Page 16 of Hexed & Hazy

“But you’re the High Priestess.” Laurel looks directly at me, but it’s as though her gaze is in another dimension entirely. The seer, channeling messages right from the gods.

Goose bumps form across my flesh. She could do this work even without the tarot cards, I think.

“In reverse,” she says. “Why is that? What’s blocking you? Confusing you?”

“I—” My voice breaks. “I don’t know. Perhaps the High Priestess has another message.”

I’ve often prided myself on being able to keep my privacy, even in a chaotic family. My sister being a seer makes that more complicated. When she looks at me, it feels like she knows more about me than I do. I’m no longer speaking with my baby sister, but with the version of her who knows everything.

Damn it all.

Laurel’s pupils dilate. “No. It’s you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Your emotions can cloud your judgment,” she says. “You are fated to help him on this journey. Do not stop, even when you feel overlooked.”

I don’t trust tarot, but I trust my sister and her blossoming senses. I nod and look away, my gaze locking onto Seth for the briefest of moments.

“I…” Laurel blinks twice, coming back to reality. “I need another card.”

No sooner does Laurel shuffle the cards than one comes flying out—the Lovers.

“Oh,” Laurel breathes. “This is definitely a matter of love. A choice made—but was it the right one?”

Seth’s eyes widen. “I don’t know. Is it?”

“You will know.” She looks at Seth with intensity, her pupils growing larger and larger until the blue of her eyes disappears. “You must decide in the end.”

“Don’t scare him,” I hiss. “Enough of the theatrics.”

“I already know it’s about love, okay? And that I messed up. But is there anyone I should be looking for?” Seth asks, desperation dripping from his voice as he leans across the table. “Any kind of person. Where should I start?”

“Well…”

Laurel never has time to finish her thought. Nerissa, her demon partner, appears in a puff of smoke, clothed in a dark red, well-fitted suit. Her dark, short-cropped hair is pushed back, overgrown enough to cover half of her large red horns.

“Ready to go?” Nerissa asks.

Laurel is quick to hop up, leaving her tarot cards scattered over the table. “Yes!”

And just like that, they’re gone, leaving Seth and me alone—in the kitchen, with all the tension of a hex going horribly wrong. The cards are scattered across the table, mostly unread, and we’re left with nothing but questions. No answers.

A typical tarot reading, really.

The front door opens, and Maple and Juniper bustle inside, their noses pink from the cold.

Juniper removes her many layers: mittens, scarf, coat. She stops in the kitchen and looks at us, her eyes narrowing. “You’re doing a tarot reading?”

“Perfect,” Maple chimes. “I brought scones. There’s nothing like a post-reading snack.”

“Of course,” I intone, drawing a short laugh from Seth. “Tarot and scones. A classic combination.” I reach for one of the citrusy scones. “But no. Laurel was, and it’s already over. Naturally, she didn’t clean up after herself… and she wasn’t very helpful, either.”

Seth frowns. “I’m sure there was something worthwhile in the reading.”

Sure.

Do not stop, even when you feel overlooked.