Dead by the Bundle: Visions & Victims Series Bundle, #1

By Lily Webb

Welcome to Starfall Valley, where the visions are visceral and the victims are vexing!

 

Jaded college dropout Selena Smith thinks she's seen it all — until an eccentric woman claiming to be her aunt whisks her away to a bed-and-breakfast full of supernatural shenanigans. And when Selena starts seeing visions of the past, she realizes there's much more to her life than meets the eye.

 

This box set contains the first 3 full-length novels in Lily Webb's visionary Visions & Victims series of paranormal cozy mysteries: Dead and Breakfast, Dead Man Walking, and Dead on Arrival.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lily Webb
• Release date: Dec 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393214045

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Another day, another endless string of pumpkin spice lattes.

Though I knew better, after I sprayed a tooth-rotting pile of whipped cream on my latest coffee creation, I glanced up and found a line of customers waiting impatiently to order their fall fix. The queue wound out the front door of Insight Café’s small boutique interior, and the sight of it forced a sigh out of me. Would business ever let up?

You doing okay, Selena? Morgan, my co-worker and one of three roommates, shouted over the cacophony of cell phone chimes and conversations filling the store. She marked yet another customer’s cup and clapped it down behind the twenty others already waiting for me on the counter.

I shrugged. Yeah, all things considered.

Do you need help with the drinks? she asked and reached for the next cup to squirt flavored syrup in it.

I’ve got it, I barked, though that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I’d only been working at the café for a few months, and while it wasn’t the worst job in the world, it wasn’t the best either — especially on busy days. It didn’t help that, as the newbie, I almost always got stuck making the drinks, which I still hadn’t mastered.

Morgan raised her eyebrows at me, tucked a strand of her fiery hair behind one ear, and put the cup back on the counter. Suit yourself, she said and spun around to take the next customer’s order.

Annoyed at myself for snapping at one of the few friends I had, I reached for a nearly full gallon of milk resting on the opposite counter to make yet another PSL — only to knock it to the floor, splashing cold milk all over my pants and everything within a twenty-foot radius.

Morgan’s eyes met mine, and she must’ve read the defeat coursing through me on my face because she rushed over to help me clean it up. Oh, my God. Don’t worry about this, I’ve got it, she said as she sprung into action. Why don’t you take a break for a few minutes? We can handle everything.

I didn’t think twice about accepting her offer. Instead, I stormed around her and into the storeroom before all the customers waiting in line saw me burst into tears.

What was I thinking? I sobbed as I went to the small sink in the back to get a rag and dab as much of the milk off me as possible, but by the time I got there, I’d realized how futile it was; the milk had already soaked through, meaning I’d probably spend the rest of the day smelling like a dumpster. With my hands gripping the edge of the stainless-steel sink, I dissolved.

Selena, are you okay? Jane, my manager, asked cautiously from behind me. She must’ve been doing something on the computer wedged between the series of refrigerators that lined the storeroom.

When I turned to face her and she got a look at the giant wet spots covering my entire body, her expression fell. Oh no, honey. I’m so sorry, she groaned and stepped around me to pull a wet cloth from the sanitizer water in the sink. She wrung it out and set about dabbing the milk spots. I know it’s humiliating, but if it makes you feel any better, it’s happened to all of us at some point.

It doesn’t, but thanks anyway, I said with a sad smile and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. Thankfully, I’d woken up late and didn’t have time to put on makeup. If I had, it would surely have run down my face with my tears. Anyway, it’s crazy busy out there, so I should probably get back on the line.

Jane rested a hand on my shoulder. Why don’t I take over on drinks for a bit? Take as long as you need to get yourself together, she said and left me there to help the others. I leaned against the sink and watched through the doorframe as she breezed through the line of drinks I’d left behind in a matter of minutes like it was nothing at all.

Jane had worked in the café for years, so her skill shouldn’t have surprised me, but it still made me self-conscious. If I couldn’t even hack making cookie cutter coffees, what made me think I stood a chance in nursing school?

