Page 15 of Marcus-stiltskin

“Well, far be it from me to upset your friends,” I say and throw my leg over the bench seat.

“There was more, wasn’t there?”

“More?” I repeat.

“Yeah. You didn’t drive all the way over here just to give me a few bucks for some bath salts.”

I sigh. “Since Wednesday, I suddenly have a lot going on. This whole fire witch thing. I can’t control it. And someone from my past has shown up and–”

“It’s making it even harder to control?”

I nod.

“You still have the bracelet? she asks.

I hold up my arm. “It helps, but we were hanging out and every time he gets a little flirty…”

“Little fires everywhere?” she finishes for me.

I nod.

She pulls out a tiny white box of cards and begins shuffling. “Unfortunately, learning to control your powers is going to takea while. Even with extra tutoring on the side, you’re probably looking at least a month or two, maybe more.”

My heart sinks. I can’t hide from Marcus that long.

“I can’t–”

Darla puts up a hand. “There are some other options. We could seek out your familiar.”

“So, do I just stop by your clinic tomorrow and see who’s up for adoption?”

She shakes her head. “Now that you know you’re a witch, adopting a homeless pet would be great. A witch’s power is strengthened by what she does for others and for the universe in general, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Witches don’t pick their familiars; familiars pick us. We’ll have to cast a spell and see who comes to you. Once your familiar comes to you, the fires should calm down.”

I look around the yard, my eyes falling on the pigs. “But what if it’s something I don’t have the means to take care of?”

Darla dismisses my worries with a wave. “The universe will always provide a way. Before we do this spell to call your familiar, I want to read your cards.”

“Sure.” I’ve never had my fortune read, so I sit and watch as she shuffles the deck and then lays the cards out in the shape of a P. I feel completely lost, but decide that silence is best. If Darla feels this is an important part of the process, who am I to judge?

Darla lets out a long breath as she looks over the cards. “This man from your past… is there something awkward or embarrassing about him?”

I nearly snort. “Not about him. About me. I had a huge crush on him when I was a teenager, but he is much older. He is a friend of Lugh and they were in the Army. One day, my parents hosted a barbeque for all of Lugh’s Army friends and my little brother decided to do a dramatic reading from my diary for them.”

“You wrote about him in this diary?” she says, looking up from the cards.

“On every single page.”

She taps her fingers alongside the cards for a moment. “Hmmm…that does make more sense then. See here. The cards want you to consider Revelations and to look for Opportunities.”

I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand the connection.”

“Things between you two are going in a new direction. He is seeing you in a new light. There is opportunity, but only if you’re willing to open yourself to new experiences.”

I lean over and look at the cards. I can see a card labeled Revelation and Opportunity, but I don’t understand how she got all that from this P shape.

“Okay, I’ll try.” Though if I’m honest, I’m all ‘new experienced’ out. Between this fire witch thing and working with the donkeys, I could use some boring old activities.

“Don’t,” Darla says suddenly.

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