As we made our way back from where we started, Aiya came to a stop, holding me close to her which made me stop as well. Her eyes weren't on me, they were on a large, dark shack isolated from all the buildings. It was out in the middle of a field surrounded by crows, and on the side of it was a small pond that I could imagine was contaminated with dead fish. "I always forgot that place was sitting there," I could feel her shiver.

"What is it?" I shivered, mostly at the fact that I never noticed it at first.

"Well, my friends and I used to make rumors about how someone died there and their spirit still haunts the place. Or how there's an old man who's lived there even before this town was founded."

"Those were just rumors, right?"

"Yeah... Last time I was here, my friends and I dared another girl to go into that shack, and an hour later she came out smelling like herbs and sweets. She didn't look hurt or terrified. The truth we learned is that there are actually two women who lived there, and they run a small business of divination. I guess it's pretty cool, but it wasn't as imaginative as our ideas."

"Divination?"

"Mm-hmm. You know, like palm reading? Tarot cards? Ever done it before?"

I shook my head, and Aiya blinked, "Really? Well, we can do it before we go. We still have an hour before everything closes."

The soles of my feet were aching at this point and it felt as if the bones in my legs went stiff. Rather than saying no, all that came out was, "I don't really know..."

"Oh come on. It might be fun, don't you think? Besides, I haven't done it."

Seeing how there wasn't an option to say no now, I followed her down the field of newly grown grass, scaring off the crows as we now stepped onto a part of the field that was now dead grass. I could feel my stomach sink at the closer sight of the old, rusty shack. Hanging above the door was a sign that was close the falling off its nails, barely readable. Miki and Miku: Sisters of Divination. Aiya didn't have to turn the knob to open the door as it swung open slowly with a loud creak, and now I could feel her anxiety radiate. "Um, okay... Let's hope they're still alive."

Fortunately, as we entered the shack, it smelled nothing like rotting corpses, but of scented candles and herbs. It was dimly lit by colored lights hanging from the ceiling, and the shelves on one side of the wall contained books, games, and decorations. Then, standing over at a small counter not too far from here was an old woman with a crow nesting upon her shoulder, slightly trembling as she struggled to read the words from her small book. The door slammed behind us, which caught her attention. She gasped, "Customers...! Miki! Get the tea and cake!"

I guess she's Miku then. For an old woman, she sure had quite a bit of stamina left as she rushed over to Aiya and I, "Welcome to our shop, children. Come sit. Make yourselves comfortable. My sister will be out with the goods shortly."

Seating us at a table with creaky chairs, it was slightly relieving to sit down not only because my legs could get a break, but I knew that thankfully we'd be leaving this shack alive. "So what brings you here this late afternoon?" Miku lit a small candle in the middle of the table, "Come to talk about our magic, maybe simply to have a nice cup of tea or enjoy a cake or pie...?"

"Fortunes," Aiya said, keeping her eyes on the crow that sat on the old woman's head, "We're just here for a reading."

"Oh, well then. It's been a while since someone's asked us for that. Miki, how long has it been? One year? Three years?"

Another old woman, sharing the same physical traits as her sister, came in, holding a tray that held a tea pot, small cups, and a small cake that looked as if it was sitting in the pantry for decades. "I feel like it's been... Ten years," Miki answered, "Could've been more."

"Perhaps," Her sister answered, "It seems as if people are just here to see if we're still alive or not."

After mumbles of agreement, Miki set down the tray. "Nonetheless, it's good to have some people like you," Miku said. I looked at the cake, or mostly what was next to it. Aiya and I exchanged looks, knowing we were both skipping desert as we both saw a cockroach crawl of the plate.

I cleared my throat, "So, how does this work?"

Miku and Miki looked each other, and looked back at us. Miku began pouring the pot of tea into each cup, "We're going to read your tea leaves. Just drink up, and we'll handle the rest." Aiya, eager to know, sipped her tea so quickly that she was finished in a matter of seconds. When I took a drink of the tea, I almost spit it out. It wasn't bad, but it was scalding hot. I put the cup down as Aiya spoke, lisping is it appeared the heat of the beverage melted her tongue, "Okay. What happenth now?"

