looking for yourself [Xiulan]

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

3 January 2026

Oh my god, Hazel was so not ready to go back to school. Wow, talk about words she never thought she’d say. Back in South Africa, she had always wondered what it was like to go to one of the big wizarding schools. Oh don’t get her wrong, being homeschooled had its little charms – spending all day with Ivy was oodles of fun, and getting her parents’ nearly undivided attention? Well, she lived for the spotlight, of course. Still, the typical school experience had been so fascinating to little Hazel. A whole audience of wizards and witches your age to debut new and fabulous outfits for? Getting to hang out with your friends all day, playing gobstones in the courtyard and setting the trends for that season? And the social hierarchy – it seemed simple enough! It was a wild jungle where the deserving and those few who are just really on their game go straight to the top while everyone else fights for second place. And hey, Hazel had never been satisfied with silver.

But god no, school wasn’t anything like that. Was it possible to get Depressing Castle Syndrome? It must be at Hogwarts, ugh. She spent all day teaching, and then there wasn’t even really anything that interesting to do after! Maybe she would track down her sister or another fellow professor for a good gossip sesh, and maybe she would work on her metal-charming if she was feeling particularly inspired. But come on, there were massive red flags all over the place when the whole castle’s idea of entertainment was getting permission to go to a sleepy little collection of huts once a month to drink butterbeer and buy sweets. Seriously, Hogwarts had no idea what real fun was.

Besides, Hazel had an emergency here. She was due for lunch with her older brother any day now, no doubt his idea to check in on his rowdy sister before she went back to school. But she knew what that was really code for! Asher was just going to sit at the table sipping his boring plain water in his boring Ministry robes and ask why she wasn’t married yet. God, it was so embarrassing to be seen with him in public. People would start to think she was willingly associating with, shudder, outfit-repeaters. So there was only one solution here. She needed to see Xiulan – Hazel believed deeply in Divination, and there was a strong spiritual component to alchemy too, after all. She’d been seeing the woman ever since arriving to the United Kingdom, and she was honestly so good! Xiulan had helped Sapphire, her beloved cat, get over her self-confidence problems, and she had had the brilliant insight after a tea leaves reading that starting up metal charming would be enough to get her stupid hovering older brother off Hazel’s back for a while. So yeah, Xiulan would totally know what to say – or at least, what the tarot cards or crystal ball was telling her. They had a regular appointment, and Hazel showed up at the usual time – she only knocked twice before making an elaborate entrance. “Julia!” Hazel squealed excitedly as she walked through Xiulan’s door, before she made a face at the reminder of what exactly she’d come for. “Oh my gosh, I have been just the worst nervous wreck all week. Tell me it’s all going to be okay,” she moaned as she sunk into her usual chair. Xiulan would be used to her dramatics by now.

xiulan zhou

[xiulan zhou]

January 3, 2026

It was two days past her birthday, and Xiulan's mind had been racing because of that story about the island that had been in the newspaper. Fortunately, one of her regular clients had scheduled an appointment with her, and that was a welcome distraction from her thoughts. Hazel Burke was relatively indicative of her clientele, though her exuberance was occasionally draining.

As Hazel came through the door, first in excitement and then proclaiming that she had been a nervous wreck all week, Xiulan had a feeling that she was going to be kept busy. It could have been worse, and Hazel was nice, at least, even if she was a tad melodramatic. "Tell me it’s all going to be okay," Hazel told her, though she should have known that Xiulan—though she took care not to deliver anything too harshly—could never guarantee that. She didn't have control over anyone's fate; she wasn't just there in her flat, playing with the universe like a marionettist.

Ensuring that the door was shut and locked after Hazel's entry, Xiulan turned her focus back to her. "I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like something to drink, Hazel?" she offered her. "Some water? Tea?"

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Xiulan was such a calming presence, and so different from Hazel’s typical all-over-the-place attitude. Still, it was exactly what she was looking for in these Divination sessions. Someone who could tell her to take a breath, read the cards, and trust what the universe had in store for her. It was much better than Asher’s endless nagging, at any rate, or the ridiculous amount of pressure she received from the other Purifiers in the lab to come up with new alchemical innovations. No, Xiulan was calm, and collected, and the exact counterbalance that Hazel needed to rebalance herself once a week. And she truly, honestly believed in Xiulan’s abilities – the woman hadn’t led her wrong yet.

