TwoFold

Chapter 2- The Oracle

Emmy breathed a sigh, moving on to the different salts Verina had. "I know it sounds kind of cliche, but I just want to find love. I feel like everything else in my life is already in place. That's the only missing piece, you know? I feel like that sounds childish or selfish, maybe."

"Not at all," Anisa bumped hips with her as she passed, perusing Verina's different feather options. Functional or beautiful. Decisions, decisions. "In fact, if anyone deserves to be a tad selfish, it's you, girl. Besides, it's not like you can do that kind of spellwork with all those guys around, so it's probably best to do it tonight when you'll have some time to yourself."

"Can you imagine Joon's face, though?" Both girls laughed at the thought. The high priest was much too dignified and much too in love with Emmy to even consider such a thing.

When they were almost through shopping, Anisa suddenly donned a mischievous expression. "I have an idea."

"Uh-oh."

"No 'Uh-oh's' young lady, my ideas are always brilliant!" Anisa protested.

"Says the girl who convinced me to go skinny dipping in the ocean, only to be caught by the coast guard."

"To be fair, I did get that guy's number afterward."

"Issa, you didn't even call him!"

"Well, he saw me naked! I couldn't rightly trust the guy, could I?!"

Emmaline rolled her eyes, never surprised at how off-topic they always managed to get. "Alright, alright, what's your brilliant idea then?"

"We should get Verina to do a reading on you! Come on, it'll be both fun AND insightful!"

It wasn't a bad idea, really. Verina was known on the island for her skills with tarot, fire scrying, and tea leaves. Emmy hadn't had her cards read in a long time, so getting a glimpse of where things were going for her couldn't hurt. "Why not?" She smiled at her friend, who squealed and jumped like a teenager before running behind the curtain to find Verina.

Emmy walked to the register to check out, smiling at the older woman who rang up her items.

"I can finish checking her out, Casimira. Could you please begin prepping a circle in the back for me? We're going to do a reading after this." Verina winked at the woman at the register, who nodded and slipped to the back.

Verina made small talk as she bagged up Emmy and Anisa's purchases, applying a delightful 20% friends and family discount. Then, with their haul in hand, the group walked to the storage area to begin their reading.

"Casimira is one of the elder witches in our coven. She is such a help to me here," Verina prattled on as they found their way to the table in the back. Casimira had finished setting everything up, and Anisa was impatiently waiting at the table, ready for the show to begin.

Emmaline plopped Anisa's bag in her lap as she took the seat next to her. Her last reading was 3 or 4 years before, and she remembered almost nothing about it.

"I'm so excited," Anisa wiggled in her seat as Verina pulled out her cards and lit a few candles. "You know, she does fire scrying, too."

"The dancing flames can show many things," Verina smiled at her younger coven member. "Though it's usually only in flashes and rarely with any context. I don't think that's what your friend here is looking for."

"What all do you see in the flames?" Emmaline asked, fidgeting in her seat.

"Past, present, future, any number of things, really," Verina answered with a knowing smile. "The gift of vision is a wonder to behold, but the flames are very fickle. You can't control them. You can only accept what they give you. I'm blessed to know many things about others long before they discover it themselves."