The Red String of Fate

by Rebekah Fowles

  Landon's voice was solemn. "She's my cousin. She sent me here to pick up some missing equipment after someone in the club didn't come back with the rest of the group."

  Vee looked down and pressed her fingertips together. "I see," she said. "Well, the equipment is right over there."

  Landon shook his head, hardly glancing to where she pointed. "The equipment can wait, Miss Bern. What happened to you?"

  "Please just call me Vee," she said. Landon thought he saw a spark in her eyes. "And that's just it. I'm not sure. I just woke up in the cellar all blue and misty. My body is nowhere to be found in this house, and I can't seem to leave. I want to find my body. I want to know who killed me."

  Landon looked down and covered his mouth. Lyndzi's hunch was right after all, only he never expected anything like this. Not only that, but a missing body could end up being a problem. The forest was large, and a body could have been hidden anywhere. Landon looked up at Vee. "Why the cellar?"

  Vee returned his look. "...It's probably where I was killed."

  "Show me."

  Vee floated through to the kitchen and stopped above a door on the floor. Landon pulled it open and walked down. As he did, his nose was assaulted by old wood, dust, and a distinct metallic scent. Only a little light illuminated the entrance, so he had to pull out his phone and turn on the flashlight. What welcomed him was none too surprising. A large pool of dried blood stagnated on the ground below.

  Landon pursed his lips, then headed back up the stairs.

  "What are you doing?" Vee asked.

  Landon turned off the flashlight and looked at the corner of the screen. Good, he thought, I have a few bars. He didn't look at Vee as he gave his response.

  "I'm calling the police.”

  - 5 -

  Of course, Vee thought, The police. That should’ve been the first thing I thought of.

  After Landon called the police, he silently began examining the whole cabin, both from the inside and out. Vee followed where she could, but didn’t bother speaking up as he made the rounds. He was calm and level headed, and Vee wondered if he actually knew what he was looking for.

  “Umm, Landon?” She called when she hoped he wasn’t too deep in thought.

  He regarded her politely. “Yes?”

  “I hope this doesn’t come off the wrong way, but...who are you?”

  Landon smiled warmly. Earlier he had been confused and scared, but now that he had a grasp on the situation and who Vee was, his demeanor completely changed. If Vee was honest, she was initially a little scared with his brusqueness, but now he seemed like a perfect gentleman. And an attractive one, at that.

  He appeared to be in his mid twenties, which put him only a few years older than Vee. He wore a tailored suit and had product in his dark brown hair, indicating not only his care for appearance, but also business-like professionalism. His face was shaved, allowing Vee to notice his prominent features. Vee wished she could smell, because she was sure he’d be wearing some high-end cologne. If he had apologized for his earlier behavior, Vee could easily see herself falling for him.

  “Not at all,” Landon said. “I’m a private investigator by trade.”

  Vee looked at him wide-eyed. “No way! Then this is like, right up your alley! Leave it to Prez to have a detective for a cousin. No wonder she gets so many scoops.”

  Landon chuckled. “Actually, you’ll find that Lyndzi does almost all of the grunt work herself. Rarely does she call in connections to write a worthwhile story. You’d also be surprised at how little ‘detective’ work PIs like me actually do. Books and movies would have you think that we’re solving a murder every other weekend, but mostly we just set up cameras in houses and catch cheating spouses.”

  “Huh,” Vee said.

  “To be fair, though, I’ve probably handled a few more grisly cases than most. I like to think I know what I’m doing.”

  With that, he stood up and continued to examine the house. Vee followed at a distance, tempted to ask if he’d found anything, but ultimately remained quiet. She didn’t want to be a bother, especially when he was making a concerted effort to help her. Which is why it took her a bit by surprise when after spending a fair bit of time contemplating in the living room, he faced her directly and asked a question.

  “You said you came up here with your clubmates? How many of you were there? What are their names?”

  Vee floated closer to him. It still seemed to put him off a bit, but he didn’t take any stances this time. “There were five of us. Me, Cassie, Nick, Kayne, and Jon.”

