Roxanna

Chapter 2 - The fortune teller

"So, you are Roxanna?" a high-pitched voice said. The voice seemed to come from the walls around her. Roxanna looked around, but the room was dark and she couldn't see a thing.

"Where are you?" she asked. 

"I'm behind the door." the voice said. 

"Where is the door?" 

"Find out for yourself." 

"How am I supposed to find a door which I can't see?" 

"Do I have to explain every little detail to you?" the voice said impatiently. "Make. Some. Light." 

"Thank you, now I understand." She muttered "not" behind the sentence. Roxanna reached out, trying to find a door. She didn't feel anything, so she walked slowly forward, with her arms stretched in front of her, trying to feel a door, or even a wall. When she had tried that for a while, she realised that the chamber was probably bewitched, so she wouldn't find any walls or doors in this way. 

"Do I have to repeat everything? Make. Some. Light." Now Roxanna finally understood. She put her hand up, muttered some words and concentrated really hard. After ten seconds or so, a small sphere of light appeared, floating just above her hand. She looked around withg the light ball, but she still couldn't see a door. 

"Look up." the voice said. Roxanna did so and saw a chandelier hanging at the ceiling.

"Fire." she whispered to the sphere. The sphere changed into fire. 

"Up." She made a throwing movement and threw the sphere to the chandelier. The moment the chandelier was hit by the sphere, all the chandles went on and Roxanna could clearly see a door. 

"Finally. That took ages." the voice remarked. 

"Thank you for your nice remark. It really made me feel better." Roxanna said with a sarcastic tone. She walked to the door and opened it. She saw a woman sitting at a table full of all kinds of weird stuff. 

"Come in, darling" she said. "My name is Viola. I know your past, am your present and will tell you your future. You are coming for your Agatia, right?" 

"Yes, I am. Who was that voice in the other room?" 

"Volta! Come here! Now!" A little ghost appeared. "What did I tell you about playing with the clients?" 

"Nothing." the ghost replied with the same voice Roxanna had heard in the other room. "Volta?" 

"Ok, I am not allowed to play with the clients" 

"And why aren't you allowed to do that?" 

"Because the client might go away and we need every money we can earn..." 

"Good. Now apologize to Roxanna." 

"I am sorry." The sentence sounded like a tape, which was played off at that moment. "Good. Now, go. And don't do it again." The ghost made a little bow and disappeared in a little cloud of smoke. "That was Volta. He is a Loftoa, one of those ghosts who likes to tease other people, but you probably knew that already. He was already here when I bought the house and just doesn't want to leave... Now, let's start. Tell me your name, your mother's name and your fathers name." 

"My name is Roxanna, my mother is named Kate and my father was called Jack." 

"Okay. Now give me your hands." The hard fingers of the fortune-teller took her hands. "Roxanna, daughter of Jack and Kate. Please tell me your future. Your Agatia!" Slowly, Roxanna's body went numb. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Then she passed out.

When she woke up again, the fortune-teller was busy writing. "I've got it. Very clear. Here." She handed Roxanna a locket. "You can open it when you're home, at 12 o'clock at night." 

"Why then?" 

"It sounds cool, 12 o'clock at night." 

"O...kay..." 

"You can go home if you want. You can also stay for tea." 

"I'd rather go home, thank you." 

"Fine. I'll tell Volta not to bother you too much." Viola stood up and walked out of the room. So, now I have my Agatia, what next? I don't even know what it is saying! The locket is nice, though. Hopefully that's a good sign... 

"Are you still here? If you stay any longer, you might as well stay for tea." Viola interrupted Roxanna's thoughts. 

"Oh, no, I just was..." 

"Minding your own business? Well, your mother is waiting for you with a big birthday cake, so..." 

Roxanna stood up. "Thank you. Bye!" and she walked home.

When she arrived home, her mother ands sister were busy setting up the table and cutting cake. 

"How was it?" her mother asked when Roxanna came in. 

"Do you know that feeling, when there is something important and you've looked out to it for ages, you are really happy when you finally do it. But when it's done, you think, was this all?" 

Both of them nodded. "But now we're gonna have a birthday party! Want cake?" 

Roxanna sighed. "I like cake..." 

"But not as lunch!" her mother and Amy finished her sentence.