Book of Fates ✔

Uninvited guests

"What would you like?" he almost exclaimed as Anya stood in front him.

"A blueberry cheesecake, please."

"And an Americano," Charna generously put some cash on the counter. "You can keep the change."

The clerk eagerly nodded and hurried to fulfill the order.

Anya frowned, glancing through the window. The rain was over, and the scarlet sun peeped out of the clouds. The bakery was nearly empty, but Charna seemed to be in no hurry.

"Nikk said I shouldn't trust you."

"But you have your own opinion, don't you?" Charna replied and tucked a strand of her tousled hair behind her ear. The sunlight fell on her face, and Anya saw a long scar on the fomorian's cheek. "I can say the same thing about him."

"What does Leir want?"

"Oh, he has a lot of interesting stuff to tell, to ask, to propose..."

"Which is?"

"Which is," Charna raised her hand to put on Anya's shoulder. "You will know if come with me."

Anya didn't answer. She grabbed the bag the clerk had brought and swirled around, toward the exit.

But Charna was faster.

"I just said Leir is waiting for both of us," she hissed and seized Anya's elbow so hard that it hurt. "That wasn't a question."

The clerk gawked at them, still holding Charna's mug of coffee.

Twisting her arm out of the iron grip, Anya dashed to the door. Stumbling over tables and chairs, she ran out of the bakery and toward her apartment building. People grumbled as mud spattered from under Anya's boots, but she kept running.

Having no idea how she made it to the front porch, Anya hastily searched her pockets for the key, but her trembling hands refused to find it. The sun had almost set, but Anya could still see Charna's dark figure matching toward her. Like a fox on a hunt, confident that her prey had nowhere to hide, Charna was approaching in a steady pace.

Suddenly, the door banged open, and an old man appeared on the doorsteps. Just in the time.

"Good eve..." Anya breathed and slipped past him.

Only when the door shut behind her, Anya sighed in relief. A billow of weariness consumed her, her thoughts were tangled and confusing, Anya was capable of concentrating no more. What was going on around? Why was it going on? Why her? Why now?

Rubbing her eyes, Anya shambled up the stairs.

For her entire life, Anya felt ignored and neglected-at rehearsals, among her friends, or during classes at school. Her classmates used to be jealous about the last thing actually, especially when it came to checking homework. But now? Now Anya would give up a lot for these fomoires and daitias to leave her alone.

Regardless, something deep inside was whispering, don't even dream of it.

The front door gently creaked open, inviting Anya into a familiar apartment plunged in gloom.

"Dad, I'm home!" She threw off her sneakers, tossed her bag on the floor and strode along the hall.

The apartment was small. Its brick walls were simply painted white, with no trace of design. The furniture was cheap, a chest of drawers in the corner full of useless stuff that dad didn't bother to sort out. Nothing in here could compare to the daitias' luxurious place Anya had recently fled. Nonetheless, this was her home. Anya and her father loved it.