Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
I cannot believe I’m doing this.
Sophie, Emma, and Charlotte tried to come in with me, but Mrs. Fontaine insisted I go alone. “The magic won’t work if you’re accompanied by others,” she said, with another wink.
As I walk across the lawn toward the seer’s tent, my only consolation is that at least whatever money I have to shell out for this crap will go toward the library, which is where I used to hang out after school to avoid the monster. Small wonder Mrs. Fontaine knows me so well; she practically raised me between the hours of 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.
I pause for a moment outside the beaded curtain, bracing myself for whatever absurdity lies within. Then I square my shoulders and walk through, straight into a cliché.
The tent is dimly lit, thanks to the tapestries draped over it, the air heavy with incense. Mood music is playing in the background. And behind a small table adorned with a crystal ball and a deck of tarot cards sits…Hot Yoga Grandma.
Fuck me running.
“Hello, Rune,” she says when she sees me, raising a perfectly drawn eyebrow. “We haven’t formally met, but I feel as if I know you.”
I just bet you do, I want to say. You and every other member of the Sinsters, with your sneaky little iPhones. But I restrain myself. I’ve already assaulted the woman. Adding rudeness to the mix isn’t going to help my cause. “Nice to meet you. I’m, um, here for a reading.”
“Welcome,” she says, offering me a serene smile. “I’m Ella Campbell, the Seer of Sapphire Springs. I expected I’d be seeing you sooner or later.”
“You wouldn’t be much of a seer if you didn’t,” I blurt, then want to kick myself all over again. “Sorry,” I mumble. “For saying that. And, um, for the apples.”
“Oh, I know you are, dear.” She gestures at the folding chair across the table from her. “Have a seat, why don’t you?”
Resigned, I sink into the chair. We sit in uncomfortable silence for a moment, until I force myself to make conversation. “So, how’d you…become the seer?”
If she notices my sarcasm, she doesn’t react. “I’m happy to use my talents to benefit the library. We borrow all the books for our little club, you know. Plus, I get to stay out of the sun in here. Keeps my skin youthful.” She pats one unwrinkled cheek, then picks up a stack of cards from the table and begins shuffling them. “You’ll just have to decide if my gifts are worthy.”
I suppress a snarky comment. “Got it. So, hit me. What do the cards have in store?”
“Cross my palm with silver first,” she says, extending her hand. “Or plastic, whatever works. Readings are $10.”
While she runs my credit card, my stomach growls. How long does it take to have one’s fortune read? As a reward for enduring this, I promise myself all the fair treats I want. The greasier, the better.
Hot Yoga Grandma—sorry, Ella—hands my card back to me. It smells faintly of lavender. “Thanks for your donation,” she says. “Now, think about a question that you want this reading to address. Be as clear as you can, since that will help to guide us.”
Several questions pop into my mind instantly, like they were just waiting to be asked: How can I save Donovan? What the heck was that weird symbol? What does the creepy ‘oceans of blood’ premonition mean, and how is it connected to Donovan’s death? I try to narrow them down, then realize that it’s a pointless endeavor, since none of this actually means anything.
She shuffles the deck again, has me cut it, and then starts laying the cards face-down on the table in some kind of pattern. “Remember, Rune, these are simply a tool to help guide you. It’s up to you to interpret their meaning.”
Great. Then why are you here? I almost say, but manage to keep to myself just in time.
“The first card represents your past.” She flips one over, revealing an alarming image of a tall building struck by lightning. “The Tower signifies a sudden upheaval or change. Does that have any meaning to you?”
“It could,” I say, keeping my face as expressionless as possible. That’s the thing about psychic readings, horoscopes, and all that jazz. The statements are so general, people read into them whatever they want to hear. Real premonitions, on the other hand, are vivid and terrifying. I ought to know.
She turns over another card. “This one, the Two of Cups, represents your present. It signifies a deep connection or partnership, possibly romantic in nature.”
“Hashtag first date magic,” I mutter.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Please continue.” God, this is a waste of my time. I could be eating the world’s sloppiest burger right now, fresh off the grill. I could be petting a llama. I could be?—
“Hmmm. Normally, I would read the card that represents your future now. But I think…” Reaching for another card, she turns it over. “Ah yes, the Ten of Swords. This card represents betrayal and the end of a difficult situation.” She closes her eyes, leaning back in her chair. The candleflame flickers, even though there’s no wind in the tent. “I see…a monster?”
I sit up straight, my heart pounding so fast, I think I might throw up. “What?”