  Landon committed them to memory. “Tell me about them. How long have you known them? Tell me about this trip, too.”

  “Well,” Vee said, “I guess it’s kinda a long story.”

  “No worries,” Landon said. “It’ll be awhile before the police can get here anyway. We have time.”

  Vee nodded, and began her tale.

  Vee shifted uncomfortably in the padded seat. “Ugh, it’s no use, professor! I just don’t get it.”

  Professor Wellington sighed. “Cummon, Vee,” she said, “it’s just a bigger Punnett Square. You did fine with the two-by-two.”

  “I know,” Vee said, “but for some reason I just don’t get the different combinations. I mean, why do some traits show up when others don’t?”

  “That’s...what we’re trying to solve.” Professor Wellington rubbed her temples.

  Vee felt bad. She bothered the professor so much during office hours, but Vee just couldn’t wrap her brain around biology to save her life. Working with the professor one-on-one like this was the only way she was managing to maintain a passing grade.

  “Why don’t we take a break?” The professor said, “Just a little something to relax your brain a bit. Tell me about yourself. What do you like to do?”

  “That’s...” Vee said, “I’m not really sure.”

  “Surely there’s something,” the professor said. “What subjects do you like? Have you joined any clubs?”

  Vee shook her head. “I haven’t. And I can’t really say there are many subjects I like, save the ones I’m okay at.”

  “Well, what subjects would those be?”

  “I’m okay in English. I once took a lit and film class and liked it a bit, I guess.”

  “Oh!” The professor said, “That’s a good start! Do you like movies?”

  Vee smiled wanly. “Just as much as anyone else.”

  “Well, have you ever considered making a film? Or maybe writing a screenplay?”

  Vee shook her head once again. “No, I can’t say I have.”

  The professor sighed. “But you enjoyed the class? Don’t tell me it was because you could nap through it.”

  Vee let out a nervous chuckle.

  Professor Wellington responded with a disappointed stare. “Vee, if you’re going to enjoy college life, you need to branch out more. Do you really want to be spending your time here with me? Make some friends! Join a club, or make a study group. It’s already several weeks into the semester. Don’t be a prude like I was.”

  Vee looked down dejectedly. “You say that like it’s easy. Where do I even start?”

  The professor leaned in slightly over her desk and looked Vee in the eyes. “Vee. That is where you start. If you’re too afraid to approach anyone in class, just go to a club. I promise you that someone will talk to you first.”

  Vee broke the gaze. When did Professor Wellington become her counselor? “It’s not like I have a problem talking to people,” she said. “I just don’t think anyone would want to be my friend.”

  “You’d be surprised, Vee. People are a lot more open to friendship than you probably think. You just need to open up a little more and accept them as they accept you.”

  Vee sighed. “Fine,” she said, “I’ll check out a club. I’m not sure it’ll amount to much, though. Can we get back to the assignment, now?”

  Professor Wellington smiled. She sat back up and retrieved the pen she put down earlier. “
Sure,” she said. “But I expect to hear you’ve joined a club by the next time you come into my office.”

  Vee smiled. “Okay, professor. You got it.”

  With a deep breath, Vee double checked the sign taped on the smooth wood of the door. “Journalism Club,” it read. There was no particular reason Vee chose this club over the others. It just seemed to grab her attention the most. After all, even if she did mostly sleep through that lit and film class, her teacher had told her she did a good job analyzing on the assignments. Journalism was all about analyzing things and putting it on paper, right? Maybe she could find something worthwhile in whatever this place had to offer. She knocked on the door and turned the knob.

  A group of people chatted at and on top of desks—some were behind computers, but others seemed more interested in the conversation. Another group had an array of expensive-looking equipment set up and spread out on the floor. One person stood at the front of the others, pointing to one thing or another before saying something to which people in the group began to respond. A few individuals sat in corners with headphones in, but most seemed to be involved with another in some way. All in all, there were probably 30 or so people doing various tasks all around the room. A few turned their heads as she walked in, but only one approached her.

