Chapter XLVII

With Natalie’s birthday trip to the pier wrapped up and successful, Lilly and Eric barely had any time to breathe before the West Wilham spring festival was upon them. Monday and Tuesday were both filled with excitement throughout the student body and it was clear that while the teachers were exasperated trying to get everybody to focus on class, they were excited, too. Lilly wasn’t able to make it to the club either day because of track practice, but Eric said that preparations for their fortune telling booth were coming along nicely, though she wasn’t sure exactly what he meant by “preparations”. All they really needed was Vinny’s crystal ball and they'd be good to go. After all, they all knew that they’d be lucky to even get three customers so there was no point in putting in too much effort. Since sports teams didn’t have to do anything for the festival, Lilly had planned to spend the three days with them, helping out wherever they needed. She was strangely excited for it all and was anxious to see what the other clubs had to offer.

So, when Wednesday rolled around, Lilly got up earlier than usual, rushed through her morning routine, and headed out of her apartment to go to school. That morning, the weather was nice and cool, which she took as a good omen for the day to come. She even found herself skipping a bit as she made her way down the relatively empty streets.

Lilly was still fairly surprised by the way the festival was set up. Three whole days had been set aside where they wouldn’t have any classes and would simply spend the day at their booths or enjoying the festivities. Back at her old school, it would have been a stretch for them to give them even one day off for something like this, let alone three. It made her realize just how beloved the spring festival must be to the town.

Though, I’m not complaining. Three days off just to screw around in the clubroom sounds perfect to me.

She smirked to herself as she rounded a corner and came upon the front gate of the school, which caused her to suddenly stop. The front gate was decked out with different colored balloons and a massive “Welcome to the Spring Festival” sign hanging to the side of the gate. Just beyond the gates in the courtyard, she could already see groups of students and teachers setting up different stalls around the lawn. Most of the tables had been removed to give more room, which made the courtyard look oddly bigger than it normally did. In fact, it reminded her a bit of the pier and she couldn’t help but smile at the recent memories.

Well, here we are. Let’s get this party started.

She once again began walking as she moved through the gates and into the courtyard. It looked like most clubs had opted to set up outside rather than in their respective clubrooms, something the Magic Club had decided against since they didn’t actually intend to try and get customers. Lilly walked down the path, glancing around at the various attractions. Most of them looked like they were food stalls and she even saw a sign indicating that one of the clubs would be making pancakes once the festival started. Just the thought of it made her a bit hungry since she had only eaten a small thing of yogurt before leaving her apartment.

Well, I’ll have to check everything out later, she thought to herself. See if I can find something to eat.

She crossed the courtyard and entered the main school building, only to be greeted with another festive sight. She had seen the beginnings of the decorating when she left school the previous evening but now, seeing it complete, she felt her excitement increase. There were streamers and balloons hung over the walls, with some even lying on the ground. Posters of all different sizes were hung up, advertising various clubs and whatever attractions they were setting up. Naturally, she wouldn’t find anything for the Magic Club since Mr. Lowe hadn’t required that they actually make anything. Eric and the others really were committed to doing the bare minimum.

She chuckled at the thought, then went up the stairs that would take her to the third floor. The top floor of the school wasn’t as decorated as the bottom since most of the clubs that had their rooms up there had migrated down to the courtyard, but it was still far more colorful than it normally was. She turned and headed in the direction of the clubroom and once she reached it, she went inside, excited to meet up with the others and get the day started. Yet, when she went inside, she cocked an eyebrow at the strange yet unsurprising sight that greeted her.

“Ah, a young lady enters our lair!” Vinny said, lowering his voice as if trying to be spooky. “Perhaps she seeks out forbidden knowledge?”

“I’m sure she does,” Eric added, “but is she aware of the price that comes with it?”

For a moment, Lilly just stood in the doorway, taking a moment to process the state of the clubroom. Black curtains were hung over every window, blocking almost all natural light from entering the room. The only light that they had came from a variety of candles set around on the surfaces of a few of the desks. She was about to question whether they were allowed to have fire when a closer look revealed that they were all fake, electric candles. As for Eric and Vinny, the two of them were sitting behind four desks all pushed together with a black tablecloth thrown over it. The blue crystal ball was sitting right in front of them surrounded by more electric candles. To add to the strange atmosphere, they were both wearing black robes and pointed witch’s hats, with their faces painted white and red contact lenses in their eyes.

Welp, I guess I should have expected this. Though I didn’t think they would get this committed to the whole thing.

She glanced to the back table to see Damien and Liz staring back at her, looking amused by the whole situation. Lilly laughed and turned back to the two “fortune tellers” at the table.

