Zoey Hughes

-

“Oh.” That’s all he has to say at first, somehow both a little disappointed that she can’t read his mind and embarrassed that he assumed she could. He’s grateful that she’s honest about her abilities though; it makes him trust her more. His eyes widen a little when she guesses Anthony though. “Close,” he tells her, and he’s just about back hanging onto every word she says. “I’m Arthur. Both ‘A’ names. I don’t know how you did that,” he says, a little incredulously. “And you’re Celeste, right? I didn’t guess that, Josh just told me when he gave me your information.”

★

Zoey couldn’t help but smile a little at the mans reaction to her guessing close to his name. She could see that Arthur would be easy to take advantage of right off the bat if she was that type of person. In a way it worried her a little because she didn’t want him to take everything that she said and hang onto it. Readings weren’t an exact science and at times she might not get a complete read. Things were always subject to change when it came to destiny. She smiled when he assures her that he hadn’t guessed her name but instead Josh had told him. Josh had been doing wonders for her buisness lately, she would definitely have to send him a thank you text at some point. 

“Why don’t you come in.” She smiled before moving to unlock the door to her shop, pushing inside and turning on the lights “Feel free to have a look around if you would like.” She informs the other with a smile, wanting to make sure that he was comfortable around her.

• 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙩 •

Twice now Jack has thought he’s found the one: the first time, his heart was shattered so badly that he swore he’d never put himself in that position again and certainly wouldn’t make someone else feel that way; the second time, he did exactly that. Plans of a long, happy life with someone he connected to like nobody else, and Jack trampled on it until whatever love was there was no longer distinguishable. Years of reflection had him convinced that his actions were those of fear, of not being ready to go through it all again. In reality, Jack supposes he was just a shitty guy back then. Whether that was a result of the fear, he doesn’t want to admit.

Jack likes to think he’s ready now though.

“Okay, spit it out,” Jack says, but the nervous laugh in his words gives him away. Is she stalling? It can’t look that bad for him, can it?

★

Zoey flipped the card over so that it laid face up on the table between the two of them. Once flipped the card was reveled to be nonother than The Tower card. She chewed at her lower lip glancing up at Jack “Well we are not off to a very good start.” She admitted. “In a reading about love this card represents a sign of real turmoil in the relationship, present or past. It can imply huge fights, lots of emotional unloading and sometimes betrayal.” She informs him. “However this can also be positive if you find your way through all of the emotion and arguments and conflict, but still find each other at the end of it all." She informs him. 

She shuffles her cards again until yet another card fluttered down onto the table, this time landing face up. The Two Of Cups making its way onto the table. “So this card  indicates a strong bond between two people and often reflects the commitment made to one another within a monogamous relationship.” She informs him

“So what I have gotten out of this so far is that you were most likely in a relationship at some point and there was some type of betrayal or something that drove the two of you apart.” She speaks, not looking at him directly. “The second card is telling me that you are currently involved in something that you are slightly afraid of because the connection is there. The monogamous part indicates to me that loyalty in a relationship has always been a bit hared to come by.” She informs him. There was still one more card needed to be pulled but she figured she would give him a little rundown of what they had already determined from the cards.

Getting over the initial surprise as she brought him a coffee, he invited her to join him at his table. It was the least he could do, and as she obliged him and took a seat across from him Peter studied the woman trying to figure out why she might have continued their brief conversation.

A little surprised at her immediately wondering what he did for a living, he blinked a couple of times but then decided to be truthful. “I’m a lawyer, for Castle and Phillips. And how about you, Miss…” Trailing off, hoping she’d introduce herself a bit more.

★

Zoey felt a little bad for inserting herself into the mans day but she had bought him a coffee so that made up for it right? It made up for the fact that she had only initiated any sort of conversation with him because she was sure that someone who had passed was attempting to contact him. She could feel him studying her, glancing her over as if he was attempting to get a good read on her and why she had inserted herself into his day. 

Zoey shivered a little at the mention of him being a lawyer and immediately hoped that the person attempting to contact him wasn’t someone who was mad at him for locking them away in a jail cell where they ultimately passed. She shook her head deciding that she would put that thought out of her head until she learned more. She smiled when he poked around a little for her name. 

