Lilith 2

Whorls of ink and stars engraved on the back are gold and silver. They glint in the dim lights as Butterfly flips them over mechanically, like she'd done it a million times. Maybe she had.

Jade thought that the room smelled like smoke and dust, but she liked it. Row upon row of shattered vases clung to the sides of the walls, nothing inside of them.

On the other side of the cards, they looked perfectly normal. Spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. But Butterfly stared at them intently for a while, reading them silently until Jade was squirming in her seat.

"I can't read them." She said blankly.

And the crowd behind her-which had been bubbling with conversations and laughter-

Went completely silent.