Supernova (16 page)

“If we’re going to see the gypsy, I want to get my palm read,” Sydney said.

“Gypsy?” Dominic asked.

“Lucinda has some sort of psychic gift. She’s a seer,” Kerrigan explained as she led the way around the corner. “At least, that’s what Grammy said.”

“Well, if Availia said it, it must be true.”

Kerrigan was really starting to see that Dominic and her grandmother had indeed been pretty close. He appeared to view Availia much the same way she did. If Availia said the sky was green, then it was green. If she said it was going to snow, even though it was ninety-degree weather outside, then by God, she would pull out the parka and snow boots.

They walked down the cobbled street a bit before they reached Lucinda’s shop, Silver Feather, and stepped inside. The little bell above the door chimed as they entered to signal their arrival, and memories from her Kerrigan’s childhood flooded her mind once again. The shop was still the same as she remembered. Chock full of new age paraphernalia and old world jewelry. The smell of incense and leather-bound books was familiar and just as comforting as the mellow sound of the music that filled the small room.

A woman in her late fifties with wire-rimmed glasses stepped through the beaded curtain that led to the back room. Her long, graying black hair and golden tanned skin were traits inherited through her Native American lineage. She exuded warmth and profound respect. As she turned to greet her customers, her eyes came to rest on Kerrigan, and her face lit up in surprise.

“Well as I live and breathe, if it isn’t little Kerrigan Cruz. Or, what was it Availia called you? Sunshine, right?”

“Miss Lucinda!” Kerrigan greeted her with a warm smile.

Lucinda waved her off. “Oh please, child. It’s Lucy. You’re not a little girl anymore.”

She reached out and grabbed Kerrigan, pulling her into a tight hug before she stepped back. “Let me take a look at you. My, you have grown up. And who are your friends?”

Kerrigan made the introductions and Lucy greeted each one of them by taking their hand in hers while looking into their eyes for a brief moment. Kerrigan had seen her do the same routine with each one of her clients when she and Availia used to pay her a visit. She always thought it was just a kind greeting, but seeing it from an adult’s prospective, the way Lucinda’s eyes showed complete awareness, it was almost like she was delving into their psyche.

“Lucy, this is Dominic,” Kerrigan said, saving that introduction for last.

Lucy smiled and then reached for his hand as well. The second she made contact with him, her eyes went wide and she gasped. She held tight to his hand, her attention focused on him and him alone. Her brows furrowed in concentration and her lips thinned. After a moment or two, Dominic started to shift from one foot to the other, uncomfortable that every eye in the shop seemed to be trained on him. Plus, he had no way of knowing what she was seeing.

“Lucy? Are you okay?” Kerrigan asked, her eyes shifting from Lucy’s face to Dominic.

“Awkwaaaard,” Gabe sang in a high-pitched voice.

Lucy dropped Dominic’s hand and cleared her throat. “Oh yes, um…my apologies. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

Kerrigan looked at Dominic, perplexed by what had just taken place. He cleared his throat and followed the rest of their friends example, meandering around the shop. He stopped and focused his attention on perusing the books on the shelves as if nothing odd had happened at all. Maybe she had read more into it than it actually was.

“Um, well Grammy made these, and I want to donate them to the shop.” Kerrigan opened the velvet bag and emptied its contents onto the glass countertop.

“These are exquisite,” Lucy said, picking up each piece to examine it. “Are you sure I can’t pay you for them?”

“I wouldn’t hear of it. Grammy would want you to have them.”

Lucy sat the piece she was holding down and grabbed Kerrigan’s wrist. She held it up to look more closely at the bracelet she was wearing. “Did Availia make this for you?”

Kerrigan nodded.

“Do you want to know what these stones symbolize?”

“Absolutely! Dominic has one too, but I made his when I was like seven.”

“Mmhmm, why am I not surprised?” she said cryptically.

