“Hey, Mama Winter?”

Amai’s mother looks at me. She raises an eyebrow when she sees that I’m alone in the kitchen with her.

“Are you alright, Sakasu?” She tilts her head a little in the same way that Amai does. “You know you can call me Aura. No need to call me ‘Mama Winter’ or ‘Mrs. Winter’ or anything fancy.”

I tug on the sleeve of my sweatshirt. I nervously laugh, “O-oh! Yeah, of course, sorry Aura… I um… I was just wondering if you might be able to help me with something.”

“Depends on what it is, sweetie.” Aura smiles at me. “But I’ll do my best to assist you as best I can.”

I look to the side, taking a deep breath in.

“I’ve been doing a bit of research… I recently discovered something about myself, and I’m not sure who to talk to because I know my parents would never believe me. So this probably sounds really stupid, but do you know anything about the world Destiny?”

I notice Aura’s eyes widen as her posture straightens. She studies me for what seems like a long time. Slowly, the woman nods, relaxing a bit.

“Destiny.” She offers a tiny smile of reassurance. “It’s been a long time, but yes. I know the world Destiny.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness. I can finally talk to somebody about this.”

Aura crosses her arms. “What about Destiny is catching your interest? Very few people… study it for fun.”

“No, no.” I put my hands out. “I just… as I said, I discovered something about myself, and I think it’s linked to Destiny. Everything I’ve looked at regarding that world only makes sense with this…”

I move the choker on my neck a little, revealing the little golden flower charm on the side. I show this piece of jewelry to Aura.

“See this?” I gesture to the choker. “I got this a few weeks ago. Somebody randomly gave this to me while I was out and about. They said that I needed to protect it and myself. I don’t know who gave this to me, but they said they were from Destiny…”

Aura walks over to get a closer look at the choker around my neck. She pokes it for a second.

“Destinian jewelry…”

“Wait, so it’s real?!” I gasp, my eyes widening.

Amai’s mother puts a finger to her mouth, signaling for me to hush. “Yes, sweetie. That’s real. It’s a Written Charm.”

“A what?” I ask.

Aura sighs a little. She looks around the kitchen for a moment before reaching under the neck of her sweater. She lifts up a chain to reveal a blue and purple ombre pendant. The charm is shaped like an oval.

“A Written Charm is an accessory directly from the world of Destiny. They are created whenever a new Written is discovered, and they are gifted to the user when fate declares they shall know. Every charm is unique, and only its true holder can access the abilities within.” Aura puts the necklace back where it was hidden under her sweater. “That choker of yours has a Written Charm in it, Sakasu.”

I put a hand on my neck, trying to feel the golden flower charm. When I touch the flower, my attention is suddenly drawn to where Aura hid her necklace. Despite the sweater overtop the pendant, I can see a periwinkle haze floating around the shape of her charm. A sense of security rushes over me as I watch Aura. I can’t help but smile.

“That necklace of yours. Is it a Written Charm, too?” I ask.

Aura’s hand moves up to where the haze floats. When she lightly puts her hand over it for a moment, I notice her pink eyes start to glow. She gives me a warm smile before the gleam in her eyes fades, and she offers her hand out to me.

“It’s been some time since I’ve used it, but yes.” Amai’s mom whispers. There are tears in her eyes. “And I’ve suspected for a long time that there was a third energy within my senses. I noticed a fiery spirit within you back when you and Amai became friends long ago. Now I know my intuition has been right all along.”

I take Aura’s hand, now smiling a little wider than before. She squeezes my hand gently in hers.

“So… this isn’t weird?”

“Not at all, sweetie.” Aura answers. “You’re Written.”

I blink for a moment. I feel like a huge unknown weight has been taken off my shoulders. As I let out a breath, I shake my head.

“I’m glad I came to you then, Mama Winter.” I confess. “My parents would definitely think I’m nuts if I told them anything I just told you.”

Aura raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean, sweetie? Did your parents never tell you the tales of Destiny when you were younger?”

My parents have always been supportive of me. They accepted me when I came out to them during my sophomore year. They’ve always encouraged me to chase after my dreams, whatever they may be. But they have never been the type of parents to believe fairy tales.

“Once when I was younger, but they made it clear to me that it was just a story.”

Amai’s mother gives a nod.

“I forget that sometimes there are people in the Normal that don't believe in Destiny.”

I widen my eyes. “What do you mean by the Normal? Is that what this world is called?”

“Oh, my apologies,” Aura laughs a little before walking away to grab ingredients for dinner. “Slip of the tongue, but that is correct. Sometimes the people here don’t believe in Destiny. Your parents are examples of that, I guess. I didn’t know that when I first came here, but I’ve learned over the years.”

I squint for a moment. “You’re not from this world? Does that mean you’re from Destiny?”

“Full-blooded Destinian.”

She’s from Destiny. It all makes sense now.

“Do Amai and Violet know?”

Aura sighs. She closes her eyes for a minute, pursing her lips. “They don't. I haven’t found the right time to tell them the truth about me, their heritage, or their statuses.” She looks up at me again. “Please don’t tell them anything I just told you, Sakasu.”

I nod slowly. “Of course.”

Out of nowhere, Aura puts down the ingredients for tortellini. She walks over to me, opening her arms for a hug. I quickly move towards her to accept it, smiling again.

“Sakasu, you’re safe here. I’m glad you came to me about this, and I’m proud of you for being motivated to learn about Destiny and your Written Charm. But I want you to know that being Written isn’t going to be easy. You’re going to have challenges, but it will help you grow into the young woman that you are meant to be. Trust yourself.”

I nod. “I will.”

Before we part from the hug, Aura gives me a squeeze. She lets go and walks back to finish preparing dinner.

“Now, why don’t you hang out with Amai? I’ll call all of you when dinner is ready.”

I smile and nod in answer. “Alright! Thanks, Mama Winter!”

I leave the kitchen and walk towards Amai’s room. When I get to the hallway, I pass by Violet’s room, where I hear loud music playing. Despite the door being shut, I can recognize the song, and I give a shrug. I like the song, but I’ve always had a feeling that Violet has never really liked me. No point in knocking right now.

I reach Amai’s room, where I see her sitting at her vanity. She’s since changed out of her cheerleading uniform, and is now wearing her white jeans and pink sweater. She runs a hairbrush through her wavy blonde locks and hums a happy little tune to herself.

I wish I could tell her what I know now, but that will have to wait until her mother has told her the truth.

“Hey bestie.” I call out to her. “You got that hair untangled?”

“Oh yeah,” Amai laughs. She looks at me from her mirror, offering the biggest smile to me. “It feels great to be back to normal.”

When I walk into her room, I automatically go to sit down on a pink beanbag. As I watch Amai, thoughts start to race through my head. She’s got Destinian blood within her, and her mother said that she doesn’t even know it. Part of me begins to wonder if she’s Written like her mother. Maybe that’s not how being Written works...

Does that mean Violet could be Written, too?

I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen now. I might be Written, but I have no clue what it means or what I can do. I know for certain that I have no personal ties to Destiny.

What exactly will my fate entail?