“Tea,” Hazel responded automatically. She usually preferred more adventurous drinks, preferably with a high alcohol content, but she’d been taking tea at Xiulan’s place since they’d started. Even if tea leaves wasn’t the poison of the day, Hazel liked leaving the option open, and the Seer had some truly fascinating teas. It was a different type of adventure, and not one that Hazel was quick to discount. The question about drinks disrupted her train of thought, and Hazel sat thoughtfully for a moment as the other woman bustled around, locking the door and likely going to set up her tea selection. While Xiulan was busy, Hazel looked around the flat, taking in the now-familiar decorations and set-up. It wasn’t anything like the usual kinds of places that Hazel frequented outside Hogwarts – clubs or pubs with crowds of people and loud, all-consuming dance music. No, here it was quiet and calm and private. Nothing like her usual scene, but Hazel had come to appreciate it anyway.

Once the two women were seated across from each other, Hazel continued her original train of thought, albeit with a less dramatic tone. She'd complained about Asher so many times to Xiulan, it was almost impossible to imagine that they didn't know each other. Certainly Xiulan knew plenty about her siblings now, although nothing incriminating. Hazel wasn't an idiot, after all, and was careful not to mention any of their more private inclinations to the Seer. "It's my brother,” she said sourly as she fidgeted with the tablecloth. She leaned forward, placing her chin in the palm of her hand as she continued with a pout on her face. “He’s insisting on meeting for lunch and I can already tell it’s going to be so boring. Merlin, every day he sounds more and more like Mum. I don't think he even realizes!”

xiulan zhou

[xiulan zhou]

January 3, 2026

Hazel requested a cup of tea, which wasn't a departure from the usual for her, either. "Of course," Xiulan nodded, knowing that, especially with magic, would take hardly any time at all for her to make Hazel's tea. She went with a variety that Hazel had tried previously that would also lend itself well to tasseomancy, if desired, and waited for it to steep before bringing it back out to Hazel.

When she had finished, Xiulan set the cup on a coaster on the table along with all the additions that Hazel might have wanted, levitated out from her kitchen with ease. "Careful," she cautioned her. "It's still hot."

Knowing that Hazel wasn't simply there for the tea, though, Xiulan seated herself across from Hazel and waited for her to speak. She could have made quite the gossip with everything that she had learned about her clients' lives over the years, but she knew better than to betray the trust that they had put in her and her abilities. This time, Hazel explained to her, her stress was because of her brother. "He’s insisting on meeting for lunch," she went on, "and I can already tell it’s going to be so boring." Xiulan nodded slightly but continued to listen. "Merlin, every day he sounds more and more like Mum. I don't think he even realizes!"

Once Hazel had had a moment to vent, Xiulan spoke. "I see," she said, though Hazel hadn't stated anything about the purpose behind her and her brother's needing to meet for lunch. Xiulan probably could have determined it because of her Inner Eye; she could See into the future, after all, but she wasn't sure if that was why Hazel was there or if she just needed someone to listen to her grievances about her brother's behavior. "Can you tell me what it is you're most worried about?" she asked, trying to gain a better understanding of the situation at hand.

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Xiulan warned her that the tea was still hot as she gently set it down in front of her – as if Hazel hadn’t been raised perfectly proper to allow the tea to steep for a few minutes anyway. Any good socialite knew that was the best way to release the full flavors of the tea, although she busied herself with scooping a few sugar cubes into the teacup while she waited anyway. Her brother would have complained about how sweet she liked her tea and made some argument about why it was better to drink it plain. As plain as he was! Hazel knew exactly what she liked, thank you very much, and anyone who didn’t like it could go stick their head in the sand. She stirred the sugar in with a teaspoon, delicately if not a little moodily, and kept her eyes fixed on the magnetic motion.

But they shot up in indignation as Xiulan asked what she was worried about! “Oh please, as if I have anything to worry about!” she protested, flipping her hair casually with a delicate sniff. “That only leads to wrinkles, you know, and nothing good has ever come from that.” With a resolute nod, Hazel primly picked up her teacup and took a small sip. But as she absorbed the first taste of the strong and flavorful tea, the alarming thought occurred to her that Xiulan might suggest she had no reason to be here at all then if she wasn’t worried about anything. And then she wouldn’t get the advice she needed, and everything would go crashing down in flames, and, and…her mind began to catastrophize with all sorts of worst-case scenarios at the thought, and she scrambled to make up for lost ground.

