started to lay out the cards with shaking hands. She’d only laid four cards on the table when she stopped abruptly, staring at what she saw. She regathered the cards and shuffled them once quickly, before starting to lay them out again. It was too dark to see what was on them.
“Impossible,” she muttered, scooping the cards up again.
“Sorry?” Tia asked, frowning.
Just then, Madame Rabinski’s violently trembling hands dropped the rest of the deck of cards to the floor. Her hands flew up to her face in a gesture that looked like she was trying to shade her eyes from a bright light.
“I’m sorry, but your friend will have to leave now,” she whispered, her eyes squinted shut.
“Huh?” Tia and I said together.
“You! You!” the woman shouted, pointing at me. “You need to leave!”
“What? Why?”
“Yeah, she hasn’t done anything!”
“Your energy … I just can’t concentrate … so many voices at once!” She looked at me, and her expression was undoubtedly horrified. “Your energy is overwhelming me! I’m sorry, but you must leave this tent right now.”
“Fine, we’re out of here,” Tia snapped, grabbing my elbow.
“No, Tia, you stay.” I pushed her back toward her seat.
“No, I’ll go with you, Jess. You’re right, this was stupid.”
“Tia, you paid your five bucks. Get your cards read, okay? I’ll take my energy and wait for you outside.”
Tia opened her mouth to argue, but I didn’t stay long enough to let her. I turned on my heel and exited the tent. I threw one last glance at Madame Rabinski as I closed the tent flap; her face had gone pale and she was clutching the edge of her table so hard that her knuckles were white. She was still staring at me like she’d seen a ghost.
I was so distracted that I nearly walked into a guy standing just outside the entrance.
“Whoa! Easy there!” he said.
“Sorry. I didn’t see you,” I said. I stepped back and looked up into one of the most attractive faces I’d ever seen. He was tall and square-shouldered, with dark chestnut hair that lay carelessly across his pale forehead and a handsome profile with a straight nose and pronounced cheekbones. When I caught his eye, his face broke into a disarming smile that crinkled his warm brown eyes. I returned his smile before I’d even thought about it.
“I was thinking about getting my fortune told, but judging by your dramatic exit, I think I’ll pass,” he laughed.
“Yeah, save your money,” I said.
“That bad, huh?”
“Total rip-off. You’d be better off trying the fish game.” I held up Sequins for him to see.
“Maybe I’ll try that,” he said.
Just then, Gabby tapped me on the shoulder. “That was quick! What happened?”
“What a whack job! She kicked me out!”
“She did?” Gabby looked sort of pleased.
“Yeah, she said my energy was distracting her,” I snorted.
“Ooh, what does that mean?” Paige asked.
“It means she’s nuts!” I turned back to my handsome stranger. “Like I said, totally not worth ….”
He had walked away. I looked for him through the crowd of milling students, but he was gone. Damn.
Tia appeared from between the tent flaps. Gabby and Paige descended on her.
“So? What was it like?” Gabby asked.
“Okay, I guess,” Tia shrugged. I thought she threw a glance at me, but it was very quick. “She said some stuff that was pretty accurate. Like she said that I was interested in going into medicine or the sciences.”
“Are you?” Paige asked.
“I’m declared in the pre-med program.”
“See?” Gabby said, rounding on me. “There’s no way she could have known that.”
“Fine, whatever, she’s omniscient,” I muttered. “Should we head back to the dorm?”
Just then, much to my relief, Gabby got a jealous text from her boyfriend. The ensuing domestic dispute distracted everyone on the walk back to the dorm. But something else was distracting me. If Madame Rabinski had just been putting on a
“Impossible,” she muttered, scooping the cards up again.
“Sorry?” Tia asked, frowning.
Just then, Madame Rabinski’s violently trembling hands dropped the rest of the deck of cards to the floor. Her hands flew up to her face in a gesture that looked like she was trying to shade her eyes from a bright light.
“I’m sorry, but your friend will have to leave now,” she whispered, her eyes squinted shut.
“Huh?” Tia and I said together.
“You! You!” the woman shouted, pointing at me. “You need to leave!”
“What? Why?”
“Yeah, she hasn’t done anything!”
“Your energy … I just can’t concentrate … so many voices at once!” She looked at me, and her expression was undoubtedly horrified. “Your energy is overwhelming me! I’m sorry, but you must leave this tent right now.”
“Fine, we’re out of here,” Tia snapped, grabbing my elbow.
“No, Tia, you stay.” I pushed her back toward her seat.
“No, I’ll go with you, Jess. You’re right, this was stupid.”
“Tia, you paid your five bucks. Get your cards read, okay? I’ll take my energy and wait for you outside.”
Tia opened her mouth to argue, but I didn’t stay long enough to let her. I turned on my heel and exited the tent. I threw one last glance at Madame Rabinski as I closed the tent flap; her face had gone pale and she was clutching the edge of her table so hard that her knuckles were white. She was still staring at me like she’d seen a ghost.
I was so distracted that I nearly walked into a guy standing just outside the entrance.
“Whoa! Easy there!” he said.
“Sorry. I didn’t see you,” I said. I stepped back and looked up into one of the most attractive faces I’d ever seen. He was tall and square-shouldered, with dark chestnut hair that lay carelessly across his pale forehead and a handsome profile with a straight nose and pronounced cheekbones. When I caught his eye, his face broke into a disarming smile that crinkled his warm brown eyes. I returned his smile before I’d even thought about it.
“I was thinking about getting my fortune told, but judging by your dramatic exit, I think I’ll pass,” he laughed.
“Yeah, save your money,” I said.
“That bad, huh?”
“Total rip-off. You’d be better off trying the fish game.” I held up Sequins for him to see.
“Maybe I’ll try that,” he said.
Just then, Gabby tapped me on the shoulder. “That was quick! What happened?”
“What a whack job! She kicked me out!”
“She did?” Gabby looked sort of pleased.
“Yeah, she said my energy was distracting her,” I snorted.
“Ooh, what does that mean?” Paige asked.
“It means she’s nuts!” I turned back to my handsome stranger. “Like I said, totally not worth ….”
He had walked away. I looked for him through the crowd of milling students, but he was gone. Damn.
Tia appeared from between the tent flaps. Gabby and Paige descended on her.
“So? What was it like?” Gabby asked.
“Okay, I guess,” Tia shrugged. I thought she threw a glance at me, but it was very quick. “She said some stuff that was pretty accurate. Like she said that I was interested in going into medicine or the sciences.”
“Are you?” Paige asked.
“I’m declared in the pre-med program.”
“See?” Gabby said, rounding on me. “There’s no way she could have known that.”
“Fine, whatever, she’s omniscient,” I muttered. “Should we head back to the dorm?”
Just then, much to my relief, Gabby got a jealous text from her boyfriend. The ensuing domestic dispute distracted everyone on the walk back to the dorm. But something else was distracting me. If Madame Rabinski had just been putting on a
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