Four Destinies

By Maddy Bougher

Do you ever feel like you don’t fit into the mainstream, where everything is social and progressive and centred around the greatness of humanity? Does the ongoing suffering of Earth and her creatures lying at the foundation of our world sometimes become unbearable, to the point where you feel unable to live in a place where society ignores what it has done and continues to indulge in an endless cycle of pain and torment?

It can feel hopeless, but you’re not alone; Ever is a young girl who lives with her rabbit/best friend, Luca, in a town where no one understands a reclusive hermit who doesn’t adhere to the normal social protocols. She feels disconnected and far away from everyone around her, and Luca is the only one who can make her feel alright again.

Tired of her life, everything changes when she meets two strangers: Fate, a human, and Crescent, a horse, who have come from another world and offer her the chance to find her true destiny in a world where humans and nature live in harmony.

All is not peaceful, however, and a power-hungry sorcerer has taken command of this parallel world, threatening to turn it into the human ravaged society we know today. The destinies of Ever and her friends are caught up in the playing cards of fate as they try to find a way to bring balance back into the world he has shaken.

This story explores the darker sides of humanity and the detrimental impact our society has on the world. Foremost, however, it is about friendship, and how the most powerful bonds can hold together, even when they are apart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: May 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781922812483

Maddy Bougher

Maddy lives in Perth, Western Australia. Growing up, her best friend was a rabbit named Lucky, and his memory still inspires her today. As an introvert, she finds getting out in the real world to be tricky at times, and hopes to inspire others through her writing instead. She is passionate about animal rights, and hopes that one day we will live in a world where humanity respects not only their own kind, but also the beautiful natural world and every other creature who resides within it.

Book preview

Prologue

A quiet cave lay huddled in the mountains among the clouds. Moonlight glided down through a crevice in its upper walls, bathing a pool of water that lay there in the silent shadows. Over time, the focused beam of moonlight began to work away at something in the bottom of the pool, and as time went on outside, ravaging the mountain in which the cave was tucked away with winter wind and blessing it with the kiss of a summer sun in turn, a blue gemstone was forged.

Alerted to a strong power emanating from the place, a spirit emerged from the moonlight and stood surveying the scintillating blue light emanating from the bottom of the pool. The spirit took the form of a horse, and had a kaleidoscope coat of swirling and interchanging blues, from deepest sapphire to palest moonlight blue. They had great power: to heal, to know evil, and to understand that time is and was, and cannot be undone.

The spirit looked at this unintentional creation of their power, and knew what good, and harm, it could do. Considering, the eerie blue eyes decided not to destroy the gemstone, knowing that it was safe enough concealed away up here, although the pool did feed into an underground river that bled away down to the flatlands where there was life. The spirit dissolved back into the moonlight, and the mysterious stone was left to be at the bottom of the crystal clear water.

It wasn’t long, nor was it the last time, before the gentle lap of water wore away a piece of the stone, and it tumbled down the underground river, travelling over time through the caverns and ways, getting stuck here and there, but eventually finding its way to the bottom of a river bed in a grassy meadow below the rolling hills. The mountain it had come from was only a distant memory, glimpsed in the wistful haze of clouds above. The gem lay there, lodged between the river stones, until one day someone found it, wading through the stream on a cool summer’s day, and held it up to the light, wondering at the potential of such a curious blue stone.

Chapter 1

I walked down the street as quickly as I could, trying not to panic; I could see the bus idling at the stop up ahead, and according to my phone I still had another minute before it departed. Perhaps it was just that the clock on my device was behind, or maybe the driver was simply in his own world, for as soon as I thought this the vehicle started up with a shudder and began to rattle ominously, windows shaking. Having no other choice, I gathered myself and ran, unruly hair whisking across my eyes and bag slapping my back uncomfortably with each jolting step on the pavement.

