Maura, Calla, and Persephone had been walking for so long, Maura's feet were literally bleeding. There were blisters on the backs of all of their heels.
They'd caught a ride across the state line into Virginia two days ago, and they'd been walking ever since. Half an hour ago, Maura had seen a sign welcoming them to the town of Henrietta.
"Where are we?" she asked now. Up ahead, Persephone kept walking, ignoring Maura's question.
"Persephone!" she called. "Where are we going?"
"Just here," Persephone said. "Near the place we can't see. Not too close, though."
Maura sighed as they reached the top of yet another hill. They'd followed this road through the center of Henrietta, all the way to a simple residential neighborhood. The street sign declared this to be Fox Way.
Persephone marched on down the middle of the street. If a car came, she'd be in trouble, but the place seemed deserted. Maura and Calla had little choice but to follow her.
"Where the hell is she taking us?" Calla asked.
Persephone stopped and turned to face her friends. A smile was spreading over her face. "Home, of course."
They had stopped outside number 300.
o-o-o-o-o
The house was a wreck, but it was basically free. It had been Maura who called the agent— Persephone walked right in like she owned the place.
"It's affordable," Maura said. "It will be tight, but I think we'll be fine. One of us is going to have to get a job."
"It won't be Persephone," Calla said. "Can you picture her in an office? Do you want a job, Maura?"
"Not particularly," Maura said. "But I'll get one."
"Don't bother," Calla said. "I need something to do. You can fix up the house while I pay for it."
o-o-o-o-o
Maura did end up going with Calla to look for jobs, because Persephone was driving them both a little bit mad. She was flittering about the house, dusting everything—except Persephone's version of dusting didn't actually remove any dust, just moved it to a new spot. Maura had been sneezing all morning.
The three women had been in Henrietta for a little over a week. In that time, Maura had gotten the kitchen decontaminated, ripped out all the showers—they weren't salvageable—and set up bedrooms for the three of them. Calla had been job-hunting without success. Persephone had completely dismantled the bedroom Maura had made up for her so she could move into the room she preferred, and then she'd begun with her dusting routine.
"So I did find a place," Calla said. "The interview should be short. You can wait outside." Calla and Maura were walking along the side of the road, just on the edge of town. Up ahead, Maura could see what looked like a school campus, with its own parking lot, shaded by trees.
"Where?" she asked. "Here?"
"Yes. Aglionby Academy." Calla practically spat the name. "All-boys private school for the sons of capitalists and oil barons and God knows who else. I'm going to hate it here."
"But you think you'll get the job," Maura said.
"I know I'll get the job," Calla said. "Everyone else applying is an incompetent fool."
Maura ended up waiting outside while Calla went into the administrative building for her interview. She didn't mind—it was a beautiful day, warm in the middle of March. Knowing Virginia weather, it would be snowing next week, so Maura was determined to enjoy it.
"Lovely day," someone said. "Isn't it?"
Maura turned to find herself face-to-face with a sharp-looking man in an ill-fitting gray suit. He looked as out of place here as Maura herself did.
"It is," Maura said. "I'm enjoying it while it lasts."
The man laughed. "Yes. My wife and son are touring one of the buildings, but I'd always rather be outdoors."
"I know the feeling," Maura said. "I'm Maura Sargent." She held out her hand.
The man took it. "Niall Lynch," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Are you planning to send your son here?" Maura asked.
"Not now," the man said. "He's only three. But we're planning for the future."
"Ah," Maura said. "My roommate works here. I'm just waiting for her to finish up."
Niall looked over the grounds and sighed.
"I know it's a nice school," he said. "I'll be honest, though, it's not my kind of place."
"Mine either," Maura said.
Up ahead, the door to the administrative building swung open. Calla stepped out onto the walk, spotted Maura, and frowned.
"There's my roommate," Maura said. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Niall."
"You as well," Niall said. "If you ever find yourself in need of anything unusual, Maura, don't hesitate to give me a call. Tarot cards, crystal balls, anything." He slipped a card into Maura's hand, winked, and strode away.
Rattled, Maura crossed the path to Calla's side.
"Who was that man?" Calla asked. "He looked like he was about to try to rob you blind."
"He knows we're psychic," Maura said casually.
"Does he? Give me that," Calla said, snatching the card from Maura's hand. Calla frowned in concentration, then said, "Well, I don't think he's a threat. Not to us, anyway. We're connected to him somehow, but we end up too close to the situation for me to see any details."
"Well, I look forward to seeing it play out," Maura said, as Calla shredded the card and dropped it into the nearest trash bin. "Did you get the job?"
Calla smiled. "Oh, I got the job."
o-o-o-o-o
A month later, Maura's aunt turned up on the doorstep.
"Jimi," Maura said. "Just—alright, make yourself at home. That's fine."
"Thank you, dear," Jimi said. She had a suitcase in one hand and a toddler in the other. Maura eyed her little cousin distrustfully.
"What can I do for you?" Maura asked, even though the suitcase made it fairly obvious why Jimi was here.
