My two friends sat at a little breakfast nook set into the bay window.
“She rises!” Savannah threw her hands up in the air and shook them.
“Hey, girl, hey!” Gigi waved with a smile. “Ignore this one.”
I sighed and walked over to join them at the table.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Landreia said as I slid into the wooden booth.
“Good morning everyone.” I looked to my friends. “You’re here early today.”
Gigi smirked. “Early yes, but we never left.”
My eyes widened. “You didn’t? Why not?”
Savannah arched one black eyebrow. “Why not? You were shaken up after that reading and it was my idea, so I was not leaving until I knew you were okay. That’s just how it is.”
“That’s what friends do.” Gigi winked.
My heart fluttered. “Well…thank you.”
“Soooo…” Savannah rubbed her hands together then leaned into the table and stared straight across at me. “How are you feeling?”
“You look better this morning, at least.”
“I feel better, that’s for sure.” I groaned and leaned back against the booth. “It’s just…how did I get home last night? What happened? I don’t remember anything after that reading – well, after Riah helped me find you.”
Gigi, who was sitting to my left, turned to look at Savannah.
Landreia came over and sat in the chair on my right, completing our little circle. She placed her palms on the table and eyed me carefully. “I haven’t gotten much out of these two since you got back, out of respect for your privacy, which I adore. But perhaps you can fill me in?”
I opened my mouth then shut it. Where do I even start?
“First, to answer your question, we called an uber. You fell asleep in the car before we reached the stop sign.” Savannah narrowed her eyes on me. “Now spill. What happened, Safferella?”
I took a deep breath…then told them everything. I recounted every single detail from the moment I sat down at Mark’s table to when I found them afterward. I didn’t leave out anything from the reading. Not even the weird poem.
After I was done, we all fell silent for a long moment.
Landreia closed her eyes and shook her head.
Gigi rubbed her arms, they were covered in goosebumps.
Savannah shivered wildly.
Gigi exhaled. “So this spirit, Elizabeth Bishop, she knew your name? Sorry, but that’s creepy.”
I nodded. She wasn’t wrong.
Savannah shivered again. “Although, this proves that it IS your name, unlike what that detective suggested. So there’s something in that?”
“That’s a great point, Savannah. Whoever this Elizabeth was, I wouldn’t doubt her. That must actually be your name, though I never doubted it.” Landreia pursed her lips but then she smiled at me. “And that nice young man came to check on you this morning, which was sweet.”
Wait.
That was real?
He was really here?
“WHAT BOY?” Savannah and Gigi shouted at the exact same time.
Landreia smirked and her eyes danced. “The dangerously pretty one. Zachariah.”
My eyes widened. Riah WAS here. It wasn’t a dream. That really happened. He came and checked on me.
Gigi’s jaw dropped. “Riah was here?”
“Oh my God,” Savannah squealed. “What did he say?”
I shook my head, still trying to wrestle with this realization myself. “Quite literally nothing, actually.”
Savannah frowned. “That’s not enough detail, Safferella.”
Landreia jumped up and walked to the stove, then returned a moment later with a big plate of – well, I wasn’t sure what they were. They were round, several inches in diameter and a tan color. I frowned and stared at them. I should know what this is. Savannah reached to the counter behind her and grabbed the stack of plates.
Landreia came back with a bowl of brown liquid. “I knew you had a rough night, so I figured buttermilk pancakes were in order.” She winked at me as she sat back down.
Pancakes. Right. I had a vague memory of these, which was infuriating. Made no sense I could recall food but not my life. My stomach growled and my mouth watered. The others had dug in and started cutting their food. I patted the table beside my plate but it was empty. Then I glanced around the table, not seeing silverware.
“You okay? Need something?”
“I need…um…” I blinked and shook my head. My brain just stopped working. I couldn’t think of the word I was trying to say, even though I’d just thought it a moment ago. I groaned and gestured around me. “Where are…I need…food weapons.”
There was a beat of silence and then all three of them threw their heads back and laughed hysterically. All of their faces flushed red. Landreia covered her mouth and shook her head. Gigi wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. Savannah’s laugh turned into a cackle and then she snorted.
I sighed. Silverware. That’s the word I needed. Damn it.
Landreia cleared her throat and slid a fork and knife over to me. Then she stood. “Okay, on that note, no more readings today. Why don’t you three hang out in the shop today? Teach Saffie what you know. Relax.”
“Yeah, I like that idea. I need a break from terror.” I glanced up to Landreia. “Thank you.”
She nodded and gave me a wink, then slipped out of the room.
Savannah hissed. “Okay, tell us about Riah this morning.”
I frowned. “I did?”
“Oh no.” Savannah scowled and waved her fork at me. “Oh no, we’re gonna go over every single detail of the moment. That’s what girls do.”
Gigi licked syrup off of her fork. “Yep. So start talking.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Saffie
“Wow. Three psychic readings?” Dr. Troy smiled and nodded. “You had quite the weekend.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I did. Savannah and Gigi are really into this stuff. Plus they’re trying really hard to help me with my memory.”
“I’m glad you’ve found good friends so quickly.” She sat her notebook and pen down, then leaned back in her seat. “So, tell me, anything interesting come out of these readings? Any juicy details you want to share?”
Riah.
Definitely Riah.
That King of Swords card looked just like him.
I needed to talk to her about him and what was going on, but when I opened my mouth I heard, “one was a medium…”
Dr. Troy’s eyebrows rose. “Oh snap. A medium. Did a spirit speak to you?”
“Oh. Yeah.” I laughed, though it wasn’t funny. “Her name was Elizabeth Bishop.”
Her eyes widened. “Elizabeth Bishop? Wow, was not expecting something so specific. The Bishop name is famous in Salem because of Bridget Bishop. Do you think she could’ve just been a random spirit—”
“No.” I shivered at the memory. “This was so creepy. My reader was so scared he dragged me out of the shop afterward to tell me he’d have nightmares about it. Then he gave me this necklace literally off his neck because he said I needed it for protection.”