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind. Let’s talk about your bracelet.” She dismissed the question and turned her attention back to Kerrigan’s wrist.

“The amethyst and the black onyx are used for protection from fear, negativity and witchcraft. The amethyst will also help to open your spiritual center, and the onyx will help sharpen those senses and even help keep you hidden from those who might seek to do you harm,” she explained as she pointed to each stone. “The moonstone…well, other than being quite beautiful, the story goes that if you give your lover a moonstone when the moon is full, passion will forever be with you. It’s a reflective stone, which means that it helps the wearer remember who they really are, on the inside.”

“Wow. And to think, I just thought they were pretty.” Kerrigan turned to look for Dominic so that he could have his turn. She found him in the back corner of the store with the others, watching as they messed around with some sort of plate with fog floating out of it.

“Dominic, can you come over here for a second?”

“Sure,” he said, laughing at Tyson doing a kung fu chop on the fog that drifted toward him.

“Hey, I’m not stupid, dude,” Tyson said with one leg raised in a Karate Kid stance. “I’ve seen that movie where something evil lived in the fog and totally annihilated like a whole town. And they probably thought it was just harmless smoke too. Beware the fog, man…beware the effin’ fog.”

“Thanks for the warning, Ty.” Dominic clapped him on the back almost causing him to fall over. He walked over to Kerrigan and Lucy and leaned his forearms onto the counter. “What’s up?”

“Lucy’s going to tell you what the stones on your bracelet mean. And it looks like I’m going to go over there and try to pry Gabe’s hands off the merchandise.”

She went to go join Gabe, who looked to be trying on every single piece of jewelry he could manage to get on his body, including clip-on earrings to his nipples.

Once Kerrigan was out of earshot, he turned to Lucinda. “I assume you’re the same Lucy, Availia’s Lucy?”

“You assume right. May I?” she asked with a nod toward his wrist.

Dominic held his right wrist out to her, not really comfortable with doing so after the weirdness of their initial greeting.

“You’re timid. Did I make you uncomfortable earlier?”

“A little. It just felt like you were inside my head poking around some pretty personal memories. You saw it, didn’t you? It’s true what people say?”

“Yes, to both of your questions,” she answered. “I’m a seer, and
you’ve
been through a lot, young man. With more to come. Kerrigan will help you, just as Availia did, even if she doesn’t yet know the power she has surging through her. You’re fond of her, no?”

Dominic was taken aback by her question. He hadn’t even fully come to that conclusion himself. Hearing her say it out loud, it didn’t sound wrong. He answered her with a simple nod, and she left it at that.

“Kerrigan made this bracelet and gave it to you,” she started, eyeing his jewelry. “I’m sure she didn’t consciously know at the time that it had a purpose, but destiny did. When two souls are lost to one another, destiny always has a way of bringing them back around to the other, making them whole. She was making it for her other half, for you. You’re her twin flame, Dominic.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I’ll explain, but let’s start with the jade. It’s the prominent stone in this piece,” she continued. “It’s used for protection and self-healing. Given what you’ve been through, I’d say that’s a very fitting stone. Wouldn’t you?”

“I suppose so. But, I’ll never be completely whole again.”

“Never say never, Dominic.” She gave him an encouraging smile. “Now, the moonstone. There’s only one. Did you notice that?”

“I did. It’s a little hard to miss.”

“Yes, well the moonstone is a passionate stone, a stone for lovers. There is only one true love, one soul mate, or
twin flame
, for each and every one of us. Yours has staked a claim on your heart with this one, seemingly insignificant, token. When the time comes that one flame finally finds the other, they’re drawn to each other like magnets. The result is really quite phenomenal.” She gave him one of those smiles that said she was keeping a secret from him.

“I, uh…I don’t think that’s…” Dominic stumbled, thrown off by her interpretation.

Lucy interrupted him. “Of course, Kerrigan didn’t know it at the time she gave it to you. She was far too young. But the flame that resides in her heart did. It was her destiny.
You
are her destiny, and she is yours. You can try to fight it, but in the end, you will always come back to her, as she will always come back to you.

