“Guys! I have a really good feeling about the next one. This will be it,” Alana reached into the stack of newspapers sitting on the table and grabbed the first one. “Huh,” she remarked. “The banner is smudged. I don’t recognize the people in this photo either. Where did you pick this one up?” She glanced around the table, seeing only blank faces and shrugging. She shrugged as well, turning the page to the horoscope section.
“So?” Gerald asked.
“‘Aquarius: You are progressive, original, independent, and electric. Very electric. Can you feel it? The electricity fusing itself to you, filling your veins with power. Yes, power. But also pain. Crippling, excruciating, agonizing pain. There has been no, is no, and will never be any escape. You can try, but your efforts will only bring more pain to you and those around you.’” Alana carefully set the newspaper down, fear evident on her face.
“They can’t all be like that.” Poppy picked the newspaper up, scanning the page. “Ah, here we go. ‘Pisces: You are compassionate, artistic, and intuitive. Intuitive enough to feel Their eyes on you. Can you feel Them? Can you hear Them? They are coming. Run, hide, do whatever you’d like. It’s all in vain. There is no escaping Them. They will find you, and punish you for what you failed to do.’” Poppy shuddered involuntarily, rubbing her arms as if she was cold.
“Wow, you guys are really funny. Making up creepypasta on the spot. Hilarious.” Aaron rolled his eyes, and snatched the newspaper from Poppy’s hands. He straightened up, adopting a mocking tone. “‘Aries: You are courageous, determined, and confident. Too confident. It will be your downfall. Four days from now, you will get out of soccer practice.’” Aaron’s mocking tone had faded by now, and his voice began to shake as he continued reading. “‘You will decide to get bubble tea. You will purchase your usual, strawberry black milk tea with boba pearls, and pay with a ten dollar bill. You will receive exactly five dollars and seventy-five cents in change. When you leave the shop, you will come to an intersection. You look both ways as you are crossing the street. But you look too late. A truck is now staring you down, exceeding the recommended speed limit for a residential zone. You are a deer caught in headlights. The milk tea spills and mingles with your blood. Your confidence is your downfall.’”
“Okay this isn’t funny anymore. I know how easy it is to get Aaron to participate in your little practical jokes and all, but this isn’t funny.” Tobin grabbed the newspaper out of Aaron’s hand, and read through the horoscope quietly to himself, his face falling with every word. He read it once more, but aloud this time. “‘Taurus: You are reliable, patient, and practical. Practically, unavoidably, inexplicably doomed. Doomed to live a half-life, never truly experiencing anything-’” Tobin was cut off by Gerald grabbing the newspaper out of his hands.
“Okay, that’s enough. Let’s just get another newspaper.”
“No, no,” Lea protested, holding up her hand. “I’m curious. What does yours say, Gerald?”
“Please, don’t make me read it,” he pleaded. “I don’t need to be traumatized.”
“Coward,” Vihaan said, disguising the word in a cough. Gerald bristled at the slight against his bravery, and rolled his eyes, opening the newspaper back up.
“‘Gemini: You know that you, just like Pisces, are intuitive, darling Gemini, but changes could take place in your brain that elevate your abilities beyond mere intuition. Visions, prophetic dreams, and powerful insights all flood your senses, leaving you defenseless to the harsh realities of the world. Your senses then betray you, telling you the onslaught is over, that you are safe. They lie. You will never be safe. Ever. The same Them after Pisces ignores you. You are already claimed.’” Gerald glared at Vihaan. “Now I’m not going to be able to sleep at night, are you happy?”
“Not until Carla reads hers,” Vihaan said, taking the newspaper and giving it to the girl next to him. She opened it, albeit reluctantly.
“‘Cancer: Don't turn down invitations today, Cancer,’” Carla began, then shrugged. “Pretty normal thus far, all things considered. ‘A group meeting or social event could be thrown together with casual acquaintances, and your relationship with these people could abruptly change. One person in those group meetings or social gatherings will turn against you at the drop of a hat, and destroy you. You will be reborn from your own blood and guts, like a phoenix with its ashes, rising from the gore to wreak havoc on he who stood against you. But keep in mind, dear Cancer, that the journey to this new life is a painful and treacherous one. You have to be completely destroyed, with not even the slightest chance you will be reborn.’” Carla passed the newspaper on, looking sick to her stomach.
“Okay!” Lea exclaimed, taking a deep breath. “‘Leo: A financial windfall could come as the result of a coup that no one expected you to pull off, Leo. Everyone is likely to be very proud of you - and you will be very pleased with yourself, too. Perhaps, taking power from your jerk of a boss? We have to applaud you. Will it be worth it though? Having his blood on your hands? He will perish, in excruciating pain. And while we can’t blame you, it will ultimately be your fault. There is no escaping his ghost. It will follow you, even into the next life, and the life after that. Murder is not something so easily escaped, Leo. We applaud you, but pity you.’”
