Destinata (Valguard)

by Nicole Daffurn

  “That… was seriously cool. How did you even know it was there? How did you get the key?”

  “I guess old Mrs. Henderson liked me better than we all realized. She entrusted the key to me the day before she died.”

  She shrugged, passing it off as nothing interesting and moved further into the dark that the door had revealed. The smell of mildew that had gusted out when the long sealed door had opened was nothing compared to what was waiting for them on the other side of the blackness. The strong scent burned her nostrils and brought a tear to her eye, but the tart stench was nothing compared to trying to find her way through the small tunnel in the dark. Thankfully Ford had a light in his pocket, the kind that flipped open and contained fluid. At least his fingers wouldn’t get burned from holding the flame on for too long. The dim flickering light was just enough to see by and from what they could see the room they crouched in was empty – just as it had been the day Mrs. Henderson had told Charlie of its existence. There wasn’t much room for error down here; it was just one straight line from the hidden door to the small closet in the main foyer of the building. Still, they moved slowly and cautiously through the enclosed space, weary of anything that slithered or bit and eventually came to the other end. Using the same key in the small lock Charlie opened the door into the closet. Standing and stretching out, she found the cord to the light in the tiny space and pulled. The light flickered momentarily before staying on. She moved to the door leaving Ford to seal the hidden doorway they had just clambered through and listened for sounds of anyone ready to start their day at work. She heard nothing but silence.

  Deeming it safe, she reached out for the internal knob that would let them out into the foyer, only once her hand connected with the cold metal, she was overcome by the sudden onset of nausea. Crippling over and retching, she vaguely felt Ford’s hand in the middle of her back and heard him distantly asking if she was ok. She didn’t answer because when the rolls of nausea subsided, the sound of tornado-like winds erupted in her ears; she couldn’t hear a thing now, but she could see. What she was seeing though wasn’t the closet that she was standing in, she was in some kind of dank underground cellar.

  In the far left corner she could see a cell containing a slight frail woman with dark blonde hair. It was her mom, but surely she couldn’t have deteriorated that quickly! She reached out her hand to try and get Eva’s attention but as she did a big hand clamped over her own, twisting her arm backwards and holding it firmly behind her back she screamed in agony. Turning to see her captor she realized it was Mayor Reynolds.

  “Charlie! What are you doing here?”

  She twisted and pulled but she couldn’t get free. She was no match for the bulk of a man standing behind her.

  “Bastard! Let me go!”

  “Now, now Charlie, is that anyway to speak to your Mayor? Your mother will be let go just as soon as she learns her lesson.”

  She turned and spat in his face with as much hatred as she could muster, frantically looking around for Ford while the Mayor was preoccupied with wiping her sputum from his cowardly face. She saw the blood first. Closing her eyes hoping that it wasn’t Ford lying in the corner covered in blood, she took a deep breath before opening them once more.

  She let out a blood curdling scream worthy of any banshee when the realization hit her that it was Ford, and from the looks of it he’d had his throat slit. His lifeless eyes rested on Charlie’s face, his arm outstretched as if to warn her. A moment later she felt a blunt blow to the back of her head and everything was black.

  The retching started again, only this time it wasn’t from the warning of an oncoming vision, it was in terror. The Mayor? How could he? He was one of them! Human! He killed Ford in cold blood and it was fairly clear that her fate was to be the same.

  “We need to get out of here Ford. Now!!”

  “What? We just got here. Don’t you want to get your mom out?”

  “Not now. I need to think first.”

  “Wait! Charlie, are you ok?”

  “No. We need to go!”

  Frantically clambering back through the tight crawl space, Charlie became all too aware of the sheen of cold sweat that had broken out across her forehead and was running directly into the tears that had already tracked a path down her cheeks.

  Throwing caution to the wind, not waiting for the flicker of Ford’s lighter, the journey back through the dank tunnel was quicker by far. Once at the end she gave the entrance door an almighty shove, scrambling out to gulp in the fresh air. Letting the still pouring rain wash away her sweat and tears she waited close by for Ford to join her.

  “What the hell?”

  “I’m sorry, I… I…” She knew she couldn’t explain, not yet anyway and even if she wanted she would have no idea where to start. Ford would just have to accept the fact that he would have to wait for now.

  “You’re seriously freaking me out here Char. What’s going on? First you’re all mission impossible and then when the moment comes, you completely freak out?... And what the hell is going on with your eyes?”

  “Huh? What’s wrong with my eyes?”

  “They’re kind of… glowing.”

  “What?! You’re out of your mind Ford. I was crying, eyes tend to glisten some when people cry, they don’t glow.”

  Ford didn’t reply he just stared into her eyes, like he was trying to see something that just wasn’t there. Or something he didn’t want to admit was there.

  “Let’s just go ok. I need to speak to… someone.”

  “Yea ok, I know when I’m not wanted Char, you don’t have to skirt around the issue.”

