Dating Father Time's Daughter (Book 1)

Chapter 16: Talking About Joe with a Cup of Joe

A spark of blue light emerged from thin air and spun itself into a wide circle. Joe stumbled out of the portal and crashed into the ground head-first. Compared to Joe, Pixie flew out of the portal and hovered above the ground.

"At some point you're going to need to suppress your body mass. It helps with levitation" said Pixie.

Joe crawled onto his feet and nodded his head,

"Right! I'll start practicing as soon as possible."

The hard touch of the ground awakened Pixie's awareness. She eyed the setting and realized that she was back at the hill where she and Joe fought Winter and Summer. The inside of her mouth tasted bitter.

"I wish Freida had let me accompany her. How am I supposed to just wait here, while my dad is kidnapped?" asked Pixie.

"Freida said that this would be the perfect time to train me, so I'm useful in the upcoming battle. Don't worry, Pixie. Have faith in Frieda's plan" assured Joe.

Pixie threw her head back and quickened her pace. Joe shifted gears into a brisk jog to keep pace with her. He wanted to stay by her side, she was a friend in need.

"Also, I'm perfectly fine with you staying at my place. Rent is pretty expensive in New York" said Joe.

Pixie failed to understand Joe's optimism. Had he not witnessed the events that had just unfolded? Her father was overpowered and she was incompetent. Even under her tutelage, Joe had a significant learning curve to overcome. Already demoralized, Pixie questioned how qualified of an instructor she actually was.

"Freida doesn't have a plan, Joe. She's Free Will. That means she believes in riding with the tides of life not riding against them. What she expressed to us was a hunch and nothing more" said Pixie.

Joe caught up to Pixie as they walked up the grassy hill,

"Isn't it weird how both Dexter and Frieda can exist in this world? I always thought the world was governed by either destiny or free will, but not both. I can't help but wonder which is more powerful."

Joe gazed at the silver globe in the sky that stalked their movements,

"What do you think is most powerful? Destiny or free will?" asked Joe as the two reached the hill's summit.

Pixie took her time answering that question. Truthfully, she preferred not to answer at all. Writing her life was beyond the scope of Dexter's power. But so was Freida's ability to summon the courage necessary for people to change their path in life. Time Keepers simply existed in a space beyond the influence of forces like destiny and free will. Or so she thought.

Naturally, Pixie was destined to become the world's lone Time Keeper after the passing of Father Time. But, Father Time felt it was destiny for him to have a son. These conflicting views could not be reconciled.

Joe's question did not make Pixie think about the role of outside forces in the control of her life, but how little control she had over her own life. When people are born into difficult circumstances, are they destined to escape those circumstances or are they internally motivated to transform those circumstances? Do people struggle in life because they are meant to overcome the struggle or do people struggle in life because they are inadequate?

Joe cleared his throat and pointed upwards. Pixie followed his hand with her eyes. A dazzling star twinkled in the night sky.

"I believe free will is the most powerful. That's what my sister believes in and after seeing Freida, I believe in it too" said Joe.

The two arrived at Joe's front steps before Pixie could answer the question for herself. Joe pushed the door open and paused when he saw that Pixie ceased following him. He held the door open with one hand and scratched his head,