  “Hey there,” the girl said. She was blonde and pretty, and the way she held herself exuded a confidence that Vee was positive she would never be able to replicate in a million years. “Welcome to the Journalism Club! What’s your name?”

  “Everlee,” Vee said, “Though people call me Vee.”

  “Nice to meet you, Vee. I’m Lyndzi. What brings you here today?”

  “Um,” Vee said, “I’m looking for a club to join. I was hoping to check this one out.”

  “That’s great!” Lyndzi said, clapping for emphasis. “I’m the club president. I’m afraid we don’t have a new-member seminar until next Monday, but you’re welcome to look around and get to know people. Let me know if you need anything or have any questions. I’m going to be walking around helping the different groups, so don’t be shy.”

  Vee nodded as Lyndzi strutted off to the group with the equipment. Vee thought it would be awkward to follow her, so she approached the ones conglomerated around the desks. A few smiled at her as she approached.

  “Hey,” a friendly boy said with a smile.

  “Hi,” Vee replied in kind.

  “Coming to check out the club?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “What are you doing?”

  “We’re discussing the difference between a hole and a pit,” said another boy. “Riveting stuff, that.”

  A girl rolled her eyes. “You mean you’re distracting the rest of us from actually writing our articles.”

  “Hey, if you want to get stuff done, you’re welcome to join Jon and Valerie,” the boy said.

  The girl stuck out her tongue. “Ew, no way. They’re probably just sexting over there anyway.”

  A few of them laughed. Vee did too.

  The first boy who talked to her turned his attention her way once again. “My name’s Nick. This is Kayne, and that’s Cassie.” A few people chimed in to include their names, and pretty soon around 10 people had introduced themselves.

  “I’m Vee,” Vee said.

  “Welcome to the Journalism Club,” Kayne said with a smile. “We’re not the sanest people around, but we’re good company!”

  Vee laughed. “Sounds fun!”

  Vee mostly stayed in the background the rest of the afternoon, laughing with the others, but never really participating in their conversations. It seemed to her that they weren’t doing a lot of things related to journalism, but occasionally the conversation would lead to relevant topics. They discussed magazines and editors; they even brought up the school paper at one point. It appeared the journalism club was the overseer of the publication, but they had specific days in the month planned out to collaborate with professors and students doing coursework. Despite how these people behaved themselves, it appeared the club was a very serious institution, meeting every day and planning events far in advance.

  Vee learned that the president was passionate and organized. She did a lot of extracurricular work, both personally and for the good of the club. A lot of funding had been allotted them, and they put out surprisingly good work. Most of this Vee was able to absorb through observation, but she did check out some issues of the school paper on her phone.

  Once clubtime was over, everyone filed out at their leisure. Vee stuck around a bit longer than she anticipated, but noticing the time, decided to head out.

  “Leaving already?” Nick said.

  “Yeah,” Vee replied, “I’ve got some homework I need to get through.”

  “Cool. Do you have a car? I can give you a ride home if you want. I’m heading out too.”

  Vee smiled. “No, I was going to walk. Do you mind?”

  “Nah,” Nick said.

  Kayne approached as they got ready to go. “Hey, Nick. You leaving?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Thought I’d give Vee a ride home, too. You doing anything after work?”

  Kayne looked at Vee, but turned his attention back to Nick. “Nope. Wanna come over?”

  “Uh, yeah?” Nick teased. “Give me a call when you’re through.”

  Kayne smiled and clicked his tongue while gun-posing at Nick. Vee and Nick left the building before Kayne.

  “What does Kayne do for work?” Vee asked, being conversational.

  “He does some manual labor for a sweatshop in the evenings. It’s hard work, but the hours are reasonable and it pays well.”

  “I bet,” Vee said.

  “Do you work?”

  “No,” Vee said. “What about you?”

  “I sometimes contract write for a sports website, but it’s not very steady.”

