Irina Taylor, a girl who lives in the 1940s with the gift to see a human's soul, goes from a social outcast to a prophecy come true. But there is a realm that coexists with ours, invisible to the majority of mankind; only a select few can see throug...
اوووه! هذه الصورة لا تتبع إرشادات المحتوى الخاصة بنا. لمتابعة النشر، يرجى إزالتها أو تحميل صورة أخرى.
𝓐ꜰᴛᴇʀᴀʟᴏɴɢ weekend of not being able to see Genny, I was looking forward to school. That was the one place where we could freely be together without her opinionated parents impeding.
"Annika, let's go! We are going to be late!"
Since we lived at the edge of Luttensberg, it took about half an hour to walk to our school. We needed an early start to get there on time.
"Coming!"
Annika hurriedly ran into Ma's room to give a kiss goodbye as she did every morning and lugged her backpack behind her by the straps. Mother was still resting after she got worked up last night. I barely got any sleep after what I had learned about my father. I had so many questions, but Ma's health was more important than getting answers.
I found it odd how my sister practically sprinted out the front door. Usually, I had to drag her out by the hair. She had never liked school. Today, however, she seemed to be rushing me, pulling my hand to walk faster. After we rounded the fifth street corner, I finally realized why. There was a carnival event set up extending a whole block. Fete stalls of all colors sat in a line, each containing rigged games with carnies yelling at every traveler who walked by. Skee ball, high-striker, and milk bottle knockdown gained a crowd of people wanting to try their luck. I palmed my face and glared at Annika. "No," was all I said.
"I saw a photograph in the newspaper last night! Let's go!"
So that was why she was grinning from ear to ear the entire walk to school. I groaned and said, "One game, Annika. One."
"Three games?"
"One, do you hear me?"
"Two games, got it!" Annika ran off before I could catch her. That girl would be my undoing.
Pushing past the mass of people, I wandered to the end of the stalls, waiting for Annika to emerge. Away from all the other fete stalls stood a lone purple tent with a sign that said "free readings by Madam Lindholm." I turned my nose up at the thought of a fortune teller. It was a mockery of my abilities. They were part of why I had to hide them from the world. Everyone would think of me as a charlatan like all the other soothsayers and fortune tellers who ask for coins to say a half-thought-out, unoriginal fortune. I could see that this tent was no different. A small table out front had a crystal ball and tarot cards laid out. I passed the stall as quickly as I could, but it wasn't quick enough.
"Would you like a free fortune, girl? The second one only costs a dime," I heard a woman with a thick Eastern European accent shout. She hobbled out of her tent with her knobbly cane. The woman had stark white hair, a round, wrinkled face, and ocean-blue eyes that housed an unexplainable tenderness in them. Her fair skin was interrupted by a large scar running from her forehead to the bottom of her cheekbone, barely missing her eye. She wore a rose-colored silken robe and hood lined with white lace, bedazzled with charms and sequins.
