The Mayhem Sisters by Lauren Quick Page B

a fixture in their house, glued to Honora’s hip.
    Since Scarlet opened her shop, Vivi saw her in town occasionally, but had never taken the time to stop in and look around. She gave Scarlet a warm smile, hoping she would help her for old times’ sake.
    “Looks like sooner.” Vivi leaned against the glass counter and admired an antique crystal ball on a carved silver pedestal displayed inside. “How’ve you been, Scarlet?”
    “Better than you.” The sultry witch eyed Vivi up and down. “Your aura is cloudy, kind of murky around the edges. I’m guessing you aren’t sleeping much. You’ve been having bad dreams. Headaches, too. Am I right?”
    Great, her troubles were so transparent it was as if she were wearing them around like a gaudy cloak. “I was hoping you could help me find Esmeralda Westbourne? I ran into her two nights ago out by the Meadowland old oak portal. She said a few things that I need clarified, to say the least.”
    “Sure, I’ve seen Esmeralda.”
    “Great.” Now I’m getting somewhere. “Where can I reach her? It’s really important.”
    “Well, then, you’re out of luck. She’s gone, and from what she told me, she’ll be gone for a long time. She’s headed out on a retreat. Needed to get away and do some meditating, releasing.”
    Panic sparked in Vivi. “But where? I have to find her.”
    “Sorry, she didn’t tell me.”
    Scarlet motioned to a low table surrounded by cushions. “Maybe I can help you. Sit. We’ll have a look, shall we?” A thumbed, worn stack of tarot cards rested on the table. Scarlet scooped them up and shuffled them lazily with her long fingers.
    “I just wanted to talk to her.”
    Scarlet smirked. “I hear that lie every day of my life. Everyone says they just want to talk. Does anyone saunter up to a bar to chitchat with the bartender? No, paying customers want a drink. And since I’m not selling cocktails, the only reason anyone walks through my door is to see the future and get some answers. Just like you.” She wore a blouse of black lace and a necklace of twisted metal and leather around her slender neck. She reminded Vivi of her sister—tough, beautiful, and brutally honest.
    Scarlet’s persuasion was a seer, but her persuasion wasn’t strong and she used magical tools like tarot cards, tea leaves, auras, and palm reading to get a better bead on the future. She also turned her talent into a lucrative business. Scarlet’s mother had been a powerful psychic, not unlike Esmeralda, but Scarlet hadn’t inherit her mother’s power, so she dabbled at the edge of dark magic, pushing her talents to the limits, earning her a slightly shady reputation within the witching community. Prissy witches loved to gossip about Scarlet, who relished giving them juicy stories to cluck about. But it had also isolated her; witches and wizards of their small town feared she was a dark witch.
    Vivi refused to believe Scarlet had gone bad. She sat on one of the cushions and crossed her legs. “I do want to talk. I need your help with something I’ve been struggling with.” Might as well get right to the point.
    “Finally, the great and powerful Mayhem sister has decided to come out of the closet.” Scarlet set the deck of cards down in front of Vivi. “You should never have been ashamed of being an oracle girl.”
    “I don’t know what I am. That’s the problem. How did you know?” Vivi’s stomach jumped. Obviously, she had not been as subtle as she thought. “And don’t say it’s because you’re psychic or you saw it in the cards.”
    “My mom told me. She knew it way back when we were kids. Don’t be angry with her. She didn’t mean to tell me. It just slipped out one night when she was in a trance. I never told anyone. I’ve kept your secret all these years.”
    “How’s your mom doing?” Last Vivi had heard, Scarlet’s mother was living alone somewhere in the Meadowlands.
    “She’s managing it. But I am guessing from your visit to little