“Oh I’m sorry that’s my bad.” She chuckled softly before reaching her hand out to the older male “My name is Zoey Hughes.” She introduced herself. Deciding that maybe she shouldn’t give him her physic name right off the bat “I work in records at the local hospital.” She smiled “Hence why I needed the extra pick me up.” She joked softly before raising the coffee up to her lips, happily taking a sip.

☆✮☆

“Okay, cool. I’ll call you out if I have to,” she jokes, feeling like now that she’s mentioned it, it’s a lot less likely the woman would lie to her. Stella tries to catch a glimpse of the illustrations on the cards as Celeste shuffles the deck in a halfhearted attempt to see if it was the same deck that her mom kept around. She suddenly feels just a tiny bit nervous when the first card is pulled. “Alright. Flip it over- I’m ready.”

★

Zoey chuckled with a small smile before nodding and flipping over the first card to reveal The Fool. “Now the fool has multiple meanings but in an overall reading it actually isn’t a bad card despite how it might sound.” She informs her with a grin. “It represents the beginning of a journey, childlike wonder, risk, and potential.” She informs her “So if there is anything in your life you’ve been wanting to do but are afraid of the outcome you should do it.” She smiled “Whether that means starting up a new relationship, starting up or changing up a buisness, or possibly befriending a psychic even though you don’t believe in that.” She said with a chuckle, wanting to lighten the mood a bit as she shuffled her deck again, leaving the card she had already pulled laying on the table.

☼

He does feel a shift in the air, although he notices the woman’s demeanour change at around the same time, so it steals his attention from the sudden, harrowing chill. With her voice a little disturbed, Josh can tell before the name even leaves her mouth that whatever she’s sensing isn’t too pleasant. It’s only then that he realises just how plausible it would be that his father might feel just as sad as himself about the way everything unravelled, even if there was nobody else to blame.

“I do,” he says in a breath, leaning forward slightly, over the table in anticipation. “That’s him. How–. Woah.” Of course, he hadn’t expected the woman to be a fraud– might have been a little unsure at first, but it only took a few moments of speaking to Celest for him to believe she was genuine. Still, though, it takes him slightly aback.

Stammering over his own words a little, Josh supposes that being a nervous, stuttering mess under his father’s watch is an old habit  that dies hard with the memories attached to the man’s name, as he asks, “W-w–. I mean. Is he here? H-how does this–.” God, he hadn’t expected to feel so overwhelmed by it. “Do you hear his voice or just feel… How does it work?” Of course, he has a million questions, but he’s much more intrigued to know what the man will take it upon himself to say.

“Right now it’s just a feeling.” She informs him. “However that’s usually how things start. He may choose to talk or show himself as we move further into it... sometimes the dead can be just as skeptical as the living.” She is used to this reaction, jumping down her throat with questions, wanting... needing answers to how she is able to do this, although those are all things that she isn’t able to give because honestly she’s still at a lose for those answers herself.

There are so many feelings racing through her at the moment. Fear, anger, sadness, panic. Then the cause hits her, like a ton of bricks crushing her underneath the weight of it. “There’s a memory here, that’s almost haunting to him.” She tells Josh after a moment of them both catching their barring's. “You did something.” She told Josh, trying to work out whatever this was that she was feeling “When you were younger.... you almost died is that correct?” She asked him. She knew that this was most likely a sensitive topic on top of talking to your dead father but this is what Peter was harping on and in order to get past it she had to bring it up. “He found you.” She spoke “Instead of assuring you that everything was going to be alright he just yelled and yelled.” She said, closing her eyes for a moment. 

Zoey felt like she was in that moment, like she had just found her own son who had attempted suicide. The yelling part threw her off though because the only thing that she felt inside was fear and anxiety... not a single ounce of anger in her at all. “He feels awful.” She tells him “He wasn’t angry, he was panicking, his amazing sleeping boy was suffering and he hadn’t even noticed.” She spoke, only repeating the words that Peter had finally spoken to her. 

