The Master Psychic

chapter 7 - jared

By the time Mason pulled into the driveway, Sage's chest felt tight with anticipation. She tried to tell herself it was nothing—that Mason always looked out for her, that if it were truly terrible, he wouldn't be so calm about it. But still, her mind kept circling back to the same question: what could be so important that both Mason and Harper need to sit me down for it?

Harper was already waiting on the porch when they got out of the car. She had a dish towel in her hands, twisting it nervously between her fingers, her eyes flicking up the second she saw them.

"Hey," Harper greeted softly, forcing a smile. "How was school, Sage?"

"Boring," Sage muttered, trying to sound casual, though her stomach was buzzing with nerves. She looked between them, sensing the weight in their silence. "What's going on?"

Mason walked ahead, setting his keys on the little table by the door once they stepped inside. He motioned toward the couch. "Let's sit down first."

Sage hesitated but obeyed, dropping her backpack at the edge of the living room before sinking onto the cushions. Harper sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders brushed, while Mason remained standing for a moment, pacing once before he finally settled into the armchair across from them.

"There's something else we need to tell you," Harper said softly, her voice steadier now. She glanced at Mason before continuing. "Someone your age is going to be staying here for a while."

Sage blinked. "Someone... my age?"

Harper nodded. "A boy, actually. Mason and I talked about it, and we agreed it would be good—for you and for him. He's... complicated, and he doesn't really have anywhere else to go right now. We thought maybe having him here would help."

Sage's brows knit together, confusion rising in her chest. "A boy? Living here? Why?"

Mason leaned forward in his chair, his tone firm but careful. "Because he needs a place where he'll be safe. And so do you. We don't want you going through this alone, Sage."

The words made her stomach twist. She looked between them, trying to read the unspoken weight in their expressions. Harper's thumb brushed over the back of her hand in reassurance, but Sage's mind was already spinning.

A boy. Her age. Moving in.

"Does this... have something to do with my visions?" she asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

The silence that followed was heavy, and her chest tightened when neither Mason nor Harper answered right away. Finally, Harper shook her head quickly, her hand tightening around Sage's.

"No, no, sweetheart. It's not about your visions," Harper said firmly, her tone gentle but certain. "I promise you that. He's not connected to what you've been seeing."

Sage frowned, confusion deepening. "Then why bring him here? Why with me?"

Harper hesitated, exchanging a glance with Mason before returning her focus to Sage. "Because... he's like you. Not with visions, but with something else. He has an ability too."

Sage blinked, her heart skipping. "An ability?"

Harper nodded. "Different, but just as real. He doesn't have anyone who understands him, anyone who can help him carry that weight. Mason and I thought... maybe if he was here, he'd finally have people who get it. Who don't see him as broken."

The words echoed in Sage's mind, striking something deep inside her. She bit her lip, her voice shaking. "So you're saying I'm... not the only one?"

Harper's expression softened into a smile, and she brushed a strand of hair from Sage's face. "You're not the only one. Not anymore."

Sage leaned back against the couch cushions, her thoughts spinning. For so long, she'd felt like she was standing alone in the shadows, burdened with something no one else could understand. And now—suddenly—there was someone else out there. Someone like her.

A mix of fear and curiosity knotted in her stomach.

Harper smoothed her hand over Sage's, her voice calm but sure. "He'll be here tonight, around dinner time. Mason's already making arrangements to pick him up."

Sage's eyes widened slightly, the reality of it landing heavier now. "Tonight?"

Harper nodded. "I know it's sudden, but we wanted to tell you before he came. We didn't want you blindsided." She tilted her head, searching Sage's face. "Are you okay with this?"

For a moment, Sage didn't answer. Her instinct was to resist, to question why strangers were suddenly being folded into her carefully guarded world. But the warmth in Harper's eyes and the steady calm in Mason's silence reassured her. If they thought this boy belonged here, maybe she could try to trust that.