So, Hazel quickly rushed to add, “But, you know, if any people were here that are the worrying sort…” she trailed off at her unwillingness to admit that she actually cared enough about something to worry about it. “Then, you know, they might be worried that they’re letting down their family. That, even if it’s not something they want to do, maybe they should just get it over with and pick a good pureblood husband. And then, well, never see him again after the first kid. If maybe they shouldn't just agree to that when they meet their brother for lunch, because it's the right thing to do. And then they could just keep living their life without their stupid family hounding them all the time.” Hazel took another sip of her tea before stating matter-of-factly, “If any worrying sorts were here. Which, you know, they’re not.”

xiulan zhou

[xiulan zhou]

January 3, 2026

At first, Hazel was quick to assure her that she wasn't worried at all. The more that she said to insist that she wasn't worried, though, the less inclined Xiulan was to believe her, particularly when Hazel went on about how worrying would only cause wrinkles. Nevertheless, Xiulan acted as though what Hazel was saying didn't sound as ridiculous to her as it really did, wondering if that was how it was going to have to be that day. When Hazel then spoke as though she were speaking of someone else, it was apparent to Xiulan that she was speaking of herself without wanting to admit to it.

Trying to follow what Hazel was saying as she went around in circles wasn't easy, but Xiulan knew that she had to do it. If, in theory, someone were worried, Hazel explained, then they would be worried about letting down their family. Gradually, what she was saying became more specific, from the pressure to pick a pure-blood husband to the fear that he would simply leave after their first child. In many ways, those fears weren't unique to Hazel, Xiulan thought to herself, but she knew that she had been incredibly fortunate. Though her own marriage hadn't been perfect from a societal standpoint because she and Aloysius hadn't had children—and especially not directly after they were wed—their relationship with one another had been good, even great. They hadn't been forced together; their marriage had come from love, and Aloysius very easily could have left her upon learning that she couldn't have children. He hadn't, though, and they had remained together until his death.

Listening as Hazel lamented being hounded by her family and their expectations for her, Xiulan nodded her head. She understood that pressure, but it remained difficult for her to gauge what Hazel needed from her. To get her family off the subject entirely? To look into her romantic life to check that it wouldn't be the misery that she anticipated it would be?

"If anyone here were worried about something like that," Xiulan explained to Hazel, following the same manner in which she had spoken but feeling that it made her sound sort of odd, "then I would suggest starting with something more visual, perhaps, such as crystal-gazing…"

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Pureblood politics were tricky. Hazel loved following the gossip, because pureblood gossip was always deliciously scandalous and a tier above the dull little drudgeries that most people called their everyday lives. But that had always been the extent of her participation in the community. Oh, it was plenty in and of itself – it could be absolutely exhausting going to parties all the time and absolutely dazzling everyone, but it was a burden Hazel willingly took because her siblings just weren’t up to the task. (It was particularly sad because Ivy definitely had the fashion sense to bring all the glitz and glamor to a room, but she didn’t have much interest in other people. And Asher, naturally, was a lost cause. He spent all his time talking to dreadfully boring people about even more dreadfully boring topics.)

So yes, Hazel knew how to make all the right impressions at a party (and maybe one or two wrong ones, if she got lucky). But her siblings had always taken care of the important things, and when it came to official business, Hazel knew better than to question their judgment about what was best. It made her wonder sometimes, about their severe disagreements when it came to the other stuff as well…was she wrong to completely dismiss Asher’s comments about marriage? Was she wrong to underplay how important it was that Ivy was completely devoted to the Purifier cause? She didn’t like the thought of taking it all too seriously, or throwing herself into something that had the potential to give her frown lines or ruin her manicure. But she utterly adored her siblings at the end of the day, and it upset her to be on such a different page than them on such important things.