               “Yeah, you’re probably right…” She didn’t need a psychic. But Jenny would like an actual excuse to do something about her love life. Then again having a psychic tell her it’s time to put herself out there isn’t really an excuse either. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly for a moment. “That’s true… I just always have a little trouble doing that…” Taking people home. Going home with people.                  Maybe Celest telling her that was a nudge in that direction anyway. She’d feel bad not paying for simple advice like that though. This was Celest’s job after all.                  “Maybe you’re right though. Maybe I should just. Do that…” She frowned a little before the comment about her being engaged to a clown had her laughing. “No no. I don’t– - Really believe in soulmate face drawings, no offense… That’s… I was just looking for a tarot reading… One of those three-card spreads maybe?” Should be simple enough, right? Then again, Jenny didn’t really know much about psychic stuff anyway so maybe it wasn’t so simple after all.

★

“No offense taken.” She smiled with a small chuckle “I don’t do them.” She informed him with a shrug. Zoey could see dead people, not soulmates after all. Unless your soulmate was already dead but that seemed a little cruel to do that to people.

Zoey smiled as she looked at the women, running her fingers through her hair a moment. The cards wouldn’t tell her anything more than Zoey already had really but she was willing to do a reading with the women if she was insisting. “Follow me.” She said after a moment, scooting past Jenny and down another pair of steps to the shops entrance. She rustled around in her bag for a moment before pulling out a pair of keys with a little crystal ball attached to them. She inserted them into the lock before opening the door up.

Once inside the small space, only made more crowded by the amount of books and antiques that littered the room, Zoey flipped on the lights and set her things down before going to retrieve a deck of cards. She came back with her flower deck, she often paired the deck with the clients personality. 

“Come sit.” She instructed the women with a grin before taking a seat at the table in the middle of the room herself. “Now something I tell my clients at the start of every tarot reading, the cards are not concrete, we all have the power to change and choose our futures.” 

“ Er.. are you.. Zoey Hughes?” He asked as he read her name on the box he was carrying. “ I just have a delivery from Arleta’s crystal and occult shop for you.” He said with a smile. “ Unless you are not her… then I guess it must be next door?” He asked looking around trying to figure out if he even had the right address. 

Beau placed the box down and handed her the sign sheet. “ You into all this stuff?” He asked as his icy blue eyes gazed at her questioningly. “ What do you do?” He asked with a small smile. “ Its rare to find someone who is into that kind of thing.”

★

Zoey practically face palmed herself when the man read her name off of the box that he held in his hands. She had meant to put it under her alias Celeste but apparently her mind was racing while she placed the order and instead of actually putting the fake name she had put her real one. Not that it really mattered seeing as she wasn’t giving this man a reading, instead she had simply bought crystals from him, something she had done many times before in person at the shop . 

Zoey took the sheet from Beau and scribbled her signature down on the piece of paper he had before leaning down and grabbing her box. She chuckled a little when he asked her if she was into all of this ‘stuff’. It was a big question seeing as stuff could mean a handful of different things. “My grandmother got me into it.” She informs him with a shrug “And hey if they don’t actually do anything at least they are pretty yeah?” She asked him with a smile. 

When Beau asked what she did for a living she hesitated but figured he dealt with psychics all of the time in his line of work. “I’m a records keeper at the local hospital, kind of like a receptionist type deal/patient checker.” She informs him, figuring that might throw him off a bit “Oh and I talk to the dead.” She said with a nonchalant shrug and a small chuckle. 

She absolutely wasn’t wrong, news was a 24 hour paced storm now more than ever, and though he preferred the idea of a newspaper it wasn’t lost on Peter that by the time it was printed up and in his hands it was already outdated in most cases. In particular the newspaper he’d been trying to read which was a week or so old. He gave a little nod and smile, not sure if she’d spotted how out of date the paper was or if it was more just a commentary on the outdated method. “You’re absolutely right, I guess it’s just easier to pick up a paper in certain situations. It’d kind of defeat the purpose to get out at lunch and clear your head if you just sat down and watched a news channel though, I think.”

When she returned to his table, carrying a pair of coffees, Peter was surprised, but laughed at her comment. “Well, I don’t know about that exactly, but thank you for the coffee all the same.” He stood up, offering her a gesture to the chair across from him. “Please, have a seat. I’m Peter.”

