SUNDAY EVENING VANESSA walked up the tinted stone walkway of a large Spanish colonial revival house. Faded ceramic frogs and trolls sat under the spiked paddles of a prickly pear cactus. The wind blew, and purple-red bougainvillea flowers rained over her.
She started to knock on a large wood door, when it opened.
“Hi,” Serena greeted her. “I’m glad you came.” She wore Hawaiian-print bell-bottoms and a pair of clogs painted fairy-tale red with blue flowers. She looked like a pixie, the way her hair was moussed with glitter on the ends.
“Let’s sit in the kitchen,” she said. “The light is better there.”
Vanessa stepped inside and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dimness. Then she followed Serena down an unlit hallway. Their footsteps echoed through an imposing dining room that felt cold and never used. Finally, they pushed through a swinging door into a yellow kitchen that smelled of freshly baked cookies.
A raccoon sat on the kitchen table on top of papers that were scattered around a laptop computer. A cello rested against a long counter. Its varnished wood reflected the warm kitchen lights. Vanessa had expected to see anarchy symbols and smell incense, or maybe worse.
“I practically live in here,” Serena explained. She seemed nervous to have Vanessa visiting. She picked up a pile of papers. “This is Wally.”
The raccoon stood on its hind legs, then climbed off the table and scuttled flat-footed away from Vanessa.
“I got him on a camping trip. His mom deserted him, same as my mom deserted me, so my dad let me keep him. Have a seat.”
Vanessa sat down.
Serena went to the counter next to the sink. Wally followed on her heels, his bushy ringed tail in the air like a flag. She tossed the raccoon a cookie, then brought a plate of chocolate chip cookies to the table. “Here, have one. I just made them.”
Serena didn’t look like the kind of person who would bake. Vanessa picked one, had a moment’s hesitation wondering what might be in the cookie, then saw Wally chomping daintily away and took a bite. It was rich and buttery. The chocolate melted in her mouth.
“It’s good.” She wished she hadn’t sounded so surprised.
“I’m glad you like it.” Serena smiled. “Sometimes I think about becoming a chef. Well, if it weren’t impossible.”
“Anything’s possible.” Where had that come from? She sounded like her mother. Standard Lecture No. 9.
Serena shook the spangled bracelets on her arm. “I guess my life is pretty much planned for me.”
Vanessa felt sorry for Serena. Too many kids at school had parents who drew road maps for their lives.
“It’s not what you think,” Serena added quickly. “Dad’s pretty cool. It’s other things.”
Vanessa started to ask like what, but before she could ask, Serena spoke.
“What do you want to drink? Soda? Coffee? I’m having milk.”
“That sounds good.”
Serena poured two glasses, then came back to the table and sat down across from Vanessa. She shuffled her tarot deck, then placed it in front of Vanessa. “Think of your question while you divide the deck into three piles with your left hand.”
Vanessa took the worn deck and shakily separated it into three stacks. She wondered if the cards would be able to tell her who was following her. When she glanced up, Serena had a peculiar look on her face and her eyes seemed dilated the way Catty’s became before they time-traveled.
“What?”
Serena shook her head. “Sorry, I was daydreaming.” She took the deck, gave Vanessa a sly smile, then turned over the first card. “Ace of cups. Love affair. Don’t worry about Michael. He likes you. It’s genuine.”
Vanessa tried to smile, but worry kept pulling at her. Did she dare ask Serena about her real problem? An odd sensation rippled across her mind. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it felt peculiar, almost like the feeling she sometimes had after completing a difficult algebra problem. She glanced up. Serena was staring at her again.
“You know,” Serena began carefully, “if you have other problems, I might be able to help with those, too. I mean, we could ask the cards.”
“I’ve got a problem,” Vanessa whispered.
Serena clicked her tongue piercing against her teeth and waited. “You want to tell me about it?”
“I can’t.”
Serena continued to stare at her. Why did her pupils seem so large? She blinked and her eyes looked normal again.
“Well, maybe the cards can help you if you just think about your problem.” Serena turned over the next card, but she didn’t seem to concentrate on it—her eyes kept returning to Vanessa.
“Do you see something bad in the cards?” Vanessa asked nervously.
Before Serena could answer, the back door opened. The salty smell of the ocean drifted into the room. A boy walked in, his sandals flapping against the back of his heels. His face was sunburned, his nose peeling, and his lips still had traces of white zinc oxide. Lines from dried salt water traced around the back of his deeply tanned neck. His sun-bleached hair fell in his blue eyes and down his back in a shaggy ponytail.
“This is my brother, Collin,” Serena said. “Vanessa’s a friend from school.”
“Hey,” Collin nodded, but he barely looked at Vanessa.
“Hi.” Vanessa could see how Morgan would have a crush on him.
“Anything for dinner?” He walked over to the stove.
“Macaroni and cheese,” Serena said.
“Where?”
“The oven.”
He took the casserole from the oven. Steam rose into his face. Collin set the casserole on a trivet, then took a spoon from the dishwasher and dug in.
“It’s hot,” Serena called out.
He bit anyway. “Hot!” he yelped, and danced around. Wally scampered under the table.
“Collin’s a surfer,” Serena said adoringly, as if that explained everything.
“The macaroni is great,” Collin yelled. He scooped some onto a plate and left the kitchen. The sound of MTV came from someplace deep in the house.
Serena turned back to Vanessa. “He’s pretty cool for a brother, actually. Morgan had a big crush on him for a while. But I think she’s had a crush on everyone, especially Michael.”
