Chapter Seventeen

Aster

Aster sat in the idling car, staring at the closed door to the apartment—the apartment attached to the garage where Tillie used to live. But now Tillie was dead.

Because of her.

Although Tillie had told her it wasn’t her fault that she had ruined everyone’s lives and cost Tillie’s hers, she still felt guilty about it.

Strangling the steering wheel, Aster couldn’t bring herself to go into the house. She feared what she’d find. Who would be her next victim? Had every changed fate been accounted for? She couldn’t remember.

Her mood was so dark… She wanted to be numb and not care about anything. Reese’s face kept popping in and out of her mind. Tormenting her. She had memorized every one of his smiles—his crooked one, his amused one, and his sexy smirk. And when that hadn’t tortured her enough, a 3-D tour of his toned body would play in her thoughts.

I’m such a masochist. Stop thinking about him. Jeesh. He’s just a guy. There’s a million of them in this world. She got out of the car and went in through the kitchen door. Love is dumb, she thought, taking off her sweat jacket and hanging it on a hook. It really messes a person up.

Voices came from the living room, and the male one caused her to pause. Dad? She rushed into the other room. Her dad sat beside Violet on the couch while her mom sat in the chair beside them. Aunt Roselyn was on the floor beside Nathan’s infant seat, cooing at him.

“What’s going on?” Aster asked, not sure what she should do.

“Hey, baby,” her dad said, standing and greeting Aster with a hug. “I came down to help out your mother.”

She paused, wondering exactly what he meant and if something else horrible had happened while she was out. Biting her lip, she wrapped her arms around her dad’s torso. “Help her out?” He released her.

“I’m giving her a loan until she gets things straightened out with the missing deposit.” He returned to his seat on the couch. “Also, Violet is going to come stay with me for a while.”

Aster looked at Violet. “You are? Why?” She squatted on the footrest in front of her sister.

“Josh was text-bombing me with horrible comments. He posted pictures of me on his page…” She swallowed hard. “Um…kissing Dena. Some of his friends made fun of it. Said some inappropriate things.”

Aster tried to catch up with her sister’s confession. “Wait. You dated that guy… What’s his name?”

Violet sighed. “This isn’t about a guy. And there are many different sexualities, Aster. I’m bisexual.”

Wow. I didn’t see that coming.

But who was Aster to judge Violet or anyone for that matter? If being bi made Violet happy, then so be it. Aster smiled genuinely. “Okay, that’s cool. Do what makes you happy.” Aster stood and faced her mother. “I’m going to beat the crap out of Josh the next time I see him. How can you let Iris go out with him? He’s a jerk.”

“Aster, you’re to behave yourself,” her mom warned. “We’ll deal with Josh. And Iris broke up with him, so try to be kind to her.”

“She did, huh?” It seemed like all her bad fate stuff was turning out okay. “Well, I’ll let you guys talk. I’ll be back down later, Dad. You’ll still be here, right?”

He smiled up at her. “Yeah, we’re not leaving until tomorrow.”

Before Aster left the room, she turned to Violet. “Baltimore’s not too far. Not even a three-hour drive. I’ll come out to see you as often as I can.”

“I’d like that,” Violet said, a smile hinting on her lips.

…

Aster dragged herself up the stairs and pushed open her bedroom door. She stopped short before entering. Gram perched at the edge of her bed, Tillie’s hatbox on the comforter beside her.

“You’re going to have to face me one day,” Gram said. “Might as well be now.”

Aster eased into the room.

Gram picked up the box and patted the mattress beside her. “We have much to talk about, wouldn’t you say?”

If they had so much to talk about, Aster wasn’t getting any ideas on what to say. She plopped down next to her grandmother.

Gram took Aster’s arm and pushed back the owl bracelet, exposing the mark. She swallowed a sob. “I should have guessed it would be you,” she said. “You do favor your grandfather’s side of the family. I was hoping you and your sisters wouldn’t have to suffer this.”

“Tillie told me she caused Gramps’s death.” Aster felt a lump forming in her throat and she cleared it. “How could you take her in, knowing that?”

“It wasn’t her fault,” Gram said. “Just like her death and the happenings going on around here aren’t yours. I take full blame. It was the wrong decision to withhold the truth from you. You were bound to encounter tarot cards eventually. But after your grandfather died, I was scared. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“How did you know about it?” Aster picked at her cuticles. It kept her from looking in Gram’s eyes. She was ashamed of what she’d done. Of the trouble she had caused. Tillie’s death.

As if she knew what Aster was thinking, Gram said, “Tillie chose to take the fate from you. She was old and tired. I don’t want you to blame yourself for what happened to her. It was her way of righting a wrong.”

Aster blew out a sigh. “That’s what she said. But she’d still be alive if I hadn’t…” She swiped a tear from her eye.

Gram grabbed her hand. “Stop it, you hear. You had no idea what would happen.”

