Timeless Snow ✓

Ch. 20 - Focus

"Hand." Amara ordered abruptly after tucking the money away in her pocket. Her jolting words caused you to cringe. Your eyes raising up above the glass curve that sat in between the two of you. Her deep-sea ocean green eyes staring blankly at you, her palm outstretched so quickly you hadn't noticed it at first. Or perhaps you hadn't been paying attention. You could feel your heart rate begin to increase. A part of you telling yourself that you needed to be on guard, question everything. Danger lingered near, or perhaps it was really just fear of the unknown. With a deep breath of encouragement, you reached across the table, around the crystal ball as you offer out your right hand - palm up.

Grabbing your wrist with her left hand her right hand moved swiftly to grab a nearby candelabra and bring it down the table with a thud. Unexpected noise-causing your fingers to flinch in her grasp, a shiver vibrating up your arm that you shook out in your shoulders. Taehyung took notice of the faintest hints of discomfort in you. Reaching out he placed his large palm on top of your thigh and gave it a comforting squeeze. Pulling the candle closer, she lowered your hand down. Pressing the back of your palm against the glossed surface, she grabbed the ends of your fingers and pull them back softly to stretch out your hand. Her eyes were every green hue of the forest in summertime, but it was starting to feel like something ominous was creeping in the trees.

The temperature of her touch was different this time, higher. Perhaps her blood ran naturally warm. Given the temperature outside. The drafty tent, as well as her lack of a jacket. It was unnatural how her skin radiated with heat. Her eyes searched your skin, studying the lines in your palm like she was reading an ancient text. "Your name begins with a..." She chewed on the letter for a few seconds too many before offering up an unsure "K". The lack of confidence in her voice quickly served to lower your anxiety levels by a few notches. Madam Amara did not bother to look up at your faces as she stated out what she wasn't sure was a fact. Parting your lips your let out a nervous "Uhh." As you complicated on telling the odd woman she wasn't entirely right. You didn't want to be a complete 'Karen'.

"Bowers?" Her eyes rocketed up from your hand and pierced toward you. Knitting your brows together, your lips frowned in confusion. Admittedly, you could have hidden your dumbfounded look a bit better, but she looked up so quickly. That name doesn't even start with a K? With a gentle shake of your head, you muttered out slowly "My name is Y/N." She was off the mark, but there was always the possibility that she wasn't familiar with the English alphabet. You decided she deserved the decency of the benefit of the doubt and opt not to question her on how she got a 'K' out of 'Bowers'. Amara's eyes narrowed in on you, welcoming back in the tension with her piercing glare. Curling your lips in, you blanketed your expression and turned it away from her. Looking to Taehyung, silently you questioned how you were supposed to be reacting to this. His brown browns raised for the sky and his milk chocolate eyes as lost in confusion as you were. The situation was getting more uncomfortable than you'd prefer. You were dealing with a psychic fortune teller with an attitude problem. Bipolar or Possessed?

Releasing your hand unexpectedly she waved it back with a quick command. "Place your palm on the ball." Turning your attention back to the center of the conversation, you placed your palm on the top of the crystal and stared straight ahead. You expected another abrupt command to come spitting in your direction next. Instead, she began to prim the space. Grabbing a polished silver tray with a bundle of sage nestled on top, she set it down on the table. She slipped her fingers around the bushel of herbs and held it up to the candle's flickering heat. The dry plants igniting easily in her hand. Curiosity began to find its way back to your spirit as you watched the wonderous woman prep for her ritual. Even if all of this was nothing more than hocus pocus, it has finesse. A culture of people so rare to the time who told stories of worlds beyond our eyes. No matter how rational you remained, a small sliver of your soul would always want that fantasy world to be true.

She blew at the end of the sage, the remnants of the fire lost in a trailing cloud of smoke. Wafting the burning sage toward herself first, she began to let the smoke float about the tent, trying to cover the air in all directions. Without much effort, both you and Taehyung were hit with a cloud of sage smoke, forcing a cough to tickle in the back of your throat. Taehyung turned his head respectfully to the side to avoid it. Setting the burning sage down on the metal tray she pushed it off to the side and waved at your hand. Delayed in your understanding, you moved your hand off the crystal ball as you assumed she wanted. You pulled your hand back to yourself as Amara reached up with a silk cloth to give the clear crystal ball a quick cleaning shine. Her lips purse and brows pinched. Once again left to question why she would ask you to touch the crystal ball in she was going to just clean it right after with a smug look? You reminded yourself of Taehyung's hand on your thigh and let the thought leave you.

"Close your eyes." Her voice dropped in volume, the base in her tone low and slow. There was a weight to her words that drowned out the ambient noise of your surroundings. Your retracted hand slipped under the table and placed over Taehyung's own as it rested on your leg. Your fingers clasping around his palm. It was then you allowed yourself to feel secure enough to rob yourself of your sight. "Focus on the sound of your heart beating." Madam Amara instructed. When you were asked to tune in to a single sound, your mind always searched every sound around you first. Letting in all the noise from the carnival outside. The game buzzers ringing. Carnies yelling as they tried to get people to buy food and overpriced stuffed animals. The chatter of many groups of people all talking at once, all trying to shout over the other. It was a task easier said than done, letting each individual sound fall away from reality. With something to focus on, however, the task became possible with a couple of long and deep breaths and considerable focus. Taehyung sat in complete silence, never letting his hand leave your leg.

"Focus on your center." Damn. You hoped she wasn't going to start talking about 'Finding your chi'. "What weighs heavy on your heart." You felt the air around you shift, as a waft of sage smoke trickled past your nose. "The things that mold you into the person you are." Slowly, Madama Amara listed off relatable things that caused the cogs of your mind to begin turning. "The answers you are seeking." You hung on her words, being the sound that replaced that of your beating heart. "Concentrate on these things. Finds the center." Amara said, stretching out her last word with a meaning that wasn't immediately known. Find your center. What was at the center of you? At the core of your being, who were you at this moment in time?