“So, this is what you guys have been up to all week, huh?” she asked. “And is there even any point in bothering with this? You know nobody’s gonna show up, right?”

Vinny smirked smugly. “Exactly! So, we might as well entertain ourselves somehow, right? Now, Miss Lilly Harper, do you want your fortune told or are you too scared of the unknown?”

“My fortune, huh?” She considered his offer and shrugged. “Alright, knock yourself out, Vinny. What does my future have in store?”

“Ah, but are you prepared for the consequences of knowing your fate?” Eric asked. “Knowledge of the future is not for the faint of heart. There have been many who were driven to insanity by knowing too much. Are you certain you can handle it?’

She snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure. Now get on with it.”

Vinny and Eric exchanged looks then leaned forward to stare intensely into the crystal ball. Lilly stood there in silence for a moment, waiting for one of them to say something but they made no move to speak. When she tried to urge them to hurry up, Vinny stuck a hand up and indicated for her to be quiet. She rolled her eyes and glanced at Damien and Liz for help but both shrugged as if to tell her to just deal with it. After a moment, Eric finally raised his head and looked directly at her.

“Ah yes,” he said, “I see now. Yes, your future is full of love and prosperity. However, I would avoid the color purple for it is unlucky to you. I would recommend keeping your distance from plums for the time being.”

Lilly raised her eyebrows. “Really? That’s all you got? Well, it’s a good thing my family doesn’t eat plums.”

“And also,” Vinny quickly interjected. “You may be in for a surprise in the coming days! But whether it’s good or bad remains to be seen! Your fate is in your hands, dear Lilly! Do not fumble with it or you will forever be condemned to hell!”

“Oh, fun,” she replied in monotone. “Well fair enough.”

Smirking at their ridiculous fortunes, Lilly walked further into the classroom and took her seat at one of the desks.

“So, what time does the festival start again?” she asked.

“Around nine is when the gates open for the public,” Damien replied. “Then it goes all day til around sixish.”

She nodded, then glanced at the wall clock in the corner of the room, which read that it was currently seven-thirty. They still had an hour and a half before the school opened the gates. She actually found herself wishing it would come faster. Just walking through the halls was enough to get her excited for the days to come. As she glanced around the room, she saw Eric and Vinny whispering to each other with sly looks on their faces that made it seem like they were coming up with more devious fortunes. The clubroom looked utterly ridiculous, as did they, but she couldn't help but laugh softly to herself.

It’s always something stupid when I walk through that door, she mused. They’re always keeping me on my toes. Today’s gonna be fun. I can’t wait.

***

“Ah, if it isn’t Mr. Bradley Fischer, come to show his ugly face before our glory?!”

At the sound of Vinny’s voice, Lilly glanced up from the festival pamphlet she was reading to see Brad standing in the doorway, looking around the room in shock before turning an irritated eye on the blonde boy. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to comment on their stupid getup but he must have decided it wasn’t worth it.

“Oh, shut up, Mickelson!” he snapped. “If that’s how you greet your damn customers then I’m not surprised I’m the only one here!”

Vinny cocked an eyebrow. “No, no, no! Of course I don’t treat my customers like that! These words are reserved solely for you, my friend!”

“Frickin’ hell,” Brad muttered. “I knew I would, but I’m already regretting dragging myself up here.”

He then glanced over at Lilly, who was looking back at him with as apologetic a smile as she could muster. He had told her the day before that he’d stop by the clubroom for a fortune just so they could get at least one customer but, when he said that, she hadn’t been aware of how committed Eric and Vinny were going to be to the act. Whatever fortune they gave him probably wouldn’t be flattering and part of her wanted to speak up and urge him to just turn and run. She glanced over her shoulder to Damien and Liz for help, but both were distracted reading their own festival pamphlet.

Oh, boy. Well, good luck, Brad. I appreciate you coming by, she thought as she turned her attention back to the front of the room.

“And tell me, Fischer,” Vinny was saying. “Why have you not brought Mr. Wright with you? I was absolutely dying to give him a little insight into his pathetic and sad future.”

Brad snorted. “Oh fuck off. Like hell Evan was gonna come anywhere near you guys after what you did to him—though that’s not to say it wasn’t deserved. But regardless, can you just give me my damn fortune so I can get the hell out of here?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Eric said. “In that case, please provide us with your ticket, my large friend.”

Brad scoffed, reached into his back pocket, and produced one of his small, yellow tickets. The school sold those tickets to festival goers and they could be redeemed at any attraction whether it be food or entertainment and the managers of the attractions were allowed to decide how many tickets they would charge, within reason, of course. Students of the school got ten free tickets for the whole festival and would have to buy more if they wanted. After outvoting Vinny, who wanted to charge an absurd number for their fortunes, they opted just to charge one since they weren’t really offering anything of value.

