Synchronicity (Scintillate Series Book 3)

by Karen Tjebben

  Zoe headed to the door and wondered how Nick was faring. They hadn’t heard much. He wasn’t the chatty type. She knew he’d contact them when he had real information. Hopefully they’d find something helpful soon.

  It was a short drive to the storage facility. Evan backed the moving van up to the storage shed door. He cut the engine and applied the brake. They had storage sheds around the world to hold their precious belongings. Now they could add North Carolina to their growing list of storage shed addresses. Their stuff wouldn’t stay here long, just until they found their next home.

  Zoe parked the SUV and helped Evan unload the moving van. After they dropped off the moving van, Evan slid onto the passenger seat of their SUV.

  “Where to?” he asked.

  She tapped an address into the GPS. “I found someone who may be able to help us. It’s a drive though. Hopefully it will be worth it.”

  “Let’s go then,” Evan said, clicking his seatbelt. “We’ve got to start somewhere.”

  Since traffic was light, the miles passed quickly. Zoe loved to drive. She loved watching the trees blur by and feeling in control. She hated to be the passenger. As a passenger, she couldn’t control what was going on around her. She hated to be passive. She wanted to be dominant. She craved control.

  Evan looked at her while she drove. Her eyes flit from the car in front of them to the rear-view mirror to check behind them. Then she changed lanes. He was surprised she hadn’t done that earlier. They’d been stuck behind that grandpa for at least two miles. “Finally,” Evan said.

  “I know. Right?” she exclaimed. “You’re not supposed to go under the speed limit in that lane,” she complained. “If you can’t drive the speed limit, then get over to the right,” she grouched and jerked her thumb towards the right hand lane. “He’s gonna cause an accident.”

  Evan chuckled. In some ways Zoe could be chill, but in other ways she was anything but chill. She had a spit-fire personality that was ready to ignite at any moment if the right buttons were pushed. “Just be sure you don’t,” he said.

  Zoe quickly glared at him and then refocused on the road. “We should be there in a few more hours. Why don’t you relax? Close your eyes.” That way he couldn’t backseat drive.

  “Good idea.” Evan didn’t want to listen to her complain about the bad drivers for the next few hours. Sleeping was his only defense, so he reclined his chair a little and rested his arms comfortably on his lap. “Wake me when we get there.” He let out a deep breath and shut his eyes.

  “Yeah.” Zoe nodded, glad he was going to sleep. She didn’t want to make small talk. She wanted to listen to music and get lost in her thoughts, and there was so much to think about. She’d been devastated when Hayden ‘died’. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, especially since there was no body, but Hayden’s glow was gone. They had no reason to hope. And Alex was already living in denial concerning Sarah. Zoe couldn’t bring herself to march down that solitary, never-ending road of misplaced hope. She didn’t see any reason to. But now her hope was revived. Her friend was coming back to her. She knew Hayden wouldn’t be herself. The Hayden she’d known and loved was probably forever altered. No one lives as a prisoner without it scarring their soul. But she hoped that with their love and support, they could resurrect her. Hayden would know love again. Nick would be sure of it.

  Zoe looked over at Evan as she pulled through the city. She tapped his knee. “Hey, wake up, handsome” she called. “We’re here.”

  Evan stretched his arms out in front of him and rapidly blinked his eyes a few times. The city buildings were lit and people milled about. Restaurants and stores drew visitors. “There’s a parking structure,” Evan noted, pointing to his right.

  Zoe turned on her blinker and entered the structure, circling until they found an empty spot. They parked and made their way down to the street.

  Zoe enjoyed the feel of Evan’s hand wrapped around hers as they walked along. They’d been playing father and daughter for so long recently that they hadn’t enjoyed the simple touch of each other’s caress in public. She hadn’t enjoyed lying to everyone about their relationship either. Evan wasn’t her father. He was her husband. But she knew all too well that sometimes lies save us from the truth.

  “Here it is,” Evan said. He held the door open for Zoe. She walked in and took in the surroundings. “It’s nice in here,” he murmured, leaning close to her.

