Seeking Fate

by Brenda Drake

  Insulator? His aunt had mentioned that before, but he wasn’t sure what it was. “I know about fate changers. Miri told me.”

  “See,” Daisy said as if the word burned her tongue. “Of course, she did.”

  Iris glanced at Andrei. “She’s right. She won’t hurt us, but she could kill herself.” She directed her glare at Daisy. “You heard Miri. You have to stop changing fates. Something bad could happen to you.”

  “I can’t just let—”

  “Let others suffer?” Iris shook her head. “What about you suffering? You’re damaging your organs with each change.” She sighed, a deep one that told Andrei that they’d had this conversation before and Iris was getting nowhere with Daisy.

  “I’m fine,” Daisy said.

  “I give up.” Iris spun around to leave at the same time two bikes came speeding by, and she collided into them. It was a sickening mix of sounds—a loud thwack, Iris’s bloodcurdling scream, metal crashing against cobblestones, and a bone-splitting crack.

  Chapter Three

  Daisy

  Well. Today definitely got worse.

  Water gurgled out of the faucet. Daisy caught some in her cupped hands and splashed her face. It was a cold slap against her skin. She was so tired that sleeping on the hard floor might have been an option if her sister didn’t need her.

  The paper-towel dispenser was empty.

  “Great. Just Great.” She dried her face on the sleeve of her hoodie. The day was proving to be a disaster. From her awkward meeting with Andrei to Iris breaking her leg. “Now what?” she asked her reflection in the water-stained mirror.

  It’s over.

  There was no way Iris could continue with a broken leg. Plus, she needed her insurance information, which meant they’d have to contact their mother, and then their plan would be ruined. Their mother wouldn’t let Daisy travel Europe unsupervised.

  After redoing her hair into a bun, she left the bathroom. The hallways were quiet and smelled like the hospitals in the United States; disinfectant lingered in the air, coffee left on the burner too long scented the corridor.

  Iris and Andrei glanced over when Daisy entered the room. Iris rested against the pillows on the bed, her leg in a fiberglass cast and propped up on some pillows. Andrei sat on Iris’s suitcase, his forearms resting on his knees.

  Were they talking about me?

  Iris knew her sister’s paranoia well. “We were only discussing a plan.”

  “What plan?” Daisy crossed the room to the plastic chair beside Iris’s bed she’d abandoned to go to the restroom.

  “I just spoke to Reese’s parents,” Iris said. “They’re picking me up this afternoon. I’ll stay with them. You and Andrei will continue with the original plan. Just less me.”

  “You’re supposed to be my chaperone. Mom will kill us.” Daisy frowned and looked over at Andrei. He grinned at her and shrugged.

  Iris reached over and grabbed a cup from the tray beside the bed. “Mom will never know. Reese’s parents think I’m traveling with friends. They wanted to call Mom, but I said that I already spoke to her. Just stick with the plan. It’ll be fine.” She took a sip from her cup.

  Alone? Daisy’s eyes went from Iris to Andrei. With him?

  “What could happen?” Andrei’s grin tightened. “Besides, you’ll get tons of stuff to put in those scrapbooks of yours.”

  She didn’t know his face well, didn’t know what each of its expressions meant, but she knew his voice. From late night whispers to early morning grumbles, every fluctuation was burned into her memories, and the encouraging look on his face right then, didn’t match the concern in his words.

  “Listen.” Iris put her cup back on the tray. “You’ll be fine. Andrei has traveled around Europe before. And you’ll be back before Mom and the others arrive for Aster’s wedding. But you have to leave now. The Van Burens will be here soon.”

  Daisy bit her lip.

  It’s just a train ride. A few stops. Easy really. What could go wrong? If they followed her schedule, they’d be back two days before her family arrived.

  Iris heaved a deep sigh. “Stop overthinking it. Just go already.”

  The thought of her and that innocent boy dying when she could save them both pushed her to action. “Okay, let’s do this.” Daisy went over and reached for her suitcase.

