2 DOMAIN OF FATES

Night came. To her knowledge, everyone else was asleep. She paced

around the bed with her arms crossed and her mind working overtime.

“What are you trying to say?” she asked Michael.

He didn’t reply and looked at her as if he was in pain.

“Is this another secret you can’t tell me about? He’s my real Dad! If he’s

been taken by the monster mentioned in grandmother’s journal, I have to

know—” She blinked away the tears. “—there’s a chance he didn’t abandon

us...”

“Helena,” Michael began in a soothing tone.

She threw her hands up in the air. “Don’t try to calm me and tell me how

to find him!” Biting back a curse, she reminded herself to be quiet, which

was becoming difficult with each passing second. She took a few calming

breaths. “Please, tell me something. Anything!”

“Lie down.”

She shook her head. “I’m not in the mood for relaxation.”

“If you wish to know where he is that badly, I can’t stop you. I will help

you, but you must pay attention.”

Helena’s eyes narrowed. She studied his poker face. As usual, he left no

indicators to tell whether this was some kind of ploy to get her to relax and

fall asleep or if he meant what he said. After mulling things over, she decided

to listen to him and flopped on the soft linen sheets.

“Close your eyes,” Michael said.

“What will that accomplish?”

He vanished and spoke in her mind. “You must heed my guidance without

question.”

Helena bit her lower lip and did as she was told.

N

“Now concentrate on my voice and visualise your whole body inside of a

bubble, or anything that makes you feel safe.”

Within seconds, she imagined a steel sphere. An air bubble didn’t give

her any security. She hovered in its confining bounds while unnerving

darkness encircled her. Being suspended in mid-air made her uneasy, so she

used the same principles and conjured a chequered floor beneath her feet.

Michael appeared next to her. His body emitted a faint glow that soothed

her nerves.

“What is this for?” she asked.

“This is a mental shield. It will protect you.”

“Protect me from what?”

“It’s dark in here,” he said, “try creating some light.”

Helena glared at him but didn’t press him further, afraid he would change

his mind and stop helping her. If doing this could be considered as help. She

took a deep breath and concentrated once again. This time, luminosity

flooded in from above.

Michael moved closer to the wall and, not wanting to stay behind, she did

the same. He touched the smooth surface, speaking each syllable with care.

“It seems you prefer metal as your guard. Many others use elements or

towering fortresses to protect themselves. Some even erect multiple layers,

which we should work on later.”

She tried wrapping her brain around his explanation. More questions

arose. “Who would create such things?”

Michael’s big, warm hand landed on her head, and he showed a ghost of a

smile.

Her eyes bulged out of their sockets. “You can touch me?”

“Your body is tied to your physical plane, and there I can do nothing.

Here, your mind is crossing into one of the planes where I can reach you,” he

replied. His expression grew serious. “I’m not the only one who can get to

you out here, which is why I asked you to design your own layer of

protection. It will use some of your energy to maintain, so don’t be surprised

if you grow tired.”

“Okay, so what’s next?”

“Take my hand, and we will travel to my realm. You must stay close to

me. Otherwise, I cannot mask your presence.”

She placed her hand in his, and he closed his slender fingers. The air

sizzled with energy as it cloaked around them.

In one swift gesture, Michael drew her into an embrace. A second later,

the shields melted away, and they arrived in an enormous chamber with tall

ivory pillars climbing upwards. A giant messy web of intertwined, multicoloured threads formed the “ceiling”. On the ground, they were arranged

into neat, endless rows held in place by golden weaving racks. The shiny

ebony floor gave a resemblance of an inverted mirror by reflecting the

entirety of the chamber.

She drew away from him and gaped at their surroundings. “Where are

we?”

“Angel Realm, the Domain of Fates.”

Helena tore her eyes away from the colourful web. “What if someone

finds us here? Won’t you get in trouble?”

“This place is no longer used by the Gods.”

“Gods? There’s more than one? I guess knowing that would make a lot of

religions sad.”

Michael admired the ceiling with a hidden emotion she couldn’t place.

“There was once one creator. He existed for so long even he forgot his

origins. He split into many lesser deities to experience more things at the

same time. To him sex, age, skin colour, even what he was, didn’t seem to

matter.” His words lost their warmth. “It is the final outcome that’s important

—a lesson to be learned.”

To her left, a grey strand vibrated. She reached out to touch it, but

Michael moved to stand in her way, shaking his head.

“No touching.”