Remembering my failure still stung. I’d dropped out of school a year ago, which was how I’d ended up in Denver working as a barista at twenty-one and sharing a rundown town house in the RiNo district with three other girls struggling to make ends meet. Offended that I’d flushed their hard-earned money down the toilet, my rich, conservative doctor parents cut me off and told me I was on my own, so I had to do what I had to do — which meant I had to pull myself together. I literally couldn’t afford to lose my job, no matter how much I hated it.

I took a series of deep breaths, made sure I’d left no tears behind on my face, and stepped back out onto the floor. Morgan had already cleaned up most of the milk mess, and the crowd of customers had mostly cleared out, so I couldn’t help wondering if that was because they had someone fast and competent like Jane making all their drinks. Was I the problem all along?

Jane smiled at me and shook her head, apparently not believing my quick recovery. Are you sure you’re okay?

I’m fine. I promise. I just had a little moment, but I’m good now.

All right, if you insist, Jane said and stepped aside to head back into the storeroom.

To avoid giving any of my coworkers room for doubt, I started working on the next drink right away but stopped when I read the label. Beneath the customer’s name, Blair, ran a list of ingredients that when combined easily made one of the weirdest drinks I’d ever seen: a large pumpkin spice latte with eight shots of espresso, one pump of maple pecan syrup, seven pumps of pumpkin spice, almond milk, light foam, caramel drizzle, cinnamon sprinkle toppings, and extra pumpkin sprinkles.

Curious what kind of sociopath would order something so bizarre, I glanced up and scanned the café. Immediately, I spotted a woman in her late forties standing at the end of the bar who looked as eccentric as the drink I held. She stared off into space, holding the straps to a huge black purse in one hand, and clacked her sparkling purple nails against the counter with the other while she waited.

She’d wrapped a galaxy-print scarf around her buzzed brown hair, and a matching dress draped from her wiry frame, accented by an oversized black lace shawl that hung from her shoulders. A pendant of what looked like a cat’s eye dangled from a loose-fitting gold chain around her neck, and I followed it up to her face where I found the same shade of sparkling purple that coated her nails on her lips and eyelids, too.

She looked like she could be one of those late-night TV psychics or palm readers, but then again, the RiNo attracted all kinds of offbeat people.

Um, excuse me, ma’am? Are you Blair?

She smiled warmly at me and gestured dramatically at herself, making the various golden bands and bangles she wore on both wrists jingle. In the flesh, love. Don’t you recognize me?

Uh, no? Anyway, I was just about to make your drink, but I wanted to be sure it’s right. Did you order it this way?

Blair’s smile widened. I did, and it has to be correct because your poor colleague had me repeat the order several times. Look, I know it sounds disgusting, but trust me, it’s magical.

Oh, okay. Just checking, I said and crouched to pull the almond milk out of the small refrigerator under the espresso machine. I filled a carafe with the milk and got it steaming before moving on to the various syrups Blair wanted in her gross drink. I couldn’t fathom how or why anyone would want to choke down something like that, but who was I to judge?

You’re very good at that, you know, Blair said.

Sorry?

I couldn’t help watching you. You’ve got an eye for artistry. I can tell just from the way you pumped the syrup. It was precise but had a flourish to it.

Thanks, I guess?

Blair chuckled. You really don’t recognize me, do you, love?

My brows instinctively furrowed while I searched her face to jog my memory. I shrugged. Can’t say I do. Have we met somewhere around town before? I asked, though that was highly unlikely given that I never left my place except for work anymore. I didn’t have the money to go out; unfortunately, dropping out of college didn’t save me from having to pay back the student loans I’d already taken out.

It’s me, Aunt Blair.

I laughed and shook my head at her while I got the espresso shots going for her drink. You must have mistaken me for someone else, then. I’ve never had an aunt named Blair.

Well, I suppose that’s true to a certain extent…

What?

Blair coughed and waved me away. "Nothing. I am your aunt, though, love. Your mother, Lacy, is my sister."

My hands froze as they reached for the carafe of now perfectly steamed milk. I knew, without a doubt, that my mother only had an older brother, my Uncle Bob, who died when I was a toddler, so how the heck did this weird woman know her name? And why was she claiming to be her sister?

