Fate's Path
The Book, The Fish, and the Flame

The boy straightened his back suddenly and glared at me. This was a definite change from the boy I had seen only moments ago. His hair was a messy dirty-blonde and his skin color didn’t seem to match. His skin was a soft caramel, and he wore a plain gray tee, jeans, and tennis shoes. His wrist had a leather wrap-around bracelet with a small charm of a red heart dangling on the end. He snarled and I heard Jamie warning me to keep my distance but I only stepped closer to him. The boy’s hand was a blur but suddenly I was pinned to the ground, a large and very sharp blade pressed to the soft skin of my neck. Jamie stifled a gasp and tried to move to protect me. The blade broke the skin and a light stream of blood trickled down the side of my neck. I winced and tried but failed to push him off. For a kid his age, he was strong. “Take another step and she is done for!” He had a slight British accent as he yelled at Jamie. I knew this wasn't the time, but I love that adorable, almost innocence-sounding, accent. I saw Jamie hold her hands up out of the corner of my eye and the boy’s grip loosened slightly. Not enough for me to move but enough that I could no longer feel the blade on my skin. I saw Jamie flick her wrist and suddenly the boy is yanked off me with a yelp. Vines wrapped themselves around his wrists and down the length of his small body. The blade was tossed and skidded into an alley so we could no longer see it. He struggled, snarling and biting at air. The vines only grew tighter, he winced from pain, and I resisted the urge to tell her to stop because she was hurting him.

The only thing that stopped me is a glimpse in his eyes. They were crazed, like a wild animal trapped in a cage, raging to get out. I pulled the key out of my pocket and jammed it into the fabrics of reality. I turn and the door formed. I pushed and it opened into a black void. Jamie hoists him up, screaming in pain as he managed to bite her. She didn't let go, in fact she sped up. She leaped through the portal, with me close behind.

When we got inside the house, Jamie tossed him onto the floor like a sack of potatoes. She clutched her shoulder and I saw Hex blaze past me. “Jamie! What happened?”

“The little asshole bit me!” Jamie snarled at the boy who stuck his tongue out at her in return. I covered my neck where he had cut me, the blood still trickling down but slowly coming to a stop. Such a small cut should have healed fast for me, why hadn’t it?

“We are fine,” I said when I saw Connor staring at my neck from across the room. Everyone else seemed to have gotten back before us, including two new guys. I looked back at the boy who had managed to push himself to a sit and was glaring at the floor. “What is your name?” I whispered softly to him, and I knew he heard me because his cheek twitched. The boy didn't respond at first, but finally muttered and answer.

“Eric Booke.” His voice is many things in this moment, but strangely enough, it wasn’t angry. I knew he was trying to hide the relief, and he did a surprisingly good job at it.

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

“Are you working for Max and Maxine?”

“Yes.”

Everyone gasped and I saw Hex and Jamie move closer, anger radiating from them. I shot a glare at them and they froze. “Would you like something to eat?” I asked, turning back to Eric. He nodded slowly and Jamie’s vines went slack. Eric growls, rubbing his wrists before standing and following me to the kitchen. “I know it is rude not to greet new guests, but I figure you look like you could use something to eat.” I pointed to his midsection wear the small shirt seemed to be almost too baggy on him. He shrugged but his growling stomach confirmed my thoughts. “I may not be the best chef, but I make a fabulous steak. Like, the one thing I can actually cook.” To my surprise, that surfaced a smile from him. It was gone before I can truly determine if it was ever there.

Eric is quiet while I defrosted the steak. I thought he would never speak again until I heard a voice in my head: ‘It smells good’. I jolted and spun around to see Eric staring at me.

“Did you do that?” I asked.

‘Yes’ the voice in my head said. Then Eric grinned a devilish smile. ‘That was funny.’

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the steak sizzling in the pan. “Scaring me? Of course you would replace that funny.” I absently started rubbing at my neck where the cut still remains. My brows furrowed. It still hadn’t healed.

“Just to be clear, you are Piper right?” This time his voice was aloud and it made me pause to look at him. He sounded nervous and looked like he was deep in thought when I nodded. Eric slid up to sit on the counter as he mouthed words that were inaudible.

“Why do you ask?” I asked when the silence had grown too heavy.

“Just curious.” He responded but I knew he was lying. There was a reason he was making sure, and I wanted to know. I would push him for answers, because people had a tendency to open up to me.

