Chapter Eighteen
The Fortune Teller
I stared at Adeline both in astonishment and a hint of frustration because of our last encounter. She looked slightly different than she had over a month ago. Now, mixed in her thick black dreads, were thick red dreads with bronze beads tied around each dread. Her outfit, definitely not 1940's, consisted of a huge red dress she barely kept from fall off her slender frame. She still wore many bracelets, necklaces, and rings, but at least she wasn't wearing multiple colors. After observing her skeptically, I realized something else. She currently sat at a table with a deep purple cloth, a crystal ball beside her, and an elegant sign in front of her of with the words perfectly drawn saying Fortune Teller.
My eyes narrowed at her as she waited for me to take a seat in front of her. "You're going to read my fortune? Last time we spoke you gave me some unexplained riddle that meant nothing."
Her lips, painted a bright red, pulled up and she strummed her long nails on the table. "Nothing? I don't see nothing, I see something. What I saw was definitely something."
Reluctantly, I slid into the chair in front of her and crossed my arms over my chest to show indifference. "Explain then. Also explain why you're telling vampires their future when you can't see a vampire's future."
Again, she smiled at my comment and almost seemed impressed. "Quintin hired me because I'm as real as it gets for them. I can at least make it sound legitimate, hmm? As for what I had seen at your wedding, I only catch glimpses of important events. They never make sense, but they are never nothing. Give me ya hand and I'll see if I can see anything more."
I glanced behind me where Matthew stood still, people still surrounding him. I wasn't sure what he'd think of me having my future read to me, but I guess I didn't really care if he was against it. I was curious. "Fine." I reached out towards her and felt her hot hands wrap around my hand firmly.
Her eyes shut tightly as she felt my hand with hers slowly. Part of me wanted to laugh and mock her because it all seemed so fake to me, the way she apparently "read" my future. She jerked around several times, which I thought was all an act, before her eyes fluttered open and she pulled her hands away.
"Let me guess, you see a horrific future ahead of me or my death?" I joked, figuring this was going to be some clichéd reading often on television.
She was quiet for several seconds, her eyes not even meeting mine.
"What? Death? Gore? Happily ever after? They usually say danger ahead during these type of readings."
Adeline looked up at me, her brows furrowed and her lips tight. "Do not mock me, Joanna Marie Garth."
My full name being said in such a way might have given me just a little chill, but I still wasn't convinced she could actually see anything. "If you could actually see my future, what did the rain mean? Am I going to die in the rain or burn in some fireplace?"
"Not everything is about death."
"I just figured the most significant thing you'd see would be death."
She shook her head, causing the beads in her hair to clack musically. "The last time I touched ya hand I saw rain and a fireplace. Now I saw more than I wanted to, and you already know what I am speaking of."
Again I was confused, just as I was at my wedding. "What?"
"Do I have to say it? I saw you and your husband in front of a fire—"
"Whoa!" I interrupted, my eyes widening as I tried to stop her from continuing. I knew exactly what she was talking about; it was the night Matthew and I first slept together. "If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, it's not a significant night," I mumbled, looking around us to make sure no one was watching or listening in on us.
"You're lying. I don't see the insignificant."
I pushed that out of my mind, far away to not question it again, and tried to re-focus. "Okay, you saw something not rated G. Did you see anything else? Should I avoid swimming pools or saws?"
She almost smiled. Almost. "It comes in flashes, nothing clear."
"Anything useful?"
She looked behind me, staring at something with sharpness in her eyes. Slowly, but not obviously, I followed her stare to try and figure out why she might seem so focused and oddly hostile. But when I found what she was practically glaring at, I almost couldn't speak.
Matthew.
He wasn't near us or even looking towards our direction, but Adeline was clearly focused on him. Her eyes were practically burning him where he stood, yet he had no idea she was even looking at him. Something in me, the part that wasn't mocking her, twisted in a sickening way.
"Adeline...I know you saw something," I whispered, mockery completely absent in my one. "Tell me."
Her eyes tore from Matthew and slowly met my wide eyes. She tried to relax her body by letting her shoulders slump and her hands rest on the table in front of her. She took several deep breaths, calming herself, before she even acknowledged me. "I don't know."
