“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’sbeen 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 Simonedoesn’tknock. Instead, she reaches for the handle and opens the door. I guess even though shedoesn’tlivehere,she’saround 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 yellowarmchair, and above them plantershang from the ceiling with vines danglingnearly tothe 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 anap orread a book. Hell,I’dbe 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 ofSoutheastAsiandescent,her long black hairbraided into pigtails.
“I told you not to move them until tonight. They need a full day of sun, Mariah!”theone with braids insists, her voiceraised.
The other woman matches her tone. “And I told you, my crystals are recharging tonight! I need themaximumamount of moonlight!”
“You still have hours!”
“I’mleaving for my shift at Bones, Agnes. Iwon’tbe 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!”shesnaps. “Mariah, put Agnes’s plants back on thewindowsill. I will put out your crystals at sunset.” She turnsfrom the room in a dramatic flourish, muttering to herself as she leaves. “As if we don’t have enoughwindowsillsin this house.”
Simone addresses the now-silent Agnes and Mariah. “Where’s Birdie?”
Agnesplops down in a bean bag chair. “She’sat 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 tointroduceKennedy.She’snew in town.”
The two women greet me warmly, all hints of theirpreviousspat evaporated.Simone leads us through the living room and up the stairs. Several roomslinethe hallway on the second floor. She takes us straight to the first door on the left. Inside,I’mjust 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 noticeI’mstanding 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, asheettapestry with a crescent moon covering the glass. The wall panels look like real wood, andthere’san 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’sthe simplest thing here, with only a teal-colored duvet and a body pillow. She pats the blanketbesideher.Isit,leavingroombetween us to lay out the cards.It’sexactly 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 asinstructedandhand them back.
“Alright,” she starts, “think about the most important questions you want answered, and be specific. Ifit’stoo vague, the interpretations will be harder for me to decipher.It’salso best that you think of one question at a time, asI’mlaying out each card. Got it?”
Inod, 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 theplaceI grew up?Is it just because my sister is here, or somethingmore?And now thatI’mhere, what am I supposed to do with the rest of my afterlife?
There’sanother questionI’vebeen holding close to my chest.I’mtoo afraid to ask my sister, andI’munsure 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, Ican’tsee what the future holds, but I try my hardest to focus all my energytowardthe cards, hopingthey’lllisten.
Simone sits back, a cocky smirk on her face. She seems satisfied with her pull. “Go ahead,” she says. “Take the first one.”
I flipthe 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 herbrow. “Didn’t you say you grew up in Shadow Hills?”
My breathing stalls as my mouth goes dry. “I did.”
