Major Arcana

The High Preistess - Chapter 2

Arcana sat up in her balcony chair. Memories of the dream flashed through her mind. She sat there trying to remember every detail. She hadn't had a dream like that since her last day in high school. She hadn't had THAT dream since the last day of high school. Across from her she could see Devon - he must have fallen asleep as well. She checked her phone and it was about 2:04AM. She softly kicked Devon to wake up so they could go to the bedroom - that or he could just go home. He followed her into the bedroom, too tired to go home. Unable to fall asleep, she tossed and turned, thinking about the dream. Unable to shake the feeling that something was coming. What could that possibly mean? Finally, morning came and she decided to get an early head start on her day.

Devons phone rang. Arcana picked it up from the night table to hand it to him, noticing the name on the screen 'Scarla'. A new text notification popped up. Scarla again, it read "Would you like to join me for lunch today? My treat. :)" She put his phone back down on the night table and pretended she didn't see anything. A bit curious as to why Scarla wanted to meet Devon for lunch all of a sudden, She woke Devon up so he could have enough time to shower before she started her day. He woke up, he showered, he left.

She started by picking up around her loft. Random clothes here and there, Shoes out of place. Random piles of paperwork. Old half-filled cups of tea. A random beer bottle over there. Sweeping the kitchen. Picking up and re-organizing the balcony. Airing out the bathroom. Doing these tasks allowed her to be on auto pilot while she thought about a million other things. Work, her parents, her relationship with Devon, her co-workers, and... the dream about the comet.

Having finished with everything in the loft, she ran out to grab some groceries for the weekend. This has been a very simple and mundane Saturday by far. Looking down at her phone, she realizes it's lunchtime. She skipped breakfast, so she was looking forward to eating. She grabbed a water bottle and a to-go sandwich from a nearby deli on her way towards the park. She'd like to have lunch outside today and enjoy the fresh air and sunlight. She picked a spot in the grass that was near a large tree with plenty of shade. She got comfortable and started eating lunch. After she finishes her sandwich, she lays down to enjoy the warm breeze, sun bathing like a cat.

Arcana is standing outside in the middle of the night - staring up at the sky. A huge comet off in the distance is falling. she squints her eyes to try and get a closer look at the comet from where she is standing and the comet stops falling and starts heading towards where she is standing. Falling faster and faster. It feels so bright and she can feel the heat.

A voice from the comet "MY LOVE, I'VE FINALLY FOUND YOU."

"Who are you?" covering her eyes from the comet's bright white glare.

"WAIT FOR ME, MY LOVE."

Arcana woke up. She looks around. 'I must have fallen asleep outside.' It's only 11:13AM. She dozed off for just a few minutes. Remembering her dream, it felt like she was asleep for at least an hour or two. 'Whose voice was that and why did it feel so.. familiar?' Done with her solo picnic, she packs up and heads home.

Sitting on her balcony reading her iPad, her phone rings. It's about 3:08PM. It's Ama. "Hey Ama, How's it going?"

"Hey Arcana, Sorry to bother you, but do you have any plans tonight for dinner?" asking curiously.

"Nope, no plans. Why do you ask?" raising her eyebrows.

Ama hesitates, aware of the weird tension Scarla has towards Arcana. "Well.. I was wondering if you would join Scarla and I for, you know, a girls dinner?" Amas voice gets low "Scarla confessed her love to her crush and she pretty much got rejected. I figured some girl time would be good for her. She wouldn't tell me who her crush was, but she seemed pretty upset." Arcana ignoring the tension between her and Scarla at work, felt pity towards her. Surely, getting rejected by your crush must suck, no matter how old you are.

"What time is dinner and where should I meet you both?" she replied instantly, sensing Ama smiling in gratitude on the other end of the phone.

Finally getting to the restaurant ten minutes past 7:00PM, she could see Ama and Scarla sitting inside by a large window. Scarla was wiping her eyes with a tissue and Ama had her arms around her consoling her. Arcana walked in, sat down, and ordered a glass of water. Scarla is talking about her rejection, "I just don't understand why he rejected me. It's not like he's seeing anyone serious." glaring at Arcana while Arcana looks at the menu wondering if she's going to order an appetizer or a meal. "Well, maybe he just isn't ready for anything serious at the moment" says Ama reassuringly "did he tell you he was single? You never told us who your crush was." Ama glances at Arcana with an 'don't you wanna know too?' look.

"Sometimes people don't realize how they feel until they are presented with an opportunity to explore that feeling. Maybe it's the same for your mystery person." Arcana says matter of factly while putting down the menu in her hands to give both Scarla and Ama her undivided attention. "Give it some time and try and talk to... Him again? By the way, you never told us his name. Is it anyone we know?" Finally, putting down the tissues, Scarla responds "It doesn't matter what his name is, I'll give it some time. I don't mind waiting." lying through her teeth embarrassed, she follows with "and no, I don't think you know him." Ama looks relieved, Scarla stopped crying. Clapping her hands together, "Now we can finally have a proper girls night! Would anyone like to help me with some wedding decorations?!" pulling out a thick bridal magazine from her purse. Scarla squealed in excitement. "OF COURSE!"

It's 8:30PM. Ama, Scarla, and Arcana are a few drinks in. Appetizers all over the table, Bridal magazines, bunched up tissues and lipstick-stained cocktail beverages littered their dinner table. 'Maybe Scarla isn't so bad, not sure why there is weird tension between the two of us at work.' she thought to herself. Arcana's phone rang, she looked at the screen and it read 'Devon'. She excused herself from the table to take the call outside. Scarla glances over quickly at Arcana eyeing her with suspicion.

Lunchtime - 11:30AM

In a cafe on the other side of the park, Devon and Scarla are sitting at a table across from each other.

"I'm starving. I had a long night. Is the food here any good?"

"It's my first time coming here, maybe we could make this OUR spot since we're both new here." Scarla winks at Devon. She is definitely sending flirty vibes towards Devon. "Hmm," not paying attention to what Scarla just said. He's too focused on the menu. Scarla reaches across the table, putting her hand on top of his menu so it's no longer covering her view of his handsome face. He looked rugged today for some reason. His sandy blond hair looked a little unkempt and that made Scarla bite her lip. She thought he looked sexy that way. "I didn't really ask you here to eat lunch with me", staring him in the eyes. She wanted to run her hands through his hair so bad - if only he inched a bit closer to her.

Devon looks up at her with his blue eyes confused and Scarla couldn't help herself any longer. "I like you, I've liked you for a long time and I want you to give me a chance. I could make you really happy. The two of us would make a really hot couple. Give me a chance and I promise you won't regret it". After a minute of silence, Devon breaks the silence. "I'm not sure.... I just.. *sigh* Scarla, I'm not really.. Into relationships at the moment." Tears welling up in Scarla's eyes "Do you have a girlfriend?! Are you seeing someone?!" her voice shrieked "No.. I don't have a girlfriend, but- " Cutting Devon off "Then what's the problem? You're single, I'm single. Why are we wasting time?!"

Devon rubs his right temple feeling extremely annoyed. "Look, I'm not trying to be mean, but I just don't see myself having a girlfriend anytime soon. It's nothing against you, I'm just not into having commitments at the moment." Devon stands up, reaching into his pocket to grab his wallet, pulling out a ten dollar bill and placing it on the table. "Here, for lunch. I'll see you at work Scarla. Enjoy your weekend." Walking out of the cafe, Scarla sits there stunned. She's shocked she was just rejected. Tears welling up in her eyes, she grabs her phone and calls Ama.