The Devil's Fire

by Rue Volley

  We stepped up to the building, and we could see that the lights were on. The open sign remained turned toward us, so my mom walked right in with me in tow.

  The bell rang out above us. I looked up and saw it, it was forged out of sterling silver and beautifully etched with a design that reminded me of the elves in Lord of the Rings.

  I closed the door behind me and I could immediately smell the incense burning. It was a sweet blend of vanilla and cherry. Two of my all-time favorites.

  I looked down as a gorgeous oversized cat rubbed against my leg. The color of its fur made it look more like a small yedi than that of a feline. The cats fur was bushy and deep brown, making it appear larger than it actually was, but the constant purring gave it away. It stopped and stared up at me. It had one blue eye and one green. It meowed, and I smiled. I started to lean down, and I heard Vee call out to me.

  “Oh no, don’t pet her. She will bite, very temperamental, that one.”

  “Oh.” I stood up. The cat rubbed against me again, and I suddenly felt nervous. Would it turn on me and latch onto my leg like some demonic pussy from hell at any moment? I hoped not.

  She stepped up into the dim light of the room and winked at me. “I was kidding, she’s a big baby.”

  I sighed, of course, she was joking. I reached down, and it hissed at me and ran. I jerked my hand back up, and Vee laughed again. I felt like she may be toying with me, but I laughed right along with her. I couldn’t help but find her amusing. She had just sold us the dream spot for our new business and if she wanted to act mischievous, then so be it.

  We followed her to the back of the room, and she stopped, pulling the black and white strands of beads aside. My mom walked in first, and I followed.

  I stopped and scanned the room. It was a vast library, books shoved into every nook and cranny. A large rocking chair sat in the corner with a vintage doll in it. She had black eyes, or so it seemed in the low light. Her red hair was curled to perfection. The ringlets framed her small white face and cascaded down over her shoulders. She wore a little white dress and black shoes. If she would have moved I would have crapped myself right there.

  I blinked when Vee spoke to me.

  “That was mine, as a child. Feel free to hold it, but sometimes you can feel a heartbeat.” She shook her shoulders. “Too creepy for me.”

  I swallowed hard, trying to beat back the paranoia. My mom laughed. “Vee, be nice. Abi always had nightmares when she was little.”

  I looked at her. “I did? I don’t remember having nightmares.”

  “Oh, terrible ones, you always crawled into bed with us, crying, and then fell right back to sleep, but I think you may have been sleepwalking. You were convinced that you had a monster under your bed.” I sighed, it was ironic.

  “Oh, a sleepwalker?” Vee said as she approached me and touched my cheek, she gazed deeply into my eyes as if she was searching for something. She removed her hand from my face and turned away from me.

  “I don’t see any demonic possession.” She walked back to the table and sat down across from my mom.

  “Well, that’s good,” I said as she shuffled her large deck of cards. She cut the stack in half and started to lay the piles down then picked them back up. She did one smooth swipe in a half moon across the round table with her hand, and the cards lay out in the same pattern. She lifted her hand as my mom stared at them. She reached in and picked her cards, Vee gazed at me.

  “Sit down, you are making me nervous.”

  I eyed the rocking chair, and Vee laughed. “Just move her.”

  I walked up to it and peered down on the doll. I didn’t want to touch it. Vee leaned over and grabbed the doll, moving it out of my way.

  “Thank you,” I said quietly. I could tell that it amused her.

  She leaned back and looked at the cards that my mom had selected. She began to turn them over one by one, speaking with an even tone as she stared at each one of them.

  She turned over the High Priestess card and smiled.

  “Oh you’re on a journey, listen to your intuition.”

  Mom nodded, it was spot on for her.

  Then she turned over The Fool.

  “Oh, new beginnings,” she said as her eyes lit up.

  My mom smiled again. I stood up and looked at the cards.

  “I’m sorry, could I use your restroom?” I rubbed my stomach. “Too much wine.”