We were quiet while I put the steak on a plate and handed it to Eric. He searched through each drawer until he found a fork and knife. I tensed but he paid no mind to me, and sat at the table. You would think he was starved by how fast he devoured it and more snacks I had found. He looked up and his eyes were blank as they met mine. “Thank you. If you don’t mind me askin’, why are you bein’ so nice to me?”

I didn’t respond, rather I scooped up the trash from his meal and tossed it into a bin. I picked up his dishes and carried them to the sink. Why was I being so nice? I am not the most trusting person, but I trusted him the second I met him, even when the blade had been pressed against my throat. I had known he wasn’t going to hurt me too badly. Yet, I didn’t know how I had known. I just knew. Eric didn’t ask again, instead joining me to dry the dishes. How had a kid his age even managed to make so many dirty dishes in one sitting? Eric already looked healthier, and I assessed the next thing I needed to fix. His clothes were a disaster, and I knew I could fix that. I examined him and looked away when his eyes found mine. He had a scar on the side of his neck, it had likely been deep and fatal. The scar was paler than his normal skin, and until now it hadn’t stood out.

“Ya know, it isn’t a crime to wonder.” Eric said, that statement would usually be said rudely but he said it in all seriousness. He sounded so mature, a kid his age should not sound so mature. Eric should've sound like an ordinary child but he didn't. And he wasn't. “I’m sayin‘ you can ask questions.” He spoke again when I remained silent.

“How did you get that scar?” I didn’t need to point, he already knew what I wanted to know.

“Maxine.”

“She seems like a real bitch. From the little I have heard.”

He shook his head. “She’s actually not that bad. I would rather spend the rest of eternity with her than an hour with Max.”

“If she isn’t that bad, why do you have a huge scar on your neck from her?” I inquired, setting the last dish into his palms and watching as he dried it and put it away.

“She was protectin’ me. From Max. The jerk had already hurt my sister, but Maxine tried to stop him with her power. She missed.” He avoided my eyes, his expression going completely neutral. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had managed to make it so even I couldn’t read them. He wasn’t frowning exactly, but he wasn’t smiling either.

“Oh, why did she try and protect you?” It seemed strange that the girl whom Jamie and Hex hated so much would protect this boy.

“I don’t entirely know. She just always has. I trust her a ton more than I do Max. He is the worst thing I have ever met. You don’t want to get involved with him.” Eric glanced at me before looking away again.

“I know. He hurt someone I care dearly for. Someone very close to me.” There was a hiss in my quiet tone and Eric met my gaze.

‘I know how you feel. More than anyone. You may think that is bullshit, but it is true. I understand more than anyone else ever will.’ His voice in my head made me shiver but the kindness made my shoulders shake. I bit into my bottom lip, trying to resist the urge to hug him. He probably wouldn’t appreciate that.

I smiled at him instead and said, “Come on. Let’s get you into clean clothes.” I beckoned for him to follow me and he did. I poked my head into Chris’ room, but he wasn’t there so I pulled Eric in.

‘Why are we in your brother’s room?’ He asked when I dove into Chris’ closet.

“If Responsum filled his closet with things he would wear, as he did me, there should be plenty of things you can wear. Chris doesn’t wear things that fit him perfectly. Look around, I’m sure you can replace something you like.” I started looking around Chris’ room. He had picked a room earlier that day, and Responsum used magic to fix it to every point of Chris’ liking. As I looked now, his bed had a light blue blanket with litter pillows and a picture on the redwood side table. I reached down and pressed my fingers softly into the warm blankets. The second I touched them a memory I did not recognize speared into my brain.

Chris laughed with me as he pulled me onto the bed. We were young, and jumping on his bed. I was giggling like a normal little girl but our laughs were interrupted by a sharp tone saying, “Christopher! Piper! Stop jumping on the bed!” I spun around and saw my mother with a scolding finger pointed at us. My father stood next to her, with a kind smile. I could never recall him getting mad. Chris and I stopped jumping and slid to sit. We sat and waited as our parents exited the room. Then we started jumping again. Our giggles filled the air. Later when we were having a snack Chris told me, “You are the best sister ever!” And he hugged me. I was grinning as we started an argument over how he was better but he thought I was better.

