Tug of Fate | When Stars Align Book one

The theory

🜂 Liam 🜂

We unwrap our sandwiches and dig in. We don't know what is coming up next and we need every ounce of energy we can get.

"What is your theory Anya? We can safely say that the murals and the points on The Star are interconnected. But how?" Becca asks her.

Ananya takes a moment to swallow her food and then washes it down with water.

"The first object that was already on The Star was the Moon point. And the murals in the cave were all telling a story. A story of the past. Moon is associated with our subconscious, with the past, with reflection, introspection. And the murals were reflecting those past-reminiscing stories. Yeah?"

We all nod.

"Then Becs puts in the Star and everything fades. Stars are about change. Like, you have heard of these phrases right – stars aligning, stars were against me, etc. Every big change, in our culture at least, has been attributed to stars. So when she put in the Star object it was like everything past sort of faded and everything was washed with this silver glow. Signifying a beginning, a new start, the next phase. The Star literally was the starting point for all of us too."

"Hmm.... And then when James put in the Earth, it was like the cave started painting a new world. Mountains, riverbeds, trees. Everything "Earth". Right?" I say picking up on her train of thought.

"Exactly. Star for new beginning, Earth for foundation. Next everything that comes will be on that foundation. You feel me?" She says excitedly.

"Yeah.. yeah.. I do.." I tell her. Still thinking it over.

"Then what happened with Air? Air is about communication and thoughts in Tarot. How does it fit in here?" Becca asks.

"Air in Tarot is about communication and thoughts. But look beyond and ask yourselves what are communication and thoughts all about really? Go on. Think about it," She tells all of us.

I do that. I go beyond the words. And an idea comes to my mind. My head snaps up and I see Ananya looking at me with pride and anticipation. A little more warmth unfurls in my core. Knowing that she knew I would figure it out.

"It's an idea," I say.

She lights up.

"Yes! It's an idea. Every thought you've had and every thing you say, it's nothing more than an idea, nothing more than a seed. Unless you act upon it or harvest it, nothing comes out of it. Yeah?"

Everyone is now looking alert and focused. I can see all of them are churning this in their heads. And they are understanding it.

"So that is why as soon as Air was put in its place on The Star, an idea of what could be on that land that was painted, came into being. The people, the buildings, the arches. It is all an idea. Hence there are not distinguishing features on people there. It's all outlines, an idea. Like you said," Ali says. Her eyes glowing.

"Yes, exactly. So to recap, Moon showed the past. Star made way for the new beginning. Earth laid the foundation of what could happen. And Air gave us an idea of what could be there. But amongst all of it, parts of the past are fading, but few are still there. It is like, with every new step, this cave is releasing and letting go of those aspects of the past that no longer serves. But a few elements of the past will still be here. Because they form our roots, our foundations," Ananya clarifies.

I am so fucking proud of her. Her mind is brilliant!

"So what now? Next ones are Liam, me then you. In that order. So don't go grammar ninja on me," Logan says raising his hands. We all laugh.

"The next is Fire, then Water, and then Sun. hHow do you know which is which?" She asks, tilting her head.

"Liam is headstrong, he is a think-tank, and his mind is super crazy. He can also lose his temper as quickly. Fire. I am emotional. I am also highly intuitive. And lovable. So Water. And you my baby," he says getting up and going to her and pulling her into his arms. "You are Sun. The Sun of our solar system. But also, you have this spark, this light about you that gives life to others. I cannot explain it, but the way you calm humans and animals alike, it is like warmth emanates from within you and makes others see the light, could only be because you are Sun." Logan finished kissing the tip of her nose.

"I don't think so....umm.. I don't calm others." Ananya says.

Becca and Ali, literally roll their eyes, and Xena gives a sharp bark at her.

"You do. Logan is right. And it makes sense. You do. You have this ability to calm anybody, and to be compassionate and respectful even when you are hurting. You literally give yourself to others who you love. Yeah I agree." James says, looking intently at her.

"Come on Anya. You are a healer. You don't do it professionally, but you might as well. Because you are freaking good at it. And you calmed Xena when she first appeared at our doorstep. And what about Damien and Thea? You gave them a new light and new hope." Becca continues.

"You know," Ali continues softly. "You were right. We give so many silly explanations for things we don't have the 'agreed and the conditioned explanation' for." She says using air commas and all. "I remember that during the events you literally resolved issues with angry artists, the technical workers , the media people, even our CEOs. At that point I thought you are just super intelligent. But now I can see it for what it is. Yes you are intelligent. Your brain works in ways I haven't seen anybody's work. But you also have this presence...this aura that calms people. And that is because you want them to be comfortable."

"Aww you guys.. Thank you.." Ananya says blushing. She is trying to write it off as just compliments, but she needs to know that it's the truth. And Becca calls her out on it.

"Don't dust it off girl." Becca tells her sternly.

I go up to her and take her face in my hands. "She is right. I think coming up is a series of challenges that will literally shake us. We have come this far. And it is because Ali, Becca and James accepted the parts of themselves they had been ignoring. Becca for example has never listened to someone else. Imagine her following that star across the holes, not because she wanted to, but because she realized she needs to do it to save our lives. James overcame the shadows of his past. And Ali embraced the part of her that is like a siren. She controlled the winds with her voice, none of the others could have done it.

So you my girl, you need to also be ready to accept and embrace what and who you are. I am sure that when we are put into certain situations, we will all learn to accept things we never thought we would. But keep an open mind yeah?" I tell her, kissing her forehead.

She looks up at me, at everyone around her then she lets out a light laugh.

"Yeah okay. Thanks guys." She says.

Everyone claps her on her shoulders and the girls blow her flying kisses.

"Okay so let's wrap up and see what The Star has in store for us next." She says and starts walking back to The Star.

"So bossy..." Logan says.

"I like bossy." I tell him

"Yeah yeah you both like bossy. Stop fantasizing about her in a dominatrix uniform and get your head, the real actual head, in the game." Becca quips from beside us.

Well...Ananya in a dominatrix uniform.. Now that is a sight that has parts of me twitching.

I look at Logan and I know the bastard is thinking the same thing.

We both start laughing, adjust ourselves so as not to show our excitement, and start wrapping up.