***Odessa***
***Iris***
The light started to dim in the sky as we ate our food in piece. The both of us scanning the scene, admiring how different it was compared to earlier in town.
Unlike before, the people flooding into the park were diverse, all different enthicitys, astethics. People young and old were flocking in, most showing some sort of support to the bands that were playing; either by clothing choice, arm band, or some sort of other merchandise with their logo on it.
At a small booth selling merchandise from the three bands that were playing tonight we both purchased a small black backpack with the logo of the Black doves in the center of it, quickly stuffing all of our belongings inside.
While we scanned the area, Ginger's eyes consistently travelling toward the closed tour bus towards the back of the grounds, we landed on a blue and gold enclosed tent at the far end of the park reading, 'Odessa's Oracle Readings'. In cursive lettering.
"Oh, come on Ging. We both know this stuff is phony. I mean look at this. 'Join me on the journey to discover glimpses of your future as the spirits guide you through your past and present.' How corny is that?" I said, reading off of the sign placed outside of the tent.
"Come on, it'll be fun either way. What's the worst that could happen?" She shrugged, walking into the tent.
"A waste of money." I muttered, going to follow her inside, before a smiling couple brushed passed me. "Did you hear that. She said we were destined to be together." The woman said, causing me to role my eyes, before finally going in.
The tent strangely looked larger on the inside than it did on the outside, holding but one small round table in the center of it, with a large crystal ball in the middle. To the corners of the tent were various desks and drawers holding anything from crystals and tarot cards to books on palmistry, and any other odd thing that the owner seemed to conjure up.
Even though I thought this whole thing was a bunch of mumbo jumbo I did quite admire the interior. For some reason I always seemed to be drawn to anything odd or magical looking. There was quite a bit of folklore that I did believe in that most didn't, but this scam artist in a tent was definitely not one of them.
"Welcome, my dears, to Odessa's Oracle readings. I sense that you have come a great distance to meet with me today." The middle-aged woman, that I perceived as being Odessa said as she came forward. The woman had long brown hair held back from her face by a colorful orange and gold scarf, her long gypsy-like brown dress flowed to her ankles, matched with a wide variety of bulky turquoise and gold jewelry, her honey-brown eyes popped from the charcoal around her lids.
She looked just like I expected she would be walking into the circus-like tent, but something was different. Something was off. It was almost as if I could sense an unnatural energy vibrating off of her presence. I shook my head, waving away the thought because of how crazy it sounded in my own mind.
"We're from the next state over." Ginger said, already sitting down in the empty wicker chair in front of the table, Odessa taking place on the opposite side.
She took Ginger's hand in hers, examining it closer, to I suppose see some sort of unrealistic sign of the future. For the third time since being in this facade I found myself rolling my eyes.
The woman breathed deep as she concentrated, placing one hand on the crystal ball, the other still holding Ginger's. After a moment of silence, she spoke. "Though the past left you divided you will now form two to one. Through thick and thin, welcome the change that has already come." Her rhyme though cheesy and could clearly be taken in regard to most situations, left Ginger grinning ear to ear. Clearly, she was taking it for what had just happened with Matteo. Even though she was smart and charismatic, she was too quick to trust and fall into traps like this, and I hated how people would feed on that.
After paying the lady she got up, I turned to leave, but Ginger stopped me, turning me back around to the chair.
"Come on, you gotta do it." She beckoned. I gave her the look, not wanting to offend the lady by how stupid I thought this was. Despite that she still led me to the spot she had been sitting previously, basically shoving me down into the chair.
The woman looked at me, narrowing her eyes, but for some reason I didn't think that it was done out of spite. It seemed as if she was concentrating on me, looking for something that I had no knowledge of.
Her demeanor seemed to change as she took my hand in hers, hesitantly placing the other on the crystal ball as she had with Ginger. Though this time, instead of the cheesy parlor trick I was watching with my own eyes as the white orb under her hand turned foggy, almost grey. I gasped as I once again saw the familiar silver medallion, with the tree carving at the center. I couldn't pull my eyes away as I stared at the scene, once again recalling the strange events that had occurred just this morning.
"Beware what is to come. For your brain and heart will battle. Destiny has already chosen one. Though danger is to come, do not boast. The end will be worthy for the one that needs you the most." The words echoed from her voice, trailing through the room until her words faded like a haunting whisper.
I ripped my hand away from her, turning away from the now translucent crystal, hurrying out of the tent. I felt the strange woman's eyes on the back of my neck far after I left the vicinity. There was no mention of payment as I scurried away, just Ginger's trailing voice trying to keep up with me.
"Hey. Hey. Iris. What's wrong? What happened?" She asked, finally catching up with me, turning me around.
I looked at her flabbergasted. "What do you mean what's wrong? Did you see what happened back there?!" My voice rose as I spoke, completely freaked out by the entire situation.
"See what? I saw the same thing as you did, she held your hand and that ball just like with me and recited some rhyme after. Why are you so freaked out about it? You're the one that's always told me that you don't believe in this stuff." The fact that she hadn't even mentioned the most important part of the encounter made me feel even worse. The lump in my throat turned heavy.
"You didn't see anything else? Anything inside of that crystal?" I asked her, fear slowly rising up into my voice.
"What do you mean Iris? There was nothing in that crystal. Maybe you caught a reflection of something in it and because you hate that stuff it spooked you." She reasoned. As much as I wanted that to be true, I knew that it wasn't. It wasn't a coincidence that the same thing kept reappearing everywhere I went.
I wanted to tell her what I saw when she asked, but I couldn't. She was my best friend; she would listen and believe everything that I told her. But if I had told her that I kept on seeing a magical medallion reappearing in various objects throughout the day she would think I was completely crazy. She had a perfectly functioning set of eyes. What I was seeing wasn't there.
"Maybe, I am going crazy." I thought as I felt my gut twisting.
From afar I saw the lights that had been on around Odessa's tent were being turned off, despite the group of people that had been previously waiting outside.
Once again, an unsettling, disgustingly queasy feeling set root in my stomach. I didn't know why any of this was happening, but something in my gut told me that I would find out the reason soon. I just didn't know how soon.