Chapter Three
As soon as Booker got in the passenger seat of Raven's Scut car, he told his mother the truth. Well, some of the truth. "I don't really have to go anywhere, Mom," he confessed. "Nia made me go with you so we could talk. Things are awkward and we, uh, just want to know why."
To his surprise, Raven looked embarrassed. "Nia heard me and Chelsea yesterday, didn't she? I knew she couldn't have slept through that."
"Yeah, she did," Booker answered. "Mom, are Aunt Chels and Levi really moving out?" Booker braced himself, waiting for his mother to ignore or brush off his question.
She did neither. "Maybe," she confessed. "The thing is, it's time for them to find their own place. They couldn't live with us forever, right?"
Booker stared at his mother with wide eyes. "Why not? They belong here with us. Not all the way in San Francisco." He made it sound like the worst place Levi and Chelsea could possibly live.
"Boy, Nia heard a lot," Raven muttered.
Considering Nia's condition, Booker laughed at the irony. "You don't know the half of it."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Mom, this is crazy! You can't let Aunt Chels and Levi move!"
"It's not up to me," Raven retorted.
"Yes it is!" Booker insisted. "Whatever this fight was about, it's way out of control. You have to make up before she and Levi are gone forever. Nia and I fight all the time, but you always force us to talk it out if we're angry with each other for too long."
"Booker, this is different. Chelsea and I are grownups with more complex issues."
"I don't think it is," Booker replied. "You guys are family. You're only getting on each other's nerves because you spend so much time together. You need to sit down with Aunt Chelsea and talk about what's really bothering you."
Raven gave him a sad smile. "That's a nice theory, but Chelsea knows what's bothering me and she's sick of hearing it. We just need to spend some time apart." While Booker processed this, Raven started up the car. "Come on, Booker. I can go to the fabric store another day. Let's get a real breakfast, and I'll bring you back before my shift."
After Levi rushed to his room to play video games, as expected, Nia sat with Chelsea in the living room while she finished her breakfast. Chelsea had her computer on her lap and a notebook in her hand, ready to write down any promising phone numbers. Nia played dumb to see if Chelsea would tell her any useful information. "What are you looking for, Aunt Chelsea?"
"Um, nothing, just shopping." Chelsea shifted positions so she leaned against the couch's arm rest, making sure Nia saw the back of the laptop lid instead of the screen. "How are you feeling, Nia? I guess you probably won't be up for seeing Miles tonight."
Nia shrugged. Honestly, after her mother and Chelsea's fight, she didn't care much about canceling her date anymore. "I'll video chat with him later and apologize for rescheduling. He'll understand. I slept a lot yesterday but I'm still..." She paused to blow her nose, taking a tissue from her ever-present tissue box. "Yucky."
Her aunt frowned sympathetically. "I'm really sorry about your date. So, uh...I guess you were sleeping when your mom and I got home yesterday, right?" I hope. Seriously, I wish I didn't hear that fight yesterday, and I was in it. I'd feel even more awful if Nia heard it.
"Well..." Nia trailed off, not sure how to answer the question. She'd planned to be honest, but at the same time, she didn't want to salt the wound. It was also difficult to form a response when Chelsea's thoughts became increasingly panicked.
Oh my God. She heard, I can tell. That's why it's taking so long to answer. Now what? I can't tell her I'm looking at apartments. I should just brush it off and tell her it was nothing. But what if I find an apartment tomorrow?
Man, good thing Booker's the one with the visions. Rae and I would be in real trouble if Nia had a psychic cold.
"What's a psychic cold?"
Nia had been so shocked that she'd blurted the question without thinking. A second later she realized she'd given herself away. Her aunt's reaction unfolded in slow-motion stages that Nia could actually distinguish from each other. First Chelsea's face showed bewilderment, confusion, wondering how Nia knew to ask. Then came the complete disbelief, her jaw dropping, eyes widening at her honorary niece. Finally Chelsea shook her head and fought for composure, gently closing the laptop lid before putting it aside on the coffee table. "Nia..." she said in a near-whisper. "H-how...where did you..."
"You're looking for an apartment, even though you really don't want to leave. You're willing to go if it means saving 'the best friendship you ever had.'" Nia couldn't figure out how to cover her slip, so she went for the truth instead. At least she'd find out what a psychic cold was.