While waiting for the tea to cool down, I observed how the whole tea-leaf reading works. Aiya handed Miki the cup, and together, the sisters gazed down, looking as if they were staring straight into the void. "Is that a thimble or a bucket…?" Miku murmured, pointing towards the edge of the cup. Hearing this, Aiya stood up, tying to look into the cup to see what on earth they were talking about.

"There's a heart right there," Miki replied.

"Okay, wait a minute," Aiya began, "A bucket and a heart? What'th that thuppothed to mean? Am I gonna fall in love with a bucket?"

As Miki explained to her the meaning behind that unusual reading, I sipped my tea once again. It was a little bit cooler. Still hot, but bearable. Taking a big gulp, Miki explained how Aiya will find happiness in her life, but most likely, she wouldn't have a true love. At this, Aiya was outraged, her voice loud enough to blow out our eardrums. I finished my tea, which seemed to be a relief for Miku as she turned her attention to me, "Finished, my dear?"

I handed her the tea cup as Miki calmly tried to explain how Aiya can still be happy even if she doesn't have a spouse in her life. Once again, Miku squinted her eyes, gazing into it and observing the patterns of the tea leaves. She rotated the cup, squinting and trying to make out what was in it. I stayed silent, though I could feel curiosity raging deep down inside that I was almost tempted to say something.

"Strange…" She said.

"What?" I finally asked.

"Sister, would you look here for a minute?"

Miki paused, scooting close to Miku, who questioned, "What does this look like to you?"

The shorter sister tilted her head, pursing her lips, "It looks like… An angel."

"That's what I was thinking, but if you tilt it this way, it looks more like a bat, don't you think?"

I blinked, hoping that my tea leaves would be an angel since a rat with wings didn't sound any better.

"A bit odd, indeed."

Miku finally looked at me, "Well, my dear, this could mean one of two things."

Interested and anxious to hear, I leaned in a bit, "Which is?"

"Well, it could mean that you're heading in a direction of happiness, love, and peace."

Aiya scoffed, looking away, "Lucky…"

"What's the bad news then?"

Worryingly, Miki said, "Well, if it's the other meaning, it's a bad omen."

Obviously.

"In other words, this could mean that there's going to ill events ahead that might lead to… That might lead to something terrible happening to you."

I stared at them, laughing nervously, "Terrible? Like what? Am I gonna die? What's gonna happen? When's it gonna happen?"

"We can't predict time, deary."

I looked at Aiya, who had a somewhat worried look in her eyes. I swallowed thickly, "What should I do then…?"

Miki spoke first, "Just tread carefully, but don't spend all your time thinking about what will happen next."

"Focus on the positive energy in your life," Miku continued, "Keep your friends close, know who they are, and maybe then, that's where you'll find the love and peace."

I nodded slowly, and minutes later, we left the shack, feeling completely thrown off. I guess Aiya noticed because she began, almost forcing herself to say it, "Y-You know what? They're wrong." I looked at her, silent.

"They're wrong," She said, shrugging, "They're probably too old, and their minds are just jumbled up."

"Maybe…"

"What they said isn't true, okay? Nothing bad is gonna happen. You're not gonna die. None of that just won't happen."

I knew why she was saying those things. She was just trying to make us feel better, and it's completely understandable. Both of us heard the things we didn't want to hear, and in return, I said, "Yeah… You're right… Nothing bad is gonna happen to you, and I do think that you'll find a love interest someday."

Aiya smiled, her face glimmering with joy. She intertwined her fingers with mine as we walked back into the town. She didn't say it, but her body language did, "I already have."

This was a little more enjoyable to write. I'll try to get the next chapter up and going, and I think I'll try to update on weekends (And if not, I'm probably procrastinating like a boss).