The engine gave an enthusiastic roar and the bus accelerated in a steam of crunching gravel and tarmac, pulling away from the stop just as I reached it. I skidded to a halt, following its departure with disbelief. A group of teenagers across the street sniggered and pointed at me, nudging each other in what was obviously an amusing spectacle to them. I glared in their direction and pushed aside tendrils of hair from my eyes before turning back to face my options. Kendaline town was on the edges of nowhere, and public transport only deigned to pass through it twice a day; once in the morning to cart off workers to the city, and then once again in the evening to deposit them back home.

My boss was going to kill me. I considered texting her, but realised that was somewhat cowardly, and swiped the call button. I waited, an ominous feeling prickling the air around me, and glanced over my shoulder. The teenagers had disappeared, hopefully off to school where they should have been in the first place, and the street was devoid of any activity, a grey stretch of road leading into a dismal grey sky, where dark clouds threatened a rainy day. Uniform houses stretched out on either side of the street, hunkered down against the burdens of life, their yards sprawling with trampolines, tricycles, rusty beaten down cars and in some cases wind chimes tinkling in the limbs of scraggly trees. The eerie music of one such windchime played across the emptiness, and its mournful tunes reminded me of a song I couldn’t quite catch.

I gave a start as my reverie was broken by the scratchy voice of my boss crackling through the phone. I apologised for disturbing her, and explained how I’d missed the bus and didn’t like my chances of getting into work that day.

I don’t want your excuses, Every! she snapped. I’ll have to call in Carlos to fill your shift; you had better present yourself tomorrow, or I might just advertise your job to someone else! And no, you’re not getting paid leave today!

I flinched, promised to do better, hung up, and trudged home.

*

My rabbit Luca was sitting in his corner of the living room when I opened the door. He looked at me in un-amusement, his huge eyes squinting in disapproval at my early arrival. I guess he’d been looking forward to a day to himself, too. He was a black and white creature, with a pyramid of white running down from his forehead and widening out into a wide blaze around his cheeks, while his head, ears and back half were black, the front half of his body was white, and his little back paws were donned with white socks. He looked like he was wearing a tuxedo. I laughed, and then I couldn’t stop, because the thought suddenly seemed out of proportionally funny, but then the tears ran down my cheeks and I felt drained again, as if someone had pulled a plug and all the energy I had left seeped out quickly and into the floor.

I crossed the room, scooped up Luca and pressed him to my chest, breathing in his soft clean rabbit smell and feeling the warmth of his heartbeat, the slight pressure of his claws digging into my shirt, and the tickle of his whiskers against my cheek. Grumpy or not, I loved him. The mutual feeling didn’t last long, however, and he starting chewing on my sleeve in irritation. I sighed, let him down, and watched as he hopped promptly back to his mat and turned his rump towards me.

I spent the day reading and watching tv, curled up on the sofa with tea and some vegan chocolate. Luca perched next to me on the cushions, his little white paws tucked up under his chest so that he looked for all the world like a fluffy duck. I’d brought out a banana and some oats, and these peace offerings seemed to have been accepted in return for my interruption of his day.

I stared out the window, absently stroking his fur while the rain streaked down, lashing the window and whipping the trees outside. I felt despondent, a weary heaviness that came and went with distraction but was always just there, lurking in me and daring me to try and find a meaning to my life. I couldn’t remember when it began, exactly, only that I had had this ever present feeling of disconnect, like I was constantly in a state of dreaming and everyone else, everything around me was seen through a haze. I looked out through my eyes, but there was a glass around me that barred me from ever truly being a part of the real world. It made it hard to form relationships with people, as I wasn’t able to be entirely there; I felt separated from them by something that when I tried to explain sounded silly and ludicrous. The two exceptions were Luca, my best friend, and my human friend Saphina, who had been with me since school days. She put up with my moods, and we sometimes had fun together, but she had her life, doing horse therapy for people who needed a change from the bare and clinical psych offices this town had to offer, and running a small property with her partner, Matt. I stayed shut in my apartment with Luca for the most part, only leaving for work at a stationary store in the city which I had no passion for. I even did all my shopping online, as the fear of walking down the aisles of a supermarket paralysed me.

