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Date Posted: 23:22:10 06/12/11 Sun
Author: asiacheetah
Author Host/IP: ppp-71-128-195-9.dsl.sndg02.pacbell.net / 71.128.195.9
Subject: 15 Days - Chapter 16 - Day 14
In reply to: asiacheetah 's message, "15 Days" on 00:00:02 06/02/11 Thu

Chapter 16 – Day 14

Nikita sat back in her chair, laughing as a street musician attempted to woo her as he played his saxophone. There were music everywhere in New Orleans; you were never far from the strands of them within the French Quarter. The city was vibrant and full of a life of its own, so different from the sterile environment inside Section. She will miss the energy of the city and its inhabitants when they returned to Section.

That was the smallest part of what she would miss though. She turned her head to observe her companion. Michael was sipping another espresso, looking more relaxed than she’s ever seen him. This didn’t mean he was careless as he continuously swept the area for any potential threat. Sensing her eyes on him, he turned his attention to her and she was rendered momentarily speechless from the power of those eyes.

“I don’t think I ever knew you were such a coffee-holic, Michael.”

He gave her a small smile, but didn’t respond. They sat in companionable silence for a while longer as they observed the tourists and locals enjoying the day. Night had fallen and various groups of tourists were passing by on different haunted history tours or vampire tours.

She had asked Michael several nights ago whether he wanted to go on one of the tours. He had merely given her a look and replied not especially. Since she still owed him after dragging him to see a haunted plantation tour given by a 15 year old wannabe Backstreet Boys, she decided not to push her luck.

They paid their tab and walked down some side streets, making sure to avoid the crowds on the main through fare. She had made the mistake of dragging Michael with her down Bourbon Street one night. Since the small street was relatively empty and tame during the day, she really didn’t think it would be that bad at night.

She still didn’t know how they made it out of there without getting arrested and leaving behind a trail of bodies. It was bad enough to be hit on by every drunken man-child on the street. It was ridiculous the amount of attention drawn to Michael. Men, women, hookers, and transvestites alike propositioned him, and quite a few outright tried to grab him. Fortunately for them, Michael’s reflex was excellent and he managed to side step their advances. Had even one of them laid a finger on him, she was sure that would have been the last thing they ever did.

As if thinking about them conjured them out of thin air, a group of giggling drunken women turned the corner. The head of the group was wearing a veil, making it obvious this was a bachelorette party. The bride to be took one look at Michael and declared loudly: “That one! I’m going to have my last fling with that hot man.”

The woman stumbled toward them and tried to throw her arms around Michael. Nikita grabbed the bride’s arms before she could make contact. “Sorry ladies, he’s already taken.”

The woman pouted and pleaded: “Fine, just a kiss then. I’m getting married!”

“Sorry, I own those lips too.” She shot a warning look toward the laughing bridal party and they dragged the bride away.

They continued walking in silence for a few minutes. Michael finally remarked with a wry tone: “You own my lips?”

Nikita glanced sideways at him and teased: “Yup, amongst other things.”

He gave her an amused smile, which encouraged her to wrap her arm around his. They made their way toward the direction of the waterfront, away from the noise from the crowds. The area they were walking through was quieter, with most of the stores closed for the day.

Nikita’s eyes were drawn to a small storefront with warm amber light peaking through the lace curtains. The elegant cursive words stenciled on the window said Madam LaRue’s Divination. She clutched Michael’s arm and excitedly exclaimed: “Let’s get our fortunes read, Michael!”

Michael’s eyebrows shot up as he gave her a surprised look. “I didn’t think you believe in that kind of stuff.”

“I don’t, but it might be fun to pretend to have an uncomplicated life.”

He smiled slightly before opening the door for her. They stepped inside to find a small front parlor with soft piano music playing and stain glass lamps and crystals positioned throughout the room. The curtains parted and an older woman with white hair and wizened features appeared. Her eyes were coated over with cataracts, appearing eerily white. While she may appear blind, those eyes focused with an intense impact on the two of them before gesturing them into the reading room.

They sat down at the small table, unadorned except for table cloth and a single deck of Tarot cards. The wizened lady sat down and fixed them both with an unnerving stare before speaking. “I’m Madam LaRue. I don’t typically conduct joint reading, but I can read your fortunes individually. Who would like to begin?”

