Dark Before Dawn by Stacy Juba

self-sufficient. Perhaps soon you'll have guys begging for a date, too. Your new makeup and haircut is flattering."
    Jamie did look better, Dawn thought. Her shoulder-length locks fell with more life now that she was using styling mousse and the right shampoo. Coppery lipstick, blush and a shimmer of eye shadow brightened her pale face. Unfortunately, the acne medication hadn’t worked miracles, but Jamie had blended foundation and a cover-up stick like Dawn advised.
    She needed a new wardrobe, though, her shapeless sweater deflating the effects of the makeover. Dawn would have lent her clothes, but Jamie was skinnier and shorter.
    Jamie pushed back her hair. "Dawn and Candace helped."
    "I'm glad to see you're working as a team." Serina leaned beside Dawn on the arm of the loveseat, cradling her cup. Dawn angled her legs slightly in the other direction, the fragrance of Serina’s rose perfume impregnating the air. It smelled pleasant enough, but it was too close, infringing on Dawn’s space.
    "I understand Candace and Dawn paid a visit to your home," Serina was saying to Jamie.
    "It's not much of a home, but yeah," Jamie said.
    "Candace says your mother doesn't deserve a daughter like you."
    "She's not all bad. She's just..."
    "Selfish," Candace cut in. "It's okay to say it."
    "You can love your mother, she brought you into the world, but you don't have to be grateful for more than that," Serina said. "You don’t need her approval. Know that when she disappoints you, we'll be here."
    Hair bristled on Dawn’s arms. Serina sounded like a cult leader. Dawn struggled to quiet her thoughts so Serina or Candace didn’t pick up on them.
    "I'm glad you're seeing each other's different environments. You'll appreciate one another more." Serina changed to her teaching voice. "Today, we're going to talk about chakras, spiraling energy centers on your etheric body. We have seven chakras leading from the base of our spine to the top of our heads. Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘wheel,’ and an imbalance in one of these energy centers will cause disharmony on body, mind, spirit and emotional levels."
    Serina hopped off the armrest and crossed over to her table in the corner. Involuntarily, Dawn exhaled. Although the perfume scent lingered, the room seemed bigger without Serina parked beside her.
    "The most important chakra to you girls is the sixth chakra, or the third eye," Serina said, setting down her tea. "It’s the point between the eyebrows in the center of the forehead. Its development brings about clairvoyant abilities because this chakra is the center for intuition and the link from which we perceive the higher planes. Dawn, you’ve never received guidance on how to use your clairvoyance efficiently so I’m sure you have imbalances. Physical symptoms of a blocked sixth chakra might include headaches, blurred vision and eyestrain."
    "I get a lot of headaches. Eyestrain, too." Dawn sat poised on the edge of the cushion, re-energized. This sounded far more important than anything she had ever learned in school. More important than anything she had learned her entire life.
    She still wasn’t sure she fully trusted Serina, or understood why this woman took such an interest in three teenage girls, but now more than ever, Dawn knew that she needed to be here. Where else would she have the opportunity to study with a master? Serina’s motives might be unclear, but her expertise was obvious.
    "Once you get the sixth chakra into balance, you won’t have that problem anymore and you’ll be in much better control of your abilities," Serina was saying.
    "How do you get it balanced?" Jamie asked.
    Serina reached inside her wooden chest and paused with her hand in its womb. "One way is through crystals, which can allow you to reach higher spiritual levels during meditation. They magnify your own personal energy by focusing and connecting it with universal power. Candace has hers already, but Dawn and Jamie, I have a gift for