I’m sorry, you really must have me confused with someone else, I said, though it didn’t sound remotely convincing.

I’m positive I don’t. You’re Selena Smith, the daughter of doctors Lacy and Michael Smith of Seattle, aren’t you?

My heart lurched into my throat. Was this woman stalking me or something? How did she know both my parents’ names? And what did she want with me? Still, there wouldn’t be any point in lying — Blair had flustered me so much that I knew I couldn’t pull it off convincingly — so I nodded.

Y-yeah. Why?

I’m here to fetch you, love. I know you’ve been going through a rough period, and I’d like to help.

Excuse me?

Well, I heard through the grapevine about you quitting school. As terrible as that is, I assumed you must’ve had a good reason — until I later heard you’d moved here and started working as a barista. What a tragic waste of potential.

How do you know all this about me? Do I need to call security?

Blair laughed, deep and hearty, and shook her head. No, love, don’t be so dramatic. I know a flair for it runs in our family, but let’s not be impulsive.

"Our family? I don’t even know who you are and you’re scaring me," I said and glanced at my coworkers. All of them were watching my inexplicable interaction with Blair with confused looks on their faces; they weren’t the only ones confused.

Just hear me out. Your mother and I, well, we haven’t been on speaking terms for many years. We stopped talking shortly after you were born, actually. I’m offended but not at all surprised she hasn’t told you about me, Blair said, but all I could do was gawk at her while my mind reeled. Anyway, I own and run a little bed-and-breakfast called the Kindred Spirits Inn. It’s up in the mountains nearby, and I thought you might like to come and work with me there for the season. Now that snow’s falling again, more paranor—excuse me, people—are heading up the mountain to ski and business at my little bed-and-breakfast is booming. I could use the help.

I could hardly believe my ears. Here was a woman I’d never met, dressed like someone out of a bad Halloween movie, claiming to be my aunt and offering me a job in her bed-and-breakfast in the mountains. It was so weird that, had someone else told me a similar story, I never would’ve believed them.

If you’d rather stay here and keep making coffees for eccentrics at minimum wage, I can’t stop you, Blair said after a few moments in which I didn’t respond. Though I think you’ll find life in the mountains with me at Kindred Spirits much more, shall we say, enchanting.

Thankfully, I’d just finished making her drink, so I popped a lid on the cup and handed it to her. I appreciate the offer, but I think I’m gonna pass.

Blair took a deep swig of the coffee and, with her eyes squeezed shut, savored it for a moment. She swallowed and sighed. Ah, perfect. Simply perfect. Anyway, I knew you’d need time to think it over, so I came prepared, she said and, with her free hand, rummaged around in her massive purse. Oh, come on, I know it’s in here somewhere, she groaned, and I could’ve sworn I heard the squeal of a mouse from inside.

A-ha! she shouted after what felt like an eternity and pulled a business card from her purse. She handed it to me, and I looked it over out of raw curiosity. In a thin, gold, modern font, the words Kindred Spirits Inn blazed back at me. A little ghost floated behind the text with its tongue sticking out, and below it, the address listed the building as being in a place called Starfall Valley, Colorado. I’d never heard of it, but I wasn’t super familiar with the area. A phone number in a weird six-digit format and Blair’s p-mail address — which had to be a typo — accompanied it. My heart skipped a beat when I realized Blair’s last name, which was in the e-mail address, was the same as my mom’s maiden name: Williams. It had to be a coincidence.

I’m staying in town at a friend’s place for the weekend, so sleep on it for a night or two. Just let me know before Sunday morning if you decide you want to come back to Starfall with me, okay, love? Blair asked and smiled. When I didn’t answer, she took another swig of her coffee. Have a good rest of your day, she said, and spun around in a whirl of clothes and bangles to head for the door.

I stood staring after her, still clutching her card and unable to process any of what’d just happened. When the door swished closed behind Blair, the whole café burst into laughter. Morgan came flying up to me and snatched the card out of my hand. What the heck was that all about? Was that lady on something?

I have no clue, I said and laughed. How else was I supposed to react to something like that?

