Page 22 of Twisted Fates
I could feel elements of him in the design. So much of it traditional, but with sweet little additions that made the home feel modern and happy. The parlor had a mix of this morning’s furniture as well as some of the old. A fire burned happily in the original fireplace.
I turned toward the music room that now housed a self-playing, baby grand piano with comfortable, modern, but formal seating. The kitchen and dining room were exactly as they had been, but the library was back to its original wood shelving and formal green carpeting. I instantly knew this was right. It was precisely how it should’ve been from the beginning.
We seemed to glide up the stairs together, and the bedrooms had been totally transformed. It was now a living space, as Owen had suggested, but with a much more modern design. I saw my dad’s old leather chair in the corner next to a fireplace, identical to the placement of the one downstairs, and a nostalgic fire burned warmly inside it.
I looked around the space and saw myself there. Things I’d loved my entire life were there, but everything looked new andmodern, not torn or broken like most of my furniture had been in the apartment.
There were no bedrooms though. Not downstairs, not on this floor. I looked at the attic door, which opened, and Owen and I floated up the staircase into the attic.
It was so different yet very much the same. The space was still open like before, but on one side was a king-size bed that sat snugly under one of the great windows. The bathroom where I’d cleaned off the blood when I’d broken the ugly vase was transformed. Now, it was modern and chic. Nothing like the dusty room had been before.
A considerable closet was attached to the back, and my and Owen’s clothes hung there.
The vision changed then, and when I opened my eyes, the apartment was empty. Owen and I were sitting on the floor instead of the worn leather furniture that’d been here before.
“Um,” Owen said, his eyes wide. “I think I might have injected myself into your moving vision. I hope I didn’t screw up.”
I pulled him into my side. Seeing all my stuff so beautifully upgraded and stored in my new space and now seeing Dad’s and my apartment empty made me emotional.
“Come on, let’s see what happened at the house,” I finally said.
Owen just nodded, but I could tell he was upset. I wasn’t quite sure why. Sure, we’d shared a vision, and yeah, I could see how he’d put himself in the space, and even if his clothes endedup in my closet, that wasn’t so bad. We could move them back. The powers prevented me from doing stuff for my own gain, not helping him fix stuff that happened in a vision.
Besides, I liked his style. The first floor of the home in the vision was so comfortable and inviting. I could see many nights sitting in front of the fire, reading a book or drinking a cocktail in the warm library. Hell, maybe we could even hire a real musician to play that fancy grand piano and not just rely on the self-playing element.
It’d all be good, no matter what.
Owen said he would give me some space, which, truth be known, I needed. I wandered through the tiny apartment, amazed at how small it felt now it was empty. “Dad,” I said, knowing that, unlike the ghosts in the mansion, my dad was no longer here, “I guess I’m finally flying the nest.”
A calmness fell over me, and although I couldn’t see his spirit, I’d been wrong. My father was here, and he was giving me his blessing.
A tear slid down my cheek as I said one last goodbye, then closed and locked the door. Our lease was mostly nonexistent. We’d lived here too long, and Dad had refused to sign another one even though he’d paid the upped rent to keep us from getting kicked out.
I texted the greedy jerk of a landlord, letting him know I’d moved out. “The apartment is yours,” I wrote, then shoved the key under the door. I have no idea where Dad’s key went. It was probably with the stuff that was transferred to the new home.As soon as I had that thought, I saw the key sitting in a cabinet and knew exactly where it was.
I could’ve had it come to me and left it for the landlord, but I decided against it. Instead, I could see the key mounted in a small picture frame and placed on the wall in the attic next to where all the old books were stored.
No matter how amazing my new home was, that key would always represent home to me, even more than the empty apartment I’d just left. I knew I’d cherish that for the rest of my life.
Chapter sixteen
Owen
Iwas so embarrassed.This was Damian’s vision, his life, and his future, and somehow, I’d imposed myself onto it. When I looked around and saw the empty apartment, I knew the vision I’d seen of his new home, with all my stupid design elements tucked here and there, would be reality.
Worse, so much worse, were my clothes and belongings. I’d known Damian for all of three days—not even that long—and I’d thrust myself into his life, into his home. I was mortified.
I left him alone, mostly because I knew he needed the time, and found a little coffee food truck not more than a block from his apartment. I got us the same coffees we’d ordered this morning. When I returned, he was already waiting for me. “You got me coffee?” he asked, smiling.
I nodded and handed it to him. “Come on, then. Let’s see if my stuff made it to the house. Hey, what did you see while we were holding hands?” he asked.
I sighed as I climbed into the passenger side of his car. “I’m so sorry, Damian. I-I saw my stuff in your home. I don’t know if it’s at your house. Maybe, hopefully, it’s not, but I kinda get the feeling it is. We’ll have to move it all back to my apartment if it is. I mean, it’s not like I own a lot of stuff, you know. I’ve only been in Seattle for a few months, and I didn’t bring much with me, and—”
“Owen,” Damian said, interrupting me. “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. Let’s go see what happened.”
I nodded and took a drink of my coffee, willing it to calm my nerves. Yeah, I liked Damian. I liked him a lot, but I wasn’t someone to jump into a relationship. Damian hadn’t asked if I wanted to live with him. I hadn’t agreed to live with him. I just wanted to help him transfer his belongings.
The magic thing was new to me, although I was beginning to wonder why it wasn’t freaking me out more. In college, I’d taken a world’s religions class, and we’d studied about reincarnation, which resonated with me. I mean, recycled spirits made sense, especially now that I’d met actual dead people.