"Well, Maura, I was hoping I could stay here with Orla for a while," Jimi said. "My husband died, you see. There's really nowhere else for me to go."
Maura knew if she agreed to this now, she's never get rid of Jimi. Orla would grow up here. Jimi would probably die here.
"Of course, you can stay," Persephone said. She was lingering in the kitchen doorway. Maura had no idea how long she'd been there.
"Persephone," she hissed, but Jimi was already clapping her hands together in delight.
"Oh, thank you, Maura," she said. "And thank you, um…"
"I'm Persephone," Persephone said.
"Persephone!" Jimi cried. "What a beautiful name."
Orla smiled up at Maura from her mother's lap, eyes sparkling with glee. She was practically preening.
Maura frowned, and made a silent vow never to have children.
o-o-o-o-o
Maura collapsed onto Persephone's bed. Her friend didn't even look up from the scarf she was knitting.
"Is everything all right, Maura?"
"No," Maura grumbled. "Nothing is all right. Why did you let Jimi stay?"
Persephone did look up then. She squinted at Maura and said, "Were you going to send a mother and her child back out into the cold?"
"It's practically May," Maura said, but Persephone was right, and they both knew it.
o-o-o-o-o
It was dark in the woods at night, which seemed like something Maura should have thought about before she went on a walk.
It was just that the house was so full. And Maura loved everyone in it—Persephone, Calla, Jimi, the assorted aunts and cousins that had been trickling in over the past six months, even little Orla—but she was also a grown woman who needed her space.
Maura had been walking for hours without running into a single soul, so when the man stepped out from behind a tree, she almost had a heart attack.
"My God," she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."
"The fault is mine," the man said. "I shouldn't have startled you." He spoke softly, but his gaze was intent.
"My name is Artemus," he said. "Welcome to my home."
Maura didn't have to ask to know what he meant. My home, for Artemus, was all around them. She closed her eyes, listening to the wind though the leaves, the sounds of crickets and owls in the distance.
When she opened her eyes again, Artemus was still watching her.
"I'm Maura," she said.
o-o-o-o-o
"We need a car," Calla grumbled. "I'm sick of walking to work. Eventually these cousins of yours are going to have to go to school. I know you hate walking back from the grocery store with the food, Maura."
Calla wasn't wrong. Maura shrugged. "You handle the money. If there's enough for a car, I say go for it."
Calla handled the money because she was the only one making any. Her salary didn't cover the food and upkeep for almost a dozen women, but no one had said anything yet. There definitely wasn't enough for a car.
"I say we monetize," Calla said.
"What?" Maura looked up from her tarot cards. She'd been set up on the floor of what was rapidly becoming the sewing room when Calla had barged in, and until now, most of her attention had still been fixed on the future. "Monetize… what, exactly?"
"The future," Calla said. "We'll put a sign on the lawn. Ten dollars for a single reading. We'll take turns."
Maura raised her eyebrows. "You want to… invite strangers into our house, so we can read their futures."
"Sure," Calla said. "Why not?"
Maura sighed.
"Okay," she said. "If it will get us a car."
o-o-o-o-o
"You're going out again, aren't you," Calla said. It wasn't a question.
Maura froze on the front porch of 300 Fox Way, her hand clenching around the doorknob. "Yes."
"Well, good to know you're keeping busy," Calla said. "What's his name?"
Maura glanced back over her shoulder. Calla was standing at the foot of the stairs, shuffling her tarot cards. Maura smiled.
"You already know."
"True. Be careful, Maura."
Maura frowned. "Why do I need to be careful?"
Calla shook her head. "I don't know. I can't see. It's all too close to the ley line. Do you mean to tell me you haven't looked?"
In truth, Maura hadn't. She liked having this one thing, just this one thing, that she didn't know about in advance.
"That's stupid of you," Calla said. "Invite him to dinner."
o-o-o-o-o
It was clear from the start that Calla didn't much like Artemus.
It was just the four of them that night—Maura, Calla, Artemus, and Persephone. Somehow, Calla had chased everyone else out of the house. Maura was very grateful.
"So, Artemus," Calla said. "How long have you been seeing Maura?"
It was such a normal question to ask. Like Artemus hadn't appeared from a mystic tree grove, and Maura wasn't a psychic.
"A few months now," Artemus said calmly.
"And what do you do for a living?"
Artemus frowned. "I don't need money to live."
Calla shrugged. "I guess rent is cheap in the middle of the woods."
Persephone laughed. Maura didn't think it was funny.
"Right," she said. "Calla, did you do any readings today?"
"I did, as it happens," Calla said. "We should be able to afford the car in a few weeks."
"Oh, good," Persephone said. "I hate walking."
Artemus's hand found Maura's knee under the table and squeezed. Maura smiled at him.
"Well. I'm stuffed," Calla said. "The pie was fantastic, Persephone. Anyone want coffee?"
o-o-o-o-o
"Thank you for coming tonight," Maura said.
Artemus stood on the porch in front of her. The front door was closed behind them, so Maura took Artemus's hand.
"I enjoyed it," Artemus said. "They're your family. I want to know and love them, as you do."