Luca was as introverted as I was and intensely disliked anyone he didn’t know, so we suited each other well, and he didn’t need to go for walks as a dog might have, giving me the perfect excuse to stay home. While he didn’t like too much attention, he also got quite affronted if I stayed out late, and would usually turn his rump, lift his tail and pee all over the floor if I dared to be after my usual time. Nevertheless, he was my best friend, and I loved him with all of my heart; I couldn’t imagine trying to live without him, and despite his grumpiness, we were closer than ever.

As for relationships, I was already twenty two and had never been in one, but I wasn’t concerned; the idea really didn’t interest me, and I don’t think Luca would have allowed it even if it had; aside from when he chased delivery personnel on occasion, there was a day I remember when Saphina’s brother came by to pick her up after school. She had ducked quickly into the bathroom, and while she was there he had professed his interest in me and asked if I felt the same. I was mortified, and had no idea how to say I didn’t without hurting his feelings. While I was deciding how to break it to him, Luca suddenly came tearing across the room, charged at the boy’s legs and bit him squarely on the ankle. Saphina came out at that moment and smothered a laugh, while her brother yelped in pain and I had to quickly scoop up my rabbit, scolding him profusely but secretly praising his timing. After they’d gone I rewarded him with a slice of banana and some blue berries. And that was the end of that, thankfully.

I don’t remember my parents well … I must have been very young when we were parted, as I have one of those vague memories with the hazy white light surrounding it of my mother telling me my name. She said, your name will be Every, so you remember that everyone, and everything is important and equal on this Earth. Love all creatures, Ever. And she had kissed me gently before fading into the passage of time. My grandparents Willow and Hawthorn had brought me up, although I don’t have much memory of the time before we came to Kendaline some ten years ago. I was given Luca shortly after we arrived, and for all those years he had been my best friend, there for me through everything; when my grandparents passed, when I had hard times at school, and finally when I moved into my own place and came home every day from a depressing job.

I was thinking about these things when a movement in the corner of my eye alerted me to Luca falling asleep on his feet, as rabbits often do, and thus tumbling over sideways into a comfortable flop. This would normally have been fine, except for the fact that he went tipping towards the edge of the sofa. I quickly steadied him and gently laid him down on the cushions while he slept peacefully on, his eyes rolled back in that scary way non-rabbit owners often mistake for being dead.

Then I stretched, limbs aching from a day of laziness, and stood up to gaze out the window. The rain still sleeted down, and I watched a brave soul battle it out with a white rain coat and umbrella, tugged along by a similarly clad chihuahua. I was about to turn away and switch on the lights, for the storm had turned the afternoon into the deep darkness of twilight, when I saw something strange. A horse was standing in the shadows of the rain, a dark silhouette dragged out by the pouring water. A man stood beside him, and for a moment his gaze met mine; I saw startling blue eyes just before his hood fell forward and he turned to speak to his equine companion. The horse looked up at me, blew steam out into the rain, and then both of them seemed to fade into the mist, leaving behind only sharp plasters of rain where they had been standing. I blinked and rubbed my eyes wearily. Some days I didn’t know if my constant dreamlike state bled into my subconscious and projected imaginings out into the real world, but I was too tired to feel fazed anymore. I would have left it at that, except for when I turned around I found Luca awake, his front paws resting on the arm of the sofa as he gazed past me out the window, and I saw a very un-rabbit like expression in his eyes. He seemed … Distraught?

What’s up, bun? I asked him, as sometimes he did go into a freeze mode when something scared him.

As I picked him up, he thumped sharply against my chest, a sure sign of perceived danger. Puzzled, I scratched his head in the spot between his ears, and eventually he subsided back to his usual reaction at being picked up; he pedalled his legs, bit my shirt sleeve, and then ran off when I let him go. Bemused, I passed it off as him being startled from his nap, but I couldn’t help wondering if he had seen those figures out the window, too.

