Goldie Lox And Her Trio Of Bears (Goldie Lox Prophecy Book 1), стр. 21
“Could you imagine the waves you would make in the scientific community?” She smiled. “If you just shifted on stage at a conference or something?”
“I planned to eventually find a way to present our kind to the public. But, after going through college and pre-med, I started to realize how destructive humanity can be if you challenge their perception of reality.”
“I mean, there will always be skeptics, but they can’t deny what’s right in front of them.” She was finally able to tear her eyes away from the shifting colors of the sky and lock eyes with him.
“Religious people get defensive if you present evidence that they’re wrong. Scientists and historians are no different. Did you know that there is evidence that Ancient Egyptians had access to electricity and even primitive flying machines?”
“I mean,” she shrugged, “I’ve heard about the Bagdad batteries, and I’ve seen some interesting hieroglyphics on a few documentaries.”
“And did you know that they found tobacco and cocaine in the sarcophagus of a mummy from 1,000 BCE?”
“I haven’t heard that one.” She glanced away. “What does that imply?”
“It means the Ancient Egyptians traded with cultures that lived on the American continents thousands of years before anyone from that side of the world should have had the ability to travel there.”
“That’s really cool.” Jillian nodded. “Time to re-write all the text-books.”
“That’s the thing.” Vincent put his hands in his pockets. “This was discovered back in 1992. And even though it’s been tested and retested, proven beyond the shadow of a doubt, the historical and scientific community refuse to acknowledge it because it goes against everything we’ve believed for the last century.”
“I don’t get it.” Jillian frowned. “That’s what makes science superior to religion; our ability to change our beliefs based on new data.”
“So they say. And yet, the very people who claim to be the top authorities in their fields are more intent on suppressing these findings from the public than uncovering the truth.”
“So, that’s why you decided not to come forward?” Jillian turned up the collar on her coat. “Because you don’t think humanity is ready?”
“It’s one of the reasons.” He hung his head. “The other reason is that I got to see first-hand how humanity views itself as Earth’s most superior species. Everything else is at their mercy. I got scared.”
“It’s hard for me to imagine you being scared of anything. But the thought of being a lab-rat would scare the shit out of me, too.”
“I wasn’t just afraid for my safety. Can you imagine what would happen if humans discovered that a different species was living among them? It wouldn’t just be me getting cut into little pieces in a lab while the entire world continued to debate the truth of our existence. It would mean endangering every other shifter out there that would otherwise be safe. Hiding is better than dead.”
“Is that what happened to your family?” She shivered as the fog of her breath clung to the night air. “Do you think someone suspected they were different?”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever know.” Vincent took a deep breath. “But what’s blowing my mind is that the spirit spoke to you. I have so many questions. It’s been hundreds of years since an oracle was able to speak to the spirits. You weren’t raised in a shifter tribe; your parents and grandparents are human, right?”
“Yeah.” Jillian nodded. “I’m just the product of two long lines of snooty, rich, white people.”
“Conner’s parents were both human, too. I keep thinking that if I obsess over it long enough, I’ll find some detail that I’d missed.”
“When we were in the Circle.” Jillian looked down at her feet. “That wasn’t the first time I had a vision.”
“What?” He took a step back, shifting his weight to one foot, then the other.
“And it wasn’t the first time I saw the spirit.”
“Okay.” He gave a gentle nod, turning to face her. “Tell me what happened.”
“In the woods, right before the snake bit me, I had a vision.” Instinctively she reached out and took his hands. “First I saw a face, in the stars. In her eyes, there were these bright lights.”
“What did she look like?” Vincent’s hand trembled.
“Her actual face was invisible. It was like I was only able to make out the shape because of the world around it. I guess if I had to guess, she looked like an elderly Native American woman. Her voice sounded old and kind.”
“What did she say?” He leaned in closer.
“She was curious about me. Then she was gone, and suddenly, I saw the future. Well, not my actual future. I think it was what would have happened if I had accepted Ted’s marriage proposal.”
“Does some part of you wish that you had said yes?” His fingers laced between hers, and he took a step closer.
“Oh, God, no!” Her eyes widened. “The thought of marrying him scared me a hell of a lot more than the snake did.” Jillian stared at the ground, taking a deep breath as she deliberated if she should tell him the rest of what she knew.
“What is it?” He lifted her chin, and she looked up at him.
“In the Circle,” she bit her lip, “the spirit said that I was both an oracle and a vessel. She wanted something from me.”
“To be the bearer of children…” He nodded. “My grandmother’s visions were open to interpretation, but I thought that might be the case. You know that none of us would lay a hand on you unless you wanted us to, don’t you?”
“I know.” She nodded. “That wasn’t