“Blessed be the starlight which glimmers even in the most wicked shadows. Bring peace, spread hope, discover the truth shrouded in the night. May you never falter in your steps; may you be showered in prosperity that dawn brings.”
A woman’s eyes flutter shut as her prayers fall on silent ears. “Oh, how destiny is cruel and merciless! If such a fate was to befall, would a miracle arise….? Would you ladies be ready to put yourselves to the test to come?” she murmurs. She’s well aware of the potential within them, yet she’s always weary. It’s in her nature. They merely haven’t even awoken to their powers yet.
Time waits for nobody, and certainly not her.
“Perhaps I should speed up the process…? Give them boost they need?” She questions feverently, clasping her hands even tighter. What was the right thing to do? Of course Auriga knows that she just can’t allow this future to come, that would end in catastrophe, but waiting seems to be even more poisonous than anything. Dropping to her knees in defeat, she purses her lips.
“My dearest guardians....a cataclysmic battle is about to erupt...I pray that you are prepared...”, she muses solemnly, her eyes flickering to the window. This city wasn’t the most superb place to view the stars...such a shame. It’s not home; or at least not right now.
▂▂▂▂▂▂
“You’re thinking again, aren’t you?…”
Harper shifts her gaze to her textbook and huffs. “Am not…” she retorts.
Softening her gaze, Aubrey rests her hand on Harper’s forearm. “Harp, if something’s bothering you, you know I’m always here. I know that look, I’m not a dumbass….”.
Well, Harper can’t deny it. They’ve been nearly inseparable since the fourth grade. The fiery little girl who crash landed on her at the park; a fond memory she’ll never forget. It left her with a sprained ankle and a best friend she wouldn’t trade anything for. If anyone knows Harper more than herself it’d be Aubrey, without a doubt.
With a crooked smile, she meets her eye to eye. “Mind if we talk about it after class? I’d rather not blurt it out to the world…”
Aubrey nods and strokes her arm reassuringly. “Sure thing, nerd…”
As class begins, they take their seats. Aubrey’s eyes flutter shut and as if it were nothing at all, she sinks down into her thoughts and escapes the dull roar of discussions around her.
‘Why can’t I shake the feeling something awful is right around the corner?’. Her fingers curl tightly into a fist. ‘A weight’s on my chest, and it won’t budge…
It’s in her dreams too, and Harper’s seldom known a day where it’s left her alone. Days turned into years and it’s always the same. The weight doesn’t pain her. It’s just….there. A pressure pushing her to do something more. Aching in a way that begs for a release. Like if she finally removes it she’ll finally know her purpose here. Being around Aubrey intensifies it just a bit, yet she can’t explain why. When they first met, Harper’s chest flared and not in the romantic way. No, it was more like….a calling. Like a magnetic force was tugging them together. Call it what you want. Friendship, platonic soulmates, fate. She’s almost thankful the weights there to remind her of their times together. In fact, she’s let Aubrey know this from time to time. She’s a positive force for her in one way or another, and everyone needs an Aubrey in their life, you know?
‘When we bumped into each other, it was like that day all over again, Aub…’ A blush etches itself into Harper’s cheeks. ‘She had the most radiant glow....just like you. I want to know her name...I want to meet her again. Is the world trying to pull her towards me just like it did with you?’
▂▂▂▂▂▂
“Well what did she look like? Maybe we can track her down next week?”. Aubrey crunches down on her peanut brittle and extends it in offer to Harper only to be rejected.
As she groans into her hands, Harper wrestles with the idea. “I don’t know...I don’t want to seem so desperate that we go full-scale FBI to find her…”.
Aubrey’s moved to her side on the aged picnic table and takes her hand firmly. “Harp….Harp look at me.” She does in an instant and it looks like it warms Aubrey’s heart a tad the way her gaze softens. “When have you ever been wrong about your intuitions? You have the strongest gut feelings out of anybody I know…”
“What if she thinks I’m strange? I can’t just walk up to her and be like ‘Oh so I think we’re meant to be’...that’s just ridiculous!” Harper blurts, running her fingers repeatedly through her hair. “And it’s different than what you and I have, Aub. It’s something more...powerful? I can’t explain it….”