Before going to bed later on, I went to say goodnight to Luca. I knelt down and stroked his head gently, pressing my cheek to his. He clicked his teeth slowly as he often did when he was happy (very distinctive from the fast chattering sound he made when he was annoyed!), and then to my surprise he lifted his head and licked me on the cheek, a rabbit’s sign of affection. He hadn’t done that in a long time, and I was touched that he did now.

Good night Luca, I murmured, giving him one last hug.

That night I dreamed more vividly than usual. I often had the disconcerting experience that my dreams were more real to me than my waking life, although when I woke up the memories bled away and a sense of unreality always seeped back in. This time, however, what happened stayed in my mind. The man I had seen out in the rain was beside me, looking out into the darkness. In the back of my mind I wondered why I wasn’t embarrassed, sitting here in my pyjamas with a handsome stranger, yet as with dreams this kind of logic didn’t seem to apply. He suddenly turned to me, his gaze sad for some reason. And then he spoke. I’m sorry for what will happen. I know how much Luca meant to you, but he’s at peace now.

I wanted to ask him what he meant, but it was hard to speak, and I felt a tingling in my spine, premonition or fear, perhaps both. The horse who was his companion walked through the doorway into my room, and I saw that he was a deep glossy bay appaloosa, shadow and moon combined by the white crescent on his nose and similar markings speckled across his rump and neck. He bowed his head sadly.

Following behind came Luca, but he was translucent. I could see the carpet through him, and he seemed to be fading. He looked at me sadly, before hopping slowly forward and blowing away like a candle. The man stood and went to the horse, and in a daze I walked out into the main room and looked for Luca, but he was gone.

I woke up gasping for breath; my chest was constricted, and I wondered if I was having a panic attack. I lay in the darkness, listening to the sound, any sound, of my rabbit out there in the night, a satisfying crunch as he ate his pellets, a slight shuffle as he hopped from one place to another, but there was only silence. With terror in my heart, I walked out of the room, knowing already what I would find.

He lay there, stretched out for all the world like he was asleep, but his open eye did not twitch in dreams, and his legs lay still. I touched him, and he was ice cold, the soft pliable warmth of life gone with the spirit that had ignited his body. Numbly, I backed away, feeling like I was floating just out of reach. I backed away until I hit the wall, and then I crashed back into myself. I cried then, pressing my hands to my face and clutching at grief as I sobbed, the heart ache of losing my best friend unbearable.

After a long time, I wearily lay down on the floor and slept, my head pounding and my eyes aching after all the tears that had been shed. My saddest thought, strangely enough, was that I had nowhere to bury him.

Chapter 2

As daylight broke through the glass panes of my window, I slept on. I didn’t wake until the shrill ringing of my phone cut through my subconscious and put me on autopilot; I checked the number, saw it was my boss, saw at the same time that it was well past work start time, and reluctantly answered.

You’re fired, she said without preamble. "Carlos is happy to have your shifts, and mark my words he’s a better employee than you ever were, Every! Expect your last pay out to come through, and after that I hope you have a nice life disrupting someone else’s workplace!" She said all this in one breath, so I didn’t even have a chance to say anything.

As she hung up, I noticed how my eyes felt sore and tired, and for a moment I wondered why I was sleeping on the floor.

My rabbit died. I whispered the truth, and suddenly felt numb all over. He was more than just a rabbit, I knew that. He was everything to me, and life without him seemed … empty.

I called Saphina, but once she picked up I couldn’t say anything without sobbing brokenly, so she promised to sort out handing her lessons over to an assistant and come as soon as she could. She was true to her word, and within half an hour we were sitting quietly together, talking softly about the rabbit who had been so full of life, bringing laughter to the world.

Poor Luca, she said sadly as we sat on the sofa where only yesterday he had been beside me, so alive and so real.

I felt my cup in my hands, cold now, and I saw Saphina talking to me, but it was from a great distance, and as I looked around the feeling of unreality became more severe than ever. She had covered Luca’s body with a blanket; I couldn’t bear to look at him.

