animals hung from poles overhead, filling the air with their scent and steam.
“What, Granny, she has no fortune?” Claire’s friend joked at the ongoing silence.
Madame Chu looked up at Claire. “No, she has too much.” Her sharp black eyes, almost enclosed by folds of skin, examined Claire as if she’d just discovered an exotic new creature.
“Too much fortune?” Claire’s friend laughed, the stall’s single lantern casting shadows on her red cheongsam. “Lucky you.”
“No,” said Madame Chu. “Not lucky. Too much.”
Claire laughed also, feeling the old woman’s cool, dry hands holding her own.
Madame Chu bent low over Claire’s hand. “Your fortune goes on and on,” she said, speaking slowly. “Your time of death has come and gone. A dark one filled you with lightning, and now you live a walking death.”
Claire quit laughing. “What?”
“Granny,” said Claire’s friend, frowning. “You are the best fortune-teller, I told her. Don’t make me into a liar. Tell her the truth, and stop your nonsense.”
Claire swallowed hard and wished she had a drink. Right after this, they would go to Samasan’s bar. Absolutely. She’d paid up her tab and should be welcome again. Samasan never held a grudge.
Madame Chu’s black beetle eyes regarded Claire over their hands.
“What else do you see?” Claire said offhandedly, as if she didn’t care.
“I see a girl, marked—”The old woman touched her cheekbone. “Like a red lily flower.”
Claire sat very still, her heart starting to beat faster. “She’s dead,” she said lightly. All of them died, sooner or later. Daughter after daughter after daughter.
“No.” Madame Chu’s eyes burned like coals. “She will kill you at last. The marked girl brings you death.”
“Come on, Claire.” Her friend sighed. “She’s having an off night. We’ll come back some other time, okay?”
Claire pulled her hand back and stood up, looking hard at Madame Chu. “Yeah,” she said, throwing some money down. “It’s all nonsense.”
Madame Chu shook her head sadly, as if Claire were already dead.
B ecause of a funeral, a lot of the streets in the Quarter were blocked. After several frustrating minutes of circling blocks, I asked Sylvie to just drop me off and I would walk the rest of the way.
“You sure?” Sylvie asked.
“Yeah—you’ll never get through. And I’m only four short blocks away from here.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Friday, yay.”
“Yeah, okay.” I opened my car door and started to get out. “Thanks a lot for bringing me along today. I had a great time.”
“I’m so glad we ran into you,” said Sylvie, and Claude nodded.
“I’ll look for you at school tomorrow,” said Kevin, and the look he gave me was more than a superficial, just-met-you glance.
“Um, okay,” I said, and got out.
I waved goodbye and walked up the street, through the traffic barriers and in and out of the crowds of mourners. I had no idea who had died, but it was someone who rated a full-blown jazz-band parade, complete with umbrella walkers. I felt like an extra in a movie.
It was dark—after the movie we’d gone to Camellia Grill, which I loved. I’d had pecan waffles. Now it was almost eight o’clock, and I reviewed whether or not I had homework due tomorrow. The idea that I still had to think about homework, after everything I’d been through in the past few days, seemed crazy. But education waits for no one.
Kevin LaTour. He’d been really nice. Plus he was on the honor roll and was funny too. He seemed so much younger than Luc. Well, yeah, I guess he
was
—but even if Luc were only nineteen or so, the way he looked, Kevin still seemed much younger, still a kid.
But a nice kid.
And Sylvie was great, and she was so cute with her boyfriend. I was so glad that I knew them—a tiny island of normal sanity in my stormy life.
Even after I was out of the funeral, the streets were busy and well lit. In
“What, Granny, she has no fortune?” Claire’s friend joked at the ongoing silence.
Madame Chu looked up at Claire. “No, she has too much.” Her sharp black eyes, almost enclosed by folds of skin, examined Claire as if she’d just discovered an exotic new creature.
“Too much fortune?” Claire’s friend laughed, the stall’s single lantern casting shadows on her red cheongsam. “Lucky you.”
“No,” said Madame Chu. “Not lucky. Too much.”
Claire laughed also, feeling the old woman’s cool, dry hands holding her own.
Madame Chu bent low over Claire’s hand. “Your fortune goes on and on,” she said, speaking slowly. “Your time of death has come and gone. A dark one filled you with lightning, and now you live a walking death.”
Claire quit laughing. “What?”
“Granny,” said Claire’s friend, frowning. “You are the best fortune-teller, I told her. Don’t make me into a liar. Tell her the truth, and stop your nonsense.”
Claire swallowed hard and wished she had a drink. Right after this, they would go to Samasan’s bar. Absolutely. She’d paid up her tab and should be welcome again. Samasan never held a grudge.
Madame Chu’s black beetle eyes regarded Claire over their hands.
“What else do you see?” Claire said offhandedly, as if she didn’t care.
“I see a girl, marked—”The old woman touched her cheekbone. “Like a red lily flower.”
Claire sat very still, her heart starting to beat faster. “She’s dead,” she said lightly. All of them died, sooner or later. Daughter after daughter after daughter.
“No.” Madame Chu’s eyes burned like coals. “She will kill you at last. The marked girl brings you death.”
“Come on, Claire.” Her friend sighed. “She’s having an off night. We’ll come back some other time, okay?”
Claire pulled her hand back and stood up, looking hard at Madame Chu. “Yeah,” she said, throwing some money down. “It’s all nonsense.”
Madame Chu shook her head sadly, as if Claire were already dead.
B ecause of a funeral, a lot of the streets in the Quarter were blocked. After several frustrating minutes of circling blocks, I asked Sylvie to just drop me off and I would walk the rest of the way.
“You sure?” Sylvie asked.
“Yeah—you’ll never get through. And I’m only four short blocks away from here.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Friday, yay.”
“Yeah, okay.” I opened my car door and started to get out. “Thanks a lot for bringing me along today. I had a great time.”
“I’m so glad we ran into you,” said Sylvie, and Claude nodded.
“I’ll look for you at school tomorrow,” said Kevin, and the look he gave me was more than a superficial, just-met-you glance.
“Um, okay,” I said, and got out.
I waved goodbye and walked up the street, through the traffic barriers and in and out of the crowds of mourners. I had no idea who had died, but it was someone who rated a full-blown jazz-band parade, complete with umbrella walkers. I felt like an extra in a movie.
It was dark—after the movie we’d gone to Camellia Grill, which I loved. I’d had pecan waffles. Now it was almost eight o’clock, and I reviewed whether or not I had homework due tomorrow. The idea that I still had to think about homework, after everything I’d been through in the past few days, seemed crazy. But education waits for no one.
Kevin LaTour. He’d been really nice. Plus he was on the honor roll and was funny too. He seemed so much younger than Luc. Well, yeah, I guess he
was
—but even if Luc were only nineteen or so, the way he looked, Kevin still seemed much younger, still a kid.
But a nice kid.
And Sylvie was great, and she was so cute with her boyfriend. I was so glad that I knew them—a tiny island of normal sanity in my stormy life.
Even after I was out of the funeral, the streets were busy and well lit. In
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