Pentacle

Destiny's Unwanted Call

Petunia let out a prolonged, steadying breath as she pressed the doorbell. Acacia cracked the door open and stood in the doorway with an impassive stare.

"Who the hell are you?" Acacia spat, her eyes narrowing.

"Back at cha," Petunia retorted, mirroring the sulky, heavily eyelinered girl's glare. Petunia cocked her head, a flicker of recognition in her eyes, but she couldn't pinpoint where she'd seen the girl before. Aggie's melodious voice, calling from inside, broke her concentration.

"Acacia, who is it?"

Aggie swung the door open further and beamed at Petunia, Zinnia, and Briar-Rose.

"Acacia, can you tell the others to meet us in the living room?"

With an eye roll, Acacia vanished into the depths of the house.

Aggie ushered the girls into the living room, where a welcoming tray of tea and cookies sat on the coffee table. Briar-Rose and Petunia made themselves comfortable on the couch while Zinnia, drawn by the cookies, inched toward the edge of her seat near her mom.

"Go on. Take one," Aggie encouraged, noticing the girl's eager gaze.

Zinny looked at her mom for confirmation. Once Petunia gave her an approving nod, she gleefully grabbed a cookie and beamed her thanks to Aggie. Briar-Rose smiled, reaching for a cup of tea and a cookie for herself.

"Your house looks like a castle," Zinny exclaimed, crumbs tumbling from her mouth as she spoke.

"Zinny, manners!" Petunia scolded.

Aggie displayed a joyous smile as she watched Petunia brush crumbs from Zinny's lap. "Both my girls in this house again. What a glorious homecoming."

"It's not permanent," Petunia assured her, placing a handful of crumbs onto the tray.

"Nothing is," Aggie replied, shifting her attention to Briar. "I'm glad you were able to get out of work."

Briar choked on her cookie, and her tea began to boil. She cringed at the sight of the bubbles and shakingly put the cup on the table.

"Actually..." Briar cleared her throat, "I got fired."

"You lost your job?" Petunia asked, lifting a teacup. "Seriously?"

"That insurance job was a waste of your talents," Aggie said dismissively, swatting her hand in the air.

Petunia sputtered on her tea, sending a spray across the room. "You were an insurance agent?"

"I don't know why you worked there as long as you did," Aggie continued, ignoring Petunia's comment.

"Pretty sure it was to pay her bills. Not that it seemed to be helping," Petunia said, turning to Briar. "You honestly got fired?"

Briar parted her lips to speak but instead slumped back against the couch in defeat.

Petunia watched her sister fiddle with the crimson, rose-shaped gem on her drop necklace, feeling a sudden wave of guilt wash over her.

It's been a while since you've played the older sister role. Aggie's voice rang in Petunia's head. But you must remember enough to know you're being too harsh on Briar.

Petunia sighed, knowing Aggie was right. "What happened?" Petunia asked softly.

"This jerk at work—"

"No, I mean, when I left home, you were good," Petunia interrupted Briar. "Sure, you were shy, but you were going to go to college. And now—I don't even know if you finished a degree."