Ragnarök (CANCELLED)

Destiny

Aether

"Not to sound like a wuss, but that movie was pretty scary" I comment, the sarcasm evident.

"Aww, will little Aether have nightmares tonight?" she teases. I laugh and wrap my arm around her waist pulling her slim body to me. She does the same and we walk side by side down the twilight covered promenade. The lights of tiny shops slowly wink out closing up for the night. The movie was okay as horror movies go but spending time with Steph is by far the highlight of this evening. During the movie, she didn't scream as most girls do. Instead she laughed whenever something scary happened and would grin and whisper (more like exclaim) outlandish comments that would earn us dirty looks. She even rested her head on my shoulder and gazed up at me with those beautiful sapphire eyes. I must have spent nearly half the movie staring at her porcelain skin, rose red lips and hair equal to Asgardian gold. In all my 37 trillion years, no one has captivated me more than this girl. I can't recall at which point I started noticing her. Quite the switch from less than three hours ago.

A chilled wind sweeps through Steph's hair and a faint shiver runs across her shoulders. I go out of my way to stop and place my jacket around her. She touches the cotton fabric and smiles sweetly, a faint blush dotting her cheeks.

We continue walking and she stops gazing into a half lit shop. A purple fluorescent sign above the window reads: Madame Celestial's Parlour of Mystery. A crystal ball with its cloudy depts lies on a length of purple velvet. A book of Norse markings and a stack of decaying tarot cards flank the crystal.

"Let's go here" she says pointing to the door where a piece of parchment is nailed up. Tarot, Palm & Crystal Ball Readings~$10

"I didn't think you believed in fortune telling" I remark.

"My grandmother was a fierce believer in the occult and somewhat of a fortune teller. I guess it rubbed off on me" She shrugs nonchalantly and pulls the door open disappearing inside. I have no choice but to follow.

I almost gag. Incense clogs the air in smoky wisps of putrid fragrance. A mix between rotting fruit and sandalwood. Pots hanging from the ceiling hold the burning sticks. Steph doesn't take notice of the smell and continues through the shop sidestepping ornate throws and pillows.

I continue after her until we come to a doorway covered in a thick, red drape with fading gold tassels. I turn to her, "Should we-"

"Enter"

The voice is smooth like honey with a demanding tone. I pull the drape away for Steph and the enter.

A woman of 50 or so sits on a turquoise pillow covered in a robe of golden silk. Silver jewelry adorns her wrists and fingers jingling when she moves. Streaks of silver shine in her jet black hair and traces of wrinkles crease the corners of her eyes. "Sit, please" she says gesturing to two purple pillows across from her.

Steph and I sit. The pillow is plush and I sink into it. She regards me with a strange look and takes out a stack of tarot cards from the inside of her robes. I don't even want to think where she was storing them.

"I am Madame Celestial, Keeper of Wisdom" she says with an air of finesse, "Is there anything in particular you want to know?"

"Um..." I look to Steph for help.

"What will happen in the future...between us?" she asks.

Madame Celestial shuffles the cards and spreads the cards face down in front of us. "Hold your hands together and choose. The card that is hotter or colder than the rest shall tell your fate"

Steph and I clasp hands then brush them across the cards. The cards are cool to the touch but all feel the same. We come to the last card and heat blasts through my fingers. I jerk my hand away as Steph screeches. Both our fingers are an angry red in burns. "It appears you have found your card" says Madame Celestial.

"No kidding" I reply dryly.

"Aether" Steph elbows me in the side. "I'm sorry Madame"

"That's quite alright Stephanie" We never told her our names, how would she know?

Madame Celestial turns back to the cards and turns our card over revealing a picture. A man and woman close together surrounded by plants. The words at the bottom of the card read, "Lovers"

"Awww, young love, how touching. You have a bright future ahead you two" she says.

Steph's face turns beat red but I can't help but smile. I take Stephanie's hand and plant a kiss on it, "To young love" A dazzling smile replies and she kisses me softly on the cheek. Warmth spreads over my skin and something flutters in my stomach (hopefully not that popcorn).

"Thank you Madame Celestial" Steph says pulling me up, "We best be going"

"Uh, Stephanie?" Madame asks, "Can I have a word with Aether for a moment?"

"I'll be right back" I say. She nods and Madame Celestial stands up walking over to another hanging drape. She pulls it back and I follow her inside.

The room is furnished almost the same as the last except for a table and two chairs. She sits in one and I sit in the other. "I knew when I saw you, that you were different. That you were one of the surviving three Infinity Stones. Tesseractia, Aether and Raventium" she counts off on her fingers and then grabs my hand, "Born with powers of the accursed, the second youngest before Raventium" Her fingernails bite into my hand and energy courses through me sending red sparks shooting through my hair. The ends glow red. I pull my hand from hers and my hair slowly fades back to normal.

She regards me with a calculating look and pulls another deck of cards from her robe shuffling them slowly. "Darkness surrounds all of you, your remaining power eating away at your minds. Tesseractia has already begun to succumb to it and you will be next. It will happen quickly considering Darkness is after all..." She looks at me, "Your specialty"

"And, what of Raven?"

"Oh, is that what she calls herself these days? Raven, has a fair chance of fighting the darkness. All her powers lay in the mind where this battle will rage. Even if any of you survive, you will never be the same. Which brings me to the real reason I brought you in here", she lays four cards on the table, "Turn all of them slowly over" I do so.

A red wheel covered in symbols, a knight riding on a white stallion, a man carrying seven swords and ten cups with a group of people underneath. "What do they mean?"

"Tragedy, Aether" she says shaking her head sadly, "The wheel of fortune, your fate will not change, you will have to go along with it"

"What is my fate?"

She points to the second card, "Death...", she points to the third card, "By betrayal..."
Her hand lingers on the last card, "In your family. More specifically, one of your sisters"

"What?!" I'm going to die! By Raven or Tess?!

"I'm sorry Aether", genuine sadness in her eyes.

I jump out of my chair and deposit a twenty dollar bill on the table. "Keep the change!" I spit and storm from the room. I calm down as I get back to Stephanie.

"Everything okay?" she asks unknowing.

"Yeah, everything's fine" I say putting on a fake smile, "How about dinner?"

She smiles so warmly that my impending death is pushed aside. I lace my fingers with hers and we walk out. I may not have long with Stephanie but I will make the most of our time. No fortune teller, or betrayer of a sister can change that.