"Oh my God, wait until Jadis hears about this when we get home tonight. She’s going to lose it," Morgan said as she examined the card. She wasn’t wrong, but the comment reminded me that Jadis, another of our coworkers and roommates, and the best, closest friend I’d made in Denver, should’ve been working with us at the café.

Speaking of, why isn’t she here today? I thought she was on the schedule?

Morgan shrugged. She asked me to switch shifts with her. Apparently, her band’s playing a show at some dive bar tonight and she has to be there early to help set up.

Another show?

Right? Who would’ve thought an all-girl punk band called The Neoliberal Nukes screaming about the patriarchy would ever catch on?

I hadn’t, but I was happy for Jadis, regardless. We should support her. I’m sure she can get us in free, I said, though I had ulterior motives. If anyone would know something about Kindred Spirits and Starfall Valley, it would be her.

Jadis loved all kinds of weird, occult stuff — she didn’t go anywhere without a tarot deck — and if the outfit Blair had been wearing was any sign, I figured it was safe to assume her bed-and-breakfast would be right up Jadis’ alley. More than that, though, I wanted to run all this by her to see what she thought. She had a strange, powerful way of seeing things, and she was fantastic at tracking people online from the time she’d spent teaching herself how to hack computers as a kid. With the info on the card as a starting point, I knew Jadis could help me figure out if Blair was telling the truth about who she said she was.

I don’t think I can go; I ran out of earplugs, Morgan said, and we shared a laugh. Seriously, though, I don’t know how Jadis still has a voice after screaming her head off like that night after night.

Well, when you go all day without saying more than five words to people, maybe it’s not so surprising. She’s quiet because she’s saving herself for the stage.

Yeah, sure, something like that. But really, though, I’m not in the mood for another headache. Sorry, girl, you’re on your own, she said and gave Blair’s card back to me.

I shrugged and tucked the card in my back pocket. No worries. I have nothing better to do tonight anyway, so I’ll probably still go.

Have fun, Morgan said sarcastically and went back to the register to ring up a young guy who’d just walked in. After she’d marked his cup and handed it to me, I tried to stay focused on making the drink, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Blair.

How on Earth did she know who I was, who my parents were, and that I’d dropped out of college and come to Denver? As crazy as it was, I couldn’t find any explanation for it other than she really knew someone in my family who’d been feeding her gossip about me — but who could that be? Grandma Carol, my mom’s mom, loved to talk about our entire family behind their backs, but I found it hard to believe a rumormonger like her could keep a disowned aunt a secret from me, unless Grandma hated her too.

I shook my head and queued up a couple espresso shots. I was being ridiculous… Wasn’t I? Could Blair really be my aunt? As far as I knew, there was no one named Blair in my entire family, but if there were, I surely would’ve heard something about her by now. Then again, after the way my mom and dad had ruthlessly cut me out of their life for disappointing them, maybe it wasn’t such a stretch to believe my mom could do the same thing to a sister who’d upset her somehow. But why?

As much as I didn’t want to believe what Blair told me, it nagged at me. While I waited for the shots to finish brewing, I pulled the business card out of my back pocket and stared at the name in the e-mail address. Blair Williams. She and my mom had the same last name, and now that I thought about it, in a certain light, Blair did kind of look like Mom.

If I believed even for a second that she’d pick up, I would’ve taken a break to call her and ask her about Blair, but I knew better. She’d probably assume I was calling begging for money and forgiveness again and let it go to voicemail, anyway. But even if she answered, if she’d really spent all these years pretending her sister didn’t exist, why would she suddenly be honest with me about her now?

Though I didn’t want to admit it, the more I thought about it, the less I believed Blair was lying.

CHAPTER 2

Jadis met me in the alley behind Sid and Nancy’s, the bar where her band would take the stage to play in less than an hour. She looked every bit like a rock star, from the skin-tight leather and spike-studded catsuit she wore to the mysterious black eyeshadow she’d layered around her hazel eyes.

She shook her curly, lavender-dyed hair out of her face and gave me a hug. She smelled like a mixture of sweat, sage, and stale smoke, even though the bars no longer allowed smoking indoors. I’m surprised you came, but I’m glad.

