Finn

Fate stood, her legs shaking. The hot sun's glare made her sweat, but she pulled through. She scanned the area, her eyes flashing around.

She was still behind the tree, which was covered by a bush on the other side. On the other hand, the way she was facing just led to deep woods.

Fate walked around the tree, breathing heavily. Her mind was racing about Jasper, and the exhaustion for using the strings. They'd known each other since she was born, he was only 1 year older than her.

He was always quiet, and nobody would notice him mostly. Fate didn't have a clue as to what he was like, or what he did by himself. Jasper was simply a mystery.

He'd never interact with anyone unless they came to him, much like her.

She looked around, the bell still ringing in her ears. Olivia was walking with Ava and Ella, smiling and talking, while Oliver and Jason laughed in unison, talking together. Logan, on the other hand, was already at the porch. He looked confident and happy, probably because he wasn't tagged.

Jasper was by himself, walking the slowest. His hand was still shaking, Fate noticed. She speculated that whatever he did back there to stop the strings, it must've been hard.

Olivia looked over at Fate, and smiled, before finishing talking with Ava. She walked towards her, and went for her hand.

Fate jerked her hand back, before continuing to walk. She didn't feel like talking, especially as exhausted as she was. Olivia showed surprise, for whatever reason, before staring at her eyes. After a couple seconds, she simply said in a quiet voice, "What's wrong?"

She was taken aback a little, before replying, "Nothing, I'm just tired. I just want to head inside, it's been a long day.."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll go back to Ava and Ella then.." Olivia trailed off, showing concern in her face. Fate assumed she must've seen the annoyance in her face, and gave up the small talk.

She looked over at the orphanage building. It was a large rectangle shape and had a triangle shaped roof. The orphanage was 2 stories with large windows on the bottom story.

Mom was at the porch, with a small golden bell in hand. She had already stopped ringing it, and waited for the other children.

There was a small field between the orphanage and the forest, just big enough for Mom to see everyone. The field was mostly for racing and other activities.

Logan and a few other young kids were already at the porch, taking their shoes off and running inside. Everybody else was racing each other back to the porch and cleaning themselves off.

Fate finally reached the porch, and passed Mom. She gave a happy smile, before letting her pass. Following behind Fate was Olivia and her group, then the boys. They were the last ones here.

The older kids were punching and playing with each other as they took off their shoes and wiping dirt off themselves. She walked up the steps silently.

Suddenly, Fate felt eyes all lock upon her. Everybody was staring, probably surprised that she was outside, and not the usual inside. But, the staring subsided as fast as it started, as they looked away and continued what they were doing. Except for a few, who continued to stare a little longer.

Fate looked away and hastily took off her shoes, before heading inside without a word. She didn't bother looking at the people stares. It was embarrassing.

Going through the hallway, several 5 to 6 year olds were jumping around, some running or walking. Fate maneuvered around them, getting out of the way before heading towards her room.

She headed upstairs, through the hallway, and reached her door. Abruptly, she felt a hand grab her shoulder, and instinctively moved her other arms elbow backwards, nearly slamming into whoever touched her.

Fate quickly looked back, to see Jasper. He jumped back, dodging her elbow easily. They both stopped, staring at each other for a second, before he tirelessly said, "Chill there, Fate. I'm not a fan of nearly getting elbowed in the stomach, not nice."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to uhm.. You know," Fate spoke as fast as she could. She was about to say more before Jasper put his finger to his lip.

"It's fine, I don't care. Just be more quiet. Look, we can't talk right now, I need to go soon, like I always do. We'll talk, midnight today. Don't fall asleep, it's important," He spoke cautiously and clearly.

"Oh.. okay. Yeah, I'll stay up. But first, where are you going? Why do you have to go? Te-" Jasper's face got softer, and he walked to her, Before tapping her forehead.

"Midnight, I'll answer you later. You're getting weaker, so I'll make sure to explain everything. Cya," He walked off, leaving Fate at her door, mind racing.

She lost focus for a second, then began walking, before seeing that Jasper had completely disappeared. No trace, no sound, nothing. He was just.. Gone.

She stood in shock for a moment, before looking down the stairs. Nothing. Until, a crowd of children began running up the stairs. Fate retreated back to her room and tossed her shoes next to the bed.

She laid down, and thought about what just happened. Subconsciously, she began playing with her hair, before looking down at her hand, and focusing.

The string appeared, it's white thread looking sharp and gleaming from the light. Fate compelled it to move around, and the thread began to shake. She quickly focused more and it stopped.

Then, she got her other hand and focused even more. A smaller, thinner thread appeared. She got both hands and began to move them closer together. Her hands suddenly felt like a magnet, the two strings wanting to connect and attracting each other.