★

Zoey sat down across from him with a smile as she accepted her in to a future conversation. She was almost positive at this point that he was the reason that she was nearly dragged to Dotty’s this morning, wasting part of her few days of. She wasn’t sure why she was here yet or who exactly was trying to reach out to the man so she figured that there was no better way to find out than to initiate a little conversation with the guy. Buying him a coffee was sure to soften any outfall from the conversation itself as well. 

“What is it that you do for a living?” She questions him, running her fingers through her hair a moment. She figured some light conversation would do well before asking the man if he had any dead loved ones that might be trying to contact him. He was dressed pretty nicely so she assumed that it had to be something that made a pretty penny or two, not that she was judging him by any means. 

• 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙩 •

The woman had a point, maybe the two questions are connected. He was curious about someone else’s love life for his own selfish reasons and so Jack supposes that, as much as he’d like to hear the details of just how that relationship will crumble, he’ll get all the answers he needs by asking about his own romances. “Alright, yeah, let’s hope so,” Jack concurs, but catches himself. “I mean– So we can cover all bases.” Not because it means the two paths will cross or anything.

He’s not sure why he feels the need to keep his cards close to his chest with this woman – although he supposes that, if she’s legitimate, it won’t matter if he did. Either way, he tells her, “no, nobody special.” It’s always been Jack’s thing, ever since moving here and opening the club: busy busy busy, no sign of a romance for miles. “At least nobody… Obvious.” Which is fair. It’s true. Nobody single and available and interested in something serious.

★

Zoey isn’t sure if Jack believes he is doing a good job hiding what he is actually looking for in this reading. She isn’t sure if it works for the people around him in his life or if she has just gotten so used to reading people these days. Whatever it may be it is clear that he is searching for something more specific than he is letting on. He’s hoping that this reading will give him a yes or no answer to whatever it is that he is thinking of right now. Zoey can’t help but admit that is one of her favorite things about this part of her job. She loves finding out secrets and details about peoples lives that they normally wouldn’t give up to just anyone. Occasionally she’s also been tipped a pretty penny to keep the new found information out of the wrong hands. 

She leaned back in her seat for a moment before shuffling up the cards that she had placed between the both of them “Now I must inform you that whatever this reading tells you is completely up to interpretation and can in fact be changed, I mean no ones destiny is set in stone.” She informs him as his first card of the reading flutters down onto the table. 

-

Arthur listens carefully as she explains, and he’s immediately appreciative of how honest and candid she is in her answer. It’s helpful to hear that even she isn’t sure how to suss them out, and also that she’s sharing the same information he’d found online from other skeptics. There could still be a chance she’s trying to con him out of money, surely, but all of this made her seem genuine. “That’s really helpful, thank you,” he says. 

“I guess that means I’m not gonna tell you much about me,” he continues with a shrug, but he’s quick to add, “but not in a rude way. Just because of what you said.” He spins his ring anxiously as he waits for her to open the door. “Can I tell you my first name, at least? It feels extra rude not to tell you that. I’m always uncomfortable when I don’t know what to call people and I don’t want to put you in that position either, y’know?” He pauses, eyes narrowing a little. “Unless you already know my name.” 

★

Zoey can’t help the small chuckle that leaves her lips at the mans little rant of nerves that spew from his lips. She can tell at first glace that he is the type of person who likes to know everything about people and likes them to know everything about him as well so this was going to be difficult for him. He also seemed like the type that besides his skepticism he would probably believe everything that came from her mouth. 

“It doesn’t work like that hun.” She laughs gently when he mentions that she might already know what his name was. “I can focus in and maybe get close but nothing is certain.” She informs him before taking a moment and looking him over “My guess however would be, maybe Anthony?” She asks him, raising an eyebrow. Of course she didn’t know, she was simply taking a shot in the dark for fun, and to maybe ease the mans nerves just a little bit.

☼

Josh nods. “Cancer,” he tells her simply - would hate for her to think this was an overly sensitive topic, although he’s sure she knows how to handle that in her line of work. “2015 in Nevada,” he then adds, unsure if it matters.