She frowned. “Why not? It’s just a string.”

“Those are not strings. They are links to different beings on the planet.”

Taken aback, Helena lost her ability to speak. He couldn’t be serious. She

twirled around, taking a better look at the threads on the other side. White

was the most common colour. A few grey, black, and red peeked out between

them. In the distance, a golden string stood out amidst its monochrome

neighbours like a beacon. She squinted to try to make out anything past that,

but they dissolved into a white fog, too thick for her to see through.

“What do the colours mean?”

Michael studied her eager expression and sighed. “White is a normal

human. A shade of grey stands for a person influenced by or used by

darkness, or it could be a form of a supernatural being. Black colour belongs

to dark creatures such as soul eaters, certain demons, monsters that should

never be encountered in your realm.”

She pointed to a string and made her way towards it. “What about the

golden one over there?”

“Saints,” he said as if the word explained itself.

“What are they? Holy people?”

“I will speak no further on the matter.”

Helena wanted to know more. This whole experience was different to

anything she had ever done, yet, at the back of her mind, something bothered

her. It was as if she was forgetting something.

A blood-red thread stuck out in the row of white and grey. “What about

the red?”

“Vampires,” Michael spat out the term as if it was something disgusting.

The scarlet cord held her attention. The strange energy pulsed through it.

Helena read a lot of stories about folklore and mythical creatures, none of

which fascinated her as much as the blood-drinking beings. At last, she had a

chance to learn more about Michael’s world.

As she drew closer, she realised it wasn’t plain red. Rich, crimson liquid

coursed the string’s length without losing a single drop to gravity.

“Remember, Helena, no touching.”

She didn’t seem to care for his words. In that moment, nothing else

mattered. The string called to her, urged for her to take it, to have her fingers

test its texture. Her skin started tingling, and she reached out.

Michael’s heavy hand landed on her shoulder, bringing her out of a

dream-like state. “Perhaps we should return.”

“No!” she shouted.

Surprised by her outburst, Helena ducked her head in shame. What’s

wrong with me? The whole room buzzed with life. Thinking became a chore

and once her eyes focused, she saw her string sticking out of her gut. It

seemed paler against the other whites and didn’t shoot upwards like the rest.

She stroked it, revelling in the silky feel.

“What happens when two strings touch?”

Michael eyed the ceiling. “It adds an encounter.”

“And who decides that?”

“Fates.”

“But you said no one used this place anymore. How—”

Michael’s expression grew dark as if remembering something painful.

“They were banished to the Human Realm a long time ago. Since then, things

remain as the Gods wish for them to happen.”

Helena glanced back at the thread connected to a vampire somewhere on

the planet. Would we meet if our strings touched? She shook her head. That

wasn’t important right now. The reason they came here was to try to find her

father.

Her mother insisted he left them, but Helena never believed it. What if

something bad had happened to him because of the darkness described in

grandmother’s journal? If vampires and other supernatural beings were real,

there was a chance her grandmother wasn’t insane like her mother wanted her

to believe. There was a possibility he was taken from them. She needed to

know the truth.

“What about my dad? How do we find him?”

Michael seemed to think about it. “I will begin the search for his soul.

Wait here and do not touch anything.”

He made his way back to the entrance. As the distance between them

grew, a feminine voice whispered something like a chant at the back of her

head.

Her body stiffened, and as if possessed, she grabbed the blood-red string.

A chill rushed through her, raising the fine hairs on her arms and neck. The

energy bordering the link was nothing compared to what surged through its

core. It invaded her against her will.

“Helena, no!” Michael yelled.

But it was too late.

The chamber became a background noise, leaving behind an urge to unite

the strings. When she understood what she had done, her white link had

already wrapped itself around the vampire’s.

Her heartbeat thudded in her ribcage and her vision dissipated. A

powerful wave of alien energy fought its way through the bond which

appeared like a red-and-white bow. She clasped her hand over her burning

chest. Every part of her body hurt but didn’t at the same time.

An eternal minute later, her knees give way, and the last thing she

remembered was a sturdy pair of arms catching her fall.

The clock on her nightstand told her that it was two in the morning. She sat

up, switched on the lamp, and rubbed her face with her hands. Michael had

played her. The Angel Realm and her mental shields had to be a dream. He

must have used some kind of trick to get her to relax long enough to drift off.

She winced as a pounding headache kept knocking on her skull with a

hammering force.

“Michael?” she called out, needing answers.