  Vee stopped and looked at me. “Of course, straight out, to the left and it’s the last door on the right.

  “Thank you.”

  I walked out as Vee continued to speak. My mom nodded in agreeance with everything that was being said. Honestly, it seemed as if it could all be interpreted for anyone. Listening to your own intuition, new beginnings? Anyone coming to do something like this was probably on a journey of sorts. It wasn’t that I doubted her, but I’ve always questioned everything. My dad was the same way.

  I found the restroom and slipped inside. I shut the door and almost jumped out of my skin as the cat meowed at me. She sat on top of the sink with her one blue eye and one green staring a hole through me. I stepped up to the toilet and sighed.

  I quickly glanced over at her. “Do you mind?”

  The cat meowed. I rolled my eyes. She wasn’t having it, and I wasn’t sure that I could pee in front of her. Finally I attempted it, holding the small hand towel up between us. The cat was about as amused as Vee was with me. She licked her paw and every time I peeked around the towel she would stop and stare at me.

  “I have no idea what I did to you, but I’m sorry.” I lifted the towel and tried to pretend like she didn’t exist. Finally it worked, and I felt so much better.

  I stepped up to the sink and I carefully maneuvered my way around the cat so that I could wash my hands. I caught a glimpse of its tag on its collar and laughed.

  “Magick, huh?”

  Magick jumped down and meowed at me. I looked down at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I think it’s a cool name, okay?”

  The cats stare was so intense that I almost expected for it to talk to me. I blinked, catching my reflection in the mirror. It was so quiet in the restroom that you could hear a pin drop. I yelled as my phone went off in my pocket. I pulled it out, half laughing and saw Avery’s happy face on the screen. I pressed the button.

  “Hey you!”

  “Hey!”

  “I take it that you made it home okay then?”

  She talked right over me. “So you remember the Spartan?”

  I smiled, turning around so that I could lean against the sink. The cat jumped up onto the closed toilet seat and watched me. I peered over at it and nodded. “Yes, how could I forget?”

  “I may die.”

  “Oh no, why?”

  “Promise me that you won’t get mad, Abi.”

  I stood up straight and gripped the phone. “Why would I?”

  “Well,” she paused. This was so unlike her.

  “Avery, what happened? Did he hurt you?”

  She sighed. “No, no, he didn’t, it’s just—well, it’s a funny story. It’s hilarious, and totally ironic in a Greek tragedy kind of way.”

  “I swear that I’m going to hop a bus and come there right now, Avery, what is it?”

  “It was Jerod Landon.”

  I yelled into the phone. “What?” The cat jumped down and hissed. I would have too. I held onto the side of the sink behind me to help brace myself.

  I tried to direct my anger away from her. “So, how did we not know this?”

  She took a long breath. “It was dark in that club. I had been drinking—a lot. I won’t lie, and when I said let’s go, he just came with me. We took a cab to some townhome in Manhattan and boom, this is Sparta.”

  “So you slept with him and you didn’t know that it was Jack’s brother? He’s a dick, Avery.”

  “Well he was not mean to me that night, of course, we didn’t talk much, but he was unbelievable in bed. I mean, hands down, some of t
he best shit I’ve ever had.”

  I tapped my nails on the sink. “Okay, first of all, you need to get tested for STDs.”

  “Abi! We used protection.”

  “Still, if anyone could infect you it would be him. His manly gunk is probably fully armored with little hatchets and what not.”

  She laughed. I almost laughed too, but I was furious. How dare Jerod Landon sleep with my Avery? I was just sick to my stomach about it.

  “I just can’t believe that you didn’t recognize him, Avery.”

  “It wasn’t like I had studied him, Abi. In fact, I didn’t even know what he looked like, I knew what Jack looked like, like every woman in the world does, except for you.”

  I smiled. She was right.

  “Okay, I get it. He is such a jerk. I swear. It makes me mad that he was all over you.”

  She breathed into the phone. “Oh he was all over me and he sent flowers.”

