I didn’t really want to say the next words, but I had no choice. I needed to tell her what I knew. “Your husband passed away a few years ago. He was ill. You miss him very much.”
Simone’s smile faded, and her gaze broke away from mine. “Yes, I do.”
I closed my eyes again, wanting to know more about the girl. I saw three children…
“You have three grown kids… a girl and two boys,” I said, struggling to see them, not as they are now, but as they were. And then it flashed like a stroke of lightning… a girl, about sixteen, missing. An old woman, a psychic, and a girl found, a middle-aged man, a baby grand piano.
My pulse raced and my mouth was dry. I desperately needed some water. I choked out my next words. “Your d-daughter was taken by a fair haired man.” I stopped briefly to take a breath, fearing I might faint on her lap. “She... your daughter was a gifted pianist… and so was he. A woman helped you; an older woman who always wore purple. You found your daughter, and your heart had never ached so much.”
Her eyes welled up, and a single tear traveled down her cheek. She was speechless for a moment. So was I. So was everyone in the room. It was deadly still, even Oreo was wide-eyed.
Simone finally managed to speak. “Y-yes, my daughter was taken when we she was seventeen… it was her piano teacher. He had become obsessed with her. He had taken her to a secluded cabin, and Anais, the psychic, helped us find her. My husband thought I had gone bonkers consulting a psychic, and honestly I thought so as well, but I was desperate. The police were getting nowhere, and we were running out of time.”
“Wow,” my mom chimed in again. She was too stunned to say anything else.
Simone squeezed my hand harder and filled me with energy. It traveled through me, and I was practically lifted off the sofa. “You’re amazing, Annabelle,” she praised. “People like you and Anais is why I founded the school… so that we, together, can help people across the world find their loved ones. The day I found my daughter changed my life. Wealth, travel and success were no longer good enough. I needed to make a difference. It was a sign from God.”
I swallowed again, not quite knowing what to say.
“This is why I’ve traveled to come and see you. Mr. Black and I don’t just travel for just anyone. But you… Annabelle… are special. I believe you’d make a great addition to RAMS Academy.”
My mom, sitting over on the loveseat, was nodding feverishly. She was more excited than I was.
Simone smiled. “You have an exceptional mind, Annabelle.” Her words took on a business-like tone when she added, “It would be our pleasure to welcome you to the Renaissance Academy of Mentalist Studies.”
I was speechless. It took a moment for the words to travel to my brain and get properly processed.
Simone’s gaze darted quickly across the room, over the shabby furniture, quirky knick-knacks, and worn carpet. “Full scholarship, of course,” she clarified, “and boarding, meals, travel, uniforms, and any other expenses will be covered.”
Oh crap… uniforms. I’d seen them in the brochure; plaid skirts, red, black and white, the RAMS logo etched over the breast pocket. I would have to officially wave goodbye to my torn jeans, sneakers, and fun t-shirts.
“Only ten percent of our students are offered scholarships. This is a great opportunity,” she added, as if she thought I might be considering not accepting her offer. It wasn’t that at all – I literally could not speak at the moment.
I sucked in a deep breath, and I finally managed to vocalize. “I… I would love to.”
A smile stretched across Simone’s face. My mother clapped her hands, and even serious Mr. Black grinned a little. We didn’t hug, we all just nodded and smiled like idiots.
“Well, I suppose that’s it,” Simone said, cheerful. She turned to my mother. “Term starts in six weeks. We’ll arrange for travel and email you all the pertinent info. And you will need to send us Annabelle’s measurements for the uniforms.”
Flabbergasted, my mom replied, “Yes, sure.” She was still frozen to her seat when Simone and Cedric slowly stood.
“Well, thank you again for your time,” Simone offered.
My mom snapped to attention, and walked them to the door. “Thank you so much,” she said for the umpteenth time. “You have no idea what this means to us.” She wanted to hug Simone, but Simone Adler is very proper and sophisticated, and not the kind of person you just pull in for a casual hug.
Simone and Cedric nodded politely at the both of us, and set off down our walkway, to the fancy black car. The driver was on his phone, and I wondered what he was doing. Texting his wife? Playing Candy Crush? Chatting on Facebook?
I still couldn’t breathe properly or think straight. I was imagining myself in some fancy old mansion, sporting a plaid skirt and V-neck sweater. I felt like Harry Potter off to Hogwarts.
I wasn’t yet convinced that I could handle it all, but I was certainly going to give it a try.
4
Iwas distracted as I added the coffee cup to the collection on the shelf, and I’m not sure how it happened but I dropped it, and it shattered to pieces.
It was one of my favorites; a British themed cup with red double decker buses and British flags. Thankfully, it was quiet at the shop; just a few customers, and only Mr. Tremblay (one of our regulars) noticed. He looked up from his paper and offered to help. I waved him away, mildly mortified. I was still so preoccupied as I swept the shards into a dustpan -- my mind was full of RAMS, but also Calista. Where was she? How was she doing? What was her story? Maybe it was being in the coffee shop that made me think of her. I hadn’t seen her since that fateful day.
Just one or two weeks and I’d need to be replaced. My mom was already looking for someone. I figured that she or he would probably fare better than me. I’d been pretty useless lately; breaking dishes, getting orders wrong, and forgetting to clean the coffee machines and update the supplies list.
