Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
KENNEDY
The coven house looks quite similar to Theo’s home, only in a different font.
Instead of appearing creepy and abandoned, this house is patched together with spare plywood and a lot of charm.
It’s painted an olive green and sits at the very end of Main Street, right before the road veers off into various neighborhoods.
Simone and I walk parallel to the side of the house, and as we pass, I hear an argument coming from one of the downstairs windows. Muffled yells and high-pitched voices carry onto the street, but Simone just shakes her head.
“What’s going on?” I ask, concerned something might be truly wrong.
“It’s like this every day,” she dismisses. “You were actually pretty spot on with that sorority comment you made before.”
The yelling quiets as we round the front of the house and approach the front door.
It’s been painted the same color as the house but is outlined with white.
A massive bronze door knocker in the shape of a hand hangs in front of us, but Simone doesn’t knock.
Instead, she reaches for the handle and opens the door.
I guess even though she doesn’t live here, she’s around enough that she no longer feels the need to announce herself.
The space inside feels cozy beyond my wildest dreams. We enter into a spacious living room; every inch is covered in various fabrics, textures, or artifacts.
A large hand-knotted rug with deep red abstract patterns stretches across the floor beneath different sized tables and chairs.
A plush burgundy couch sits beside a bright yellow armchair, and above them planters hang from the ceiling with vines dangling nearly to the floor.
Candlesticks are lit on the center coffee table that sits low to the ground. On the far wall are three windows, each with light catchers and velvet curtains. I want to curl up in this room and take a nap or read a book. Hell, I’d be happy just to sit and stare at everything for a while.
Suddenly, the shouts start back up again and two women enter the living room. One has deep umber skin and a large afro. The other looks to be of Southeast Asian descent, her long black hair braided into pigtails.
“I told you not to move them until tonight. They need a full day of sun, Mariah!” the one with braids insists, her voice raised.
The other woman matches her tone. “And I told you, my crystals are recharging tonight! I need the maximum amount of moonlight!”
“You still have hours!”
“I’m leaving for my shift at Bones, Agnes. I won’t be able to put them out later.”
Another witch comes storming into the room. Calliope has her dark curly hair tied into a messy bun, small ringlets dangling in front of her round reading glasses.
“Cut it out!” she snaps. “Mariah, put Agnes’s plants back on the windowsill. I will put out your crystals at sunset.” She turns from the room in a dramatic flourish, muttering to herself as she leaves. “As if we don’t have enough windowsills in this house.”
Simone addresses the now-silent Agnes and Mariah. “Where’s Birdie?”
Agnes plops down in a bean bag chair. “She’s at an estate sale in Hendersonville.”
“She’ll be gone for hours,” Mariah adds. “Did you need her?”
“Nope,” Simone says, shaking her head. “I was just going to introduce Kennedy. She’s new in town.”
The two women greet me warmly, all hints of their previous spat evaporated. Simone leads us through the living room and up the stairs. Several rooms line the hallway on the second floor. She takes us straight to the first door on the left. Inside, I’m just as spellbound as I was downstairs.
“This is where I stay when I’m here,” Simone says as she hangs her bag on the back of the door.
As soon as she closes it behind us, she reaches for a switch that turns on a ceiling fan painted with all the phases of the moon. Above it, a zodiac wheel is drawn on the ceiling. As I look up, I notice I’m standing just underneath my sign: Sagittarius.
“It’s amazing,” I say as I stare unabashedly at everything in the room.
A small vanity sits beneath the window, a sheet tapestry with a crescent moon covering the glass. The wall panels look like real wood, and there’s an overgrown plant nearly bursting from its pot in the corner, the branches curling and creeping toward the sunlight.
Simone pulls a drawstring bag from a drawer and sits on the bed.
It’s the simplest thing here, with only a teal-colored duvet and a body pillow.
She pats the blanket beside her. I sit, leaving room between us to lay out the cards.
It’s exactly how Lanie and I used to do it, except we tended to move around too much which messed up the cards.
Here with Simone, I sit still and patiently wait as she shuffles her deck.
She hands them over to me to shuffle as well. I do as instructed and hand them back.
