Jennifer Crusie - The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes

Mare Fortune bounded down the stairs of the family home in her ragged blue running shorts just as the wind caught the front door and blew it open, sending coppery dust swirling in. She batted the dust away and looked out, but instead of Mrs Elders beat-up front porch across the street, she saw golden sunshine beaming down on a red tiled roof and a fat laughing baby toddling in a dusty road while a tough dark-haired guy chased after it, laughing, too. She sucked in her breath and thought, Crash, and reached out into the sunlight for him, but he vanished, him and the baby and the red tiled roof and the sunshine, and it was just boring old Duckpond Street under cloudy skies in Salems Fork, West Virginia, with Mrs Elders peeling porch across the way, no coppery dust at all.

Oh, Mare said, feeling bereft and then feeling stupid for feeling bereft. He left you, hes gone, its been five years, youre over it. She turned to close the heavy door, just as her oldest sister Dee took down their mothers jewelry chest from the mantel in the living room and, beyond her, their middle sister Lizzie bent over her metallurgy book at the battered dining room table, everything normal, nothing to worry about.

Big storm coming in. Mare yanked down on her tank top, shoving Crash and the whole vision thing out of her mind. Big old Beltane storm. Her tiger-striped cat, Pywackt, padded down the narrow stairs with dignity, and she made kissing sounds at him, which he ignored. Lightning on the mountain just for us, Py, baby.

Didnt we throw those away? Dee said, cradling the brass-bound jewelry box in her slender arms as she frowned at Mares tattered shorts.

You tried, Mare said.

Dee nodded, looking distracted. Come on, she said and turned toward the dining room, her gray wool suit perfectly fitted to her tiny waist. Mare stuck her tongue out at Dees auburn chignon and followed her into the dining room where ethereal Lizzie sat hunched over her book in her purple silk kimono, her blond curls tangled and blue eyes wide, dripping muffin butter onto her notebook as she ate.

Dee put the jewelry box on the table and said, Mind the butter, Lizzie, and Lizzie turned another page, oblivious to Dee, the butter, and the wind whistling outside the open garden windows.

Mare plopped herself down at the table and looked at the muffins. Theyre all apple bran, Lizzie. Thats boring. I like blueberry and lemon poppy seed and-

Lizzie moved her hand over the muffin basket, still not looking up from her book, and tendrils of violet smoke trailed from her fingertips and across the apple bran.

Thank you. Mare craned her neck to look into the basket and then went for a newly transformed blueberry, but Dee moved the basket out of her reach.

First we vote. Dee straightened the jewelry box.

Lizzie looked up from her book. Now?

Crap, Mare thought, and looked longingly at the muffins. Lizzie had baked them so they were bound to be munchable.

Yes, now. Dee sat down at the head of the table. If Mares going to college, she has to register now. Which means we have to decide if we move so she can go to a school we can afford. And which piece of Mothers jewelry we sell to finance it. And I have to be at the bank in an hour, so we have to do it now

Not now. Mare stared at the blueberry muffin just out of her reach come here, damn it - so that a couple of dust motes lazing in the air sparked blue. Not now, not ever. She lifted her chin, feeling the weight of the muffin in her mind, and it rose slowly until it hovered at eye level.

Mare, Dee said. Not in front of the window.

Mare grinned and crooked her finger, and the muffin floated toward her, sparking blue once or twice, like a misfiring muffler.

Oh, dear. Lizzie waved her hands a little, as if to warn Mare off, tendrils of violet smoking from her fingertips, and her butter knife turned into a rabbit.

Py sat up and took an interest.

Easy there, Lizzie, Mare said, staring cross-eyed at her muffin, now floating in front of her nose. You know Py and bunnies.

Dee flushed. Put down the muffin, please, Mare. You know how important this vote is.

Its important to you, Mare said, concentrating on keeping her muffin afloat. Its not important to me. As mistress of all I survey, I feel that college is, how can I put this? Unnecessary. She scowled at Dee why were they having this conversation again? She was twenty-three, if she didnt want to go to college, she wasnt going to go and her annoyance broke her concentration and the muffin dropped and broke, and Mare said, Damn. She focused on another one, lemon poppyseed this time, making it rise from the muffin basket while Lizzies butter-knife rabbit began to forage for crumbs on her notebook page.

At the end of the table, Py began to forage for the rabbit.

You are not mistress of all you survey, Dee said, exasperated, youre-

Queen of the Universe, Mare said.

-assistant manager of a Value Video!!

Mare pulled the muffin toward her with her eyes. Thats temporary. Its only a matter of time until Im queen of the company.

I dont think Value Video!! has queens, Dee said. I know, they have presidents. But when I get to the top, thats gonna change.

Well, to become queen of Value Video!! you have to go to college. Dee opened the jewelry box. It was always Mothers dream that wed all go, and its your turn. Its past time for your turn. So we vote.

I dont want to, Mare said. Lizzie doesnt want to vote, either, do you, Lizzie?

Lizzie looked up. What?

Its time to vote, Dee said gently.

All right, Lizzie said, her focus drifting again.

Lizzie! Mare shrieked, betrayed.

Lizzie jerked back, startled, and Mare saw her fright and said, Lizzie, its okay, its okay, but it was too late. Lizzie was waving her hands, fingers trembling, as she warded off Mares anger, purple tendrils of apology wafting over the table.

Oh, hell Mare said as lavender smoke rose around them.

Lizzie let the purple cloud engulf her. It was so quiet in there. Two more bunnies had popped up, depleting the knife count on the table and drawing Py closer. She blinked rapidly as the cloud grew thicker; it felt as if coppery dust had gotten into her eyes. For a moment shed drifted away from her contentious sisters and their tiny living room in Salems Fork, and she was floating, distant, in a castle in Spain, lying on her back, and someone was leaning over her, and it was

Lizzie, honey, take a breath, Dee said, as the smoke cleared.

Im sorry, Lizzie said to Mare, pulling herself together. I wasnt paying attention.

Its okay. Mare floated a muffin over to her, dispersing more smoke with blue sparks. Dees trying to get us to vote and I dont want to because I dont want to move again.

Lizzie picked the muffin out of the air and sighed the rest of the purple away. Violet smoke, drifting around a castle in Spain, moody and romantic. Stop it. Im not sure I want to, either.

Were voting, Dee said sharply.

She startled the bunny and made it quiver, and Lizzie picked it up and petted it, trying not to quiver herself. They were fighting again. She hated the days when they voted. Three more bunnies had popped up on the table during the argument, and Lizzie wondered whether she could take them and sneak back into her room while Mare and Dee glared at each other.

Then I vote we dont vote, Mare said. Its my future, and Ill take care of it when it gets here.

And just how is refusing to plan for your future going to protect you from Xan the next time she finds us? Dee said, goaded.