• Chapter 1
    Phase 1
    Chasing Fate

    I woke up gasping for air and clenching something hard and slender to my stomach. My head throbbed and my arms and legs felt as if they had needles running thru every nerve, every vein. Even though I was awake, my eyes seemed to not want to open and I lay there in my controlled blindness, wimpering and trying to figure out what happened and where I was.
    I could see the daylight thru my eyelids, and as I slowly turned I shreiked as one of the needles went up my spine and into my head.
    Had I a concussion?
    Was there nobody around to hear my scream?
    I forced my eyes open and gasped in horror as a small pool of blood lay by my head.
    My blood...


    Destiny awoke, grabbing her glasses and positioning them on her face before sitting up, taking slow deep breaths and looking up at the tiled ceilings. Her hands shook as she pulled back the covers and crept silently over to her desk where the laptop lay, halfway shut. She opened it and moved the mouse, then signed into her IM account and prayed...prayed with everything that Tyme would be on.

    Tyme93 : Oh hey, y r u on this l8?

    AlwaysDest : me?? I should be asking u the same question...

    Tyme93 : Lol

    AlwaysDest : I had another dream...

    Tyme93 : Wat about?

    AlwaysDest : It was about F8...is she okay?

    Tyme93 : Lol, ya, she's alseep in her room.

    AlwaysDest : Tyme, I don't think something is rite with your sis

    Tyme93 : How?

    Destiny tapped the keys, biting her lip and pondering over the right words to tell Tyme her dream without scaring him.

    AlwaysDest : I had a dream...she was gone...

    Tyme93 : Like lost?

    AlwaysDest : Ya

    Tyme93 : Lol

    AlwaysDest : Plz check on her??

    Tyme93 : Lol she's fine, now go to bed Destiny, I'm going 2

    AlwaysDest : Tyme! Wait!

    Tyme93 has signed out.

    Destiny held her head in defeat and minimized the chat window. She slid her chair back and was about to walk over to her bed when suddenly another IM window popped up.
    Tyme.

    Tyme93 : DESTINY! U THERE???

    A little taken aback by the capital letters, it took awhile for Destiny to reseat herself and type back quickly:

    AlwaysDest : Ya, I'm here

    Tyme93 : Destiny! Please help me! I went to check on Fate just for the heck of it....

    AlwaysDest : Whats wrong what happened???

    Tyme93 : SHE'S NOT IN HER ROOM OR DOWNSTAIRS, SHE'S GONE!





    Chapter 2
    Phase 2
    Fates Own

    I stood up slowly, my legs were wobbly and the world seemed to be in some sort of spinning vortex. I soon realized I had been laying in an alley, and the thing I held was a knife. Had I tried to defend myself from my attacker?
    My head was still throbbing like crazy and dried blood caked my hair. I remembed when Tyme used to tell me I had the prettiest hair in this part of Windoor.
    I miss my brother.
    And I miss his friend, Destiny.
    His words kept playing in my mind as I leaned against the brick building.
    Am I dead?


    "I just can't beleive it..." Tyme said for the hundreth time. He leaned against the back of the sofa and shut his eyes to hold back the tears he was too ashamed to shed.
    "I can't either Tyme she was just so...so innocent" Destiny said, "I hope they find her"
    Tyme stood up slowly and began pacing the small living room, his hands thrust deep in his pockets and his eyes searching the floor, "Maybe...just maybe she left a sign"
    "Don't you think the police would've found it?"
    "I don't know...but maybe she hid it for us to find"
    "Tyme..."
    Tyme raced out of the room and up the stairs with Destiny on his heels. The two turned sharply around the corner and ducked under the police tape that blocked off Fates bedroom doorway. The room was right where it had been the day Tyme first noticed she was gone. The covers pulled back, the lamp still on; even the closet near the window was slightly ajar as Fate always kept it.
    "You would think this was a murder scene or something" Tyme said, picking up a small bag with a single strand of hair in it.
    "Lets hurry up and find this 'clue' before we get caught" Destiny said glancing at the doorway.
    While Tyme went thru Fates closet, Destiny leaned against the doorframe, her eyes glued on the stairwell. She was naturally greiving with Tyme for the loss of his sister, but his want to find her himself was just unreasonable. Of course the police would've found any clues before they had...it made sense...
    Right?
    "Dest! What was that?" Tyme said peeking out of the closet.
    Destiny listened as two voices--both male--began to come louder and louder.
    Whoever they were, they were coming upstairs.
    Destiny rushed into the closet with Tyme, who set the door ajar as before; only enough for he and Destiny to peek out.
    Indeed, two men entered the bedroom--One standing in front of the closet door making the two unable to see what was going on. Destiny groped about the narrow closet for Tyme who was leaning with his ear against the door, when she found him, she followed his example and they listened as the two men spoke quietly and quickly, as if in a hurry.
    "This is the scene, sir" said one, his voice cold as a steel pipe and unbearably emotionless.
    "Yes, that poor little girl" said the other in a more relaxed voice. He shuffled about and stopped, the mattress creaking loudly.
    "Don't! We need that to analyze for fingerprints!"
    "Oh we both know what happened to her Issac" said the other impatiently, "And don't you tell me you don't, because I know you do..."
    "But sir...the family..."
    "We'll just tell the family that we came up short...couldn't find her..."
    "But--"
    "We'll say she's dead"
    Tymes hands clenched into a tight fist upon these words and Destiny forced herself to breath. These two...so uncaring...and what were they talking of anyway?
    "What about the rest of the team then sir? Should we recruit them?"
    "They already know what happened to her too, They know what they are doing"
    "Who all knows then sir?"
    "Just us Issac," the mattress creaked loudly and footsteps walked to the doorway, "Just us"





    Chapter 3
    Phase 3
    Harmatten

    I forced into my mind that I was not dead.
    That I was breathing, that I was seeing, even hearing.
    I heard traffic and people. I heard children shouting and I even see these things.
    I stumbled out into the street, tired and painful, and I came across a girl and a boy standing...waiting to cross the street.
    Where am I? My mouth moves but no words come out.
    I am falling.
    And falling...and falling.
    I hit the concrete hard, and the wind is knocked from me.
    I see the girl turn.
    I hear the girl shout.
    "Asunder! Look!"