Helena drew in a breath and prepared to call out again when he

materialised. His expression forced her to shut her mouth. Outrage glistened

in his eyes. And, if whatever happened was real, he had the right to be mad.

She had ignored his request to not touch anything. It wasn’t like she had a

choice. Her body moved by itself.

“Michael, I—”

“I don’t have much time to sit here discussing things with you, Helena. It

was a mistake bringing you along. I should have gone by myself. What you

—” He paused as if searching for the right word. “—did, should have never

happened.”

Helena massaged her temples, hoping to soothe the ache inside. It was

similar to the first hangover she got on her sixteenth birthday when Laura bet,

she could drink more. Even then, her friend emerged victorious.

“I’m sorry I did that. I wasn’t myself. It was as if—”

“No need for excuses. I must go. We will deal with the mess you’ve

caused later.” He vanished.

Helena crawled out of bed. His stinging words unsettled her heart. She

knew it was her fault for what happened, yet she didn’t do it on purpose.

Leaving her room in search of some aspirin, she edged down the hall. The

living room’s lamplight misted in from below, causing her to pause.

Everyone had to go to college in the morning. It didn’t make sense for

someone to stay up.

Her headache forgotten, she tiptoed to the staircase and peered over the

bannister. She entertained the thought it could be a vampire waiting for her.

Rationalisation banished the idiotic idea of a possible intruder who by no

means could locate her. The strings created an encounter. It wasn’t a tracking

device. Or, so she hoped.

The soles of her bare feet stung from the icy metal steps. Halfway down,

she made a mental note to buy some slippers for the apartment when she got

the chance. With her attention on the gleam, she cursed for thinking it could

be a blood-sucking monster when Andrew came into view. He sat on the sofa

with an opened book on his lap.

“You’re still up?” she asked.

Andrew’s head jerked in her direction. “God, don’t creep up on me,

Thorn. You know I have a weak heart.”

Helena rolled her eyes. He was a sports freak and played on multiple

teams in school. She never understood the fascination with running around a

field after a ball in sweaty uniforms. As a contrast to him and Laura, she

hated exercise and anything associated with it.

Andrew shut the book and deposited it on the coffee table. It wasn’t what

she expected. She assumed he was reading comics or something even less

mentally stimulating, not a volume on finance.

He ambled over and lifted her head with a gentle touch. “You look pale,

you should go back to sleep.”

The earlier conversation with Laura came flooding back, and her cheeks

flushed red. Without realising it, she took a step back.

Andrew scratched the back of his head and shifted his weight from one

leg to the other. “I see Laura has already talked to you about...um...that.”

Helena’s mind raced as she struggled to find the right words. Did she

need to give him her reply now or was there a certain amount of time she had

to think about the issue? Could she answer him?

“Helena, I didn’t ask you myself because I didn’t want to put you on the

spot, or maybe it’s because I’m a coward. I don’t know. What I do know is I

like you and have liked you for quite some time.”

He wasn’t wearing his cheesy smile. He seemed sincere, and it made her

feel something—her heart constricted as if wishing to pause in anticipation of

what was to come.

“Andrew, I don’t know.”

His hair danced on his forehead as he closed the gap between them.

“Take your time.”

Her breath caught when she became aware of how green his eyes were

and how smooth his clean-shaven face appeared. She fought the urge to touch

his cheek to test her theory for herself.

“Promise me you will think about it,” he said.

Her mouth went dry so, instead of saying anything, she gave him a quick

nod.

With a boyish grin, Andrew patted her on her head as he often did with

Laura. “Don’t stay up too late, Thorn.”

She frowned when he left. He returned to his normal self in a split second

whereas she stayed lost in her thoughts.

Helena placed her hand over her excited heart and imagined what it

would be like to date him. Although he seemed laid back about his studies,

seeing him reading his coursework prior to the term’s beginning told her that

he was anything but incompetent. He also seemed to have a serious side

which never surfaced until now. And, the way he watched her tonight was not

the same way he regarded other girls. He wasn’t kidding, and it scared her.

For lunch, she met with Laura in an on-campus coffee shop. It was full of

cheerful banter and loud conversations Helena tried her best to ignore. She

closed her eyes to enjoy the scent of a freshly brewed macchiato in her hands.

Ever since she woke up, a chill clung to her.

Laura sighed. “Are you even listening to me?”

Helena glanced up as her friend bit into her ham and cheese sandwich.

