A gust of cold wind chills my knees and I immediately regret wearing a skirt tonight.

“Tannis, come on!”

I pull my jacket a little tighter around me, picking up my pace to catch up with Dina and Riley as they round the corner up ahead. A gaggle of trick-or-treaters passes by me and I smile at the various costumes and masks.

Oh, to be a kid again.

I’d love nothing more than to be draped in a giant, warm costume right now but Halloween at my age is more about the amount of skin one can expose without getting arrested.

I sincerely hope I don’t run into anyone who knows my parents. They’d kill me if they saw me like this.

Must remember to duck into Dina’s house across the street from mine and change back into my jeans before going home.

“Tannis!” Dina shouts. “Tannis Mackenzie, move your skinny ass!”

I stumble around the corner and sigh beneath an almost blinding neon sign. “I’m right here,” I say, squinting.

Dina crosses her bare arms, showing off her sizable cleavage on purpose. “Man, you really don’t wear heels much, do you?” she asks.

I snort. “It’s not on my list of talents, no.”

Riley smirks. “Well, lucky for you, we’re here,” he says, gesturing upward.

“Thank god…” I glance up at the hand-shaped blue neon sign and groan. “A psychic? Really?”

“Tis’ a Halloween tradition!” Dina says.

“Tis’ a waste of money.”

“A fun waste of money, though. And besides, Madam Cassandra is legit. She predicted that I’d fall in love with a handsome stranger and the very next day, Riley asked me out.” She hugs his arm, squeezing him tight. “We’ve been inseparable ever since!”

I roll my eyes. “You’ve known each other since fourth grade.”

She scoffs. “That’s not the point!”

Riley pops out his other elbow. “Come on, Tannis. You know she’s gonna drag you in anyway. Might as well go willingly.”

I feign another groan and hook my arm in his. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

“Yay!” Dina squeals.

She charges forward, yanking the two of us along with her through the door and the immediate beaded curtain to get inside.

My annoyance instantly subsides the moment the warm air touches my knees. I take in a deep breath full of incense and herbs, content with being out of the cold for a few minutes.

The shop itself is empty. Shelves of books and scented candles line each wall with price tags radically outside of my budget. Wind chimes jingle above my head, hanging along the dark curtains. I glance up and spot the fake spider webs. Well, I think they’re fake. Could go either way in here…

Dina pushes on, Riley still latched to her like her favorite accessory, while I pause to scan the charms on the shelf above the register.

“Welcome back!”

A deep, feminine voice carries from the doorway behind the counter. I flinch from a woman’s sudden appearance in front of me as Dina lets out a soft, excited squeal.

“Hi, Madam Cassandra!” she greets.

Cassandra smiles, her lips painted a purple-black shade. Her eyes linger on me as she replies to Dina. “It’s good to see you again,” she says.

Dina slaps my back. “I brought a fresh one for you.”

I lean away. “Uh... no. Thank you.”

“Oh, come on, Tannis!”

“I don’t want—”

Dina grips my shoulders, refusing to let me back up any farther and gives me a little push.

“I thought we came here for you,” I murmur under my breath.

“We did,” Dina says. “But... you first.”

“But I don’t believe in this stuff. No offense,” I add quickly as Cassandra’s smile deepens.

“You don’t have to,” Dina says. “Just have fun.”

Cassandra holds the curtain open and Dina shoves me through it. My eyes adjust to the sudden plunge into darkness, locking onto the lone lamp sitting on the edge of a small table. A square black velvet cloth sits in the center with a stack of cards on it.

I roll my eyes.

They’re tarot cards.

At least I don’t have to look into a crystal ball.

“Sit down,” Cassandra says as she takes her own seat across the table. “Tannis, yes?”

“That’s my name,” I say.

With a quiet smirk, she slides the cards in my direction. This constant grimace of hers is starting to get on my nerves. Either she knows something I don’t or she’s just really, really desperate to get us to buy something.

“You’ve never been read before,” she says, not asking.

“How’d you guess?” I quip.

“It’s not exact, of course,” she says, dropping a bit of realism into her tone. “Nothing ever is but there’s no shame in giving it a chance.”

“So, what do I have to do?”

“Pick up the deck. Shuffle it three times.”

I do as she says. The deck itself feels heavier than I thought it would. The cards are old and worn, the edges soft but not torn. I mix them up once, twice, and again, before setting them back down on the velvet square.

“What would you like to know about yourself?” she asks me. “Are you dreading an upcoming decision? Have you or a family member suffered a health scare?”

