The Arcana Club

I rolled my neck around again, focusing on the feeling of bones popping.

“Should my neck sound like that?” I asked my empty room, already failed in my mission. Meditation is hard.

I focused my attention on a spot on the wall, then another spot, then the picture covering a place where my dad punched the wall while trying to paint it. It was me and Nerves before Emmy and Van joined the homeschool group. He was the only person I invited to celebrate my birthday, so Mom took us all bowling, kids versus grown-ups. Nerves was by far the best on our team, so we got him a hat and wrote MVP.

Nerves who lied to me.

I groaned as I realized I’d failed again. Nerves had been honest about how I can’t listen apparently. Maybe that’s why he lied.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Empty.

Empty.

Empty.

Empty.

I appreciate the effort.

I startled out of my trance.

“What?”

The door to my room suddenly opened.

“Are you even ready for pool day?” River asked.

I hadn’t even realized today was Friday.

“Absolutely.”

“If you’re going to lie to me, at least make it probable.” River complained, “I get that you and your friends aren’t really swimming this year for some reason, but you still need to prep your stuff just in case.”

“Why?” I asked. I wasn’t going swimming anyways.

“Because mom said so, and maybe you’ll change your mind like you did that first week.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t give me attitude.”

“You’re not mom,” I said, “I’ll give you as much attitude as I want.”

She stuck her tongue out and I did the same.

“Are you getting ready?” Mom yelled.

“Yes!” we answered.

I stole a seat next to Van and Nerves as they immediately quieted down.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Murder,” Nerves answered.

“Why would you say that?” Van asked.

“Is murder less embarrassing to talk about than what you were really talking about?” I asked.

“No!” Van answered.

“Yes,” Nerves answered. He seemed to mean it too.

“I heard murder,” Cindy said, sitting down with us, “Are you talking about crime shows?”

We shook our heads.

“Shame.”

I was about to speak up to get Cindy to talk more about crime shows when Nerves spoke up.

“Princess told me about how she died,” Nerves said, “Is everyone’s story like that?”

“I’m not familiar with every talisman’s story,” Cindy said, “Why don’t you tell me?”

“Her father died. She dreamed of wearing something pink and frilly like in her books. She died trying to save a stranger and her body became carrion.”

“What’s carrion?” I asked.

“Dead things that animals eat,” Nerves said, “Apparently the man she saved was Talisman. She was a teen.”

Cindy nodded.

“Death died in a fight,” she said, “Saving kidnapped members of her tribe. They burned her body for a warrior’s death.”

Van and I looked at each other, mentally pushing for the other to tell their death story, but neither of us had one.

“Some talismans feel the need to talk about their deaths, others don’t remember them at all,” Cindy said, “It shows Princess trusts you that she was willing to share her story with you.”

“I think she just wanted me to stop being such a turd,” Nerves said, “I haven’t really been nice to her.”

I leaned on his shoulder. I could be oblivious. Nerves could be abrasive.

“Wanna switch?” I asked, “I wouldn’t mind Summer pissed off.”

Nerves shook his head.

“No, then she’d be right.”

“About what?”

Instead of answering my question, Nerves pointed out Emmy coming toward us.

“I think she’s here,” Emmy said.

“Who?” we asked.

“Winter. I could smell her. She smells like menthol and frozen lips.”

The description was poetic, but I still wasn’t sure.

“Like she’s another kid?” I asked, “In the homeschool group?”

“Or grown-up,” she said, “I think I only just got close enough with Lupus to smell things.”

“So we get you to smell everyone here until you find her,” Cindy said.

“Or one of the other sisters,” I added.

Emmy nodded.

“Start at the refreshments,” Nerves said, “Everyone’s going to come by that table.”

“Let’s just hope chlorine doesn’t ruin the sniffer,” Van said.

Emmy nodded.

“In the meantime,” Cindy looked over the three of us before we could get up to join Emmy, “Summer, look over people, see if you and Summer recognize anyone; Nerves, keep Emmy company, Princess is close to all animal talismans, and might help amplify Emmy; and Van, see if you can’t make something.”

“I always can,” Van said.

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

We laid as much of ourselves as we could on the Roddenstein’s table. We still weren’t over the disaster of Friday.

“She never went by the refreshment table,” Emmy said, “And I ate too much watermelon.”

“No such thing,” Van said.

“That’s because you’ve never eaten too much watermelon.”

“Well I couldn’t make anything,” Van said, “So at least you did something useful, eliminating a sizable pool.”

“I kind of recognized everybody,” I said, “Because I’ve been in the same homeschool group as them for years.”

“Obviously I didn’t improve Emmy’s sense of smell at all,” Nerves said, “I maybe even distracted her.”

“You smell like roses and glitter.”

“See?”

“Well now I’m glad I didn’t go,” Cas said.

“You had to catch up on school,” Cindy said.

“But I didn’t ask Dad to take me afterwards.”

We all gave a final groan before sliding back into our chairs.

“I managed to get something together though,” Cas announced, pulling out a laptop and flipping it open, “Lorraine Woe is awaiting our call across the pond.”

“Then call her!” I said.

“What are we going to ask her, so she doesn’t think the light brother’s in town?” Cas asked.

