Page 3 of Death

“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.

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