Breadcrumbs scattered on Laura’s navy voile shirt, and she brushed them

away with a flick of her hand.

“I can see that talking about my day has bored you senseless, so tell me

about yours.”

“Nothing happened. Lectures, new lecturers, and an excess of people,

that’s the best way I can describe my day.”

Tilting her head to one side, Laura said, “With me and Andrew as your

best friends, I thought you’d have learned how to make a friend or two. What

are you waiting for?”

Helena tried thinking of a good enough excuse to get Laura off her back.

The arguments she could use seemed either insignificant or something her

friend would immediately counter.

“See, even you can’t think of a reason for not making new friends!”

Helena lifted her hands in defeat. “Alright, I will try to talk to people

tomorrow.”

Laura put her sandwich on her plate and stared at her. “Tomorrow?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing much other than you sound like a nicotine addict who might

quit smoking after her last cigarette runs out.”

With a drawn-out sigh, Helena scanned the crowd. College students were

scattered around in their groups, sharing their first day experiences with one

another. She was ready to drop her search when she spotted a girl from her

class, waiting to place an order at the till. She nodded in the direction of the

short-haired brunette in antique-looking clothing. “She’s in two of my

modules.”

Laura turned in her seat to take a quick peek. An unsettling grin stretched

her rosy lips. “I think we’ve found your target.”

“Now? You want me to talk to her now?”

“No better time than the present, Thorn. Go get her.” She made a shooing

motion with her hands.

With much reluctance, Helena rose and checked her sweater for stains. It

was clean. She straightened her posture and mentally grunted. It’s going to be

fine.

Chocolate-brown eyes spied her approach with weariness. Her palms

started sweating, so she wiped them on her jeans. The distance was covered

too quickly for her liking. Stopping two feet away, she cleared her throat.

“Hey, I’m Helena Hawthorn, and we are—”

“—in the same Mythology class. I am Nadine Smidt.”

They shook hands, and Helena blanked.

“Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?”

“Oh, right, yes!” Helena pointed to Laura. “Would you like to have lunch

with us? I mean, we are almost finished, but it’d be great if you could join us,

anyway.”

Nadine’s face lit up. “Let me get something to drink, and I will come

over.”

Making a beeline for the table, Helena knew what to expect. Laura

already had her ‘I told you so!’ look plastered on her face. Things turned out

better than she had anticipated. Maybe Laura was right and introducing

herself to someone was enough. That thought made Helena draw back on

giddiness. There remained many secrets she hid from her family and friends.

This was just another person to add to the list of people who wouldn’t know

the real her.

“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy to make a new friend.” Laura’s

concerned voice brought Helena back.

“I am. I’m sorry. I was thinking about an assignment I was given.”

Laura raised a brow, saying nothing.

When Nadine reached them, Laura shot out of her seat. The sudden

movement nearly knocked her chair back.

“I completely forgot!” Laura started clearing her things. “I’ve got work to

do. We’ll talk at home.” She winked at Helena and turned to Nadine. “It was

nice meeting you.”

As if her curled strawberry-blonde hair caught fire, Laura fled the room,

abandoning Helena to her quest.

Nadine didn’t seem to react to the situation at all. She pulled up a chair

and sipped her green tea.

When Helena thought of something to say, it seemed irrelevant, so she

remained silent.

After a few minutes, Nadine said, “Why did you choose to talk to me?”

“What do you mean?”

The girl settled the cup on her platter with the elegance of a lady,

something Helena hadn’t seen before. “There are a couple of other people

here from our course. Why pick me?”

She thought about it and shrugged. “You were the first person I

recognised, and I thought we could chat, maybe become friends.”

Nadine’s eyes grew wary. “You wish to be friends with me?”

“I would like to, yeah.”

Hiding her face behind her cup, Nadine didn’t respond. In two quick

gulps, she consumed her drink, gathered her things, and smiled that same

pleasant smile that unnerved Helena. “I believe I have class now. I am sorry I

couldn’t stay longer...”

Left to stare at the space where her classmate sat mere seconds ago,

Helena assumed that the chair possessed some kind of mystical power that

repelled people, or she was terrible at making new friends. She was leaning

towards the latter.

Once her lectures ended, Helena headed into the City Centre to hand out her

resume. She didn’t care where she found work as long as something came up.

Even though Laura and Andrew assured her it was alright for her to take her

time finding a job, she didn’t want to rely on them. She didn’t want to depend

on anyone for that matter. Not even Michael.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen him since they fought.

