Time drags. I contemplate going to the gym to work off some of the manic energy built up in my body, but I can’t summon the motivation to leave my apartment.
After rearranging my spice rack into alphabetical order, colour-sorting my clothes, and scrubbing my bathroom, the buzzer for downstairs sounds.
I press the button to unlock it without saying anything. I’ve never been this nervous before a session, and it’s weirding me out. What’s happening to me? I’m just seeing a random girl and her friend. I don’t think too hard about the fact that this will be the first time I’ve worked from my apartment.
There’s a soft knock at the door, and I let the women in. Charlie practically leaps into the living room, while Beatrix takes her time on her crutches.
“Hey, how are you feeling today?” I ask.
“A little better. I’ve had my leg elevated and iced most of the day, so I think I’ll be able to ditch the crutches tomorrow.”
“Good.” I turn to Charlie. “Someone’s excited.”
“How could I not be? Isn’t everyone like this when they come to see you?”
“I guess most are nervous. Or sceptical.” I shoot a pointed look at Beatrix. She pretends not to notice.
“Well, I can’t wait to find out who I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with. Do you ever wonder whether you’re going to see yourself in one of your visions?”
“Uh, yeah, I suppose it occurs to me occasionally.”
“And how many times have you told someone you’re in their vision?” Beatrix says lightly.
I turn to her, surprised. “None! Wait, is that what you think I do?”
“I don’t think you do that,” Charlie assures me.
“But you do,” I say, staring at Beatrix.
“It did cross my mind.”
“But that’s crazy! Have you actually researched me? Found any trace that I’m not who I say I am?”
“I only discovered who you were yesterday. I haven’t had time,” she says defensively.
“All the more reason not to question my character.”
She looks suitably chastened. “I’m sorry.”
While I’ve had plenty of people question my authenticity in the past, Beatrix’s scepticism affects me more deeply than I’m used to. “Feel free to leave if you want. I’m not forcing you to be here.”
“I’ll stay,” she says quietly.
“Okay, then.”
Charlie stands with her hand on her hip. “Are you finished fighting now? I thought this afternoon was about me.”
“I apologise. Please take a seat.” I point to one of my armchairs.
She sits down, and I take the chair opposite, ignoring Beatrix. I’m starting to wonder if this whole thing was a big mistake.
“Now what?” Charlie asks.
“Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes.” I reach out and enclose her hands in mine. She giggles but obeys.
I close my own eyes and focus on the woman in front of me.
A few moments later, I’m done, and I’m disappointed that the timeframe means Beatrix won’t get the proof she needs right away. “It looks like you’re going to meet your soulmate around this time next year. He’s tall and has red hair. He also has a crooked nose, probably broken from a sporting injury.”
“Red hair?” Charlie squeaks. “I hate red hair!”
“I’m sorry, but that’s what I saw.”
“And I haven’t met him already?”
“No.”
“Can you do it again? Check you got it right?”
“I promise I got it right. Not everyone is immediately excited by what I see, but trust me, you’ll be happy when you meet him.”
“I have to wait a whole year?” she checks.
“It’s not an exact science, but yes, somewhere between ten and fourteen months.”
She rubs her hand along her chin. “I guess that means I should make the most of my freedom until then, huh?”
I laugh. “That’s a pretty common response.”
“What are you doing for the next few months?” she asks boldly.
“Uh, actually, that’s very flattering, but…” I sneak a look at Beatrix. She doesn’t look impressed. “I’ll have to decline.”
Charlie looks put out. “Why?”
“Because I’m not dating right now. I’m sorry, Charlie. I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression. The lines between my job and personal life have gotten a little blurry in the past, but I try to keep them separate these days.”
Beatrix smirks, as if she doesn’t believe me. I guess I wouldn’t believe me either. Especially because these days is only something I decided today.
“Fine,” Charlie sighs. “Okay, Bea, can you pay the man so we can go?”
Beatrix dutifully opens her purse and starts to remove a wad of cash. I stop her.
“Please. This one is on me.”
“We didn’t expect a freebie,” she says flatly.
“I know. But I don’t want to take your money.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure.”
She shrugs. “Suit yourself. Come on, Charlie.” She heads to the door.
“Thanks, I guess,” Charlie says half-heartedly.
“No problem.”
I watch them leave without trying to stop them. As Beatrix walks past me, she fixes me with a stare, her arms crossed in front of her.
That whole thing was definitely a mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking.
I wonder if that’s the last I’ll ever see of Beatrix Mackenzie.
If so, it’s probably a good thing.
EIGHT
Beatrix
Charlie and I part ways after leaving the Meriton. I think she’s feeling a little wounded after being rejected by Kellan and being told she’ll have to wait a year for her future husband.
I really don’t understand the whole ‘one soulmate’ thing. There are so many cases of people dying alone without ever having married. Not to mention what happened with my own parents. If Dad hadn’t treated Mum so badly…no. I can’t bear to think about that right now.
