Chapter 2, Part 2

An hour passed. Stan and I had managed to eat dinner, chat about school, and drink tea.

Soon my brother went back to his room. I washed the plates and was just feeding our ginger cat, Zodiac, when the door to my parents' bedroom flew open. A second later, Mom appeared in the doorway.

Unusually pale and bewildered, she came into the kitchen, looked at me... and suddenly pressed her hands to her cheeks. Slowly sinking onto a chair, she blinked with a mixture of shock and revelation in her eyes.

"Mom?" Worry pricked at me. Straightening up, I set the bag of cat food aside. "Are you okay?"

Zodiac clearly disliked the amount of food in his bowl and meowed in protest.

"Wait, Zodie!" I nudged him away with my foot. "Mom, what happened?"

Mom blinked. Then she looked at me strangely, both frightened and piercing, as if she were trying to read information about my past lives from my forehead. Which would not have surprised me in the slightest!

"Oh, Di!" she finally whispered, shaken, widening her gray-green catlike eyes. "I think I've just been challenged! And I think I accepted!"

That was new, and I drew my brows together in confusion.

"Accepted how?" I asked, surprised. "Did you agree to go on Psychic Showdown again? Mom, last time the tricks with smoke and spirits ended with a week-long migraine and insomnia for you. I object!"

The turban on Mom's head wobbled.

"No, thank God, not Showdown!"

"Then who challenged you, and why?"

Mom waved her hands, shifting to the edge of the chair. She began speaking excitedly:

"You see, sunshine, at first everything was wonderful! Interesting people, original questions, a friendly atmosphere. I was talking about signs of fate and how, if two people are made for each other, the Universe will definitely send them a signal! The main thing is not to miss it. You have to answer, because chances at happiness are not infinite! And then he appeared..."

"Who is he?"

"Valentine! The celebrity host from Cupid TV. Eyes like onyx, a voice like velvet, snow-white teeth... I swear, I even smelled vanilla powder coming off him and sneezed! And then he asks me with such polite condescension, as if I'm either unhinged or a polished liar. Astralia, tell us, if fate has signs, why does it need psychics, psychologists, and dating services? Isn't it easier to trust love at first sight? You see someone and fall in love! And no problems in your personal life!

"And what did you answer?"

"That it isn't easier, of course! For two people to be happy together, it isn't enough for their eyes to meet. Their hearts, souls, desires, paths have to meet too! Love is one whole composition made of many different feelings. And the more harmony there is among them, the stronger love becomes! Because fate gives you not only a first glance, but a second one too, so you can get to know a person better. Isn't that right? And we psychics are always happy to help it, to the best of our abilities."

I kept listening in confusion, but I couldn't stay silent about the obvious:

"Oh, Mom, you're an incurable romantic! And what did this vanilla Valentine do?"

Mom lowered her hands miserably and gave a helpless shrug.

"He smiled radiantly, like the Cheshire Cat with a doctorate in manipulation in his pocket, and asked: Dear Astralia, what exactly do your abilities consist of? Charms and love spells?

I answered: God forbid! That kind of interference has never made anyone happy!

And he immediately said: What if the people chosen by fate have different personalities? Then no destiny or chance will help them. Or do you think otherwise?

"Let me guess," I inserted flatly, "and of course you objected."

"Yes!" Mom agreed. "Of course! I said that if I see a spark, I can bring any couple together. Even the most stubborn, the most unbearable, the most incompatible..."

"Mom..."

"I know, it was stupid! But, sweetheart, it was a live broadcast. A crowd of people was watching us. I couldn't look like a pathetic fraud spinning fairy tales!"

"But that's exactly where he was leading you, that Valentine!" I frowned. "I'm already starting not to like this podcast or its host."

"And then he says: If you're certain fate helps people find their other half, perhaps you'll prove it in practice? Right on our new show?

Mom spread her hands.

"I tried to joke my way out. You know I can joke when panic hits me. I said: 'I'm not a matchmaker, I'm a guide between worlds! I can wire lightbulbs to the afterlife if necessary.'

And Valentine answers: 'All the more reason, Astralia! That means the world of love is open to you too!'

I tensed, feeling a cold knot of anxiety gather between my shoulder blades.

"Mom," I whispered, "please don't tell me you agreed..."

Mom blinked strangely and carefully adjusted the turban on her head.

"Mom!"

"I only said that if I took it on, I would bring the perfect couple together. And... and that I guaranteed it!"

"Only? Mo-om!!"

Mom jumped up and pulled the turban off her head together with the black wig, making her short blond hair bristle like a hedgehog. First Natasha-Natalia, then Lia, and after exiting into the astral plane, Astralia too. Amazing how our neighbors still didn't know who lived next door to them.

"I thought they would just clap, laugh, and move on to the other guests... But the broadcast chat exploded! Likes, hearts, flames! Then a serious producer appeared, popping into the live stream out of nowhere, and said: 'Excellent, Astralia! It's settled! Six couples, six psychics, seven dates, and one perfect couple whose love the viewers will believe in! No one will know which exact couple you're coaching until the end of the show! If you win, you'll get your own segment on our channel and an advertising package!

"And if you don't?"

Now I was the one blinking in shock, staring at Mom.

"And if I don't..." she said in a tragic whisper. "Then your mother, Diana, is headed for the public pillory of shame. They'll call me some flea-market charlatan, and that will be the end of Astralia's career. I'll have to live off selling tarot decks and used good-luck talismans."

"Horrifying!" I said, impressed. Even my voice sank as I realized the prospects.

"A crossroads of fate!" Mom softened the sentence and perked up again. "And a sign! Can you imagine, they read the missing participant's horoscope, and I suddenly realized it was about you! I admitted that I have a daughter: a beautiful, smart, romantic student, slightly stubborn like all Geminis under Saturn, and disillusioned with dating! Also, she happens to be without a boyfriend, but she has a mental spark and is ready to meet fate."

"What?" My voice suddenly vanished, and I think my hearing got worse.

Mom squeezed her eyes shut and quickly blurted out, almost in a whisper:

"Diana, I signed you up for the project Love at First Valentine! I said you're my living love talisman and you'll definitely find your other half on the show! Because I believe you were made for the perfect match!"

Three seconds passed before I unfroze and croaked hysterically, still not believing what I'd heard:

"YOU SAID WHAT?!!"