He was my best friend, I whispered, unable to speak with any force.

I know he was, Ever, and he always will be. He gave you the best friendship you could ever ask for, and you in turn gave him a wonderful life; I mean, how many rabbits get to lord it over the house and boss their humans around? She laughed.

You’d be surprised just how many, I said, smiling sadly.

*

Saphina let me bury him on her property, in a quiet shady spot covered with green grass and yellow flowers. We said a quiet farewell, and she hugged me while I shook, watching Matt lower my best friend into the earth. I would never feel that warm body again, never touch his long rabbit ears, never see the spark of cheeky light in his eyes. He was an elderly rabbit, I accepted that. In a way I was grateful that he hadn’t suffered, and had passed away peacefully in his own home, and perhaps he even knew that he was going, when he had licked me gently in farewell that night. But it didn’t change my grief.

Afterwards, I stayed with Saphina for a few days; I couldn’t bear to go back to that empty apartment and see Luca’s things there … the bowl of food in his corner, the blankets that no longer housed a warm body, and all the memories in every spot he had filled.

The night of his funeral we ordered pizza, but I ate too much and felt sick. Saphina patted my shoulder in sympathy, and I was grateful she understood.

The next day my limbs felt heavy beyond anything and I wanted to sink down into oblivion, but my mind refused to rest. I kept thinking about the dream I’d had the night Luca left me, and who the two strangers could have been, both the dark horse with the crescent moon markings and the dark haired stranger with the blue eyes. They both had strange eyes, I remembered suddenly. I had never seen a dark horse with blue eyes before, yet this one had them, just like his human. Kaleidoscope eyes that went from steel stormy blue to deep piercing sapphire in a moment.

Saphina came into my room later on and sat on the edge of the bed, offering me some strong coffee which I was grateful for. I didn’t normally drink it, but it felt appropriate after all that had happened.

You should come out and help with the horses, she suggested, smoothing back my hair. You know how calming they are, and they do like you, you know.

I muttered that I might make an effort to get up, and she smiled, leaving me to it.

As I sipped my coffee, I considered her words. Horses radiated such a peaceful sense of beauty and calm, but despite this I hadn’t really spent much time around them. I did know a few of the residents here, however, so I decided I may as well go out and help.

As I got dressed, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and was surprised; I felt so drastically different inside that it was a shock to see an ordinary person staring back. I had dark circles under my eyes and my hair hung limply in tangles, but there was nothing too unusual about that. I fixed the knots with a battle of wills, however since I didn’t wear makeup I had to make do with the raccoon eyes.

As I walked down to the stable yard, I deliberately went on a circumspect route around the house so I wouldn’t have to see Luca’s grave. The pain still dug its claws into my chest whenever I thought of him, so I didn’t.

Saphina was with a group of people from the disabled association, and I smiled as one of the ponies, Dipper, did a silly thing with his lip and grabbed a little boy’s hat, making him shriek with laughter. She really helped people here, a feat not many turned their time to in this world.

In the stable, I checked the list of chores and settled on cleaning the stalls and sweeping out the aisle. I had never actually tried to ride a horse myself; it felt almost wrong to try and control such a free creature, but I did wonder what it would be like to have a real partnership with a horse as Saphina had with her mare, Daya. I supposed it wasn’t that different to the bond I had with Luca, one of friendship and respect and trust.

To push thoughts of him away, I began my attempt on the stalls, and predictably got covered in sweat and dust before I was done. Afterwards, I walked down to the endless meadows that formed a massive paddock, and the cool breeze tugged my hair loose and brushed my skin, wiping away all traces of it.

I settled under an old oak tree, tucked into the cradle of the roots, and gazed out over the stretching green that went for miles across the countryside. Dotted here and there were small groups of horses grazing and swishing their tails, and in the far distance I could see the hills rolling across the horizon, almost deep blue in their density as rain fell down far away. To my back and right was the woodland, a beautiful expanse of trees and bush undeveloped by humanity. Saphina had had many offers for it by real estate agents, but she was adamant that some places should remain free.