Aster nodded. Gram was right. If she’d known the consequences, she would have never touched a single tarot card ever. “So are you a fate changer, too?”

“No. Your grandfather told me about his family and their history.”

Aster was amazed Gram hadn’t run as far away as she could get from Gramps. “And you believed him? ’Cause it’s sort of crazy. Even though I’ve witnessed it for myself, I still find it hard to believe.”

Gram chuckled. “If it had to be one of you, I’m glad it’s you, Aster. You’re stronger than your sisters are. I have faith you will do the right thing with this gift. She lifted the lid of the hatbox, removed the deck of tarot cards from the top, and held them out to her. “You must either keep these on you at all times or find a better hiding place for them. Under your bed wasn’t a safe enough choice. Anyone can use your cards to call you to them and persuade you to change fates for them.”

“I know,” Aster said, frowning. “It happened with a tarot reader on the boardwalk. She stole my fate card.” When Gram’s eyes widened, Aster added, “Don’t worry. I got it back.”

“Good girl,” Gram said, patting Aster’s knee.

This is so out there. Shit like this only happens in movies.

“Now,” Gram said, handing the hatbox to Aster and standing. “Take some time and study everything in here. When you’re through, we must find a good hiding place for it.”

Before Gram could leave, Aster asked, “What about my sisters? Do you think they’re like me?”

“I don’t know.” She opened the door. “But if I’ve learned anything from you, it’s that we should find out. Let me think on it. Maybe we can come up with a way to test them or something.”

“Okay. Thanks, Gram.”

“I love you, dear.”

“Me, too. Um, I mean, I love you, too.”

She smiled and closed the door.

Aster unloaded the items in the hatbox onto the bed. The couples in the photographs made her think of Reese. She picked up her phone and flipped through the pics they took during prom. Her favorite was when she was about to take a selfie and Reese photobombed her with a goofy face. He looked so sexy even wearing a silly expression. The next photo she took was of them kissing. She turned off her phone and tossed it on the pillow.

The parchment papers attracted her eye first, so she untied the twine and leafed through them, keeping them in order. Written in a different language, the script was neat and precise. There were equations like in Tillie’s journal. She looked closer at one parchment with a black and white photograph sticking to it. It was of two women in a classroom.

She carefully peeled the photograph from the page. On the back someone had scribbled, Dika Froggatt with Mileva, Zurich Polytechnic, 1900.

No. It can’t be. She wondered if the Mileva in the photograph was Einstein’s first wife, because the two went to the school about that time. Dika had to be a relative of Gramps since they had the same surname. She counted the pages before it, grabbed the journal, and flipped to the page with its translation.

The entry told of Dika, a fate changer, and her love for Armand Van Buren, a firstborn son cursed to die.

Reese’s middle name is Armand. They’re related, just as Dika and I are. Our destinies keep repeating.

Dika was one of only a few young women who studied science. Believing the magic behind fate changing was much like physics, she sought help from a fellow student, Mileva, to figure out how to manipulate it. Out of fear that if she changed Armand’s fate, her brother would die, she worked tirelessly to find a way to undo the curse.

Aster studied the equation on the page. It was a magnetic force formula.

At the time a changer touches a tarot card, the upright image separates from the reversed one. Okay, knew that. This action sets off a magnetic field that enters the changer. The changer holds on to the charge until transferring to another conductor.

I’m a conductor. That’s why I set off a static shock after touching a fate. And when I touch another conductor, some poor victim gets the fate’s charge.

She read further. A fate changer only has to use the correct crystal as an insulator. The changer uses it to touch a person’s fate instead of using a bare hand, insuring a fate won’t transfer to someone else.

Aster gathered the crystals and inspected them.

How do I know which crystal to use?

She flipped through the pages once more until she found another mention of them. It seemed the crystal picked the fate changer. The instructions said she was to pass her open palm across a crystal to determine which one to use. The correct one would reveal itself.

Okay? She picked each up and spread them out on the floor.

A text chimed. She got up, picked up her phone, and read the message. It was from Leah. She was downstairs. Aster texted her to come up.

“What’s all the stuff?” Leah asked as she walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

“Have a seat,” Aster said.

“Hi to you, too.” Leah sat on the floor across from Aster.

“Oh, sorry. Hi.” Aster gave her a questioning look. “What are you doing here?”

“Daisy needed a ride home.”

“Why didn’t she call me?” Aster asked.

“Daisy said she tried to call you.” Leah picked up a pink quartz and held it up to the light. “Anyway, she found out her friend took your mom’s deposit. They had a huge fight. But she’s okay now, and your mom has all the checks back. The little bitch spent the cash, though.”

“I knew something like this was going to happen. That Abby is trouble.”

“Nice crystals,” Leah said, putting the pink quartz back on the carpet. “What are they for?”

