Fate Foretold

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  I Saw it, after all. I Saw what could have been.

  He could have had another family, found love again, if it weren’t for me. I took that from him.

  I sigh and try to rub the tiredness from my eyes.

  “Welcome to Arkansas,” I mumble to myself. An older man next to me snorts, and I smile at him. He returns the smile before going over to meet up with a guy waiting for him.

  The sky is dark, and I find a lower end hotel to stay at. Once I’m there, I crash.

  I half expect to fall into the dream realm, but for once, I get a peaceful night of sleep—or at least as peaceful as I can get when I need to stay alert even when resting.

  10

  ~DJ~

  I glance around Little Rock, wondering why Lyn would be here. Or should I call her Adalyn? I keep thinking about her name. I whisper it, the syllables rolling off my tongue. Just thinking her real name does things to me. Everything about her calls me to her. There’s something more to her, more than the fact that she can slip into my dream realm without my permission or knowledge.

  The meeting with the archivist turned into a bust. He didn’t know what we were talking about and agreed that it should have been impossible for her to enter my dream realms. At least Colton and Jackson had more luck and now we’re here in Little Rock and closing in on Lyn. I stare at my hands. Soon, she’ll be in my hands. I’ll be able to grab onto her and hold, and no way in hell am I going to let her slip away again.

  “She really here?” Eli asks as Colton pulls into the parking lot of a cheap small motel.

  “All signs point to here,” Colton answers patiently. We’ve been asking the same question over and over again for the last two hours, and each time, he patiently answers us. It became our sick form of ‘Are we there yet?’

  “Everyone is theorizing she’s either going east or west, maybe making a run to Canada,” Eli says. “After looking at the area around her last reported location, finding all the bus routes in all the towns, which isn’t many, this place makes sense.”

  “I’m going to go check us in.” Jackson jumps out and disappears into the front office without looking back. Since meeting Adalyn, Jackson has been off his game. Hell, we’ve all been off our game. The only reason we can play this game of cat and mouse is because we work security. We know how people on the run think, and our instincts are far stronger than most gifted.

  I go to the back of the SUV and open it. Eli pushes over a luggage trolley, and I begin unloading. Twelve bags and only four of the small ones are our personal items. The rest are computers, weapons, and any other gadgets we think we might need for this hunt.

  “Do you think this is a good idea?” Eli asks me, glancing at Colton, who’s now on the phone. “Finding her? What if she’s right?”

  I cock an eyebrow. “You don’t want to help her because you’re scared of dying?”

  He shakes his head. “No, of course not. But I would back down if it means she dies. What if us pushing to find her brings her closer to death? She’s The Seer, man. She knows shit. If she’s trying to stay away, there has to be a reason.”

  I stare up at the darkening sky for a moment. A storm is on its way to rolling in. My best guess is that it isn’t going to break until tomorrow afternoon. “Probability. She lives in the world of probability.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means she Sees it all, every single outcome, and from that she can determine which is higher risk. She Sees us finding her as a high risk and so she runs from us.” I focus back on Eli. “But, think about it. We live in low probability. We are always going against the odds. There’s a chance to save her and survive. I know it. You feel it. We take it. And we will succeed, because failing, and losing her, that isn’t an option.”

  “She’s a puzzle.” Eli sighs, rolling his shoulders to release his frustration.

  I grin big. “The best kind.”

  I love puzzles, and she’s the biggest one I’ve ever found.

  “Fuck,” Eli says and runs a hand through his hair. He nods, more to himself than to me. “Yeah, okay. You’re right.” He breaks out into a grin. “The odds say we’ll fuck this up, but we’ve always fought and won against it. Every single time.”

  “And we faced some shitty situations in our lives.”

  Eli’s eyes darken for a moment. “This one will be worth it. I just know it. I mean, look at how she affects us just in the dream realm. Imagine seeing her in person.” With those words, Eli grabs the trolley and begins pushing it toward a set of doors where Jackson is already waiting.

  I take a moment to think about Lynn and what being near her in person will feel like. Tingles dance along my skin, and I shudder. Intense. Just the thought alone is intense, and I know she’ll meet my expectations. I’m not even sure what those are yet, and I’m a little scared to think too hard on it.

  I nod at Colton who nods back, eyes flickering to the door before turning back to the SUV to finish unloading everything.

  We find the room quickly and get settled.

  “Shit,” Eli says.

  “What?” I ask, thinking we’re missing something.

  “I can’t calm down.” To prove his point, he does a little hop, trying to expel the energy building inside of him.

  “Me too,” Jackson says.

  I pause, thinking about their response before taking stock of my own emotions. I’ve been keeping them on the back burner, ignoring them, because I don’t want them trying to crawl out of me. High emotions can be debilitating if you’re not careful, and I don’t want to miss something important because of them.

  “You’re right,” I say, recognizing the clawing anxiety in my stomach that had formed since first meeting Adalyn. Now there’s a restlessness settling down right alongside it.

  “We have to be close,” Eli says.

  Colton comes into the room with a frown. “My contact has informed me that Holsen’s men are already on their way here.”

  “Fuck,” Eli says.