The smaller string began to shake, violently. It stopped listening to Fate's commands and shot out towards her other hand, right at the bigger thread.

The two collided, and came together to make a stronger and thicker string. In a quick movement, the thread shook and shot out towards the wall, making a small hole.

Fate laid back aghast. She has never done that before.

In the spur of the moment, the sound of her door opening filled her ears, making her jump. Mom was there, her hand still on the door knob.

"Hey honey, just checking on you. I heard from Olivia that you're not feeling well. Do you need anything?" Mom smiled and stared, giving a look of concern. Fate simply shook her head, before saying, "No, I'm fine. Thanks, Mom."

"Are you sure honey? If you want anything just call me. I love you," She spoke softly and wholesomely, as she usually does.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. Love you too," Fate gave her a half smile before looking away. Mom seemed to understand, and simply said, "Alrighty then. I'll go now."

She shut the door, and walked through the hallway, her face filled with slight disappointment.

Fate slumped back, tired. Using her strings really exhausted her. It was weird. She looked over at the window beside her bookshelf, and stared off.

Surrounding the entire orphanage was a forest, and we were only allowed out in the backyard. The front was the same, forest, the only thing visible is the rocky trail that leads into who knows where.

It was intriguing, and secretly Fate wanted to explore. But, she was always stopped, and never got the chance. Mom always made sure nobody left the orphanage unsupervised, unless, of course, somebody got adopted.

Fate had only been adopted twice, each time they took her back. Her first parent was a woman, who took her down the trail, and led Fate to her house, which was connected to the main trail to the orphanage.

Her house was 2 stories and big. She couldn't exactly remember, as this was years ago, but she only stayed for 2 days. On the last day, the woman which she now called mom got sick and returned Fate to the orphanage.

The second time was the same as the first, except it was a dad. He didn't get sick, but after 2 days of Fate living with him, he just took her back. No reason, it was just out of the blue.

By that time she believed nobody wanted her, and stayed at the orphanage. Getting adopted didn't happen too often, but Fate had recently heard somebody will be getting adopted soon.

She didn't know who, but was secretly hoping it wasn't her. The thought of living with someone that would just take her back was just depressing. She wasn't a fan of this orphanage at all, but it was all she had.

Fate stood up, and left her room. She headed downstairs, past kids, and went to the dining room. She grabbed a small plate of fruits, and sat down to eat.

The room was empty, perfect for a quiet lunch. She chowed down by herself, and finished after a couple minutes.

The only sound being heard was the ticking of a clock, 5:30 PM. Time always seemed to fly by.

Unexpectedly, the sound of shuffling and a plate moving made her jump, and she swiftly looked over to the corner.

Sitting there was a boy, who looked about 13 years old. His name was Finn, she remembered. He wore a black leather jacket and had long black hair, similar to Jasper. He was buff, with big arms and strong legs. He looked over at Fate, and stood up.

His plate was empty with crumbs. He headed to the front and went through the kitchen door, before returning and walking towards her.

"Hey, my name is Finn. We don't speak often, but I'm with Jasper. He told me you talked? Just making sure."

Fate was a little dazed, but assumed he was Jasper's friend.

"Yeah, we talked. Why?"

Finn's face turned pale and he looked away, thinking. He looked back at Fate, and asked, "Did he tell you everything?"

"No, he told me… uh.." She stopped herself. Should she tell him about midnight? Was he trustworthy? They've never talked.

"What did he tell you, you can trust me," His face was back to normal, and he heaved out a small sigh. His eyes were intense, with a dark blue coloration. It was like he looked into your soul.

"He told me to meet him at midnight, then he would tell me everything. Why? And how do you know?"

Finn's body shook, and he sat down beside Fate, seemingly relieved. He spoke slowly and said, "Do you know where he is? I haven't seen him all day."

Fate thought for a moment, and decided he was just worried for a friend. She spoke to him more calmly and less awkwardly, "He told me he was busy, and left. I have no idea where he went, it was like he just vanished into thin air. It was weird."

His face got pale, and his fist clenched.

Finn shot up, right when she finished talking. The concern on his face looked 100x worse, and he slammed his fist down onto the table.

"Fucking idiot! You've got to be kidding me. He's doing it again. Fucking shit," He lifted his head up and stared at Fate. He must've seen the concern on her face because he said, "Sorry, I'll explain later. Actually, we'll both explain. Midnight, don't forget. I need to go get that idiot before he makes things worse.."

Finn stormed off, slamming the door and leaving. Fate jumped up and left her plate, following behind him. What was happening? What's wrong with Jasper?

She opened the door and ran through the hallway, to find nothing. She then sprinted upstairs, nearly running into some children, who she thankfully dodged.

She then went through the hallway to find nothing, no Finn. Fate went back downstairs and looked outside, nothing.

