"Don't worry! You're going to have fun tonight. You need to meet some new people, and have a sense of adventure. You're too boring, Winnie," Mallory snapped.

I watched my "friend" strut toward the two-story house, her spiked heels clicking along the stone pathway. I pursed my lips and shook my head. I couldn't believe I'd just heard that. Some friend Mallory was turning out to be! I'd only met her three weeks ago in a jewelry-making class and didn't know her that well. In fact, the more I got to know her, the less I liked her. Mallory had seemed friendly enough at first, but now, her snide comments and obnoxious attitude were grating on my nerves.

I followed Mallory onto the wooden porch. Loud music blared from inside the house. I felt my stomach drop. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was go to a party where I didn't know a soul. But, deep down, I knew I shouldn't refuse the invitation. I was surprised when Mallory invited me to her friend's Halloween party. At the time, it sounded like fun. But now that I was here, all I wanted to do was go home and curl up on the couch with a glass of red wine and a good book.

"I wouldn't mention what you told me to anyone here. They'll think you're a nut. Nobody believes in psychics!" Mallory laughed.

I let out a deep sigh. How had I gotten myself into this? Mallory and I had been talking about horoscopes, and then we'd gotten onto the topic of psychics. I had innocently mentioned my visit to the fortune
teller a few weeks ago, and that had set Mallory off.

"I'm not a nut; I just said it was intriguing, Mallory."

I didn't disguise the bitterness in my voice. The trip to the psychic had been interesting. I went in expecting to see an older woman dressed like a gypsy staring into a crystal ball. I'd been skeptical, and I made sure not to give her any hints or clues about my life or my present situation. To my surprise, though, the middle-aged woman who read my tarot cards seemed to know all about me. It was almost spooky. She told me things that nobody else could possibly have known.

Mallory turned, and her red devil costume billowed up around her thighs. "Someone from your past will enter your life? Ha!" She knocked on the door. "You can't really believe that nonsense, Winnie."

"Well, that's what the woman said," I replied. "She was right about a lot of other things. Analisa even knew that my real . . . oh, never mind," I muttered. I was sorry I ever told Mallory about the psychic, and I hoped that she'd let the subject drop. I didn't need to be teased about it all night.