I finish the last few hours of my shift in a blur. Despite the unexpected proposal, I am over the moon. My first real friend at last.
Anthony gives me a funny look as I give him a cheerful wave on my way out, something I have definitely never done before. My feet are killing me as I begin the fifteen-minute walk to my apartment. I've only been walking about five minutes when I give up on my heels entirely and just take off my shoes and carry them. I walk along the pavement in my stockings and hope that there isn't any broken glass or sharp rocks on my path. It's just after ten pm when I reach my home. I sigh and begin to climb the stairs. I live on the third floor of a tiny, cramped and somewhat rundown building. At least the rent is cheap and the landlady is the sweetest woman. Probably the closest thing I have to an actual friend. She is a little old lady, human, but unusually accepting of Magics. She lives off the rent from the residents of the building and spends her days in her own little apartment on the bottom floor. I used to have the bottom floor, but about a month ago it became clear that Maggie, the landlady, would not be able to manage the stairs much longer. I offered to swap with her. The climb is annoying, particularly after a long day at work. But I am only twenty-two years old. Not nearly old enough to complain over something as easy as a couple flights of stairs. Trading apartments with Maggie did come with one nice advantage. Maggie spends almost all of her free time baking and making different treats which she is very happy to share with me. She will bake during the day and sell most of what she makes at a local market in the mornings. It doesn't really make her any money, but it covers the cost of the ingredients and lets her enjoy her retirement. I finally reach my floor and find a plate of chocolate chip cookies covered in glad wrap sitting on the ledge of my window with a little note taped to it.*Trying a new recipe. I asked Logan to take these upstairs for you. Let me know what you think.
- Love Maggie*Logan is Maggie's grandson. He lives with his mum a few streets over. He often stops by to visit Maggie after school. She always provides him with treats in exchange for his assistance with running a few errands for her, like delivering cookies to my apartment.
He is eleven years old and still eager to please so it is a perfect arrangement for them both. I have also noticed a green thread connecting Maggie and her grandson. They are part of the reason I suspect it represents some kind of mentor type relationship. I grin and let myself into my apartment, grabbing the plate on my way in. I dump my keys on the little table which I keep pushed up against the wall of the living/ dining/ kitchen type area. I never have guests so the table is barely ever used. My apartment consists of a joint living/dining /kitchen area. A tiny bedroom and a balcony. There is a laundry room on the bottom floor connecting to Maggie's apartment which all the building residents share. The building has four floors so aside from Maggie and I there are three other people living in the building. A young couple on the top floor, Ren and Kiara. They are newly married but without their parents approval. They don't have much, but they seem to be happy. I can see the red thread connecting them so I know they made the right decision in choosing each other. On the floor between myself and Maggie there is currently a middle aged man named Paul. He is recently divorced and seems to have gotten the worse side of the divorce arrangement. We have had a revolving door of residents on that floor in the two years since I moved in here, no one seems to stick around for long. I suspect Paul might last longer than most. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Maggie spoke with him when he moved in and warned me that he has expressed a dislike for Magics. She figured I might prefer to avoid him or at least keep my mark covered to avoid trouble. I agreed with her. There is no reason to invite disaster. My apartment may not be five star, but it is safe and comfortable and gives me a place to call my own. I was raised in a Magics orphanage where I stayed until I was eighteen. I moved around between crappy apartments for a couple years before settling here. My time in the orphanage was not pleasant as I did not fit in with the other Magics there, not that there were a lot of us. Most Magics band together in groups. A Shifter child would never be sent to an orphanage, they would be taken in by other Shifters. Witches also like to keep together in their covens. Sorcerers like to take apprentices and will often take in young Sorcerers if they are available to train and raise in their own image. They tend to be a little self obsessed in my opinion. No, the few Magics who end up in orphanages are mostly Succubi and Inccubi (their parents are notoriously promiscuous after all) as well as Magics who can't be identified, and most of those tend to figure out their powers fairly young and then are adopted into appropriate families. Exhausted from a long shift, I pull my hair back into a low ponytail and change into my fuzzy, pink, unicorn adorned, flannel pyjamas and bunny slippers. I set a packet of instant noodles to heat in the microwave of my rarely