When Brad had handed his ticket to Eric, the boy leaned back in his seat and grinned.

“Vinny! Let us stare into our mystical ball and see just what we can learn about the future of this big oaf!” he said.

Much like they had earlier, the two boys leaned forward and gazed intently into the blue ball. Brad stared at them in seemingly disbelief before once again looking at Lilly with an eyebrow raised. However, she could only shrug and mouth, “thanks for coming, Brad”, since she couldn’t really explain why they were dressed like witches. She was prepared to wait a few moments for Eric and Vinny to come up with a fortune for Brad but, unlike earlier with her fortune, the two boys looked up almost immediately.

“Ah, yes,” Vinny began, eyeing the bigger boy smugly. “Well, this was to be expected of course, but your future is looking fairly grim.”

“Yes, yes, I agree,” Eric added. “I’m sorry to say but I’m not sure you want us to tell you. It might put a damper on this fun festival for you.”

Brad rolled his eyes. “I honestly hate you both. Look, I gave you my damned ticket so just give me your stupid fortune so I can leave!”

“He seems angry,” Vinny mused. “Well, that only makes sense seeing as his future is fairly depressing. But Mr. Fischer, would you still want to know if I told you that your death was drawing near?”

“Okay!” Lilly interrupted before Brad could snap back at Vinny. “Enough of you two. If you can’t give nice fortunes then move aside. I’ll do it myself.”

She got to her feet and crossed the room to where the two boys were sitting, both looking up at her like children who had misbehaved.

“But, Lilly!” Vinny protested. “We’re the fortune tellers! A mere mortal could never hope to gaze into the ball of time!”

Ignoring him, she reached out and swiped the crystal ball from the table and looked at it for a second. Then, just as she was about to make something up, Eric stood up and placed his pointed hat on her head.

“One cannot simply see into the future unless they wear the hat of foresight!” he declared. “It is a requirement to access that which has not passed!”

She sighed, then placed the ball back on the table before looking at Brad. He seemed to be barely suppressing a laugh and she was sure that she probably looked ridiculous with the hat on.

“Yeah, they’re full of it,” she told him. “You’ve got a bright and happy future ahead of you. And...uh, it looks like your grades are gonna improve, too, so, good job in advance.”

Brad chuckled and stuck his hands in his uniform’s pockets as he regarded her for a moment. “Well, cool, I guess.” He then shot an irritated look Vinny’s way. “See, that’s worth a ticket, Mickelson. Oddly enough, it’s bad for business if you tell your customers that they’re gonna die! Maybe you should have Lilly take over your stupid fortune telling booth.”

“No, I’m good!” Lilly quickly said. “I’d really rather not.”

Vinny nodded his agreement. “Yes, of course! As I said, a mere mortal cannot be a fortune teller! She was only able to see your future because she wore the hat! However, the power of that hat is limited and would run out within mere minutes of use.”

“Alright, I’m leaving,” Brad muttered. “Thanks for the fortune, Lilly.”

She smiled meekly and nodded. “Yeah, no problem. Thanks for coming, Brad. Sorry that they’re such idiots.”

“Ha! Not something you should be apologizing for,” he called back. “See you later.”

“See ya.”

She watched Brad walk through the door and it was only once it closed behind him that she spun around and glared at the two of them only to find them laughing their asses off.

“You know, you could stand to be a bit nicer to him,” she reprimanded. “He’s not a bad guy and you both know it! I don’t get why you always need to tease him! I mean, honestly, did you really have to go with the ‘your death is coming’ crap?”

Vinny didn’t seem bothered in the slightest and only continued to laugh. Eric, however, seemed to realize she was actually irritated since he recollected himself and sighed. “Yes, I’ll admit, perhaps we went a little far. I apologize, Lilly. Although, I can’t say it wasn’t beneficial. It did result in you wearing the hat and I must say, you are absolutely adorable in it.”

She went to retort but found herself suddenly turning red at his compliment. She looked away and snorted. “Don’t try to flatter me,” she mumbled. “I’m sure I look just as ridiculous in this as you two do.”

“I disagree, actually,” Liz chimed in from her spot beside Damien in the back of the room. “I think you rock the witch’s hat look, Lilly. You got this ‘pretty but strange’ vibe going.”

Lilly cocked an eyebrow. “Pretty but strange? Great. Yeah, I love looking strange. That’s my favorite,” she added sarcastically.

