On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3 Read Online Free Page B

my cup. She was still looking inside it with a grim look. “The leaves never lie.”
    “What do they say?” Oren asked, taking a step.
    “They’re filled with death,” Sally whispered.
    Her words sent a chill through me, penetrating deep into my bones. My whole life revolved around death. That’s what spooks were—the spirit of the dead, the energy those who passed away left on our world. So I shouldn’t have been scared of her prediction. Yet, she knew all this about me and still paled to the point of looking gaunt.
    Lavie remained by her side, touching her elbow and kneeling in front of her. “Aunty, it’s okay. Put the cup down.”
    Sally’s fingers tightened around the handle, turning white. “There is death waiting for you in the wings.”
    “Death is always around me,” I finally said.  
    Oren stepped up beside me and draped an arm around my shoulders. I was glad for the contact and pressed closer to him. Nothing like the mention of death to make me crave the proximity of life, and my biological grandfather always seemed to know when I needed human contact.
    Sally shook her head and her hair swayed in one thick motion, frizzy strands coming loose from their combs. “No, this isn’t the death of others.” She looked up, and her irises had become completely white. “This is your death. You will die very soon, Sierra Fox.”  
    “No,” Oren whispered, tightening his grip on me.
    I was glad for the pressure because my legs were suddenly weak. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to stand. Yet, after hearing such a prediction, all I wanted was to get the hell out of this once-comfortable store.
    Sally stared at me for another few seconds that felt like hours before she dropped the cup onto the saucer, causing both to shatter against the coffee table. She fell back against the couch, but Lavie caught her before she slid to the floor.
    “It’s okay, it’s over now,” she whispered over and over, while wiping the sweaty strands of frizzy red-gray hair away from her aunt’s face.
    “This isn’t good, is it?” I whispered the question on an exhale.
    “No, it’s not.” Oren squeezed me closer to his side. “Sally is one of the most powerful psychics I’ve ever met. Her predictions always come to pass.”
    “That’s awesome news.” My insides were quivering. No matter how many times I’d been attacked, or how close I’d come to death, hearing this prediction from someone with the second-sight made me ill.
    “Don’t worry,” Oren said. “Like all predictions, this one can be ambiguous. We’ll make it through this.”
    “Sure we will.”
    “Sierra…” Oren forced me to turn to face him. His light blue eyes were intent on mine, fierce and determined to get his point across. “Have I let you down yet?”
    I shook my head, trying to connect to the positive energy he wanted me to find.
    “We’ll make this work to our advantage, okay?” He held my face steady between his cold, thin hands. “Now, I’ve really got to go. But I think it might be a good idea if you stay here for a little while.”
    “Sure, okay.” I still had hours before the meeting that would probably change my life even more. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “You sure will.” He dropped his hands, leaned forward to give me a quick kiss on the forehead, retrieved his packages, waved, and left the store without any fanfare.
    I took a few breaths to collect myself and turned around to find both Lavie and Sally staring at me.
    “What happened?” Sally asked, leaning against the backrest.
    “You predicted something,” Lavie answered. “Something terrible…”
    “What? What was it?” She pressed both hands to the sides of her head as if she wanted to push all the confusion out of her brain.
    “My death,” I whispered.
    Sally’s eyes widened in horror, and she rubbed her fingers harder against her temples. “I’m so sorry.”
    “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure someone’s plotting to kill me as