“Alright,” she starts, “think about the most important questions you want answered, and be specific. If it’s too vague, the interpretations will be harder for me to decipher. It’s also best that you think of one question at a time, as I’m laying out each card. Got it?”
I nod, but inside my head is spinning. I have too many questions floating through my mind to narrow them down to just three.
But there have been some pretty important ones plaguing me since I got here.
Specifically, why did my spirit bring me here, to the place I grew up?
Is it just because my sister is here, or something more?
And now that I’m here, what am I supposed to do with the rest of my afterlife?
There’s another question I’ve been holding close to my chest. I’m too afraid to ask my sister, and I’m unsure if I really want to know the answer.
How did I die?
I watch carefully as Simone places one card at a time down in front of me. Face down, I can’t see what the future holds, but I try my hardest to focus all my energy toward the cards, hoping they’ll listen.
Simone sits back, a cocky smirk on her face. She seems satisfied with her pull. “Go ahead,” she says. “Take the first one.”
I flip the first card carefully. I see the image of a man handing a child a bouquet of flowers. There are six bouquets on the card.
“The Six of Cups,” Simone explains. “A very nostalgic card. You wish to revisit the past somehow, specifically your childhood.” She arches her brow. “Didn’t you say you grew up in Shadow Hills?”
My breathing stalls as my mouth goes dry. “I did.”
Her eyes sparkle. “There must be a connection!” She says excitedly. “Spirits go to rest in the place they felt the most comfortable in life! Did living here make you feel safe? What happened after you moved away?”
She’s spot on. Her theories are confirmed by the goosebumps forming on my arms. I hadn’t put it together before, but the card must be right.
Everything changed after we moved away. Claudia and I weren’t as close anymore; my mom almost exclusively spent her time with her at dance lessons and recitals, and I was stuck at home alone.
No friends in a new town, having to start over.
I never had a special talent, and it hurt so much, feeling like a loser.
I remember writing in my journal every day, making lists of all the hobbies I could try.
Something that would give me fulfillment or purpose.
Something that would help me feel less alone.
Now I’m back in Shadow Hills. I’m a ghost with a second chance, and maybe that means I can finally find what I’ve been looking for.
Without answering Simone’s question, I flip over the next card. It’s the Ace of Wands. It depicts a hand protruding from a fluffy cloud holding a long staff covered in new plant growth.
Simone’s eyes grow wider as she leans over the cards. “You have a new path to follow,” she tells me. “Or a seed that needs to be watered.” She meets my gaze. “It’s your past and your present. So that means the last card is your future.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I take the final card and turn it over. It reveals two men holding out chalices to one another, as if they’re making a toast, while a lion’s head with angel wings floats above them.
She hums to herself, intrigued. “This is the Two of Cups. You will find a partnership in which both of you balance the other. It could be a friendship or a romance, but it will definitely be a beneficial relationship!”
Letting out a deep breath, I relax my posture and lean back on my hands.
It would seem that all of my cards are pointing toward a future in Shadow Hills.
I think of my sister again. Being here could mean repairing our relationship and becoming closer than we ever were.
And if the second card is right, following the new path my spirit has put me on will bring me fulfillment.
“Just out of curiosity…” Simone grabs the stack of tarot cards from her bedside table and taps the top. “Pull this next card. I have a feeling you need it.”
My head is already spinning with so much new information, but I grab it anyway, trusting her intuition.
My heart freezes in my chest.
Simone sees my reaction and snatches the card from my fingers, then she gasps. “The Lovers!”
I know what it means before she even says it.
“I knew it! This is a romantic partnership in your very near future!” She gives me a knowing wink.
Immediately, I see his face.
Theo. The ghost that’s slowly started opening up to me. The one I feel a deep desire to help in some way. The one I keep feeling a pull toward.
I keep my body language casual, but Simone is smarter than that. She knows exactly who I’m thinking about, but she’s a good enough friend not to put me on the spot.
“Hey.” She reaches for my hand and takes it in hers. “None of this is set in stone,” she says comfortingly. “It’s up to you in the end. It’s your life.” She cocks her head. “Well, afterlife.”
Her comment not only makes me smile, but it puts me at ease. I don’t know how I got here, and I don’t know why, but being dead truly isn’t the end. Not for me. So, I’m going to do whatever I can to make this second chance count.