“We don’t even know if he is back in town,” I said.

“Which is a big reason why we don’t want her to think that.”

Cas’ finger hovered over the mouse pad.

“We can ask about the show, and her being Julia,” Van offered.

“Then we ask how real it was,” I continued, “And see what she tells us about the light brother.”

“And anyone else involved with him,” Cindy finished, “So we’ve got a plan?”

We answered in the affirmative.

Cas pressed the button and we all watched the screen say it was calling.

“What if she doesn’t pick up?” Nerves asked.

“She’ll pick up,” Cas said.

The calling noise stopped and the screen went blank.

“Did you charge it?” Cindy asked. Cas pointed to the charger connected to the laptop.

“Hello, little Roddensteins!” a British woman said from the laptop screen. She looked like Julia, white with mousy brown hair and green eyes, but more aged, wrinkled; it suited her. “And friends.”

“Are you really Julia?” Van asked.

Lorraine laughed.

“Why am I not surprised?” she asked, “You’ve all watched the copy Jameson sent?”

“Several times,” Cindy said, “You sent it before Cas was born.”

“Well I didn’t send it, Jameson did, but it was a long time ago. My, how the years pass.”

Lorraine took a breath.

“To answer your question, yes, I’m the basis for Julia, and yes, I was the host for old light—” She stopped herself from saying the last word, “For the light brother. I’ll answer a few of your questions before you can ask:

“No, I cannot contact him again, our connection was broken off, and I’m grateful every day for that.

“Yes, it was painful.

“No, I was not aware of what I was doing while transformed. I never chose to do it.

“Yes, I did agree to become his host with my own words. He offered to save Ed from something terrible, and true to his word he never physically hurt him. I was the one to cause him pain.

“No, I don’t know the current location of Scuro, but neither does he. They had a bit of a falling out apparently.”

“That’s what I saw!” I realized.

“And who are you all?” Lorraine asked, “I realize I never got introductions.”

“I’m Cindy, Jonah’s oldest,” Cindy said, “You already know Cas.”

“We emailed,” Cas reminded her.

“These are Nerves, Emmy, Van, and Summer.” she pointed down the line to each of us.

“Summer?”

I nodded.

“And who,” Lorraine asked, “Are you each bonded to? I know one of the Roddensteins belongs to the brides.”

Cindy awkwardly raised her hand.

“Which one?”

“The first,” Cindy said. Lorraine’s expression was appreciative.

“Princess,” Nerves admitted.

“Lupus,” Emmy bragged.

“Invention,” Van admired.

“Summer,” I repeated.

“There must be an emergency out there if so many were called, especially a sister.”

“What’s so special about the sisters?” I asked.

“Well they were sisters to Talisman in their first lives, and they have the full power of the seasons, if you can get them all.”

I didn’t say anything.

“Any questions beyond what I answered?” Lorraine asked.

“You seem adjusted,” Nerves said, “How did you manage that after light brother nonsense?”

“Nonsense?” Lorraine asked, “You’re clearly as young as you look.”

Nerves pulled his hoodie back up.

“The light brother was not my only talisman. I was never to transform with the second one, fear of possible corruption. She was there to help me recover my senses.”

“Like healing!” Emmy said, “But like, the other way around.”

Lorraine nodded.

“We helped each other, but you understand.”

“What did you help her with?” I asked.

She watched all of us.

“Some talismans are singular. They only need or want a host, though they may be loosely connected to others by theme. Many more come in couples, The light brother and the lady of dark for example. Many of the most powerful are in families, to separate one too far from the others is a great torture, and together they are among the most powerful a Mystic like us can be.”

“Like the sisters,” I said. Maybe Summer wasn’t distant because of me.

“And you likely know about the cause of their separation.”

“The light brother will pay,” I think Summer said. The others looked at me with concern.

“Join the chorus,” Lorraine said, “He won’t give you the chance. That’s Tarot’s burden.”

“And Scuro’s,” I said. The others gasped at my saying her name aloud. Lorraine’s expression turned into a hard smile.

“Scuro’s doing her work as well.”

“I thought you didn’t know where she was,” Van accused.

“I don’t, but like I said before, I know she isn’t on her partner’s side anymore. She somehow relinquished her connection to him. That dealt a harder blow than anything we’ve been capable of.”

“How can we trust anything you’ve said if you’ve been the light-brother’s host?” Nerves asked.

Lorraine looked down.

“That is exactly why I know of the falling out.”

“Scuro never overtook her host the same way,” I explained, trusting Summer knew what she spoke of, “The light brother hurt someone close to her host, I think it may have been Tarot’s own host, and that crossed a line.”

Cindy smiled.

“His own vengeance ruined that relationship, and now he’s destabilized, which is why the seasons are here.”

“Why?” we asked.

“No time. I’ve got to talk to someone.”

Cindy ran out of the room. We all turned back to Lorraine.

“The seasons are there?” she asked.

We all grimaced, unsure how to answer.

“You, Summer,” Lorraine said, “Cas, please give her contact information so we can talk, we have much to discuss.”

I nodded. Lorraine hung-up.

“So much for not letting her know the light-brother was around,” Emmy said. “What do you have to discuss with her, Summer?”

“Something important.”