Shadow: The Star (Upright)

Faith, purpose, renewal, spirituality, healing, contentment 

Act 1, Wands

Your old friends are on their way and they are furious at your betrayal. 

Card 1

Two of Wands 

Your handler comforts you. How did you meet them, do you trust them? 

The World (Reverse)

Disappointment, burden, stagntation

Card 2

King of Wands

You recognize one of your old friends. Who are they, what is your relationship with them? 

The Moon (Upright)

Illusion, instability, fear, insecurity, deception

Card 3 

6 of Wands 

A weapon you received during your time with your Old Friends, what is it, when was the last time you used it? 

The Moon 

Vagueness, instability, anxiety, misconceptions

Socks, underware, tooth brush, pills, pills, pills, all went into the suitcase. My license was on the wall, but I didn’t need it, at least that’s what they told me. 

It was something they could bring back to me. It was something that I could re-order. It was something that brought me in on everything. 

Jimmy pulled down the sleeve on his coat and checked his watch before separating the blinds and looking out onto the dark street. 

“Shit,” he didn’t look at me when he swore. 

I dropped the suitcase, everything spilled out and the rest of the agents all cursed as well. 

Marcus placed a hand on my shoulder and signaled for the rest of them to put everything back in the case while I stood there shaking. He looked me dead in the eyes and told me it was going to be ok. 

He was full of shit, but what other choice did I have? He patted my shoulders and when he turned around I pulled the switchblade from the drawer and slipped it into my pocket. 

Lovely had given it to me about a year ago as more of a token of our ‘mutual acquaintance.’ He had one just like it, and at the time he was joking when he said that he would bury it in my back if I ever betrayed him. 

I was already in talks with the agency at that time. They too had dug up my previous job and decided that they were going to blackmail me as well. Agree to help the feds and get put in WPP, or continue with Lovely and get even more jail time. 

Bastards all around me. At least Jimmy had the decency to not gloat about the promotion he would get after all of this was finished. 

Jimmy signaled for us to leave with a wave of his hand, pulled out his gun, and set his back flat against the wall.

Marcus put his hands back on my shoulders and guided me out the back entrance of the clinic. He didn't let go of me until I was in the seat of the car, door shut, windows locked. 

From out of the corner of my eye I saw them coming down the alley from the left. I turned and I knew it was him before I saw his face. 

Lovely’s face was twisted and scrunched, his eyes were blazing and nostrils were flared. He had the switchblade out in front of him and he was running towards the car. 

I put my face in my hands, unable to look at him anymore while Marcus floored it out of the alleway. 

Act 2 Cups

You’re getting settled but you can’t shake the feeling that someone out there is looking for you

Card 1 

10 of Cups 

A night out with new acquaintances, who are they, what do you do? Why do you have to leave early? 

The Hanged Man 

Trapped, confined, uncertainty, needing to let go

Card 2 

6 of Cups 

Colleagues from work invite you out for drinks. How do you feel about this, why do you not want to accept? 

The Sun

Positivity, freedom, optimism, enthusiasm

Card 3

4 of Cups 

A piece of mail has been tampered with. What does it contain? How do you protect your mail going forward? 

The Hermit (Reversed)

Paranoia, isolation, anti-social

It was my first time going out with drinks from the people at the new hospital. It was nice not having a private practice anymore, I didn't have to worry about rent, but it also meant that I had more colleagues and more paperwork for other issues. 

The boys wanted to go to the new martini bar that just opened up. I had been wanting to go myself, but I just couldn't bring myself to go. Lovely knew how much I loved a good martini. 

They’d been sending me fliers in the mail. I don't know how they knew, but It felt deep down that I was being targeted. Maybe it was the fact that there wasn’t an address on it. I just chalked it up to them putting the flyers in everyone’s mailbox. I used to do that when I was a kid for extra cash but, I’ve only got this one. 

Only for this place. 

I went anyway. I couldn’t help myself. Drinking alone in my apartment just wasn’t the same and the more people the more witnesses. 

We drank some, we laughed some, but there was that feeling in the back of my head like I was being watched. I kept looking around, seeing if there was anyone that I knew, but there was just nothing. 