Vanessa sighed and wondered if she even had a right to date Michael. After all, Morgan was her friend and—
“Don’t worry about it.” Serena interrupted her thoughts. “Collin says Morgan doesn’t have boyfriends, she takes prisoners. She’s really possessive. So maybe she didn’t have a relationship with Michael like she thinks she did.”
Vanessa still felt bad. Had Michael taken advantage of Morgan? Was she too embarrassed to tell Vanessa everything about it? Maybe Michael had—
“She never had a real date with him.” Serena spoke in a soothing voice. “She saw him at a party and they got together.”
“How do you know so much?”
“I listen.” Serena smiled. She shuffled the cards. “Let’s start again. Think of your question. You need to be specific for the cards to work.”
“Okay,” Vanessa said.
“Ready?” Serena snapped the cards. “Divide the deck into three stacks again.”
Vanessa nodded and thought, Am I in danger of having my secret discovered? Then she divided the cards into three stacks.
Serena gazed at her, her green eyes fiery. Again Vanessa had an odd feeling, this time like a whisper of wind roving around her mind. It was relaxing. She started to close her eyes.
Serena slapped the first card on the table.
Vanessa opened her eyes with a start.
“The knight of cups,” Serena said. “He’s always a bearer of important news or an invitation to social events.” She grinned. “He also brings new developments in love. Are you sure you’re not thinking about Michael?”
“Yes.” Vanessa tried to concentrate on the two different nights when she felt as if someone had been following her.
“Maybe you should be more specific.”
“How would you know if I was specific or not?” Vanessa asked.
“I can’t know.” Serena giggled. “Just in general people aren’t very specific. It’s easier for the cards to work if you add in all the details.”
Vanessa shrugged and thought of the night with Michael at the Bowl; then she looked at Serena and stopped. Serena’s pupils were enlarged again, and she was staring. Vanessa winced. That feeling in her mind was strong this time. Maybe she was getting a migraine. She rubbed her temples.
An odd look gathered on Serena’s face as if she saw something that amazed and puzzled her.
“What do you see?” Vanessa asked, the balls of her fingers working her scalp.
“Nothing,” Serena said; but her voice filled with wonder and she seemed excited about something. Then she turned the next card. “Damn,” she muttered, and her mood seemed suddenly dark.
The card showed the image of a moon with the face of a woman. Two yellow dogs barked at the night sky.
“I think this one was out of order.” She started to push the card back into the deck. “Let’s go to the next.”
Vanessa grabbed her hand and took the card. “What does it mean?” she said nervously. She didn’t really believe in fortune-telling, but it frightened her the way Serena was acting.
“The card means an unforeseen danger. Something is not as it seems.” She looked at Vanessa long and hard. “It means you should be cautious. Very cautious.”
“Why?”
Serena clicked the piercing in her tongue against her teeth. “It’s complicated.”
Vanessa waited.
“According to the card, you’re looking for answers, and the information you’ll receive will be difficult to believe, so you’ll put yourself in danger. You’ll have confused feelings and not be sure what to do, but you can’t run from this problem. The only way is through it.”
Serena looked down at the cards. She turned over the next and let out a small gasp. Before Vanessa could catch her, she stuck the card back in the deck. Her quick jerky movement toppled her glass of milk.
“Sorry.” She ran to get paper towels. She brought them back to the table.
Vanessa helped her sop up the milk. “What did the last card say?”
“Nothing, I didn’t even really see it before I spilled the milk.”
Vanessa knew she was lying. She had looked too frightened. She had seen something in the cards. And why did she keep staring at Vanessa? Maybe Morgan was right.
Serena tossed the wet towels in the trash, then came back to the table. “So do you want to watch some TV, or go down to Ed Debevic’s and watch them dance on the counter? I love their hot fudge sundaes.”
Serena was talking too quickly. What was she afraid of ? Surely she would tell her if she thought she was in danger.
“You didn’t tell me what you saw in the last card,” Vanessa said. “The one that frightened you.”
“Oh, that.” Serena tried to laugh but it came out sounding fake. “I would have told you all the usual stuff that everyone thinks fortune-tellers make up anyway, about a happy life and all that.”
But Vanessa knew she was hiding something. “Are you sure there wasn’t more?”
Serena seemed nervous. “No, I’d tell you if there was more,” she said. “Come on, let’s go to Ed Debevic’s. It’ll be fun.”
“I can’t tonight. I promised Mom I’d be home early.” Vanessa pulled a twenty-dollar bill from her jeans pocket. She handed it to Serena.
Serena started to take the money, then stopped. “I can’t charge a friend. Just don’t tell anyone else I didn’t charge you. Telling fortunes is a cool way to make extra cash.”
“Thanks.” Vanessa tucked the money back in her pocket. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” Serena walked her to the back door.
Vanessa hurried down the drive to the front of the house, then stopped and looked back.
“Freaky,” she whispered. She knew Serena was holding something back, but why would she? Was it something about Michael? Or Morgan? She felt heartsick.
She turned and bumped into a girl with long black hair. The girl gasped and took a step backward. She looked like a gangbanger, in black cargo pants and sport tank. Homemade tattoos covered her back and arm. She was thin with large brown eyes that seemed afraid of something she saw in Vanessa’s face.
“What?” Vanessa said.
“Ten cuidado,” the girl whispered. “Be careful.”
That made Vanessa more uneasy than if she had snarled.
“Sure,” Vanessa muttered uncertainly and began the long walk home. She decided that she shouldn’t see Michael anymore. Her heart twisted at the thought. But that took care of one problem, at least. Then she could concentrate on finding out who was following her and why.