“You’re going to think I’m completely nuts, but don’t say a word. Just wait until I’m done.” Then Aster pulled her legs up and proceeded to tell Leah everything. Several beats went by as Leah processed Aster’s tale.

“Wow,” she finally said. “Just… Wow.”

“That’s it? You have nothing to say?”

“Give me a moment. I’m still processing.” She stared at the crystals. “So that magic thing during my reading wasn’t Miri, it was you?”

“Yep.”

“You did that? Really?”

“Yep.”

She just blinked as she watched Aster’s face. “And you’re sure.”

“Yep.”

“Will you please stop saying that?”

Aster almost said it again. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I need your help.”

“What can I do?”

“I need to practice changing fates on you,” Aster said.

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Absolutely not,” Leah said. “You could kill me.”

“I’d only change a bad one. So it’s a win for you.”

“But you already changed my fate.”

Aster picked up the journal and pointed out an entry. “It says here that fates are ever-changing and the tarot cards only predict the immediate future. If it doesn’t work, I could be a fate time bomb like before. But at least I’d know, and I’d figure out what to do with it.”

Leah didn’t look convinced. “Okay, but shouldn’t you figure out how to save Reese first?”

Aster glanced at the book. Curses were infinite. No conductor could transfer it to another. The curse just took a life from the changer’s family as payment. A firstborn for a firstborn. Baby Nathan for Reese. I just can’t…

“I think I have to master changing fates first. His is a curse.” Aster couldn’t explain the feeling she had. It just seemed like the most logical step. She had to learn to control her gift—more like burden—before she could figure out how to undo Reese’s curse. Because no matter how mad she was at him, she didn’t want him to die.

“Well, get cracking,” Leah ordered.

Aster spread the crystals out, closed her eyes, and passed her open palm over them. She thought she felt warmth as her hand crossed one side.

“You feel anything?”

“No.”

“Then meditate or something.”

Aster opened her eyes. “Seriously? Maybe I could, if you wouldn’t talk.” She closed her eyes again. No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, the only thing that came to mind was her and Reese’s first kiss. It had been amazing. Full of energy and excitement. She’d kissed guys before, but it had never been like that. It was as if they’d been alone in the world. His kiss had been strong and warm. Every inch of her had glowed with anticipation under his touch.

Heat rushed across her palm. She glanced down. Her hand hovered over the black obsidian. “It’s this one.”

Leah inspected the shiny black stone. “You sure?”

Aster passed her hand over it again, and her palm heated. “Yes, definitely this one.”

“Well, of course. It couldn’t be one of the pretty ones.” A frown crossed Leah’s face. “Black is so dismal.”

Aster gave her an incredulous look. “Really? Let’s stay positive, all right?” She retrieved the tarot box from the bed and sat back down, removing the cards and shuffling them. When she was done, she fanned the cards out on the carpet in front of Leah and snatched up the crystal. “Okay, pick one, place it above the deck, and flip it over.” The crystal heated in her hand.

Leah’s finger twitched above the cards as she made her choice. She placed the card upright on the floor.

“The ten of cups reversed,” Aster muttered.

“What does it mean?” Leah asked, twisting the hem of her shirt.

An image of Leah and Jan hugging and crying at an airport security check-in came to her. “Separation,” Aster said.

“Well, that’s a given. Jan leaves soon.”

“It’ll be permanent.”

She glared at Aster. “I don’t like this game.”

“That’s the thing.” Aster glared back at her. “It’s not a game.”

“Well, change it already.” She worried her brows, watching the card as if it would attack her.

Aster placed the obsidian on the card. The upright and reversed images separated and spun in opposite directions. Her mark glowed blue this time. The images stopped and reversed the direction they had been spinning before. When she removed the crystal, the images slapped back together and the card fell to the carpet.

Leah’s face remained scrunched with worry. “Did you fix it?”

“I’m not sure.” The edges of Aster’s vision darkened. Her head felt light. She was in a different room full of antique furniture.

“Aster?” Leah’s voice echoed in Aster’s brain, somewhere just out of reach. “Are you okay?”

Dika, wearing a Victorian-style dress, sat across from a handsome man wearing a gray suit. His light brown hair framed blue eyes that looked similar to Reese’s. The death card lay between them. Dika touched it with a bloodred crystal and the upright and reverse images parted. When the cards stopped spinning, Dika raised the crystal between the two images, the mark on her wrist glowing blue.

“Armand, grab my hand and don’t let go,” she told him.

“This will end the curse?” he asked, looking hopeful.

“Yes. Hurry,” she urged.

He grasped her hand, the crystal cradled between their palms. The images slammed against the back of their hands and the man instantly let go. Two massive sparks, like lightning strikes, hit them. Together, they fell onto the table, their bodies smoking.

Aster’s insides twisted and roiled as if on an endless roller coaster. The room spun in nauseating waves. Her limbs shook and lights flashed across her vision. “They died,” she mumbled before blacking out.