I don’t know what set me on edge until I saw someone quickly turn away from me when met their gaze. I didn’t know them but my gut told me that they knew Lovely. 

I made my excuses, got a cab, went home and locked every damn window and every door in the place before shoving the only cabinet I had in front of the window. 

I called Marcus and the boys, gave them the low down, and told them that they had to check my mail each night since I was afraid of being targeted again. I could hear some of them laughing in the background but Marcus said he would force one of the new boys to do it. 

Fucking hell. 

Act 3: Swords

Card 1 

10 of Swords 

You are out at your fave establishment when a staff asks you to leave, begging you to comply. What will happen to the place if you don’t?

Justice 

Consequences, law, life lessons 

Card 2

Knight of Swords

You are certain someone is coming to destroy your new lie. What favor do you call in that you hoped to never use? What does it cost you? 

The Fool

Innocence, freedom, youth

Card 3 

Two of Swords 

Someone has scrawled the words traitor in a place they shouldn’t be able to access. Where and how do you think they got in? 

The High Priestess

Mystery, creativity

I was out at Esteves’ Joint when it all started up again. I guess I was stupid, thinking that after all these years that they would just give up. Lovely wasn’t that kind of person. He also wasn’t the kind of person who did long term thinking either, so someone else had to be doing this. 

Someone else higherup in the order. I don’t know what made them want to go after me now. Something must have happened because one of the staff employees tapped me on the shoulder and politely informed me that I needed to leave. 

I’d never caused trouble before and my tab was always closed out at the end of the night. She looked scared and she kept shaking her head and said I needed to leave. Eventually she cracked when I started to get agitated and she said someone threatened to burn down the homes of all the employees if they didn't comply. They had read out the names and addresses of everyone who had worked there over the past five years. 

I was still sober so I decided to drive back home. This was a mistake. I pulled down the visor where I kept a spare cigarette and inside it was the word: “TRAITOR” written in red lipstick. 

I got out of that car faster than anything else I’d ever done in my life and circled it round looking for how they could have gotten in. Nothing was broken and all the doors were locked. 

They had to have gotten a key somewhere, or picked the lock, or something. I’m no locksmith so I have no idea if they can use those same skills to unlock my home. 

I stayed overnight in a hotel. Sitting by the phone all night, wondering if I should call in to Marcus. The bastard had been promoted and I doubted that he would even care if I got killed. I was probably someone else’s problem at this point. 

I dialed my sister. She was just a kid last time I saw her, and Ma had told me never to make contact with her again after I fell in with Lovely. 

Ma was dead, and so I gave her a call. It took a lot of explaining, but eventually I convinced her to come get me out of the city on the condition that I helped pay her husband’s debts. It was all that I had in savings, but there really wasn’t any other choice. 

Act 4 

They want your attention, now they have it. 

Card

King of Pentacles 

You want no part of it, you take what you can and flee. Where do you go? Who do you leave behind? 

The Hierophant 

Traditional values, commitment, 

Sarah looked tired, angry, and ready to beat my ass, but she still opened the door to the car and ordered me to get in. 

She looked a lot more like Dad than Ma, but I knew better than to say so. We didn’t talk for at least three hours into the drive until I told her that I had gotten all the money I had out of the bank. It wasn’t enough for all the debt, but it was a good chunk of it. 

She snorted, “aren’t doctors supposed to make a lot of money?” and took another drag on her third cigarette. I told her she watched too much tv. 

I asked her where she was going, and she said she had no idea, just driving since I was too dumb to tell her. 

I told her that I wanted to call her but Ma wouldn’t let me. She sighed, and lied that it was fine. I told her I’d call more and she laughed and said that would only put her in more danger. 

Eventually we reached a larger city and she rifled through the bag of money, pulled out $100, gave it to me and told me to get on a plane going as far away from here as possible. 

She left me on the curb. 

Act 5 

The Tower, Reversed 

Averting Disaster, Avoiding Tragedy 

I called Marcus the next day from Canada. He swore up and down that I had left the country,  and told me to get to the nearest embassy. 

I didn’t. I took another fight over to Europe. Lived in Belgium for about three years, then flew out to Tunisia. 

I never made it back home. I never called my sister again, but they never did find me.