Liz and Eric began laughing with Vinny, who was still wheezing for some reason, and Lilly could only look to Damien for aid. However, he was still caught up in reading the festival pamphlet and didn’t seem to be paying them even the slightest bit of attention. She sighed, deciding that she was condemned to be teased, and was about to head back to her desk when the door behind her opened. She figured it was Brad coming back for something but when she turned around, she exhaled sharply.

“A-Alexa?” she stuttered.

Her older sister was standing in the doorway, staring at her with a surprised look, probably due to her stupid hat and the odd state of both the room and the two boys. For a moment, Lilly went cold. Alexa had never interacted with the club outside of the few times Eric had come by their apartment and she had been content to keep it that way. She knew Alexa was suspicious of the club still even though she hadn’t brought them up since January.

So what’s she doing here now?! Don’t tell me she wants a fortune?!

“Uh, hey, Lil’,” she greeted awkwardly. “Nice, um, hat.”

Still dumbstruck, she didn’t have an immediate response. Instead, it was Eric who replied for her as he walked forward and removed the hat from her head before placing it on his own. Then he spread his arms wide theatrically and grinned.

“Dear Harper, it’s good to see you again!” he said. “How may the Magical and Other Investigations Team be of service?”

Alexa grimaced at Eric’s odd demeanor. “Uh, well, I heard you guys were doing fortunes and I—”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Vinny interrupted, getting to his feet. “Your name is Harper? Are you the sister we’ve heard so much about?!”

Lilly glanced back to see that Vinny wasn’t the only one who’d straightened up. Liz was grinning with interest and Damien had even looked up from his reading.

“Uh, yeah,” Alexa stuttered. “I’m her sister. It’s…nice to meet you guys.”

“Yes, nice to meet you, too!” Liz replied, jumping to her feet and sauntering across the room, much to Lilly’s dismay. “I’m Liz Tao!”

“Yeah, hi,” Alexa said, eyeing Liz with obvious discomfort.

Vinny was the next to get to his feet before giving an obnoxious bow which caused his hat to fall from his head. He quickly picked it up, straightened himself, and grinned. “And I’m Vinny Mickelson! I’m sure you’ve heard all about me! I am quite the character, after all.”

Her sister glanced at Lilly with a look that essentially asked “how do you stand these weirdos?” Lilly could only turn away, praying that Alexa would decide a fortune wasn’t worth it and leave. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what happened.

“Alright, stop with the intros and just give her the fortune,” Damien said. “I’m sure Lilly doesn’t want you idiots scaring her sister away.”

“Hey!” Vinny protested. “What makes you think she’d be scared of us?!”

Liz nodded in agreement. “Yeah! I mean, I can see her fleeing Vinny’s ugly mug but I’m frickin’ adorable! I’m sure she already loves me!”

“Oi! What ugly mug?!” Vinny shouted.

Oh my god, shoot me! Why?! Why did Alexa need to stop by at all?!

She turned to her sister and glared at her. Alexa looked back and returned the glare with one of her own, as if challenging her little sister to say something. Clearly, she didn’t intend to leave without a fortune so Lilly quickly glanced at Eric and urged him to move it along with a nod of her head.

“Alright, silence!” Eric called out. “We have a customer and so, we must provide her with a quality fortune telling experience befitting this club!” He then turned to Alexa and resumed smiling. “Your ticket, please?”

“Oh, right.” Alexa reached into her purse at her hip and produced one of the yellow tickets then handed it to Eric.

He took it gratefully then walked back to sit at the table, pulling Vinny down by the shoulder with him.

“Step forward, dear Harper!” Eric commanded. “And then we shall predict your future! Do you have any questions you would like answered? Perhaps about a test you’re worried about? Or maybe something bigger? Future children, maybe?”

Lilly scowled, irritated that Eric was already putting far more effort in than he had with Brad. Alexa still seemed put off by it all but considered his question nonetheless. “Um, I guess since I’m graduating soon, what can you tell me about what college is going to be like?” Alexa asked.

Eric nodded. “Ah, yes, college. And where is it you intend to attend?”

You’re the fortune teller. Shouldn’t you be able to look into the future and check? Lilly silently snarked but managed to keep her mouth shut.

“Oh, University of Alden up north,” Alexa replied. “It’s got a good political science program so…”

“Ooh, poli-sci, huh?” Vinny said. “Interesting choice! Alright, Eric! Let’s look into her future!”

The two boys instantly went to stare at the ball once again, and Lilly could only pray that they come up with something quickly so Alexa could leave. She glanced once more at her sister, who was staring at Eric and Vinny with narrowed eyes, as if she were analyzing them.