Silver-grey clouds lay blanketed across the sky, and rays of sunlight dived down through the layers, creating curtains across the land. It was peaceful, and I felt a part of it, as if I could simply float away and leave behind my physical constraints to be free among the skies.

Of course, it wasn’t long before thoughts of Luca came back to me. His beautiful eyes, his cheeky bunny antics, and everything he had done to make me smile. How he tolerated cuddles and crying sessions and listened to me when I vented about my terrible days. He was always there for me, from a young kid to my adult self, and I wondered again how I would go on without him. What a cruel world it was, giving someone another to love, and then taking that person away in a heartbeat. I put my head down and allowed myself to cry again, out here in this beautiful world where I should have been at peace.

*

I trailed back to the house as the rain came skating across the fields, not really caring when it drenched me. Saphina was still out with her clients, and Matt was at his day job, so I let myself in and had a hot shower. The water needled into my skin, and I looked dispassionately at the redness of my arms as the heat soaked in. After turning the faucet off, I stood staring at myself in the mirror for a moment, wondering who it was that looked back, and what had happened to me. It was strange, being inside myself and yet feeling so far away.

I had lost track of time, but it was apparently a Friday afternoon, and I was curled up on the sofa when Saphina came in. She saw me there and after a bit of poking convinced me to go out to a club with her and Matt and some of their friends. I cringed away from such social situations usually, especially when it involved night clubs; I’d been to one years ago, in supposed celebration of our graduation from high school, and thoughts of it still gave me anxiety. In the end, however, I was so down that I realised I had nothing to lose, and I gave in to accompanying them.

Saphina always looked stunning; she had the most beautiful dark olive skin and midnight hair, and as usual she never failed to find a trendy dress and heels. She wriggled her eyebrows at me as she applied a layer of lipstick, and when Matt took her arm, he with his smart attire, they looked a fine pair. I, in contrast, felt like a five year old as I followed them in my leggings and T-shirt, although Saphina said I looked very pretty, which didn’t comfort me at all.

The security personnel at the door swept my friends in with a wave of his hand, but as I went to follow them he slammed an iron arm down and barricaded me, waiting impatiently for my ID. I was over twenty and still got mistaken for being a child. As I didn’t have a driver’s license, I had to fish around for my old school ID card with a photo taken from when I was sixteen. Luckily, I didn’t look too much different, and after squinting suspiciously at it, he let me pass.

I immediately wished I hadn’t come; there were people everywhere, jostling, dancing, sitting at the bar, talking, shouting, singing, laughing. The over stimulation reeled into my introverted brain and signalled me desperately to retreat. I would have spun around and walked right out of there if Saphina hadn’t seen the look on my face, guessed my intentions, and dragged me onward into the crowds.

Come on, Ever, this is fun! she said, laughing as she ordered a drink. Matt sat down stoically by her side at the bar, smiling reassuringly at me. A group of their friends joined us at that moment, crowding into the space. I moved over to give them room, and in that way got separated, pushed back into the mass of people dancing against each other. I squeezed my way past them, heart pounding.

Want a drink, darling? a man leered at me as I ducked past, and I shook my head quickly. He made a start towards me anyway, but luckily at that moment a waiter tripped over a well-placed foot and sent a tray of drinks cascading into the crowd, distracting the man long enough for me to slip away.

I would have left, but aside from the fact that I couldn’t get to the door, the club was in the centre of town, a good distance away from Saphina and Matt’s property. It would probably take me at least an hour or two to walk there.

I considered going back to my own apartment, but the thought of Luca’s things there dissuaded me, and I sat down in a quiet corner instead, scrolling through my phone, searching through pictures of my rabbit and trying to find something in them, although I didn’t know what I was looking for.

