Page 26 of Deadly Misfortunes

Kat and Sascha were listening in on the conversation as they waited for a woman to pull her coupons out of her purse.

Sascha wasn’t surprised Gregory had brought Stephanie to the fair. As confident as he seemed, he appeared to need someone to be with him on excursions.

“You heard what Prescott said. Gregory asked several other women to go with him before he gave in and asked Steph,” Kat said telepathically to Sascha. “But you noticed Stephanie went home with Marvin.”

“That’s because Marvin has cheated on his girlfriends before he met Rose,” Lucy said. Lucy was trying to conjure up a ghost for a customer, but she could multitask just as much as all the family members with abilities could.

“I can’t believe you told Rose she would have a car crash and that’s how she meets her new boyfriend.” Kat took coupons from a little boy, maybe about nine years old.

“It’s true,” Sascha said.

“Sure, but you should have told her something more positive and upbeat.”

“I couldn’t think of anything else in her future, and I wasn’t going to make anything up,” Sascha said.

“So, Matthew,” Kat said to the boy. “You’re nine years old and going to the fourth grade in the fall.”

His eyes widened, and he glanced at his mom and dad.

“You have had straight A’s in school for two years, and your mom and dad have agreed to give you a very special gift you’ve wanted forever.”

His parents’ mouths gaped.

“A puppy?” He turned to his mom and dad. “A puppy?”

“You ruined the surprise,” Sascha told Kat, amused that she had just scolded her for reading Rose’s future that involved the car accident. At least Kat knew Sascha was telling the truth.

“I couldn’t help it. The whole family was thinking about it. I couldn’t come up with anything else.”

“See? The same thing happened to me.”

The boy hugged his parents, and they left, promising to pick up the puppy that afternoon. Luckily, they weren’t upset that Kat had spoiled the surprise.

Then Prescott arrived with their food. He and Kat ate behind Sascha’s tent. When they were done, Kat took over for Sascha so she could eat.

And then Kat took Lucy’s place so she could eat since Sascha was expected to be at her own booth unless Kat relieved her.

As it got close to closing time, people started leaving, and the cousins had fewer customers.

“Do you ever wish you worked at something else?” Lucy asked.

“Not me,” Sascha said. “I love having fun with people, telling them what they want to hear, sometimes maybe what they don’t want to hear. And you?”

Then another customer walked up to Lucy’s booth. She smiled at her and took the coupons from her outstretched hand. “Not me, either,” Lucy said to Sascha and Kat privately. She and Sascha looked at Kat.

Kat sighed and shrugged. “I have to admit, after substituting for Sascha that one time when she was sick, it was the best thing I ever did.” She squeezed Prescott’s hand.

That’s how Kat had first met Prescott.

Sascha was glad that Kat had continued to help her at shows on weekends.

Then Lucy was helping her customer speak to a loved one while Sascha read a fortune for yet another skeptical couple.

When the fairgrounds closed for the night, they picked up corn dogs and hugged Lucy before she left in her 1956 raven black Thunderbird.

Prescott and Kat insisted that Sascha stay another night with them, and they would all go over to the fairgrounds tomorrow.

“You know I’m all right,” Sascha said, though she was happy to stay with them in their rambling house.