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41- Desert and dancing
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๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2024-03-14 11:47:12
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Strings of Fateย ย ย 42- Teasing and terror
Bellamy shrugs.โOr, you could just ditch the shoes.โโExcuse me?โโJust take them off, then you have no reason not to dance with me.โ I shake my head.โDon't be crazy, it is completely inappropriate to take my shoes off here. Not to mention rude.โ Bellamy rolls his eyes.โMegan won't care.โ He insists. I open my mouth to argue but before I can get a word out, he drops to his knees and grabs my ankle. I squeal and instinctively kick out at him as he snatches my right shoe right off my foot. He stands and takes a couple steps away from me.โWhat the hell Bellamy! Give that back!โ I stand up but don't try to walk, it'll be awkward with only one heel. He hangs my shoe over one finger and dangles it in front of me.โI'll trade it for a dance.โ He offers.โYou're ridiculous.โ I counter. He just shrugs at me again. I try to take a step forward but stumble. I slip my other shoe off and hold it in one hand. I step forwards again and attempt to snatch my other shoe back from Bellamy. He holds
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-03-14Strings of Fateย ย ย 43- Monotones and makeup
I- I cut off my own thought. This is not helpful right now. I take a deep breath and calm myself. I might even be almost relaxed when Bellamy finally finds me. Okay, that's not true. I'm completely freaking out. But I manage to hide it. Bellamy comes and sits on the seat beside me. He places my shoes on the ground by my feet and I slip them on. The silence is deafening until Bellamy finally manages to speak. His voice is quiet and almost completely void of expression, as is his face.โAre you mad at me again?โ He asks. I shake my head. I don't know what I expected him to say but it wasn't that. โNo.โ He watches my face attentively.โBut?โ He waits for my reply. I stand up and move to look at a small water feature built into the wall. I keep my back to him.โBut I can't do this right now.โ I tell him. I keep my voice calm, but it's forced. I hear Bellamy stand and take a few steps until he's next to me. I don't turn to look at him.โWhat do you want?โ His voice is a dull monotone.โI
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-03-14Strings of Fateย ย ย 44- Understanding and unsure
โGreat! Well in that case, want to come over for a bit? I thought we could look at some bridesmaid dresses and wedding dresses online and stuff. Search for inspiration.โ Her sudden mood swings are giving me whiplash. I'm not awake enough to keep up with them.โUh, yeah sure. Okay. I'll need a bit, I need to wash my hair and stuff before I can come.โโYou only just woke up didn't you?โ She accuses, her tone is amused though.โI thought you sounded half asleep. It's already almost midday, time to get up sleeping beauty.โโWhat? That can't be right? I feel like I haven't slept at all. Maybe I'm coming down with something.โ I slept terribly and I feel super tired even though I slept in late. Maybe I caught a bug. Or all the stress in recent days is finally catching up with me.โMaybe. If it makes you feel any better, you're probably less of a mess than my brother is. I found him wandering the house at like five in the morning. I'm pretty sure he didn't sleep again. He's back in bed now bu
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-03-14Strings of Fateย ย ย 45- Tears and truth
Next time I check my phone it's basically flat so I plug it in to Megan's charger. It's after six in the evening.โI should probably get going soon.โ I inform her with a frown. I'm enjoying myself, I don't particularly want to go home and sit around by myself. It leaves too much time for thinking. Megan grins at me.โYou look like you'd rather stay.โโI would.โ I admit. She shrugs.โSo stay then. We can have a sleepover.โ She is suddenly excited, her excitement is contagious.โI'd love to!โ I bounce back onto her bed and she laughs as I almost fall off again. It takes a few minutes for her to calm down enough to be able to speak again.โSo, I was wondering something...โ I start. She nods for me to continue.โTristan, I don't know a lot about him, and you don't really talk about him all that much. What's he like?โ I am actually curious what he seems like to her, because to me he just seems creepy. Megan smiles.โHe's perfect. He always says the right thing and we never fight or disagre
