It was lucky that she had discovered the secret to preventing hangovers by her twenty-second birthday, and luckier still that she had some of her ‘cure’ at all times in the back of the fridge. When I woke up, head pounding, Aveline had been there with a foul-tasting liquid and had ordered me in no uncertain terms to drink the whole damn thing.
“That’s vile,” I gagged, tossing the bottle into the sink and sticking my tongue out as if to air it off. My contacts were gritty and I needed to take them out, but that was so much work and I was in no mood to move more than I had to just yet.
“It’s awful,” Aveline agreed, moving around the kitchen smoothly and dragging out a bag of chips. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving,” I admitted, checking my almost dead phone.
No calls from my new friends.
A groan escaped me and I plopped down in one of her kitchen chairs. “I’ve got to start getting up earlier if I’m going to find a job.”
“You had an excuse.” She sat down as well, sliding me a drink, and opened the bag. “No messages?” my cousin eyed my phone and I shook my head.
“They’re probably not going to call,” I sighed. “Even if he remembered my number, which he didn’t, guess that was their polite way of ditching me.”
“Don’t mope. I’ll get you a date with someone from Euphoric,” Aveline replied. “The sex will be ten times better, I promise.”
“It’s not about the sex, Av,” I said. “It’s about them. They’re just so different than anyone we grew up with. Not immature like the people in college, either.”
“Right, well, that would make sense as they’re probably older than both of us put together,” she quipped, but didn’t comment on my statement.
I looked at her, sneer on my lips as my hangover started to ebb away. I didn’t want to argue. “What are you doing today?”
“I work tonight,” Aveline informed me, sitting back in her chair. “Which is so strange to me-after-“ She broke off and looked away, schooling her face into careful neutrality. “but rent waits for no witch.” Her sudden grin met my bewildered one. “What about you? If you like, you can come hang out.”
“Nah. That would make me feel weird.” From the other end of the table I looped a finger into the strap of my bag, inching it closer to me.
“Then what are you going to do?”
“Walk around? Drive around? Learn more about the city than two clubs, a cemetery, and your house?” From my bag I pulled my contact case, switching them out for my glasses quickly.
That was so much better.
My hand bumped my deck, but instead of pushing it away, I pulled the cards from my bag.
Aveline looked up with interest. “You’re going to check the cards about last night,” she accused good naturedly.
“I don’t know.” Hesitantly I laid the cards between us, frowning. “Doesn’t that seem like cheating to you?”
“It’s the same as my hangover cure,” Aveline pointed out. “And I don’t see that as cheating. We’re simply using our natural-born talents to our advantage.” Her eyes were fixed on the cards as I spread them out over the table. “Plus I haven’t seen you do this in years.”
Deftly I tapped the cards, able to see traces of my own magic spark into the deck. Not that it was necessary; I’d had these cards for years and they were saturated with my magic.
This deck was my favorite. They were a gift from my mother and I had no idea where she’d acquired them from. Most of the cards featured darker, more arcane images involving nature and animals, and all of their hand painted surfaces shimmered with iridescence that I was drawn to.
While I kept my other decks in a box in my room, this deck never went far from my person. My three Major Arcana of power were not in this house. Like all summoners, once the cards were bound to me they were a part of me that I could summon at will. If I died, they would become permanently corporeal once again. Otherwise, they remained a part of my magic.
“Okay,” I sighed, hefting the cards and shuffling them. “Dear cards.” It was absolutely unnecessary to say anything, but I was feeling unsure. “You know why we’re here.” It was as if they were my silent audience as I spread them over the table in an arc.
“So help me out.” Quickly I drew one that caught my eye, brought it to me, and flipped it over.
The Ace of Cups glared at me from the table.
“Well that’s not really surprising. And incredibly unhelpful,” I groused. “In case you didn’t know, Ave, I’m searching for new relationships.”
She snorted, but didn’t speak.
The second card I drew quickly as well, and flipped it over in front of me.
The Three of Wands, only it was upside down to my eyes.
Now my eyebrows raised slightly and I studied the card, turning it first one way, then the other.
I hated reading for myself. It was always that much harder to find the answers, and I didn’t always like what the cards shouted at me.
“Lack of foresight. Unexpected delays,” Aveline said unhelpfully, citing the meaning of the card that I was touching. “Even I can guess what that means.”
In conjecture with my seeking new relationships status as helpfully referenced by the Ace of Cups, it was all too obvious.
“Whatever.” I searched the deck once more, spread out in front of me.
Nothing stood out.
My mouth turned down sharply and I brushed my fingers over my cards.
There. My hand tingled, then sparked, and I pulled away with a hiss.
“What’s wrong?” Aveline looked at my hand.
“Nothing, not really anything.” I pulled my hand back, rubbing it. Something had pushed back against my intent, as if the cards were offended.
Without thinking further, I grabbed a card and flipped it over in front of me, eyes narrowed.
The Tower. Sudden change. Upheaval.
Chaos.
Not