“Nah, I think I understand…” Aubrey snickers, earning her a rightful jab in the side. “My baby is all grown up...she’s found love! That’s the only answer!”
Bursting from her seat, Harper’s eyes widen. “Aubrey! Nooo, no! I…”. She plops back down in defeat and utters a sigh. “Oh my lord, Aub you should have seen her…she made my heart stop! Her eyes were a breathtaking teal! Teal, Aubrey! And she had the faintest freckles too! Not to mention she was so soft spoken and precious and….UGH!”
Leaning in closer, Aubrey cocks her head curiously. “Why do you sound like you wanna beat her up? You either sound annoyed or disappointed…”
“She just….has this aura about her that makes me want to protect her….and hold her….and--”
Soothing arms circle her waist and she glances over to find Aubrey smiling warmly. She matches, holding her best friend closer. “I want to get to know her, even if nothing more than just friendship comes out of this!”
Aubrey nods. “Harp, you’ll see her again. Our town’s big but if she goes to our college then doesn’t that just mean you have more of a chance to meet her?”
“You’ve got a point…”. Harper nuzzles into Aubrey’s shoulder, twisting up her fingers in her own sweater. “Thank you for listening to me ramble all the time…”
Pecking a kiss to the top of Harper’s head, Aubrey giggles. “Dork, you’re my best friend. And in any case, I hope you know that she’ll be blessed to have such a dork like you around, if you guys hit it off…”
▂▂▂▂▂▂
“Okay milk and a block of cheddar, got it. See you soon mom-- ahhh yeah mom I know, I’ll be safe, don’t worry” Harper chirps into her phone, a lopsided smile ever present on her lips. She hangs up and chuckles to herself.
She clutches her phone as she maneuvers the mass of people on the sidewalk. Downtown was always such a haze on a Saturday morning. She blames it on the street markets that are such a constant year-round. Oh, and the new shops popping up everywhere. Years ago, this town was such an abandoned scrap-heap. She’s seen it evolve and expand and...well that’s what life’s about. She takes a quick look at the time and purses her lips. Not even five years ago, this very street was silent but hopeful.
‘When that doctors office opened, I think that’s what kick started everything…’ Harper considers as she takes a look at it from across the street. Family run, the S’cordiadi Medical Group brought a lot of life both literally and figuratively, to the area. Although she’d never heard of them prior to their arrival, Harper heard rumors they were the best of the best. They apparently funded the reconstruction of the town too. ‘If I didn’t already have a doctor, I’d probably go see them too…’.
All in an instant as the crowd parts, a fleeting sight of flowing, cotton candy pink hair comes into Harper’s view. The weight’s there again too, with a warm glow about to blitz into a wildfire right smack dab in her chest; in the deepest part of her heart. It’s not the same as Aubrey. It’s not even the same as the girl from the other morning. No, this weight brings a sense of home and belonging and Harper’s body propels forward after it. She doesn’t understand how her feet are carrying her so quickly; it’s terrifying and brilliant all at once.
“Please, miss! Wait up!!”. Harper’s voice cracks, even surprising her. She covers her mouth shyly and pushes her way through the others around her. It’s not long before she reaches the corner and the lady has vanished. Nobody in any direction even vaguely looks like how she did, and needless to say, Harper’s not sure what to think anymore. Was she even real to begin with? She was just so vividly ethereal.
She stuffs her phone in her pocket with a grunt and turns back down the sidewalk. Mom was waiting for her to get home so they could start cooking dinner. There was no use in mulling over this now. Like Aubrey said, the world was small where they lived, they would cross paths again.
