Excerpt Excerpt! Read some about it!
Lillian encounters tarot for the first time.
When I return to the house, I do my best to be quiet as I make my way up to my room. It wouldn’t be too bad if I ran into Gaby or Isa, but the rest of the girls I’d like to avoid for the sake of keeping up appearances. I pass the first two doors of the third floor, Nicolette and Angèle’s rooms, without incident. My breath catches in my chest as the next door is suddenly flung open.
Juin lounges in her doorway with a cigarette in hand, as if greeting someone this way is the most natural thing in the world. Draped about her an enormous scarf that cowls around her neck, looking quite like a portrait of a victorious Napoleon. I give a nervous laugh.
Juin: Haven’t seen you around much, but I felt your presence in the house. You’re in trouble again.
Lillian: I…Well, yes. In a few ways. How did you know?
Juin: I saw it coming. Or rather, I read it.
She steps out of the doorway and inclines her head inward.
With tentative steps, I sidle past her and into the room. I’m unsure who Juin shares her space with, but their side of the room is bare compared to Juin’s. The wall and ceiling above her bed are plastered with pages torn from magazines and books–all illustrations, mostly fantastical in nature. Shards of light dance across them and I turn to see pieces of colored glass dangling from the window. They twist of their own accord, casting their beauty across the room. On the sill sit rows of what look to be crystals and gemstones, varied in shape and color. I lift a shiny black stone to the light for inspection.
Juin: Interesting you went straight for that one.
I turn to Juin, who puts out her cigarette on an ash tray in the shape of a palm.
Lillian: Why? What is it?
Juin: Black tourmaline. It’s said to absorb negative energy around the bearer. Are you anxious about something?
Lillian: It just looks like a rock to me.
Juin smiles and moves to the floor, sitting on her shins. She pats the rug opposite her. I return the stone and join her on the floor. She reaches into her nightstand and retrieves a wooden box. At first I assume it’s some sort of jewelry box–maybe more odd stones–but she pulls out a deck of thick rectangular cards.
Lillian: I don’t really feel like playing a game.
Juin: Oh, Estella, this is no game. These cards contain the secrets of the universe.
I quirk my head at her, but she fans them out for me. They have suits like a usual deck of playing cards, but the art that adorns them reminds me more of the pretty pictures Juin’s collected on her wall. It’s an old set too; the edges are somewhat frayed and some of the ink has faded. She begins shuffling them.
Lillian: Wait–some of them are upside down.
Juin: That’s on purpose. The cards have different meanings depending on how they’re drawn. Oh, I’m so pleased I’ve finally got you in here! I’ve been wanting to do this for you for a long time. I couldn’t help thinking you would have the most interesting draw.
Lillian: What is it you’re about to do for me?
Juin: I’m going to help you with your problems. Well, the cards will.
She holds up three fingers.
Juin: I am going to draw three cards for you. They will represent your past, present, and future.
Lillian: Fortune telling…?
If I was at all curious before, I’m not now. I’ve had my fortune told before at cheap carnivals and fairs. The last woman wrapped in shrouds to get me in front of her crystal ball swore I’d be married with a child on the way within the year. That was three years ago. But Juin just shakes her wild curls at me.
Juin: Tarot can’t tell you what’s going to happen. It’s only about interpretation and self-reflection. Now, shh. Let’s start.
I watch as she gently pulls the first card from the deck and places it on the floor between us.
Juin: The Knight of Swords.
Lillian: What does that mean?
Juin: Well, let’s see. The Swords suit represents intellect and communication. You got the Knight, and he’s been drawn upright, so he’s taking action. Standing up for what he believes in. This card is for your past. It could relate to a feeling you used to dwell on, or a person you once knew now coming back into your life…What do you think?
I wrack my brain for any memory to grab ahold of that might help me answer this question, but I’m coming up blank. Do I have beliefs that I’ve had to stand up for? Not as much as others I’ve known. As for someone coming back into my life, I’d rather they’d stayed in the past. But then, Juin said the cards don’t tell the future, so it can’t be that. Unless they’re already here…
