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115- Cards and concentration
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2024-10-29 19:42:56As promised, it doesn’t take long for Alex to arrive and the pizza arrives soon afterwards. Actually, Megan went all out with ordering a variety of pizzas as well as drinks, garlic bread and even some kind of spicy chicken side that the pizza place was apparently offering as part of a deal. We lay out all the food on the coffee table and sit around in the living room to eat. Hmmm, with the addition of Alex, there are now twice as many guys here as there are girls. This seems kind of unbalanced.
“You know, this lunch is very guy-heavy. Why don’t we have more girls to invite?” I wonder aloud. Megan jumps into the conversation immediately.“THANKYOU I’ve said it before. I’m always so outnumbered. I always thought it was because Bels doesn’t love inviting over heaps of girls since that time one of them tried to sneak upstairs to look at his room.” I raise an eyebrow.“Uh, WHAT?” I ask in horror. Megan shrugs.“She wanted to move up the hierarchy a bit, she thought thatRelated chapters
Strings of Fate 116- Meeting and meaning
I watch as the girl struggles, her wrists are restrained with a zip tie and there’s silver tape over her mouth. There are tears running down her face and I can see strands of hair stuck in the tape that are definitely going to hurt when it’s removed. I just don’t understand. Why am I dreaming about this girl, and what’s the point if I can’t see anything useful? Is it even real? I know I dreamed of her once before I heard about the kidnapping, but isn’t it possible it was just a bad dream that's stuck in my head now? I almost hope it is because the look of fear in this girl’s eyes is dreadful. Something catches her attention. I wish I could see or hear anything but all I can do is watch her silent figure. She shrinks back for a second then I see her steel herself. She sits up as best as she can with her wrists tied and glares defiantly at whoever she is interacting with. I see her shake her head. A moment later she tumbles backwards and clutches her hands to her cheek. Did someone ju
Strings of Fate 117- Coordinate and complicate
“Well, I want to know why I’m dreaming about her. Assuming the dreams I have are of things that are actually happening, it’s kind of like how a Seer or Oracle works. Maybe I could talk to one and try and figure out if I can control it better or see more?” I say slowly. I’m not actually totally sure if it will help, but it’s not like I’m doing anything else, and having more answers might make the dreams less horrifying. Or more horrifying. I don’t know. “That’s a great plan.” Megan chimes in. “And I am going to… uh.” She pauses. “You’re going to keep track of what we know and coordinate everything. That is what you’re good at. It’s the reason you want to go into event planning isn’t it?” I point out. She beams at me. “Yeah it is. Thanks.” “Awesome. I need to talk to an Oracle or Seer. I know exactly one Oracle so I guess I’m calling Amber.” I conclude. “I’ll call the security team and have them start investigating.” Bellamy starts.“And I will reheat
Strings of Fate 118- Choice and changes
Megan turns to face me, a look of amusement on her face.“He is really really thinking through all this, isn’t he?” She asks. I nod.“Yeah, it’s almost impressive. It’s scary… but at the same time, I totally get it. Also we REALLY need to meet this girl.“You just want to see if she’s his soul mate.” Megan accuses. I shrug. “What’s the point in being able to see spoilers if I don’t get to know about the people I’m actually invested in?” I point out. “True, that’s fair. Will you tell him though?” She asks. “I’ll tell him the same thing I told you. Basically that it’s better he doesn’t ask unless he already knows the answer.”“Well, at least you’re consistent.” Megan admits. “Would you tell me?” She tries again. I look her over, unsure.“Will you be able to keep it to yourself? No matter how dumb his decisions are?” I demand. Megan immediately nods, then pauses and seems to rethink her decision. “Uh… I’m not sure. I knew about you and Bella
Strings of Fate 119- Focus and flow