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-03-14Strings of Fateย ย ย 46- Home and hot chocolates
When we reach my home, Darrien moves to the kitchen and starts going through my cupboards.โGo change into one of those fuzzy unicorn things.โ He orders. I nod and head to my room to change. I've finally stopped crying. Now I just feel empty. I move around like a zombie as I throw on my pyjamas. When I head back out, Darrien sits me down at one of the chairs at my tiny little table and hands me a hot chocolate. So that's what he was looking for. He settles down in the chair across from me with his own mug.โI know you weren't ready to tell him, and he probably was a little annoyed to overhear that he's your mate. I'm sure he would have preferred if you had told him directly. But none of that explains why you're crying like it's the end of the world. What happened? This is two nights in a row I've had to drive you home in a hurry.โ Darrien keeps his tone gentle. Still, it seems pretty clear that he has no intention of leaving me alone until I fill him in a little.โHe overheard me talk
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-03-14Strings of Fateย ย ย 47- Forts and fallouts
The next three months continue in this fashion. Megan and Darrien continue to visit me and I continue to live on autopilot. I lose weight because I can't seem to eat or sleep properly. I'm working more than ever. It helps to stay busy. It means less time staring at the wall. I still help Megan with wedding stuff but my enthusiasm is even more false than it was before. Still, the wedding plans continue to progress. Maggie messages me on multiple occasions inviting me to stop by. I make excuses every time. I haven't cried since that day and I don't intend to cry again. I haven't seen or heard from Bellamy either, although Megan and Darrien insist that he has been checking in with my guards regularly. That actually makes things worse. If he wants to talk to me all he has to do is call, or come see me. Instead he's spying on me from a distance getting reports from others. It only confirms that he has no interest in actually seeing me. Darrien suggested I should go see him. But if he is av
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-03-14Strings of Fateย ย ย 48- Cartoons and considerations
Harrison obviously isn't buying it, but he doesn't need to, he just has to cooperate. Which he does. We start to rearrange my living area. Soon the table is up against the bench with the chairs in front of it. Blankets cover everything. The back of the bench has become the back wall of our fort. The table is the roof and the chairs mark the entryway. We stuff it full of pillows to make it comfy and make sure the charger for my laptop can reach a power point so it won't go flat on us. There aren't any lights inside the fort other than the laptop, but the lights in the living area are still on which provides a tiny bit of light through the fabric of the thinner blankets. There isn't a lot of space, but Harrison and I can fit even though we are a little squished together. It's comfortable enough. We're just starting our second episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog when my phone starts ringing. I ignore it. I don't want to deal with people right now, whoever it is can wait. As soon as the c
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-03-14Strings of Fateย ย ย 49- Decisions and determination
I'm not really watching, and I know that he is only watching to give me time to think. Time to sort through the rush of emotions I'm feeling. Can I really tell Megan the truth about her ties? Should I? From the very beginning that was my plan. I wrote her that note. It wasn't until I met her and became her friend that I began to worry she would resent my interference or choose Tristan over me. But didn't I promise myself I was going to be the best friend she ever had? Would a good friend really let her go through with this marriage? As for Bellamy... well, he does deserve the truth from me. The problem is I really don't know how to give it. What truth is it that he needs to hear? If I start at the wrong place he will probably run and avoid me, or it will turn into a fight. I can feel my heart rate increase at the thought of having to face Bellamy properly. I don't know if I'm ready yet. I take a deep breath to calm myself. I don't need to do anything right this second, I can take some
