over a week. He left a note telling us not to worry but there’s no word from him and I-” Her voice broke. “I-I don’t know what to do.”


“What about the police?”


“They wouldn’t even put out one of those missing kids alerts for him because he left a note. They say he’s a runaway.”


“Not Josh. He’s one of the most responsible, reliable people I know.”


“That’s what I told the police. But even my husband wants to wait for Josh to come home on his own. Only what if he’s hurt or sick and needs help? I’ve waited long enough. I have to try to find him so I’m calling his friends.”


As I wondered if Josh’s disappearance could somehow be my fault, I realized there was silence on Mrs. DeMarco’s end. Thinking I’d lost the connection—and feeling a teensy bit glad to bring this awkward conversation to an end—I was about to hang up when Mrs. DeMarco suddenly blurted out, “I-I understand you and Josh broke up.”


“Uh, yeah,” I replied cautiously. How much did she know? Had Josh told his mother I worshipped the devil and practiced black magic? I knew, from past experience, that some people weren’t cool with paranormal stuff.


“He didn’t say why,” Josh’s mother replied. “I-I realize this is none of my business, but was he upset when you broke up? Upset enough to-to hurt himself or--”


“Oh, my god, no! Josh would never do anything like that,” I insisted. Josh has been upset, all right, but he wasn’t suicidal. Especially since he’d been the one to dump me; not the other way around. Yet why did I feel so guilty?


“If you have any information at all, you must tell me,” Josh’s mother said firmly, almost as if she were the psychic one. “Even if things between you and my son ended badly, I know, deep down, you still care about him.”


“I swear I’d tell you if I knew anything.”


“You may know more than you realize. Would you come over so we can talk in person?”


“You mean…now?”


“If you don’t mind. Besides it’ll do Horse good to see you. That impossible dog won’t eat since Josh left. I’ve tried four vets and none of them have helped. Horse is always so excited to see you. Maybe you can convince him to eat.”


“He’s a great dog,” I admitted. “I’ve missed him.”


“So you’ll come over right away?” she asked hopefully.


“Well…okay.” A thought came to me. “I have this friend who is really amazing with animals and might be able to help Horse. Is it okay if I bring him?”


“Of course. Is he a vet?”


“No. But he understands animals so well that you’d think he was actually talking to them.”


Then I hung up, and went to find Dominic.


THE SEER #6 coming Oct. 1, 2010 -- preorder available on Amazon or ask your bookstore. By pre-ordering you stand a chance of getting the book in August.