2 Tarot Cards*

Madame Elizabeth was not what I expected.

She was so young and beautiful it's almost painful to look at. No. Ethereal was the word to describe her. Her whole persona was glowing.

A pair of jeweled hairpins drew her unbound shimmering waves away from her face. A thin line of kohl accented the feline tilt of her dark green eyes as translucent layers of multi-colored silk draped her body.

I looked at my form and couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy piercing my heart. Sitting in front of her while a round table covered with a fringed cloth between us, I wish I could bury my head and hide from the world for the rest of eternity.

"What's your name, my dear?" The psychic asked as she shuffled the tarot cards on the table. "You are nervous. Why don't you choose something from the refreshment cart?"

"My name is Cassandra, Madame Elizabeth," I replied as she poured my small teacup with something from the pitcher.

I sniffed the liquid before taking a sip. It tasted like fruit-infused water.

"Call me Beth, my dear." She smiled affectionately as she patted my hand. "You got the same name as my future sister-in-law."

"Oh."

"Unfortunately, she died quite early." Beth's twinkling eyes were glossy as she tried to fight back tears.

My goodness, if she cried in front of me right now, her tears would probably look like sparkling diamonds which would make me more insecure.

"It's okay, Beth. It's not your fault." I touched her hand awkwardly, comforting her. "My condolences. I hope she rests in peace."

"I'm sorry for crying." She squeezed her eyes shut and wiped her eyes with a tissue. "Anyway, it was a long, long, long time ago. She just reminds me of you, you know?" She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "She died when she was your age. I think dying as an eighteen-year-old virgin is quite tragic, don't you think?"

Eighteen-year-old virgin? I paled at that. If she means me, then Beth has guessed correctly.

"Okay." Beth clapped her hands in excitement, her whole face lighting up. What a quick change from the gloomy atmosphere. "Let's start."

Beth spread the tarot cards on the table and told me to pick six cards as she plucked pink crystals from the bowl beside the lavender-scented candles and repeatedly rolled them on her palm, muttering something I couldn't catch. Maybe, she's praying or something.

I emptied my mind, my left hand hovering on the tarot cards, letting my intuition decide which card to pull out from the spread. Beth accepted the cards I picked and positioned them in a reversed pentagon with one card at the center.

My brows knitted in confusion. This is the first time I've seen this kind of tarot arrangement before. Maybe, she made it herself to be unique.

Well, I shouldn't be surprised. Madame Elizabeth was one of the most sought-after psychics in New York City. She has to at least show people something different from the others to compensate for their time and money.

Beth flipped the cards one by one and her expression was unreadable at first.

The incense burning in the air tickled my nose and I almost jumped out of my seat when the resident cat rubbed against my leg. I breathed slowly, willing myself to relax as I wait for the reading.

My heart pounded loudly in my ears when I looked at Beth again. The lovely flush on her cheeks drained from her face as her eyes narrowed at the cards.

I peeked at the cards in front of me, wondering what has offended her.

Oh, snap.

Not those cards again.