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-03-14
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Strings of Fateย ย ย 205- Sweethearts and safeguarding
My automatic reaction is to panic and to mentally scream NO ABSOLUTELY NOT! She is just a child. She is way too young to already find the person she is fated to be with, not to mention she has been through too much. What if he is immature or goes through a jerk phase as he grows up? Or worse, what if he is a lot older than her? Four or five years might not mean much when sheโs an adult, but at her age that is a LOT. And who could it be? Is he going to be good enough? What if I donโt approve of him, what if heโs a bad influence. Iโve seen people with red threads who hated each other and were terrible for each other when they were young and as they matured became more right for one another. Is it too soon for them to meet? Sheโs just gone through an incredibly traumatic circumstance and she does NOT need some guy messing with her head right now. I take a deep breath and try to relax. I donโt know who it is, we might not even be meeting him right now. The thread just tells me that heโs s
Strings of Fateย ย ย 204- Adapt and adjust
The next few days pass almost too quickly. Bellamy and I have our meeting with Sara and her father. He was a little curious as to why I was there, but he didnโt say anything. He wasnโt pleased, but he did agree to back off of Sara a little bit and seemed to appreciate the added security that we are arranging for the university students. On the drive home, Bellamy is grumbling about it. โHe was barely polite to you.โ He complains. I roll my eyes.โHe was polite enough, how polite should he be to a stranger in his house telling him how to parent his child?โ I point out Bellamy shakes his head.โYouโre his Alpha, my mate, he should know better.โ He continued to scowl.โItโs not like he knows that. We havenโt actually told everyone.โ I remind him gently. Now itโs his turn to roll his eyes.โOf course he knows. Itโs the worst kept secret around, remember? Heโs just the traditional type. Isnโt sure how he feels about having a non-Shifter as an Alpha. Heโll get over it.โ He says firmly. I f
Strings of Fateย ย ย 203- Beads and bonding
โWell, I think that it might actually be nice having an extra person around the house. Extra security and company. Besides, you spend most of your time here anyway. Might as well save you the commute. That is, as long as no one else has any objection?โ I say pointedly looking at Megan. Sure, Bellamy could object but I already know that he wonโt. Megan briefly makes eye contact with me, gives a slight nod, then finds something to stare at on the ceiling. She is clearly trying to look like she doesnโt care but she is blushing bright red. True to form, Darrien is watching her closely trying to work out how she really feels about my suggestion. Realising that she isnโt going to provide any input, he decides to push it a little. โMegan? I would like to hear your opinion. I am still courting you and I donโt want to screw anything up by making a decision like this without your input.โ Darrien says clearly. His voice is mostly calm with just the slightest hint of anxiety as he monitors her r
Strings of Fateย ย ย 202- Calories and clothing
I wake up late in the morning, it might even be early afternoon. I wriggle around a little which prompts Bellamy to do the same, he is apparently already awake. He raises a finger to his lips to shush me before I speak and I can see why. Kiara is still sleeping, lying in the bed between us. She is still loosely holding onto my arm, even in sleep. I slowly disentangle myself from her light grip and slide out of bed. Bellamy follows, clearly doing his best not to jostle her and wake her up. She definitely needs the sleep. She was restless for a good part of the night and almost definitely was having nightmares, but she seems like sheโs sleeping soundly now. My own sleep was blissfully quiet. No visions or anything thank goodness. Iโm looking forward to having several weeks of steady sleep and so help me if anything tragic or dramatic happens for the next few weeks then whoever is responsible should probably be terrified of me. We step into the hallway to talk without disturbing Kiara.
