Page 15 of Death Card

“Before we begin, I have to give you a warning.” I lift my eyes, meeting her stare, and inside my rib cage, my heart skips a beat. God, she’s beautiful.

My inner voice snaps,Focus, Mikaela!

I clear my throat and continue. “Many people believe that tarot cards can predict the future, and readings are set in stone, but that’s not the case.” I sweep my hands over the cards. “My reading is a guide to apossiblefuture. What I predict may or maynot occur. In the end, you’re the only one who can decide your fate. The cards are only capable of leading you down a potential path.”

It’s all a lie. Every single word I’ve uttered is a complete fabrication; it’s a script I use for every mortal customer who sits before me.

The truth is that our fate is set in stone from the very moment the cards are laid on the table. But that would be too much for most mortals to handle. People want to believe that they are in full control of their lives.

“How does this all work?” Joelle’s lips thin as her excitement is replaced with hesitation. “I grew up near Salem, so I’ve seen plenty of ads for tarot readings, but I’ve always chickened out.” She shoots me a sheepish smile. “But I couldn’t stand to come to another magical city and not have my cards read.”

“You’re not alone. Most people can’t resist. It’s almost a rite of passage.” I pick up the deck and hand it to her. “Hold the cards in your hands and close your eyes. Think about what you really want to know, shuffle the cards, and then ask me a question.”

“Okay,” she says. She sucks in a shaky breath and closes her eyes. “I can ask anything?”

“Anything.”

Most people are an open book, so I’m pretty good at predicting what they’ll ask and how I can tailor my reading to their life. I begin studying them from the moment they walk through the door. If they come into the store hand in hand with a partner, then I tailor my reading toward love and relationships. If they have kids with them, then I tend to gear my reading toward stressors at home. Sometimes, it takes a bit of harmless chatterbefore they reveal what’s truly on their mind, but I’m always able to find it.

Well, almost always.

I’ve been too distracted, so I make a quick observation while she has her eyes closed. She’s obviously dressed like a tourist, but she’s seemingly got a keen sense of style, too. She’s wearing handcrafted wooden earrings and a gold charm bracelet. When I squint at the charms, I can make out a tennis racket, a heart, and a book. So, smart and athletic.

She looks to be around my age, but she came in completely alone. A group of girls wouldn’t split up like this, so it’s possible she’s visiting with family. Her parents could be having a drink in the bar down the street or browsing for souvenirs.

Either way, she’s clearly independent. She can take care of herself in a wild city like this. If she’s my age, then she’s probably headed off to college soon or on the verge of another path that could define the rest of her life.

She draws in a deep breath and shuffles the cards. When she opens her eyes to look at me, she reaches across the table to set the stack down. Her voice rings loud and true without wavering. All of her nervousness has disappeared in the time it took her to decide on a question.

“Where is my life going to take me?”

There are a few different spreads I could use for my readings, but I tend to stick to a three-card spread for its simplicity. I flip over the cards from the top of the stack and lay them out on the table between us.

I gesture to the cards from left to right. “Each card represents your past, present, and future,” I explain. “I know you’reparticularly interested in what the future card has to say, but we’ll use your past and present to explore who you are as a person. Both will influence your future and any decisions you make.”

Joelle leans forward and rests her elbows on the table. “Is it normal for my heart to be racing right now?” She chokes out a nervous chuckle. “I’m both really excited and super scared.”

“Don’t be scared,” I say. “Remember what I said. You’re the only one responsible for your own life.”

My lie calms her, and she nods. “Okay, go ahead.”

I touch my finger to the first card, Joelle’s past. The Strength card features an illustration of a blond woman leaning over a lion and grasping its jaw. An infinity symbol hovers over the woman’s head.

“This card symbolizes bravery,” I whisper as a vision takes over my senses.

A younger, dark-haired Joelle sits in the corner of a dim room with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her knees are drawn up to her chest, and her hands are pressed over her ears. Somewhere in the distance, a door slams as raised voices grow closer. The doorknob begins to jiggle as the vision fades.

My voice is low when I speak. “Did your parents argue a lot?” I ask.

She nods. “How did you know that?”

I ignore her question, instead surging forward with my reading. “Growing up in a situation like that is stressful for a kid. You had to be strong at an early age.” I rest my hand over my chest. “But you got through that, which means you can get through just about anything. Remember that when you face roadblocks in the future, you’re strong enough to overcome them.”

She reflects on my words. I can tell that they really resonated with her.

Joelle lifts her chin, emboldened by my words. She points to the second card. “What about this one?”

I touch the second card. The front is painted with the image of a young man carrying his belongings in a bag on a stick and walking toward the edge of a cliff. It’s the Fool.