“Nonsense,” Mariela replied. “You’re our final client. We must read all fortunes so I can close the aura.”
“Go on,” an auntie insisted. “You had fun listening to all our stories. It’s your turn.”
She was nudged—gently but firmly—toward the dais. She didn’t want to kill the mood, so she might as well get it over with.
“What would you like guidance on?” Mariela asked once Hena was seated across from her. She took Hena’s hands in hers and studied the lines. “Your love life, perhaps?”
“We don’t have all day.” Auntie Hanifa chortled.
Hena ignored her. There had to be something she could ask. Something harmless. Something innocent. Maybe about her job—some insights on who her next interior design client might be. Before she could say anything, Mariela’s griptightened. She slid a finger over Hena’s palm lines. Her lips pursed.
“I see darkness,” she said.
There was laughter from the audience. Hena looked at the woman in disbelief.
“I thought Lulu asked you to keep our fortunes happy,” she said.
“You betrayed someone,” Mariela continued, undeterred. It was as though she hadn’t even heard Hena.
The good-natured chuckles were gone. An eerie silence settled over the space.
“Just as you betrayed someone, soon you too will be betrayed.” She lifted her eyes to meet Hena’s. Her expression was troubled. “I’m sorry, dear. I was commissioned for happy fortunes, but I cannot ignore danger.”
“So I’m in danger too?” Hena said sarcastically.
Mariela closed her eyes. When she spoke, her tone was hushed.
“So much anger. Directed at you. They believe you have wronged them.” Tiny beads of sweat dotted Mariela’s forehead. “Has anyone given you reason to think they mean you harm?”
“With a girl like Hena, the list might get long,” someone quipped.
Hena jerked her head back. Auntie Nipa. She smirked in Hena’s direction, pleased to have gotten a rise out of her. Anger bubbled up, hot and fast. Hena yanked her hand from Mariela’s. She understood what was going on.
“My mother is in the hospital.” She glared at the women. “She’s dying. But it’s not enough to keep you all from having your fun with me?”
“What are you accusing us of?” Auntie Nipa’s eyes flashed. “Why on earth would we ask her to give you a bad fortune?”
Entertainment.
She was just a story to these women. A source of endless speculation. It was all her family’s pain had ever been to them.
“Simply because you don’t like what I say doesn’t mean what I have shared is false.” Mariela’s eyes flashed with indignation. “I had no intention of sharing such a dark fortune. Do you know how much energy it takes out of me? But when I get a premonition like this, it’s my professional obligation to disclose it.”
“Then be specific,” Hena said evenly.
“I’m not a genie.” The woman scowled.
“Give me a name. A detail. Anything.”
She took one of Hena’s hands and closed her eyes.
“Darkness obscures their face,” she said at last. “I see they have already made an attempt. Someone tried to hurt you before.”
She was referring to the assault in her family’s boathouse. Anyone could look that up. The police report was available for anyone who knew to ask. Before Hena could cut her off, Mariela spoke again.
“A flash of lightning. A darkened room.” She concentrated. “Rattling. Metal stairs.”
Her words turned Hena’s blood cold. This wasn’t about the boathouse. She was talking about the other night. When Hena had gone to retrieve her mother’s medicine. When the power went out. When Hena had sworn someone was in Lulu’s suite with her.