Have you ever heard the phrase: Love conquers all?”

“I think you’re reading too much into it.” Dominic pulled his wrist away and tucked his hand in his pocket, as if hiding the bracelet away would somehow conceal his true emotions as well.

“Am I? Well I guess only time will tell.” Lucy smiled knowingly. “Kerrigan is wearing the same stone, but Availia gave it to her for a different reason. You see, a moonstone can be revitalized when placed in the light of a full moon, because that’s when the light is brightest. For Kerrigan, it doesn’t have to just be the moonlight. Any source of natural light will work the same. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I think so.” Availia spent a lot of time in the sun on the days following that night that his soul was nearly ripped out of his body, and with each passing minute, she seemed to grow stronger and stronger.

“She’s almost ready,” Lucy said. He knew full well what she was talking about. “You’ll need to give her the letter within the next couple of days. Her training must begin soon.”

Dominic nodded his understanding. “Do you know what she’s training for, exactly?”

Before Lucy could answer, Kerrigan came up behind him with the rest of their friends.

“Hey, we should probably be going if we want to get to the lighthouse before it closes.”

“Yes, youngsters should be out having fun, not meandering around a bunch of antiques, myself included,” Lucy laughed. “Now shoo! Go. And Kerrigan…be careful. You never know what might be lurking around in those old lighthouses.”

“Aw, no worries, Lucy. I already promised Dominic that I’d protect him from the boogey man.” Kerrigan laughed and playfully poked him in the ribs.

Lucy smiled, but gave Dominic a meaningful glance when Kerrigan wasn’t looking.

“Thanks, Lucy!” Kerrigan said as she wrapped her arms around her. “For everything.”

“No need for thanks, dear. If you should ever need anything, don’t hesitate to pop in,” Lucy said as she gave her a firm hug.

The others said their goodbyes as they all filed through the door with Kerrigan and Dominic bringing up the rear.

“Dominic?” Lucy called after him.

He and Kerrigan turned toward her.

“I’m just curious. What date were you born?”

“January 24th, 1985. Why?”

“And do you happen to know at what time?”

Dominic thought it was an odd question to ask, but he happened to know the exact time because it was so unusual.

“At twelve noon, exactly.”

“That’s what I thought,” Lucy said with a satisfied smile. “You two better get going. I believe your friends are waiting for you.”

With a dumbfounded look on his face, he put his hand to the small of Kerrigan’s back and ushered her out.

“What the hell do you suppose all that was about?” Dominic asked as they walked toward their friends.

“Dominic, my birth date was January 24th, 1985…At exactly twelve noon.”

He tossed his head back and laughed. “Very funny, Querida.”

“Gabe!” Kerrigan called out. Their friends stopped walking and turned to see what she wanted. Once they caught up, she turned to Gabe. “Wanna’ know Dominic’s birth date?”

“Why? Does he want me to jump out of a cake nekked for him or something? ‘Cause it ain’t got to be his birthday for me to do that.” Gabe gave Dominic a suggestive look. “Anytime, boo-boo. An…ny…time.”

“Okay, wait. Maybe this’ll be more believable if you tell him the date and time I was born.”

“Easy peasy. Prissy tells the same damn story every year,” Gabe said with an eye roll. “Exactly twelve noon, on the twenty-fourth of January, star date 1985.”

Kerrigan smiled at Dominic. “See? Told you so.”

Dominic just stared at her slack-jawed.

“Wanna’ hear something wicked?” she asked her friends.

“Always,” Sydney answered.

“Dominic was born at exactly the same time, on exactly the same date.”

“Dude, that’s mondo insane,” Tyson said, as only a surfer could. “I mean, what are the odds? It’s like cosmically impossible.”

“Nah, man. I’d say more like it could only be possible cosmically,” Talon rebutted.