  Jackson’s jaw tightens as he radiates the anger he feels.

  “Should I pull her into the dream realm? She might be already asleep.”

  “No.” Colton shakes his head.

  “He should,” Jackson says. “We need to check in on her, and get her to tell us where the fuck she is.”

  “No,” Colton’s voice turns to steel as our leader comes to the forefront. “She was injured. We need to give her space to deal with that. We can’t help her injuries in the dream realm and she needs all the rest she can get. We’ll work on a game plan tonight and as soon as we can, hit the streets and search for her. There are nearly two hundred thousand people in this city, we’ll be able to find her. Besides, if we give away how close we are, she’ll run.”

  “She’ll know we’re coming. She’ll just use her gift to avoid us,” I say.

  “I don’t think so. Right now, she doesn’t know we’re on her trail. She’s more focused on staying ahead of Holsen. And she’s exhausted. She’s been overusing her gift, and it’s put a toll on her. I don’t think she’ll see us coming,” Colton points out.

  “Let’s fucking hope not. We don’t need her skipping out on us before we can lock in on her,” Jackson says.

  “We’ll find her tomorrow,” Eli answers, determined to fulfill that goal.

  Colton nods. “We need to find her tomorrow. I have a feeling if we don’t, we’ll lose her. For now, let’s plan this out so we can be methodical.” He digs through a bag and pulls out a large map. I help him uncurl it and then we clear a wall of its artwork, putting the map up in its place, using tape to hold it there.

  The rest of the night goes by quickly as we create a gridwork to search for Adalyn, using our gifts and our experience with working in security. If there’s one thing we know, it’s hunting. Whether it’s for people or information, we know how to get it. We wouldn’t be successful in our business otherwise.

  Adalyn can just get over herself because we’re going to find her.

&n
bsp; 11

  I wake to the feel of ants against my skin and climb out of bed, rubbing at my arms. Biting my lip, I go into the bathroom and turn on the shower, trying to figure out what’s going on. Why do I feel like this? Something’s going to happen. My stomach twists and turns with my anxiety.

  After closing my eyes, I center myself and focus. Images flash through my head, but before they cement themselves, sharp pain lances through my head, and I groan, blinking back tears. My gift has finally exhausted itself for now and only time can fix it. I need a good month of just lying on a beach in the warm sun, the hardest choice being which drink I want to sip.

  Frustration builds up inside of me, ready to boil over, and I stare at the stained shower floor. Red drips down and splashes against the white before the water dilutes it and it disappears down the drain.

  “Shit.” I wipe at my nose and look at my hand, the water washing the blood away. Nosebleed.

  When was the last time I had one of these?

  With burning eyes, I wash up the best that I can. Fear claws at my throat. I’m at my limit. My body is telling me enough and there’s no way to tell it we have no choice. I need to keep going.

  Once I’m out of the shower, I get ready to head out, not wanting to stick around for too long. The fear currently tightening my chest becomes my new best friend as I realize how much I really do rely on my gift to make my decisions. My gift is a curse, I don’t doubt that, but it’s also a gift, allowing me to make the decisions I need to stay ahead and alive. Not having that leaves me cold and paranoid.

  For now, all I can do is stick to the plan. I toss everything into my bag and throw it over my shoulder before opening the door. I peek outside, unable to determine if danger is near. For all I know, it can be right around the corner. My skin prickles, putting me on edge, and despite no one being around, it feels like I’m being watched.

  The early morning is a harsh greeting against my eyes. After releasing a breath, I cautiously step outside, quietly closing the door behind me. With my mind made up to get the hell out of the city and farther away, I head toward a nearby train station, not wanting to go back to the bus station.

  I don’t make it far when I see him.

  Well them.

  Damn.

  I rub at my eyes, wondering if I got dragged into another dream realm, which is silly. No way that this is the dream realm. Either way, I recognize the two figures huddled in front of a vending machine tucked away at the side of the motel.

  Even without the vibrancy of the dream realm, my mouth waters. Something tugs at me, trying to pull me toward them. I can’t physically see it, but it feels like there’s a rope tied to me and those guys and I’m being pulled by it. My body demands I run to them, jump on them, and never let them go. My mind does the right thing, conjuring images of their dead bodies. Against my instincts, I step back, my stomach turning into knots.

  No way. How?

  How are Jackson and Colton here? And if they are here, does that mean the other two are as well? I glance around, trying to spot DJ and Eli, but they aren’t around. Or they’re just out of sight.

  “What do you think? Think it will work?” Colton asks. Jackson is so tall that even Colton has to look up as he talks to the man. Even then, Colton still has this air of authority around him that the others lack. He’s no doubt the leader.

  “It has to,” Jackson replies in that deep, low voice that warms me to my core. How am I so attracted to them? Especially this quickly? I shake my head and back up again.

  Jackson rumbles something else, but I ignore them as I turn around and sneak away. My eyes strain as I scan the area, searching for the other two. My heart painfully thuds in my chest, all my muscles tight, as I expect to be caught at any moment.

  They’re here. And they’re trying to find me. I don’t need to See to know that. It would be so easy to just step out so they notice me, to let them help me. But I can’t get those images out of my head.