Chelsea hesitated, still struggling to form words. "Y-you...can read...my mind."
"Yeah, yours and everyone else's. It was cool but now it's really starting to freak me out. Aunt Chels, what's happening to me?" It felt weird having this conversation with her non-psychic aunt instead of her mother. Then again, Chelsea probably knew everything Raven knew about psychics since they'd grown up together. Raven mentioned that Chelsea was one of the first people she told when she began having visions.
"But...but you're not psychic!" Chelsea exclaimed, snapping out of her daze. "H-how can you have a psychic cold if you're not psychic when you're healthy?"
Becoming impatient, Nia asked again, "What's a psychic cold?"
"It's exactly like a regular cold, but for psychics, reading minds is one of the symptoms along with a runny nose. Your mother's had a few over the years." Chelsea frowned. "Would've been nice if she'd had one when I met Levi's father."
Nia wisely decided to ignore that last comment. "So...you're saying this is temporary? I won't have any psychic abilities once I'm better?" While reading minds would take some getting used to, Nia thought she'd finally gotten her power. She didn't like the idea of going back to her normal, boring self as soon as she got better. What did this mean, anyway? She'd only be able to use her power when she caught a cold? That sounded ridiculous.
Overwhelmed, Chelsea stared at Nia for a long moment. "I-I have no idea. It's different because you're not usually psychic. Your mom should take you to the center so Dr. Sleevemore can figure out what's going on."
"Looks like I'll get to see Miles after all." Nia felt a little better knowing she might be able to get some answers. With one problem addressed, she went back to her original concern. "Aunt Chels, you can't leave! It feels like you and Levi just moved in and...I don't want things to change again so soon. You and Levi belong here."
Moved by the confession, Chelsea put her arm around Nia's shoulders. "Hey, no matter what happens, it'll be okay. I'll always be your 'Aunt Chels' and nothing will change that, got it? Maybe we won't live right down the hall from each other..."
"But what if you move to San Francisco?" Nia interrupted, tears forming. "What if Booker and I don't grow up with Levi? He won't be our little brother anymore."
That made Chelsea pause. Nia didn't need to read her mind to know that Chelsea never considered this when she threatened to move back to her home state. "I-I'm going to do everything I can to avoid moving back to San Francisco, okay? I want Levi to stay in the same school and grow up with you and Booker. It would break my heart if he couldn't, even if your mom and I are fighting. And you're right, it wouldn't be fair to change our home again when things just settled down."
"Then don't," Nia insisted. "Stay here with us. I can read your mind, Aunt Chels. I know how much you don't want to leave."
"Oh, yeah. I guess I can't lie about that, huh?" Chelsea meant it as a joke, but she took a few seconds to go through her options. Nia knew because she heard them. In the end, Chelsea gave her an embarrassed smile. "Honestly, psychic colds always weirded me out a little too. I mean, never knowing if someone else is poking around your thoughts..."
"Sorry, um, I know it's an invasion of privacy, but I can't really control it yet." For the most part, Nia thought, grateful no one could read her mind.
Chelsea nodded in understanding. "Your mom had that problem at first. She heard your grandparents think some things she did not want to hear."
"You'll have to tell me that story. But first, I want to know why you can't end this fight with mom. You've been best friends your whole lives! Are you really going to throw it away without doing everything possible to make things right?"
"We're not throwing it away, we just need a break. Like how you, Booker and Levi start arguing if you spend too much time together."
"But we can't move out if we get on each others' nerves," Nia argued. "Don't you see it, Aunt Chels? If you move out while you're fighting, you'll never be like you were. I guess I'll accept it if you have to move, but please, make up with Mom first. Don't leave while you're angry."
Her aunt was quiet for a long moment, looking scared more than anything else. Nia tried not to pry, but she picked up Chelsea's main fear – losing Raven as a best friend. Chelsea wrapped Nia in a tight hug, both sitting there with tears in their eyes. "I'll talk to your mom when she gets home, okay? We'll clear things up, I promise."
