Midnight Star

I grin at him. "Too late. No changing a contract made with former law students."

He rolls his eyes at me and I grin wider.

When Pete returns from Es' room, I tell them I'd like to visit my mother before we leave. She's in a different ward on a different floor, and Pete and Asher wait in the hall while I go in.

Her room is small but private, and she looks much the same as she did before. It's dark, the curtains drawn, the lights dimmed to give her rest. But her room smells pleasant, and I notice that in addition to the roses Fen has been sending her, there are vases of purple orchids in various states of bloom.

They were always her favorite.

I check the vase for a card, but there isn't one. I sit near her and hold her hand. How do I even begin to tell her what I've been through and what I'm still going through? I wish she was here right now. Awake. Alive. I wish I could ask her advice and listen as she makes the complicated seem so much simpler with her mom logic.

These are such selfish reasons to want her back, but she's my mom, and though I am an adult, I still need her.

I know she can't hear me, that she'll never be able to answer, but I spill my heart, and it lightens something inside me.

I'm telling her about Yami when the door opens. I stop speaking as a man comes in. He is tall, pale, with curly hair, a wild black beard and a scar across his face. He holds a bouquet of purple orchids.

"I'm sorry," he says, stepping back. "I didn't realize anyone was here."

I stand to face him. "It's fine. I was just visiting my mother."

His eyes widen. "You're her daughter?"

"Yes."

"Of course," he says. "I see the resemblance."

The comment strikes me as odd, since I look more like my father and nothing like my mother.

"We're old friends," he says. "Your mother and I."

"Would I know your name?"

He shakes his head. "No, probably not."

I tilt my head, studying him. He seems familiar. "Thank you for visiting her. I've been busy with work and haven't been able to come as often as I'd like."

"Your mother would want you out there, living your life. She always put you first."

Maybe he did know my mother after all. Because he's right. My mother did always put me first. She even traded her soul to save me, and what did I do? Give it all back to save her. Did I do the right thing, making that deal? Would she be sad or angry, knowing I signed my soul away for her?

The man holds up the flowers. "I brought these for her, but I think you might need them more tonight." He hands me the bouquet, and I study them, closing my eyes to breathe in the sweet scent.

"Thank you." I open my eyes to speak to the man, but he is gone. Vanished as if he'd never been there.

I could easily believe I imagined the whole thing, if not for the flowers. But why did he seem so familiar? Something about the kindness of his smile… and the green of his eyes.

***

Asher and Pete are waiting for me after I say goodbye to my mother, but neither saw the man I describe to them. Asher eyes my flowers. "He gave you those?

I nod.

"Curious," he says.

But the mystery is put on hold as we head back to my old apartment, now Pete's and Es' home. I'm impressed by what they've done with the place. The heater is working again, and they've decorated with beautiful art, tapestries and throw carpets, turning the living room into a colorful cozy nook, the walls lined with packed bookshelves. "I love it," I say, as I sink into my couch, now covered by a purple throw blanket.

Pete smiles. "It was mostly Es. She loves color."

Asher takes a seat next to me, admiring the purple.

Pete sits across from us. "I've been checking on your mom regularly. As you saw, she's doing the same."

I swallow a lump in my throat. With the war, with my training, with everything going on, it's easy to forget why I'm doing this. It's all been for her. "Thank you. I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Asher throws an arm behind me and crosses a leg over one knee. "So, Pete, Arianna here tells me you read fortunes."

"Yes," he says simply.

"Do mine, won't you? I'm dying to know my future."

I elbow him in the ribs. "Don't be an ass," I hiss under my breath.

He looks offended. "What? I genuinely want to know. Can't fault a man for wanting a heads-up about what's to be, can you?"

I roll my eyes at him, but Pete is already pulling out his Tarot cards. He asks Asher to draw three cards. "For your past, your present and your future."

Asher does, and Pete lays out the past. The Ten of Pentacles. On the card, an old wise man sits comfortably on a chair, surrounded by his family. Pete studies it. "You have lived a long life, accomplished much."

Asher raises an eyebrow and leans forward, taking this much more seriously now.

Pete turns over the second card. A man and woman embrace. The Lovers. "You're suspended between two possible courses of action. Both have their risks. However, you must choose one. Indecision will only make things worse."

"Well, that's just lovely, isn't it?" Asher says.

I shush him as Pete lays out the last card. A tower struck by lightning. His eyes widen. "The Tower. You will soon face disaster. Your previous preconceptions will be washed away, but in their place you will find new truth."