I gasped and retracted my hand, “Family.” I expected tears to flow but none came. I looked at the picture frame and shook my head. “This is my real family.” I let my fingers touch the faces of all of my friends. My expression froze when I saw that in it there was a little boy. About fourteen. And he was clinging to me like he was afraid I would vanish. I had my arm around him and, to my shock, Eric was grinning like he was he luckiest kid in the world.

‘Piper?’ Eric’s voice was behind me and I swiveled around, nearly having forgotten why I was in Chris’ room. He wore a midnight blue hoodie and jeans that looked way better than his old pair. I smiled.

“You look better. Let’s go.” I left the room, and he followed as we made our way to the training room. The memory still burned bright, along with the other one from breakfast. I am not a damsel in distress, I am a good sister. I turned to face Eric before we entered the training room and he almost plowed into me. “Do you think I am a good person?”

He raised an eyebrow and his eyes twinkled in amusement. ‘I am the worst person to be askin‘ that.’ He pushed passed me into the training room. I slowly stepped in to be met with two unfamiliar faces. I yelped.

“Hey, it’s okay. We are new. I am Marcus Fisher, this is Leo.”

Leo nodded, “ ’Sup?” I smiled and introduced myself, and Eric. The boy was still close to me, I expected him to replace a quiet corner but he didn’t. He wasn’t clinging to me, but his arm grazed mine and he stood just slightly behind me.

“So, your last name is Booke? Do you read a lot?” Marcus said staring at Eric who I could feel tense up. Then he relaxed and turned mocking eyes to Marcus.

“Your last name is Fisher. Do you spend all your time with the fish?” Eric raised a brow in a challenge to talk back to him again. Marcus took a step back, then looked at me. His eyes softened considerably as he now chose to ignore Eric. I took time to really look at Leo and Marcus.

Marcus had dark hair with stray gray strands, he was definitely a demon, and he looked to be about twenty-nine. His shirt was a dark gray with a sword printed on the front. I saw the ends of many tattoos sticking out from his sleeves. They all looked like various weapons, and were tattooed all down both arms. The irises of his eyes were black or a really dark brown, and I noticed the way they seemed to flash blood red for a moment before returning to normal. “Power?”

“Battle magic is my main power, but I am half Theiomorph.” At the last word, I found myself jolting and trying to move away from him. Eric seemed to sense my unease and moved backward so I had room to move. Marcus furrowed his eyebrows and took a large step back.

I tore my gaze from him, my hand shaking as I looked at Leo. His flame red hair was sticking up in all directions, his skin was tanned, and his shirt had holes in it from being burnt. The sleeves were torn off, revealing toned biceps covered in scorch marks. “Let me guess, Fire?”

Leo grins and holds up his hand, a flame comes to life. It dances along his palm and around his fingertips. I let my gaze travel back to Marcus and my hand found Eric’s arm. I took a deep breath, the simple touch already calming me. “I’m sorry but Leo, would you excuse us please?” Leo smiled and bowed before backing away.

“I apologize for my reaction to your species. I am not fond of Theiomorphs.” I slowly forced myself to release Eric’s arm but he hardly seemed to even notice I had been touching him. Marcus shrugged as if nothing happened.

“It’s fine. I don’t normally meet people that jump in excitement at my being a shape-shifter. That doesn’t exactly give off a trusting energy.” Marcus is smiling as he adds the next part. “Be all that as it may, I promise to protect you, at all costs.” A small flow of red energy ran up his body before drifting into the air and connecting him to me. Then the energy pulsed before sleeping into my chest, right above my heart. I felt warm inside all of the sudden and shivered when the feeling diminished.

“What was that?” I asked looking at Marcus curiously.

“My curse. We all have our own things and now you have a piece of my soul.” His eyes lingered on me before he turned on his heel and walked to the other side of the room. Leo popped back over nearly scaring the wits out of me. Eric tried and failed to hide a snicker of amusement.

“How may I serve you, Highness?” He gave an over-dramatic bow and I found myself laughing.

“You can start by calling me Piper.” I grinned and he smiled.

“As you wish, Piper. So, did you meet all these weirdos just recently?” His voice is what made me burst out into laughter again. The perfect mix between teasing and amusement.

“Hmm... Yeah, totally don’t know any of them.” His eyes twinkled at my response.

“What about this little guy?” Leo’s gaze shifted to Eric and I looked down at the boy, who’s hand had somehow been gripping my arm without my knowledge.