  “It’s not that at all Ford. Look. Yea, there are some things that I can’t explain right now but it’s not because you aren’t wanted! It’s just complicated.”

  “Right, because in twelve months your life just got so complicated that those close to you don’t even get a look in?”

  “No actually in the last three days my life got so complicated that no one else can help!”

  “Well maybe if you told someone what was going on they could. Maybe just maybe…”

  “No Ford! I can’t. End of story. Look I’m sorry, I really am happy to see you. I’ve missed you but can we just forget this morning happened?”

  “Yea sure Char, just pretend nothing happened.”

  Sarcasm was dripping from his tone but she knew he would drop it now. He would do anything she asked him to, he always had and he always would.

  They made their way home, this time forgetting the umbrella, they were soaked to the bone already and erecting the metal and plastic shelter wasn’t going to help that now. They walked in silence both hoping the other would cave, both knowing they were as stubborn as each other and neither would give in. When they reached the metal gate Charlie stopped, the pain of leaving Ford to deal with his sisters ranting on his own evident on her face.

  “You’re not coming?”

  “No, I need to speak to Zane.”

  “The neighbor? You’ll speak to him but you won’t speak to me? You’ve know him what five minutes! You’ve known me your whole life Char.”

  “I know, it’s just…”

  “Complicated. Yea I get it. See ya later Charlie.”

  “Bye.”

  Ending rather meekly and hoping that he wouldn’t say anything to Eloise, Charlie veered off to the left making for Zane’s front door.

  When all the banging and yelling in the world didn’t get Zane’s attention in the big house, she decided that he wasn’t home and her hopes in finding out what was going on with her eyes before her housemates saw her was a lost cause.

  Shit! I can’t go home like this.

  She wished she had thought to get Zane’s number from him so she could at least text to find out where he was. It was too late for regrets now though, she would just have to try and sneak inside her house and hope that her housemates were too preoccupied with Ford’s sudden appearance to notice anything out of the usual. Reaching her fron
t gate, she suddenly had a better idea. She could go see Kara, she would know what was going on and even better, now that Charlie had had the thought, Kara would know that she was on her way and make sure she was home for her granddaughter.

  God, Kara, if you can see this, hear this, whatever. Please, please be home.

  Running through the forest was easy this time, it was almost as if she could sense where the tree roots jutted out and the stones were partially hidden. Completely able to avoid almost all the obstacles in her way with ease she made it to Kara’s in record time. The door stood ajar, swaying in the breeze and as Charlie inched forward she could here faint voices in the distance.

  “Jaramm won’t harm her. He wouldn’t dare, he knows what the consequences would be.”

  “He practically stalked her yesterday Kara, I wouldn’t be so sure of what he is capable of.”

  “Remember who you are talking to boy.”

  “Your sight isn’t always perfect Kara. You know that as well as I do. It only takes one change of heart or mind to change the future.”

  “Yes and I can see for the near future that isn’t going to happen, you have nothing to… Ah your dear Charlie is here. Come on in Charlotte, eaves dropping is rude.”

  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t… I was just…”

  “You were just eaves dropping, yes we know that part already. Now what is so urgent that you needed to call me out of a vision… Oh! My dear, you have had your first proper vision haven’t you.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  “How did you… Of course you know, you know everything.”

  “Not everything, no. In this case the only reason I know that you have had one is your eyes. They’re glowing.”

  “So I was told. Why?”

  Charlie wasn’t so sure that she wanted to know the answer to her question but she asked it anyway. She needed to know whether it was going to go away. If it didn’t, how on earth was she supposed to go home?

  “You are half Valguard, did you never stop to wonder whether your eyes would glow as theirs did one day?”

  Kara held up a hand and silenced her before she could answer the question, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply for a few more minutes before speaking again.

  “Your Valguard attributes seem to be tied somewhat to your psychic abilities. As far as I can see, your eyes will settle soon enough but with every vision they will become more and more prominent until such time that they will no longer return to normal. Don’t worry, you have enough time before that happens.”

  She knew that Kara was telling her she would have enough time to explain what was going on to Ford – at the very least – before her eyes would permanently glow the bright shade of blue that she could now see in one of the many mirrors that adorned Kara’s walls.

  “Charlie, what happened today?”

  It was apparent that Zane still wasn’t happy with her for running off this morning but she couldn’t deal with that right now, she needed to talk about what had happened in the Town Hall first. She would deal with him later.

  “I went to the Town Hall…”

  “Like I told you not to.”

  “Yes, I went to the Town Hall, like you told me not to! And once inside, I reached for a door handle and I.. I… I don’t know really. I was sick all of a sudden. I was retching and sweating and then I couldn’t hear anything, it was like a tornado was spinning around me and then… Then I saw my mom in her cell, she’s wasted away to practically nothing Zane. The Mayor grabbed me, he hurt my arm, and when I turned I saw Ford… He was dead and then everything went black.”