Except she didn’t get upset, of course, and Hazel gave a dismissive little laugh as Xiulan caught on and began to talk about a hypothetical someone who was worried. As her brother was an especially accomplished Legilimens, Hazel had learned to dutifully avoid eye contact with people she was trying to hide something from. She did the same now, meticulously studying the pattern of the tablecloth instead of risking the chance Xiulan might see something hidden in her eyes. But she couldn’t help herself and looked up at the Seer as she mentioned the crystal ball. “Oh, I can never see anything in there. Unless someone’s trying to warn me off fog,” she said with a pout, finally taking the first sip of her tea. “Can we do the tarot cards? You’re positively brilliant with those,” Hazel begged, eyes lighting up in excitement at the thought of the cards and Xiulan's talent with them. “And oh, you need a question for that, don’t you? Erm, how about, something like…oh! Is the path I’m on the right one for me?” That would answer everything, after all – was she doing right in disobeying what her family wanted from her? Or was she being too dismissive, too noncommittal?

xiulan zhou

[xiulan zhou]

January 3, 2026

Hazel seemed to realize that she had been caught, in a way, and that Xiulan hadn't been fooled by the fact that she had been speaking in supposedly hypothetical terms. It was almost ironic, considering that people had a tendency to think that Xiulan herself spoke that way—in some sort of cryptic manner that was just short of speaking in tongues. Even when she was in a trance, Xiulan hoped, she didn't sound quite so bizarre. Even Hazel, though, reverted back to how she usually spoke, mentioning that she could never see anything inside a crystal ball except for fog.

"Can we do the tarot cards?" Hazel asked her after a sip of tea. "You're positively brilliant with those." She appeared excited at the mere thought of them.

"We can," Xiulan nodded, wondering if maybe she needed to calm Hazel down a bit before they started, though she could definitely do tarot cards instead.

Hazel quickly spoke again. "And oh, you need a question for that, don’t you?" she considered. "Erm, how about, something like… oh! Is the path I’m on the right one for me?"

Seeing that Hazel clearly didn't want to waste time, Xiulan summoned over her tarot deck. "I think a Celtic Cross would be best for this," she noted in terms of the best tarot spread for the question, ensuring that the deck was in place on the table, "but a three-card spread is always possible…" The latter would be less thorough than the ten-card Celtic Cross, naturally, but it wasn't necessarily insufficient, either.

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Oh, it was so dreadfully difficult to be her! Being the youngest sibling was quite hard, after all, since everybody already knew how the older two were turning out and expected much the same thing from her. And why did they have to be so woefully accomplished? Asher had so much ambition, and he’d practically clawed and teared his way up the Ministry ladder until he’d taken control of its most secretive department. Truly, that boy needed a spa day and a new skin care routine, ASAP. And Ivy – well, even though she understood Hazel in a way Asher simply didn’t, she was more similar in her ambitions to her older brother. She spent so much time immersed in studying the theory of magic, and Hazel knew Ivy wanted to make groundbreaking discoveries in the field. No, her older sister wouldn’t be content to just fade from memory without having contributed anything at all.

Then there was her. Glitzy, glamorous, the talk of every room she walked into. And oh so insignificant. Oh so underestimated. The thought wriggled into her mind at her most vulnerable moments, in those brief snatches of peace in between Asher’s sentences or when she was alone in bed late at night. Nobody knew what she was capable of, and she suspected that nobody really cared. She had a job to do. The pureblood one expected of every eligible female, to have as many kids as possible and keep the family name alive. And the lesser-known one, the Purifier mission, the cleansing of magical society (even though Hazel’s stomach clenched at the hard realities that came with that belief). Really…was that even what she wanted?

She froze as she caught herself chewing idly on her lip, because Merlin and Morgana that was going to ruin her make-up! Hazel fuzzed and immediately pulled out a mirror from her purse to ensure she hadn’t smudged her lipstick, then smirked in satisfaction at her reflection before turning her attention back to Xiulan. “Three cards is fine,” Hazel said, waving one hand dismissively at the other suggestion. “I mean, how hard a question can it be? Everyone knows the answer already.” Her face lost a little brightness at the thought, because truly – her siblings already knew exactly what they wanted from her. But she pursed her lips at Xiulan to let the woman know – hey, let’s get going already. She didn’t like to wait!

xiulan zhou

[xiulan zhou]

January 3, 2026

Sounding somewhat impatient, Hazel told her that just three cards would be fine instead of the Celtic Cross spread that she had suggested. The reading wouldn't be as detailed that way, Xiulan knew, but she wasn't going to debate that with Hazel. If she was sure, she was sure, and Xiulan would work within those parameters. "I mean," Hazel considered aloud, "how hard a question can it be? Everyone knows the answer already."

