“You want me to pick three cards.” My voice is a soft breath of exhaled energy, my nerve endings tingling and dancing in delight.
How I knew what she wanted me to do, I’m not sure, but I can’t pull my eyes away from hers as I reach down and slowly slide one card from the sprawled-out deck, after another. Those blue irises swirl and glow in a hypnotizing way, and though it should be unsettling, it brings me only comfort. I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to. Without her saying a word, I know what this means, her showing me these parts of her. There will be no more lies. No more secrets with her. Only the truth.
Olivia squeals next to me as she leans up against the table, kneeling and clapping her hands as she watches. Her voice and movements are blurred and muffled like she’s barely with us at all. “This is so exciting! I can’t wait to see what your future has in store for you, Nor. It’ll be amazing, I just know it!”
My heart beats slower than I’m used to, and my breathing is non-existent. Katie’s white hair sways side to side as she shakes her head and clicks her tongue at the cards she scoops up into her palms. I feel strange, but not in a bad way exactly, just in a way that leaves me slightly out of touch with reality or like I’m disconnected from my body. Am I even here? Is any of this real?
Katie clears her throat as she places the first card down on the table, pushing it toward me. She sits up straighter and rolls her shoulders. I’m a soul floating above my body, living without the constraints of mortal existence. I’m not only surrounded by magic, I am magic.
“Tell me, Katie. What shall my future bring?”
She glances at me briefly before speaking. “First you chose the ace of pentacles. It urges you to say yes to any of life’s opportunities that present themselves to you, even when it may not be what you think you want or need. Even when your soul whispers within that it might end badly, a yes is sometimes how the most difficult battles are won.” Her eyes flick to Olivia, who leans forward with interest.
Katie sighs softly watching Olivia tilt her head, her full lips curving downward as she picks up the card and studies it. “That’s it? Will she get her happily ever after or not? I’m dying, here.”
Katie ignores her completely. “Your second card is the tower. Something will soon happen that shatters everything you thought you knew about yourself and your life. Things must first fall apart to be rebuilt even stronger. Do not fear the changes that are coming.” Her lips curve up at the corners as she reaches across the table and gently squeezes my hand.
A wave of dizziness hits me. I feel like a part of me resonates with what she’s saying, like deep down I understand some hidden meaning of her words or forgotten thoughts that are buried somewhere in my mind just out of reach.
“What about the last card? What does it want to tell me?” Even as I speak the words, it sounds strangely unlike me. My voice thrums with an ethereal sense of power.
Magic truly exists. And if magic, the kind that radiates light and positivity like Katie’s is real, then that means magic must exist within darkness as well. Like the dark energy I felt on the beach the night of my parents’ deaths. It was different from this magic, the swirls of hidden light that caress my mind and breathe truth into my soul. A magic as dark and cruel as what wrapped itself around their bodies that night came straight from hell. I don’t know how to feel about any of this.
“Your last card is death.” Katie pushes the card toward me, tapping it with her black, coffin shaped nail.
The shirtless devil with horns does little to bring me comfort. I immediately push the card away.
Olivia picks it up and studies it carefully, her eyebrows scrunching together in concentration. “It doesn’t signify death or even that something terrible will happen.”
Katie smooths back her hair and smiles wide as her blue eyes swim with excitement. “Exactly. It doesn’t mean what most would think. To achieve rebirth one must first experience death. It can be a major aspect of your life ending or letting go of something that has been holding you back. You must move on from the past to find renewal and transformation, and letting go of all that you fear is the only way to receive all life has to offer.” She pats my hand then stacks the deck of cards into a neat pile.
All I can think about is grief and pain and loss and the fact that I know I need to let those things go. But it feels impossible to move on. I have to find out the truth of what happened that night, and why my parents were victims to such darkness. I read books on dark magic and ancient evil, scoured the internet and watched countless paranormal documentaries, but all of it led me nowhere or worse, back to the possibility that I’d lost my mind. Someone somewhere knows the truth.
As Katie blows out the black candle on the table and waves her hand in the air, the magic in the room vanishes as if it was never there to begin with.
“Thank you, Katie.” I stand, grabbing our glasses off the table and heading to the kitchen to replenish the wine.
Flicking on the bright lights, the white marbled counter comes to life, no longer lost in shadows and illusion. I need the light right now to snap me back to reality. Life gets stranger by the day and I’m not sure what to make of it.
Tossing the empty bottle of wine in the trash, I rinse our glasses and set them on the counter next to the sink. Turning to face Katie and Olivia, I cross my arms over my chest. “We’re officially out of wine. Now what?”
They make their way into the kitchen, both leaning their elbows on the island as they smile up at me, their fluttering eyelashes giving their plotting and scheming away.
I groan. “What do you two want from me?”
“We were thinking that maybe, just maybe, you’d possibly want to go out with us?” Olivia’s eyes drift to Katie, who nods her head in agreement.
“Let’s get some real drinks. The good stuff. It has been quite some time since we’ve had a proper girl’s night.” Katie stands up straight, placing her hands on her hips and looking me up and down. “You could ditch those hideous sweatpants for something a little more…”
She clamps her lips together as I roll my eyes and tug at my loose t-shirt, offended that she pointed out my poor fashion choices, but knowing she’s right.
“Please, Nor? How could you tell us no? Look at us,” Olivia says as the two of them lean into each other, placing their bottom lips over their top like spoiled children do when they don’t get their way.
As they burst into laughter, I can’t help but join them, shaking my head as they throw their heads back and sway unsteadily on their feet, the wine taking hold of us all. They’re ridiculous and at times a bit irritating, but I love them more than anything. Turning and heading to my bedroom I don’t glance back, knowing they’ve already won. They’ve dealt with a year of being forced into a life of solitude here with me. If they want us to spend time together, I owe them a night of fun. More than that, they deserve for me to be there for them the way they’re always here for me.
“I’m going to need your help getting ready. I’m not nearly as good at doing make-up or curling my hair as I used to be.” Glancing back with a smile, they perk up and run toward my room, both of them grabbing one of my hands and dragging me along with them.
“Maybe we can find you a cute boy to bring home!” Olivia squeals, pushing open my closet doors and peering inside. “Ere is nice, don’t get me wrong, but maybe he isn’t the one. You can’t seem to make up your mind about him.” She runs her hands along the fabric of my worn, old clothes, scrunching her nose up as she promptly closes the doors and turns her back to them. “You won’t attract any guys worthy of your attention wearing that. I’ll grab something from my closet for you.” She saunters off, hips swaying, and humming to herself happily as she heads for her room.
