Deadly Sin (Cassandra Farbanks) by Sonnet O'Dell Read Free Book Online Page B

cardinal sins, are a classification of objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct fallen humanity’s tendency to sin. The versions of these sins are wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony.
    Gluttony? Gluttony had to do with food, I was sure of it. I clicked the link embedded in the text. Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, over indulgence and over consumption of food and drink to the point of extravagance or waste. It showed a wood carving of a man in front of a large banquet table guzzling, growing fat while keeping a small child from trying to get some of the food. It also said that Gluttony was linked to the pig and the color orange.
    There wasn’t any specific symbol that went along with it though, even if the one I had seen glowed orange. I turned to the bedside table and rummaged in the drawer for a pen and piece of paper. I rested the pad on my knee and drew the symbol out from memory. It looked like a wonky J with two lines across it and a stick man wearing parachute pants while holding a hockey stick across his body. If it was a magical symbol, I’d never seen it before, but there was some familiarity to it that told me I should know it. At least some part of my brain said I should know it. I picked up the phone thinking of who I could ask. I began calling Virginia but stopped mid dial while I thought about that. After a while, the automated phone voice said the number I dialed had not been recognized, so I hung up. My natural instinct was always to call Virginia. She was my mentor. She taught me control of my magic, magical lore, and took me through some of her case files from when she’d been an enforcer. It’s always a blow when your mentor, your yoda, lets you down. Virginia had let me down in the worst way. She thought she was protecting me by keeping me ignorant of myself, but events had set off a chain reaction. Instead of helping me keep my head above water, she watched me drown. She let me be afraid. I hadn’t seen her a lot since I discovered how much she really kept from me. I saw her once when I borrowed some books and again when I returned them. Neither time had our conversations ended well. I wanted full disclosure and an apology. She still wanted me to drop the subject and pretend like nothing was wrong. Calling her was not an idea that would end well. After staring into space for a minute, I shut down the computer and went out. Since I wore my locket, I’d be on the alternate side with Grimoires and could gather information there. Truth didn’t mind seeing me – a misnomer as she was born blind – because I always brought her the most interesting puzzles.
    I pulled on some skinny fit black jeans under the t-shirt and donned my favorite pair of low-heeled boots. I rummaged in my wardrobe, pulling out my winter coat as it was getting progressively cooler and wrapped up in it. Stuffing my drawing into my pocket, I took the elevator down, giving it a customary kick at the fourth floor. Once in the foyer, I checked my office door to make sure Trinket locked it before she went to her day job, and then to the mailbox. There was only a heavy, plain, long, brown envelope inside. There was no address on it so I figured someone hand delivered it to my mailbox. I snuck my nail under the seal, ripping it open and tipping the contents into my hand. A small square of paper fluttered to the ground. I looked at what was in my hand, a small brass key like those found in an antique wardrobe or vanity table to lock the drawers. I didn’t own anything that it would fit. I bent down and picked up the piece of paper trapped with the toe of my boot from blowing away. The small, neat italic writing was painfully familiar to me. My stalker was back.
    A couple of months ago I received some anonymous gifts. Each had a little card that together made up one of the worst roses are red poems I’d ever seen. He warned he,