Old Strings Broken

Old Strings Broken [Part 2]

My head instantly whipped around, hair slapping my face in progress.

A woman about her late thirties regarded me with a dignified nod. Her lips were as red as blood and hair was in a strange hairdo with two long braided pigtails and chopsticks secured her bun. She was also wearing a Chinese dress that matched the colour of her lips and the style of her hair.

“Sorry, I…I was just trying to escape some trouble,” I stammered. “I’ll go now.”

“No, no, stay little lamb, no need to fret. My intuition is telling me that you are experienced with some love problems, am I not right?” she pursed her blood red lips.

I winced at her comment. What is this place and what is she? I glanced meekly around and noticed a beautiful embroidered silk screen standing behind her. And behind that screen, there were candles, lots of candles placed around two chairs and a table draped with a pearl white cloth with Asian embroidery. Was this some kind of cult stall that I’ve accidently entered by mistake?

Yep, I was right.

“Darling, I’m Madam Ling and today it’s all on me because Yuelao, the Old Lunar Matchmaker will not forgive me I do not,” She smiled at me again and waved me to the seat opposite to hers.

I gave her an unsure nod and sat down as I was told. If this was for free I guess there’s not harm to listen to a psycho’s divination which I don’t have any faith in. My life was already down in the dumps and if I had a glimpse at my future it’s going to be so terrible and put a weight on my life having to worry about it every day.

“Can you show me your ring?” Madam Ling asked.

Ring? I looked down to my chest and wrapped my fingers around the little white gold band hanging down from my necklace. It was my dead mother’s and I treasured it as if it was my life, wearing it wherever I went and even in the showers. I don’t know the origins of the ring, or who gave it to me but it was one of the few things that I have left in the memory of my mother.

“I see it must be very important to you to let me see it. Then I shall observe it from here,” She interrupted my chains of thoughts. “The one you think of now is not the one who you are seeking at the end of the thread. He is one of the many obstacles standing in the way of the one but do not worry the one is fairly close, so close that you may be over looking. If you do not identify him now, an invisible red thread is connected to the one who you are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break. Or will you be the one to break it?”

I didn’t listen to her ramble anymore. Who is she to tell me that Jace wasn’t the one? I love him so much it kills me to be parted away from him each seconds gone by, let alone to see him with another girl. All I ever wanted was someone to love me, not in a friend way but in a way that’ll make me feel safe and would always come to my aid.

“Cassandra?” Hamish happened to walk into me as I stepped out into the fresh air.

“Hi,” I gave him a small twitch of a smile.

We weren’t really close and it was Alex who introduced us to each other in the middle of our eighth grade. Alex always made disorientated with his loud mouth and wild personality. When Hamish entered the circle, he makes me feel uneasy just to be near him, making me feel funny. I have nothing against him. He was four-eyes, tall, messy dirty blond hair and always wearing a brooding face. Maybe I’m the one that he has something again with.

“Are you alone?” He suddenly broke the awkward silence between us making me wince.

“Uh, um yeah…You?” I asked in return.