  “Ah, of course,” Vee said, then thought, Journalism. Right.

  The car ride was uneventful. It was pleasant getting to know Nick, though. Back home, Vee never so much as went out with classmates, so it was bizarre to her that someone had been so quick to offer something like giving her a ride home. As they chatted, Vee couldn’t help but take notice of Nick. His hair was parted, which she thought was a little dorky, but he had soft features and a kind smile. He was also more fashionable than Vee knew a lot of guys to be. Really, he wasn’t that bad looking. She caught herself wondering if he had a girlfriend.

  Vee attended the club for the rest of the week. She got to know more people, and she even participated in some conversations. The last day of the week, Lyndzi had arranged for a guest to come in and talk to them about what they did as a litigator. The club members all sat and took notes while they spoke, and Vee actually found the event to be interesting. Vee got the numbers of some of the people, and Nick even offered her rides home most of the days. She found herself getting caught in his laugh. So she did something she never thought she had in her.

  As Nick dropped her off Friday evening, Vee waited to exit the car. “Hey Nick,” she said, “Are you doing anything tomorrow?”

  Vee squirmed a bit. She had never asked a guy out before. She had been invited to a school dance once, but that was pretty much her dating experience too. Another time, a guy in her math class had asked her out, but she was too embarrassed to accept. She held her breath in anticipation.

  “Yeah,” he said, “Kayne and I are going on a date. Did you have something in mind? I’m sorry...maybe another time?”

  Vee’s eyes expanded. “Ah,” she stammered, all confidence suddenly quashed. “Um, no, it’s fine, really. I just, um. Yeah.”

  “Oh,” Nick said, suddenly embarrassed as well, “you didn’t know, did you? I’m so sorry. I thought it was obvious...”

  Vee’s face exploded in a blush. “No! No. It’s my fault. I don’t pay enough attention sometimes.”

  Nick placed his head on his steering wheel. “Oh man, Vee, I’m so sorry. This isn’t gonna make things awkward, is it?”

  Bust
ed.

  “What? No! I mean, maybe a little bit. But I’ll be fine. No biggie.”

  Nick wearily smiled. “Yeah, I guess it’s not something you can just pretend never happened, huh? I wouldn’t worry too much about it, though, Vee. You’re a cute girl, so I’m sure plenty of guys will come running before you know it. See you on Monday?”

  “Yeah,” Vee smiled back. She hopped out of the car and headed up the two flights of stairs to her apartment, promptly wishing she could disappear before Monday rolled around.

  But Monday came. And it was as normal as normal could be. There was a new members seminar headed by the president, explaining the purpose and the goings-about of the club. A lot of the veteran members shared presentations going over weekly activities and demonstrating member responsibilities. All in all, there wasn’t even much time for Vee to talk with anyone, and she made sure to quickly leave before Nick could offer a ride. She wondered if he even would. He seemed nice enough to know to give her some space, but he also seemed nice enough to continue offering. She wondered which would win out. Not that she would give him the chance.

  As she snuck out, Vee overheard raised voices in the hall. She felt bad to be walking in their direction, but she didn’t want to stay in the building any longer than necessary. The closer she got, the more apparent the subject matter became. It was a lover’s spat, and a pretty nasty one at that. Vee rounded the corner their just moments after she heard the final “fine”s being flung on each side.

  Vee was surprised to find Jon sulking with his hands in his pockets, which meant Valerie probably stormed off pretty quick. Vee wondered if she should turn around after all, but Jon heard her and perked up at her presence. “Oh hey,” he said, “Vee, was it?”

  Vee nodded with a smile. “Yeah. You’re Jon, right?”

  Jon sighed. “Yeah. You probably heard all of that, huh?”

  Vee looked down, attempting to hide her embarrassment. “Yeah,” she said.

  “Hey, you wanna grab some ice cream?”

  Jon’s offer caught Vee off guard. “Uh,” Vee hesitated, but Jon caught her off before she could say her mind.