AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t start lying now,” Ms. Pope said, her humor gone almost instantly.
“I was...”
“No. You were finally releasing things that should not remain trapped within you. But you weren’t feeling better. It is slow, but at least that is progress. And as I promised, progress of this nature deserves a small reward. I cannot give you more answers right now. But I did make an appointment for the both of you to go see Renee.”
Tina gasped slightly.
“Don’t keep her waiting, and I hope that it helps both of you with closure in your lives.” Ms. Pope turned to Tina. “We would not have been able to save you if you had not signed the deal. I know you do not speak of it often, and why, and I respect that. But I will tell you now that I made sure I extracted every ounce of pain from that bastard that I could. And even more than he ever believed he could survive. I lost count of the number of times he prayed to a God who would never come for him for death. Or how he begged me, because I had become his new God.”
Stacy’s jaw hung open. She’d never heard such venom coming from her boss, never thought she’d see the other woman anything short of perfectly composed.
“There are days I wish I could have hurt him even just a little more.” She turned so she could face both women. “When he was in front of me, I saw inside of him. Tina was not the first woman he did that to. And the things he planned on doing to her when she healed if he found her... We will suffice it to say that it is an accomplishment indeed for someone to incur that much rage inside of me. But what he had done...what he planned... I know demons in the darkest pit of what some would consider hell who weren’t as mean as he was.”
Ms. Pope shook her head. “And I believe that is enough of my sharing. Both of you go to your appointments.” She turned away from them. “And Stacy, if you do not come away with this meeting with answers, you have no one but yourself to blame. I will not tolerate any whining about it after this. We all have to pay a price for things we do. This is a gift to you, but do not think it came free.” Ms. Pope walked away.
“What was that about,” Stacy asked Tina when the other woman had reentered the building.
“Which part?”
“Who is Renee? And what did she mean, it wasn’t free?”
“It means that she is going to pay the price for us to see Renee. And Renee is the best Seer we have. Most people wait years to see her. And they do it happily. She’s scary, and she’s good. Ms. Pope is right. If you don’t get answers from her, you lose all right to complain...”
* * * * * *
Stacy waited outside the room, trying to keep herself from biting on
her nails nervously. She and Tina had gone to one of those street psychic shops, with the hand and words in neon signs hanging in the window.
The parlor fit every bad stereotype she’d ever had about this type of thing. She had been incredibly nervous when an older woman entered in a multicolor dress with a dark purple shawl over her shoulders.
Tina offered to let her go in with her, but the old woman put her foot down. Literally. “No! Single reads only!”
She was flipping through a magazine when Tina came out.
“How was it?”
“It was a good. A little scary, but very go—”
“No talking! Talk after. Let’s go!” The little old lady ushered her through the beaded curtain and down a short hall to a smaller room. She pointed for her to sit down in the chair then took her own place in the chair that almost resembled a recliner.
Stacy sat there quietly, looking at the table with a purple cloth on it that exactly matched the old woman’s shawl. A large crystal ball sat just to the side of her as the woman stared intently at Stacy.
“Well?”
“Huh?” She jumped.
“Don’t you have questions that you need to be answered?” The woman’s voice was different. It was almost gentle. Definitely not as abrasive as it had been in the parlor. “Ms. Pope led me to believe that you were full of questions.”
“I am...I’m sorry. I just wasn’t sure how this was supposed to go. That’s why Tina was going to let me come back here with her. Because I’ve never done this before and now I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do or if you are just going to look into my mind like Ms. Pope does, or maybe read my palm, or what to expect really.”
The old woman chuckled. It was a very warm sound. “She told me you babbled when you were nervous. It’s good that she has you around. You will bring something to that company that has been missing for a very long time.”
“Don’t you work there?”
“No. I am my own boss. Occasionally I will do several people there favors, but I get very well compensated for my time.”
“Oh...” Stacy chewed on her lip. “How did you get into this?”