“Love!” Dina shouts from behind me. “Give her a love reading!”

I cringe. “Do we have to?”

Riley chuckles as he absently scans his phone.

“Yes!” Dina says. “Please, Cassandra. Please get this girl a boyfriend.”

“She’s not a matchmaker, Dina,” I say.

“You’re right. I’m not,” Cassandra says. “But in order for one to find love, one must be open to the possibility.”

“I am,” I say. “I’m plenty open, I’m just not...” I swallow. “It’s my parents. They’ve always been a little... strict.”

“Understatement,” Dina murmurs.

“They’re protective, that’s all.”

“They made you wear pants to the prom!”

I sigh, feeling the urge to defend them a little more, though I’m not sure why.

“It’s a parent’s job to protect their child,” Cassandra says, reading my face. “And a child should respect that. However, eventually...” She pulls the top three cards from the deck and lays them face down between us. “Both must let go. There are certain things a parent cannot provide a young woman.”

Dina fakes a quiet cough. “Dick!” she says, coughing again.

I blush with my head tilted down.

“Love comes to us in many forms,” Cassandra says, ignoring her. “The glance of a stranger. The touch of a friend.” Her brow perks. “A whisper in a dream.”

I look up, feeling a soft prickle on the back of my neck.

Cassandra points a raven-painted nail at the card on the left. “This card shows the current state of your love life,” she says.

She turns it over and I sink into my chair as Dina inches forward.

The Hermit.

Oh, lovely.

Dina snorts loudly. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

I wince. “Do we really have to do this?”

Cassandra shifts in her chair, drawing my attention away from the obvious distraction lingering over us. “The Hermit is a card of isolation, however, that’s not inherently a bad thing. Being alone isn’t always lonely. Self-reflection, discovery, acceptance. Truly knowing oneself. That is the mark of the Hermit.”

“So... you’re telling us Tannis masturbates a lot?” Dina jokes.

I sink deeper.

Riley clears his throat. “Hey, Dina — let’s go check out the candles.”

He grabs her elbow and guides her toward the curtain, giving me an apologetic nod as he pulls her away from me. She resists, of course, but ultimately submits and scampers off with him.

Cassandra sits silently until they’re gone. “Well, that’s better,” she says, dropping a bit more of that fake, whimsical tone.

I wave a passive hand. “Dina’s sense of humor can be a little deprecating at times.”

“We all have that friend among us, don’t we?” She tilts her head as she studies me and taps her finger twice on the middle card. “Shall we continue?”

I shrug. “Might as well,” I say with a sigh.

“The second card,” she says, “shows us what actions you’ve taken for your love life to be this way.”

“Didn’t realize tarot decks had blank cards,” I say.

She smiles lightly at the joke and flips the card. I lean forward to read it in the soft light.

VII of Swords.

I raise a brow. “What’s that mean?” I ask.

Cassandra pauses, her eyes narrowing in thought. “The VII of Swords is a card of deception,” she answers.

“Deception?” I repeat.

“Your isolation…” She shakes her head. “You say your parents keep you hidden away?”

“I mean…” I snort. “I’m not Cinderella or anything. I can go to the ball if I want to.”

“But you’re a virgin.”

I sit back. “Excuse me?”

“Give me your hand.”

She extends her own across the table, reaching for mine.

“No,” I say, moving to stand, “I don’t think—”

Cassandra launches forward and grabs my wrist.

I gasp. “Hey—”

She pulls me over and turns my hand over to see my palm. The lines on her face darken and I pause, more curious than angry at the blatant invasion of my personal space.

Her fingertip glides from my wrist to the tip of my middle finger. She holds her breath as her eyes jut along the trails of my palm.

Finally, she exhales slowly. “Tannis,” she says, a brief smile on her lips. “I should have known.”

I swallow hard. “Should have known what?”

She releases me and I pull my arm back. “This card is a warning,” she says.

“For what?”

She doesn’t answer. Instead, she lays her hand on the third card and turns it over.

Death.

Cassandra leans back in her chair with a curious expression, devoid of fear or excitement.

I sit still, anxiously waiting for her to explain the cards as Death itself stares back at me.

“How old are you, Tannis?” she asks.

“Nineteen,” I answer.

“When is your birthday?”

I blink. “In three days,” I say. “What does that have to do with—”

Cassandra stands up. “You should go home,” she says as she gathers her cards. “Listen to your parents.”

“What?” I ask. “Why? What does this mean?”

She bows her head and smiles.

“Time’s up,” she says.