"You're lying," I immediately snapped, surprising myself with the harshness in my tone. Tell me, please. I may not fully believe or understand this witchy stuff, but I can spot a liar instantly."
"I'm not lying," she defended, her tone sharp and her eyes heated. "I truly do not know. It was a feeling I got."
I leaned towards her so no one would hear us. "What feeling?"
"...Agony." She leaned close to me so we were face-to-face now. "Your agony. It was overwhelming. I haven't felt something so horrific. It ripped me apart the second I touch ya hand. Something is going to happen, something that will destroy you."
"You have to have more than that. Did you see Matthew snap my neck or something?" I meant it as a dark joke, but I actually was a little concerned about it.
"This isn't about death. I didn't see him actually do something. But I know something is coming your way soon, and Matthew's name echoed through all of agony. And another word I can still here in my head."
"...What?"
"Liar."
I gave a slightly frustrated grunt and leaned back in my chair, shaking my head roughly. "You call yourself a witch, a future seer, and yet you have literally told me nothing useful." I was laughing, but it was a humorlessly, nervous laugh.
She shot me a hard look and strummed her long nails against the table cloth. "My visions, they are not clear, Joanna. I feel things, I hear things, and occasionally I will catch a glimpse of something. But I don't see exact events."
Anger flashed in me, anger I was surprised by, and I tapped my foot on the ground impatiently. "You didn't see anything useful. I'm going to experience agony? Anyone could claim that. Matthew is the source? Of course he'd be the source because he is the only person in my life right now because I have lost everyone else. It's not a shot in the dark. And the whole 'liar' thing is vague and kind of cliché, if you ask me."
Fury glowed in her eyes and, without warning, she reached across the table and snatched my hand from my lap, gripping it tight to her. Her eyes never left mine as her hands formed around my hand tightly. "Red. I see lots of red."
A mocking laugh burst from my lips. "Red? You see blood now? Let me guess, death is in my—"
"If ya would shut ya mouth for two seconds and stop trying to guess ya future, I could concentrate."
Reluctantly, I closed my mouth so she'd continue.
Her eyes fluttered shut and she squeezed my hand even tighter. "I see two things that are red; one is good, and one is not. The bad is close to ya, something ya are familiar with. I don't know exactly what it is, but ya have seen it with ya eyes before. The agony will come from it."
"...So stay away from the red thing?"
"No," she immediately stated. "Do not stay away from it. It will cause great agony, but it has to happen. Ya won't be able to stay away from it. This, this red thing, it is set in stone. Ya will find it, and it will change everything."
My mind was still slowly processing what she could possibly mean or what this supposed "red thing" was. "When will I find it? What does it look like?"
"I never see times. It could be tomorrow or even a decade from now, but it will happen. I can't see specifics, but ya have seen it, many times. It is something of ya husband's."
I immediately tried to think of anything red Matthew might own that I have seen many times. Does underwear count? "I think he has a car with red leather seats. Do you think it's in there?"
Her shoulders gave a light shrug, nearly causing her dress to fall down. "I don't know."
This was all quite a bit to comprehend. Part of me still wanted to mock her, probably because I still thought she was being rather vague with her vision. Yet another part of me, the part used to seeing vampires and witches and death, knew she was telling me the truth. She called Matthew a liar, but what about? Should I actually believe Matthew hasn't been lying to me about something? He has lied to me in the past, and has even killed. Why should I expect anything different? What was this red thing she saw? Why is it going to hurt me? When will I find it? I seemed to have more questions now than I ever have had.
"What about the other red thing, the good one?" I questioned, sounding ridiculous.
Her grasp on my hand wasn't as hostile as it was before, but rather soft and comforting. She gave my hand a light rub and closed her eyes. "The bad red thing will cause agony and ultimately loneliness, but the other one will do the opposite. This red one is not an object, but a person."
"...A red person? Like Elmo?"
Her eyes opened and she set me with a fixed stare. "Ya think Elmo is going to save you?"
I sunk in my chair and looked down at the table. "Please continue."
She nodded, slowly closing her eyes again. "This person is important, and they will pull ya through the pain. They will give you something ya haven't truly experienced."
"What?"
