She Who Minds

4

I decided to walk to the club. Either I would find Finian, or I would find Cleo. Both of them had to know something, the necklace gave me the same exact feeling that I had when Cleo shook my hand, and Finian gave it to me. I had yet to stop and really think about how absolutely crazy this all is, and perhaps that's the reason I keep my head down, not noticing the person standing directly in my way until I collide with them.

"I'm totally blaming that one on you, babe," a male voice says, rubbing his shoulder.

Looking up, I'm greeted by the sight of an undeniably handsome boy, but one that I would have rather seen from a distance.

"William, right?" I ask as he feigns being hurt.

"Will, actually. But I think I might like William better coming from your lips."

"Oh, please," I glance around me, "Are you stalking me or something? You seem pretty persistent."

"Babe, how you wound me so," he says, dramatically clutching his chest, "But actually I did come looking for you. Imagine my surprise when I saw you walking back towards where I found you the first time. Business at this hour?"

"That is a bit creepy but believe it or not, it's not the weirdest thing I've been through today. And on another note, it's only like 2 PM."

"As far as I'm concerned, clubs aren't open that early. Who are you looking for anyhow, Cleo?"

My eyes shot up to meet his, "You know her?"

"Of course, she owns clubs all over the city. Some say she can see your future if you're rich enough."

"Oh."

Moments of silence pass between us.

"What did-"

"I can-"

Will laughs lightly, "Sorry, you first."

"What do you want?"

William hesitates, "I just wanted to see how Daisy is, and I guess you too?"

I narrow my eyes, "How would you know about that?"

"I was the one who was helping her before you, uh, knocked me back."

I take a few moments to study him, and I notice that it is extremely unnerving for him to act so, maybe caring? Hesitant? Hurt? He keeps twitching his fingers and he can't seem to keep his breathing even. And underneath everything, sketchy behavior and all, I believe he is telling the truth.

"We're okay, are you?"

The question catches him off guard, "Listen, I know Cleo personally. I can get you up to see her if you want?"

I don't know what made me say yes, maybe the urge to see William back to his normal self, but eventually we made it to the door of the club. The bouncer took one look at Will before letting us in. Will shoots a wink at me before walking inside, I let out a breath of relief.

"Emma, Will! I was wondering when you two would get here." Cleo says as she descends a spiral staircase hidden in the corner of the club. I look confusedly at William only to be met with a smirk.

"She can see things, remember babe?" He says, tapping my forehead.

"This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder," I mumble.

"Oh I'm sure, darling. I know you have questions, but I have yet to decide if I will answer them, or rather, explain how they became questions in the first place," Cleo says, leading us to the bar.

I take a glass of water she hands me, "What is that supposed to mean?"

She smiles, "The future is always changing, shifting with every action you take. I can choose to give you unreliable answers, or something from the past. And of course I will help Will with his sudden, developments."

"I guess, start from the beginning?"

"Beginning is a large word."

"Well, who are you and how are you involved with all of this?"

"I am Cleopatra, former queen, and current business woman extraordinaire. I help people who need help, and of course the ones who can pay a price. They tend to be the ones who can keep their mouths shut," she says, winking.

This time William cuts in, "Wait a minute, queen as in Cleopatra Queen of Egypt sort of queen?"

"I wonder, would you believe me if I said yes?"

I have to admit, looking at her it was hard not to notice the regal air surrounding her and the way that she held herself. I think that I would believe her, that I do believe her.

"This is not about me," Cleo points out, "this is about you, Emma. You have the necklace now, do you not?"

I nod.

"The stone was found long ago, deep within the Earth. It's finder realized that it contained a great power within, so they decided to keep watch over it so it would not end up in the wrong hands. Many wanted the stone's power, and to help and reward the finder for their protection, the stone granted some of its power into them, thus the first Minder was born. The one who minds the stone. When the last Minder dies, a new one is born and then trained. This has always been the case, until you, Emma."

"Me? What could I possibly have to do with all of this? I'm just a girl living above a convenience store with no regard for society. I'm no Minder, or whatever."

"Perhaps not, perhaps you are something more. Everything about your future is blurry and forever changing. This conversation alone has already changed so much. You see, Emma, you were born before the previous Minder could die. Usually, the Minder and the stone cannot go long apart from each other. If they somehow can, the Minder cannot use their powers. However, you succeeded in both those aspects by surviving, and when you shot at Will."

"I'm sorry, but how do I know if all of this is true? And how could Will even be alive right now if that were true?"

"Darling, haven't you noticed already? The stone is truth. That's how you knew Will was being sincere. The power of the stone is in him."

"Wow."

Our attention snaps to Will and the look of disbelief on his face.

"What?"

I shake my head and turn back to Cleo, "Why is he involved in all of this?"

"When you released your power to him, a bit of it," she pauses, "Rubbed off."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that Will can now feel everything that you feel and in return, you are more aware of him. The Minders are something ancient, and while I have been alive for a long time, I do not know everything.

"What do you mean you don't know everything? How could you just feel like you have the right to tell me whatever you want like that? I am not and will never be whoever this Minder is that you keep talking about. All I am is an incredibly average 18 year old girl who could never, ever be responsible for an entire group of people. Not even if the entire world was ravaged by flames or swallowed up into the ocean!"

Will takes a bar stool and throws it across the room, breaking it. The loud sound of metal is enough for me to take my mind off of my anger. Will visibly relaxes.

"You see, Emma, the world will be taken by fire or floods unless you stop it. Just ask the stone, it will tell you the truth," Cleo says after a moment.

"I just-I don't understand."

"You will with time. It is the only way. You will find out much more on your journey, much more thanI could ever give you. My sight is tied to Earth, I can see no further. Everything outside this atmosphere belongs to the stone. It will train you and tell you everything you need to know. The last thing I can give you now is that you need to make sure that your trust stays between us and the stone. There will be many who will not be looking out for your best interests."

All I can do is nod my head in response.

"Now, I will keep Will here with me for now and see what I can do. You should go home and try to keep up with some resemblance of your life before. You'll need that."