Opposite Day

Change is Coming

I held up my hand, wishing I had brought my sunglasses as I shielded my eyes from the descending sun. My gaze traveled to the familiar roller coaster at the other end of the boardwalk, the sound of the ocean mixing briefly with joyful screams as the cart plummeted down the highest drop.

"Hey, Ally," my sister Harper nudged my arm, grabbing my attention, "I wanna go in here for a sec."

I looked at the shop she nodded her head towards, taking in the dark brown exterior and the chunky letters above the doorway spelling out 'Ocean Space', a smaller font underneath boasting about the crystals, clothing, and incense they had inside. I followed Harper into the dimly lit store, her long skirt fitting in with the many similar ones that hung on racks around us. She headed immediately for a glass display that held different sizes of wildly colored crystals, and it didn't take long for her to start a conversation with the long haired woman behind the counter.

I sighed, my eyes wandering around the store as I waited for her to finish. As cool as I thought it was, with its bohemian decor and metaphysical atmosphere, this was more of Harper's scene than mine, and I felt out of place in my plain looking jeans and white t-shirt. 

My gaze landed on a cardboard sign towards the back, its plain black letters advertising a free psychic reading. Sitting about a foot behind it was a middle aged woman-- pretty much the exact type I would've expected to find behind such an absurd sign. There were grey streaks in her curly hair, which was pulled back with a purple bandanna, and a few light wrinkles adorning her dark skin. 

She caught my curious stare and waved me over, and I caved into my curiosity, making my way over to the wooden table. She gestured at the seat across from her, inviting me to sit. I placed my hand on the back of the chair, hesitating. "It's free?"

She nodded, her voice deep and calm, hints of a soothing rasp hidden somewhere in her words, "Only thing you'll spend here is time."

I smiled quizzically as I sat, intrigued by all of it. I couldn't tell if she was an act, or if this was just her, a person unique and strange enough to make me question her legitimacy. Whatever the case, if it was free, it couldn't hurt to give something new a try. Maybe I didn't really believe in it, but I was open minded to the possibility of being proven wrong.

"You seem troubled," she said, putting her hands on the table, palms facing the low ceiling. She nodded towards them, silently asking me to place mine in hers.

"I do?" I asked, bringing my hands to hers. They were warm and slightly dry, her thumbs running over my fingers as she gave me a knowing look.

"High school can be a troubling time," she said, her eyelids drifting shut. I shrugged in response before they closed.

It was going to take more than her guessing my age range to impress me. "I guess so, yeah. Thankfully it's almost over." 

"Allison," she said simply, shocking me so much that I flinched, staring wide eyed at her. She didn't open her eyes, but her lips formed another soft smile that told me I wasn't the only one to react that way. "It's that fact that's causing you distress."

"Well... I mean-"

"You don't need to justify," she interrupted, shaking her head slowly. "Change can be scary."

I only nodded, curious to see what else she had to say. 

"Your sister is here," she spoke after a few seconds of silence. I nodded again, realizing it was useless when her eyes were closed and giving a soft hum of confirmation instead. "She's here, and yet you miss her."

"Tomorrow is her last day at home," I explained. "Then she goes back out of state- she lives in New Hampshire with her boyfriend."

The woman gave no indication that she heard me and more seconds passed before she spoke again. "Wouldn't it be wise to find a friend who lives in Maine?"

"I have friends," I defended. She opened her eyes then, squinting at me.

"Allison, a friend isn't just someone you spend time with." She closed her eyes again, thumb continuing its movement. "But you already know this."

I sighed, squirming in my seat. Her words were accurate enough to make my skin crawl with goosebumps.

"I get the sense you're not entirely sad about her departure, though. Some part of you feels inferior when she's around. You feel... pressured. You're unlike her, and you think you need to be."

"She's got a plan," I shrugged, "always has. I'm not much one for planning. I guess it shows with how little I have going for me." I mentally cursed myself for giving so much away-- I was practically handing her the information. If I kept rambling on about my life, she wouldn't need to be psychic to have me figured out.

"Cynical," she remarked, "but you didn't need me to tell you that. Have you considered your harshness may be what drives those you yearn for away? I'm getting... his name begins with a K, the one you're so fond of. And this devilish personality of yours might be what the other boy finds so attractive."

My face turned hot, pulse quickening at her accuracy. "How did you-"

"This K, he isn't the one for you, Allison."

I scoffed. "Why not?"

"You're charmed by his looks and his boldness, but you ignore the things you prefer not to know about him. He's not the monogamous type, and yet you imagine him changing for you. It's never good to try to change others, Allison. It can only end in heartache."

I rolled my eyes, a bitter laugh escaping me. "I should worry about changing myself before I try it on anyone else."

"Child, change is not what you should seek. Self improvement is something we can all work on, but never should we change the heart of who we are."

"Well, something needs to change," I ranted, "It's boring being me. I'm tired of being me. If I could be the opposite of whoever I am, I'd take it in a second."

"Then you'll be happy with what I see." Her eyes opened then, amber irises staring into mine. "Change is coming for you very soon, Allison. Your world will be flipped upside down- maybe you'll discover it's not what you hoped for after all."

My brow furrowed, stomach churning slightly at the eerie words. Before I could open my mouth to speak, a hand was on my shoulder. I turned to see Harper, who was tucking her phone into the brown purse at her side. "Hey, Mom and Dad called, they're waiting for us at the car."

The woman nodded, releasing my hands. I stood, giving her a smile and a thank you before heading outside, my sister looking at me quizzically as she pulled her mousy brown hair into a loose ponytail. "I didn't think you believed in that stuff."

"I don't," I said, trying to shrug off the uneasy feeling her reading had left me with. "Just thought it would be fun."

"Was it?"

I shook my head, staring at my sandals as we walked on the pale boards. "Just a bunch of mumbo jumbo- although she did get my name right, which freaked me out. But she probably heard us from outside is my guess."

"No life altering future path revealed to you?" Harper joked.

I laughed, glancing over to her with a half smile. "Let's just say I'm happy I didn't have to pay."