I sleep late and wake up alone. The growling of my stomach when I wake up tells me that I have slept in for at least a couple hours. I check the bedside table and sure enough, there’s a handwritten note from Bellamy.Good morning, I didn’t mean to keep you up so late last night. I hope you’re sleeping peacefully, you need the rest. I’ll call and wake you if you aren’t up by eleven since you have plans for lunch. So if you’re reading this I guess it isn’t eleven yet… I’m heading out this morning with Alex to meet with some of the local Shifters that knew the Brooks family. It might not lead to anything and there are plenty of non-Shifters we should talk to as well, but at least if we start with the Shifters I can be sure that they are telling us the truth and it might give us a bit of a general background for the family.I plan to be back by late afternoon. Good luck talking to your Oracle friend and call me if you need or want anything. -BellamyIt’s
Strings of Fate 120- Predictions and precognition
I run to the door and swing it open just in time for Shaun to nearly hit me in the face, his fist raised to knock. He stumbles backwards and lowers his arm. Amber is standing beside him looking amused. Her unnaturally red hair is a little windblown and the ends just brush her shoulders. She’s thin and with her bright blue eyes she looks a lot like a little porcelain doll. Eyes are another common misconception that people have about Oracles. Just because one or two of them were blind and became famous for getting by using their ‘other sight’ forever ago, now people seem to assume that they’re all blind. I remember Amber lecturing someone about it once when they insisted that she couldn’t be an Oracle because her eyes were functional. She then continued to tell me later that just because some fanatics think that they have to blind themselves to ‘unlock their potential’ that doesn’t mean she wants to destroy one of her senses. “Sorry Miss Gale!” He says, looking horrified. Amber f
Strings of Fate 121- Links and linearity
“Can you tell me more about what you see? Does it always happen? Does it ever change?” I ask, all in one go. Amber patiently answers all my questions. “I will see a scene as it happens, like a kind of spectator. I have no control over what viewpoint I have and I don’t get context. Like playing a random clip from a movie but you don’t know what movie it is or what part of the movie it’s up to. You might be able to work out what’s going on from context clues, you might even recognise the people or location. Sometimes I can get the exact times if they happen to stand by a clock or have a phone or watch I can see.” She pauses to think before answering the next question. “The things I see USUALLY happen. But not always, they can change. If someone changes their mind about something. I suspect the visions I see are usually the results of specific decisions. For example I saw you talking about having me over. Because you made that decision I saw it. If for some reason you changed
Strings of Fate 122- Confidence and connections
I manage a weak smile for Amber.“Thank you, you’re definitely the world’s best supervisor.” I joke, Amber beams.“What are friends for?” This time my smile is stronger. I’ve known Amber for a while now but I never particularly considered her a friend, we always got along okay but it didn’t occur to me that she would WANT to be my friend. I’ve changed a lot in the last few months. Being around Megan and Bellamy and hearing them express the reasons they appreciate having me around, spending time with the other guards and re-kindling my friendship with Harrison, it's helped me build my confidence a little. I never would have been brave enough to ask Amber for a favour like this, much less treat her like a friend. I was always nervous of others because I know they can leave me. Seeing my strings with them gave me the confidence to try and being around them has apparently given me the confidence to reach out to others more too. I really do want to be good friends with Amber. I'm
Strings of Fate 123- Interested and idiotic
The conversation wraps up quickly after that and Shaun makes his way home. He says goodbye cheerfully as usual but he’s obviously very distracted. I wonder how long it will take him to ask me for Amber’s number. That’s something to look forward to at least. Bellamy had followed Shaun so he could lock the front door behind him so I grab my phone and start researching different ways to meditate and tips for clearing your mind, focussing. Stuff like that. A lot of it involves creepy ads for potions and spells. Particularly when I added the word ‘focus’ to the search. Illegal study aid spells came up a lot. I wish it were that easy. I’m going to have to learn this on my own without magical assistance. When Bellamy returns, I feel him drop down onto the couch beside me. I don’t look up from the article I’m reading until he clears his throat. I look up and realise that his face is right next to mine. He’s sitting close. Very, very close. Much closer than he was before. I meet his gaze and