And what of those who lose their partner young and then remarry? Which one is their soulmate? I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that people who spend half their life with one person and then half with another might care equally about both their partners. Feelings are so subjective, and our brain is always tricking us, so how are we supposed to trust it? I know with Brock, I had started to wonder whether we might have a long-term future together, but he very clearly had other ideas.
Brock and I dated for just over a year, two years ago. And in fact, he was just as charming as Kellan, with his quick compliments and witty banter. At the beginning, he showered me with attention and made me feel like the only person in the universe. He told me he loved me two weeks after we met, which felt right at the time, but afterwards I realised I should have seen as a red flag. I soon figured out that all that attention was just a way to get me to worship him, and as soon as I was hooked, he completely changed. Everything was about him—his image amongst his friends and colleagues, and how he was going to be successful in his investment banking career and take over the world. I became a bit player, an accessory to the movie that was Brock Sanders.
He was the first clinical narcissist I ever dated, so it took me a while to figure out what was going on. And the way we broke up was horrific. He’d had a UK work trip booked for a while, and he was leaving the day before my birthday. I knew it wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t be around, but once he hopped on that plane, I never heard from him again. And when I checked his social media, he’d blocked me on Facebook, and there were pictures of him on Instagram with some other woman.
So yeah, I don’t exactly have the rosiest view of love.
As a result—and also because I’m a complete nerd—I like to read about neuroscience. And I learned that emotions, including love, are your brain’s prediction for the situation you’re in and the sen
sations your body is experiencing. And they’re all created in the moment, and influenced by how stable your physical routine is. This includes things such as how well you’ve been eating, and how much sleep you’ve had. So how can Kellan predict something when it’s just a bunch of bodily processes?
For a split second, before I saw him do his thing with Charlie, the naïve part of me thought that maybe I’d get a sense of actual magic. But then he just ended up being a sham like every other fairground clairvoyant. Cashing in on vulnerable people.
I don’t think about the fact that Kellan didn’t want to take my money. He was probably just trying to prove a point.
I spend the rest of the weekend on my own, catching up on housework as best I can in my current condition. Because of my sprained ankle, it takes twice as long to do the washing and clean up the kitchen.
But by Monday, it feels good enough to put a little weight on it, so I leave the crutches at home when I head to the office.
As I limp to my cubicle, I notice someone new talking to my boss, Steve. Charlie is already at her desk, which is directly on the other side of a partition in front of mine, so I stay standing up to talk to her.
“Who’s that?” I ask, tilting my head in the new guy’s direction.
“I have no idea. But I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”
“How are you feeling today? You know, after the weekend and everything?”
“I’m fine. But I think you were right about Kellan. He’s just some dodgy weirdo who pretends to know the future.”
“I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.”
“I mean, please. Red hair? Me? You know how shallow I am. I would never end up with a redhead.”
“Actually, I’ve always had a fondness for redheads,” I admit. “What about Prince Harry? Or Ed Sheeran? And Jamie Fraser?”
“Sam Heughan is actually blonde, and he only dyed his hair to play Jamie in Outlander,” Charlie points out.
“Oh. I didn’t know that. How do you know that?”
“I told you, I’m shallow.”
“Well, either way, I’m glad you’ve got Kellan out of your system. Relying on a fortune-teller to make big life decisions isn’t healthy.”
“You’re probably right. But I’m still going to read my daily horoscope.”
I chuckle. “I won’t hold that against you.”
Steve and the new mystery guy come over to our cubicles. “Ladies, this is Elijah. He’s going to be taking over for me when I leave in a couple of weeks.”
I look at Charlie, who seems as shocked as me. This is the first either of us have heard of Steve leaving. “Where are you going?” I ask.
His voice cracks as he replies. “Jill has breast cancer, and it’s not looking good. She had it once before and it’s come back quite aggressively, so I’ve decided to resign in order to spend more time with her.”
Jill is Steve’s wife. My heart breaks for him.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” I say helplessly. “Please pass on my best wishes.”
Charlie jumps up and wraps Steve in a hug. “Let us know if we can do anything to help.”
“Well, you can start by showing Elijah around. I have to take Jill to the hospital today, and my last few weeks here might be a bit erratic, so the sooner we can get Elijah up to speed, the better.”
“Yes, of course.”
I tentatively smile at our new boss. He has an interesting combination of looks, both refined and rugged at the same time. His face is lean, with deep lines that curve around the sides of his mouth, almost to his chin. He reminds me a little of Guy Pearce.
“Hi,” I say.
“Beatrix, Charlie. It’s great to meet you both. I look forward to working with you.”
“Likewise, although it’s a shame it’s under such terrible circumstances. We’ll try and make the transition as seamless as possible.”
“Excellent. I plan on spending today familiarising myself with the office, and then I’ll schedule a meeting so we can discuss how we might work together most effectively.”
“Great.”
The two men leave, and Charlie slides her chair around to my side of the partition.
