Page 107 of Unwritten Rules

Looking around, I breathed a deep breath into my chest and released it. This was anormalfall festival with laughter and smiles around. The weight of everything in my life wouldn’t completely dissolve, but I could enjoy the views–even for just a moment.

“I totally want to get my palm read. Oh! Or some Tarot cards,” Kelly squealed, pointing to a sign depicting a hand.The festival psychic.

“With my luck,” I sighed, “they would tell me that I’m going to die tomorrow or something.”

She wiggled her eyebrows at me. “Or... they could tell you that Brent is going to bang you into next week.”

“Eww,” I playfully smacked at her.

The festival around mewasa nice distraction, but I couldn’t help the plaguing thoughts that lingered in the back of my mind. Getting sent creepy texts and pictures of someone watching me? No, thank you. I couldn’t quite understand what the goal was—unless it was to unsettle me. If that was the case, mission accomplished.

And who knew how many pictures they had of me?

I kept looking over my shoulder, wondering when Alexander would strike and try to kidnap me. He was far too rich to worry about the consequences and I had a feeling he’d already gone too far with others before. His brazen confidence was startling, and I didn’t want to see what would happen if he got angry.

Kelly finally decided on getting her palm read, and I trailed behind her into the tent, brushing past layers of velvet curtains and soft cotton drapes.

The room was stunning—adorned with intricate tapestries, crystals, and antique brass trinkets that caught the flickering candlelight. It felt like stepping into another world.

Sitting at the table, a woman summoned us with a graceful wave. “Come darlings. Let Madame Dira see what your future holds. Who is first?”

“Me!” Kelly raised her hand.

“Tell me, are we doing palms or tarot?”

As if her question changed the entire ambiance of the room, the flickering candles cast shadows that danced across her face. The air was thick with the scent of incense, curling into tendrils around us.

Kelly plopped herself into the velvet chair and extended her hand, palm up. “Palm first for us, then we’d love to do a card reading.”

“Of course, my dear,” she whispered in the small space. Taking hold of Kelly’s hand with her own, weathered with age, and grazing her fingers across Kelly’s palm. “Oh yes. This line here? This is your lifeline...” she paused dramatically, eyes flicking up to Kelly’s. “How old are you dear?”

“Twenty...”

“Well, this line here has a shadow crossing it.” Her eyes flicked to each of us, crafting an aura of intrigue. It was a great party trick. “You’ve an important decision ahead that will determine the course of the rest of your life. I see great darkness in one of the paths. The other will be brighter despite it being fueled by great loss.”

The way she spoke sent a chill down my spine and Kelly shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Clearly, she wasn’t expecting that type of reading. “What about my love life?” She tried to put up a smile.

Madame Dina readjusted Kelly’s hand in hers and traced a delicate line with a pointed crystal. “This line here shows you’re bound to experience times of extreme loss and heartbreak. This chain pattern can mean many things—feeling trapped or desperate...” her gaze shifted from Kelly to me, her eyes dark. “Unless you choose the right path forward.”

This was Kelly’s idea, not mine. I pursed my lips and glanced around the room, focusing on the flickering candles and intricate tapestries instead of Madame Dina’s ominous words.

With a sudden bang, Madame Dina slapped her hands on the table, making both Kelly and me jump. “You, girl! Sit in this chair. Palms first.”

“I, uh, okay.” I scrambled to exchange spots with Kelly, both of us looking like nervous wrecks.

She grabbed my hand with a bit of force and dragged my hand under the light. “Both of you have many challenges you must face. Your lifeline shows many paths forward, but they are all clouded in darkness. You are twenty as well?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying not to let my facial expressions give away my anxiety. “Yes, Madame.”

“Good. Good. And this love line...” she traced it with her crystal, sending shivers down my spine. “...is very strange. It starts here,” she pointed to the beginning of the line,” and breaks into parts here.”

“W-what does that mean?”

“Truly, I don’t know. You have many difficult choices ahead.”

She released my hand and clapped twice. “Now! Tarot cards. Both of you sit.”

What I assumed was hocus pocus, she laid out cards on the table with practiced precision, telling us of our strong bond of friendship in the past. That could have been easily guessed by looking at the two of us. We operated like sisters.

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