Sleep Stalker (Ghosts Beyond the Grove Book 1) by Joy Elbel Page A

pressin’ issues in your life while you’re doin’ it.”
         Sigh.  Of course I wanted to know my fortune—not that I expected it to be positive or anything.  Things with Zach weren’t going the way I’d hoped and planned.  My life was as unpalatable as that Moroccan Rooibos right about now.  I pulled a fresh roll of mints out of my pocket, slit it open with my thumbnail, and placed them on the table beside my cup.  As soon as that tea was gone, I was popping half of them into my mouth to keep the vanilla dirt from lingering.
         “Bottoms up!” I exclaimed sarcastically then took yet another mouthful.  I kept alternating between drinking and pausing for a brief gag session until the cup was nearly empty.
         “Stop, that’s enough.  Now swirl that little bit around—counterclockwise, please.  Then when you’re ready, place your cup on the saucer, upside down.”
         I probably should have concentrated on one aspect of my life that was troubling me.  But me being me, I thought about two things equally—Zach and my mom.  When I got tired of swirling, I flipped the cup over and slid the saucer across the table to Addie. 
         She waited a moment for the tea to drain out, then turned it right side up.  Silently, she turned the cup around, looking at it from all directions.  After a moment, I heard her whisper one word under her breath.
         “Weird.”
         “Yeah, everything about me is weird.  I’m kind of used to it by now.  What do you see?”
         She slid her chair closer to mine and allowed me to peek at the tea leaf patterns myself.  “Before I say anythin’, what do you see?”    
         I expected to find a scattering of leaves spread evenly around the surface of the cup.  Instead, there were two distinct clumps near the handle that were instantly recognizable shapes to me.
         “This,” I said, pointing to the one near the top, “looks like a feather.  And the one at the bottom is in the shape of a footprint.”
         Addie smiled and nodded her head.  “That’s exactly what I see, too.  What’s weird about it is that I’ve never seen symbols that bold before.  Usually, I have to stare at it for a while before I see anythin’.  Were you thinkin’ about multiple issues while swirlin’?”
         “Guilty as charged,” I confessed.  “Two very separate things actually.”
         “Which explains the two very clear patterns.  You have strong psychic energy, has anyone ever told you that before?”
         “Not exactly but I’m not surprised.  What do they mean?”
         “The foot suggests a journey—either literally or figuratively.  It suggests big changes in your life.  The feather shows that someone very close to you is havin’ a tough time right now.  Ya need to pay close attention to them and help them stay grounded through the upheaval.”  Addie placed the cup back down on the table. 
         I nodded my head slowly.  “I think you’re a damn good teomancer.”
         “Go forth, my ladies.  Your destiny doth wait for you outside the halls of Poe’s Corner,” a male voice boomed from behind me causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.  I was so engrossed by my reading and what it could possibly mean that I didn’t notice anyone else enter the shop.
         Addie laughed and echoed my sentiments perfectly.  “I was so involved in that readin’ that I didn’t even see you come in!  Ruby, this is Derek Hexum—he’s one of the second shift baristas here but he thinks he’s Shakespeare.”
         Derek was tall and thin with gold-rimmed glasses and a mop of sandy brown curls on top of his head.  He was already wearing his Poe’s Corner apron which meant that he must have snuck in at least several minutes earlier.  He shook my hand warmly then gestured dramatically toward the door.
         “Nice to meet you, Ruby.  Now go forth until the