  “I got it,” Andrei said, winking. “The monster is staying behind, so I can lug yours.” He patted Iris’s suitcase.

  Daisy gave Iris a quick hug before leaving. A sense of doom weighted down her stomach. She’d never traveled without someone in her own family before. Not even when she went to visit her dad in Baltimore. One of her sisters, Mom, or Gram would take her.

  Andrei’s boots clicked against the Formica floor behind her, and the little hairs on her neck bristled at knowing he was behind her. Watching her back. She wasn’t sure they could make it together. He was afraid of her, and she was terrified to talk to him. They could just text each other the entire time. They’d probably be more comfortable communicating that way. She stifled a laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked.

  Another laugh bubbled in her chest. “Nothing. Just thought of something.”

  “Come on. Share.”

  “Not telling.”

  She made the mistake of glancing back at him. Those sparkling blue eyes could talk her into anything. Her attention went back to the hallway in front of her.

  “You’re dying to tell me, aren’t you?” The playful tone of his voice caused her smile to widen.

  Daisy heaved a sigh. “All right. If it’ll get you to stop bugging me. I thought we’d communicate better if we just texted each other.”

  The sound of his shoes hitting the tiles and her suitcase rolling over the floor suddenly stopped.

  She turned to face him. “What?”

  “That’s not at all funny.” He smirked.

  “Guess you had to be there.” She crossed her arms.

  He chuckled. “What? In your head?”

  Her cheeks heated, and she adjusted the strap of her backpack and spun back around, not wanting him to see the embarrassment so evident on her face. “Well, it was funny to me.” She continued down the hallway.

  I had to tell him. Now, I just look silly. Go me.

  The pounding of his shoes and the rolling of the bag started up again behind her. Good thing the emergency room was on the first floor. There was no way she could handle being in an elevator with him right now. Closed space. Side by side. It would’ve been torture.

  Thank goodness. There’s the door. That’s what she needed. Some fresh air.

  “Let me get it,” Andrei said, hurrying to pass her. Daisy’s foot stepped on the mat sensor and the door opened by itself. She chuckled, and he groaned.

  “I’m trying here,” he said.

  “I know,” she said. “And I appreciate it.”

  He shot her a smile. “I think you appreciated that I looked foolish rushing for an automatic door.”

  “Well, that, too.” The wide grin on her face started to hurt her cheeks. She headed for the tram entrance across the street and a little ways up from them. She glanced at the hospital behind her. Disappointment causing her smile to fade and her eyes to burn. This was supposed to be Iris and Daisy’s trip. She was looking forward to spending time with her sister. Even if the reasons for the journey were somewhat grim, they’d have fun times, too.

  Okay, her sister wasn’t with her. So what. It’s not as if her entire world was falling apart.

  No. Not like that at all. She mentally rolled her eyes.

  It was every bit like that. She needed her sister with her. It scared her to think of traveling across foreign countries without her. Scared her that she could possibly die and never see Iris again. Never see her family. But there was no way she’d let Andrei see her fear.

  Suck it up. You can do this.

  Her breath started burning in her throat as she sprint-walked over to the tram stop.

&n
bsp; “Wait up,” Andrei called from behind her, dragging her suitcase over the cobblestones. “Do you even know where you’re going? Which tram to take?”

  Daisy stopped to let him catch up. He was right. She had no idea where she was going. Her best bet at finding the final heir was Andrei. Besides, they were friends. At least, she thought they were friends. She hoped Iris was right that they only needed some time to get comfortable with each other.

  The tram pulled up, and Daisy followed Andrei up the steps. It was crowded, so she sat beside him this time, leaning her head against the seat. Her eyes burned, and she just wanted to sleep.

  I’ll just close my eyes for a minute.

  “Hey,” Andrei said, bumping her shoulder and waking her. “We’re here.”

  She straightened in her seat, groggy. “Was I sleeping?”

  “More like snoring.” Amusement floated on his words again.

  “I was not.”

  “Ask the man across the aisle,” he dared her. “He’ll tell you.”