used kitchen and sit and eat my cookies as I wait. They are amazing. Note to self, tell Maggie how amazing these cookies are. I glance at the microwave and notice it only has a few seconds to go. I launch myself from my seat and dash over, sliding slightly as I hit the button to stop the machine before it lets out the incredibly annoying high pitched screech that someone deemed an appropriate way to signal it is complete. I eat quickly and burn my tongue a little as I down the last of the broth from the bowl. I swallow a few mouthfuls of water and leave my dishes by the sink before making my way through my bedroom to the bathroom where I brush my teeth before I stumble back to my bedroom. It is tiny but cosy. I have filled it with every kind of fluffy blanket, pillow and beanbag that I can afford.Every time I decide to treat myself, it is to some new comfort object. Some people buy makeup and fancy clothes, others buy books or movies. I get comfy, squishy objects. Okay and a N*****x subscription, but I only pay for half of that. Maggie and I share a N*****x account. She has no idea how to work most technology, so I set it up and pay for it, but she deducts a little of it from my rent in exchange for her own profile on it.I once snuck a look to see what she was watching and had a private little giggle when I realised that she uses it to watch almost nothing but rom-coms. Not that I blame her, I watch them too, probably more often than most. I don't have a TV, instead I have a laptop which is probably the most valuable item I own. I worked extra shifts for months to save up for it. I shift the laptop from where it sits in the pile of blankets and pillows on my bed and place it on the little side table. I only have one side table which I got discounted because it was originally part of a set but the other one got damaged. This is perfect for me though because the room only really has space for one. I have a queen-sized bed which I have up against the wall in the corner of the room to make a cosy little corner of pillows and happiness. The bedside table fits in on the other side and leaves just enough space for my little dresser where I keep my clothes, and the few cosmetic and jewellery items that I own. With the laptop out of the way, I quickly place my cheap, flip phone on to charge (something I only own so work can contact me. Or Maggie on occasion) then I collapse into my bed and bury myself under the piles of blankets. The thread connecting Megan and I has faded for now which tells me that she isn't close by. I close my eyes and relax, and it takes me barely any time at all to fall asleep after my long and emotionally exhausting evening.I wake to a loud banging sound. It takes me a moment to realise it is someone knocking really, really loudly on my front door. I groan and pick up my phone to check the time. Eight twenty-two AM. Who could possibly be visiting me? Maggie should be at the markets right now and Logan on his way to school, besides, neither of them would ever knock so... aggressively. I force myself to climb out from under my covers and shiver as the cool morning air hits me. I glance in the mirror as I pass it and realise my ponytail from the night before has twisted and now sits awkwardly on one side of my head with half my hair pulled loose in a weird loop. I pull the tie from my hair and slip it over my wrist. The banging continues.“I'm COMING, chill out already would you.” I grumble. Oddly enough the banging does actually stop. Whoever is on the other side of the door clearly has great hearing if they heard what I just said. That or they gave up on me answering and went home. I hope for the latt
The more time I spend with this Shifter, the more I begin to think fate got it wrong. I wonder if there is a way to break threads or get rid of them in some way. I've never seen it happen before. Even in death people are tied together. I once walked past a cemetery and saw an old man visiting his wife's grave. The red thread still flowed from his chest and vanished down into the ground connecting him forever to his beloved. It was depressing but also sort of romantic in a morbid kind of way. I glanced back at the man sitting at the table across from me. I can't imagine being linked with him forever. I really hope fate knows what it's doing, giving me this man as my soul mate.“Yes, I will be friends with your twin sister. It is fated.” He scowls at me.“You aren't even a Shifter, why would fate want you to be friends with my sister?” Now it’s my turn to scowl back at him.“What does that have to do with anything? Everyone has a fate Mr Kane, regardless of the circumstances of their
Paul swears and raises a hand towards me, but it never connects. Bellamy catches him by the wrist and holds him firmly. When he speaks his tone is deadly.“Get out. Never speak with Ryann again. I suggest you look into finding other accommodations since you are so against the presence of Magics.” He doesn't make any threats, but his tone and the look in his eyes is enough. Bellamy releases Paul who backs away before fleeing down the stairs to his own apartment. I had hoped that this neighbour might last a little longer than the last few, it seemed it wasn't going to happen. Note-to-self: apologise to Maggie for scaring off her residents. I sigh.“I shouldn't have done that. He didn't need to know that I'm a Magic. Now Maggie is going to have to get a new resident for the second floor again. She did warn me that he didn't seem terribly open minded.” I grumble, more to myself than to Bellamy. He shrugs. Suddenly he seems a lot less hostile, in the last minute he's changed from oppos
