Nadia

Azira smiles. “I had a best friend once. Nadia. We were inseparable—practically twins. Born under the same icons too.” Her smile grows wicked. “We would get into the worst sort of mischief together. We would tag team at the local shops to thieve the best candies without getting caught.”

The smile on her face falters. She twirls her knife on the table next to her, with no regard for the notch it leaves behind. “One day, we searched through her mother’s things and found a tarot deck. We were so excited, and we decided to read each other’s fortunes. I went first. She asked me what would happen with her and the boy she liked. I read her cards, and said not to waste her time with him because she’d be heartbroken very soon. Her mother caught us during her reading and told us it was dangerous to play with our futures like that, that futures are not written until they are told, and we shouldn’t trifle with such power.”

Azira’s knife stops moving. “A week later, Nadia collapsed. Dead. A healthy girl collapsing dead suddenly doesn’t just happen, so an autopsy was done. It was an aortic dissection—a broken heart.” Azira takes a breath. “Nadia’s family shunned mine, blaming me for her death.”

She sheaths her knife, standing suddenly. “I don’t keep best friends anymore.” She walks abruptly away.
CC 61, Segment of the Gambler

Life

34 CC 48 CC 14 years old