“If you call me ‘little’ one more time-!” I placed a hand on Eric’s shoulder.

“Calm down. We actually just met but I have gotten quite attached to him.” Eric’s head jerk up and he looked at me, eyes full of an emotion I couldn’t quite place. Leo nodded.

“He seems very... interesting,” Leo commented and Eric glared at him. I saw Leo’s eyes widen and Eric’s glare deepened. “Telepath.” He stepped back, frowning.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as Eric and I exchanged a look.

Leo’s frown was gone before I got to determine whether or not it had actually been there, replaced by a carefree grin. “Nothing, Love.” It was only now I noticed his accent and knew he didn’t want to say anything else. “What are we doing next, because I could use a nice long nap in my comfortable new bed!” Leo changed the subject.

“Not yet. I have slept way to much for a vampire and if I sleep again I might go into a sleep-induced Coma.” Leo laughed at my sarcasm and I smiled.

“Fine, let’s figure out how to kill Max and Maxine.” At the mention of killing Maxine, Eric flinched and his hand tightened around my arm.

“Come on guys, let’s join the others. Now that we have everyone, we might actually be able to formulate a plan.” I start towards the others, grouped on the other side of the room, and Eric follows close behind. Leo strolls up, playing with the small flame and letting it dance lazily around his palm. “So, any ideas?”

Responsum was playing with a small cube that had nine different colors and I raised and eyebrow. “Hold up, are you playing with a Rubix Cube?” He nodded slowly, deep in solving the puzzle. “Okay, you know there are tricks to this right?” I reached for the cube but Eric tugged on my arm roughly. ‘Focus’ his voice said and I groaned. “Fine.”

I looked at the others but they all stared back expectantly. Jamie was the first to speak. “You said you have a dog right? A hellhound?” She was looking at me.

“Technically speaking, yes. But Seymour belongs to Responsum.”

“That’s not the point. What I’m trying to say is, hellhounds can track through dimensions. If we can just get Seymour, he can helps us track down Max and Maxine. Maybe even their helpers so we can try and make them weaker.” Her suggestion made perfect sense and, as if on cue, Seymour came bounding in. Eric stepped away just in time for the huge dog to tackle me. I let out a squeal of surprise but I was soon laughing as he showered my face in kisses.

“Seymour!” I giggled and he took one step back so I could stand. “You goofy dog!” I started petting him and smooshing his face with my hands.

“Piper?” Connor said, bringing me back to the present.

“Right. I think Seymour is in.” My eyes met Chris’ and suddenly I remembered we had to talk about something. “May I have a word with my brother?” No one moved. “Alone.” It took a moment but finally they started filing out. “Eric, you stay.” The boy looked surprised but did as I said, staying beside me. “Did you see it?” I asked once everyone but Seymour, Eric, and Chris have left. “I mean the new one.”

“The one with a strange woman and man.”

I flinched. “That’s the one. The woman is Maiestas, our mother. She is beautiful but deadly. The man is,” I gulped down a breath of air and force out the words, “my father. Well, our father. His name is Isaac. Always been a family man. Loves his kids, and wife.” Each word is hard and I felt my insides threatening to spill.

“Piper, what I said in the first memory was true. You are a badass. I know this is hard, but you are handling it surprisingly well. I don’t think anyone could make you a damsel in distress.” Chris said and Eric nodded in agreement.

‘I hurt you and you took it like a pro. In fact you are so kind to me, which is badass and brave.’ Eric looked away as his voice stopped so my gaze returned to Chris.

“I know we need to be working with the group but after we get replace them what should we do? They want me to be leader but I don’t know how!” I cried, Eric took a step from me. He seemed nervous, like he didn't know what to do.

Of course, Chris did. My brother wrapped me in a hug and it took me a moment before I found the strength to do the same. Eric stood still, his back straight, eyes suddenly blank. From this angle he even looked almost like a personal guard. His hands were clasped behind his back as he watched my brother and I hug. My sadness was zapped away and I waited for someone to break the silence. Chris seemed to sense what I want because he said, “Piper, I know you will figure it out. We all have faith in you. Even those who have just arrived. We will figure this out. Together. All of us.”

His words held determination and truth but it didn't take away all my worry. We now had the book, the fish, and the flame. More people I had to protect, more potential heartbreaks. More of everything going horribly wrong.