Free My So-Called Family by Courtney Sheinmel Page B

it?”
    â€œWell, just so you know, she’s at least enjoying New Mexico,” Callie said.
    â€œYou’re kidding,” Avery said.
    â€œNo, I mean it,” Callie said. “She said her great-aunt is really amazing. She taught Brenna how to read palms and tell the future.”
    â€œNo way!” Avery said.
    â€œI swear,” Callie told us. “Her great-aunt is passing down her calling, or something like that. Anyway, I totally know how to do it now.”
    â€œRight,” Avery said. “You’re not the one in New Mexico with a medium for an aunt.”
    â€œShe’s not a medium,” Callie said. “She’s a fortune-teller.”
    â€œSame difference,” Avery said.
    â€œNo, there is a difference,” Callie insisted. “A medium can talk to the dead.” I shuddered when she said that and looked over at Charlie to make sure he was okay. He has a thing about ghosts. But he didn’t seem upset about it. He was down to the end of his ice-cream cone, sticking his tongue into the last little crevice to try to lick the rest of the ice cream out. “Brenna told me everything about palm reading over the phone,” Callie continued.
    â€œYou can’t just learn in one phone call,” Avery told her.
    â€œWell, she told me about it, and then I looked it up on the Internet, so I really know how to do it. Give me your palm.”
    â€œNo way. I’m not giving you my palm.”
    â€œOh, come on. If you don’t believe me, then what are you scared about?”
    â€œI’m not scared,” Avery said defiantly. She narrowed her eyes at Callie. I think she was waiting for Callie to admit she didn’t know what she was talking about, but Callie just stared back at Avery, waiting. “Fine,” Avery said, and stuck out her hand.
    Callie pulled Avery’s hand closer to her. “You know,” Callie began, “a life line doesn’t only show how long you’re gonna live—it also shows you how good your life is gonna be.”
    â€œWhich line is the life line?” Avery asked.
    â€œThis one,” Callie said, tracing the line that started between Avery’s thumb and index finger and curved down to the base of her palm. “Yours isn’t solid, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. See, it has branches. Sometimes branches can mean fortune.”
    â€œFortune is good,” Avery said.
    â€œUh-huh,” Callie said. Her shoulders were hunched and she was squinting her eyes, concentrating. “There are other lines too. Like, here’s your love line. It’s really strong.”
    â€œIt can’t be that strong,” Avery said. “I haven’t even been in love yet.”
    â€œWell, maybe you will be this year,” Callie said. “It’s totally solid, no breaks at all. But your mount of Jupiter is sort of weak.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?” Avery asked.
    â€œIt means you don’t have confidence,” Callie said.
    â€œI have confidence,” Avery insisted.
    â€œWell, maybe there’s something in particular that you’re not confident about,” Callie said. “But you have other lines that are really strong, even stronger than your love line, like this one. I can’t remember for sure what it’s called. I think it’s the family line. Anyway, that one is really strong on your hand. I think it means you have a big family and everyone is really loyal.”
    I turned my hand over in my lap and looked down. Callie and Avery were both bent over Avery’s hand, and Charlie was watching them intently, so they probably didn’t notice me. The lines on my hand all seemed broken and faint. My family line was probably nonexistent. I balled my hands into fists and pressed them into my lap. Callie was finishing up with Avery. I heard Charlie beside me. “My turn, my turn,” he said.
    â€œAll right, Charlie,” Callie