You kidding? I wouldn’t have missed it, I lied. Truthfully, I didn’t at all care for the music The Neoliberal Nukes made, but because she was my best friend and the project meant so much to her, I owed it to her to support her.

Besides, if it weren’t for Jadis, I wouldn’t have my job at Insight nor a roof over my head. I arrived in Denver several months ago with nothing but a few thousand dollars in my bank account and quickly started looking for a place to live, including on billboards at various coffee shops.

Jadis’ ad caught my attention right away, not least of all because it featured a request for those who believe in the pure, transformative magic of life. At that point in my own life, which was easily the lowest it’d ever been, I’d figured a dose of magic couldn’t hurt, and I was right. I called her and we met up at Insight, where Jadis already worked, and she introduced me to Morgan and Summer there. The rest was history.

How was work? Jadis asked, and I sighed. I take it not well, she laughed.

Well, yes, and no. I spilled milk all over myself, so that was fun, but it was nothing compared to the conversation I had with this weird woman who came in claiming to be my aunt.

Jadis’ thick, dark eyebrows furrowed. What? But you don’t have an aunt, do you?

I didn’t think so, but honestly, now I’m not so sure.

What does that mean? What did she say?

Blair, the woman, came in and ordered the weirdest drink I’ve ever seen, so I asked her if it was really what she wanted before I started making it. She insisted it was and said she couldn’t believe I didn’t recognize her — but I’d never seen her in my life before today.

That sounds… Bizarre.

I know, and it gets weirder. She knew my parents’ names, she knew I’d dropped out of school in Seattle and moved here, and she offered me a position working at her bed-and-breakfast up in the mountains. She seemed invested in helping me turn things around.

Whoa, creepy.

You’re telling me! Anyway, I have to be honest, that’s part of the reason I came to the show tonight. I really wanted to talk to you about all this because I’m not sure Blair was lying.

Jadis blew a raspberry. Crap. I wish I had more time before the show to talk about all this, but I really need to warm up.

That’s fine, I understand. We can catch up afterward if you still have a voice.

Jadis chuckled and hugged me again. You know, it doesn’t hurt your throat if you do it correctly. Trust me, I took online lessons.

You paid someone to teach you how to scream like an infernal demon?

Jadis shrugged. Sometimes it’s the only way to get people’s attention.

Jadis! You out there? someone interrupted, and a moment later, a woman our age poked her bright pink, mohawked head out the back door. It was Scarlet, lead guitarist for The Neoliberal Nukes. There you are. So, listen, we’ve got a problem.

Jadis scowled at her. I don’t like the sound of that. What’s wrong?

"Celeste just called. She quit the band. Without her, the show’s off and the management is not happy about it."

Jadis sighed and rolled her eyes. Go figure. The drummers are always the drama queens, she muttered to me and I bit back a laugh. Oh well, I can’t say I’m surprised. She’s been acting weird ever since we started getting gigs. It’s probably too much for her.

What do we do?

Jadis shrugged. Guess we give the bar their money back, apologize, pack our gear and call it a night.

"Ugh, I could kill Celeste," Scarlet snarled and disappeared back into the bar.

Jadis turned back to me with a smile on her face. Well, I guess it’s your lucky night because now you’ve got me all to yourself. Wanna come inside while we pack up?

Sure, I said, secretly relieved not to have to listen to Jadis howling about the systematic oppression of women over squealing guitars and thundering drums for an hour. She opened the back door for me and gestured for me to lead the way. You know, I’m surprised you aren’t more upset about this, I told her as I entered a long, dark, narrow hallway.

I’ve been in enough failed bands now that I expect it. Punks are flaky, it’s just part of the territory. But I never expected this band to go anywhere anyway, so it’s whatever.

There were many things I admired about Jadis, but her easygoing attitude toward, well, pretty much everything was the thing I admired most. Nothing seemed to shake her.