  Daisy slid a look at the man. He couldn’t have been more than five feet tall. His wire-framed gaze met her half-opened eyes, and he frowned at her.

  Great. Now, I’m snoring.

  Andrei lightly elbowed her. “Come on.”

  The walking dead could move quicker than Daisy. She was hungry, tired, and worried about Iris. She dragged herself down the tram steps to the street. When Andrei placed her suitcase on the ground, he hurried back up the tram steps.

  Did he forget something?

  She turned to find Andrei aiding an elderly woman down the stairs. A mother holding a toddler with an older kid on her heels followed. He was gentle and attentive with the woman. His helping someone in need shouldn’t have surprised her, but witnessing his chivalry in action was pretty darn adorable.

  He had a choice to live with his aunt or be with his grandmother after his mom died. Even though he wanted to stay in Brooklyn with his friends, he chose Bunică. She was alone after his grandfather’s passing, and Andrei had told Daisy he made that decision because Miri was tough and used to being alone and Bunică wasn’t.

  Sacrifices. Not many kids their age made them. But Andrei did all the time.

  The elderly woman and the mother with the toddler clinging to her chest thanked Andrei and he headed back to Daisy. A questioning look lifted his right eyebrow and she was suddenly aware of the broad, admiring grin on her face. She stared at the ground.

  Oh gosh. Did he notice?

  “Ready?” he asked, amusement sounding in his voice.

  Yeah, he totally noticed.

  She grabbed the handle of her suitcase and towed it after him. They walked along a river with tall trees and taller buildings flanking its sides.

  “This is beautiful,” Daisy said.

  “That’s the Amstel River,” he said before reaching for the handle to Daisy’s suitcase. “Let me have it. You’re too tired.”

  He wasn’t going to get an argument from her. Their hands brushed as he took it from her, sending flutters in her stomach. Was it his touch or the fact that she was feeling dizzy and nauseated because of the jet lag?

  Daisy sneaked sidelong glances at him as they strolled down the street. A tattoo peeked out from under the sleeve of his T-shirt.

  Okay. That’s hot. She was curious about his ink. If she weren’t such a freak and too shy to talk to him, she’d ask. He glanced in her direction, catching her staring at him and she quickly pretended to adjust the strap on her backpack.

  They reached a row of tall, thin buildings, and Andrei walked up the sidewalk leading to the third one down from the corner of the street. The red brick facade was water stained from where rain had fallen from the gutters on the roof. He unlocked the thick, wooden door and opened it by pushing his body against it.

  “It swells a little after a long rain,” he answered a question she wasn’t going to ask. “We’re on the first floor.”

  They were in a narrow hall with two doors on either side of it. At the end was an incredibly steep staircase. He opened the door on the right and motioned for her to go inside. The smell of something cooking filled the apartment, making Daisy’s stomach rumble.

  Andrei chuckled. “We’ll eat first. Then you can sleep.”

  Daisy yawned. Sleeping on hot coals wouldn’t have bothered her at that point. The apartment was tidy. The furniture was beige and modern. Shocks of color decorated the room in vases, books, and throw pillows. A thin woman dressed in jeans and a blue silk shirt sat at a dining table and looked up from her laptop. Her salt-and-pepper hair was in a low ponytail, and she wore cat-eye reading glasses.

  His grandmother wasn’t at all what Daisy had imagined. It could’ve been because of the name Andrei used for her. But she expected Bunică to be wholly gray and hunched over with a colorful shawl over her shoulders. And she definitely expected their home to look Old World not new.

  She smiled and removed her glasses, placing them on the table before she stood. “Wonderful. You come, finally.” Her accent was a lot stronger than Andrei’s.

  “Bunică, this is Daisy,” Andrei said.

  Daisy slipped out of her backpack. “Nice to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Bunică said. “Andrei, you please take her things to your room.”

  “Sure,” Andrei said reaching for her bag.

  “His room?” Daisy handed Andrei her pack. “I don’t want to put anyone out.”

  “It’s no problem. He sleeps in the office on pullout,” she said and smiled before heading for the kitchen. There was a slight limp in her walk. “Come. Get comfortable. You hungry, yes?”

