Dead End: Midnight Hollow by Penn Cassidy (free novel 24 TXT) 📗

a sister to me. She’d mourned my mom and dad just as deeply as I had. They were practically her second set of parents.

“Oh, hell yeah,” I heard her whisper as she dragged me to a stop a half-hour later. “Oh my god, we are so going in there.” She pointed a finger that was wiggling in her excitement.

We stood in front of a black and purple tent. It was small, worn down looking, and had a curtain of multicolored beads hanging across the entrance. Above it was a rough wooden sign that looked like it was hand-carved. It read, Palm Reader. I smiled. Now this looked like something I’d actually enjoy. We ducked inside the tent and were immediately smacked in the face with the thick scent of pumpkin and cinnamon, which was a relief after the sticky carnival air that would still be in my hair later.

There were candles everywhere, probably a fire hazard, but the ambiance was worth it. It was downright spooky. Shining fabrics hung everywhere, draped along the walls of the tent, and beads hung from the ceiling in curtains. Little metallic bowls of what looked like crystals and herbs were scattered around on various surfaces, and in the center of the room was a round wooden table with an honest to god crystal ball on the top.

“Do you think it’s the real thing?” Maddie asked with an excited chuckle, clutching my arm in a death grip as she started at the all seeing crystal.

“Well, the sign on the wall says a palm reading costs only three dollars, and a chakra alignment is free on the side, so I sincerely doubt it.” I shook my head. I loved carnival psychics, but everyone knew they were just a scam to take your money.

“Bah humbug,” Maddie said, pouting in disappointment. She ran her finger along the edge of a pewter bowl, making it ring through the quiet. “Maybe she’s a witch or something. Maybe she’s—”

She was cut off when we heard the rattle of beads from the other side of the tent. To our surprise, a man walked out, clad in a purple velvet suit with a lime green tie. He wore a matching top hat, and his ears stuck out through the curtain of his long white hair. He was a short man, even shorter than me, and at five foot two, that was saying something. He was older, maybe in his late sixties, and had a seriously impressive handlebar mustache I wanted to touch.

“Okay, not what I was expecting,” Maddie murmured out of the corner of her mouth.

I snorted and shoved her lightly to get her to shut up before he heard her.

“Come for a reading, I’m guessing?” he asked in a gruff, raspy voice that reminded me of a smoker. He sounded kind and welcoming at least.

“Shouldn’t you have known that already?” Maddie retorted cheekily, raising a sarcastic brow at him.

I elbowed her again, rolling my eyes as she mouthed ouch. “Rude—”

“Indeed.” He clicked his tongue, making his way over to a plush red velvet wingback chair at the small table and settling down to get comfortable. “Well?” He gestured to the stools opposite him.

We wasted no time taking our seats, scooting the stools closer in wonder at the unknown, even though it could’ve been a joke. On the table was just the crystal ball, which was larger than my head, and a deck of tarot cards. But he reached for neither. He was looking at me silently. His watery blue eyes ran over my face, and a look of what I could only describe as recognition passed over his wrinkled features, but he wiped it away before I could think too much about it.

I felt something weird then. The oddest sensation simmered in my belly like an empty tingle. It was one of those feelings that you got every once in a while, like the feeling of walking into a room and forgetting what you’d gone in there to do. Or that feeling when you pass a stranger on the street and could have sworn you knew them from somewhere from before.

He cleared his throat with a small smile, the crows feet at the corner of his eyes more pronounced. “You may call me Frank.”

Maddie snickered next to me, trying to cover the laugh with a cough. “Frank,” she deadpanned. “Couldn’t come up with something more mystical, like…Alistair or Merlin or something?”

He blinked at her. My cheeks were flaming, but I’d thought the exact same thing. “But my name’s Frank,” he said, brows furrowing like he didn’t understand.

I was trying to contain a snort. Everything about Frank seemed so sincere and kind. His face was open and his eyes shone with simple humor, but everything about him was strangely refreshing for some reason. Like being in his presence gave me a breath of fresh air. Strange. I was almost positive I’d never met this man in my life. I would have remembered.

“Let’s start with you then, Miss Maddie.” He stuck out a palm facing upwards for her to take. I sucked in a sharp breath, and Maddie’s eyes went wide as he waited for her to grab his hand.

“Maybe he just heard me say it or something,” I whispered nervously in her ear, but deep inside, I knew that was bullshit. I hadn’t said her name out loud… Was this just a trick?

A weird breeze flowed through the room, giving me goosebumps. I didn't know if anyone else noticed the way the candles flickered or the way the beaded curtains clinked. Maddie was too busy staring at his open palm. Suddenly, this didn’t seem so make-believe.

Despite her reservations, she slowly took his wrinkled hand and waited with her breath held, as if something magical was about to happen. He went silent, closing his eyes. She glanced at me, looking lost, and once again, I was trying to contain a smile. Maddie wasn’t much for the spooky mumbo jumbo. She thought it was entertaining,