“He’s faceless, but very powerful.” Her fingers clutch the card, nearly bending it in half. “And then I see…ah, yes, you, Rune! I feel heat. A lot of it. Victory. But then…fear. So much fear. A sense of being trapped. And then death, but not for you. For you, freedom.”
Bile rises in my throat as her eyes flutter open, the expression in them unfocused. “It was never your fault, you know,” she says, her voice gentle as she sets the battered card down on the table. “Now, you can let it go.”
I have a new question, now. Namely what the actual fuck. No one, other than Charlotte, knew what I called the monster. Even if Ella knew I set him on fire years ago, there’s no way she could know he died last night. I lean forward, hands knotted on the table, stomach churning. “Go on.”
“The next card is the Five of Cups. It represents loss and grief, but also the possibility of healing. I see…a blood tide. It’s rising, taking you out with it.” Her hand is on mine again, pressing so hard, she’s cutting off my circulation. “You must swim against the current, Rune, do you understand? Swim hard. Or you will drown, and along with you, everyone you love.”
“You…you…” I struggle to find the words. “Are you just making this stuff up?” Or is it possible I’ve found someone else, finally, someone like me, with a talent beyond the ordinary? Is it possible we could somehow be…related? We look nothing like each other, but?—
“I can only tell you what the cards show me. Now, the third card. This one represents your future.”
She turns it over, revealing a skeleton riding a white horse, black flag in hand. “The Death card,” she says, pausing. “This card often signifies transformation or the end of a cycle, but it can also indicate a literal death.”
Donovan. I suck in a breath, inhaling a lungful of incense, laced with undertones of popcorn, cotton candy, and the crispy batter of funnel cakes fried in oil. Intellectually, I know that outside that beaded curtain, the festivities are still going on, just as they were. Still, the sounds of laughter and music seem distant, as if we’re in a separate world.
“I see darkness surrounding someone you work with,” she says, her voice low and steady. “This person was involved in the deaths of your family. There’s a connection between them and your past, but the details are unclear.”
“The deaths of my…are you serious? Do you know something about my family?” I clench my hands, my nails digging into my palms. “If you’re joking, this isn’t funny.”
“I would never joke about something like this.” She sounds offended. “Be cautious around this person and trust your instincts. There’s more to the story than you realize.”
“More to the—what story? Who are you talking about?”
She hesitates, glancing down at the spread. “The cards show that this person has a hidden side, one that they may not even be aware of. You must be vigilant and watch for any signs of deception.”
Normally, I’d blow this whole thing off. But what she said about the monster and the blood tide has me on edge. What if she actually knows something? Worse still, what if she’s talking about Donovan? “How am I supposed to watch for deception if I have no idea who you’re talking about?” I snap.
I half-expect her to stand and tell me this session is over. That I’ve paid my ten bucks and she’s not here to be yelled at by the person who rammed into her and knocked a full bag of apples into the street. But instead she says, “Does this mean anything to you, Rune?” Scooping up a pen and paper from the table, she sketches something, then turns it to face me.
All the blood leaves my head so abruptly, I’m afraid I might faint. Because on Hot Yoga Grandma’s little yellow legal pad, sketched in clear, solid lines, is an all-too-familiar scroll-and-dagger.
I snatch the pad from her, holding it tightly, like it might vanish if I let go. “How do you know this symbol? Have you seen it somewhere before?”
She shrugs, her eyes wide and guileless. “I wish I could tell you more. But it’s like I said before. The cards reveal what they will. It’s up to you to interpret their meaning.”
Dear God. It’s like talking to a Zen koan. “But what should I do?” I ask, abandoning all pretense that this reading means nothing to me. “How can I keep myself and the people I care about safe?”
She leans in, her eyes filled with concern. “You must confront the truth, no matter how painful it may be. Only then can you find the strength to face the darkness and protect those you love.”
I start to ask her, what truth? But then I know.
My whole life, I’ve never had the courage to dig into how I wound up in foster care. I was afraid of what I’d discover—that my parents didn’t want me, that they’d been living in Sapphire Springs the whole time, happy as clams, while I was shuttled from one abusive, neglectful home to another. But if what she just told me is true, my parents are dead, and their deaths weren’t accidental. Just maybe, they were murdered. And if that’s the case, I have to bring the killer to justice—especially because, from what it sounds like, I might be next.
Someone—or something—is behind my premonitions about the blood tide and Donovan’s death. I need to face my fears and uncover the truth about my family and my curse, even if it means risking everything.