Page 21 of Death Card

“Wait,” I say. “Don’t mention anything about the vision, okay? I’m not ready to talk to anyone else about that.”

Orion glances up and his smile slips. “I won’t say a word. That’s your business to share.”

“Thank you.”

The car Orion and I share is temporarily out of commission. It’s an old beater we scrounged up the money to buy at the end of junior year. We’re supposed to take turns handling the maintenance, but Orion’s skipped the last two oil changes, and now I refuse to do it out of principle.

So, everyone’s coming over to the house to hang out. Along with Lizzie and Chris, our friend group is rounded out by our cousin Malik.

He’s the grandson of Gramps’s older sister, so that makes us second cousins. A year older than us, he and Orion have always been thick as thieves. The doorbell rings as I’m slipping into apair of oversize sweats and a tank. My scalp thanks me as I let my braids down from a ponytail.

When I glance in the mirror, I look even gloomier than usual, and not because of my normal all-black attire. Shadows creep in at the edges of my aura. Usually a vibrant indigo, tonight it’s laced with hazy gray strands.

Any other witch capable of sensing auras will know that my head isn’t in the right place. Thankfully, I’m the only one in the coven who can see them.

I plod downstairs, muscles tensed with trepidation. Orion and Malik break off their conversation and turn to stare.

Where Orion is tall and skinny, Malik is short and stout. He keeps his hair cut in a neat fade with a well-trimmed beard to match. His wide smile reveals the gap between his two front teeth.

“Yo, ’Kaela. How’s it been?” He pulls me into a bear hug and then quickly pulls back. “Oh wait, I’m sorry, Madame Witch Queen.” He falls into an exaggerated bow before he and Orion both dissolve into snickers.

Malik and his family weren’t at the gathering on Sunday, but word of my impending title has already spread. With the vision, I’d nearly forgotten, but the reminder only serves to add to my stress.

“Very funny,” I mutter, turning away toward the kitchen.

“No, wait.” He grabs my arm, suddenly serious. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Congrats, little cuz. I mean it.”

The past forty-eight hours have been a roller-coaster ride that I’m eager to get off. Nothing about this is cause for celebration in my book. The only reason I’m eligible for the title in the first place is because Gran’s dead, but I’m completely out of my depth.That doesn’t really matter, though, since according to my vision, I won’t get to be Witch Queen for long.

Orion opens the ancient TV cabinet and flips through our endless stack of DVDs. Gramps refuses to pay for any streaming services, so we’re stuck in the Dark Ages. I curl up in Gran’s recliner while the two of them argue over whether we should watch an action movie or a comedy.

“The girls aren’t gonna want to watch this,” Malik argues. “Somebody gets shot every five minutes.”

“So? It’s not like they haven’t seen fake blood before,” Orion says. “It’s just a movie.”

Three sharp knocks at the door force me to my feet. “I’ll get it,” I say.

I open the door to find Chris and Lizzie on the front porch. “What’s up?” Chris says, sliding past me. Orion and Malik immediately greet him with a series of fist bumps and high fives. Guys always act like it’s been half a century since they last saw each other.

Lizzie takes one look at my face and tugs me outside over to the rocking chairs. Her short hair is styled into Bantu knots all over her head. Her bracelets clink together as she reaches over to grab my hand.

“Ri told me that something happened, but he wouldn’t say what.”

I don’t know whether to strangle my brother or thank him. Lizzie’s my closest friend; I should be able to tell her anything, but I can’t bring myself to say this.I’m going to die in a month unless I can find a way to alter my vision. Also, the girl who’s fated to kill me is so cute I can’t stand it.

“Don’t try to hide it from me,” Lizzie scolds. “I can read you like one of your cards.”

“I—”

There’s so much I could say, and I haven’t even begun to unravel what Gramps and I saw on Saturday night—how we saved Marian’s life.

I sigh, releasing all the air in my lungs and a whole lot of pent-up sadness. “It’s nothing,” I mutter, deciding to play it safe. “Just this girl I met today who’s got me all tied up in knots.”

Lizzie sits up straight. Her smile shines brighter than the dim porch lamp. “A girl?! Oh, you know you’ve got to spill the tea, right?”

Joelle appears in my mind, striding toward me with a confident gleam in her eye. She’s so beautiful, and I barely know anything about her. Before the vision, I wanted to know everything. Now I dread peeling back her layers of secrets.

“I met her in the shop today,” I begin, gripping the arms of the chair as it rocks back and forth. “She’s starting classes at Tulane and, um, well, Gramps gave her a job.”