Xiulan wasn't sure that that was true but nodded her head nevertheless as Hazel pursed her lips together. There was no use in arguing, even if she was technically the professional in the situation. "Alright," she agreed. "Then you can start by drawing three cards from the deck." Xiulan motioned slightly towards the tarot deck, which now sat in between them on the tabletop, watching for the order in which Hazel would draw the cards.

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Hazel loved these sessions with Xiulan, if only because they gave her a lot of clarify on what her future was supposed to look like. Divination was one of the finest arts that had come from magic, and it was absolutely bonkers to Hazel that more people weren’t interested in hearing what Seers had to say. Merlin, it was almost like they had the cheat sheet to life! But these sessions were a double-edged sword, because trying to get a peek at the future inevitably brought up a lot of hard questions about the present. Like…was she happy with this path her whole upbringing had set her on? Would she be happy if this was the next year, five years, ten years of her life? And the big one…did any of that actually matter? Hazel liked her little rebellions, but at the end of the day she was a Burke and she did what her siblings told her to do. Joining the Purifiers had been an easy decision. Marrying a proper pureblood to continue the line? That would be much harder…but if she needed to, she would. And it was a nicer thought than mixing her blood with filth – demi-human or mudblood or even worse, Muggle.

Xiulan motioned towards the tarot deck, and Hazel’s hand hovered uncertainly over the cards. Once she chose three, then she’d get an answer one way or another about what she should do. And what if it was something she didn’t like? But no, get a grip. That was exactly why she had come here. Hazel scrunched her eyebrows in concentration and selected one card, then another, then the third. She laid them neatly on the table, although she exhaled sharply in confusion at the cards. She’d picked The Emperor, then The Fool, and finally The Hanged Man. “Hey now,” she pouted at the middle card. She wasn’t a fool! Although to be fair, she didn’t quite know what that meant anyway. Hazel was fascinated with Divination, but she didn’t really understand it. And the Hanged Man? That sounded ominous, too much like death or a major warning sign screaming at you not to go that way. Hazel crossed her arms at the sight of the cards, because they didn’t seem particularly good. But she’d leave that to the expert. “So…what does it all mean?” she asked curiously, eyes fixed on the last card as she shivered slightly.

xiulan zhou

[xiulan zhou]

January 3, 2026

Xiulan waited as Hazel drew her three cards, watching the order of her selections. The first card she pulled was the Emperor. The second was the Fool, and the third was the Hanged Man. It wasn't the most overwhelmingly positive sequence she had seen, though Xiulan supposed that it could have been far worse. She also didn't want to influence Hazel's reaction to what had come up without her hearing her input first, and so Xiulan nodded slightly as Hazel crossed her arms.

She asked what it all meant, and Xiulan began in order. First, there was the Emperor. That the card had come first rather than last was interesting, in that case. The card—as with the other two—was upright, although its reversal would have been more negative. "The Emperor symbolizes status and authority," Xiulan started, "but also rigidity and adherence to the rules. Keep in mind that it isn't indicative of your current situation…" Taken as Hazel's past in a configuration representative of her past, present, and future as it related to the path that she was on, it made sense, and Xiulan was happy to elaborate on its significance if Hazel felt the need for her to.

At the same time, she did seem awfully rushed, and the Fool didn't seem to be terribly off the mark. That wasn't to say that Xiulan took her for a fool, but that card could be indicative of some naïveté on Hazel's part. It did seem potentially optimistic, though, considering, again, that the card was upright instead of being reversed. Xiulan looked down at the cards for a moment and then back up to Hazel.

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Hazel studied the cards as if they held the answer to life – and hey, considering where she was and who she was with, that was very potentially the case. Pureblood society was a turbulent place to grow up, because there really weren’t very many people you could trust. Everybody had their own agenda, even within the families, and you constantly had to scrutinize what was behind a particular favor or dinner or request. Hazel wouldn’t say she trusted her parents, necessarily, but she at least knew what their agenda was. Her siblings were a different story, because they were the ones who told her how to live her life and, for the most part, they knew best how to survive this treacherous world. Even if they knew to trust her judgment better on who to associate with and who to avoid.