"Friendship. A strong friendship."
Friendship? That's all? I expected a person wearing a red cape to save me from whatever I may face. But friendship? "I've experienced friendship before," I grumbled.
"Not like this one. Ya have never had a friendship with trust before, not even with ya past lover, David."
David. The name sent icy shivers down my spine and nearly caused me to jerk away. I haven't heard that name in so long, it almost felt like another lifetime ago. Although I wanted to argue with Adeline about my relationship with David, I knew she was right; I never trusted David, not like I should have. "So I'm going to, what, find love or something?"
"Not in that sense. This isn't sexual. It is friendship, nothing more."
"What is friendship supposed to do? I'd rather have a weapon if I'm going to face agony."
Her tongue clicked and she shook her head. "Ya need friendship more than anyone I have ever met. Ya try to do everything on ya own and only seem to suffer. Ya are lonely, and ya need friendship desperately, Joanna. And they will desperately need ya."
It was impossible to think what I needed was friendship. It was a child's desire, not mine. Friendship is just not meant for me. I've always done better alone. "Friendship isn't something I need, but thanks for the offer."
"Ya are a stubborn woman. Whether ya want it or not, ya is getting friendship. Like the other red thing I saw, ya have crossed paths with this person before. Ya will continue to cross paths with this person until the moment when ya need each other the most. Ya will make an ally during a desperate situation."
The urge to roll my eyes was strong. She just told me I'm going to face something agonizing, but then she tries to make it all better with friendship and rainbows and unicorns? Friendship has never been a priority for me. I'm pretty sure I've had about two actual friends in my whole life, and I didn't trust them enough to even tell them where I was living at in case they robbed me or something. Life on the street doesn't result in friendship bracelets and hair braiding. "Stubborn? More like realistic. In case you can't tell or didn't see, but none of my good relationships end well."
Adeline's expression somehow softened and she spun one of her many rings on her finger before looking up at me. "It's why ya in need of a friendship."
I leaned away and tried to give a sarcastic grin. "Guess I should start my friendship bracelet weaving, huh? Got to get ready for my red friend. Will they be fully red or just dress in all red like you? Or are you my best friend and are too shy to ask for a sleepover and chick-flick night?"
This made Adeline laugh loud enough to turn a few heads. "Ah, Joanna, ya is a strange woman." Her grin fell almost immediately and she looked back down at her hands as if they looked different. She took a deep breath and looked back up at me, her eyes no longer the wild ones I was already used to seeing. "I tell ya all of this because I need a favor of ya."
It took me by complete surprise. She needed my help? Despite having just helped me, I immediately became suspicious of her. "What kind of favor?"
She swallowed hard. "I saw something else when I touched ya."
My stomach twisted at how concerned she looked. "..What?"
"Me."
My brow shot up and I continued to stare at her in confusion. "You saw yourself? How? What does that mean?"
"I don't know." A frustrated huff passed her lips and she strummed her fingers along the cloth. "My visions are frustrating because they give me just enough to drive me insane. But I saw myself and a red rose."
"How does this involve me? What is the favor?"
Adeline looked over my shoulder where Matthew was still speaking to everyone. "I got a feeling. Something really bad. It still has me shaking, but I don't know what it is."
Again, I was beyond confused. "But what does it have to do with me? How can you see yourself in my future? Was I there? What do you need me to do?"
"I don't know! My visions make no sense. But I saw myself and a rose and something horrible. Ya were not there, but this has to be connected with ya."
"Adeline, what do you need from me?" I demanded, exasperated from this confusing conversation.
She didn't look at me, but instead stared directly at Matthew as she spoke. "If something bad is going to happen, and I got the vision from ya, the only reason I can think of something horrible happening has to be connected with that man. It's a feeling in my gut. I want ya to promise to keep an ear out for me. I have tried to be free of Matthew Foster for many years, but I don't think it is possible to truly be free from that man."
Shivers covered my body and I had to swallow hard to get rid of the lump in my throat. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Her lips pulled up slightly, but the smile was obviously forced and pained. "It's not me I'm concerned about." She jerked her head over to the few corner of the room where a group of people stood talking. "See that man in the grey suit with the green tie?"