Or judging them, Lilly thought. Which is probably more likely.

“Ah, I see,” Eric finally said as he looked up from the ball. “Yes, your future looks quite fortunate, my friend. You will do well in school and will have a wide variety of friends! In addition, I recommend frequenting coffee shops as you may very well run into ‘the one’.”

He winked and Alexa’s obvious discomfort only seemed to increase.

“G-great,” she stuttered. “That’s…good to know. Um, so, is that it?”

“Yup!” Vinny and Eric chirped together.

Alexa frowned. “Awesome. All right then, thanks…I think.”

Seeming as anxious to leave as Lilly was, Alexa turned and left the room, never once speaking even a word to Lilly.

“Come back any time!” Liz called out but Alexa didn’t respond.

Once her sister was gone, Lilly walked over and plopped herself into one of the desks, thankful that her sister was finally gone.

“Well, that was fun,” Vinny said cheerfully. “I’ve always wanted to meet the famous Alexa Harper! I’ve heard so much about her but she’s never stopped by!”

“Yeah, and I’d prefer it stayed that way,” Lilly grumbled.

Liz tilted her head in confusion. “Why? Do you guys not get along or something? I mean, you didn’t look that happy to see her.”

“Yeah, I noticed that,” Damien agreed. “Is everything alright, Lilly?”

She sighed and shrugged. “Yeah, everything’s fine. It’s just…Alexa isn’t exactly this club’s biggest fan. In fact, she’s suspicious as hell of it and I’m sure she stopped by just to check up on us.”

“Suspicious?!” Vinny exclaimed. “Why, I’m offended! What could possibly be suspicious about us?!”

She knew he was being sarcastic but she responded nonetheless.

“Well, between the Evan incident and Jay’s suicide, I’m sure we look like we’re up to a bunch of shady stuff,” Lilly mumbled. “Not to mention, she was already questioning why I even hung out with you guys in the first place. After all, she doesn’t know about the stone so me getting wrapped up with you guys seemed like it came out of nowhere from her perspective.”

Damien nodded his agreement. “I can see that.“

“Yeah,” Liz added. “Lilly the Grouch would never have given us the time of day if the stone hadn’t forced you to talk to us.”

Lilly narrowed her eyes. “That stupid nickname aside, you can see my issue here. Alexa’s left me alone for the most part but I can tell my…er, changes have her a bit confused. So, if you four would do me a favor and avoid her, that’d be great.”

“Aw, no!” Vinny whined. “And here I was looking forward to making her my bestest friend!”

“Absolutely not!” Lilly retorted. “Don’t bother my sister, Vinny.”

The boy sighed in defeat, then glanced at Eric at his side, who was staring into space and being oddly quiet.

“Come on, Eric!” he urged. “Rise up with me! This is outrageous!”

At the sound of his name, Eric seemed to come to his senses. He looked at Vinny then turned to Lilly, his brow furrowed in thought. Then, all at once, he turned serious, jumped to his feet, and slammed his hand against the table.

“Yes! Vinny is right!” he declared theatrically. “This is outrageous! I cannot stand for my girlfriend’s sister to be suspicious of me! It is my duty as Lilly’s boyfriend to earn the trust of her whole family and it is that task that I must accomplish! If Alexa Harper distrusts me then I simply need to change that!”

For a moment, Lilly was stunned by his outburst. His features were stern and she couldn’t tell if he was joking around or not. However, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes and laugh. Even if he was exaggerating a bit, she could at least tell that he was uncomfortable with the fact that her sister didn’t like him.

“God damn it, Eric,” she muttered. “Just don’t embarrass me, alright?”

He glanced her way and grinned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

***

After departing the Magic Club’s room, Alexa Harper hurried down the hallways, hoping to get as far from them as she could. She was embarrassed to have even gone there in the first place and it was clear that Lilly was pissed at her for doing so. Even now, she felt that she made a mistake by going up there. Yet, for some reason, she just felt the need to go. She had never met the other three members and, with the festival going on, it seemed like the perfect excuse to stop by. All she had to do was claim she wanted a fortune.

Yet, she now regretted going at all. She only managed to irritate her sister and she was unsurprised by the fact that the other members were just as weird as she had heard—though she did have to admit that Damien seemed relatively laid-back, although knowing the rumors about him, she didn’t want to let her guard down.

God, she thought. I’m just wasting my time. I’m paranoid about nothing. Dad’s right. Lilly’s happy with the club and I should be satisfied with that. I don’t know why it bothers me so much. She clenched her teeth. Damn it. I’m just being a nuisance to Lilly. Honestly…I really should just leave her alone.

I think that’s what she wants at this point.