Nikita gestured toward Michael and spoke up: “Can you read his fortune first?”

“Yes.” Madam LaRue shuffled the deck before asking Michael to cut the deck. He did so and she turned the cards over in a configuration.

Nikita watched in shock as she turned over a Hanged Man, two Death cards, Strength card, and the Chariot card.

Madam LaRue pursed her lips as she examined the cards. She pointed at the Hanged Man card and spoke: “This is Le Pendu. It speaks to devotion to a worthy cause, of sacrifices in the present to reap benefits in the future. There will be a rebirth, where everything will turn on its head. This speaks of transformation, of sacrificing one thing to obtain another.”

She pointed at the two Death cards lying side by side. The first card was upside down, while the second faced the opposite direction. “This is La Mort. There will be painful and unpleasant changes. There will be an agonizing period of transition, where you might succumb to mental, physical, or emotional exhaustion.” She pointed to the second Death card: “Hope is not lost though. This is the beginning of a new life, an abrupt and major change.”

Next, she pointed at the card with the picture of a person and a lion: “La Force is a good sign. It speaks of courage, self control, the power of love, determination, generosity, resolve and reconciliation.”

Madam LaRue gestured to the final card and spoke: “Le Chariot signify triumph over adversity, overcoming life’s obstacles, a period of struggle ending in success.”

Madam LaRue paused for a moment as she stared silently at the cards. Finally she raised her head and looked directly at Michael. “I see so much death surrounding you, but there’s hope. The thing you want the most will happen. I see…a son, your son. You will get to see him grow up and you will be able to raise him and he will be a credit to you.”

They both looked at the woman speechlessly, shocked into silence. The wizened woman came out of her trance before gathering the cards and shuffling the deck. She silently offered the cards to Nikita for her to cut the deck. Nikita tentatively did as bidden, extremely nervous about what her fortune might reveal. She glanced over at Michael, whose stoic mask had slipped a little revealing that he was shaken by what the elderly lady had said about Adam.

She looked back as the woman laid out the cards: the tower, the fool, the lovers, emperor, and judgment card. Madam LaRue stared at the cards for a moment before pointing at the card with the tower on it and shaking her head: “La Maison Dieu is in a reversed direction. This denotes restriction of desires and imprisonment. There will be drastic changes that may rob you of freedom of expression and imprisonment within a set of circumstances which cannot be altered.”

Nikita shot an ironic glance at Michael, who quirked his eyebrow up in response. They turned back at Madam LaRue gestured to the Fool card: “Le Mat speaks to the beginning of a new journey, overturning of the status quo by unexpected happenings. It also speaks of important decisions to be made.”

Nikita’s breath caught in her throat at the elderly woman’s reading. It struck too close to home and to what will happen once her long undercover assignment was over. She glanced over at Michael and wondered whether his reading reflected the future he would have once Mr. Jones’ plan was set in place.

Madam LaRue pointed at the Lovers card and again shook her head: “L’Amoureux, placed with these other cards, denotes some form of test, possibly a struggle between two paths.”
Next she pointed at the Emperor card: “L’Empereur denotes authority, power, and ambition.”

She gestured to the last card: “This is the most important card. Le Judgement speaks of fear of change and sometimes fear of death. There may be loss and separation, guilt, a lack of progress on an important decision.”

Again, the elderly woman fell silent, communing with an unseen power. She opened those pale milky eyes and fixed Nikita with an all seeing stare: “You will sacrifice much for what you believe in and you will realize too late that you gave up on what truly mattered.”

Nikita felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. It felt like the woman was giving her a direct warning against the path she was currently on. She looked again at Michael and knew that she was on the right path. In order for him to be free to raise Adam, she would have to give him up.

They thanked the woman, paid her, and left quickly. Madam LaRue followed them out the door and called out toward Michael: “Monsieur, once you get the chance to get what you most want, don’t ever look back.”

Michael nodded politely to the woman and softly replied: “Merci.”

They silently made their way back, engrossed in thoughts. Both afraid to speak of their hopes and fears, worried that once given voice, they may come true, the good and the bad.

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