"Yeah," Sage said at last, her voice soft but steady. "I'm okay with it. I just... guess I need to get used to the idea."

Harper smiled and gave her a quick squeeze. "That's all we ask."

The heaviness of the conversation began to lift as Sage rose from the couch. She brushed her palms against her jeans and forced a small smile. "Well... I'll just go do my homework or something until then."

Mason leaned back in his chair, watching her carefully but saying nothing.

The next few hours passed in a blur of ordinary things—schoolwork sprawled across her desk, music humming softly in the background, and the occasional quiet footsteps of Mason or Harper moving through the house. It was strange, how normal everything felt when Sage's mind kept circling back to the same thought:

By tonight, someone new will be here. Someone like me.

The clock ticked steadily toward dinnertime, each passing hour tightening the coil of curiosity and nerves in her stomach.

The late afternoon sun slanted through the kitchen windows, painting warm streaks across the counters. Sage stood at the stove beside Harper, slicing vegetables while the soft sound of simmering filled the air. Normally, she didn't mind helping with dinner—it gave her something to do, a way to feel useful—but today her thoughts were elsewhere.

Her hands worked on autopilot, the knife moving rhythmically against the cutting board, but her mind kept wandering back to Harper's words. He'll be here around dinner time.

Harper, ever attuned to Sage's moods, glanced at her with a gentle smile. "You're awfully quiet," she said as she stirred a pot. "Nervous?"

Sage shrugged, trying not to show how knotted her stomach felt. "A little. I mean, it's not every day a random boy moves into your house."

Harper chuckled softly. "Fair point. But he's not random. Not really. You'll see."

That answer only deepened Sage's curiosity. She bit her lip, pushing the sliced vegetables into a neat pile before setting the knife aside. "Does he... know about me?"

Harper's movements stilled for just a moment before she nodded. "Yes. He knows you have a gift, Sage. And he's hoping maybe you'll understand him better than most."

That made Sage's heart skip. For so long, she'd been the strange one, the girl who had to hide parts of herself even from her closest friends. The thought of someone who understood was both comforting and terrifying.

The slam of the front door pulled both of their gazes toward the hall. Mason's voice carried through the house, firm and low, "We're back."

Sage froze, her pulse quickening. Harper gave her hand a quick squeeze, her eyes sparkling with reassurance. "That'll be him."

The sound of footsteps drew closer, heavier than Mason's usual stride.

Sage inhaled slowly, bracing herself for the moment she'd meet the boy who, somehow, was supposed to change everything.

The footsteps grew closer, and then Mason appeared in the doorway. He stepped into the kitchen first, his broad frame filling the space as usual. But Sage's attention snapped past him, to the figure lingering just behind.

A boy.

He was tall, maybe only a year or two older than her, with dark hair that fell untidily across his forehead. His clothes were plain—jeans, a hoodie—but there was something about him that made the air feel heavier the moment he stepped into the room. His eyes swept over the kitchen, then landed on Sage.

The breath caught in her throat.

It wasn't recognition, not exactly, but something deep inside her stirred, like a current of static electricity brushing her skin. A strange pull that made her want to step forward and retreat all at once.

Harper, sensing the tension instantly, moved quickly to bridge the silence. She set down the wooden spoon she'd been holding and crossed the kitchen with her usual warmth. "Sage," she said brightly, "this is a family friend of ours. He'll be staying here for a while."

The boy nodded politely, though his expression stayed guarded. "Hey." His voice was low, almost careful, like he was weighing each word.

Sage blinked, forcing herself to smile though her heart still raced. "Hi."

The strange feeling pressed closer, humming in the back of her mind, but she couldn't place it. She only knew that whatever it was, it wasn't normal.

Harper clasped her hands together with a gentle smile, clearly trying to ease the awkwardness. "Well, now that introductions are out of the way, why don't we eat before dinner gets cold?"

But even as everyone moved toward the table, Sage couldn't shake the sensation that the boy carried something hidden—something that might matter far more than Harper was letting on.