  Colton’s vacant grey eyes, blood seeping into his beard. Eli’s short hair a gnarled mess, the blond tips dyed red from his blood. DJ’s head bent at an unnatural angle, his already pale skin practically translucent. Jackson, roaring his fury, arms wide as he charges into his death, blood already covering his body.

  They don’t deserve that. I can’t drag them into this.

  Not their fight.

  Knowing they’re close, I stay in between the buildings, carefully making my way toward the outer part of the city. Going to any bus or train station is a bad idea at this point. They’ll be monitoring the cameras no doubt. Have some kind of alert set up. I’m not even sure how they found me in the first place. They didn’t even have a starting point. And yet, here they are. I don’t know all their gifts. Maybe one of them is a tracker, kind of like Noah. It’s a strong possibility.

  I need to See. I need to know what to do. The net thrown over me is slowly descending and soon, I’ll be trapped. A small convenience store captures my attention, and I slip inside. They have a tourist section, so I sigh in relief when I find a map. After buying a bottle of water and a sandwich, I check out, doing my best to remain normal.

  The man behind the counter is nice enough, sending me a warm smile as he rings everything up. We’re polite, and the whole time, my heart rate is up and I swear I’m sweating through my clothes. It’s hot and muggy out, the clouds heavy with a brewing storm, but it’s not enough to explain why I’m sweating profusely.

  “Thank you.” I flash him a smile before slipping back out the door. When I find a park, I duck into it and hide behind a tree away from view before pulling out the map.

  I need a plan. I need a way out. The question is how? They’re here. The hard heads didn’t listen to me and now they’re going to get themselves killed.

  After glancing around and not noticing anyone dangerous, I lower my defense and ignore the instant pounding headache.

  “I need to See,” I whisper, my eyes scrunching shut. “The guys. I need to See the guys.”

  Something grips my lungs, and I gasp as the images flood my mind.

  Colton is crouched over me, his mouth moving. I can’t hear his words, but his worry is clear. His face is pallid, he’s breathing heavily, and he looks to be in pain. His mouth continues to move but none of his words reach me. I don’t understand. The me in the vision shakes her head and lifts her hands. My hands. They’re bloody.

  I’m dying.

  Colton winces and turns his head. I lean to the side too to see Jackson and DJ in front of us, fighting off men I don’t recognize. We’re in a tunnel with brick lining the tunnels. The space is tight with everyone fighting. Suddenly, DJ collapses, holding his chest. Colton is by his side in moments, and Eli finally comes into view, holding his side, blood seeping through. He falls to his knees in front of me, his other hand keeping him from falling completely to the ground.

  My body jerks and my sight slowly fades. Eli is over me now and a dark ceiling fills up the space behind him. He’s talking, but I still can’t hear. What I can do is read his lips.

  “Don’t die on us, baby. Don’t leave us.”

  My hand reaches up and cups his face, tracing my bloody finger along the scruff of his jaw, leaving a trail.

  And then I die.

  I come out of the vision, gasping, my lungs and heart realizing that I am not really dying as they learn to work properly. I lean back against the tree trying to wipe away the images in my head.

  That was a full-blown vision of one specific possibility. That means the odds of that scene happening are a lot higher than any other possibility. I need to change it. The closer they get to me, the higher the chance of that scene happening.

  “Baby,” I whisper, remembering the way Eli’s mouth moved to shape that word. He definitely called me baby. Digging through my bag, I grab a bottle of pills and quickly take two of them, impatient for them to work to ease the headache currently pulsing in my head.

  After a few deep breaths to calm down, I lean against the tre
e and close my eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm sun against my skin as it peeks through the clouds. I use the time waiting for the pills to kick in to listen and feel. Carefully, I cast out a net and stiffen.

  The familiar feel of them, right at the edges.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I grumble.

  Colton and Eli. So very close to me, working their way this way. I don’t think they realize where I am exactly since they aren’t coming directly to me. Pulling myself to my feet, I stumble way away from them. Only to freeze after taking only a couple of steps.

  My net picks up a group of men near the exit I planned on taking.

  Holsen’s men.

  They’re here too.

  And one specific signature not attached to Holsen.

  Noah.

  I’m surrounded on both sides.

  Finding the entrance into a walking path through some woods, I take it, trying to stay out of sight. There has to be another way out of the park, a path neither of them will be watching. Families, couples, and kids are all over, enjoying their day.

  One particular boy is by the man-made pond. He’s using his gift to send the water twirling into the air, showing off to the girl with him. They have to be no older than twelve. The girl giggles and leans over, kissing his cheek, making his face turn tomato red.

  Innocence.

  I move further away from them and everyone else, trying to get a sense of the park layout. It’s a large section in the middle of the city so people have a place to connect with nature and to get a break from all the cement and buildings. I follow the walking path, the hairs on my neck standing up as everyone closes in on me.

  Using my gift is out of the question if I don’t want Noah sensing me. Reinforcing my mental blocks, I walk in a different direction, hoping to stay away.

  This is too much. They’re all too close, and I’m starting to feel trapped.