34. The Threads of Time
The Threads of Time
Rez
As I fall, I feel myself become weightless, and I instantly feel sick as my stomach rolls as if I’m on a rollercoaster after eating bad gumbo.
A light appears, and as I focus on it when it comes into my view, I realize it looks somewhat familiar.
Not something I’ve seen recently, but something I’ve vaguely seen before, or possibly someone told me about it when I was little. Or maybe in a movie as a kid.
As I take in the floating mass my body is rushing to, I realize it’s not something someone has told me about, but an everyday item I’ve seen countless times, except this is golden and emitting light.
Golden threads crisscross in intricate designs, varying in size, shape, and different widths.
Is it a dreamcatcher? A cross stitch? A spider web?
The answer whispers against my mind, ‘The Threads.’
“The Threads!” I shriek, and my voice echoes and bounces around me as I drop rapidly and find I’m about two floors away from them now, and the Threads are taking up my entire field of vision.
I’m spinning out of control towards the Threads. The ones that keep people alive. What. The. Fuck.
“Mushca! Stop playing!” a voice scolds as my body jerks to a halt, splayed out like a rigid starfish, my nose up against a very delicate, almost pure white thread.
I can’t move anything as I hear movement to my right and a sugary sweet voice calls out, “What did you do this time?”
The room slowly begins to lighten around me, and I can finally see the full web of Threads beneath me and the ten-foot drop to the ground where a woman in a deep red robe floats below.
Her hair is a kaleidoscope of colors, and her skin almost sparkles like diamonds underneath her robe.
The room is bare except for the Threads; even the floor is simply dirt and loose rock from what I can tell, and there’s only one door—no furnishing or decorations on the walls here.
My sling starts to slip, and I go stiff trying to keep it in place as she looks up and sees me.
“Oh!” She covers her mouth in shock. “Mushca!” she turns and yells at something I can’t see.
“I told you to bring her here, not bring her through your horror tunnel.” Turning back to me, she flicks her wrist, and suddenly I’m floating away from the Threads and over to her and this mysterious Mushca.
As I reach the floor, I’m finally able to control my body, and I quickly shake out my limbs, shaking off the weird feeling to be sure I can move everything of my own free will again.
Something jingles off to the side, and my attention goes to a three-foot dust bunny with its cotton ears up that’s sitting up and staring at me with bright red eyes.
Its whiskers are made up of different colored pieces of yarn, while its body is literally dust, gravel, pieces of jewels, and anything that it seems to have collected off the floor.
“Mushca, I presume.” I tilt my head, taking in the fact as a few small pebbles of dirt rush over and add themself to its body mass. Hmm, maybe that’s why it’s a pretty big bunny.
“Very good. I knew you were smart. Mushca is our dust bunny. He’s our magical run-off over the years and our housekeeper, if you will.
As you see, he collects all sorts of things,” the woman observes, pulling my attention back to her.
“I’m Seren, the other Fate you have yet to meet,” she introduces herself with a small smile.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Nerezza,” she says, touching my face, her eyes soft with longing.
“You look so much like your mother. But what’s happened to your power?
” Her eyes search my body, looking for obvious answers. “It’s diminishing.”
“Would you believe me if I said it’s a side effect of having a bully?” I fire back.
“Depends on how powerful your bully is?” She cocks her head. “It’s not every day that someone can affect someone’s power like yours. Spill.”
“God’s Trumpet. Simple enough.”
“Is that how you damaged your shoulder?” Seren’s gaze penetrates through me.
“You could say that,” I sigh, hating to admit my weakness as I slide my arm back into my sling.
“I see.” She nods. “Come.”
She doesn’t wait for me to take her hand to ask any of my own questions, which I guess is smart since there’s only one way out. It’s either her way or stay here with the Dust Bunny from Rockefeller, who apparently has a mean sense of humor.
I follow her into the next room that takes my breath away, as bright, beautiful, and colorful images of animals and people dash across the walls, painting a living landscape.
The room is two massive living rooms’ worth, with two sofas in the middle facing each other, and a long coffee table holding a plant on one side and a scroll laid out on the other side.
There’s a lit fireplace keeping the room warm, and every time a colorful animal passes by, the fire turns a different color. It’s so hypnotizing.
