different clocks. He was on New York time, and I was stuck somewhere over the Indian Ocean. He’d been up for hours before waking me. By the time I showered and dressed, it felt as if half the day was gone.
I walked into the kitchen and he handed me a mug of warm tea and an even warmer kiss. “Gabi’s on her way over.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. She just called and said she was on her way over.”
A hint of panic set in. It was probably an impromptu rent inspection. My eyes darted around the room, trying to judge whether it was tidy enough.
Too bad if it wasn’t. She appeared at the door only a minute later. Adam let her in, greeting her with the Décarie double-kiss routine.
“Is Charli here?” she asked. I was standing in plain view. Maybe she’d missed me while scanning for dust.
“I’m here,” I called from the kitchen.
“Hi,” she said quietly. “I have a favour to ask.”
“I’ll leave you two to it,” said Adam, making a quick exit.
Gabrielle sat at the table.
“Do you know Edna Wilson?” she asked, completely out of left field.
“Crazy Edna?” Everyone knew her. Children in town grew up fearing Crazy Edna – me included. When I was nine, Mitchell told me that she used to capture little girls and cut off their hair. I’d been terrified of her ever since.
“She’s supposedly psychic,” said Gabrielle, nodding.
I walked over and joined her at the table. “Gabi, she eats small children and boils their bones.”
She half smiled. “You know this to be true?”
“Of course.” I nodded. “Everybody knows it’s true.”
“Well, Floss told me she was very gifted. I thought I might pay her a visit. I was hoping you’d come with me.”
I widened my eyes, shocked. “You want to get your fortune read?”
She cringed a little. Even she realised how absurd it was. “Yes.”
“Gabrielle, you’re a Décarie,” I reminded. “As far as fortunes go, you’re good.”
She looked embarrassed now. “I’m getting desperate, Charli. What if Edna can give me some insight into my family situation? It might give me some hope if I know there’s something good on the way for us.”
“Look,” I said gently, “I’m all for fae and fate but I’m not sure how I feel about psychics, least of all one who eats children.”
“Will you come or not?”
“What did Alex say when you told him?”
She looked away. “I didn’t tell him.”
I wouldn’t have told him either. He would’ve flipped his lid. When I’d asked him if the hair-cutting rumour was true, his answer hadn’t exactly put my nine-year-old mind at ease: “Probably,” he’d replied. “You should wear your hair up to be safe.”
I sighed heavily, gearing up to do something foolish. “I’ll come with you. But if you tell anyone we were at Crazy Edna’s, I’ll deny it.”
She looked relieved. “Thank you, Charli. “
I slipped away to the bedroom. When Adam came in, I laid out Gabrielle’s plan in a muted whisper.
As expected, he found it ridiculous. “You’re not seriously going?”
“I can’t let her go alone,” I replied, crouching to tie my shoes. “I couldn’t live with myself if she ended up having her bones boiled.”
He stared at me, puzzled. I didn’t have time to elaborate. I straightened up and kissed him chastely. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.”
I felt sad that Gabrielle’s quest to have a baby had pushed her to such extremes. I also felt strangely protective of her, which is the only explanation I had for the nonsense I was about to partake in.
We stepped onto the porch of Edna’s rundown cottage, dodging the holes where planks of decking were missing. I left it to Gabrielle to knock on the door.
Crazy Edna kept us waiting a ridiculously long time. When she finally answered, I realised it had probably taken her the full five minutes to get there.
“Welcome,” she greeted us theatrically.
I’d never been that close to Edna before. She was tiny, made
I walked into the kitchen and he handed me a mug of warm tea and an even warmer kiss. “Gabi’s on her way over.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. She just called and said she was on her way over.”
A hint of panic set in. It was probably an impromptu rent inspection. My eyes darted around the room, trying to judge whether it was tidy enough.
Too bad if it wasn’t. She appeared at the door only a minute later. Adam let her in, greeting her with the Décarie double-kiss routine.
“Is Charli here?” she asked. I was standing in plain view. Maybe she’d missed me while scanning for dust.
“I’m here,” I called from the kitchen.
“Hi,” she said quietly. “I have a favour to ask.”
“I’ll leave you two to it,” said Adam, making a quick exit.
Gabrielle sat at the table.
“Do you know Edna Wilson?” she asked, completely out of left field.
“Crazy Edna?” Everyone knew her. Children in town grew up fearing Crazy Edna – me included. When I was nine, Mitchell told me that she used to capture little girls and cut off their hair. I’d been terrified of her ever since.
“She’s supposedly psychic,” said Gabrielle, nodding.
I walked over and joined her at the table. “Gabi, she eats small children and boils their bones.”
She half smiled. “You know this to be true?”
“Of course.” I nodded. “Everybody knows it’s true.”
“Well, Floss told me she was very gifted. I thought I might pay her a visit. I was hoping you’d come with me.”
I widened my eyes, shocked. “You want to get your fortune read?”
She cringed a little. Even she realised how absurd it was. “Yes.”
“Gabrielle, you’re a Décarie,” I reminded. “As far as fortunes go, you’re good.”
She looked embarrassed now. “I’m getting desperate, Charli. What if Edna can give me some insight into my family situation? It might give me some hope if I know there’s something good on the way for us.”
“Look,” I said gently, “I’m all for fae and fate but I’m not sure how I feel about psychics, least of all one who eats children.”
“Will you come or not?”
“What did Alex say when you told him?”
She looked away. “I didn’t tell him.”
I wouldn’t have told him either. He would’ve flipped his lid. When I’d asked him if the hair-cutting rumour was true, his answer hadn’t exactly put my nine-year-old mind at ease: “Probably,” he’d replied. “You should wear your hair up to be safe.”
I sighed heavily, gearing up to do something foolish. “I’ll come with you. But if you tell anyone we were at Crazy Edna’s, I’ll deny it.”
She looked relieved. “Thank you, Charli. “
I slipped away to the bedroom. When Adam came in, I laid out Gabrielle’s plan in a muted whisper.
As expected, he found it ridiculous. “You’re not seriously going?”
“I can’t let her go alone,” I replied, crouching to tie my shoes. “I couldn’t live with myself if she ended up having her bones boiled.”
He stared at me, puzzled. I didn’t have time to elaborate. I straightened up and kissed him chastely. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.”
I felt sad that Gabrielle’s quest to have a baby had pushed her to such extremes. I also felt strangely protective of her, which is the only explanation I had for the nonsense I was about to partake in.
We stepped onto the porch of Edna’s rundown cottage, dodging the holes where planks of decking were missing. I left it to Gabrielle to knock on the door.
Crazy Edna kept us waiting a ridiculously long time. When she finally answered, I realised it had probably taken her the full five minutes to get there.
“Welcome,” she greeted us theatrically.
I’d never been that close to Edna before. She was tiny, made
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