  The art gallery featured paintings and sculptures of all kinds. Zoe preferred the traditional paintings to the more contemporary art that was difficult to interpret. She disliked the paintings that looked like the work of kindergarteners. She didn’t understand that art. She appreciated art that was precise and looked like replications of reality. She’d seen Nick’s drawings. He was an artist, even though he’d never consider himself one.

  They made their way through the room, appearing like a typical couple on a date. Evan’s hand rested lightly on the small of Zoe’s back. She giggled and kissed his cheek. She wondered if this was part of the blending in or if he touched her like this because he wanted to. She chose to believe it was because he wanted to, but after being together for so long, sometimes complacency sets in and one takes the beloved for granted.

  Paul glanced at them as they strolled through the gallery. Did they really love each other, or were they just putting up a front to blend in? He’d heard that the Asteri would do that, put up a front to accomplish their end. He understood that. He lived a lie too, but never where his heart was concerned. He loved Nat truly, madly, deeply. And now to see them here, in the flesh, threatening his world, he couldn’t help but feel anger and fear. Anger at his inability to prevent this interaction from occurring, and fear at where this interaction would lead. He knew there was no stopping it. Nat had already seen them. He couldn’t send them away. Now he had to be strong and accept what the future delivered.

  Evan pulled Zoe to a stop in front of a large painting. “What do you think of this one?” he asked in a hushed voice. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist and she leaned against his chest. He loved the feel of her petite body against his. His fingertips rested on her hips. He loved being with her like this. He didn’t like having to pretend to be someone else. He loved her, and he wanted the world to know it.

  Zoe looked at the huge painting that hung on the wall. Colors filled the space, splashed about in apparently random fashion. “I don’t know what it is,” she whispered. Turning her head, she looked up at him through her dark lashes. Eyeing his lips, she pressed her lips against his. Zoe pulled away when she felt the stranger stop beside them.

  “Perhaps I can help you,” the stranger said with a strong African accent. He wore nice slacks and a button-down shirt with a suit jacket. “That one is mine.”

  Zoe gave him a smile and read his name from the nameplate beside the artwork.

  “My name is Paul Murphy,” he said. His white teeth contrasted with his dark brown skin. “I call it ‘Creation’. See how the colors burst from the center. They swirl out, expanding. I like to think that is how life is. Everything starts small, tiny.” He held his hand in a tight fist. “But as it grows, it swirls and expands.” He slowly opened his fist. “Each life event adds another colorful layer to our lives, but we have to be careful to look for the beauty around us, or we’ll miss it. That’s why there are so many colors, to remind us of the beauty that abounds in the world.”

  “But what of the black streak that cuts through the colors?” Zoe asked.

  “Ah, the black streak that mars the colorful creation,” he said with a smile. He held his hands behind his back and studied the picture. “The black streak adds shadow and mystery to the piece. Everyone’s life has dark periods.” He turned his attention to Zoe and Evan. “Yes? Unfortunately, some people’s lives are darker than others.”

  “True,” Evan said. “Darkness can never truly be removed from one’s life.”

  “I sense that you know true darkness,” Paul said. “Most d
o not. They believe that since they’ve experienced a few tiresome events that they’ve suffered, but that is not so. Some people experience darkness that many could never live through. You know what I mean,” he said with a nod.

  “I do,” Evan replied. His curiosity towards the artist was piqued. “But how do you know of this darkness?”

  “I have a friend,” Paul said. “She pointed you out to me when you entered. But I’m afraid that she doesn’t meet with patrons.” He would give anything to turn them away, to prevent them from meeting with Nat.

  “We aren’t patrons,” Zoe stated. She glanced around the gallery and spotted the security cameras throughout the room. “We would like to meet your friend. It is important to us.”

  Paul nodded. The pit in his stomach grew. He knew they wouldn’t leave empty handed. They’d come here for a reason, and they wouldn’t leave just because he wanted them to. Not only did he feel powerless, but he knew that he was powerless to protect her. “I understand.” His dark brown eyes swept between Evan and Zoe. “Follow me.”