  “What?” I yelled again. The cat hissed and dug at the door. I opened it up and let her out. I closed it and sat down on the toilet. I placed my hand on my forehead and leaned forward.

  “You threw them out, right?”

  “Well, that’s the thing.”

  I looked up. “Oh no—no, no, no.”

  “Abi, he sent flowers and a phone. He left a text on it. It was so sweet.”

  I stood up. “It’s a Trojan horse, toss it out the window right now.”

  I could hear her walk across the floor, her shoes clicking against the wood. She stopped.

  “I like him, there’s just something about him that—”

  I couldn’t help but interrupt her. “No, you don’t like him. You liked the helmet.”

  She laughed. “I did and I can’t help it. The sex was—mmm, it was just so good.”

  I shook my head. “Listen, this is the vagina talking, not you. You just compromised it with some bling. Give this a few days and it will probably pass like an intestinal flu.”

  “Oh my God, Abi! He isn’t a disease.”

  “I have to disagree with you.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, maybe you’re right, maybe little Miss Bling is being irrational right now, but Abi, no lies between us, I just wanted to be honest and tell you how I feel.”

  I turned and stared at myself in the mirror. I looked paler and with good reason.

  “No lies, yeah, I appreciate the honesty. I’m really glad that you called me, but you need to step back and not do anything impulsive. Do you hear me?”

  She paused.

  “Avery?”

  “Yeah?”

  I tapped the sink with my hand. “Did you hear what I said?”

  “Yes, nothing impulsive. I got it.”

  I sighed, removing my hand from the sink and running it through my hair. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a hair tie. I carefully collected all of my hair together and tied it into a loose bun on the top of my head. The air on my neck felt so soothing, she was going to give me a hot flash or two.

  “By the way, Sam and I bought the building for the paper today and I am getting a tarot card reading—right now.”

  I had to pull the phone back as she squealed with excitement. I laughed. I knew that would at least distract her for a little bit.

  “Oh my God! So much awesome!”

  I grinned. “Yes it is, I’m so excited about this. I feel like everything is falling into place, minus Jerod into you, that’s not good. You hear me?”

  Avery laughed. “I hear you, and listen, I swear that I didn’t know it was him. I cross my heart and hope to die.”

  “Okay, no, I believe you. God, he is such a predator. I swear.”

  “Oh no, girl. I wanted that bad. You have no idea. He didn’t prey on anything here.”

  I bit my lip and looked up at the tall ceiling. “Okay, but please, give it a few days and just move on, okay?”

  “Fine.”

  I rubbed my neck. “I’m serious.”

  “I said fine, I meant it, Abi.”

  “Okay, I gotta go, but call me tomorrow, okay? Or I will call you.”

  “Deal, I love you babes. I miss you already.”

  I looked down at my shoes. “I miss you too, come back.”

  She laughed. “Soon, I promise.”

  “Okay, bye.”

  “Bye.”

  I lowered the phone from my ear and almost tossed it across the bathroom. Instead, I turned and tapped it on the side of the sink. I looked up into the mirror. “Jerod Landon,” I whispered to myself. It made my stomach ache to even speak his name.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  REMEMBER THE FIREFLIES

  __________________________

  I returned to the room, and my mom and Vee sat there chatting. They stopped when I stepped in.

  “Are you okay, honey?” Mom asked me. I nodded to her, my loose bun moved on the top of my head. She stood up and waved a hand to the chair that sat across from Vee. I sat down as she repeated the same process that she had with my mom by spreading the cards out in front of me.

  “Okay, pick your cards,” she said quietly.

  I stared at the deck and tried to forget about what Avery had said to me, it was upsetting, but she was a grown woman and had to make her own decisions in life. I couldn’t help but feel protective of her. I loved her, as only a sister could.

  I picked a card, then another and before I knew it, I was done.

  Vee started to turn the cards over, and she stared at them. I looked at the first one with a man on a horse. I leaned in and sighed.

  “Oh, the death card, of course,” I said, my tone laced with sarcasm.

