The Psychic

Chapter 3

When we finally skidded to a stop in front of my house, the sky was dark with smoke, and the air reeked of burning metal and ozone. I didn’t wait, I couldn’t. I leapt from the bus and sprinted up the front steps, barely managing to get my key in the lock with shaking hands. The door flew open, and my parents were already waiting for me.

Their faces crumbled when they saw me.

“Ruby,” my mother whispered, her voice tight with restrained emotion. “Oh, thank God. You’re safe.”

“Mom,” I said, out of breath. “Did you see outside? What the hell is going on?”

My father came to the door, eyes flicking past me to the sky behind. His expression darkened. “They’ve arrived,” he muttered. “It’s begun.”

“Who has?” Jace asked, stepping inside with the others.

My mom looked at me like she’d been waiting her whole life to say these next words. “The invaders from the prophecy. The ones our bloodline has been preparing for since before you were born.”

“What?” I blinked. “Bloodline? Prophecy? What are you talking about?”

“Come inside,” she said. “We don’t have long.”

We all followed them into the living room, the weight of something ancient suddenly hanging in the air. My father closed the curtains and locked every door. The house was dimly lit, and for a moment, it felt like the whole world had paused just outside these walls.

“There’s a reason you’ve always had those dreams, Ruby,” my mom began. “And why they’re getting stronger. It’s because you’re not just psychic, you’re the Seer of our bloodline. The one born under the Lunar Rift.”

“The Lunar what?” Blessing asked, stunned.

“Woah woah hold on,” I tried to process what I was hearing. “Psychic?? Since when was I a psychic?”

“Me and your mum are psychics, Ruby. You are too, since you were born,” my dad said.

“What—no. You’re lying. Why did nobody tell me?” I yelled angrily.

Their eyes landed on me, and instantly my mother’s face fell. “Ruby…”

“Don’t ‘Ruby’ me,” I snapped. “What the hell is going on?”

My father stepped forward. “We didn’t want this for you. We hoped it wouldn’t happen in your lifetime-”

“Well it did!” I exploded, gesturing wildly to the smoke-streaked windows behind me. “Bombs are falling from the sky and people are dying and you’re standing here looking like you knew!”

“We did,” my mother admitted softly, her voice cracking. “But we didn’t know when. Only that… someday, the signs would come. And you would be the key.”

I froze. “So you’ve known something this horrifying might happen- and you kept it from me?”

“We were trying to protect you,” my father said.

“No,” My sharp voice cracked with disbelief. “You were trying to control what I could handle. And now I’m supposed to what- just fix it? When I didn’t even know it existed?”

Jace came up behind me, his hand brushing mine, but I pulled away and turned back to my parents. “I’ve spent my life wondering what was wrong with me- why I felt everything so deeply, why my dreams felt like memories, why I always saw more. And all this time, you knew?”

My mom’s eyes welled with tears. “We weren’t trying to hurt you. We thought… if we could just keep things quiet long enough, maybe this would skip you. Like it skipped others before.”

“Except it didn’t,” I muttered. “And now I get to carry all of this. The weight of the f*****g world- without even a darn warning.”

My father looked down. “There’s more. And you need to hear it.”

He led us into the living room and pulled a thick, ancient-looking book from a hidden drawer in the cabinet. The cover shimmered faintly under the overhead light, etched with a pink five-point star. The same shape from the sky.

“This is the book of the prophecy,” he said. “Passed down for centuries in our bloodline. It tells of a child born during the Lunar Rift-”

I raised my hand, already exhausted. “Let me guess. That’s me.”

He nodded.

My mother opened the book. “It speaks of an ancient invasion. That if the Prince of the Western Realm does not return to unite the Five Corners before the Crimson Eclipse, our world will fall. The psychic- the Seer must be the one to find him. No one else can access the portal.”

My breath caught. “The prince. You mean… the guy from my dreams?”

