Epilogue

One month later

"It's right up here," Brim said, pointing toward a shop in the strip mall.

They had gone to St. Louis, partially for his work and partially as an impromptu honeymoon. Brim hadn't wasted time putting a ring on her finger. She'd always wanted to go to a Cardinals game, and he'd made her wish come true. They had spent a fun afternoon eating hotdogs, drinking beer, and cheering on their baseball team.

Now they walked down the street as he led her to some mysterious gift he said he'd gotten her. When he paused in front of the storefront, she read the sign.

"A psychic?" She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't believe in paranormal shit."

"Let's say I'm a convert. Go on, I paid for a session."

"Buy why?"

"You once said you would like to know why you can see the shadow of death. Maybe a psychic can answer that question."

Leia's heart swelled with emotion. She stood up on tiptoe to kiss him. "Thank you."

He smiled and swatted her on her ass. "Go on. I'm going to grab a coffee across the street."

Leia watched him for a moment before facing the store. She took a deep breath and entered. The low lighting gave a mystical vibe to the place with heavy incense filling her nose. Crystals hung from the ceiling. Candles, statues, windchimes, clothing, and books were shoved in every corner. A regal looking black woman came through a doorway obscured with hanging beads. A turban rested on her head and she wore large hoop earrings.

"Welcome," she greeted with a smile.

"Hi. Um, my husband said I had an appointment."

Being able to call Brim her husband brought a smile to her face.

"Leia? Please, this way."

She followed the psychic into a small room. A tarot deck was laid out on the table and the psychic gestured to a chair.

"Please. Sit." She sat in the opposite chair and picked up the cards, holding them out to Leia. "As you shuffle, think about what question you want answered. Then hand them back when you feel it's time."

Leia took the cards, concentrating on how she had gotten the power to see death. She thought of all the times she had used the gift, including when her first boyfriend had walked into traffic and died. Suddenly, she had this feeling to stop shuffling, and she handed them back. The psychic slowly turned over each card, laying them in a pattern.

After the third card, the psychic paused. Leia was clueless at what the cards represented, except for one.

"Is that the death card?" Leia asked.

"Yes, but not like you're thinking. Death is all around us, constantly. It's a cycle of the universe, so the card can represent the ending of one thing and the beginning of another." She tapped the two other cards. "But these cards are interesting. The Knight of Swords and the Four of Swords."

"Interesting how?"

"Let me see your palm." Leia held out her hand and the psychic leaned over it. "Oh. Your lifeline has been interrupted."

"What does that mean?"

"You see how this line is divided into two?" Leia nodded. "This and the cards tell me that at some point, you experienced death."

Leia's heart stuttered. "Um, what does that mean? Like, people around me?"

"No, you died, and then came back." The psychic pointed at her. "You have the sight, don't you?"

"I see the shadow of death," she whispered. "I can see how a person dies. But … but I would've remembered if I had died. Wouldn't I?"

"Not unless it was before you had memories."

"Like … maybe … as a, uh, child?"

"Possible. You made a deal with death."

Leia shook her head. "I couldn't have if I was a child."

"Then someone else made the deal, although they probably didn't realize the consequences. An exchange must always be made. A life for a life. A soul for a soul."

"Do you … was it … my parents?" Leia asked.

"Why don't you ask them?"

"Because they're dead." A horrible thought entered her head. "Did they die because of it? Did they sacrifice their lives … for mine?"

"I cannot answer that because I don't know the original bargain that was struck. As for you … a person who walked among the dead will always carry that imprint. That is why you have the sight."

"So there are other people like me?"

"Why would you think you'd be the only one?"

The End