Jenny flung her arms around Piper. “Piper! This is so great! I’m so glad to see you.”
Piper stumbled a few steps backward, caught off balance by Jenny’s fervent bear hug, but also from seeing Dan.
“Hi,” Dan said. She could hear the caution in his voice.
Piper tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hi,” she replied.
Jenny was beaming. “I can’t believe we ran into you. Now maybe this stupid circus won’t be so boring.”
“Boring?” Piper repeated. She was surprised by Jenny’s attitude.
Jenny rolled her eyes. “Uncle Dan just thinks I’m a total baby. This is for little kids.”
“I don’t know,” Piper said. “I’m having a great time.”
Looking at Jenny, she remembered how she had felt when she was Jenny’s age. She had wanted to be grown-up so badly that anything that smacked of childishness was a total turnoff.
“What are you doing here?” Jenny asked.
“Prue has a photography assignment here. So she finagled us some passes.”
“Do you get to go backstage and everything?” Jenny asked, new interest lighting her bright brown eyes.
Piper nodded. She was highly aware of Dan’s silence. She was also aware that she hadn’t looked directly at him since first seeing him. Is it always going to be this awkward? she asked herself.
Jenny turned to Dan and grabbed his arm. “Let’s hang out with Piper!” she begged. She tugged his arm as she pleaded. Dan’s eyes flicked to Piper’s.
“Well, I suspect those passes won’t cover everybody,” Dan said.
Piper knew he was tactfully trying to let her off the hook, but she couldn’t help feeling a twinge seeing Jenny’s disappointed face.
“Well, we might be able to work things out,” Piper said slowly.
“It would probably be easier to swing if it’s just the girls,” Dan offered.
Piper was grateful that he had found a comfortable way to bow out.
“It will be more fun to hang with Piper than me anyway, right?” he added to Jenny.
“Totally,” Jenny announced.
Dan laughed at how enthusiastically she agreed with him. “Hmm. I think I’ve just been insulted.”
“It’s a girl thing,” Piper said.
“Right.” Jenny beamed.
“So, we’ll just drop Jenny off later this evening,” Piper told Dan. “We’re staying for the late show, too.”
Dan nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” He turned to Jenny. “Try not to be a brat.”
“Dan—” Jenny protested.
Dan stuck his tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes. “You’re the brat,” she retorted.
“Have fun.” Dan gave Piper one last wistful look and then vanished into the crowd.
Piper felt another pang as she watched him go. Snap out of it, she ordered herself. He’s doing just fine without you, and you are happy with Leo. Dan is the past. Keep him there.
Jenny let out a loud theatrical sigh. “I wish you and Dan never broke up.”
Oh, great. Here we go. Buckle up for the guilt trip. How to handle this? Where did Phoebe run off to? She’d provide a welcome distraction.
“I know you do, sweetie,” Piper told Jenny. “But sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.”
“But you were perfect together. And he was much happier before,” Jenny said firmly. “I know that for sure.”
This time it was Piper who sighed. She really wanted off this topic. “Oh, look at that cotton candy machine. I could go for some, couldn’t you?”
Without waiting for an answer, Piper lightly pushed Jenny toward the cotton candy maker. “We’ll have two of your biggest and fluffiest,” she told the vendor. And extra sticky to occupy Jenny’s mouth, she added silently.
They took the paper cones and fed on the sugary airy substance. Wandering along the crowded midway, Piper wondered if all of San Francisco had turned out today. Piper steered Jenny around some strollers and dropped her sticky paper cone into a trash can.
“Yum,” Piper said, licking her fingers. Jenny gobbled the last airy bit of pink fluff, then tossed her paper cone into the trash, too.
“Want to try some games?” Piper suggested. “Maybe we can win some stuffed animals.”
Jenny’s brow crinkled as she scanned the midway and all its milling crowds. “I don’t know what to do first,” she admitted. “Can we just try everything?”
Piper smiled. “Sure!” She would have said the exact same thing when she was Jenny’s age. “Phoebe and I promised to meet Prue in the tent after the first show to regroup,” she told Jenny. She glanced at her watch. “Which is fairly soon.”