My skin prickled as I glimpsed from under my eyelashes someone sliding into the empty chair across from me, and I realised how stupid it was to sit alone at a table in a dark corner of a night club. I tried to ignore whoever it was, but I could feel a blush creeping across my cheeks as it always did when I was nervous, and I couldn’t convincingly go back to what I was doing. So I looked up, and saw before me the stranger I had seen from outside my window two days before. He appraised me with those unnerving eyes, and I wished stupidly that he wasn’t so good looking; I may not have been interested in a relationship, but I still felt awkward.

Seemingly oblivious to my discomfort, he smiled at me. It’s Ever, isn’t it? I’m sorry for what happened to your friend.

I suddenly felt a suspicion take hold of me; Luca had seen him and his horse out the window, and not five hours later he had died. Then there was the dream. Dreams were just dreams, but the fact was that somehow they were connected.

How do you know … Did you have something to do with what happened to him? I asked, my throat catching. But even as I spoke, I knew that wasn’t quite right. He didn’t seem evil.

The man shook his head, confirming my thought. Our coming here triggered Luca’s passing, it’s true, but there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening. All the same, I’m sorry, Ever.

I felt like I was crumbling away from the inside; nothing made sense. I grasped at threads, trying to understand.

I … What do you mean; how could you cause him to die? I looked at him suspiciously. And how do you know so much about us? It wasn’t like I used social media.

He looked slightly abashed at that. I can’t explain it all, but Luca was sent here to protect you. You know he was an old rabbit, near the end of his time, but he was holding on for you. When he saw us arrive, he knew that he was able to let go.

I felt extremely lost and baffled then, and had no idea what to say.

Don’t worry, I promise it will make sense soon, he hurried to add, and then grinned, looking like every other guy under the sun who had ever mocked me. Yet somehow he was kinder; he didn’t see through me the way they did, but seemed to be genuinely looking at me as he spoke. Anyway, I guess I should introduce myself; I’m Fate.

Fate? I responded, thinking distantly that it was an interesting name. Unreality lowered its glass dome over my head from where it had been hovering lately, blurring everything. I tried to shatter it by focusing on the man’s voice.

Yes. Where I come from, we’re named after things that relate to us; my mother saw a vision of the future when I was born, and as my fate was sealed she named me thus.

Your fate was sealed when you were a baby? That doesn’t seem right. I was still trying to process everything he had said about Luca, and the words seemed to speak by themselves. Is your mother a fortune teller? That must have been hard for you, knowing something was going to come to pass and being unable to change it.

He smiled regretfully. My mother was what some would call a seer, yes, but she has long ago gone back to the world. As for the fate she saw for me, precautions are in place to prevent it from happening, as the lives of many will be affected by what I would do. He looked half amused and half sad, so I wasn’t certain if he was being serious or not.

I’m sorry, I said. I did know how it felt to lose people you loved and to be left behind feeling lost and trapped. Trying to be positive, I added, it’s still a pretty cool way of naming a child, anyway. It sounds much more meaningful than the way it’s done here.

I suppose so, although each way has its charm. He looked at me thoughtfully. Your name is quite interesting, too.

Oh, yes. My mother named me Every so I might remember that everything is a part of the world, and to respect all life. I was still determined to find out how he knew my name, but I was also interested to see where this conversation was going.

Your mother? For some reason he looked sorry for me.

Yes, although I don’t remember her well, I said, and hastily continued talking so he wouldn’t pursue the topic. Anyway, I guess her naming worked quite well; as an example, I’ve been a vegan for as long as I can remember.

I wasn’t sure how he would react to this, as most people in Kendaline, guys in particular, seemed to think of veganism as a kind of plague that they did their utmost to avoid. It was just another reason why I found the majority of humanity insufferable.

To my surprise, however, he leaned forward and confided that where he came from, the majority of people didn’t eat animals. Although we don’t use a label as you do. It’s more an ingrained choice to be kind, and a lot more people respect life there than they do here in this dismal town. He said this with distaste, and I wondered just how far he had travelled.

We were almost nose to nose without realising it, and with a start I