Pillars of Magic: Paradox

In the Shadows

Car tires crunched over a patch of gravel as the vehicle atop them reversed from its parking space, its engine rumbling softly as the wheels turned and directed it through a serpentine roadway leading away from the Echo Creek Lodge. The noise went unnoticed by the young man sitting only a few yards off on a concrete bench besides a man-made pond. His head was down, eyes directed onto something that glinted in the light within his hands, though his eyes looked wholly distant from the object they blankly stared at.

The water of the pond would have been calm were it not for the fountain in the center spewing out thin streams from multiple spigots. There were some ghostly hints of orange and white beneath the water that swam underneath the ripples the water droplets cast out. The lad's eyes saw them but didn't pay them mind, his fingers fondling the ring unconsciously betwixt his fingers.

He wore a black hoodie and blue jeans, with a red shirt underneath. The sun was out, but it wasn't warm enough to dispense with the hoodie, and the wind slightly bit over his cheeks as it ruffled his chocolate brown hair. The area wasn't entirely devoid of people, as they came and went in and out of the Lodge, but it was vacant enough for him to escape into his own thoughts. No one would bother with him while sitting there, and no one knew he often chose this place to ground himself whenever his emotions got out of line.

His fingers turned and spun the ring. It was silver, forming the design work of a pentagram with a small diamond in its center. It was simple yet elegant, with smooth edges and just a touch of filigree along the five pointed ends. Five smaller red teardrop-shaped gemstones surrounded the singular diamond, complimenting it with their splash of bold color but only half the size of the prominent main stone.

Somewhere off behind him a dark, navy blue van pulled into the space that was left empty by the car that so recently had occupied it. The familiar crunch of gravel and a slight squelch to the brakes were yet again ignored in favor of blank staring at the ring and distant dancing water. The Echo Creek Lodge was a fairly popular hotel, or at least was the largest in all of Echo Creek, and had a slow but consistent stream of guests coming and going. The fountain was out front, with the parking area between it and the front glass double doors of the hotel. Even with people around though, he felt deeply isolated.

He took a deep inhale and reached back into his thoughts, holding onto the memory as it played out in his mind like he was watching a movie screen.

"Marco, come on."

The voice was from Jackie, whose green eyes rolled off to the side. Her eyebrows downturned, almost like a scowl.

He and Jackie were in their living room, watching a romantic comedy's ending on the television. The couple on screen had just gotten over a case of misplaced anger and over-the-top misunderstandings, and were embracing as the camera zoomed in to their kiss, the tumultuous hour and a half of silly drama beforehand forgotten completely, washed away as the happy conclusion music began to turn up.

The feelings the movie had stirred within Marco caused him to broach a subject that was always a sensitive one.

"Jackie," Marco began, but his eyes looked in various other directions than directly at hers, his hand nervously scratching the hair on the back of his neck which suddenly demanded his attention. "Jackie... I know it's not exactly what you planned for originally but-"

"Marco, how many times do we have to go through this?" Her voice was stern, and her arms crossed. A few minutes ago she was smiling and dipping her hands into their shared popcorn bucket, nestled up next to his chest... until he opened his mouth.

"I'm just saying that not everyone plans for these things, exactly, and... well... sometimes when they aren't even planned, they can become the best decisions ever."