Maura leaned in and kissed him. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"I look forward to it," Artemus said. "My love."
Maura smiled like a lovesick fool as Artemus backed away from her and down the driveway, only turning around when he reached the road.
o-o-o-o-o
"I don't like him," Calla sang. She was up to her elbows in soapy water, scrubbing the dinner dishes. Maura, armed with a towel, was drying them and passing them to Persephone, who floated around the kitchen, putting things away.
"You don't like anyone, Calla," Maura said. "Half the time, I'm not even sure you like us."
Calla shrugged. "Sometimes I don't. But I really don't like your new boyfriend."
"I think he's sweet," Persephone chimed in.
"Of course you do," Calla said. "He's a better fit for you than he is for Maura, if I'm being honest."
Persephone shook her head sadly. Maura laughed.
"Well," Calla said. "At any rate. Just don't do anything stupid, Maura. Don't go running off into the forest to elope."
Maura, who was more sensible than that, laughed again. "I won't."
o-o-o-o-o
You wouldn't have thought so, given the size of her extended family, but Maura had been an only child. She had never had younger siblings. Most of her cousins were older than her, or had lived too far away when they were growing up. Maura didn't know the first thing about babies.
She supposed she was going to have to learn fast, though, now that she was having one.
The woods around Maura were quiet and empty. She'd been waiting in the grove for almost an hour, and there was no sign of Artemus.
Maura got to her feet, brushed the dirt and leaves from the back of her pants, and paced once more around the grove. There was no sign of him. There was no sign that he had ever been there.
Maura had never been able to see into the space directly over the ley line. Persephone had guided them here by following the space she couldn't see. Calla had never had any luck, either—not with tarot cards or a scrying bowl, or any other trick she knew.
Maura wasn't clairvoyant here, but she wasn't an idiot, either. If Artemus wasn't here by now, something had happened.
Or maybe he'd just left.
Maura crouched in the dirt at the roots of the largest tree, braced her hand against the trunk, and wept.
o-o-o-o-o
"So there's going to be a little you running around," Calla said. "It's a good thing I bought a car. Where's Butternut?"
"You're never going to let me live that down, are you," Maura mumbled. She'd said it once.
"No," Calla said. "Where is he?"
Maura closed her eyes. "Gone."
o-o-o-o-o
Maura gave birth at home, because Henrietta didn't have a hospital, and Persephone and Jimi had both worked as nurses at one point.
When it was over, and Persephone handed her the baby, Maura felt it immediately. The world sharpened. The colors were brighter, the sounds clearer. Maura's fingers itched for her tarot cards. If she scryed now, she'd be able to see anything. She might even be able to pierce the ley line. To find Artemus.
Calla appeared in the doorway, frowned, and braced her hand against the frame. "Holy shit."
"Yeah," Maura said. "Holy shit."
"Who knew being half-tree had benefits," Calla said.
o-o-o-o-o
By the time Blue was three, it was obvious. She wasn't psychic.
At Blue's age, Maura had been predicting the weather the night before it rained and handing her mother items and ingredients in the kitchen before they were asked for. Blue did none of those things.
"That settles it," Calla said, when a shelf broke in the kitchen, sending shards of glass smeared with jam and herbs to the floor. Blue jumped a foot in the air, then curled into a ball and started to wail. Maura scooped her up and perched her on her hip, swaying back and forth as Blue calmed down. "Your kid isn't psychic, Maura. Don't know how it's possible, but she's not."
"It's very possible," Persephone said airily. "She's the most powerful amplifier I've ever seen. The universe won't let her be psychic, too. That's too much power for any one person."
Calla and Maura exchanged glances.
"Let's do a reading," Maura said. "I want to know for sure. If we're wrong, I don't want to miss the oppourtunity to teach her."
"We aren't wrong," Calla said, but she followed Persephone, Maura, and Blue into the reading room.
Maura had done readings into her daughter's future before, but never with Blue in the room, making things louder. Never with her best friends there to help her.
"Let's do a full-life reading," Persephone said, pulling out her tarot cards. "I'm curious."
Calla sighed in mock annoyance as she reached for her deck. Maura shuffled one-handed, keeping Blue perched on her lap with the other.
The three women started laying out cards. They braided them together into a massive trunk, with branches leading to Calla and Persephone, and roots for Maura and Blue. They moved things around whenever they thought they should. They murmured at cards that came up over and over again.
Finally, they sat back and observed the results.
All three versions of the Page of Cups had ended up right in front of Blue. She grabbed at one of the cards, and Maura pulled her back.
"That's her," Maura said, tapping Calla's version of the card. "Potential."
"Look at this, though," Calla said softly.
Maura and Persephone both leaned in to see what Calla had already noticed. Maura sucked in her breath. Persephone shook her head.
"We should check again," Maura said. "Why… where would that have come from?"
"I don't know," Persephone said. Maura didn't think she'd ever heard her friend sound so defeated.
"What does it mean?" Calla whispered.
Maura closed her eyes.
"It means that if Blue ever kisses her true love, he'll die."