Grasping Fate

Alessandra found herself standing before a massive, noisy house. Teenagers were coming and going, carrying with them the smell of alcohol and stale sweat.

She cringed inwardly, her eyes darting around for an escape route. She longed to run back to her place, crawl under the covers of her creaky, worn-out bed, and drown out the sounds of ragged breaths, booming music, and... a low moan drifted from an upstairs window.

Followed by a high-pitched squeal and a thick, cloyingly sweet cloud.

Arousal.

She actually gagged this time. The downside of supernatural senses. Why couldn’t she just be normal? Have normal senses.

She didn’t want to step inside. Not even a little. She knew they saw her as an outsider. Someone who didn’t fit in because of her heritage.

It wasn’t that they disliked her, but it was unusual to see a faery so far from their own village or town.

Faeries naturally gravitated towards each other in quads—essentially a group of faeries living in a certain place together.

But Alessandra was far from any town or city that housed such beings. Far from her own kind. Far from a place where she could be herself and let go of her insecurities and doubts.

Sure, Alessandra thought, Lizzie, Renzo, and Jess were great, but they didn’t have the empathy or understanding of her kind to comprehend anything beyond her emotions. It was a mixed blessing.

She couldn’t even summon the energy to cast a spell anymore.

She looked away from the enormous house again, towards the thick, dense forest bordering the back of the property. The townsfolk called it the Celestial Forest. Any packs living near the said forest had “-celestial” tacked onto their name because they were soooo important.

Alessandra shook her head slightly; the name was so ironic it felt ridiculous. It sounded like something out of a fairy tale. As if there were pixies and magical happy trolls. What a joke.

It was heavily patrolled by beasts, the king’s guard (the R-G). They were all the same. They were bullies and utterly pathetic.

Ravaging innocent villages, trying to amass more and more power like the greedy, worthless beings they were. They had no right to the majority of what they plundered.

No right to kill all the innocent people they did. No right to the women they kidnapped.

She’d known some of the women they’d taken; every now and then another woman would disappear, occasionally a man, but most of the species was male so it was very rare.

It was very rare, but it happened. She could only pray that they’d never get to her friends or some random werewolf would have a furious faery to deal with.

The forest screamed danger, and only the most foolish ventured in. Its trees seemed to watch you, their long twisted limbs reaching out to grab you and tear you apart.

Much like the people who lived inside. Thick fog blanketed it, its milky vapor stretching to engulf the front line of trees, rolling along the ground and up the bark.

The leaves seemed to sway in a breeze that wasn’t there, dancing to a ghostly melody.

Being a faery, she loved nature, reveled in it. But this... this promised evil, loneliness, and despair. She’d lost everything because of them, not that she really remembered.

Nor did she feel anger. But she felt pain for another reason. Everything about her life before the compound was hazy and unclear. She couldn’t tell if they were real memories or not.

It was a clear sign of memory tampering. Magic.

They only did it in dire circumstances, so what had she seen? What had she done to have her memory tampered with?

Alessandra was jolted from her thoughts when a hand waved in front of her face; that hand belonged to her best friend, Lizzie. “Ally, are you thinking about the werewolves again?” Her voice was filled with questions and a hint of pity. Her memory may have been tampered with, but everyone knew that Alessandra was the only survivor from the Nightencewood Attack. It had been the most brutal attack ever launched on a village of that size. In just three hours, over four thousand people had died.

Alessandra shook her head, turning her attention back to the house. Through the window, she could see Renzo, her other best friend, trying to fend off random girls.

She smiled faintly. That’s right, Renzo, you better make them back off.

Lizzie clicked her tongue, reaching up to gently nudge a reluctant Alessandra towards the house. “Don’t lie to me. You had that look in your eye. The one that screams out to the god of vengeance to make them pay for their sins.” Her tone had shifted to a teasing one. She knew Alessandra hated the pitying looks.

“Shut up. I do not have a look,” she replied casually.