From where I’m standing, there’s something slowly moving along the scroll, and for whatever reason, I have a sinking suspicion it has something to do with me. But I could be paranoid. The Fates wouldn’t really be fucking with me that much, right? That was just talk… right?
“This is where we do most of our work, or at least where we can keep our eyes on everything,” she explains as I try to take in everything.
“Ahh. Nerezza, there you are,” Anwen’s voice calls out, and I spin around with wide eyes.
How the hell did Aaron get here so fast?
I stumble back into Seren’s body as Anwen comes closer, setting down the two cups in her hands and giving me a concerned look.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” she asks, coming closer.
“You!” I point and stumble behind Seren, putting someone between us. “How did you get here so fast? How did you know I would be here?” I fire off questions one after another, clenching Seren’s robe. “Does Seren know you’re really Aaron?”
Anwen jerks back as if I slapped her, her brows pulling in with confusion, and then smoothing as she gives me a pitying look.
I would rather have a physical slap than that look.
I hate pity looks, I’ve had them all my life, once my mother, Jillian, died…
the first time. Man, my life has been one fucked up ride so far. Anwen doesn’t look at me, but at Seren.
“Maybe it’s best if you show her what you need to, before we talk.” She then sits down and grabs one of the cups that she brought in.
“Very well.” Seren turns to me with a small smile and pries my clenched fist from her robe.
Oops. Forgot I had a death grip on that.
“Come. I need to show you something.” She beckons me over to the other side of the room, and I follow, not turning my back to Aaron. Passing by the scroll, I notice how it moves as fast as I do.
Hmmm. Suspicious. I give Anwen one last cautious look, but she doesn’t pay me any attention as we walk to a pass-through of a room off the back of the living room.
“As you might not know, your mother was the Fate of the Present, but that doesn’t mean she could see things that involved her. I’m the Fate of the Past. And Anwen is the Fate of the Future,” she tells me as she pulls back a curtain and allows me to see into the room.
It looks like a small closet to be honest, that is, until she walks in and turns on the light, and my jaw drops.
Tears sting my eyes as I back up to a wall and brace myself as I take in the nursery room that has my name plastered all over it.
It’s one thing to be told something, but it’s a completely different thing to see it, touch it, or experience it.
“I know it’s hard. I’ve had a long time to deal with my sister’s death. I even had her help in doing so.” She walks over to a chest of drawers and opens the top one. When she turns, she’s holding a small turquoise and gray swirling ball, as small as a marble.
“What is that?” I choke on the words, scared of truly knowing the answer.
“I did something I wasn’t supposed to do. I visited her once she passed, but I’m glad I did, because she gave me a present to give to you at the right time.” She walks to me, gently takes my hand, turns it palm up, and places the marble into it.
I can feel it pulsing with power as warmth seeps into my hand. “What will it do?” I whisper, scared yet desperately wanting to know more.
“I don’t know the future. I only know your past, Nerezza, and it was a beautiful one.” She leans in and kisses my forehead before she turns and leaves the room. I hear her voice in my head. ‘Break it once you’re ready.’
Still in shock, I take a few minutes to look around the room, taking in what used to be my home.
There’s a picture of Mom and Dad. There’s even a picture of me with all the Fates.
I don’t know how I feel about Anwen being Aaron, but Seren didn’t even flinch when I mentioned it.
Hell, she brought me here because I said it. Ugh, this is all confusing.
In the end, I don’t have time to wait; I’m running the damn Gauntlet, and my friends need me.
I need to get out of here. If anyone can get me back to where I need to be, it’s the Fates.
Decided and ready to get going, I squeeze the marble between my thumb and finger.
It does feel pliable, but I don’t trust breaking it that way, so I place the marble on the floor and slam my boot heel down on it, smashing it into pieces.
Nothing happens for a few seconds, and I frown.
Annoyed, I turn to walk out when my nursery scenery before me swirls into nothing before a wind whips my hair around me as my world goes white.
Suddenly, greenery replaces the white as the wind dies down, and I find myself in a small clearing, surrounded by woods. Birds are singing, and I can hear a creek somewhere. The sun is out, but I don’t see anyth—
Something darts between the trees, grabbing my attention.
“Hello?” I call out as I duck through the foliage and underbrush and push through to the other side of the greenery.