Strings of Fateย ย ย 201- Touch and trust
I cross my arms in irritation. โKiara would never! How would she even do that? Sheโs just a kid!โ I object. Dr Dae rolls her eyes at me.โOh calm yourself girl. Iโm not saying she chose to murder anyone. I assume that she was forced to comply somehow. Youโll have to ask the girl when sheโs ready to talk. As for the how, the child is a Reaper.โ She says it as if itโs obvious but it really isnโt. I know that Reapers exist, but theyโre the kind of Magic that most people have heard of but no one has ever met. I suppose Kiaraโs dad must have been a Reaper too and why the MRO was so secretive about her markings. Most people are kind of scared of Reapers, theyโre kind of the boogeymen of our society. Mostly because they can kill on a whim. All it takes is one touch and they can free your soul from your body. Obviously with no soul you die, and I guess your soul moves on to wherever souls go when you pass on. I suppose that a Reaper would make sense for the representative of Atropos. Her add
Strings of Fateย ย ย 200- Healing and hunger
Since Kiara probably isnโt up to braving the stairs and she really doesnโt want to be carried around everywhere, we decide to ask Dr Dae to come up to the bedroom. Itโs actually kind of weird having so many people in here. Bellamy is a fairly private person, he doesnโt generally invite people to hang out in hisโฆ our room. Dr Dae shuffles in clutching her usual bag. Iโm surprised that Bellamy isnโt carrying it for her because it looks kind of heavy, but I suspect that she wouldnโt hand it over anyway. I immediately greet her.โThank you so much for your help. Your contact has become a great friend and sheโs a huge part of the reason we were able to find Kiara here.โ I nudge Kiara gently with my elbow and give her a little smile. She looks very small and delicate in the oversized, mismatched clothes with her hair dripping down her shoulders. Sheโs so pale that the bruises on her skin stand out and look even worse than they actually are. Dr Dae gives me a half nod of acknowledgement then
Strings of Fateย ย ย 199- Clean and covered
We all turn to face Alex in confusion. I glance up at Bellamy to see if he has any idea whatโs going on but he looks just as lost as the rest of us. I continue to stroke Kiaraโs hair trying to keep her calm. โExplain.โ Bellamy says firmly. Alex flushes red under the attention of everyone in the room. โUh, well. I assisted Miss Gale in updating her registration with the MRO, and uh, since her position is one ofโฆ well almost authority, over the fateโs representatives the updated registration reflects this. So she should be able to make decisions about Kiaraโs care like an Alpha would for their Shifters or like a Coven leader would for their Witches. Admittedly itโs a very small group of Magics, but according to the Magic Registration Office, she is in charge of it.โ He explains, his voice starts off weak but gets stronger as he becomes more confident in what heโs saying. The police seem a little stunned but I guess Alex isnโt technically wrong. If Kiara were a Shifter, her Alpha would
Strings of Fateย ย ย 198- Stolen and sure
When we pull up to the house, thereโs a police car waiting. There are two cops standing by it, one looks bored and irritated and the other has a fake โcustomer serviceโ type smile plastered on his face that I know well from experience. Yeah neither of these guys want to be here. Theyโre probably pissed that we made them come down here. Not to mention uncomfortable being in the Shifter compound. Non-Shifters arenโt invited here often, although I suppose that isnโt exactly true anymore with all our new friends stopping by regularly. Standing beside them looking awkward and uncomfortable is Alex. I bet theyโve been taking their impatience out on him. I narrow my eyes at them and prepare myself. One snotty comment and I am going to tear into them, itโs been a long night. Bellamy parks the car and I wait for him to get out. He speaks with the police briefly and Alex escorts them inside the house. Bellamy returns and opens the door next to Kiara. โHey, can I help you get inside? The police
Strings of Fateย ย ย 197- Leaving and leaning
As we step outside, Iโm confused to find that I actually have no idea where we are. I really was just running and following the tracking spell. I donโt know how far I ran. Itโs a good thing the others are here to bring back the cars because I would be wandering all night trying to find my way back. Iโm also fairly sure that I left my phone in the car when I jumped out in a hurry. Kiara clutches my hand tightly as the cars pull up on the street in front of us. โMegan, Darrien. You stay here and speak to the police when they arrive. Direct further questions to me. Shaun, you stay with them too.โ Bellamy directs as Shaun hops out the car. At Meganโs insistence he stays a good couple of metres away from us.โYes Alpha Kane.โ He responds cheerfully. Aaron and Rio also climb out of the vehicles. Rio stops to chat with one of the other Shifters whose name I still donโt know. Aaron immediately approaches me. Actually a better way to phrase it is that he storms over. He looks almost angry. Or