“Or maybe I can just tell my shift manager that I have to leave...” Shaun grabs my hand and places it on his arm. I want to yank it away but I feel like I probably shouldn't antagonise this guy, at least not until I'm sure he's not a threat. Seeing no real option but to go along with it, I leave my arm there and allow him to lead me from the restaurant. There is a black car parked out front. Shaun opens the door for me to get in and climbs in beside me. Aaron makes his way to the drivers seat. I rack my mind to consider why a Shifter Alpha would want to see me. Something to do with Bellamy of course, but what? Had he made some complaint about me? Or had he somehow figured out that I was his soul mate and planned to drag me kicking and screaming to the Shifter compound? The fact that he has involved his Alpha is hardly promising. I don't know a lot about Shifter politics and rules, but I do know that, to a Shifter, their Alpha is the highest authority that they answer to. If I am
“You're right.” He grumbles out.“Excuse me?” I question. He repeats himself.“You're right okay? I should have tried asking you first. I will try to remember to do so in the future. I have been worried about my sister and after hearing she got engaged I might have gone a little out of control. Don't worry about your job. I know the man who owns Borderline, I will make sure you don't get in trouble for missing your shift today.” He takes a deep breath and releases it.“I am hoping that you will agree to help me protect my sister by further investigating Tristan.” He manages to keep his voice calm but seems uncomfortable. I do notice that he hasn't actually apologised. But I guess admitting he is wrong is the first step.“I thought you didn't really believe in my power?” My tone makes the statement a question. Bellamy shrugs.“I'm not sure I do. Maybe it is just because you seem to be the only other person around here who is suspicious of Tristan, but I find I really want to trust you.
Bellamy sounds incredibly embarrassed. My eyes are wide. He couldn't possibly have figured it out could he?“Um...” I am unsure how to ask my question but Bellamy catches on fast.“It is generally accepted that a Shifter should have a mate before taking over as Alpha. Due to my parents' sudden passing, I had to take over early. It has caused some... friction... among the other Shifter groups. They don't respect me as they should because of it. Some demand that I should step down and allow a mated Shifter to replace me, one of the Betas. I have no intention of doing so and most feline Shifters here follow me easily enough. But a mate would simplify things. If you say you're here for me, my sister will believe it.” Bellamy pauses before speaking again, his voice halting.“Do you- oh no, I promised not to ask. Never mind.” I released a deep breath. If Bellamy outright asks me who his soul mate is, or if I am his soul mate, I am really not sure I can lie to him. I really don't want to hav
Bellamy, once again offers me his arm. I take it and allow him to lead me out to the front of the building where a Shifter man waits patiently. He is dressed in jeans and a dark shirt, much like Shaun and Aaron. He is quite tall and bulky, if he weren't so polite he would probably be intimidating. He has chocolate brown hair. His eyes are brown too but seem tinted orange so they don't quite look human. He is well built and if I do say so myself, quite attractive. “This is Darrien, Megan's guard.” Bellamy says quietly. The guy is cute, but what really catches my attention is the red thread connecting his heart to Megan's. Interesting. I go out of my way to smile at him and shake his hand.“Hi, I'm Ryann Gale. You're Darrien right? It's nice to meet you.” The man smiles kindly and mumbles a quiet greeting. I can already see that he is the gentle giant type. Although I wouldn't put it past him to be seriously scary if someone threatened Megan. He assesses me with his eyes, as if determin
Bellamy immediately turns to me.“Are you okay?” he asks in a hurry.“Of course I am. He's an Incubus sure, but he isn't going to hurt me.” I assure him. Bellamy looks doubtful.“You sure he didn't try anything? You know how Inccubi. can be.'' His voice is thick with implications. I glare at him.“Now that's just rude. He's a person like anyone else. He has a soul mate just like anyone else. I'm not sure who, I don't know if they've met yet. It just takes a while for Inccubi. and Succubi to settle down is all. He's basically harmless.” Bellamy looks confused.“I've seen people run into Inccubi. and leave with them after only a minutes conversation once they turn on their charm. It doesn't seem to affect you at all.” I shrug.“Harry wasn't really trying. Inccubi like games. As long as you let them know that you aren't playing, they lose interest.” Bellamy nods.“Fine, it's good that you aren't really affected by them. Just remember that I promised to see you home.” he reminds me. I gla