Page 1 of Death

Chapter 1

Agust 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.

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