“Now me!” Vihaan cried, practically ripping the newspaper as he snatched it out of Lea’s hands. “‘Virgo: You will receive a letter today, from someone you have long since forgotten. They will ask you if you have heard the news. You have not. You will not. Never will you learn. Good luck, Virgo.’” Vihaan scanned the page again. “That’s it?”
“Don’t hog it.” Lianna sighed, taking the newspaper from Vihaan and reading in an almost bored voice. “‘Libra: An enterprise you have long since given up on will come back to haunt you. How could you have forgotten about the knife beneath the floorboard in your-’” She suddenly closed the newspaper and threw it, trying to get it as far away from her as fast as possible. Soren got out of his chair and picked it up, giving Lianna a strange look as he did so.
“‘Scorpio,’” He read in a mocking tone. “‘A group activity, or social event, or whatever you care to call it, could put you in contact with a familiar, exciting person. You still feel a strong physical and romantic attraction to this person, Scorpio. If you aren't currently involved - and perhaps even if you are - this is more than worth pursuing. The attraction is reciprocated. He loves you back, Scorpio. Ask him out, for the stars’ sake. We’re getting tired of waiting around, watching you drag your feet. If you don’t ask him out now, you will never get the chance, because he dies in four days. Take the chance while you still have it.’” Soren blushed a deep red, shoving the newspaper at Sarah. She took it, slightly chuckling.
“‘Sagittarius: Whatever you've been trying to accomplish over the past several months could break loose just the way you want it to today, Sagittarius. It could come as a surprise and resemble a logjam that finally gives way. But when it happens, take advantage of it. Seize the day while you still can. This is not a threat, but rather a promise. We promise you that, if this opportunity is not seized, you will regret it in the coming months. Maybe the coming weeks. Possibly even the coming days. Take advantage while you still can, my dear Sagittarius. We can assure you that it will never happen again.’’ Sarah waited a moment, then shrugged. “Welp, Carson, you’re last!”
“Yippee for me,” Carson said, taking the newspaper with a quavering hand. He cleared his throat. “‘Capricorn: You’re a responsible know-it-all, aren’t you Capricorn? You’re probably furiously working to rationalize this. You’ll say it’s just confirmation bias, that your friends just think it’s overly specific. You are wrong. Or right. We don’t know, or do we? We just listen when the stars talk. All we know is that in two days, your renowned self-control will evaporate, and you will be overtaken with rage.
“‘Aquarius will have been struck by lightning by that time, but she luckily survived. But it was your fault, and she isolated you because of it. You are the reason for her pain, Capricorn. We can’t blame her. Your rage will drive you mad, so mad you are not yourself anymore.
“‘Pisces sees this change in you, but does nothing. They are coming for her, and she has no time for you.
“‘You convinced Leo to take their opportunity. You know Libra knows what to do, you just need the right opportunity. You see it a day later, when Gemini is standing on the bridge, the one by that lovely coffee place. No one is around, all you need to do is reach out and push. It was so easy, you’ll tell the press. Like encouraging a baby bird to fly.
“‘But it’s not enough. You’re hungry for more. One day after Gemini’s death, you'll be walking, this time near that boba shop, when inspiration strikes. You’ll steal the closest vehicle, and you’ll get Cancer to hot-wire it. You’ll then frame Cancer for the theft, placing all the blame on her poor shoulders.
“‘What will you do with this vehicle? You’ll drive it around, looking for someone, anyone you know. Taurus gets clipped, survives, but stays in a coma for the rest of his life. Still, that’s not enough for you. You need more. You see Aries. Selfish, impudent, Aries. Perfect. His blood mingles with the tea he just bought. A waste of tea, you think. Scorpio, sobbing, and broken, his heart torn in two, is also at the scene. Good, you think.
“‘What you don’t know is that Sagittarius could’ve easily stopped this. She had the chance. All it would’ve taken was one gentle nudge, and you would’ve fallen, fallen, fallen. One nudge, and Aquarius would be okay. One nudge, and Gemini would be alive, One nudge, and Cancer would be free. One nudge and Taurus wouldn’t be sleeping as if dead. One nudge, and Aries would be alive. One nudge, and Scorpio might’ve finally confessed. One nudge, and no one would be hurt. One nudge.
“‘One nudge,’” Carson finished. No one dared to look at each other. No one dared to speak either. Gerald shifted away from Carson. Alana pointedly looked anywhere but at Lea. In silence, they all stood and left, any welcoming atmosphere gone like the wind. The newspaper was on the couch, still open to the horoscopes.
Carson, the last one out, cast a glance back at it. Slowly, a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes spread across his face. Then he, too, left, the door closing behind him.
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