Was he getting an earful from his angelic higher-ups about her mistake?

She came to a stop at the traffic lights on Dame Street, and her shoulders

dropped. The sun had already set. How long did she have before the old

buildings were claimed by the night?

Across the road, out of a cluster of people, a man clothed in all black

stood out. He couldn’t be older than thirty, she guessed. He was tall and wore

a leather jacket and a pair of fitted jeans. The wind toyed with his raven hair.

His tantalising full lips formed into a half-smile, and she registered that his

piercing blue eyes returned her stare.

Heat crept to her cheeks, and she diverted her attention to the ground. She

hadn’t expected him to notice her.

The crowd shifted. She marched with the rest of the group, avoiding

further eye contact with people until she bumped into someone.

Two large hands wrapped around her arms, steadying her. That wasn’t

what made her raise her head. Where the person touched her, a prickling

sensation spread through her skin. Apologies fled her mouth. Looking up, she

realised it was the same handsome guy. She had made a mistake in her initial

judgement. His eyes were a mixture of blue-brown that had a hypnotic effect

on her.

A painful sting reverberated through her chest and strange energy tickled

her gut.

Surprise registered on the man’s face.

She tore herself away from him and rushed to create as much distance

between them as possible. Whatever she felt was not normal and anything

abnormal she learned to separate herself from, except Michael who swore his

mission was to watch over her.

She glanced over her shoulder multiple times, making sure he wasn’t

there. When she rounded a corner, Helena smacked her forehead with her

palm. Who would pursue a weirdo that ran off like a frightened animal?

With a heavy sigh, she moved on to drop off her remaining resumes near

her bus stop before taking the first bus home. It was high time she got

answers about her father and the strange link she had created.

Beyond her protective barrier, things seemed different. Something lurked in

the shadows. It's slithering energy circled her shields like a shark, waiting for

a crack—an opening of some kind. The hairs on the back of her neck rose,

and Michael’s words replayed in her mind, ‘Things would try to get in.’

Whatever was attempting to find its way inside did not seem friendly. The

creature’s energy chilled her to the bone, causing her to shiver. So, she did

the only thing she could think of and reinforced her shields with another layer

of steel. Although she didn’t know whether it worked or not, she somehow

felt a lot safer. That sensation didn’t last long.

The darkness coiled around her, forcing her barrier to creak like a

submarine being crushed by the pressure of the water. A rivulet of sweat

rolled down her forehead as she deepened her concentration.

What is that thing?

Fighting back, she fortified the structure with as many layers as she could

create. Her energy depleted, and she crumbled to her knees. She gasped for

air to fill her heaving chest.

In the distance, a bright light flashed.

Michael, she thought. He has returned.

His soothing glow cloaked her shields and forced the shadow back,

bringing relief and warmth to her chilled body. At last, she could decrease her

barriers to a single layer.

Amidst it all, someone’s voice called out to her, telling her to wake up.

There was an undertone of panic as the words bombarded her with sudden

urgency.

Someone tugged on her shoulders until her concentration broke, and she

was staring into a pair of green orbs. The panicked mumbling came from

Andrew. His face hovered above hers.

“Thank God you woke up!” He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.

Unsure of what was going on, she awkwardly hugged him back. Her skin

got covered with gooseflesh as she shivered within the confines of his hold.

She felt as if she had been dunked in a pool of ice-cold water. Her pyjamas

proved it.

Through chattering teeth, she managed to say, “I’m cold.”

Andrew hurried to her wardrobe, flinging it open. He selected whatever

clothes he could find and returned to her side. Without warning, he started

lifting her T-shirt.

She slapped his hands away. “Whoa, I can change by myself!”

He seemed to realise what he was doing and turned away. “I’m sorry. I

didn’t mean to do that.”

“Why are you here?”

“Laura took a call for you downstairs. Since she left a note and went out,

I came in to give you the good news. But, when I found you, you were

groaning in pain. I rushed over to make sure you were alright... You were

freezing to the touch, and I tried to wake you.” He shoved his hands into his

pockets. “The rest you know yourself.”

Helena hugged him again. “Thanks for waking me up.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he brought her closer to his chest. The

warmth he radiated made her skin tingle. Not wanting to part, she buried her

face in the soft material of his shirt.

Once her shivering subsided, she awkwardly peeled away. “So, what was

the call about?”

Andrew’s lips stretched into a smile. “Looks like you got an interview

tomorrow.”

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