Piper blew a stray hair out of her face. She didn’t want to touch it with her still-sticky fingers. “Tell you what. Let’s find a place to wash up, then we’ll pick one thing to do before the show. Then, afterward, we’ll come up with a new game plan. Phoebe may want to join us.”
“Sounds good to me,” Jenny agreed happily.
When Piper discovered that the nearest facilities were only the portable toilets, she bought some bottled water. She and Jenny used it to wash off their cotton-candy hands.
“Clean enough,” Piper declared. “Now what?”
In their unsuccessful search for a rest room, Piper and Jenny had wound up on the outskirts of the midway. The booths were spaced farther apart here, and the trees clustered closer together.
“What’s that?” Jenny asked.
Piper glanced where Jenny was pointing. A colorful wagon was tucked between two huge trees. A striped canvas awning shaded a rickety card table. Two chairs sat on either side of the table.
“I don’t know,” Piper said. “Why don’t we check it out?”
Piper and Jenny strolled over to the wagon. As Piper got closer she could see how ornately decorated it was. Every inch of it was carved and painted. Gold leaf had been applied to what Piper realized were characters representing the zodiac. Moons, planets, and stars were embossed in silver. Stylized floral designs ran along the top and bottom of the wooden sides, and red and green swirls filled all the space in between. A chimney poked up toward the front of the wagon, where there was a seat for a driver. Piper wondered where the horses were, as it was obviously meant to travel using real horse horse-power.
“It’s beautiful,” Jenny murmured.
“It certainly is,” Piper agreed.
A tall, slim woman in purple leggings and an oversize white sweater stepped out of the wagon. She was followed by a heavy-set older woman dressed in an elaborate Gypsy costume. Gold coins dangled from the edges of a scarf that was wrapped around her head. She wore several layers of petticoats and a bright red overskirt. Her vest was richly embroidered, and another embroidered scarf was tied around her thick waist. Her white blouse had soft, draping sleeves, which were rolled up to reveal multiple bracelets on each sturdy arm.
The young woman smoothed back her auburn hair. She tapped a small velvet bag that dangled from a cord around her neck.
Piper started. That looks like a charm bag, she thought.
“Thank you so much, Olga,” the auburn-haired woman said.
“I must warn you, Miranda,” Olga said in a raspy, heavily accented voice. “You have your sights on the wrong man. And there is nothing in that charm that can protect you from the grief he will bring.”
The woman tossed her head. “You’re wrong,” she insisted. “Once this charm does its work and he loves me, you’ll see. Everything will be wonderful.” She fingered the charm again. “And when he does, there will be a bonus for you.”
Olga shook her head. “You will need my help if you love that man.”
Miranda glanced toward Piper and Jenny. A blush colored her delicate features. Olga followed the young woman’s gaze.
“Tell your fortune?” Olga called to Piper and Jenny. She flicked her fingers at Miranda, clearly indicating that the woman should leave, now that new customers had arrived. Miranda scurried away.
; Olga took a step toward them. “Come, see into the future. Come see Olga, who can tell all.”
Jenny tugged Piper’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Piper had hoped for a magic-free day. That’s why she really wanted to come to the carnival.
“Want a curse removed? Bring bad luck to your enemy? Find out who is thinking of you? Olga the Gypsy Fortune-teller sees and knows all!”
Olga picked up a tambourine hanging by the door and began tapping it. It made a bright tinkling sound, but instantly sent Piper the message that the woman was a total scam artist. This should be an entirely magic-free zone, which would be all right with Piper. Besides, Jenny looked so eager. Consulting Olga would at least be entertaining.
“Okay,” Piper said. “Go for it.”
“Thank you!” Jenny ran up to Olga. “Can we see inside the wagon?”
“Ah, you like my vardo?” Olga asked. “That is the Gypsy word for our homes on wheels.” She studied Jenny carefully. “For a Gypsy to invite a gaujo into her vardo, well, that requires great trust. The spirits are always about inside a vardo, and one does not like to disturb them. But yes . . . I believe you and your friend would be welcome.”
