Strings of Fate

118- Choice and changes Megan turns to face me, a look of amusement on her face.

“He is really really thinking through all this, isn’t he?” She asks. | nod.

“Yeah, it's almost impressive. It's scary... but at the stime, | totally get it. Also we REALLY need to meet this girl.

“You just want to see if she’s his soul mate.” Megan accuses. | shrug.

“What's the point in being able to see spoilers if | don’t get to know about the actually invested in?” | point out.

people I'm “True, that’s fair. Will you tell him though?” She asks.

“Ill tell him the sthing | told you. Basically that it's better he doesn’t ask unless he already knows the answer.” “Well, at least you're consistent.” Megan admits.

“Would you tell me?” She tries again. | look her over, unsure.

“Will you be able to keep it to yourself? No matter how dumb his decisions are?” | demand. Megan immediately nods, then pauses and seems to rethink her decision.

“Uh... I'm not sure. | knew about you and Bellamy but | gave that away without realising it. Maybe | can’t be trusted.” She looks pretty miserable. | lean in and give her a hug.

“Hey, that wasn’t your fault. | never blamed you. You are definitely a trustworthy person! | was actually asking if you want that kind of responsibility. It's not always fun watching. people make the wrong choices. If it weren't for the black thread that Tristain had with Bellamy | probably wouldn't have ever said anything to you.” | admit.

“I would have let you marry him and just made sure to be there for you when it ended.” Megan is quiet for a minute.

+11 Bor 05: 1/4 118- Choice and changes.

“Really? I'm not quite sure how | feel about that.” She says in a subdued voice. | sigh.

“I know, and I'm sorry about it. But that was the choice you made. Without the chance to make choices and mistakes, what's the point in even having free will? | could tell everyone who they should be with, but that’s not going to make them want that person. And if they do really care about someone, nothing that | say is going to change their minds, it might even make them more stubborn about it.” I explain. Megan contemplates my answer for a few minutes.

“I understand... and maybe don’t tell me, at least not until I've worked it out for myself.” She winks and I laugh.

“Sure.” Bellamy and | both end up going to bed late. When Megan and | finish our movie | check his room and realise that he is still downstairs in his office. | have a quick shower and change into pyjamas but when | emerge he still hasn't joined me. | wonder if he knows how late it is? | pad downstairs on barefoot to check on him. | find him at his desk, hunched over and hyper focussed. He looks up and givesa strained smile as | enter.

“Hey,” he greets me.

“Hi. What are you looking at?” | ask.

“Information that Alex helpedfind about the Brooks family.” Ah, well that explains hist stressed out posture.

“Anything interesting?” | prompt and Bellamy shakes his head, then shoves his hand through. his hair, pushing it back and sighing.

“No, not really. | can’t find anything in their finances, they didn’t appear to owe anyone money, nor were they wealthy enough for it to be worth kidnapping a child, not to mention that would make murdering the parents an accident, and | can see that happening with one, but both parents? Then why keep the girl? Alex also got ahold of sof the official Lion stuff from law enforcement, don’t askhow. | have no idea. The family didn’t appear to have issues with anyone. In fact it seems they kept to themselves a lot. The family are all recorded as Magics, but there is sdebate as to which kind. The mother was a Bon 05: 2/4 118- Choice and changes Witch, as we thought. But the father and Kiara. Well, that seems unclear. Mostly these reports are just confirming information we already knew. But I'm going to keep looking. There are plenty more sources we can check. The guys are going to talk to their friends, work, neighbours, the school. Surely someone will know something.” “We hope. Are you finished for tonight?” “Not yet, | had just a few more things | wanted to read over. You can head up to bed if you're tired. I'll do my best not to wake you.” Bellamy offers. | shrug.

“Nah, I'll wait.” | move into my recliner and curl up.

| wake to Bellamy pickingup off the recliner.

“Hmm?” | mumble drowsily.

“Oh, shit. Sorry. | was trying not to wake you. It took longer than | thought and you fell asleep.” He says, his tone apologetic..

“S’okay.” | feel like | should tell Bellamy to putdown, insist that | can walk myself to bed. But I'm so sleepy and comfortable. He doesn’t seem to struggle to carry me. Not even when we reach the stairs. He fumbles with his bedroom door knob a little but he manages it without jostlingall that much. He lowersinto the bed and pulls the blanket over me.

“I'll be right back.” He whispers, with a kiss on my forehead. | nod and snuggle into the blankets. True to his word, Bellamy returns a minute later wearing sleeping pants and not shirt. He climbs into bed beside me, flicks off the light and tugsclose to his side. He lets +11 out a deep sigh and it takes him a while to relax. | don’t know how long exactly thought because it only takesa few minutes to fall completely asleep.

no Bor This twhen | see her, Kiara is asleep. Her hands are still tied and propped under her head. She's curled up in a little ball on the ground and she looks like she’s freezing. Even in sleep. she looks strained and miserable. | watch her for a long time. Eventually, she rolls over and my heart races when | see the purplish bruise forming on her cheek. We are going to find her and | am going to make sure that nothing like this, nothing bad, ever happens to her again. | can’t undo what's happened to her, even if we save her, she’s still going to be a little girl with no parents, just like | was. But she’s strong. | haven't seen much of her but | know that. | can 05: 3/4 118- Choice and changes see it in the defiant looks she gives and the way she resists when she gets pushed around. It know it’s a little hypocritical of me, particularly considering how | told Megan that | would have let her marry Tristain, but speople shouldn't be allowed to have free will and make choices. Not when the decisions they make hurt others so much. | spend a while watching Kiara, looking out for signs of any change, but it seems like she’s being left alone to sleep.

that, something changes, | don’t know exactly how but my vision of Kiara fades and | find myself falling back into blackness and | stay that way until morning.

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