Devil's Advocate (The X-Files: Origins #2)(68)

“A charismatic person can often exert control over others. Ask Charles Manson. And I will not be surprised at all to discover that’s what we have here.”

Ethan looked unconvinced. “Is this a guess or did this theory come to you in some kind of vision?”

“Ethan,” said Dana under her breath.

Sunlight smiled and waved it away. “It’s perfectly fine if you don’t believe it. I’ve been dealing with that kind of reaction my whole life. People who don’t possess psychic qualities find it very hard to accept that these qualities exist in anyone. It’s understandable. There’s fear, of course, and a lack of understanding. There’s some jealousy, too. Not only in you, Ethan, but in anyone who is outside of the psychic experience. It’s a natural reaction. However, let me ask you this: When Dana told you that she saw Maisie Bell in the school locker room, did you believe her?”

Dana turned to watch Ethan’s face, and she saw a rush of different expressions come and go. His eyes briefly met hers, then slid away. That hurt, because she saw the doubt, saw his struggle to believe, understood how it was all at odds with the pure science he loved so much. She still held on to his hand, but now his fingers were icy.

Finally Ethan said, “I want to believe.”

It was exactly the same thing Dana had said to her sister a few days ago. I want to believe. It took some of the pain out of the moment, but it was a long, long way from saying I believe.

“That’s something,” said Sunlight, reaching out to salvage the moment. “It’s a sign of an open mind and, perhaps, of an open heart.”

Ethan cleared his throat. “I don’t believe in much,” he said. “This is all about someone trying to imitate religious murders, but I don’t believe in God or anything.”

“I could say something trite like, ‘God doesn’t require your belief,’” said Sunlight, “but that’s beside the point. Someone is doing this, and that person does believe. It doesn’t change how we view it, nor does it limit us from attempting a proper response.”

Ethan thought about that, and nodded.

“I don’t even believe all of it,” admitted Dana. “I’ve always had to wrestle with this stuff. I mean, I go to church and I believe in God, but there are a lot of things I don’t know if I believe. And stuff I’m not sure I can believe, and a bunch of stuff I don’t want to believe in.”

“That’s the sign of a healthy mind and an even healthier intellect, Dana,” said Sunlight. “And it’s part of your personal evolution, your transition into a higher state of understanding. You are just now catching glimpses of what you will become.”

Ethan looked down into his glass of root beer and made no comment.

Dana said, “What do we do now?”

“No,” said Sunlight. “Before we talk about that, we have to go back to what I started to say. About being careful.”

“We are being careful.”

“No,” he said, “you’re not. You’re looking at your own visions as if they are pictures in a TV screen. That’s not how it works. Maybe it does when you have visions of ordinary people, but not when you are making deep contact with another psychic.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever heard of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche?”

“I heard his name before,” she said.

“He is often quoted by writers, politicians, and others. A quote from him applies very much to your visions, and it should stand as a strict warning for you. For anyone with psychic qualities. It is this: ‘When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.’ Do you understand what that implies?”

Dana felt her facial muscles turn to ice. “God…”

“Wait, what does it mean?” demanded Ethan.

“It means, son,” said Sunlight, “that as much as Dana has been coming to know and understand the angel, the angel has likewise been learning about her.”

“Oh no!” gasped Dana.

“Oh yes. And because it’s very clear to me that the angel is a far more powerful psychic, it is very likely he knows quite a lot about you, Dana. And maybe about you, too, Ethan. He probably knows who you are, your names, where you go to school, and possibly even where you live. I would not be at all surprised if he wasn’t already planning on how he will come after you. And make no mistake; he will have to come after you, because you are now a clear danger to him.”

The whole store seemed to fall into a crushing silence. All Dana could hear were the artillery bursts of her heartbeat.

Sunlight still wore his smile, though. “Now that I have scared the life out of you,” he said, “let me tell you how we can fix this.”

“Can we?” croaked Ethan. “Isn’t it already too late?”

“There is another expression, one I particularly like,” said Sunlight. “‘Where there’s life, there’s hope.’”

“What can we do?” pleaded Dana.

“You? For now, nothing. Go home, stay home. Talk to no one about this. As for me, I’m very well known in Craiger. I’ve been on TV and talk shows. Everyone knows what I am, or at least they think they do. They know enough to accept that I am a well-known psychic.” Sunlight shrugged. “I’ve even helped the sheriff’s department once or twice with missing persons cases. In each case the bodies of the missing children were found. The families were able to get some closure. I tell you this because it means that I have a certain relationship with the sheriff’s department, and with the state police. Perhaps I can have a quiet word with them about this.”