“Cool!” Jenny turned to Piper. “Come on!”
I wonder what this is going to cost me, Piper thought. She figured the more elaborate the act, the higher the fee.
Piper followed Jenny and Olga into the vardo. Even in the dim light, she could see it was as colorfully decorated on the inside as it was on the outside. A pungent odor hung in the air; Olga must have been burning incense when she made Miranda’s love charm, Piper figured.
A large kettle sat on the old-fashioned stove near the front. The area behind that curtain must be the sleeping quarters, Piper figured. The vardo was jammed with all manner of magical objects, along with pots, pans, dishes, and clothing. Herb bouquets hung drying in the windows, and jars filled with thick potions filled several shelves. Dust lay thick along counters, and the room seemed a bit smoky.
A small table covered with a black velvet cloth was set up in the middle of the room. A crystal ball sat in the center. Small seashells containing herbs and flower petals were arranged around the crystal ball. Piper assumed they were left over from the previous reading. She also spotted several decks of dog-eared cards sitting on the chair beside the table.
“Cross my palm with silver, and I shall tell you your future,” Olga told Jenny. She sat the girl down in a chair at the table.
“Uh, how much silver?” Jenny asked uncertainly. She fiddled around with her fanny pack.
“My treat,” Piper said. “So how much for a tarot card reading?”
Olga’s eyes narrowed as she gazed at Piper’s face. She must be trying to figure out how much to charge. I hope I don’t look too rich.
“Five dollars is the basic rate.” Olga shrugged. “If required, we will go deeper.”
Piper handed Olga a crisp five-dollar bill. Olga didn’t take it from her right away. Instead, she and Piper stood for a moment clasping hands with the bill between their palms. Olga’s eyes bored into Piper’s. Piper felt uncomfortable under the momentary scrutiny. Almost instantly, Olga released her grip, smiled, and slipped the bill into her skirt pocket.
That was weird, Piper thought. She squeezed behind Jenny’s chair, while Olga took her place at the opposite side of the table.
Olga reached out and took Jenny’s hand. She studied it for a moment, then gazed into Jenny’s eyes. “Ah, I see, yes. You would like to have some answers.” She smiled, making her leathery face crinkle up into a network of wrinkles. “Maybe find out about your boyfriend?” Olga teased Jenny.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Jenny said, giggling.
“I knew that,” Olga insisted. “I was just playing with the youngster.”
Piper stifled a laugh. Sure you knew that, she thought. And I know tomorrow’s stock market picks.
“What would you like to know, my child?” Olga asked.
“Um . . .” Jenny tilted her head to one side as she gave the question some thought. “I know!” She whirled around in her chair and peered up at Piper. “We can ask the cards about you and Dan.” She turned back to Olga. “That’s what I want to know. Will Piper and Dan get back together?”
Olga chose a pack of cards from the stack beside her. She shuffled them. “Ah. I see. We have a matter of broken hearts, eh?” Her eyes flicked up to Piper.
Piper crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head no. In case Olga missed her point, she pressed her fingers together in a prayer position and shook her head no again, even more emphatically.
Olga turned over a card. She clucked sympathetically. “Oh. Not a promising card for love,” she said.
Piper breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Olga had gotten her silent message loud and clear.
“Isn’t anything good going to happen?” Jenny asked.
Olga’s eyes flicked again to Piper. Piper shrugged. She wasn’t sure how Olga should answer that. But Olga was resourceful.
“Yes, of course,” Olga said. “The good is that this relationship will finally be resolved. Both parties will find new loves.”
Jenny frowned.
“Do you want to ask something for yourself?” Piper asked Jenny, giving the girl’s slumped shoulders a quick squeeze. “We could try some other kind of reading.” She hoped Olga would pick up on Jenny’s disappointment and give the girl something more upbeat and fun to think about.
“I don’t know . . .” Jenny muttered.
“The spirits are directing me,” Olga announced. She pushed aside the cards and pulled the crystal ball toward her.
She waved her hands over it. “I see something through the mists.” Her voice dropped down to a singsong whisper. She’s an awfully good actress, Piper observed.
