Page 38 of Calling Quarters

Wasn’t that the truth?

“I assume you’re here to find out more about the gift.”

I cleared my throat. “The gift? No, I’m just curious about my mother. I had no idea she still had any living relatives.” I reached out to grab the teacup from her hands when she lifted it into the air toward me, whispering my thanks.

“Yes, isn’t that something? Those Graves always had a way of poisoning everything they touched.” Thin, weathered lips stuck out in a pout. She set her cup down onto its saucer and leaned back into the couch.

“What do you mean?”

“I warned my daughter not to get caught up with those kids. She didn't listen. Now, look where she is.”

“With all due respect, it wasn’t my father or aunt who killed my mother; it was me.”

“Oh, is that what they’ve got you believing?” She huffed out a sarcastic laugh, her eyes rolling toward the cracked ceiling as the laugh lines tightened around them. “Convenient excuse.”

“I don’t understand. Are you saying she didn’t die during childbirth?”

“No, my love. Bonnie was a true warrior through your birth. Barely made a peep, even when it was obvious the pain was taking over her. She spent five days with you before they came. It was the happiest I’d ever seen her. I even thought that perhaps the Graves boy wasn’t so bad after all.”

Ignoring the constant digs at my father, I asked, “Before who came?”

“Well, that all depends on who you’re asking.” She crossed thin, frail arms over her chest and gazed at me with an amused expression. She was enjoying this special form of torture.

I’d only come here for some anecdotal stories about my mother. Maybe to see more photos of her and hear how she was as a child from her mother’s point of view. I never expected for my family name to be disgraced and everything I knew about my mother’s death to be turned upside-down.

Though, I was quickly learning that was what happened in Beacon Grove.

Its entire foundation was built solely on secrets piled onto more secrets. Did anyone really know the truth?

“I’m not sure what that means,” I admitted, shifting in my seat. Her staring had quickly grown uncomfortable.

“Do you remember what I said to you before? At the Mabon festival?”

“Vaguely.” Everything from that day had become a blur.

“I told you that you were given an enormous task from the fates. I might not agree with the choices my daughter made or the outcomes they’ve created, but that doesn’t change anything. It’s done. You’ve been chosen for this. Avoiding it is only delaying the inevitable.”

I blinked at her.

“Why don’t we see what the other side has to say about it? Usually, I’d channel them myself, but this damn town is littered with low entities.”

She reached into the tote bag she’d been carrying when Mary brought her in and pulled out a familiar-looking box of tarot cards, her movements slow and labored. I recognized the design from living with Aunt Ash, though I’d never learned how to use them.

It was another thing she tried to show me, but my stubborn mind was already made up; I wasn’t going to be a weird witch like her.

She expertly shuffled the deck between her hands, never once fumbling or losing a single card. I could barely handle a regular deck without them flying all over the place, and these were twice as long.

When she noticed me watching, she asked, “I trust the Graves girl at least taught you how to use these? They’re a staple in any witch’s practice.” I shook my head, earning another exasperated eyeroll. “Did they do anything to prepare you?”

“I’m still not sure what they were supposed to be preparing me for.”

She lifted a brow and began wordlessly pulling cards from the deck.

The first card she pulled showed a tall building breaking apart. “Ah, the tower. Your life has been upended. You’ve experienced a great loss and it’s left you questioning everything you thought you knew. But change is necessary.”

Next, she held up a card with a woman holding two swords. “You’ve been presented with choices, and you need to weigh all your options before moving forward with a plan. I can see you’re trying to avoid the inevitable, just as you’ve been trained to do, but there is no more time for that. Just be sure your decision aligns with your own path and not someone else’s.”

The last card she held up looked to be a jester standing on the edge of a cliff. “The fool: a promising card. You’ve lost a lot, but you’re standing on the threshold of something amazing. It’s your fate, my love. Don’t be afraid to take the leap. You’ll be rewarded tremendously.”

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