I picked up my tablet and blinked. There were thousands upon thousands of tarot card sets. The computer had compiled all of the versions in its databanks and spat them out. I wasn’t going to search through all of them—that would take a lifetime—so I selected the first ones I liked.
“They are in the dispenser,” NAID said. “Do you need anything else?”
I was about to say no when I paused. “Can you make clothes?”
“Yes.”
Drakcon fashion wasn’t for me, and now, I didn’t have to stick with it. I flicked through the different clothes on the tablet,making my choices, and they all appeared in the dispenser. The clothes didn’t feel the same as the ones on Earth, or at least how I remembered them—probably because drakcol didn’t use the same fibers—but they were more familiar than what I was currently wearing.
Shuffling out of my clothes, I yanked on a pair of gray joggers and a black tank top. Better.
Now, I was determined to see what else my dispenser could make. The more I played, the more limitations I found. It wasn’t that NAID couldn’t make certain things, like a comfortable chair or couch, it was that those items were too big for my dispenser. However, I found plenty of things it could make, and it passed the time as I ignored the need to go to bed and my new tarot cards lying on the table.
But as my eyes grew more and more tired, I had to face the matter head on. Sleep would be impossible to hold off forever. Unfortunately.
“NAID, can you make a candle?”
“Fire is prohibited.”
I frowned. I preferred to start a reading with a flame to concentrate on to center myself, but it made sense why it wasn’t allowed. I guessed the drakcol didn’t want someone to burn their shiny ship down. Shocker.
Electric candles were a thing, and I was positive that NAID could make one, but it wasn’t the same as an open flame.
Forgoing the candle, I sat down at the table and took several even breaths to center myself. Then with my left hand, I touched each and every card to establish a physical link. All that remained was to shuffle and fan out the cards.
I stared at the fanned deck, deciding to do a simple three card draw of the past, present, and future, instead of my usual Celtic cross. It had been a while since I’d done this, and while NAIDhad also created the instruction booklet, I didn’t feel confident. In fact, as I stared at the cards, I felt shaken.
Normally, I formed my question and drew, but this time, all I felt was terror. My past was bad, my present was manageable, and my future had the potential to be either. I was terrified of what I would or wouldn’t see if I picked the cards. Also, for the life of me, I couldn’t think of a single question.
“This shouldn’t be this hard,” I snapped, smacking the table with the flat of my hand. This was nothing. It probably wasn’t even real… However, I believed.
With a loud sigh, I pushed the cards into a neat stack and set them aside. Next time.
Getting to my feet, I headed to bed. Might as well get it over with.
I rubbed my tired eyes as I waited outside of Teddy’s room. Three fucking nightmares last night. Don had come the first time, and I’d leaned into his warm touch to soothe the terror coursing through me. The second and third time, he hadn’t. He had to have not heard me. I believed Don when he’d said that he would come if he heard me. I could’ve called him with my touchstone thing, but I didn’t.
Now I was dead tired, but I’d promised to meet Seth, Teddy, and Caleb for breakfast. I didn’t want to. I wanted to hole up in my room and curl into a ball and never move again. God, that sounded so much nicer.
The door opened, and Teddy blinked. “Where did you get the new clothes?”
I stepped around him, not answering, and was met with the same stunned looks.
“You look nice,” Seth said.
“He means where the hell did you get the clothes,” Caleb demanded, standing with a grunt and leaning heavily on his cane.
I glanced between them. “Do you mean to tell me thatnoneof you thought to make clothes with the dispenser?”
I smoothed a hand down my crop top band tee, ripped skinny jeans, and flowy cardigan—all black. I’d even painted my nails pink. From their gaping mouths, I realized I was right.
“I can make more hoodies,” Seth shouted, standing, then he immediately glanced over his shoulder with a nervous expression at an empty pile of blankets, pillows, and ripped up stuffed animals.
“Don’t worry,” Teddy said. “Mindy has Pookie.”
“Who is Pookie?” I asked.
“His pet,” Caleb whined, sitting back down. “I want a pet, but I’m so allergic to everything.”