It isn’t though, sensitive that is, or at least his cause of death isn’t, or even his absence. What hurts more is the absence of his father before them man passed. Back when he had a job to do, to take care of Josh, and he just never did it. It hurt Josh so badly in so many different ways, but by the time Josh was old enough to defy it, they were far, far apart. And then his father decided to be a good person, allegedly, and he was too late to that too. And now Josh is still so mad and hurt but his father is both a better man and dead, so he never did get that closure he needed. That big ‘look at me now!’ moment that he’d always promised himself.

“I wasn’t there. Didn’t find out until a few years later,” Josh then explains, unsure really of what kind of information the woman is looking for. “I guess I just want to know if he’s sorry. Or if… If he even realises…” How awful he really was. How very selfish of him, trying to contact his late father just to hear him grovel. “We didn’t get any kind of closure.”

★

Zoey listens to the man speak and theirs a part of her that feels for him, a part that knows her relationship with her own parents seemed to be almost to close to the feelings he has towards his father. A part of her wants to pity him but she knows that if she does that than there would be a part of her pitying herself, something that she will not allow. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Is the over used form of comfort that she is able to offer him, although knowing if it was her sitting in his position the words would roll right down her chest with absolutely no meaning to them, in fact, funny enough she had been in his exact same seat before, searching for someone that even she wasn’t able to find.

“No closure is something I am all to familiar with.” She decides to add a moment after, something about this guy stands out and she doesn’t want him to get the impression that she has lost feeling or compassion in this line of work. 

She then takes a moment, closing her eyes as she focuses in on the words that Josh has told her. She listens in for any spirits that may have crossed paths with this mystery man, able to converse with the dead without needing to utter a single word to the living. That’s when it happens, a wave of regret and guilt washing over her, washing over the entire room it feels like and for a moment she wonders if Josh is able to feel it as well.

A little choked up Zoey utters out the first name that has come forward in her search, Peter. “Do you know anyone named Peter?”

               “Celest…” Jenny offered a sheepish smile and her hand for shaking, “Jenny.” She did feel like she was intruding, but she seemed to insist that she wasn’t. Or at least made it seem like it wouldn’t be a big deal if she did intrude a little and Jenny was conflicted. So it felt like a good time to spend a little extra money. Maybe get some answers.                  Or just a little direction, at the very least. “Something for me! I don’t have a lot of people in my life I uh– - Yeah. I just… I’ve been putting off a personal life for a little while now.” She rubbed the back of her neck for a moment and pursed her lips together. “I just wanna know if maybe it’s time to start trying to focus on my love life?” It felt like a good time, and hell, Jenny could usually make decisions like this for herself. But being able to ask someone who didn’t know her, who’d flip the coin and tell her the answer without bias (well maybe the money was a little bias) was an opportunity she couldn’t really ignore.                “That’s not too much, is it? I don’t wanna– - Intrude or anything. I just wanna know if I should start taking chances that I haven’t in a long time, y’know?” Maybe tell a pretty girl she thinks she’s pretty. Try and form relationships that aren’t just work related. She deserved that, right?

★

Zoey smiled as the girls constant apologizes. Reminding her of somebody else that she had gotten to know all to well. She smiled “No not to much at all.” She assured her “In fact I don’t think you even need a psychic for that question.” She chuckled softly. “It’s always the right time to be working on your love life, I mean no matter how hard you work or who you are surrounded by there’s always a little extra room in there for love.” She informs her “Even if that means getting tipsy at a bar one night and spending the night in a new found friends bed.” Zoey grinned, nudging her lightly.

That was the only type of love life that Zoey had herself these days, which usually led to her lying guilt stricken in bed after the participating party made their flee from her apartment. She hadn’t been in any sort of relationship in a few years at least now so she really had no room to talk when it came to this field because she was still absolutely clueless in it herself.

“If what you are looking for is one of those soulmate face drawing things than I am absolutely not your girl... you’ll end up engaged to a clown because my drawing skills are absolute shit.” She informs the women with a chuckle.

