CHAPTER 12

Two hours later, Ellie sat next to Matt in the back seat of her family’s town car, staring out the window at a quaint little cottage at the base of the cliffs. Flowers grew up a trellis near the door and a pentagram was woven into the rocks in the garden. Charms, crystals, and wind chimes hung from the eaves. A sign reading “Phoebe’s House of Fortune” swung perilously in the wind.

“You’re sure your sister can help?” Ellie asked, rubbing her hands over her arms. The door opened and she stepped from the car, thanking the driver with a kind smile. Matt followed.

“No,” he admitted, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, “I’m not. But it couldn’t hurt.” Glancing down at her, concern lit his eyes. “Are you nervous?”

“No,” she answered automatically, wincing at the bite in her own voice. “Yes. I don’t know.” Exasperated, she turned to face him. “A psychic? You’re really taking me to see a psychic?”

Matt chuckled into the wind and pressed his lips to her hair. “She’s my sister. And she’s not as crazy as she sounds. Most of the time.” Still laughing, he led her up the cobblestone walkway and knocked on the front door.

Ellie tried to push down her anxiety as they waited. She hadn’t been able to breathe properly since she had read her mother’s words about the family curse. How she had never wanted Ellie anywhere near James. And yet, here she was anyway. And she was absolutely terrified.

The door opened, and a small woman stood within the frame, a warm smile on her pretty face. Soft brown hair flowed over a cream-colored sweater, which she paired with black yoga pants ending in bare feet. Shiny silver rings adorned both fingers and toes, and there were charms around her neck and bangles at her wrists. Ellie couldn’t help but feel a little envious. She had always wished she’d been brave enough to wear jewelry like that.

“Hey, Phoebe,” Matt said, leaning in to give his sister a hug. She patted him on the shoulder, but her eyes were on Ellie.

“Hi!” Phoebe said with a sunny smile, stepping aside and ushering them in. “You must be Ellie. My brother’s told me a lot about you. Except for the fact that he’s absolutely crazy about you.”

Heat flushed Ellie’s face, but it was Matt who exclaimed out loud. Phoebe chuckled. “Auras, little bro. It’s obvious.” She patted a hand against his cheek. “But don’t worry. She feels the same way.” She laughed again as Ellie’s blush deepened.

“This should be interesting,” she whispered, inwardly feeling better when Matt closed his eyes as if praying for patience.

“Come on,” he said, his hand at the small of her back guiding the way. “Her studio is this way.”

The studio, as it turned out, was really the den of the cottage, though the walls had been covered in sheer, brightly colored fabric and the lighting was candles and oil lamps. A small table cloaked in a rich magenta cloth, sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by four chairs. Against the far wall was a bookcase containing books on every New Age subject Ellie could think of, and then some. Items such as a large crystal ball, a stack of what looked like Tarot cards, and a silver chalice were placed here and there among the books.

“Welcome,” Phoebe said with an ethereal voice that sent chills down Ellie’s spine, “to the Spirit World.” Then she laughed and waved a hand at them. “I’m just kidding. I only do that when I want to mess with tourists. Take a seat, take a seat. So,” she said when they were settled at the table across from her, “my brother said you’ve been having some strange things going on since you got to town?”

Nodding, Matt and Ellie filled her in, ending with the letters Ellie found that morning. The entire time, Phoebe watched with a hand at her chin, her brown eyes watching them earnestly.

“Can I see your hand?” Phoebe asked so abruptly that Ellie jumped. Beside her, Matt nodded his encouragement.

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Obliging, she held out her hand.

Phoebe took it between her own and flipped it over to expose Ellie’s palm. Phoebe traced a finger lightly over the lines on Ellie’s skin. “Well that’s interesting,” she murmured, tapping her chin with her other hand.

“What is?” asked Matt.

“Your Life Line, see?” she said, and Ellie leaned across the table for a better look. Phoebe traced the arched line that spanned from just above her thumb, down to the bottom of her palm. “Do you see how this indent is fractured? Each tiny line goes off on its own. They’re all part of the same line, but they don’t actually seem to be connected. And all of them were short. Looks like you may have been onto something with your past lives theory, Mattie. And here…this is interesting.” Frowning, she bent closer to get a better look. “At the end here, your Life Line is split. Do you see how they veer off like that in both directions? The lines are fainter here, almost as if your path isn’t clear.” Taking a deep breath, Phoebe released her hand and sat back, her eyes troubled. “I’ve never seen it do that before.”

“What does it mean?” Ellie wondered softly.

Phoebe pursed her lips. “I’m not entirely certain, but I would venture to guess that it means you have two possible outcomes. One of them shows you having a long, happy life, but the other speaks of certain doom.” Catching the looks on both of their faces, Phoebe hastily brushed the idea aside. “Let me do a reading for you.” Standing, she retrieved her tarot deck.

Ellie eyed them warily. “I don’t know.” She glanced down at her palm as if it were going to suddenly strike out and hurt her. “I’m not sure I really want to know what they’re going to say.” Matt’s hand squeezed her leg encouragingly, and Ellie felt her courage bolster. “Okay.”

“Great. Now, I want you to shuffle the deck while thinking of your question.” Phoebe set the cards in front of Ellie and gestured for her to start.

Ellie timidly picked up the ornately illustrated cards and shuffled obediently. Will I break this curse? she wondered. Will James kill me or claim my family fortune? How will this end?

“Perfect,” Phoebe told her. “Now cut the cards into three stacks. Just like that. Great.” Reaching across the table, Phoebe flipped over the first card and frowned. “The Tower. Okay, so this isn’t such a great card. It means war. Chaos. There is a great upheaval in your life, a darkness that is causing change.”

Outside the window, thunder filled the air, the sound shaking the glass. Phoebe turned over the second card and laid it on the table. A flash of lightning illuminated the concern on her face.

“The Ten of Swords,” Matt read, looking up at his sister. “What does that one mean?”

The line between her brows deepened. Phoebe gently touched the card. “It isn’t pretty,” she admitted honestly. “It means dark times. Danger. There’s someone who means you harm and he’s closing in.” Another clap of thunder masked the small cry that Ellie uttered. “But it also means that there is nowhere to go but up. Besides,” she said, offering a shaky smile, “it’s just a card. Let’s see what the last one says.” She flipped it over.

“Death,” Ellie gasped, staring at the cloaked figure atop his white horse. With a quaking hand, she reached out to touch the card.

“Death isn’t always what it seems,” Phoebe assured them, though her face was pale. “It isn’t always a physical omen. Sometimes the Death card means a great change is coming. The end of something that once was, and the beginning of something new.

“However, with the other two cards, I would say that whatever darkness is coming for you shouldn’t be taken lightly. If this Dabney character is as dangerous as you say, you need to be careful. He could be the end of you.” Phoebe looked seriously from Ellie to her brother. “He could be the end of both of you.” Another flash of lightning and a boom of thunder. Fear filled her eyes as she gathered the cards. “And whatever you do, you need to do it fast. You’re running out of time.”