done lost her mind. She used to be such a good oracle, but now… Counselor Zehiradangra has issues, honey…we have to be gentle with her, but I told your momma as well as your gran that wasn’t right. But what do I know? I’m just a house seer. Nana Marlene told me to leave it alone, so if that’s what your grandmother said to do, then who am I to disobey?”
“Thanks, Auntie,” Sarah said, grabbing the platter and heading toward the dining room.
Then Sarah hesitated, feeling the answer to her question so close to the surface of her aunt’s mind that she couldn’t leave. It was right there. Her aunt was going to let her into her thoughts and tell her without words, so it wouldn’t be like she’d actually broken a confidence and spilled the beans. What was going on in the house? It was linked with what was happening at school. Linked with her destiny. For a second their eyes met. Her aunt nodded ever so slightly as a thin sheen became visible on her forehead. Something dark flitted through her aunt’s thoughts, and Sarah whirled to avoid it. Terrified of what she might see, she rushed toward the door, still clutching the platter.
“Sarah, baby, wait. Try again. Stay with it.”
But her uncle Mike met her at the swinging metal door.
“Hey, hey, where’s the fire?” He placed a broad palm on top of Sarah’s head.
“Auntie said to get this to you in a hurry.”
“Auntie was right,” her uncle said, laughing. “Why you think I’m standing here in the door? Think I don’t know my wife can cook?”
“Stop sweating my pots, Mike,” her aunt called out, both good nature and a hint of disappointment ringing in her voice. “Baby, you come back in a little bit and I’ll have some more for you…for the trays, all right?”
“Okay, thank you,” Sarah replied softly, knowing her aunt was speaking to her in code. Her Aunt Inez had left an opening for them to speak privately as soon as she got rid of her Uncle Mike, then she could really open up and discuss what was on her mind. “I’ll be more careful next time.”
“You do that. I’m expecting that from you, all right?”
Her uncle gave her aunt a quizzical glance. “She ain’t dropped nothing, ‘Nez. Stop giving the girl a hard way to go.”
“Both of y’all get out of my kitchen,” Inez said, and then went back to the stove.
Sarah looked up at her uncle’s six-foot-eight hulking frame as he blocked the doorway. He had to be somewhere between 280 to 320 pounds, as a conservative guesstimate. Uncle Mike made it seem as though midnight had eclipsed the entire doorframe, but there wasn’t a mean bone in his body—unless you were a demon he was after. And of all the uncles, he was the only one who seemed to greet mornings with an upbeat attitude after a hunt. There was something about his huge bulk and the deep sound of his voice that always made her feel special.
She held up the platter to him with a grin, already feeling much improved just from a dose of family.
“Thanks, baby—now a man can eat.” He kissed the top of her head, accepted the platter and called over his shoulder with a wink, “You and the ladies can eat all that tofu mess, if ya wanna.”
“Cholesterol’s gonna kill you, Mike,” one of Sarah’s other aunts called from the dining room.
“After chasing vampires, werewolves and ever’thing else, do I look like I’m scared of some sausage, girl?”
Sarah had to laugh as she dashed back into the kitchen, hungry for some more of her aunt Inez’s good cheer and clandestine advice. But Tami’s dad came in just as she was trying to angle her body up on a stool.
“Mornin’,” he muttered, scratching the blond and gray stubble on his chin. “I’m getting too old for this bull, ‘Nez. Where’s the coffee?”
“In the big pot in the dining room—where it always is,” she said over her shoulder.
He lifted his mug toward her. “Then I guess I meant the sweetener.”
“Jack Rider, it is too early in the
“Thanks, Auntie,” Sarah said, grabbing the platter and heading toward the dining room.
Then Sarah hesitated, feeling the answer to her question so close to the surface of her aunt’s mind that she couldn’t leave. It was right there. Her aunt was going to let her into her thoughts and tell her without words, so it wouldn’t be like she’d actually broken a confidence and spilled the beans. What was going on in the house? It was linked with what was happening at school. Linked with her destiny. For a second their eyes met. Her aunt nodded ever so slightly as a thin sheen became visible on her forehead. Something dark flitted through her aunt’s thoughts, and Sarah whirled to avoid it. Terrified of what she might see, she rushed toward the door, still clutching the platter.
“Sarah, baby, wait. Try again. Stay with it.”
But her uncle Mike met her at the swinging metal door.
“Hey, hey, where’s the fire?” He placed a broad palm on top of Sarah’s head.
“Auntie said to get this to you in a hurry.”
“Auntie was right,” her uncle said, laughing. “Why you think I’m standing here in the door? Think I don’t know my wife can cook?”
“Stop sweating my pots, Mike,” her aunt called out, both good nature and a hint of disappointment ringing in her voice. “Baby, you come back in a little bit and I’ll have some more for you…for the trays, all right?”
“Okay, thank you,” Sarah replied softly, knowing her aunt was speaking to her in code. Her Aunt Inez had left an opening for them to speak privately as soon as she got rid of her Uncle Mike, then she could really open up and discuss what was on her mind. “I’ll be more careful next time.”
“You do that. I’m expecting that from you, all right?”
Her uncle gave her aunt a quizzical glance. “She ain’t dropped nothing, ‘Nez. Stop giving the girl a hard way to go.”
“Both of y’all get out of my kitchen,” Inez said, and then went back to the stove.
Sarah looked up at her uncle’s six-foot-eight hulking frame as he blocked the doorway. He had to be somewhere between 280 to 320 pounds, as a conservative guesstimate. Uncle Mike made it seem as though midnight had eclipsed the entire doorframe, but there wasn’t a mean bone in his body—unless you were a demon he was after. And of all the uncles, he was the only one who seemed to greet mornings with an upbeat attitude after a hunt. There was something about his huge bulk and the deep sound of his voice that always made her feel special.
She held up the platter to him with a grin, already feeling much improved just from a dose of family.
“Thanks, baby—now a man can eat.” He kissed the top of her head, accepted the platter and called over his shoulder with a wink, “You and the ladies can eat all that tofu mess, if ya wanna.”
“Cholesterol’s gonna kill you, Mike,” one of Sarah’s other aunts called from the dining room.
“After chasing vampires, werewolves and ever’thing else, do I look like I’m scared of some sausage, girl?”
Sarah had to laugh as she dashed back into the kitchen, hungry for some more of her aunt Inez’s good cheer and clandestine advice. But Tami’s dad came in just as she was trying to angle her body up on a stool.
“Mornin’,” he muttered, scratching the blond and gray stubble on his chin. “I’m getting too old for this bull, ‘Nez. Where’s the coffee?”
“In the big pot in the dining room—where it always is,” she said over her shoulder.
He lifted his mug toward her. “Then I guess I meant the sweetener.”
“Jack Rider, it is too early in the
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