  Paul turned and walked past various art exhibits on the way to the door at to the back of the gallery. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He looked at them both before turning the knob. He knew that once he went through this door that his life would be forever altered, and he wasn’t happy about it. Nat had warned him that the past always caught up to you, but he’d hoped it would take longer. Nat may have forever, but he didn’t.

  Evan didn’t like this. Somehow this common man knew what they were. Someone let an outsider in on their secret, and now they were following that man to a secluded location. Evan wanted to be the one holding the cards, not the one getting played.

  The back room was dimly lit and littered with easels, paintings, boxes, and sculptures on tables. Zoe followed Paul as he zigzagged through the room, dodging various pieces of art. She sensed Paul’s nerves. He wasn’t happy about their presence, and she couldn’t blame him. Somehow he knew that they lived on the edge of trouble, balancing the scales of justice.

  “She’s upstairs,” Paul said. He turned on the stairway light.

  “After you,” Evan said, extending his hand.

  “Of course,” Paul said with a curt nod. He knew they wouldn’t trust him, but he didn’t trust them either. They were the ones that barged into his life, into his home. If anything, he had the better reason for distrusting them than they for distrusting him. He wasn’t invading their turf.

  Paul opened the door at the top of the steps and walked into the room. He saw her, sitting where he’d left her. She looked so relaxed and comfortable, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. This eased his burden. If she wasn’t worried, then perhaps he didn’t need to be either.

  Zoe looked around the upstairs room. She was impressed by how lovely the large loft was. Whoever remodeled the area had impeccable taste and created a lovely home from a very functional space. The large, open-space was clearly divided into sections, although no walls or doors divided up the home. One wall featured windows that overlooked the busy street that they’d come in on, and a woman reclined on the window seat.

  “Welcome to my home,” she said, laying her iPad on her lap. She took a deep breath and took in Zoe and Evan as they neared her. She hadn’t met them before, but she’d heard of them. Although she’d separated herself from that world, she still tried to keep her finger on the pulse of the supernatural. “This is my favorite spot.” She inhaled deeply and looked out the window. “I saw you from the street. In fact, I see many things up here. Things that would surprise even you.” She smiled and drummed her nails on the glass of the iPad. “I dreamt of you. You stood in the gallery, talking with Paul. Some people call it déjà vu, but you know better. You know there is a difference between what a common person experiences as déjà vu and my visions. You being here is not a coincidence.”

  Zoe stepped forward. “There’s no such thing as coincidences anyway. Right?” she asked. She tapped her chest and continued, “My name is Zoe, and this is Evan.” Zoe rested her hand on Evan’s arm.

  “I am Natalie. You may call me Nat. I’ll decide later whether it’s nice that we’ve met or not.”

  “Fair enough,” Evan said.

  “Why have you come here?” Nat asked.

  Zoe looked at Evan and he signaled her to begin. “We need your help,” Zoe said. “Our friend has been kidnapped, and we don’t know where she is. But that’s not all. Our enemy wears Vires.

  “Vires,” Nat said with a chuckle. She stood and placed her iPad on the window seat. Views from the different security cameras in the gallery were displayed on the tablet’s screen.

  Nat walked to the sofa table and took some stones out of a clay bowl. She slowly dropped the stones from one hand to the other, letting them tap as they collided. “You do have a problem.” She subtly nodded her head. “So it’s safe to assume that you’re here for my services.”

  “Yes,” Evan said with a nod. “We heard you’re good at what you do.”

  Nat laughed softly and dropped the stones back into the clay bowl. “I think this requires a drink.” She walked to the kitchen and grabbed four wine glasses out of the cupboard.

  Paul took the cue and opened a bottle of red wine. He wasn’t happy about this, but if all they needed were her services, then they’d be gone soon enough. He just didn’t want anything to happen to Nat. The world he lived in was safe for her, but the world they referred to was filled with danger and death.

  “What do you know about what I do?” Nat asked. She took the bottle of wine and slowly poured the red liquid into the wine glasses. “To most people I am a mystery.”

  “Very true, my love,” Paul said, handing Zoe and Evan a glass. “Many pretend themselves to be what you are, but they are charlatans, con-artists.” Paul carefully swirled the wine in his glass.