“That’s so sad about Jill.”
“I know. I hope she gets through it.” I look at Elijah, introducing himself to Gavin in IT at the other end of the floor. “I wonder what Elijah’s deal is. It all seems very sudden. How come we weren’t offered that position?”
“I don’t know. I guess we could ask HR?”
“We’ve both been here for five years. Surely that should count for something?”
She spins around in her chair. “Maybe they were worried it would be awkward if one of us was promoted above the other.”
“I wouldn’t find it awkward.”
“Then maybe we should find out how we can learn about those opportunities in future.”
“Do you think Elijah is just temporary?”
“I guess if Jill recovers, Steve might want to come back.”
“I think we should definitely investigate further when we get a chance.”
My phone rings and I answer it. Charlie takes the hint and slides back over to her desk.
“Hi, Hank, how are you?” I greet one of my regular clients from Singapore.
I’m glad we have someone new in the office today. It will keep me distracted from thinking about Kellan Gallo and further tying myself up in knots to come up with arguments refuting his supposed ‘soulmate matching skill.’
Because I’m more convinced than ever he’s a fake.
NINE
Kellan
Normally, I love having my days free to do whatever I like. I can go up to the Sunshine Coast or down to the Gold Coast and spend a day or two on the beach. I even drive down to Byron Bay every couple of months to visit a particularly gorgeous girl I have a bit of a ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement with. Life should be all about good sex, good food, and being with entertaining people. I never understood those who worked nine to five in an office and missed out on the best part of their youth. But this week, something feels different.
None of my usual distractions are having their intended effect. I don’t feel like going all the way down to Byron Bay or seeking out any of the usual women I look to if I’m at a loss for something to do.
I always thought my work was enough of a life purpose. But now, I’m not so sure. Beatrix has made me wonder if perhaps I’m not helping anyone with my matchmaking. Do people really want to know when they’ll meet their soulmate? I know I had a moment of weakness when talking to Roxy the other day, but I don’t think I want to know mine. I’m not even sure what the odds of one of my clients being a match for me would be.
And then I think about Beatrix’s work and how she’s making a real difference to society. Maybe that’s what I need to do. Prove I’m not just a one-trick pony.
I open one of the job-search sites on my phone and scroll through available positions. What am I actually qualified for? I never went to university, since I got my start in soulmate matching as soon as I finished high school. I met a rich woman named Candy, who hired me to predict her future husband, and luckily for me, he was only a few weeks away. She then recommended me to all her friends, and I was soon making a nice living. Eventually, I set myself up at Heaven Sent and continued the appointments, never having to worry about money or any of the other problems most people in their late teens and early twenties have.
I scan some of the job listings. Waiters, retail assistants, sales managers. Nothing sounds appealing. I make good money from my work at Heaven Sent. Unless I see something interesting, there’s no incentive for me to apply.
Then an ad catches my attention. It’s for an internship at a lab. It doesn’t say what kind of lab, because the position is advertised through an employment agency, but it must mean there’s science involved. That would show people like Beatrix that my entire worldview doesn’t revolve around predicting soulmates.
I write an ema
il and send it off to the recruiter. I then text Roxy and let her know I’m using her as a reference. I’m sure she’ll find it hilarious I actually want to take on an unpaid job in a lab, but I don’t care. It’s time I found another purpose.
And then, because I feel better about doing something productive, I’m suddenly in the mood for a trip to Byron Bay after all. I know I told Charlie I wasn’t dating, but I’m not a monk.
I’m hoping I’ll be able to cash in on the benefits aspect with my lady friend this evening.
***
I’m halfway down the highway when my phone rings.
“Hello, Kellan speaking.”
“Oh, hi, Kellan. This is Amy from Graceview HR. I wanted to have a chat with you about your application for the internship?”
“That was quick.”
“Yes, well, today was the last day for submissions, so I’m trying to make a start on the ones I’ve already received.”
“No problem. I’m happy to discuss anything that will help make your decision easier.”
“Great. It says here you’re a contractor at a nightclub?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you mind me asking what that entails? And why you’re interested in an unpaid internship at a lab?”
I figure calling myself a soulmate matcher won’t go down well in this scenario, so I decide to get a little creative. “I’m a sales and marketing assistant, bringing in high-spending clientele for the owner of the nightclub. I have exceptional communication skills, and I’m reliable.” While I’m usually quite honest, I do want to maximise my chances of landing this opportunity. “But the reason I’m interested in this internship is because I want to make a difference in the world. Science allows us to develop processes and solutions for a wide range of issues, especially in the areas of medicine and the environment.”
She laughs. “You’re not reading from a textbook right now, are you?”
I chuckle. “No, ma’am. I have you on speaker while I’m driving. I’m just really passionate about science.”
“But you don’t currently have any higher education in that discipline?”
“I was thinking I could study while doing the internship. It seems that my potential new employer would be the best one to advise me on which course would benefit them the most.”
Mind Reader Page 4