They both nodded. My mother’s hands trembled slightly as she opened the book, revealing pages of symbols, star maps, and chilling predictions. “Your dreams weren’t dreams. They were memories. Visions. Meant to prepare you.”

I paced the room, adrenaline fizzing under my skin. “You kept this from me. Let me go to school every day like a normal girl. Let me sit in class, stressing over tests, when I could’ve been training for this? Are you serious?”

“We didn’t want to force you into a life of fear,” my mom said.

“Well congratulations,” I muttered bitterly. “You waited so long, I barely have time to understand who I am before I have to risk my life saving everyone.”

“So where is he?” Jace asked, his voice low.

My father looked at me. “He’s in the West. In hiding. And only you can reach him. Only your gift can open the portal that leads to his realm.”

Another explosion cracked through the distance. The time for questions and arguments was over.

“We have to get to the cabin,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Now.”

We left the house in a rush. The smoke was thicker now, the sun almost completely blotted out. The road was blocked, so we walked. Silent but shaking. My childhood memories of the place clashed hard with the urgency of now. The forest felt darker. Like it knew what was coming.

“Almost there,” I said, holding back branches as my friends followed closely. My parents were behind us, my mom clutching the book like it was her only lifeline.

When we reached it, the cabin was just as I remembered. Weathered wood, creaky steps, windows coated in dust. But somehow, it felt… charged. Like the air around it was alive.

Inside, everything was frozen in time. Old furniture covered in white sheets, cobwebs in corners, dust thick on the floor. But there, in the center of the room, was a stone circle carved into the wood. A sigil. Glowing faintly pink, pulsing like a heartbeat.

My mother walked to it and knelt. “This is the gateway. Only your energy can activate it.”

“But once I go,” I said, looking between them, “how do I come back?”

My father looked away. “We don’t know.”

The words hit like a punch.

“I’m going with her,” Sarah said immediately.

“Me too,” Blessing added.

“Are you insane?” I asked.

“No,” Blessing said. “We’re your friends. You think we’re letting you face a magical war alone?”

Jace stepped forward without hesitation. “You’re not doing this alone.”

Liam stepped up then, looking between all of us, then back at my parents. “I’ll stay here. Keep them safe. I’m not letting anything happen to either of you while she’s gone.”

I turned to him, stunned. “Liam…”

He just smiled faintly. “You’re gonna be the one saving the world, Ruby. I can at least hold down the fort.”

I swallowed hard, then looked at the portal. At the glowing stone beneath my feet.

My throat tightened. “Thank you,” I said, eyes stinging.

My mom took my hands. “Ruby, you were born for this. Don’t doubt it for a second. Find him. Bring him back. Our world depends on it.”

“Wait, but what about their parents? Are they going to be safe?” I asked.

“This cabin became protected the moment you stepped in and activated the portal, nothing can happen to this cabin until it is deactivated and that’s when you come back,” my mum explained.

“So we are going to find all of them and bring them here until all of this is over,” my dad continued.

“What about-” I tried to still question.

“Don’t worry, Ruby. Every day we brought snacks and food here to at least be prepared for this day to come, so you have nothing to worry about. Just promise to stay safe, okay?” my mum added.

“Okay, so how do I contact you guys? For updates and stuff like that?” I asked.

“Don’t freak out, but the watch and necklace you’ve had since you were a kid are actually gizmos you can use to contact us in case of things like this,” my mum said.

“Oh my f*****g- okay okay. I’ll need the prophecy book so I know what I’m doing there,” I said as my mum handed over the journal to me.

“I love you guys, please stay safe and always update me,” I said as we all exchanged hugs as the time to go kept nearing.

It got to my turn to hug Liam. He looked up, smiling. “I’ll miss you, Liam. Thank you for doing this,” I said, embracing him tight.

“I’ll miss you too, Ruby. I’ll see you soon hopefully,” he said as he broke the hug to let me go.

I nodded, stepped into the circle, and let the power wash over me.

The last thing I saw before the light swallowed us whole… was Liam standing at the door, watching us disappear. Like he already missed us.