              It was almost too much to ask to be hopeful that it was Cheese that she’d found. But as soon as she came out, Samual knew. He grinned, relief easing the tension in his shoulders. “Cheese, you bastard!” Sam was careful as he took the cat back in his arms. Of course he was purring, loud, rolling things before Sam even got his hands on him. He must have liked it here. Samual almost felt bad taking him back.                  He adjusted Cheese’s weight in his arms a little and rubbed at the orange cat’s ears. It was only natural to glance around at her apartment. He was inside. And he was curious. That was natural, right? Samual rubbed at the collar for a moment.               “What were you going to name him?” He asked, finally fixing her with a soft smile. “He’s a sucker for cans and now that he knows you’re willing to give in to those big eyes of his he’ll probably stop by more often. That’s how I got him.” And now Matthew’s spoiling him with tuna from the sushi shop more regularly than the little bastard deserves. “He’s Grilled Cheese for us, but I feel like strays pick up names from everyone. Do you– - Do you want the collar back or…?” He didn’t want to take it from her if she didn’t want to give it up, but maybe people would not assume Cheese is a stray if he shows up with a collar. 

★

Zoey couldn’t help but smile as she watched the way that the man interacted with what she had assumed to be a stray at first glance, although it was obvious that someone carried for the cat given his clean look and large appearance. A part of her had been a little hopeful that no one would come looking for him. She smiled at the mention that his name was Grilled Cheese. “That’s funny because I was calling him cheddar all night.” She said with a chuckle, stuck his head right in the bag when I was getting some out for my sandwich.” 

Zoey smiled when the man asked if she wanted the collar back and simply shook her head “No that’s alright I really don’t have a need for it anyways... and it suits him.” She said with a smile “Who knows maybe it’ll prevent other people from getting suckered by his stray charm.” She says with a smile.

“I wouldn’t mind the occasional visit though.” She assures him “Kind of miss having a cat around.” She tells him “Plus he’s a sweetie.” She tells Sam “Oh I’m Zoey by the way.” She smiled figuring that he should know the name of the person who had nearly kidnapped his cat.

☆✮☆

She follows the woman through the door and can’t help but think this is exactly what she expected it to look like. All the crystals lying around reminds Stella of her mom and how’d she’d insist Stella keep ‘just a few’ on her windowsill.

“I guess we can just do a more general thing and see where it takes us? Maybe dig deeper if anything specific stands out?” Stella sits down in the chair opposite to Celeste and gives her an honest shrug, “You could probably flat out lie to me and I wouldn’t know any better.”

★

Zoey couldn't help but laugh lightly as she listened to the girl speak because she was right. Zoey could spoon feed her a bunch of lies and she really would never know if she was telling the truth or not. Zoey’s entire business revolved around people believing whatever it was that she had to say. She took a seat at the table and gestured her over to the table before pulling out a stack of her tarot cards “Alright than I’ll just ask the cards a few basic questions than and you can tell me if the reads that I am getting seem legit or if you want to call the whole thing off tell me and I’ll stop.” She informed her before shuffling the deck and pulling out the first card.

Where or when do you feel the safest and most at peace?

Zoey doesn't make eye contact as the question is asked, to busy organizing the thoughts that come rushing to the front of her mind as she ponders where or when she ever truly felt safe of at peace. Those feelings seemed to be reserved solely for those who didn't go mad at night listening to the whispers and cries of the forgotten. If she had ever found peace than it had been so long ago that she could barely recall the feeling.

However she could remember a time that she had felt truly safe, a time that she had found such peace that the spirits that followed her changed from being a burden to something that she could shrug off, for a short amount of time being the weird girl who could converse with the dead was no longer her only defying quality.

For a short time she was simply a girl who had fallen so madly in love that the outside world couldn't muster up anything awful enough to take that from her... until eventually it had.

Zoey's safe haven, her peace, that place your mind takes you when you need a moment to recover from the nightmare that you were currently living. That place for Zoey was laying on a blanket sprawled out in the middle of Washington Square Park, eyes trailing over invisible shapes in the sky as Ophelia spoke passionately about the stars that lived up there. Even if she couldn't see them with how bright the New York City lights were she still knew exactly where each one belonged. Zoey never went on these trips for the sky, she came to listen to the angelic voice she had loved since they first spoke in that café.

Zoey's peace had come in the form of a short and overly zealous astrology freak who smelt of essential oils and believed that the world could be fixed simply by everyone being a fraction of a bit more sympathetic than they already were.