  Andrei leaned closer. “Her arthritis acts up now and then.” His whisper tickled Daisy’s ear, and she shuddered, every nerve ending in her body hyperaware of his nearness. “Go on. Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”

  His grandmother’s smile seemed forced or possibly Daisy felt a little insecure. Did she fear Daisy’s gift, too?

  What exactly did Miri say about me?

  Her phone chimed. It was a text from Iris saying that the Van Burens had picked her up and she was on her way to their castle.

  Castle. She’d never get used to the idea that they knew someone who actually grew up in one. And that her sister was marrying someone who had.

  Bunică came back carrying a platter of food that she put in the middle of the table. The serving spatula dropped onto the tablecloth. Daisy picked it up and reached it out to her. The woman stared for a long moment before she carefully took the silver utensil from Daisy.

  “Thank you,” Bunică said.

  She’s afraid to touch me.

  It felt like there were a sandbox in the back of her throat. “May I have a glass of water?”

  “With your meal?”

  “She’s American. We like drinks with our food, remember,” Andrei said as he crossed the living room carpet to the dining table.

  “It took months to break Andrei of the habit.”

  After she returned with a glass of water and a basket of bread, they ate. The meal was incredibly tasty and Daisy was stuffed, which made her even drowsier. She desperately wanted to put her head on a pillow when they were finished.

  She slouched in her chair wishing she could unbutton her jeans. “Everything was delicious. Thank you.”

  “I’m happy you enjoyed it.” Bunícă stood and grabbed the almost empty platter from the table.

  Andrei picked up Daisy’s plate along with his.

  “Put them down,” his grandmother called. “Show Daisy to her room. Tired as a new mother, that one. She hangs on a string. Yes?”

  Daisy nodded. “Yes. Barely.”

  Andrei gave her that charming, lazy smile of his. As he led her across the living room, she spotted a silver-framed picture of Andrei with a smoldering look on his face and stopped. It had to be recent.

  “My final year portrait,” he confirmed her thoughts.

  Beside the photo of him was a grainy snapshot of a couple in a me
tal frame. The woman looked much like Bunică, and the man had lighter hair and was a lot taller than the woman.

  “My parents,” he said.

  He’d mentioned his mother passed away but never said anything about his father. “Where’s your dad?”

  Andrei picked up the metal frame. “This is the only photograph I’ve got of him. Found it after my mom died. There wasn’t a father listed on my birth certificate. They met on holiday while in college. Here in Amsterdam. She found out she was pregnant after he’d gone back to school. Decided it wasn’t worth having him around. Don’t know why she didn’t tell him about me. Guess she had her reasons.”

  “I’m sorry,” Daisy said.

  “Thanks. I’m doing okay without him.” He put the photograph back on the shelf, but didn’t let it go, just stared at it for several uncomfortable breaths.

  “She looks happy, doesn’t she?” he finally said, releasing the frame. “We struggled in Brooklyn. She was never that happy. There were moments she was, but not like that.”

  “And you never looked for him?” she asked.

  “No. I did ask about him, but she would never tell me anything. Not even Bunică knows who he is.” He turned. “Guess his name died with her. Come on, you look like you’re going to pass out.”

  “I definitely feel that way,” she said. After he went around the corner, she sneaked another look at the photograph of his parents. Her parents were divorced, but at least she had both of them in her life. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be Andrei. He said he was okay without his father, but the way he stared at his image and held the frame longer than necessary, she doubted he was.

  Maybe Miri knows who he is. She took out her phone and snapped a pic of the photograph.

  “You coming?” he called.

  “Yes.” She slipped her phone back into her pocket, followed his voice to a room down the hall, and paused at the door. “I really feel bad kicking you out—”

  Andrei stood in front of the closet, his shirt off. Her gaze slid across his toned torso. The half-sleeve tattoo on his arm was the profile of a lion, its mane wrapping around the back of his arm and over his shoulder. His low-slung jeans exposing the V-line in his lower abs.