We continued down the hallway until we emerged into what looked like a makeshift lounge and combination dressing room. Gross, dingy furniture lined the walls, and I wouldn’t have dreamed of sitting on any of it. Raised voices drifted from down another hall opposite me, probably the bar’s management shouting at Scarlet for her band falling apart.

This way, Jadis said and led me around the corner to another, smaller room with a refrigerator and a small, rickety card table in the center. An overflowing ashtray sat in the middle of the table, which Jadis picked up and set on a nearby counter. Have a seat, Jadis ordered as she pulled her bag out from a dark corner of the room.

Though the equally shaky folding chairs looked no more comfortable or welcoming than the stain-covered furniture in the other room, I lowered myself down into one of the two. Jadis pulled her tarot deck out of her bag and wiped the surface of the table off with her hands, sending ashes snowing to the floor.

Somehow, I doubt a tarot reading is going to help me make sense of all this. You know I don’t believe in this stuff, I said, eyeing her as she shuffled her deck. Though I appreciated her trying to help, I wasn’t really in the mood for a conversation with the spirits.

You can’t know until you try. Tell me more about what happened today, she said and sat down across from me while she continued to shuffle the cards.

I’ve already shared pretty much everything there is to share. Oh, well, except for this, I guess, I said and pulled my wallet out of my back pocket to retrieve the business card Blair had given me. I set it on the table in front of Jadis, and she stared at it with wide eyes.

Kindred Spirits? Starfall Valley? I’ve never heard of either of these places. Are you sure they’re even real? she asked as she set down the deck of cards and pulled her phone out of her bag.

I shrugged. No clue. I mean, how would I know? I’m barely familiar with our neighborhood, let alone the entire city and the surrounding area.

Glancing back and forth from the card to her phone, Jadis punched the address into the map app on her phone. Do you think this is some elaborate prank or something?

I dunno. I guess it could be, but I doubt it. Blair knew way too much, and who in their right mind would go to such lengths to mess with my head like that?

Good point, though from what you’ve told me about her, she sounds like she might not be in her right mind, she laughed, then her brows scrunched.

What’s wrong?

Weird. I know I typed the address of the BNB right, but it’s not coming up on the map.

Well, it’s in the mountains, right? Maybe the app just doesn’t have the entire map for that area.

Maybe, but I even tried looking for a place called Starfall Valley and it didn’t come up either.

I didn’t know what to make of that. Could Blair really have concocted all this, including a fake business and card, just to play games with me? I couldn’t see why she’d want to. Maybe it’s new? Blair said that her business is suddenly booming.

I guess it could be, Jadis said and tapped around on her phone some more. Huh, looks like she’s not on any social media sites, or at least not under her name or the BNB’s. That seems weird for a business these days.

She’s my parents’ age, so she might not know how to use all that. Wouldn’t surprise me. I don’t know many people our age and younger who are staying at mountain bed-and-breakfasts.

True, but what’s with this weird phone number she has listed? Is it foreign or something? Anyway, let’s see what the cards have to say about all this, Jadis said and set her phone on the table to hand me her deck. Shuffle and think about what happened today and what you should do with it.

Okay, but I really don’t think this will help. Shouldn’t we, I dunno, look up more info about Blair instead?

We can after. Just shuffle.

Fine, I said and struggled to mix the cards up with both hands. I’d never been good at it, and I hadn’t improved in the months since Jadis insisted I practice. After a few attempts, I tried to hand the deck back to her, but she shook her head.

Cut it first, she said and gestured what she wanted me to do, so I split the deck in half and rejoined it, then slid it across the table to her. With a satisfied smile, one by one she drew and laid out three cards face down next to each other. She flipped the first one over, a depiction of a crumbling, burning tower, and laughed. Well, The Tower fits.

I raised an eyebrow at her. What does it mean?

The Tower is a symbol of the past foundations of your life falling apart around you. Given everything that’s happened to you recently, I’d say it’s spot on. But a crumbling suggests an opportunity for a new beginning, which you’ve gotten here in Denver. I guess it could also refer to Blair coming into your life.

Okay, I said, unimpressed. It didn’t take a psychic to know I’d been through a lot in the last year.

