Luminosity by Stephanie Thomas

we are so buried in the thick of it all, he’ll probably never succeed in finding us.
    When I look around, people are still staring at me. They continue to whisper, and very few of them actually pay attention to the Ceremony. Those who aren’t looking at me stare up at the Watchmen pacing back and forth with their machine guns.
    The Keeper probably knows there is a distraction, because she clears her throat in an attempt to draw attention back to the proceedings. “Seers, I wish for you all to take one another’s hands as we pray together and give thanks to the Maker for the gift of our Sight. We’ll pray for the continued clarity of Seer Brandon, Seer Lacey, and Seer Emelia’s Visions, and we will pray that we all remain protected from the threat of the Dreamcatchers.”
    My fingers brush against someone else’s fingers, and after they intertwine with mine, I look up to find Gabe knowingly staring down at me. He bows his head and prays, whispering the words loudly enough so I can hear them. It’s not until he’s halfway through his prayer that I realize he’s not praying at all, but is speaking to me. “Listen, I don’t know what is going on…but if you need my help, I am here for you. Just as long as you stop lying to me.”
    Covered by hundreds of other whispers, I continue our conversation by “praying” in return. “I am not lying to you, Gabe.”
    “Then what are you doing?”
    I stare into his violet eyes. “I told you. I’m protecting you.”
    The prayers around us taper to an end. Gabe and I look back to the stage, where the Keeper is motioning for the tattoo artists to come out and set up their stations. Around us, caterers pull sheets off long tables that are lined up around the perimeter of the arena floor. They reveal different kinds of pastries, cakes, and bowls of multi-colored punch, a pleasant distraction from the presence of the Watchmen who continue to be on guard.
    “While our Seers are enduring the application of their tattoos, please feel free to visit the refreshment tables.” The Keeper makes one of those birdlike sweeping motions toward them.
    Usually, there would be a rush for the tables at this point, but no one is moving right away. People are still staring at me.
    Gabe is still holding my hand. He tugs it, encouraging me to head toward the food. “Maybe the others will follow.”
    “It doesn’t look like it. You shouldn’t have said anything.” I can’t help but to be a little spiteful. Now I’m not only the Seer who predicted the invasion of the Dreamcatchers, but I’m also the Seer who predicted everyone else’s deaths.
    “They deserve to know the truth.” Gabe politely nudges people out of his way as he heads toward the pastries and other goodies. Mae and Connie follow after, gabbing to each other.
    “But it’s not the truth. We don’t know what the truth is yet, Gabe.”
    “But you saw it.”
    “And not everything I See turns out to be true!” I stop walking, forcing Gabe to come to a stop with me.
    He frowns and lets go of my hand. “Most of what you See comes true. Most of it. That is why you are so important to the Institution, and we are all nothing.”
    “That’s not entirely correct—”
    “It is! Look around! The Watch is here because of what you saw. But if I saw the same thing, the Keeper wouldn’t even have acted on it. She’d just chalk it up to another fuzzy Vision. She’d put it on her list of ‘Maybes’ and leave it at that. But if you told her that tomorrow we’d all turn into fish, she’d fill the arena up with water in preparation.” Gabe’s speech has caught the attention of many others, including the Keeper. From the stage, I can see her watching us, and even though she can’t hear what is being said, she can see the way the others are anxiously crowding around Gabe and me.
    “Keep it down,” I hiss, my gaze flickering to the others. By the time Gabe is through, they will hate me. I don’t understand why he insists on