Page 110 of Off the Rails

“Hurry up, dude. We’re forgetting the plot of the movie at this rate.” Blade groaned from the couch, her leg anxiously tapping against the shag carpet.

I rolled my eyes as I grabbed the big metal bowl and walked back to the living room. Setting the bowl on the table, I moved over to the burning wood stove in the corner of the den. I grabbed the handle of the door, flung it open and tossed a new log inside.

It was early to run the woodstove; the house was plenty warm without it.

But we all took comfort in it.

Over the last few days, it had been difficult to get comfortable. The looming confusion of The Messenger’s— Rubin’s plans had made everyone antsy.

Once the wood caught, I sealed the door and flopped back on the couch. Tess’s body bounced a little as I threw myself down.

“Jesus.” She giggled as she adjusted back into her spot, trying to take a sip of her hard cider. The glass bottle looked pretty on her lips, and the drips of amber brew were enough to stop my heart.

Blade must have had the same thought. “Come here, Trinket. Let me clean you up.” Her tongue slipped out from behind her lips, licking up the drops of cider as her piercing rubbed against Tess’s soft skin.

My throat tightened, burning for a taste of her myself.

Tess shifted in her seat, certainly throbbing between her legs. Her eyes nervously checked the runtime of the movie on the TV.

Too long to trust that Blade and I could keep our hands to ourselves.

But then her gaze dropped to the wooden box just under the screen. Inside, the worn deck of Tarot cards lie in waiting.

“I want a reading.” She popped up from the couch just as Blade leaned in, trying to close in on her prey before she could slip through her claws.

“Funny.” I scoffed as I leaned back into the couch.

Of course, I knew the time would come that she would ask. Who wouldn’t? We treated those cards like the weather, like they could predict how the wind would blow.

At least Cyrus did.

She claimed I had a touch of something. That what I saw when I read the cards were real visions.

But there was a thin line between coincidence and prophecy.

And if I had to put money on it, I’d say it was chance. Like thinking you stood a chance at the roulette table.

“I’m serious.” Tess grabbed the ornate box and held it in her palms.

The winding vines of a pothos snaked around the wood, turning into a viper as it reached the gold latch. Some spots were rougher than others — Cyrus’s carving skill progress was a map along every grain of wood.

“You have a club. I want to be a part of it.” Licking her teeth, Tess meant business.

And the worst part was, she wasn’t wrong.

We’d left her out, left her in the group home all those years ago. In the meantime, we’d fabricated an entire religion around her.

And here she was, completely clueless.

Blade stared me down. “It’s not that serious.”

To Tess, it would be a playful ribbing. But I knew what Blade meant. She didn’t believe, not the way Cyrus did, not even the way I did.

Maybe she was right.

But I took a handful of popcorn anyway, shoving it in my mouth. “Can’t. Hands too dirty.” I spoke through the mouthful of food.

“Ugh.” Tess grabbed a roll of paper towels from the coffee table and threw them into my lap. “Then clean yourself up.”