Chapter 4 – The Fool reversed.

Seven of Swords, The Magician 01 reversed, Five of Swords, The Tower, The Fool 00 reversed, Death 13

:::Trigger Warning- The end of this chapter contains a murder followed by an assault against a woman.:::

Cassie slept in past her first alarm and even her third. She felt like she was coming down with something, but she had too much to do today to lay about in bed. Miss Priss complained in her half-hearted mewling until Cassie finally made herself crawl out of bed to shower. Throwing handfuls of Eucalyptus Epsom salts in the floor of the shower and letting the vapors and steam ease the pressure in her chest and sinuses. She got dressed and went into the kitchen to make tea. Sitting her tarot deck on the table, she plugged in the pod machine and filled the reusable basket with a tea bag. Then she set out a bowl of kitty kibble mixed with two tablespoons of wet food. While Cassie waited on her tea, she picked up one of the few paperbacks Shivonne owned. Most of her bestie's romance books were on her e-reader, but she won a contest and got a package containing a signed copy, the mask, and lingerie the model was wearing on the book cover of Carnal Carnival. Cassie opened it to the promotional bookmark and started to read an underlined paragraph.

Delilah hung in her aerialist hoop, bound by silken streamers. Her mask hid everything from her sight. She could hear the Mime walking around her and the thump of his juggling pins in his palms as he tossed and caught them. The sound stopped. Cold wood of one pin rolled down her arm to her breasts as the other pressed her parted lips, the pressure opened her mouth as she sucked it in.

The other place the juggling pin went made Cassie cringe.

"Oh, are you going to read it since I got a print copy?" Shivonne teased as she pulled a canned energy drink from the refrigerator.

"How can you read this? It isn't romantic."

"Hey, that's my favorite scene. Wait till you get to the next two pages." Shivonne assured her as she dumped the orange liquid, a scoop of protein powder, and a cup of ice cubes in the blender. Shivonne left it running as she dug through the refrigerator.

The noise of the blades grinding the ice hurt Cassie's ears as she closed the book. She waited until Shivonne turned the blender off before she answered, "No, thanks. After I did that billionaire shapeshifter bondage audiobook reading, I'm good forever, and having bowling pins in my lady bits aren't my kink. Good to know they are yours, so I know what to get you next week. Do I find them at the adult toy store or sporting goods shop?"

"Ha ha. They are juggling pins." Correcting her, Shivonne smirked, "What if I want you to read this one onto a recording so I can listen in the car? It's almost my birthday and I think that's what I want."

Favoring her with an apathetic glance, Cassie sipped her tea. "I don't..." She sneezed violently then coughed. "I don't think so... I am not paying for studio time to read that."

"You can do it in your home recording closet," suggesting, Shivonne gave her a cheeky grin. "Then you wouldn't have to blush in front of that sound engineer you like so much. What's his name again? Hottie Jammie?"

"Hjalm," correcting her, Cassie seemed to sag, sniffing as she admitted, "Is only interested in my voice and his girlfriend is at least fourteen sizes smaller than me. Heck, he's smaller than me." She coughed again then whined, "Oh, gawd, I can't be sick today, I have a recording session for a commercial voice over this afternoon."

"I've got just the stuff for you," Shivonne declared as she ran up the stairs, then she screeched, "Eck! Dammit! Your cat tried to trip me up the stairs again. Move it, Prissy!" The cat hissed and yowled loudly.

Cassie shook her head wondering again if her roommate and her cat would ever stop fighting with each other. It had only been going since Shivonne Malory became one of her grandmother's foster wards a decade ago. Sitting, she only half-listened to Shivonne talking loudly as she walked around above her head. Something about a guy named Ike and acting out a scene from a something for a contest. The old house had thin floors and thinner walls which meant the spray foam her grandmother had contractors inject into them to increase the insulation worked to mute some sounds. Only catching half of what Shivonne was going on about, Cassie riffle shuffled her deck then spread them out on the table and began moving them around in a pile, a method of shuffling called smooshing. She was just starting to gather them together when Miss Priss ran down the stairs and jumped on the table, sliding across the smoosh pile. Several cards fluttered to the floor.

"Really, Miss Priss?"

Groaning, Cassie bent to pick up the fallen tarot cards. The four cards facing upward were the Seven of Swords, The Magician in the reverse position, the Five of Swords, and the Tower. She laid the two face-down cards to the side as she gathered the deck. Every day she drew her three Tarot cards, but sometimes Miss Priss would 'help' her, like today but never had she gotten a reading that was so far off. Turning over the other two cards that fell, she held The Fool in the reversed position, and Death. She didn't know anyone like the first three cards described. The last three, she certainly had nothing that could cause a sudden upheaval or any risk in her life from being overly naïve or foolish. Blowing on her tea and inhaling the steam, she stared at them trying to make sense of the spread. She didn't have any deceitful, manipulative men in her life.