Sensing my skepticism, Jadis flipped the next card, revealing a picture of a regal-looking woman sitting on what seemed to be a throne. Ah, The Empress. This usually represents someone in your life with caregiving, motherly energy who wants to help you. I’d say this is me, but I wonder if it could be about Blair instead?

That’s so vague it could literally be anyone, I said, and Jadis glared at me. What? I’m serious! That doesn’t really tell me anything. Sure, it could be Blair, but you said yourself it could just as easily be you, or Jane, or any other woman in my life.

Fine, let’s keep going then, Jadis said and flipped the last card. It depicted a young man with a knapsack flung over his shoulder, apparently about to step off the edge of a mountain to his doom. The Fool. That makes perfect sense.

It does?

Yeah. This card is usually an encouragement to take a leap of faith, to trust in the process no matter how crazy it seems, because you’re at the start of a new journey, Jadis said and looked me in the eye. I think the cards are telling you to take a chance on Blair. They want you to make a big change in your life, that’s why you drew all Major Arcana.

I burst out laughing. I don’t know what that means, but I know this is crazy. You really expect me to make a huge decision like that based on a few cards? I just met Blair, and she seems a little too suspicious for me to run away into the mountains with her on a whim.

Really, what do you have to lose? I mean, we’ll miss you around here, but it’s not like there’s much left for you. We all know how much you hate working at Insight, not that I blame you.

I crossed my arms over my chest. I’m still not buying it.

Then let’s pull another card, Jadis said and fanned the remaining cards in the deck out in front me. Pick one, whichever speaks to you most.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I reached for a card toward the middle of the deck and flipped it over. The card, The Magician, showed a young, long-haired man in flowing robes with an infinity symbol above his head raising a wand high in one hand.

Bingo, Jadis laughed. It couldn’t be any clearer. The Magician is a card of manifestation, and the first card after The Fool. The cards are definitely telling you to move forward with this. I can’t interpret it any other way.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at her. So, you’re really telling me that, because some cards said so, I should throw away everything I have here to disappear into the mountains with a weird woman I just met?

What if you didn’t go alone?

What?! Are you saying what I think you are?

Jadis shrugged. I could use a shakeup myself. I mean, it’s not like my band is going anywhere without a drummer, and honestly, I’m tired of trying to make it in music. Let’s have an adventure.

But what about Morgan and Summer? We can’t just leave them on the hook for our share of the rent. And what if this all goes terribly wrong? We won’t have jobs or a house to come back to here.

We’re paid up on the rent for the rest of the month, and I’m sure they can find a couple girls to sublet in the meantime. We’ll figure all that other stuff out if we get there. I always land on my feet, Jadis said. Normally, I appreciated her laid back approach to life, but this seemed blase even for her.

Still, I had to admit that there was something tempting about Blair and her offer, and if Jadis came with me, at least I wouldn’t be alone if things went sideways. I wanted to know more about Blair, namely if she was telling me the truth about her relationship to my family, and what better way to do that than spend a few months working with her? Besides, Jadis was right; there really wasn’t anything left for me in Denver.

Jadis pushed Blair’s business card across the table to me. Call her. See if she’s okay with you bringing another pair of hands.

If she’s even half as busy as she claims she is, she won’t say no, I said and, though I couldn’t believe what I was about to do, I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket and dialed the number on the card. I put the phone on speaker so Jadis could hear too, and though the line remained silent for a few moments, eventually a weird clicking sound came across and the phone started ringing.

I didn’t expect you to call so soon, love, Blair answered, and Jadis locked eyes with me. How did she know it was me calling? Selena? Are you there?

Y-yeah, I’m here. I just… How did you know it was me?

Oh, uh, caller ID, Blair said, though I got the distinct sense that wasn’t really how she knew. So, have you decided?

Not quite. I have some questions I’d like to ask you first.

I see. Well, go ahead, then. I’m an open book.

Is this all some sick joke? I blurted out.

Blair laughed. No, love, I promise you it isn’t. I understand how sudden and strange this must be for you, but it’s not a joke.

Okay, well, the thing is, a friend of mine and I looked up the information on the business card you gave me and didn’t come back with any results.