I followed her gaze and saw the man she was talking about. He was about medium height with a large, athletic build. His skin was darker than Adeline's, and his hair cut short and neat. It was as if he could sense her gaze because he looked over at her and grinned widely, flashing a set of brilliantly white teeth.
"He's my fiancé," Adeline explained as she smiled back to him.
My mind was blown to say the least. It wasn't that I thought Adeline wasn't capable of being engaged, but she didn't seem like the type to be engaged. Also, her fiancé was so incredibly, well, normal. He didn't have a shred of the eccentric look she had. "You're engaged to a vampire?"
"Vampire? No! He's human. Completely average."
Human? Adeline was engaged to a human? And she brought him to a vampire party? "Does he know everything?" I whispered, looking around us in paranoia.
"Of course. I told Will everything. The vampires here don't say anything about it or him being here because there has been a shift in their world in terms of being involved with a human. It's the one thing I can thank Matthew Foster for. I think they only let me bring him tonight because they wanted Matthew to feel comfortable with another human guest here."
"You're worried about Matthew hurting him?"
She gave a nod.
"I promise, I'll keep my ear to the ground. I don't know why Matthew would do anything to you or your fiancé, but I'll make sure nothing happens."
She smiled and nodded, almost seeming to be washed in relief. "I think we should end our conversation at that. Ya husband is coming over and I know he's not one who can be easily deceived."
I didn't turn to see how close Matthew was, but instead looked Adeline directly in the eyes and put on the mask I have worn many times. My smile was wide and partially sarcastic, fake, and I gave a slight laugh. "...I understand, but looking into my future, just a peak, couldn't hurt too much, right? Look for lottery numbers or something useful," I told Adeline, keeping my tone teasing. "If you see lottery numbers, write them down."
Hands cupped over my shoulders and I could feel Matthew's lips close to my ear. I made sure keep my breathing even in order to keep my heart from pounding. "What are you two talking about?" he asked lightly, though I could tell he wasn't asking as a conversation starter.
Instead of allowing Adeline to say anything, I spoke for her because I knew I was better at lying than most. "She won't tell me anything. I've been asking for my fortune to be read for half an hour and she hasn't found a single lottery number."
Matthew sat down in the chair next to me and looked at Adeline with the same business-like smile on his face. "You two have been talking about lottery numbers for the past half hour?"
"Not for the full half hour," I defended with an eye-roll. "She has been telling me about her hot fiancé, Will, over there. I asked if he had a cute butt."
For a moment Matthew seemed skeptical of this as he looked from me to Adeline. But slowly, carefully, he leaned back in his chair and grasped my hand gently in his. "Leave it to my wife to ask about how cute someone's butt is. I do hope mine is the highest on your mental list."
"It's up there. But then again..." A grin began to spread across my face as he almost seemed concerned by what I had just said.
"Please excuse us, Adeline. I want to introduce my wife to a few people here." Matthew stood up and pulled me to my feet before wrapping his arm around my waist.
I gave Adeline one last look before I followed Matthew, keeping my expression as neutral as I could. I knew thinking about everything she had just told me would only tear at me inside, so instead of thinking of everything that might go wrong, I thought about what was happening now. I had to stay in this moment or Matthew might suspect something was wrong.
Matthew pulled me towards a group of people with cigars and drinks in their hands, his thumb gently massaging a small part of my waist as if to remind me he was there. It was a comfort to have Matthew with me during social situations because I always say the wrong thing while Matthew, the perfect socializer, always knew what to say and when to say it. No one even comes close to Matthew's social skills.
"This is my beautiful wife, Joanna. Anna, this is Franklin, Zander, Wayne, and Abe. I've known Abe and Franklin for over four centuries," Matthew said with friendly smile perfectly placed on his face.
The one with a large, black mustache, Abe, spoke first. "She's beautiful, Isaac—Matthew! So sorry. It's difficult for an old mind like mine to keep up with all of the name changes."
They all laughed, and I tried not to think too deeply on the fact Matthew has had dozens and dozens of names during the centuries he has been on this planet. Rather than brushing the age difference under the rug, which might have been expected of me as a human, I decided to focus on it. "So what was Matthew like during the 1940's?" I lightly asked with a smile matching Matthew's on my face.