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Strings of Fate 203- Beads and bonding
“Well, I think that it might actually be nice having an extra person around the house. Extra security and company. Besides, you spend most of your time here anyway. Might as well save you the commute. That is, as long as no one else has any objection?” I say pointedly looking at Megan. Sure, Bellamy could object but I already know that he won’t. Megan briefly makes eye contact with me, gives a slight nod, then finds something to stare at on the ceiling. She is clearly trying to look like she doesn’t care but she is blushing bright red. True to form, Darrien is watching her closely trying to work out how she really feels about my suggestion. Realising that she isn’t going to provide any input, he decides to push it a little. “Megan? I would like to hear your opinion. I am still courting you and I don’t want to screw anything up by making a decision like this without your input.” Darrien says clearly. His voice is mostly calm with just the slightest hint of anxiety as he monitors her r
Strings of Fate 202- Calories and clothing
I wake up late in the morning, it might even be early afternoon. I wriggle around a little which prompts Bellamy to do the same, he is apparently already awake. He raises a finger to his lips to shush me before I speak and I can see why. Kiara is still sleeping, lying in the bed between us. She is still loosely holding onto my arm, even in sleep. I slowly disentangle myself from her light grip and slide out of bed. Bellamy follows, clearly doing his best not to jostle her and wake her up. She definitely needs the sleep. She was restless for a good part of the night and almost definitely was having nightmares, but she seems like she’s sleeping soundly now. My own sleep was blissfully quiet. No visions or anything thank goodness. I’m looking forward to having several weeks of steady sleep and so help me if anything tragic or dramatic happens for the next few weeks then whoever is responsible should probably be terrified of me. We step into the hallway to talk without disturbing Kiara.
Strings of Fate 201- Touch and trust
I cross my arms in irritation. “Kiara would never! How would she even do that? She’s just a kid!” I object. Dr Dae rolls her eyes at me.“Oh calm yourself girl. I’m not saying she chose to murder anyone. I assume that she was forced to comply somehow. You’ll have to ask the girl when she’s ready to talk. As for the how, the child is a Reaper.” She says it as if it’s obvious but it really isn’t. I know that Reapers exist, but they’re the kind of Magic that most people have heard of but no one has ever met. I suppose Kiara’s dad must have been a Reaper too and why the MRO was so secretive about her markings. Most people are kind of scared of Reapers, they’re kind of the boogeymen of our society. Mostly because they can kill on a whim. All it takes is one touch and they can free your soul from your body. Obviously with no soul you die, and I guess your soul moves on to wherever souls go when you pass on. I suppose that a Reaper would make sense for the representative of Atropos. Her add
Strings of Fate 200- Healing and hunger
Since Kiara probably isn’t up to braving the stairs and she really doesn’t want to be carried around everywhere, we decide to ask Dr Dae to come up to the bedroom. It’s actually kind of weird having so many people in here. Bellamy is a fairly private person, he doesn’t generally invite people to hang out in his… our room. Dr Dae shuffles in clutching her usual bag. I’m surprised that Bellamy isn’t carrying it for her because it looks kind of heavy, but I suspect that she wouldn’t hand it over anyway. I immediately greet her.“Thank you so much for your help. Your contact has become a great friend and she’s a huge part of the reason we were able to find Kiara here.” I nudge Kiara gently with my elbow and give her a little smile. She looks very small and delicate in the oversized, mismatched clothes with her hair dripping down her shoulders. She’s so pale that the bruises on her skin stand out and look even worse than they actually are. Dr Dae gives me a half nod of acknowledgement then
Strings of Fate 199- Clean and covered