There’s a good reason for that.

Which is?

Blair sighed. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you. I’ll have to show you.

Jadis and I exchanged confused looks, but she shrugged, so she must not have been too concerned. Uh… Okay. What if I’m not happy there? Can I come back to Denver?

Of course. You can leave whenever you’d like. I’m not kidnapping you, love.

Okay, good. Would you, uh, mind terribly if I brought a friend of mine along with me, just to be safe? She’s willing to work too.

That would be lovely. She’s more than welcome, and Lilith knows I could use all the help I can get.

Who’s Lilith?

Never mind, we’ll talk about that some other time. So, does this mean what I think it does?

I glanced at Jadis again, who nodded excitedly at me. Despite the pounding in my chest, I swallowed my fear. Yeah, I think so. Jadis and I would like to come back to Kindred Spirits with you.

Fantastic! Oh, this is great news! Blair shouted, and I could’ve sworn I heard something popping and fizzling in the background, like she’d opened a bottle of champagne or something. Excuse me, I, uh, knocked something over in my excitement. Anyway, Kiki’s going to jump over her broomstick when I tell her you’re finally coming home.

No worries, but who’s Kiki? And what do you mean, ‘coming home?’

Er, she’s your other aunt. You’ll meet her and see what I mean soon enough. Now, I’m leaving bright and early Sunday morning, so make sure you pack up everything you need and want to bring with you, and I’ll pick you girls up at your place on my way out of town. Sound good?

Yeah, sounds good, I said, though I had no idea how she knew where we lived. We’ll see you then, I guess.

I can’t wait. Have a good night, love.

Yeah, you too, Blair. Bye, I said and hung up.

Jadis slammed her hands on the table, making me jump, and beamed at me. Can you believe this?! We’re really doing this, aren’t we? Just me and you, hitting the open road like Thelma and Louise.

Though I shared her excitement to a certain extent, questions swirled in my head. Between Blair’s business and contact info not showing up online and her evasive answers to my questions, I had a feeling she was hiding a lot of things from me, but what and why? And what was I getting myself into?

Come on, let’s go home and get started packing, Jadis said as she shot out of her chair and gathered up her things.

What about the rest of the band and your gear?

Scarlet can handle it. There’s not much there, anyway. Come on, Jadis said and tugged me out of my chair and the bar into the chilly evening air. But as we walked home, all I could think about was what was waiting for me in Starfall Valley — or if it even existed.

There was only one way to find out.

CHAPTER 3

Sunday morning came faster than it had any right to. Jadis and I stayed up nearly all night Friday and Saturday scrambling to pack up everything we’d need; neither of us had any idea how long we might stay in Starfall Valley — it could be a day, it could be the whole season — so we didn’t know what to bring and what to leave behind.

Understandably, Morgan and Summer didn’t initially approve of our impulsive decision to move, but thanks to some quick thinking by Jadis, our roommates relented when Jadis convinced Scarlet and Ira, the guitarists from her now-defunct band, to take over our share of the lease.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee lured me out of my bedroom, and when I entered the kitchen downstairs, I found Jadis sitting at the table with a steaming mug in one hand and a series of tarot cards spread out on the table in front of her. The sun, which had barely risen, lit up the cards.

Morning reading? I asked as I went to the cupboard for a mug.

Gotta start my day with coffee and clarity.

And what are the spirits telling you today? That you’re about to make a terrible mistake?

No, the opposite, actually, Jadis said and picked up a card: The High Priestess. I could barely make it out from where I stood — not that it mattered since I didn’t have a clue what any of the cards meant, anyway — but I saw a woman wearing religious robes sitting between two pillars, the left black, the right white.

She looks awfully serious. What’s her deal? I asked and filled my mug. Normally, I would’ve doctored my coffee up with copious amounts of cream and sugar, but given that I’d barely slept for two nights in a row, I wanted as pure a caffeine hit as I could get, so I left it black.

She’s not serious; she’s pensive. She tells us to go inside ourselves and listen to our intuition, to that voice deep inside us that tells us what we already know is right for us.

"Huh. Then maybe