Visions of Fate

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: AFTER THE CLIMAX

"What do you think about Mr Green's homework?" Ethan asked. You know, the one he gave us this weekend?"

"I really think it wasn't fair," I replied, listening to the footsteps that got closer. "I mean not one of the questions he gave us could properly align with the ones in his examples." I tried to distract myself from my nerves by thinking back to school, my friends, and how mostly safe I felt around them both.

"I know, but I think it's fair, because –"

"Ethan?" My heart almost climbed up to the throat at the sound of Ava's voice. "Among every single place in town, this is where you guys decided to have your dates? Seriously?" She flicked something from the hem of her shirt.

"Ava," Ethan looked stunned and slightly embarrassed to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that question, mister. Why are you guys sitting alone in the dark in this old abandoned warehouse? I mean when you'd told me, I'd laughed it off only because I thought you were kidding. I didn't actually think you were for real."

"God this wasn't meant to happen," Ethan muffled under his breath, brushing his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry you caught us here, Ava. But like I said, this was Emily's plan. She's kinda shy around public faces. So she thought coming over here, where we wouldn't be spotted, would work best."

Ava looked over at me, like she'd just learned I drank raw eggs for breakfast. "Fuck, I knew you were a freak, but I didn't know it was this bad."

"Ethan," my chair scraped the ground as I got to my feet. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone that."

"I'm sorry, but she's my best friend," he defended himself.

"Will you two quit whining?" She walked up to my chair. "Besides, Emily, you have nothing to worry about." She looked me directly in the eye. "My value for you hasn't really shaken after this discovery."

Now, this statement had two meanings; the direct and opposite one. On face level and to someone like Ethan, this statement might have been harmless. But Ava and I knew that was far from the truth. I felt color bring blush to my cheeks, and I ran away in embarrassment.

I heard the table shift when Ethan attempted to follow me, but Ava immediately halted his actions. "She'll be fine, don't stress it." Then the scraping sound of the chair rang through the darkness surrounding me, and I immediately knew she had taken my seat.

I dug through the old boxes of supplies, until I finally came across what I was looking for. Then I hid in the shadows and watched Ava take my date away from me.

I pulled the button out of my pocket and watched as she gestured with her hands to Ethan, waiting for the right moment to push it. Eventually, when it was Ethan's turn to talk, she sank back into her seat and rested her hand on the arm of the chair.

Bingo.

I pressed the button immediately, and I heard the heavy clanks of metal trap her arm to the chair. Ava looked down in confusion, then back at Ethan who was getting up from his side of the table.

I took the ropes with me and rushed to to the lighter part of the room.

"Emily?" Ava asked in confusion. "Ethan what's going on here?"

Ethan and I ignored Ava, using the ropes to tie her to the chair. While I tied her upper body, Ethan did both her legs, restricting her movements completely. She let out a shriek and tried to wiggle her way out of our grasp, but Ethan and I were to strong for her skinny frame.

We backed out when we'd finished, our breaths short and erratic. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Ethan said, brushing his fingers through his hair.

I tried to touch him, but like liquid fire upon his skin, he suddenly jerked at my touch, so I kept my hand to myself. "Ethan," I started.

"God, this is so wrong, Emily," he held my shoulders and pressed them together. "Do you know how much trouble we will be in if anyone finds out what we've done?"

"I know, trust me. But we really don't have a choice, do we? Like I said, too much fear is only going to make us weak. And weak means we won't get to complete our plan. So I need you to brace yourself and face your fear. For me," I added, and Ethan, still avoiding eye contact, took in a shaky breath and offered me a little smile. That, I could work with.

"Helloo?" Ava drew our attention to her. "Could one of you romantic freaks tell me what's going on? This better not be a prank, else I'm getting the both of you arrested."

"Well luckily for you Ava," I crossed my arms and stood in front of her. "This isn't a prank. Welcome to reality, Patels."

Ava's mouth was slightly agape, before she looked behind me. "Ethan, are you seriously letting this toilet rat treat me like this? Aren't you gonna do something?"

My gaze was still on Ava, but I felt Ethan walk up beside me. "First of all," he said. "Don't ever talk about my girlfriend like that again. And second, I won't be doing anything to save you, Ava, because I now know the type of person you really are."

"So you light brained sick heads brought me here to trap me?"

"Oh no, no, no," I replied. "You brought yourself here, Ava. Out of jealousy and greed. You see, we knew you were stupid enough to do anything we wanted, reverse psychology really has that much power."

"What are you talking about, you asshole?"

"Oh I might be an asshole, alright. But at least I'm not the one trapped in that seat, with a brain as empty as the space in this room," I laughed as she growled under her breath, trying to force herself out of the ropes. "You really are too predictable, Patels. And you just danced to the rhythm of our music. Let me explain everything to you." I pulled out Ethan's chair and sat in front of our host.

"After I found out you were a Vegant, I needed to test your commitment to the community, whether you were in it by choice or by force. Your behavior in the bathroom proved you hate the Visionari just as much as your people in your community. After that, Ethan and I didn't see you as threat. We saw you as bait.

"But for us to get you, we needed you to completely trust Ethan, and prove to us that you fear the Visionari just as much as you hate them. Thanks to our dialogue in the bathroom, you helped us confirm that fact. Next, Ethan only needed to tell you about our ' secret date ' which we immediately knew you'd love to disrupt. So you see Ava, I might be an asshole, but you are the greatest dummy to ever walk the face of this planet."

Ava was quiet, though she threw daggers at me. She looked tiny, tied up before me, a stark contrast to how high she usually carried herself with the help of her minions. I smirked down at my work.

"And, like I said, Ava Patels, I am not a mere Visionari. I am the Chronokeeper, the most powerful amongst my people. Nothing can get passed me," I walked over to the table, where her diamond encrusted purse sat. I snatched it and ruffled through the few contents in it until I found her phone.

I pulled it out, and smashed it on the ground, the deep crunching sound filling the room and taking everyone by surprise.

"Nothing can get passed me," I repeated, looking Ava right into her wide, frantic eyes. "Including the GPS your father installed in your phone. The same you were hoping your father would use to track you down when you get missing for too long."

Just then, I heard a ping from my phone, which I had hidden inside my cleavage since this dress hadn't provided any pockets for me. I stepped back and pulled the phone from my bra.

I had several unread messages from my friends, though it was Dad's message that immediately caught my attention.

Just got home with Mom. Why are your friends here, instead of you? You better start heading home, young lady, cause you got some explaining to do.