  She left out the part where she was crying hysterically and retching again after the vision, they didn’t need any more insight into her moment of weakness.

  “Who’s Ford?”

  “I tell you that my mom is wasting away to nothing, I had my first vision and a friend died in that vision, and the first question you ask is Who’s Ford?”

  Zane didn’t respond, instead letting Kara take over the questioning.

  “You saw all this in only one vision?”

  “I guess, yea, it all happened at once and then I got the hell out of there. Why?”

  “Hmm, it seems that your powers of vision are stronger than mine. I only ever see snippets, bits and pieces like a lost dream that I have to put together to make sense of. I’m sorry for what you saw Charlotte but you need to remain unattached as much as possible now. It won’t help you any to break down at every vision. You need to keep your wits about you and decide on the best action to take. Today you were lucky, other days won’t be as easy as this was.”

  “She is my mother and she is wasting away to nothing, didn’t you hear what I said? How can I stay unattached to that? For that matter, she’s your daughter, how can you?”

  “I learned to become unattached from my daughter a long time ago Charlotte. She has wanted nothing to do with me these last eighteen years and there was nothing more I could do but become detached to the child I loved so much for so many years.”

  “Right. Well I can’t just switch it off as easy as that. Zane, I’m leaving. I’d prefer it if you would come with me so we can start planning what to do about my mom but I’m not going to force you to come. I will go back myself if I need to.”

  “Charlotte, please be careful.”

  She looked at her grandmother and gave her a small nod, not bothering to wait and see whether Zane was following her. Back in the rain once again Charlie realized just how cold she had become during the course of the long morning, if she didn’t dry off soon, she would end up sick. She couldn’t afford to have that now, she needed to be at her best to pull of the rescue that was to begin just as soon as she had a plan.

  Her thoughts strayed to Ford on the walk home. Would he still be around when she eventually returned home? Would he still want to talk to her after this morning’s mess? Had El’ tore him to shreds when he showed his face for the first time in twelve months? The last thought made Charlie giggle. Eloise and Ford had always tormented each other, I suppose being twins it just came naturally for the both of them to be as bad as one another. Suddenly she couldn’t wait to get home and see Ford’s smiling face waiting for her.

  “What are you laughing at?”

  Oh so Zane had followed her. He was so quiet and light on his feet that Charlie had almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden questioning.

  “Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking.”

  “Uh-ha.”

  She smiled to herself, glad that Zane could not read her mind. Although it would be a handy ability to have, she liked her privacy too much for it to be invaded like that.

  They walked the rest of the way home in silence, Zane always staying two steps behind and eerily silent. At the end of their street, Charlie could see a figure in the distance and knew immediately who it was. But had he stayed out this entire time waiting for her?

  “Ford.” The whisper meant only for her own ears, reached Zane’s.

  “Huh?”

  “Nothing.”

  Chapter Seven

  Ford

  March 17th

  Well it’s official, I’m leaving town… Finally! With mom dead and dad in jail, I called on the council to ask for permission to leave. They said YES! Can you believe that? I can finally leave this shithole of a town and live a normal life! My only concern is leaving El’ and Charlie behind. Ava will be ok, she’s leaving town as well but El’ refuses to go, she says this is the only home she has ever known, and even though it’s a cruddy one, I can kinda understand.

  Charlie and El’ will look out for each other. Hell even Matt will keep an eye out for the two of them. I just can’t shake the feeling that I am losing something important by leaving Charlie behind. She’s been there for me every step of the way. She’s a year younger than me but anyone would think she was five years older. Her mom got sent to the psych ward about three weeks ago now. Almost everyone in town saw her complete breakdown that day. She was in Mike�
�s café just having a coffee and then next minute… BAM! She flew off her seat and jumped the counter, I couldn’t believe my eyes but she was trying to choke Mike, screaming about them needing to leave our town and how he ruined her life and that she needed to tell Charlie and everyone else the truth. It was complete madness. I watched her get carted off that day in a strait jacket with the boys in blue. The first thing I did was rush to Charlie, I had to tell her. She needed someone to be there for her and I would be it. Anyway back to the original point, she has always been there for me and I have always been there for her. I just wish I could tell her how I feel before I leave but I know now isn’t the right time with everything that is going on. I don’t want to make things harder than they already are.

  You know, I would probably stay if it weren’t for all the crazies in this town. Not many people see it but I do. Half the town is just…weird. They always have been, they walk around even at night and indoors with sunglasses on, they hardly eat even though half of them own food shops in town. I mean of course they eat but not like we do. They only ever have small amounts. I sometimes wonder if they go home and pig out just like those stick skinny models do because they don’t want to be caught eating everything in sight in public. Who knows! Either way it’s strange. No one is allowed out of town with permission from the more prominent figures in town and anyone who leaves has a hard time coming back or news of something bad happening to them once out always reaches our ears. I know what kind of risk I am taking by leaving town, more than half haven’t survived the first year but I can’t stay here with all the madness, especially after mom…