Fate went out to the porch for more view, absolutely no one.

Her curiosity got the best of her, and she ran around the orphanage secretly, to the front. About half way there, she hears sticks breaking, and the sound of Mom's footsteps.

Fate looked around desperately, before deciding to try and run around the orphanage and make it to the other side without Mom noticing.

But, just as the footsteps got closer and Fate was about to run, she suddenly felt something grab her hand.

She looked over to see Finn, face sweating. He came out of nowhere. He then motioned her to be quiet, as he held her hand and stood back to the orphanage wall, clearly visible. Fate tried to move, but Finn held her back, motioning her to stay still.

So she did. The sound of Mom's footsteps got closer, until she eventually peered over. But, she looked different. She looked more.. scary.

Mom's bright smile was gone, and her eyes glowed a darkish brown. She looked angry, and walked closer to them. She was still wearing her usual attire with her hair in a bun.

Fate nearly whimpered, but Finn tightened his grip. Mom looked around desperately, her neck bending in unhuman ways. Her large, glowing eyes darted around like an animal.

They were right there, in plain view. But, Mom somehow couldn't see them. Fate just stared in panic and shock, trying to avoid Mom's eyes. What was wrong with her?

After a minute of looking around, Mom's eyes stopped glowing, and she looked pissed. Her face was scrunched up and filled with pure anger.

She lifted her hand and began itching wildly at her head and arms, before stopping and looking around one last time.

Suddenly, her bright smile returned and the scratch marks left her body. Her eyes returned to normal and looked just as pleasant. Mom turned around and walked towards the backyard.

Finn looked over at Fate, clearly sweating. His eyes were glowing black, but quickly dimmed as Mom left. He fell down, and sat on the grass.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Fate.." He stopped for a moment, thinking. "Go back inside, now. Or anywhere else other than here. It's not safe to leave the backyard, Mom is unforgiving…"

Fate stared at Finn, "What's wrong with Mom…?" Finn just grimaced and looked away. He replied, "Midnight, me, Jasper, and you. Mom's inside the house. Don't go in her view. She will become suspicious, watch yourself. Make it to your room, it's safe… Mom knew someone was here.."

Fate's mind was blank, but she decided to follow his instructions, especially after seeing Mom's eyes.

"Alright, I will. You better explain everything.. I'm worried. I don't know how you hid us, but thanks. Thank you beyond belief."

Finn smiled, before standing up and tapping her forehead. Then he pointed and whispered, "Go. She's already suspecting me and Jasper. Watch it."

…

Fate speed walked back inside. Once she entered, Mom was standing in the hallway, talking to James. She was bent on the floor, giving him a kiss.

Once Fate entered, Mom's eyes darted to her. Fate simply looked away without a word and headed upstairs, acting as casual as possible.

But, she could feel Mom's glare.

Fate headed to her room, and entered. In her travels past Mom, she had to dodge several kids lunging at each other playing inside, and Olivia who was constantly talking.

She laid on her bed, once again. Gears spun in her head, as she thought about Finn and Jasper. What was their relationship? How did Finn hide us? What's wrong with Mom…?

She got up and went to her bookshelf. Books would always calm her, especially when stressed. She grabbed one of her favorites, and opened the next chapter.

Fate stared for a moment, as a small slip of paper fell to the ground. She picked it up, and read the note:

"Check the attic. You'll find it there. I heard you like books, well, this one's important. Don't forget that. Top shelf, right corner. There will be a small gray book. It's important. Read it. -Jasper"

She stared at it for a moment, before setting aside her book and walking out the door. Holding the note, she went past the hallway to the end. Right above a small stool was the attic door.

Fate looked around, to see nobody in the hallway. Everybody was either downstairs or in their rooms. She opened the lid and popped through the attic.

It was dusty, extremely dusty. The inside was big, bigger than Fate's room. There was a small green couch at the end of the room with several bookshelves surrounding its sides.

There was a mini fridge, clothes rack, it was like a mini hideout. Fate stared in awe for a moment, before quickly shutting the attic door and looking around.

Behind the attic's opening was a stool and giant wooden table, filled with weapons. Spears, knives, swords, bows, you name it.

Fate was still in shock, and looked around for longer than she'd like to admit. She opened the fridge to find tons of water and frozen food.

After looking around, she finally pulled out the note and walked to the couch. It had a big, heavy green blanket.

Silently, Fate whispered, "Top shelf, right corner, gray book.." She looked around, and went to the right corner.

The shelf was tall, taller than her. So she stood on the couch and reached the top shelf. One book sat there. A small gray book, the cover looking old and rustic.

She grabbed it and sat on the couch, before opening the book. The pages looked ancient, older than the hard cover.

Fate put the note beside her and bundled herself with the heavy blanket, before beginning to read…