They all seemed a bit startled by me actually speaking to them; Matthew seemed almost impressed by it. It was Franklin who seemed to recover the quickest. "He was rather similar to how he is today, I suppose. Although not many of us saw him during the forties. He was a busy man."
"No embarrassing stories of Matthew?"
Franklin shifted uncomfortably, as if I just asked the most personal question ever. "Not really. Matthew has always been consistently the same. We did attend many parties then, but World War II was happening during the time, so some of us were gone."
"You served?" I questioned, taken aback by this.
Franklin gave a proud nod followed by a huge, cheek-aching grin. "I could only serve at night, of course. But I have always been proud to serve in the military."
"Franklin has been in every war. Sometimes on the opposite side," Abe explained, elbowing Franklin as he chuckled.
"It's good to be involved in such activities! Politics doesn't just involve the living, after all. And I quite enjoy the thrill I get from the wins," Franklin stated, still grinning with pride.
I looked up at Matthew, my brows raised as I said, "Did you serve?"
Matthew looked almost uncomfortable with this question. "I served briefly."
"Matthew?" a small voice cut through our conversation.
We all turned to see a tiny woman with heavy makeup and bold, red lips. She stared at Matthew intensely, her finger tapping against her extremely tight skirt.
"I'm sorry, but have we met?" Matthew asked, but his eyes captured mine in a knowing way.
Who is she—
The married woman.
I tried not to laugh as we all stood there awkwardly. She was almost what you'd expect of someone obsessively flirting with someone while married. She was small, but she looked particularly small because of her extremely form-fitting outfit—an outfit that didn't match the 1940's theme. Her makeup was heavy, her hair long and giant, and her chest poked out of the top of her tight shirt. How many women were obsessed with Matthew? It was beyond me why they would be, honestly. Then again, Matthew and I didn't start off on the right foot. Was it his power? Was it his looks? His mannerisms? His money? Is it because everyone fears him?
"I'm Grace. We talk at about every event," she claimed with a slightly shaky voice.
Matthew tilted his head and looked at her like one would look at mud on the floor. "Grace? Didn't Stan marry a woman named Grace?"
Her lashes fluttered and she gave a slight nod. "Well, yes. That's my husband—"
"Congratulations," he cut her off, his tone still polite yet final.
Grace wasn't having it. "I thought you could keep me company while Stan plays poker. I have so many questions." She was relentless.
My lips pulled up, not even out of force, and I took a step forward towards her. "I can keep you company, if you want? Let the men talk about the war while we powder our noses or whatever women did in the forties," I offered.
She stared at me in confusion, her eyes bouncing from me to Matthew. "I'm sorry I don't know—"
My hand whipped out fast enough to startle her and I waited for her to grab my hand. "Joanna Foster, Matthew's wife. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Grace faltered, either not having heard of Matthew's recently marriage or maybe not expecting me to be here. She swallowed hard and shook my hand more firm than comfortable. "Pleasure is mine, I'm sure."
"Well, let us go and talk a while. You can catch me up on all of the gossip in the vampire world." I looped our arms together and began to pull her away from the group. "I recently learned there is some nut job to look out for who likes to hide in people's cars butt-naked. Better keep an eye out for her." I looked up at Matthew as we walked away, smiling when I noticed how not even Matthew could keep from laughing.
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Another chapter complete!
This chapter has been on my mind since starting the series (if you read "My Possessive Creator" you might remember Joanna talking to Lucy about this conversation *cough* hint *cough*). I've been waiting to write about this forever, since Joanna first met Matthew. SO strange to write it after about four years ! I hope you enjoyed it! I have said over and over how much I have planned for this series (practically bursting at the seams to tell people all of the secrets). I will say, there are hints to what the red thing is (it has been mentioned as far back as the first book). Any ideas? Any ideas on who the friend might be? ;)
Thank you all for the lovely support and for continuing to read this story. I'm so excited to keep it going! Also thank you to those who have made suggestions on what the next title should be. Loving them so far! If you have any ideas on what the fourth book should be named, let me know! This chapter definitely gives an insight into what the fourth book will be about.
-Currie