One: First Job

I sat on the balcony, and I stared out at the endless blue.

Icarus lived on a small island by himself.

Well, I live here now.

His home is a tower.

The structure resembles a lighthouse.

“Sunny,” Icarus called.

I stood and made my way into the study.

He explained to me a bit about his work, but I still didn’t quite grasp what it was that he did.

He told me that a higher power spoke to him and gave him jobs to do.

He called them a Council.

“We watch over a special group of people,” he said, “And we help guide them to each other.”

“Like a matchmaking service?” I asked.

It was the first thing my mind found on the topic of criteria.

“No,” he said sourly, “This is bigger than that.”

He wasn’t the best at explaining things.

“I have your first official job,” he said,

I perked up at his words.

“What kind of job?”

“As I said before,” he stated, “We watch over certain people.”

I nodded.

“We are not supposed to interact with them,” he said, “And you absolutely do not tell them about who you are or what you do.”

I didn’t even know what I did. That was easy.

“I can only monitor so many at a time,” he said, “I know you will excel at this.”

“Here is a device that will take you to where you need to be,” he said, “And when you need to be there.”

Where and when?

“Why do I need a device?” I asked, “What are all the doors downstairs for?”

“Sunny,” he said, “I already told you not to mess with those doors.”

I wasn’t.

I was simply asking.

Under this tower was like a maze, and there were hundreds of doors.

I wonder if they led to different worlds.

“Part of my job is to protect this place,” Icarus stated, “This island pulls magic to it.”

I understood that part.

“The doors draw in magic from other places,” he said, “You never know where one of them will take you unless you know the exact door to use.”

I nodded.

“Icarus?” I asked, “How am I supposed to guide someone I can’t talk to?”

“It’s not really like a guide,” he said, “We observe and maintain.”

“Observe and maintain?”

“It is our job to make sure nothing outside interferes.”

What kind of outside interference is he so worried about?

“Will you be there with me?” I asked.

“I am not supposed to leave this island,” he stated.

“Then how can you watch over these people?”

“I have you for that,” he stated, “I was given this job because they knew you would come to be.”

I didn’t like the sound of that.

“So, then this has never been done before?” I asked.

“Not yet.”

“Who am I watching over then?”

“There are several,” he said, “But today, I want you to observe a fateful encounter.”

“Fate?”

“I told you before,” Icarus sighed, “We observe these people throughout their lives until they come into their power.”

“Destiny,” I said, “That part makes sense. They have a job to do.”

“Yes,” he said, “But we also watch over their other lifetimes.”

“Other lifetimes?” I asked, “Like reincarnation?”

“No,” he said, “I don’t think I properly explained about the different dimensions and worlds.”

“Not really.”

“We live in another dimension,” he said, “This is part of why magic is gathered here.”

“We are in another dimension than what?”

“There are many,” Icarus said, “But imagine in each one there is a different version of us.”

“How many dimensions are there?” I asked.

“There are too many to count,” he stated, “That’s why it’s our job to make sure certain people meet their destiny.”

“But we watch over them in other dimensions as well?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Even if they do not have a destiny?”

“Everyone has a destiny,” he stated, “But not all of them are big.”

“Explain.”

“Alright,” he said, “Hold on.”

He set down the device he was holding.

“Say one man was born to inspire an artist to paint,” he said, “Later that artist goes on to make masterpiece after masterpiece.”

“What about the man who inspired him?”

“He met his destiny,” he stated, “He may be small in the grand scheme of things, but to that artist, he made a world of difference.”

Icarus looked excited as he talked about it.

I liked this emotion as well.

“And we watch over these small destinies as well as their bigger counterparts?”

“Yes,” he grinned, “They still impact each other.”

“Even though they have nothing to do with each other?”

“That’s the thing,” he said, “A fateful encounter can mean the world of difference to a person.”

“Good or bad?” I asked.

“That’s what you are going to observe,” he stated.

“How do you already know about it?” I asked.

“I don’t know what the event will be in detail,” he stated, “I get glimpses and shades.”

“Shades?”

“Colors,” he stated, “Certain colors together mean different things.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Do you think you understand it a bit better now?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said, “But what happens if I am discovered?”

“The magic I share with you can make you feel like a dream,” he stated, “But that’s only if you are discovered by a human.”

“Are we not talking about humans?”

“Not all of them,” he said, “Small destinies remember?”

“Human versions?”

“Exactly,” he said, “In another place, I would be human too.”

“Would be?” I asked.

He smiled, but it looked sad.

Sadness.

I didn’t like this emotion.

“That’s the thing,” he said, “I don’t exist anywhere else.”

That couldn’t be possible.

“Not that you’ve discovered yet,” I stated.

“Sure,” he said.

I could see his expression change.

He didn’t believe that.

“Icarus?” I asked.

He turned his head to look at me, but again his eyes darted away.

“Am I not a fateful encounter?”

A slight smile formed on his face.

“No,” he said, “I brought you here by force. That isn’t fate.”

“Maybe not yours,” I stated, “But you gave me life.”

His expression said it all.

He never once considered that.

“You have a point,” he grinned at me, “Thank you.”

He picked up the device again before holding his hand out for mine.

I gave him my hand without hesitation.

“Once we get a handle on things,” he said, “I can fuse one of these onto your circuity.”

“If that’s what you think is best,” I said.

“Make sure you pay attention to what happens at the encounters,” he said, “Chances are if they have a bad meeting in one, they’ll be bad in the others.”

I nodded.

“Who is it?” I asked, “Who am I supposed to watch?”

“He’s old,” Icarus stated, “And he won’t hesitate to kill you if he feels threatened.”