But someone she could actually trust? Rare, almost unheard of, and certainly not advisable to anyone who wanted to get ahead. But Hazel had never thought in terms like that, being perfectly happy exactly where she was and sometimes wishing she could freeze time and keep the golden days for as long as possible. She trusted Xiulan, because she’d seen the Seer’s abilities in action and the woman hadn’t been wrong yet about anything huge or small. It had even gotten to the point where Hazel felt comfortable venting about the little headaches of her life, like Asher’s bothersome questions about when she was going to get married, and to who, and how much input he would have over the match (as if he needed to ask that last question when the answer was a big fat zero).

So she listened intently, more than her usually distractable nature would allow, as Xiulan explained the significance of the Emperor. She gave a pleased little smile at the answer, because status and authority sounded like two very good things. And there could be no doubt that the Burke family had both! They were one of the Sacred 28, an old and established family whose opinion in the pureblood community actually held weight. Hazel was more interested in taking advantage of the perks than doing anything to advance that, though. Hey, that was Asher and Ivy’s jobs as the serious and capable members of the family. “Well, that doesn’t sound so bad,” Hazel said in a satisfied tone, ignoring Xiulan’s last ominous warning. She didn’t need her parade rained on, thank you very much. “But, er, what about this one? What exactly does that mean?” Hazel used one manicured nail to tap on the Fool, shooting the card an evil look at suggesting that she could even be perceived as foolish. Maybe it held some secret meaning that Xiulan could clarify, but sometimes things were exactly as they seemed. Not Hazel, though! No, assuming that was mistake number one.

xiulan zhou

[xiulan zhou]

January 3, 2026

Hazel appeared to have listened thoroughly to what she had to say, and her view of it all remained relatively positive. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad," she said. The Emperor wasn't the one that she really needed to focus her energy on anyway, and Xiulan only nodded a little to acknowledge that, no, that first card wasn't so bad. "But, er, what about this one?" she asked. Her fingernail was tapping against the card for the Fool with enough caution that Xiulan had to wonder if she thought that it had been cursed. "What exactly does that mean?"

Xiulan knew that she needed to watch her choice of words to avoid getting Hazel worked up, but she started to give her an explanation of the card's meaning with as much context as she could provide without droning on and ending up confusing her after all of that. "Well," she began, "the Fool suggests opportunities or new beginnings, but this card also represents the present in this spread, not the future…" In other words, Xiulan wasn't advising her to jump into anything careless, since there was a likelihood that she was managing to do that for herself. Granted, she still had one card of the three left to clarify for Hazel, and that was the Hanged Man. It wasn't a death knell, either, but she would have to make that abundantly clear.

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

There were some truths that Hazel just didn’t want to face. That was mostly related to the future, and what it meant to be a good pureblood girl that did what her family told her to. Someday she’d be married off to the highest bidder, some random guy she would have met a handful of times who could advance the Burke family interests somehow – status or gold or some other obscure business interest that Asher might negotiate. Chances were he’d have a temper, work hard to crush any sense of defiance or rebellion in his wife – or potentially ignore her altogether. She might pop out a kid or two (or three or four if she knew what was good for her) but her life would be as good as over the minute she walked down the aisle. It wasn’t what Hazel wanted for herself, but that had never quite mattered in the grand scheme of things. Asher was still unmarried, and he was the only one of the three siblings who could pass on the Burke name.

So…as long as he didn’t settle down, the heat was still off Hazel to ‘do the right thing.’ Her family could overlook her little rebellions until the moment it would transform from an inconvenience into an obstacle to arranging a marriage for her. Hazel didn’t want to spend the time she had left dreading the future, so she just didn’t think of it at all. Live each day like it’s your last – with a strong drink in her hand, an evil scheme or two cooking in her head, and with someone whose name she’d forget the next morning. And if she stayed real relaxed, she could ignore the ticking in her head warning her that time was running out.

Okay, so that’s kind of a major bummer, but so far Xiulan hadn’t mentioned anything of that sort. Hazel’s past, at least according to the Seer, sounded quite good and dandy and Hazel had no problem hearing about status and privilege and all the other lovely things she’d been born with. Now, this present card…in a sense, Xiulan had answered her question because Hazel had only asked what the card meant. But that wasn’t what she wanted to know, and she pouted slightly at all this vague talk about opportunities and new beginnings. Hazel had all the privilege in the world, but she certainly didn’t have opportunities. “Fine,” she said impatiently, “but what does it mean for me? What’s it telling me to do?”

xiulan zhou