    "Harmatten?" Destiny asked, her eyebrows arching high above her emerald eyes, "How do you figure that Fate is in that fallacious city?"
    "It only makes sense Dest, I mean think: She wouldn't be in Windoor because if she was, then this wouldn't have ever happened..."
    "But--"
    "And like you said, Harmatten is a fallacious city. The exact opposite of Windoor. So she has to be there, there is no other place she can be..."
    "But what about those two guys?"
    "What about them?"
    "If they were truly trying to help...If they were true Windoorians..."
    "Their not from here" Tyme said dryly, "There from Harmatten..."
    Destiny blinked and turn slightly, peeking out the kitchen window at the street; shiny and wet from the rain, "I don't know Tyme. Maybe we're just jumping to conclusions"
    "Where else can she be Destiny?" Tyme asked, pleading, "Nothing like this has ever happened in Windoor. Ever! Why do you think all the...so called police and everybody is so up in arms?"
    "If they are from Harmatten, they sure are pulling it off good"
    Tyme nodded, "Masterminds..."
    "But I still don't understand. Why do they want Fate?"
    Tyme shrugged, "I dunno...I really don't"
    Destiny nodded and shut her eyes, head throbbing and entirely too tense, she rested her head on the table. Tyme slid his chair back, almost silently and was about to go put their glasses in the sink when Destinys head snapped up and she gasped.
    "Destiny? You okay?"
    Her eyes scanned the room and her mouth moved, no words coming out.
    "Destiny! Can you hear me?" Tyme said, instantly at her side.
    "My head...it hurts" she murmured, rubbing the back of her head, "Like it got hit"
    "I'll get mum..."
    "No, no its fine Tyme," Destiny said and pushed her chair back too, "I'll just go lay on your sofa, if its fine"
    "My home is your home Destin--"
    "Ow!"
    Destinys legs crumbled beneath her and Tyme quickly caught her before she hit the tile. Her breathing was shallow, and in short quick gasps. Scared and worried for his friend, Tyme lifted her and carried her to the sofa, laying her down and snatching up the phone.
    "Tyme don't," Destiny managed to say.
    "Don't what? Destiny your legs gave out!"
    "I know but listen please. Put the phone down"
    Tyme stood unmoving.
    "Please?"
    Tyme let his hand drop to his side as he watched Destiny slowly sit herself up, wincing in pain as she did. When she was sitting up, she motioned for Tyme to sit next to her.
    "Listen to me Tyme, this is another...this is...like a dream..."
    "What?"
    "You know when I told you the dream I had about Fate?" Destiny asked, "That she was missing?"
    "Yeah..."
    "Well this is something like it...but I can feel..."
    "What are you talking about?"
    "I can feel what happened...or is happening to Fate" Destiny murmured, "She got hit in the head...her spine; I think it might be fractured..."
    "I don't...It can't...Its not logic" Tyme said, his voice shaking.
    Suddenly, there came a series of knocks at the door and both froze in fear. Tyme leapt up, yanking a throw blanket off from one of the chairs and draping it over Destinys legs, Then he raced into the foyer, peeking through the peephole before swallowing all his hatred and terror and opening the door.
    "We're from the police department," said one of the same two men from the other day, "We came to ask you some questions Mr. ...."
    "Tyme," Tyme said and he turned, leading these two imposters into the living room with Destiny.
    They sat awkwardly in front of the sofa where Destiny was reclining, looking curiously at the blanket that covered her legs.
    "This is my other sister, Destiny. Her leg is broken" Tyme said, impressed that his lie was beleivable.
    "Ah. A pleasure Ms. Destiny" said the one with the flat voice.
    Destiny nodded but her expression stayed straight.
    "Well, we have some questions for the relatives of Fate," said the other taking out a peice of paper, "That would be you, Mr. Tyme and Ms. Destiny. Is there a mother available? A father perhaps?"
    "No. Mums at work and can't be reached and my father is dead"
    "I'm sorry"
    "Your questions?" Destiny asked, a slight tone of disgust in her voice.
    "Yes, the questions. These will be asked to Tyme, but you both my answer if need be..."
    Tyme nodded, his hands shaking as he pulled over a chair next to Destiny and seated himself.
    "Tyme, when did you first notice that Fate was gone?"
    "The night we called the police"
    "Were you fond of your sister? No jealousy?"
    "Of course not!"
    The two exchanged glances and wrote something on the paper.
    "Has Fate ever mentioned running away?"
    "No"
    "So you are suggesting she was kidnapped?"
    "Yes. I KNOW she was kidnapped"
    "And how do you know?"
    "Because she is not the kind of girl to run away," Tyme said wearily, "She loved it here at home. She would never..."
    The other one stood. His eyes fixed directly on Tyme who returned the gaze with every last ounce of courage he had left in his soul.
    "No more questions, Mr. Tyme"