Meanwhile, Booker and Raven finished up their breakfast. Even though he complained to Nia at first, he didn't mind the parental bonding time, or the half-eaten chocolate chip pancakes on his plate. Raven tried to change the subject from Chelsea, asking him about school and everything else going on in his life. Eventually he wound back around to the real reason they'd unexpectedly gone out to breakfast. "So like, Aunt Chelsea and Levi aren't really leaving, right?"
His mother gave him an exasperated look, one usually followed by "Booker, be quiet." Instead Raven's curiosity mixed with her annoyance. "Okay, I'll play. How do you figure Chelsea and Levi aren't leaving? After you've been told, several times, that they are?"
"Destiny," Booker said, taking a huge bite of his breakfast. Around a mouthful of pancakes he explained, "I have a feeling they're not supposed to leave. Since we're psychics, we have to trust our instincts, right?"
Though still reluctant, Raven nodded and considered his train of thought. "Sometimes. But wanting something, even seeing it in a vision, doesn't mean it will happen. I've found that out the hard way again, and again, and again, and again..." Raven shook her head. "I've heard it helps if you learn to manage your expectations. Heard it, never tried it myself."
Booker hesitated. His mother almost never admitted she was wrong, especially not around her children. She must really want to avoid the topic of Chelsea moving out. "Is that why you're...um, maybe not so happy with how things are?" He broached the subject very slowly, carefully, knowing he might have to retreat without warning. "You always think they should be better?"
At Booker's question, Raven put down her fork and made sure she had his attention. "It's okay to believe in 'destiny,' to want something to happen against all odds. But you also have to accept reality when what you want doesn't happen. Most of the time, the universe doesn't care what you want, and surprises you with the exact opposite. I thought your daddy and I were destined but we weren't." Raven paused, her eyes lowered as she reminisced. "Even with my ability, I couldn't prevent bad stuff from happening, no matter what I did. After a while you just stop trying."
Booker didn't reply for a minute, staring down at his plate but not eating anything. He never expected this level of honesty. No matter how he felt, he couldn't take back his question, but he didn't have to agree with her either. "So you kicked Aunt Chelsea out of the apartment because you stopped trying to be friends?"
"Hey, let's get something straight. Chelsea is still my best friend, even if we're fighting at the moment, and I did not kick her out. I merely...suggested it, and she thought it was a good idea."
"Got it. You suggested Aunt Chelsea get out, just because you're fighting?"
Raven narrowed her eyes at him in a warning. "I haven't given up, I just think we need our own space. I always remind Chelsea about finding a job because...I honestly can't think of anything else to say to her. I just think about how I'm so busy, and tired, while she's not. That wouldn't happen if we didn't see each other every day, all day long." She then added, "This is between you and me by the way."
"Yeah, I figured," Booker assured her. "So there's nothing you can do to be friends and roommates again? Just breathing the same air drives you crazy?"
"It's not a simple problem to fix, Booker. There are other issues I can't really explain..."
"Like money?"
Raven nodded. "Yeah. And that's something I will never discuss with you kids. But...well, okay, it does drive me crazy because Chelsea achieved so much with her invention. She had it all and then it was gone. I constantly wonder if that could happen to me, even if my fashion line takes off. And I'm even a...tiny, tiny bit... jealous. Because at least she knows what it is to follow through on a dream and make it big."
"Isn't that what you're doing now?" Booker asked. "You're finally going to use the money, right?"
"Yeah, but it's...it's hard to take a chance when you're older. There's more to consider, more to risk. What if whatever I try, fails? What if I'll never find the success that Chelsea did? Realistically speaking, plenty of people never achieve their dreams. What if that's my destiny? "
Booker simply raised an eyebrow at her mother's dramatics. "Come on, Mom. I'd say you're a pretty successful mother, and a great best friend up until yesterday. Don't you always tell me to try my best? That it doesn't matter what happens, as long as I give it my all? If you want to be a designer, and convince Aunt Chels to stay, you have to do whatever you can to make it work. And I don't think you have yet." Booker grimaced, anticipating his mother's response. He'd complimented her but there was a chance he'd stepped out of line. Either he was about to be grounded for the rest of the weekend, or...
"You know, Booker, you're right. I haven't." While he let out a sigh of relief, Raven smiled to herself before returning to her breakfast. "I haven't tried everything yet."