"Who's the hottie with the black wings?" Shivonne asked as she pulled Cassie's cup away from her lips and dumped a packet of medicine in it. "This stuff works for twelve hours and it's organic."

"This hottie is the deceiver, and in this position, The Magician represents a manipulative, overbearing and deceitful man." Cassie revealed as she grimaced at the taste. Getting up, she took a squeeze bottle of honey from the cabinet and poured it into her medicated tea. Stirring it well, she took another sip as she tapped the last card, "And lastly, here he is walking away from his lover after he hurt her with no remorse, and the Tower means."

"Hey, I have this dress," Interrupting, Shivonne giggled and picked up The Fool card. "She's pretty... Which deck is this? I like the art, hotties with black wings and ravens."

"You would. It's called Crystal Visions Tarot." Cassie rubbed her eyes then winced as the pressure around them hurt. Miss Priss jumped into her lap so Cassie dropped her hand to the silky gray head.

"It still blows my mind that you can make these things work for you and remember all the meanings." Shivonne glanced at her phone when it beeped. "I gotta get to the yoga studio, I have a class to teach. Are you staying home today?"

"No, I have an exam, cello recital practice, and then I have a commercial to record this afternoon," answering, Cassie coughed again. "Erin said he wants to come home this weekend, so I have to go get him."

"Shivonne tapped the last card. "You're gonna die today."

"Death in Tarot almost never means literal death. The inscription on the stone reads, 'Life is changed, not taken away'." Rolling her eyes, Cassie put the cards on top of the deck, then gulped the last of her medicated tea and almost gagged. The honey didn't hide the pungent aftertaste of the herbal medicines and B-vitamins. "I need to get ready to go."

"Seriously? You look like a corpse. Have you seen yourself in the mirror today?" Shivonne asked then laughed when the cat in Cassie's lap hissed at her. "See? Two out of two bitches agree, you look like death warmed over."

"Then I look so much better than I feel... And female felines aren't called bitches, they are called queens." Cassie corrected then looked down at her fluffy tabby, asking, "Aren't you a queen? Queen Priss."

Miss Priss mewed and stood, putting her front paws on Cassie's shoulder, then rubbing her head on Cassie's cheek.

"More like Queen B," Shivonne declared sarcastically as she shouldered her bag, then she frowned, "Seriously, Cassie. Just stay at Erin's tonight and sleep off whatever you caught. He can drive you back tomorrow. Bye-eee."

"Bye," Cassie called after her, then she coughed. Hugging her cat, she put her on the table and made herself a travel mug of tea. It took her longer to gather her things than usual because she just didn't have any energy. As she drove to the university, she longed to go back home and crawl back in bed.

~~~~

Her head was throbbing, her throat felt like she had scrubbed it with sandpaper, and she couldn't stop coughing long enough to read three lines as her voice warbled between 80-year-old smoker and pubescent teen. After an hour, Hjalm stopped the recording session.

"Cassandra, why are you here?" His Nordic blue eyes enthralled her with their concern, but she looked down as she coughed again.

"I already paid for the time, for your time," she admitted. She stood and was suddenly dizzy, she cried out as she fainted, hearing Hjalm curse in his native Danish. She woke up to see his face as he held her. "I'm so sorry, Hjalm."

"I called an uber to take you home, min sangfugl. You have a fever. We will reschedule when you are well." He struggled to help her stand because he was so lean, and she was heavier than him by at least thirty pounds.

"But my car," she murmured.

"I will put my parking permit in it, so it is not towed." He panted as he helped her outside to a bench to wait. "Give me your keys."

Leaning against him, she dug the keys out of her purse and took her house key from the ring. "I'm sorry," she muttered again.

"Stop apologizing. Go home, sleep, text me tomorrow," Hjalm insisted. "I will credit your studio time."

"Thank you, I need my cello. I can't leave it in my car overnight."

"I'll get it." He thumbed her fob and then went to her car, retrieving the expensive instrument. "Here it is."

"You're so sweet, and so handsome, I'll miss you," she muttered nonsensically as her fever stole her sense away.

"I know, min sangfugl, and I will miss your voice until you are better." He went and spoke to the Uber driver as they stopped, then helped her to the car.

As the Uber driver, merged onto the highway, Cassie sent a text to Erin, I can't come get you, I caught something. I have a fever and can't stop coughing.

Erin responded, Oh no. Do you need me? Nick says he can drive me down tomorrow if you aren't better. We're vaxxed.

The text back from Erin made her smile. For the two months, all she heard about was Nick the rancher's grandson who was from their favorite place in Colorado.

She texted back, Thanks, I'll let you know. I am too so probably a cold. Going home to sleep. Luv U

Luv U x2 Erin responded.

Cassie jerked awake when the Uber stopped. "How much?" She muttered but the masked driver shook his head.

"Your friend paid me double because you're sick. Just get out."

"I'm vaxxed, it's a cold," she tried to reassure him.

"I said get out."

She obeyed as quickly as she could, but he was already spraying the inside of the car with disinfectant before she closed the door then the Uber driver sped away.

Sighing, Cassie went inside her grandmother's house. As she made herself another cup of tea and gulped cold and flu medicine from a bottle, she texted Hjalm then Erin that she was home. Miss Priss rubbed around her legs, purring, so Cassie unlocked the cat flap in the back door. Shaking and sweating from her fever, Cassie managed to talk herself into crawling up the stairs. She walked unsteadily to her room. Slinging her boho bag onto her laundry basket, she panted and coughed. Pushing aside the tapestry which hid the door to her walking closet turned soundproofed recording room, she struggled to carry her cello case inside. Another wave of dizziness hit, but she managed to recline in the gamer chair she used when recording before she passed out again.