“Yeah, right. Tell that to your face.”

Alessandra stopped scanning the windows. “I do not have a look.”

Lizzie looked at her pointedly. “I’m just saying. But, hey. I don’t want your beautiful mind going down that dark path tonight. We’re here to party. Loosen up, maybe you might like something you see.” She winked and nudged Ally hard, causing her to stumble.

“Shit.” Alessandra grunted as her ankles tangled together and she hit the ground hard. “Lizzie, I’m not gonna attract anyone with a torn-up outfit and a huge bruise on my leg, fuck. Don’t damage the goods.”

Lizzie doubled over, laughing hysterically.

“Stop it, help me up,” Ally groaned from the ground.

“Ok, Ok. And heave!” Lizzie shouted, pulling her friend up from the ground. “Now! Let’s go get our drink on, my sexually repressed friend!”

---

Hours later, Alessandra wasn’t just drunk, she was completely wasted.

Her steps were sluggish and unsteady; she was stumbling around and had bumped into about three walls and caused two pile-ups where she’d tripped and taken another five people down with her.

“See, I told you we’d have a blast!” Lizzie hollered, draped over Renzo like a scarf. They were a picture-perfect pair. Renzo, with his tousled brown curls, deep chocolate eyes, and a physique that could rival a Greek god. His playful demeanor and sensual aura made him seem like he’d stepped right out of a men’s magazine. Then there was Lizzie, with her short, straight blonde hair and eyes as blue as the ocean. She was the epitome of innocence, well... sort of. She seemed oblivious to the attention she was getting from both men and women. But Renzo noticed, and he guarded her like a lion protecting his territory.

He’d turned eighteen three months ago, which meant he could now find his mate. Having watched them grow up together, through their squabbles and reconciliations, you couldn’t help but feel protective.

That’s why, when Ally found out, she marched right up to him and threatened to make him infertile if he messed with Lizzie.

But Lizzie wouldn’t know anything until she turned eighteen in about a month.

Alessandra and Renzo agreed it would be best to let Lizzie discover this on her own, much to Renzo’s disappointment.

This meant they’d have to wait to complete any kind of bond.

But now, Lizzie was drunk, which meant she could express her attraction to him, mate bond or not. Ally didn’t hear him complaining.

The dance floor was a sea of bodies, moving in sync with the music. Everyone seemed to have a partner. She secretly hoped she’d find someone to hook up with tonight.

But there was a problem. She physically couldn’t, not that she didn’t want to.

Whenever she got close to a guy and felt anything beyond friendship, she experienced a sharp, stabbing pain. Like a warning. Once, she ignored it and had sex with a random guy.

The next day, she was in the hospital, writhing in pain. The guy was nowhere to be found. He’d vanished without a trace.

All his stuff was still there; nothing seemed out of place.

The search for him lasted months. The only suspect was Ally, but she was already at the hospital when he disappeared, according to multiple witnesses.

No one blamed her, which she was grateful for, but she couldn’t shake off the guilt. She felt like it was somehow her fault.

She couldn’t help but think it had something to do with the sharp pain she always felt. As if it was a punishment for not following its rules.

When she described the pain to a doctor, they were baffled. It sounded eerily like the pain experienced when mates are separated.

It was absurd, and she hoped it wouldn’t affect her ability to find her mate.

“Who’s up for truth or dare?” The music stopped, and her ears rang for a moment before she registered the question. Derek, her classmate from biology (and the host of the party), was standing on a table, having just thrown out the challenge. Immediately, there was a chorus of agreement and everyone moved outside into the warm, dark night. It was the middle of summer, and even though she didn’t really want to play, she was glad to escape the room that was thick with sweat and heavy with desire. Some people had no boundaries.

“Over here, come sit.” Lizzie pulled her down onto a log.

A fire blazed, sending smoke spiraling into the air. The crackling and popping of the wood gave her a strange sense of déjà vu. Why did this feel so familiar?

