We Bent Fate

Chapter 16.

MARTHA

I went down the hall and into my room, thinking. Lila was talking something about a workshop. She was saying that they want me to check out the place but only when I am with either of them.

On the bed, Lulu curled up next to me as I hummed a familiar tune whose words I wasn't familiar with, crooning in a soft voice as I petted her furry skin.

I opened my chat history again and entered Margo's chat, quickly skimming through the messages for anything important but I didn't find anything except for a few mentions about Austin and her boyfriend, Matt.

Apparently, Margo doesn't know that Austin and I are in a relationship. Well, we were. Up until a few weeks ago, I may have asked Margo what to even text Austin to start a normal friendly conversation and as far as I know, a couple in a relationship would be comfortable enough to text without hesitation, right?

After I checked Martha's conversations, I started reading Austin's messages and my prior assumption proved to be true.

With the way we had texted each other, it was clear that we hadn't even started on a normal easy friendship, let alone in a relationship. It felt like reading a graphic novel about a shy girl texting to her college senior whom she had liked very much.

By the end of reading the messages, I was grinning at myself. I could not imagine how Austin was so formal with me earlier but so cute.

But then again, Austin told me that we hadn't had spent much time in our relationship. Yet I don't know how it started and a sting of pain pierces across my chest as I remember that it would never be the same again.

I sigh as I slid myself inside the duvet and tried to convince myself that I did what I had to do for Austin's safety.

I pressed myself against the warmth of Lulu and felt myself feeling warm with just the feel of her in my hands, wondering what would Austin be doing right this moment until I slipped into darkness.

***

In a box a treasure is shut by a God's wish

Its a gift not for the owners- mortals alone, yet a mortal though commands the best in the land, made of wet soil will be brought to life....

she will be curious. And, as she will flit near and far, prettiness won't stay forever shut in the jar

She will take the opportunity to take a look at what pleased her heart more,

And out will come a power that we won't ever be rid of,

for what death, herself had hidden there in the jar.

Gradually, Lila's smiling and triumphant face splits into pieces and then into a blur, her voice  likewise; fragmented into fractions of her speech.

I roll over, squinting and snoozed my alarm. A wave of disappointment rolled over me when I didn't find Austin next to me. My disappointment turned into realization, as I lazily slid out of my bed and went into my bathroom to brush my teeth.

What was that dream that I watched? I thought as I rinsed my mouth and ended up telling myself that first I'll have some coffee and then I shall think over it.

When I reached to the end of the stairs, Austin was already sitting on the sofa, his eyes as bloodshot and puffy as mine. Guess, he didn't sleep well either. I nodded awkwardly at him and he looked away.

Yeah, you deserve it, Martha. I tell myself and entered the kitchen.

"Oh, you are up? Its okay. I already made coffee." Lila smiled at me and pointed at the sill of the kitchen. I stared blankly at my 'sip coffee, skip being sloth-y' mug and raised it to my mouth.

"You both didn't sleep well." Lila noted, oscillating her eyes between Austin and I. Austin clenched his jaw and I sighed.

"I saw a dream." I said, catching everyone's attention.

"What's going on?" Chloe entered, yawning.

"Martha saw a dream."

"Oh." Chloe was wide awake suddenly and I took another sip. "What did you see?"

"I saw Lila speaking something. She looked peaceful and happy. She was saying it like she was narrating a story."

Lila and Chloe gasped beside me. I frowned and Chloe breathed, "A prophecy. What was it?"

"It was something about a gift that death herself had hidden in a jar. It was a gift meant for mortals." I said and my eyes flicked to Austin. His eyes were ready to pop out, although the rest of his face was blank in confusion just like my own.

"That is it, Martha!" Chloe beams. "Do you remember what you had kept in it? What did you cook up in that little mind of yours?" I frowned at her. I had never seen her so happy.

"No. What are you talking about? What did I ke-"

"Martha, do you remember meeting Prometheus and feeling sad about him because he was hung onto a rocky mountain, waiting to get eaten by an eagle bit by bit just because he was merciful towards the mortals?" Lila asked pleadingly and a wave of nausea rolled over me with what I was imagining. I swayed a little and held someone's hands. A blurred face of someone in his ripe old age, coughing up blood came into my vision and I nodded briefly. My sisters' faces lit up.

"Do you remember how much you wanted to help him? You said you could help him and you did. You had conjured your powers and brought a power to life. Only it wasn't just meant for mortals and evidently enough, it is overpowering the Gods too." Lila said solemnly and I blinked blankly at her.

"You need to make it stop, Martha. Try to remember! What could be a gift which was meant for helping but ended up destroying others?" Chloe pressed on and I flinched. I closed my eyes completely and tried to remember, forcefully dragging myself down in my memory lane to the man who was coughing up blood. I tried seeking any sort of relation to what my sisters were talking about.

But no matter how hard I tried, it felt like catching smoke with bare hands.

I felt dizzy and I leaned on someone, my head thumping with pain.

"Stop it. Don't rush her!" Austin cried next to me and I realized that he had been holding me all this time. I snuggled deeper into his arms and he held me tightly.

I saw Chloe storming back into her room, disappointed and Lila rubbing a hand behind my back, soothingly telling me that it is going to be okay. Austin kissed my hair, still hugging me and my heart sank. How can I ever let him go?

"Austin, it is better if we stay away." I say softly and he sighs, releasing his grip from mine.

I mentally slap myself a thousand times for saying that to him. He does not deserve me. Why would he even love me? All I ever do is bring him pain. But I can't watch him suffer more. I know he can move on from me and it will be better that way.

"Austin, take care of Martha. Don't let her out of her sight other than for loo breaks and in classes. You two must always be together."

There is no way in the hell that I was staying away from him, right? I scoffed to myself.

"I don't think she wants that." Austin gestures at me and I felt like someone was mercilessly twisting a knife in my heart, leeching all the air and blood from my body.

"I don't care what anyone wants." Lila snapped and I flinched. "I just know that you both need to be careful." Then her eyes flicked to me, "Later, we will take you to the tapestry workshop."

"Tapestry workshop?" I frowned, my breath heaving. This is definitely something to do with what Margo was talking about.

"Yes. You are getting late and you shall know everything, later." She smiled at me as I resisted the urge to ask away everything that crossed my mind.