Page 47 of Shadow Touched

“Please. Sit.” She sat in the opposite chairand picked up the cards, holding them out to Leia. “As you shuffle,think about what question you want answered. Then hand them backwhen you feel it’s time.”

Leia took the cards, concentrating on howshe had gotten the power to see death. She thought of all the timesshe had used the gift, including when her first boyfriend hadwalked into traffic and died. Suddenly, she had this feeling tostop shuffling, and she handed them back. The psychic slowly turnedover each card, laying them in a pattern.

After the third card, the psychic paused.Leia was clueless at what the cards represented, except forone.

“Is that the death card?” Leia asked.

“Yes, but not like you’re thinking. Death isall around us, constantly. It’s a cycle of the universe, so thecard can represent the ending of one thing and the beginning ofanother.” She tapped the two other cards. “But these cards areinteresting. The Knight of Swords and the Four of Swords.”

“Interesting how?”

“Let me see your palm.” Leia held out herhand and the psychic leaned over it. “Oh. Your lifeline has beeninterrupted.”

“What does that mean?”

“You see how this line is divided into two?”Leia nodded. “This and the cards tell me that at some point, youexperienced death.”

Leia’s heart stuttered. “Um, what does thatmean? Like, people around me?”

“No, you died, and then came back.” Thepsychic pointed at her. “You have the sight, don’t you?”

“I see the shadow of death,” she whispered.“I can see how a person dies. But … but I would’veremembered if I had died. Wouldn’t I?”

“Not unless it was before you hadmemories.”

“Like … maybe … as a, uh, child?”

“Possible. You made a deal with death.”

Leia shook her head. “I couldn’t have if Iwas a child.”

“Then someone else made the deal, althoughthey probably didn’t realize the consequences. An exchange mustalways be made. A life for a life. A soul for a soul.”

“Do you … was it … my parents?” Leiaasked.

“Why don’t you ask them?”

“Because they’re dead.” A horrible thoughtentered her head. “Did they die because of it? Did they sacrificetheir lives … for mine?”

“I cannot answer that because I don’t knowthe original bargain that was struck. As for you … a person whowalked among the dead will always carry that imprint. That is whyyou have the sight.”

“So there are other people like me?”

“Why would you think you’d be the onlyone?”

The End

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