▂▂▂▂▂▂
“Miss Reagan, I do hope you have a good day. Call us anytime you need us, alright?”. Meridian’s voice carries effortlessly through the hallway. He pats her back and smiles. “Take care!”. Stopping in his tracks, he rests back on the balls of his feet and holds her file of documents against his chest. His eyes hold something similar of expectation in them as he watches her start to exit to the next corridor.
Reagan nods hesitantly in thanks and hurries on ahead. “Thank you again, doctor. I appreciate it…”. Once through a set of doors, however, she lets out a repressed sigh. A pair of a footsteps sound behind her. She closes her eyes tightly, pursing her lips. Was it him again--
“When are you going to transfer to my care? I thought we talked about this, Ree…”
Reagan spins on her heels fast as lightning and takes Allister by hands. “Allie...I know. I’ve been meaning to bring it up again to him but he’s just so….adamant, you know? I feel like he won’t let me go without a fight…”. Her voice trembles with every word.
Allister squeezes her hands reassuringly. “Meridian’s a capable doctor but...you’re my best friend, Ree. He doesn’t know you like I do…”. He steps just a hair closer, his volume almost nothing. “I just wish he’d put more faith into me. I’ve got the same qualifications and merit he does, for pete’s sake...”. A breath hitches in his throat as memories flicker through his mind of days long past when they first found the trust to be open with each other. “If this is about money, you know you don’t have to pay for my help, Ree--”
“--he’s a wonderful therapist, I can’t deny that. He’s just--!”, Reagan cuts in as a tear prickles the corner of her eye.
“I know. I know…”. He’s all too aware of the weariness she’s filled with; he wishes he could take it all away. He reaches up and smears away the stray tear before it can even fall. This is enough, this is what he can do for now.
Reagan tugs away, gripping onto the sides of her dress. A smiles etches into place as she meets his gaze. “Anyways, I should get going. We’re still on for that movie night, right?”
“Of course, Ree. I wouldn’t miss it for the world” Allister hums genuinely. Gripping his chest dramatically, he stumbles against the wall and whimpers. “I can’t believe you’d assume the worst of me! My heart, it can’t bare it!”
Allister’s the only one that can bring out a true smile in her, let alone a laugh. As he once described it to her, it was like a sparkler on New Years. So vibrant and so distinct, only to fade not long after. “Allie you goof…I’ll see you thursday, alright? Text me!”. She excuses herself with a slight bow and heads out the doors beyond her.
Leaving her with a half hearted wave, his hand soon falls to his side. ‘Ree...please don’t let the rumors be true. I don’t want you to be involved in all of this…’. Allister retreats to his office, his heart pounding. As the door locks, he slides against it and lands on the floor. ‘I won’t let them get ahold of you. I have to get you away from this...’
▂▂▂▂▂▂
That night Harper’s phone lights up at promptly 1:28am. She’s sound asleep and buried under a mountain of blankets but if only for a few more moments. Once the notifications drag her back to consciousness, she fumbles for her phone. “Aubrey this better be important” she mutters in a sleepy stupor.
New Message - Aubrey ✌️
|| Red alert, red alert! I found out her name. Trinity. ||
New Message - Aubrey ✌️
|| You better wake up and see this, I didn’t do detective work for nothing, punk ||
New Message - Aubrey ✌️
|| Saw someone tag her in a post and I dug a lil deeper 👀👀👀 she’s studying to be a vet for her associates i guess ||
New Message - Aubrey ✌️
|| I may or may not have found out she’s in the photography club too. They meet tomorrow I think? Why don’t you go see if you can chat her up, ya big stud? Hehehe ||
“Trini...ty….”
The phone tumbles into her lap. Harper’s eyes close and she lets out a breath she had no clue she had even been withholding. Trinity. This was the first step, huh? Perhaps a visit was in order then since Aubrey went ahead and did so much to help. That silly girl deserved a nice coffee for this. Harper smiles shyly and situates herself snugly under the covers again.
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