  Vee winked at me. “Don’t be afraid. The death card is not death, in the sense that we think of it. It’s a renewal, a crossing over from one point to another.”

  I adjusted in my chair. “Sounds like death to me.”

  She laughed and looked at my mom, who was fingering through a book.

  Mom waved a hand. “She’s always been this way, trust me. She questions everything. Just keep going.”

  Vee smirked. “So, does death frighten you, Abigail?”

  I leaned back in the chair and touched the smooth surface of the round table between us.

  “Who isn’t afraid of dying?” I looked at my hands and turned them over to see the lines on my palms.

  Vee turned another card over and stared at it as she continued to talk to me. “I’m not scared of it. I know that there’s so much more out there than what we experience here. Can you imagine knowing everything, feeling everything, hearing it all, and being in all places at once?”

  I smiled. “That sounds like a terrible trip on LSD. Not that I’ve ever done it.”

  “Well,” she shrugged her shoulders, “It had its good qualities too, but no—I mean your energy, your ghost, it likes to travel and it will. You can even project your ghost out into the world as you sleep to try to understand more in your dreams. Pay attention, because everything will whisper in your ear and tell you exactly what you need to know.”

  “Well, I rarely dream, and when I do, they are either things that I forget as soon as I wake up or I can’t repeat them.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Sexual?”

  I glanced at my mom. “Some,” I said quietly.

  My mom lowered the book in her hand. “I can leave the room.”

  I watched my mom step out, leaving me alone with Vee.

  “So, tell me about this powerful man in your life.”

  “Man?” I asked, like I didn’t know what she was talking about.

  She tapped the card on the table, and I leaned up to stare at it. I read the inscription.

  The Lovers.

  “Okay, well. His name is Jack.”

  “You love him very much.”

  I sighed. “Yes, I do.”

  “He is two people, if not more, but you’re already aware of this.”

  I stared at the cards. “The card told you that?”

  She winked at me. “Oh no, that’s just somethin
g that I sensed, thank you for being open to me. It is very easy to read you.”

  I leaned back and stared at her. “He has a condition, he takes medication for it—sometimes, but when he doesn’t take it, well—I feel closer to him. I think that I met him when he was off of it, and we broke up when he was on it. It frightens me to see it change him like that. He can’t control it.”

  Vee spoke softly. “It numbs him to his surroundings. He doesn’t like that.”

  I bit my lip and stared down at my hands. The cat made me jump when she rubbed against my leg. I rolled my eyes and sighed. “That’s exactly what he said.”

  “I will be honest with you, this love is powerful. It is real, but the road isn’t going to be easy, and I’m not sure who will survive it, you or him.”

  “Survive it? You mean, as in dying?”

  She leaned up and narrowed her eyes. “Well, not necessarily, but you need to be cautious. Just pay attention to every little detail, as I said, the world has a way of showing you exactly what road you need to be on. We can’t always choose this, Abi.”

  “Just,” she paused and closed her eyes. “Oh, someone wants to speak to you.”

  I leaned forward, and she opened her eyes. They looked gentle and full of compassion.

  “Abi, I’ve missed you baby girl.”

  I swallowed hard and held onto the sides of the chair.

  “Who—who are you?” I asked.

  “It’s Dad, Abi.”

  I gasped. A warm feeling rushed over me. It felt as if someone had filled the room with peace and joy. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears as Vee kept her eyes locked on mine.

  “Dad, I have so many things that I want to say to you.”

  She nodded her head. “It’s okay, I know. I love you too. I need for you to watch over your mom, she needs you, now, more than ever. Tell her that I can still see the fireflies.”

  “I don’t know what you mean, dad. The fireflies?”

  “The fireflies, Abi, listen to me, you need to stay home—you need to stay.”

  “Dad? I don’t understand. I’m home now, I moved home.”

  Vee blinked a couple of times and then took a slow breath. She looked down and then back up to me. “So, that was unexpected.”