I wasn’t sure how to take that information.

“What is his name?” I asked, “And what is his species?”

“He’s a rare occurrence,” Icarus said, “There are so few left.”

“Explain.”

“Phoenix,” he said, “Check your database.”

I searched, and there were thousands of mentions.

Most of them had reoccurring abilities and physical descriptions.

“Fire,” I said, “A bird.”

“Not always,” he stated, “Like most supernatural creatures, we have a human form.”

My head nodded as he spoke.

“It was a way to keep ourselves hidden from humans.”

If they were looking for a monster, they’d find one.

Or they wouldn’t.

If they were looking for one among themselves, anybody could become the monster.

“You said there were so few left?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, “Less than five exist right at this point in time.”

Less than five?

The world had billions of people in it.

Add together all the different dimensions, still less than five?

“Just a Phoenix then?” I asked.

“He is human sometimes too,” Icarus stated, “Just be careful.”

“His name?”

Icarus fiddled with the device on my wrist.

“His name is Michael King,” he stated, “But where you’re going, he has yet to earn his last name.”

“Earn his last name?” I asked, “Explain.”

“It will have to wait until you return,” he said, “If you need to speak with me, remember what I showed you?”

I nodded.

I had a device implanted in my skull that I could use to contact him no matter where either of us was.

“When you’re ready, press the dial on the side,” he said, “It will take you to where you need to be.”

“And how do I return?” I asked.

He fiddled with the device again.

“Watch carefully,” he stated, “You can go places and leave as many times as you want, but you can’t return to the same place more than once.”

“Explain.”

“Once you witness the encounter,” he said, “You can’t do it again.”

“What will happen if I need to?”

“You’ll have to go about it a different way,” he said, “Once you’re there, you’re there.”

I didn’t understand.

“It will cause an anomaly,” he said, “Only one of you can exist in a place at one time. You are already displaced in that world.”

“So, if I go back to a world I already was,” I said, “They’ll notice something wrong.”

He nodded, “And that’s the last thing we want.”

“Okay,” I said.

“You remember how to get back?” he asked.

I nodded.

He fiddled with a few buttons on the device, but I paid close attention.

“Stay safe,” he said.

His hand rested on the top of my head.

“What if I die?” I asked.

He looked a bit startled by my question.

“Why would you ask that?” he asked.

“You said he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if he felt threatened,” I stated, “What if he sees me and feels threatened?”

“He won’t,” Icarus said, “I was just letting you know he was hostile. You don’t look threatening at all.”

Plenty of animals in the world didn’t look threatening. That doesn’t mean they can’t rip you apart.

He dropped his hand.

“I’ll be waiting for your return,” he said, “Safe travels.”

I pressed the dial on the device, and the world swirled around me.

++++++++++

I didn’t expect to land in an undeveloped world.

I was expecting cities.

Maybe a sidewalk or two.

Massive trees and tall grass was the current terrain.

I could only guess what kind of apparel I was supposed to wear.

I was able to appear human by using the technology Icarus built me with.

Using extra material from my limbs, I was able to cover the lines in my ‘skin.’

Based on what I have seen, in my research at least, I couldn’t wear anything too sophisticated.

I was made with the ability to change my clothes however I needed to.

I could adapt to my surroundings, like a chameleon.

Only the human version.

I was wearing something that looked like animal fur, and it covered my intimates.

Every other part of me was exposed.

I didn’t mind nudity.

I couldn’t feel embarrassed anyway.

My body moved through the tall grass until I came across a small village.

Huts were made of wood and grass, while others used the caves not too far from the man-made homes.

Maybe I wasn’t ready for this.

Icarus said that most supernatural creatures had a human form.

I doubt this Phoenix was wandering around setting fires.

Or flying around.

Or as a giant bird.

I would just have to blend in with the others.

I realized as I got closer that this wasn’t an ordinary village.

All eyes were on me as I wandered in.

“How did you find this place?” a voice asked.

It was more of a growl.

“I don’t know,” I said, “I was wandering, and I saw your homes.”

“What are you?” the same voice growled.

“I’m just looking for a place to stay,” I said, “While I regain my strength so I can be on my way.”

I turned to see a large man with a snarl on his face.

He was tall, and he was muscular.

“And if we refuse to let you stay?” he asked.

I was already messing up my first mission.

“I mean you no harm,” I stated, “I was lost.”

“Maybe you should be again,” he growled.

“Stop it,” a voice said.

A woman moved from behind the large man to look at me.

I barely realized just now that they were both nude.

“She is an outsider,” the man said.

“And she is a woman,” the woman said, “It isn’t safe for her to be alone out there, not during a full moon.”

A full moon?

I glanced around.

Wolves.

They were hidden, but I knew the signs.

This man here must be their Alpha.

She must be his mate.

“She got here somehow,” he said, “But by the looks of her, not a natural one.”

“So what?” the woman asked.

He looked like he wanted to argue with her.

“She found her way here for a reason,” the woman said, “Until she proves herself a threat, she should stay.”

“Fine,” he huffed.

She moved closer to me to smile.

“What’s your name, stranger?” she asked, “I’m May, and that over there is my mate, Brian.”

“Sunny,” I said before taking her hand.

Her eyes reminded me of dark green moss.

They didn’t seem to have the usual shine most eyes did.

They were a flat green.

My eyes went to her mate Brian.

He deemed me a threat already.

Why wouldn’t the Phoenix?

“You can stay with us,” she said, “While you figure out what to do.”

“Thank you,” I said.

This woman was kind to a stranger.

For all she knew, I could be here to take her home and everyone she ever loved away from her.

It didn’t really matter anyway.

I was here to observe.

++++++++++