We all turn to face Alex in confusion. I glance up at Bellamy to see if he has any idea what’s going on but he looks just as lost as the rest of us. I continue to stroke Kiara’s hair trying to keep her calm. “Explain.” Bellamy says firmly. Alex flushes red under the attention of everyone in the room. “Uh, well. I assisted Miss Gale in updating her registration with the MRO, and uh, since her position is one of… well almost authority, over the fate’s representatives the updated registration reflects this. So she should be able to make decisions about Kiara’s care like an Alpha would for their Shifters or like a Coven leader would for their Witches. Admittedly it’s a very small group of Magics, but according to the Magic Registration Office, she is in charge of it.” He explains, his voice starts off weak but gets stronger as he becomes more confident in what he’s saying. The police seem a little stunned but I guess Alex isn’t technically wrong. If Kiara were a Shifter, her Alpha would
Strings of Fate 198- Stolen and sure
When we pull up to the house, there’s a police car waiting. There are two cops standing by it, one looks bored and irritated and the other has a fake ‘customer service’ type smile plastered on his face that I know well from experience. Yeah neither of these guys want to be here. They’re probably pissed that we made them come down here. Not to mention uncomfortable being in the Shifter compound. Non-Shifters aren’t invited here often, although I suppose that isn’t exactly true anymore with all our new friends stopping by regularly. Standing beside them looking awkward and uncomfortable is Alex. I bet they’ve been taking their impatience out on him. I narrow my eyes at them and prepare myself. One snotty comment and I am going to tear into them, it’s been a long night. Bellamy parks the car and I wait for him to get out. He speaks with the police briefly and Alex escorts them inside the house. Bellamy returns and opens the door next to Kiara. “Hey, can I help you get inside? The police
Strings of Fate 197- Leaving and leaning
As we step outside, I’m confused to find that I actually have no idea where we are. I really was just running and following the tracking spell. I don’t know how far I ran. It’s a good thing the others are here to bring back the cars because I would be wandering all night trying to find my way back. I’m also fairly sure that I left my phone in the car when I jumped out in a hurry. Kiara clutches my hand tightly as the cars pull up on the street in front of us. “Megan, Darrien. You stay here and speak to the police when they arrive. Direct further questions to me. Shaun, you stay with them too.” Bellamy directs as Shaun hops out the car. At Megan’s insistence he stays a good couple of metres away from us.“Yes Alpha Kane.” He responds cheerfully. Aaron and Rio also climb out of the vehicles. Rio stops to chat with one of the other Shifters whose name I still don’t know. Aaron immediately approaches me. Actually a better way to phrase it is that he storms over. He looks almost angry. Or
Strings of Fate 196- Rescue and retreat
Darrien is the closest to her and he sees her at the same time I do. He takes a step towards her and she whimpers in fear. He freezes and backs away slowly, trying not to startle her. I gesture for everyone else to stay back and take a few steps closer. I stop a good metre away from the little table and then slowly lower myself to the floor. Kneeling down so that I can see her properly. Kiara is covered in soot and I can see little trails of tears smudging around on her face. She is still crying and whimpering. I am careful to keep my voice gentle and calm. “Kiara?” I call her name. She doesn’t answer or look up, but her whimpering quiets a little and I can see her tensing up like she’s listening carefully. “Kiara sweetheart. You’re safe now. You can come out. We can get some something to eat, you can have a nice bath and some clean clothes. How does that sound?” I try to sound soothing. Her crying stops and she looks up at me with wide, teary, red-rimmed eyes. She doesn’t
Strings of Fate 195- Smoke and smothering
Look, I’m no fighter and the Shifters move way faster than I can even properly process in this stressful situation. I watched the Shifter woman leap towards the redhead (I have got to learn these people’s names!) and the next thing I know, both women are screaming and the living room is lit up with blue flames that are steadily growing. I watch as Shaun and Darrien leap at the Shifter woman and help her tear off her burning shirt. Bellamy takes the chance to shift and a few moments later his large black cat form is launching towards the Witch in an attempt to knock her down. He pulls back at the last second as flames light up in front of him, spreading and essentially splitting the room in half with us on one side and the Witch on the other. She’s completely trapped, both by us and the fire which is steadily going out of control. There is smoke in the air making it hard to see what’s going on and the smoke in the air is making it difficult to breathe. My throat is so dry and my lung
