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“You should wear colors more often. They bring out the light in your eyes,” Alexei exclaimed as we stepped off the porch. I turned to look at him. I didn’t realize he took note of the colors I wore. Interesting.
“We should grab a coffee first before heading back to the station. I feel like you might need it today,” he said, and I smiled. I was trying my best not to think about the work waiting for me. We still hadn’t made any major headway, and it was starting to feel like we were just going round in circles.
We walked into the park and Alexei asked me to sit on the park bench while he got us coffee and he spoke to some men. I figured he probably had things he didn’t want me to hear, so I sat down. He walked off to speak with them before he got to the coffee stand. I decided to relax and brought out my phone.
I tried to reply to emails and catch up with whatever was going on in the outside world while I waited. Harmony Grove felt like its own little bubble. I started feeling uneasy like someone was watching me again. I tried to shake off the feeling that I was being followed, but it was getting harder to ignore.
I turned back to look at the entire park. I scanned the surroundings, looking at the playground, the paths, and the distant trees. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary—just the usual park-goers engaged in their morning routines.
I glanced back at Alexei, who was still talking with the men. Judging by the serious looks on their faces, whatever it was they were speaking about was very important. He looked kind of pissed too, telling me the vampires were creating problems for him again.
The murders, his missing sister, and everything else happening concurrently in Harmony Grove were taking its toll on him. It was visible from the lines on his face. He looked in my direction and when our eyes met, he flashed me a smile and went back to his discussion.
"Nice day, huh?" someone said beside me and I was startled. I had no idea when the woman had gotten there or when she sat beside me.
I nodded, watching her carefully. "Yeah, it is."
She looked at me like she knew something I didn't. She nodded slowly and I was starting to get creeped out. My eyes dashed to where Alexei was standing again and I knew if I screamed, he would hear me.
“I am not here to harm you, Evelyn. Stop looking at him as if he could save you from me.” She chuckled. I was getting even more creeped out. First, she sat beside me without me noticing, now she knows my name and she was using it casually like we were friends.
“Who are you and are you the one following me?” I asked, surprisingly calm. The woman seated beside me didn’t look like she wanted to harm me and somehow my entire body was pretty relaxed around her.
“I was following you because I wanted to be sure, and I wanted to speak to you once I was. As for my name, you will know it soon enough,” she replied softly. I was even more confused. At least I knew who was following me now, but I still had no idea why.
“You wanted to be sure about what?” I asked.
“That you were Celeste’s child, the same one she took away when the coven needed her the most,” she replied.
My mother’s name was Celeste, if this woman was right. Aside from the necklace, I had no other information about her. I was glad to finally know her name–Celeste—if this woman was to be believed.
"You have the same eyes as her—the eyes of the chosen ones."
I was confused. "Chosen ones? What are you talking about?"
Instead of answering any of my questions, she continued to talk.
"We've been waiting for the chosen one. You. But now you're going the wrong way."
I squinted, trying to make sense of it. "Wrong way? Chosen one? What do you mean?"
“Your people are dying. They need you desperately and you are out here serving the wrong cause. When you sleep think of the thousands of witches that you are leaving hanging out to dry.”
But before I could ask more questions, she walked off, disappearing amongst the crowd so fast that it was starting to feel like the conversation never happened and was all in my head.
I looked back at Alexei, still talking with those guys, clueless about what had just happened. The park, which used to feel safe, now seemed spooky.
As I thought about it, nothing made sense. Chosen one? Wrong side? I wanted to understand what she was talking about. I needed answers to this strange story that had just touched my life.
Alexei came over, looking curious. "Everything okay?"
I hesitated, not sure if I was ready to deal with whatever the lady just told me. "Yeah, everything's fine. Did you get the coffee I asked for?"
I changed the subject, and he handed me the coffee. We kept walking to the office. Some things are better left unsaid for now.
***
It was late evening and we already had had dinner. I was still bothered about the woman from the park and her words. I couldn’t get them out of my head no matter how much I tried. I knew it would soon start to affect my work too. I hardly got anything done today and despitethe necklace being far away in my bag, I still found my heart going to it.