“Yes. Yes,” Olga crooned. “There will be a great victory for you, young lady. Some positive outcome. A win of some kind. Is it a win in love? In a contest? In—”
“Is my soccer team going to win the tournament?” Jenny asked eagerly. She leaned forward, trying to peer into the crystal ball herself.
“If all things come to pass as they present themselves now, the answer is yes,” Olga intoned.
Now, there’s a nonanswer, Piper thought. She admired the clever way Olga gave an answer that would turn out to be correct no matter what happened.
It satisfied Jenny. “All right!” she cheered. “I knew we’d go all the way!”
“And we’d better go all the way to the circus tent,” Piper noted. “The show is about to begin.”
“Okay.” Jenny stood. “Thank you,” she told Olga.
“It is always a pleasure to read happy futures,” Olga said.
Piper and Jenny left the dark booth. Piper blinked a few times, allowing her eyes to adjust to the bright light after the dim vardo.
She appreciated Olga picking up her cues. She decided to give the woman a tip. “Wait here,” she instructed Jenny. “I just want to say something to Olga.”
“Sure thing.” Jenny replied. She started examining a shelf tacked up in one of the trees beside the wagon. It was filled with colorful scarves and doodads Olga had for sale outside.
Piper ducked back into the vardo. Olga’s back was to her, but the woman stiffened. “I sense danger,” Olga intoned.
She really gets into the act, doesn’t she, Piper observed.
Olga turned. Piper was startled by the intensity in the woman’s dark eyes.
Olga reached her hands out to Piper. “You must leave this place and never come back.”
CHAPTER
4
Piper’s eyes widened as she stared at the fortune-teller. The woman’s ferocity was unmistakable.
Olga clutched the table edge. “Listen to me,” she said to Piper. “You are in grave danger. The circus is not safe for you. Keep away.”
“What do you mean?” Why would Olga want to scare me away from the carnival? Piper wondered. Or does she mean all circuses? Piper shook her head.
“You have the wrong Halliwell,” she said, trying to laugh it off. “My sister Prue is the one with the circus hang-up.”
Olga sank down at the table. “All around you, I can sense an unusual energy field. It attracts darkness,” she said.
Okay, I’m officially freaked out now, Piper thought. Could Olga actually be able to sense that I’m a witch? Piper wondered if the woman had what the Gypsies called “the gift of second sight.” Maybe the woman’s act with Jenny wasn’t bogus after all.
“There are evil forces at work at the Carnival Cavalcade,” Olga said. “You see only pretty lights, hear the happy music. That is a mask to cover up the dark forces at work here. You must take great care.”
“But how am I in danger?” Piper asked.
Olga shut her eyes. Her breath came in choking gasps. She let out a low moan. “A curse is afoot,” she muttered. “It moves toward you.” Olga’s eyes popped open again. “That is all I can say. You must leave.”
“Well, uh, thanks for the warning,” Piper said. “I—I don’t want to leave my friend alone.”
Piper left Olga still moaning at the table. Once outside, Jenny beamed at her. “All set? We need to get to the tent.”
“Great.” Piper realized Olga had her so rattled that she had forgotten to leave the tip, only she didn’t feel like going back in. Maybe I’ll come back later, she told herself.
Piper tried to shake off the unsettled feeling as she and Jenny headed away from Olga’s vardo. She felt as if someone was watching her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Olga in front of her wagon, staring at Piper. When she caught Piper’s eye, she lay a finger alongside her nose, made a gesture with her hand, and then hurried away toward the other trailers.
Okie-dokie, that was weird, Piper thought. I’ll have to consult The Book of Shadows to see if it has anything to say about Gypsy magic. Could Olga actually have seen in those cards that I’m a witch? And what was all that about a curse headed my way?
Piper shook her head. Whatever. She decided to steer clear of Olga. The fortune-teller seemed to have been quite affected by what she thought—or was pretending to think, Piper reminded herself—might happen to Piper. Still, better not to upset the woman. More important, if the woman had actual powers, Piper didn’t want Olga to figure out that she was a witch.
Charmed: The Gypsy Enchantment Page 3
