Fate Seekers

I grew wings last night.

Stark white and pristine, the pair sits heavy on my shoulders. Lightweight fabric wraps the curves of my body, shimmering under bright lights that frame a room void of color. Recollection of my arrival escapes my grasp.

Just a dream, I tell myself. You’re dreaming.

A touch of my fingertips against soft feathers suggest otherwise, their strokes sending shivers up my spine and into my shoulder blades. Nerves scatter and electrify in my veins.

“Hello?” My voice echoes in the vast space, shaky and unsure. “Is anyone there?”

Silence.

My muscles protest as I stand, the weight of my newly acquired appendages contending with my balance. I scan the room, eyes registering white walls and floors, white linens and a pillow on a single bed; a room with no windows and, seemingly, no doors. Hope dwindles as my hands run along smooth walls, fail to find an exit.

A shimmering portal appears, and through it steps a man, gentle-eyed and smiling.

“Katarina. I’m so glad you’re here.”

I blink. “Who are you?”

“I’m here to help.”

“And where is ‘here,’ exactly?”

“Ah, this place…it’s merely temporary. A mindspace we’ve created to prepare you.”

“I’m sorry. Prepare me? Prepare me for what?”

“Your destiny, of course.” I raise an eyebrow.

“I’m not following. Who are you and why am I here?”

“Who I am is not important. But who YOU are, well. That is why we are here.”

“Look, riddles aren’t really my thing. You think that you could just tell me what’s going on? And while we’re at it, maybe you could explain this?” His smile widens as I point to the feathered monstrosities on my back.

“Katarina, my dear. You are here because we called you here. It is time.”

“Time?”

“Yes. It’s time for you to become a guardian.”