~~~~

:::TRIGGER WARNING – This part contains abuse against women and a sadistic murder.:::

Cassie had no idea how much time had passed when she woke again, more thirsty than she had ever been in her life. Her clothes were soaked with stinking sweat, but her fever had broken. She managed to stand and staggered out of the hidden recording closet. Hearing a man's voice coming from Shivonne's room, Cassie decided to use the downstairs bathroom with its giant tub, so she didn't intrude on her friend's date. Quietly as she could, she grabbed her robe and hair products from their shared bathroom before going down to her grandmother's bathroom. In the old, claw-footed tub, she scrubbed herself clean before she drained it. In the kitchen, Cassie coughed repeatedly as she made herself some toast. The house was quiet and she wondered if Shivonne's date had left yet then she heard a noise like a muffled scream. Rushing up the stairs as quickly as she could, she pushed open Shivonne's door and froze in horror. Dizzy as she clung to the doorway.

Her roommate was wearing the mask and lingerie from the book gift box and tied to a hanging acrobat hoop with silky streamers. The hoop rotated slowly. She had been posed to look like her favorite scene including the juggling pins. One was positioned, inserted, and tied between her thighs, another between her butt cheeks. Her head hung limp to one side with a pin protruding from her mouth below the ornately decorated mask.

"Shivonne!" Cassie started to step into the room, fighting her post-fever malaise and dizziness, but a strong arm wrapped around her throat from behind.

"Hello, my voluptuous beauty."

"Please don't hurt me," she whimpered, bargaining, "Let Shivonne go. We won't tell anyone."

"Delilah isn't enjoying our game anymore," the man whispered into her ear. "Tell me, what is your favorite erotic scene so I may play with you."

Cassie screamed hoarsely then she was shoved forward onto the bed. He began to brutally beat her with a pair of antique wooden and brass juggling pins. She tried to fight him, but the attack was too much. Her wrist was broken, trying to shield her face as he hit her.

"Stop," she wheezed, coughing violently as he forced a ball-gag into her mouth.

A third blow to the head stunned her immobile for a moment, then he pulled her robe down from her shoulders, binding and trapping her arms. She tried to kick uselessly as he forced her legs apart. The gag suffocated her, and she almost passed out from being unable to get her breath between coughing sobs. She glanced up at her friend bound to the hoop above the bed, and was horrified because from below, Shivonne looked dead.

"You're so soft, so fully formed." He groped her breasts and curves painfully. "I never imagined how a larger lover would feel. I think I like it. I must add you to my collection and tell your story."

Whimpering, Cassie shook her head as her body rocked violently. Then a giant blur of gray fur leapt across her and the man screamed as Miss Priss yowled. Cassie rolled off the bed, shrugging her robe back up and tripod crawled out of the room. She made it to her door, trying to pull herself up, as the man and cat crashed around Shivonne's room, slamming the door shut. Staggering to her feet, she stumbled forward and slipped behind the tapestry into her dark recording room and shut the door. Shaking, she tried to pry the ball gag from her mouth, but she couldn't with one hand. Fumbling blindly through the desk drawers, she found a pair of scissors. In her desperation to cut it off, she sliced her face getting the blade under the tight strap. Cutting it and pushing the ball out with her tongue, Cassie inhaled deeply before having a coughing fit so violent that everything started to spin again. She vomited.

Crying quietly, she curled in a ball cradling her broken wrist in her elbow, she covered her mouth to muffle her hysteria. She prayed the murderer in her home couldn't hear her through door frame. It was the only part of the room not covered in sound-proofing foam. No sounds came from beyond her little closet, then the thumping started, and she realized the stranger had turned Shivonne's stereo system up to full volume to hide the noise he made while he hunted her. Suddenly she remembered the cards Miss Priss knocked on the floor this morning and they all made sense.