  “You’re an Oracle,” Evan said. “You interpret dreams and know things that others do not. You cast spells, change the future.”

  Nat pointed at Evan. “You overestimate my talents. Changing the future, casting magical spells. What I do is much more mundane than that. You Asteri, you think because you can do the fantastical that others can too. You do not stop to realize that I am much more human than you. I fear I will disappoint you.”

  Evan studied Nat. She did not show her true age, but she did show age. Her dark brown skin showed faint lines around her brown eyes and laugh lines around her mouth. She obviously colored her hair the beautiful caramel brown that was cropped to her shoulders. He noticed a faint difference in color where her roots grew out. Her roots were black with gray mixed in. Tiny age spots marred her hands. She was attractive, but she was not a youthful beauty. Zoe could completely hide her age. Nat could not. She was slowly dying.

  Nat raised an eyebrow at Evan. She’d felt his judging gaze upon her, making note of her flaws. She couldn’t fault him. His kind was eternally beautiful. They sometimes forgot that others slowly withered away.

  Zoe felt the intensity between Evan and Nat. “My friends have had dealings with your kind before,” she said. She paused and breathed in the strong scent of the wine. “A seer named Netra.” Zoe studied Nat’s face for a reaction.

  “Hmm, Netra,” Nat said. A genuine smile broke free that reached her eyes. “Netra was powerful and ballsy.” Nat stared into the wine as if it were a crystal ball. “She took a lot of heat for casting a certain spell. She stuck her neck out, bit off more than she could chew, and fell from grace when the spell failed.” Nat paused to take a sip of wine. “I won’t do that for you. I’m retired,” she quipped.

  Evan rolled his wine glass between his fingers. The taste of the wine was pleasing, but the words offered by the giver were sour. “Netra didn’t fail,” Evan said. “Some people don’t have the faith to see what is before them. Sometimes answers come in quiet whispers that most never hear. Then they fault the giver of wisdom rather than recognize their own ineptitude.”

  Netra chuckled. “Giver of wisdom,” she said
. “Is that what you consider Netra? There are many who do not consider her wise anymore.”

  “What if I told you that she didn’t fail?” Evan asked. He knew that would get her attention.

  Nat raised an eyebrow and looked between Evan and Zoe. She took another sip as she contemplated his words. “She resurrected Sarah? The one who was slaughtered by the Reapers is alive?”

  Zoe wasn’t sure how much she wanted to share with Nat. She didn’t want to put Kate in any more danger. “In a way,” Zoe said. “Let’s just say Netra didn’t fail.”

  This information piqued Nat’s attention. She’d been enjoying the conversation with them. It wasn’t every day that Asteri knocked on her door, but at those words, they now had her full attention. “You must tell me more,” Nat said, leading them to the sitting area.

  Her heart raced with this knowledge. If this was true, then she wasn’t a failure. The most pivotal spell of her life would alter how Oracles were perceived. Its success would alter how Oracles would conduct their business. They would no longer just give advice, interpret dreams, or use their spells to sway events. If she’d been successful, Oracles could truly alter the future by interceding and shaping significant events. In a sense, Oracles would be as powerful as Asteri.

  “Please, sit.” Nat motioned to the sofa while she and Paul sat on the love seat. She laid her hand on Paul’s thigh and looked at Zoe. “If Netra was successful, that changes things for Oracles. I need to know the details.”

  Zoe sensed the excitement in Nat at the news of Netra’s success. She’d heard that Nat was powerful but had stopped practicing. Zoe didn’t understand that. She couldn’t imagine not using her skills to help others, so she didn’t understand how an Oracle could stop helping Asteri in the battle against evil. It seemed traitorous. “I do not mean to imply that Sarah is resurrected,” Zoe began.

  Evan placed his hand on Zoe’s knee and interrupted, “But we have some questions for you.” Evan didn’t want Zoe to say too much. There was an outsider in the room. Evan looked at Paul, trying to read his body language. “Your friend, Paul, he is not one of us,” Evan stated. “Yet he knows our secrets. How do you justify that?” Nat’s confidence in an outsider to protect their secrets was irresponsible. She put not only them at risk, but Paul himself.