The warmth of the fire and the cold ground beneath her made her feel like she’d been here before.

There were several log benches around the bonfire, each one filled with people. Some were sitting on the ground in front of the benches because there was no room left.

Alessandra shook her head, glancing at the woods to her side. The edge of the forest was about fifteen meters away, the trees looking even more intimidating up close.

Why did she want to come outside again?

The darkness seemed to seep out from the forest, casting long, black shadows on the ground. Her stomach tightened, and a wave of panic washed over her. It felt like someone was watching her, studying her every move.

The tall trees swayed, a breeze hit her face, causing her hair to flutter. The trees seemed to be moving. Closing in. They crept closer to her, and she held her breath.

Two golden eyes seemed to float in the darkness. Staring at her.

She was frozen with fear.

“Alessandra.” Renzo gently touched her arm, making her spin around. His eyes were filled with concern, scanning her face for any sign of what was wrong.

“Huh—yeah.” She replied, her eyes darting back to the forest, which was now back to its original state, to see if the eyes were still there.

“Are you okay?” he asked cautiously, his arm reaching around Lizzie, who was snuggled against his side, to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

She nodded, still trying to locate the eyes. They terrified her, but they also intrigued her. Who was that?

“Yeah, I think I just need another drink, that's all,” Ally replied, reaching over to a cooler at the side to pull out a full bottle of vodka.

She stared at it, wondering if it was worth the hangover tomorrow. After a quick glance at the woods, she decided it was time to get even more drunk.

She unscrewed the cap and tossed it into the fire, immediately regretting her decision as the liquid burned her throat and made her eyes water.

Lizzie laughed, her head still nestled against Renzo's side, “That’s my girl! Chug it like you mean it!”

She smiled, laughing before lifting the bottle to her lips and downing the rest of the vodka.

Her stomach churned, and she could feel the strong liquid trickling down her throat. The burn was intense.

She heard the beginning of the chant, “Doltone, Doltone, Doltone,” growing louder as she finished the entire bottle.

“That's my best friend!” Lizzie shouted, standing up too quickly and falling back down. Renzo was instantly there, holding her, almost clutching her to his chest. Poor Renzo.

A chorus of laughter and cheers erupted around her as Alessandra slammed the empty bottle to the ground.

“Well, well, Alessandra. That was something else. I think you’ve earned the right to kick off the first round,” Derek chuckled, raising his beer bottle in a salute.

“Okay, then. I choose truth,” she replied, her grin wide and slightly fuzzy from the alcohol.

“No way, you can’t pick truth after that performance! We need to see what you’re really made of,” Derek’s smile widened. She could now see the tiny dimple on his cheek and the playful glint in his eyes. His teeth were perfectly straight, and his snug shirt did nothing to hide his attractive physique.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her, causing her head to dip slightly.

“Ally, are you sure about this?” Lizzie asked, concern in her voice. “Their dare could be anything. Who knows what they’ll come up with.” She was only just realizing the mistake she’d made. Not only had the pain returned, but she’d also committed herself to a dare she didn’t want to do.

“Perfect! Aaron, Morgan, Jay. Come over here and give me a hand.”

Oh, shit. Even in her drunken state, she knew they were the worst trio to choose a dare. “For fuck’s sake. No,” she muttered under her breath. Aaron, Morgan, and Jay were infamous for being total jerks when it came to dares. They’d find your deepest fear and make you face it.

A sense of dread began to churn in her stomach. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two small orbs glowing in the darkness. The eyes. Her gaze was drawn to them; fear was no longer her dominant emotion.

Instead, she felt a sense of wonder and nostalgia. She was almost drawn to them.

A cough echoed around the fire, quieting the murmurs of the group.

“Alessandra,” Aaron began.

“Uh—yes?”

“Our dare for you is...” A drumroll started, the crowd began to cheer and shout, their anticipation matching her own.

“You have to try and find the Celestial Palace.”