Foretold:Interesting Times

 For genprompt_bingo: May you live in interesting times.

Some days, Cleo thinks about dying. She thinks she’s figured out how to do it, finally. She’s tried before, back when she was the Weaver of Greece and then as Queen of Spring and after that as the Wife of Midsummer and in those long years where she was nothing. She’s Cleo now, Cleo the Teacher in Silent Sound, and she hasn’t found a reason to die yet.

The dreams still come, bright and horrifying. She dreams of cities turned to ash and stars falling from the sky. The visions still come whenever she looks people in the eyes, futures that may come to pass for children barely old enough to read and tired, worn adults. Sometimes, she makes suggestions, things that sound like normal advice but with a precognition no one else will ever know about.

When she first meets Alexandria Smith, she’s six and part of her seventy-eighth second-grade class. Cleo still looks twenty-seven, like she has since before the library burned. That night still comes back to haunt her some nights, with first the taste of ashes and sand in her mouth and the knowledge that humanity had finally destroyed a gate and then the horror of realizing that Clio was still inside. Alexandria knows how to read already, so Cleo pays her little mind until, in one way or another, they lock eyes.

Cleo sees fire and blood, cities in ruin and streets filled with shattered glass, drawn swords and words made weapons. She wants to scream, to tell the little girl to run away, but she can’t. The words stick in her throat as she sees the sun setting for the last time over a ruined world instead of a ruined city. She can’t tell Alexandria just what her future holds; she would out herself and doom the world.

So, when asked what she would become by the little girl with glowing eyes and choppy hair, Cleo just smiles and says, “you will live in interesting times,” and doesn’t mention that it’s a famous curse. She’ll figure it out soon enough.

Foretold: Discussion At the Gate

 for genprompt_bingo: Journeys and Quests

“Where are you going?” The building is empty, an abandoned temple with bloodstains on the  floor. Still, the voice is there, echoing around the room as Cass looks for its source.

“Who are you?” Cass asks. This is not normal, not even the usual not normal.

“Why are you here?” the voice demands to know.

“What’s going on?”

“You have reached a crossroads,” another girl who Cass is positive wasn’t there the minute before explains. She’s younger than Cass, maybe eight, and looks washed-out; her only color is her emerald green eyes. “I cannot let you go further.”

“Why not?”

“I am the guardian of this gate, kid. I’m not having another massacre on my watch.”

“I need to get through.”

“Why?”

“I need to find my sister.”

“Why?”

“She’s all I have left.”

“Why?”

“My entire village is gone.”

“Why?”

“The king demanded it.”

“Then how are you and your sister still alive?”

“We were out gathering food when they came. We hid. We ran. I need to find her. Please let me through.” The girl sighed.

“What is your name?”

“Cass of River’s Keep.”

“What is your quest?”

“To find my sister.”

“Do you swear to stick fast to this quest and leave once it is done?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. Jane of the Fourth Gate grants you passage to the Outside. Best of luck, Cass Riverkeep.” Cass thanked her as she walked through the glowing doorway into a new world.

Sorry

 for genprompt_bingo: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

I’m sorry. I should have said something. I should have done something. I didn’t.

So you know that old phrase, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil? It's that. Well, it's more like cult mindset, but they're kinda similar, so…

When that girl went missing, I knew what had happened, but I said nothing. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Then you came in, asking questions I knew the answers to and a few I didn't.

You made me feel… brave? scared? safe? in danger? calm? horrified? I don't know what, but it made me think.

You disappeared. I almost said something. Then my back turned black and blue and red. I didn't.

So when John came and I fought not to scream get out while you can, I thought of you, and I almost stayed silent like when she vanished or you.

But I spoke.

Father assigned me to show him around, probably with the intent to abandon him in the woods. Instead of killing, we talked. I told him everything. You would be proud of me.

It started with something like "you need to leave" and he asked why and I said "the girl isn't here, she's not going to be found, Father's too smart for that" and he asked what I meant and it all came rushing out.

It's been five years since you came. Four since John came. Three and a half since they found your body. Three and a half since we buried you. Three since I started therapy. Three since Father went to jail. Two and a half since the scars started fading. Two since I started talking regularly. One and a half since all of the court cases ended. One since I broke down in the middle of the night sobbing because my idiocy had cost your life. One since John held me as I cried.

Five years. Five years. For a girl expecting to never make it to twenty-one, that's a lot. I'm twenty-two now, in case you didn't know. Today's my birthday. When we met, I was sixteen. I was an idiot at sixteen. I was still an idiot at seventeen, but I was less of an idiot enough to end this. I just wish I could've gotten to know you better. I suppose it doesn't matter now.

Thank you for five years and sorry for my mistake.

Colors: Time Loops

 for genprompt_bingo: Thank God It's Friday... Again: Time Loops

"You ready?" Neptune wants to scream. He knows what will happen next: he'll say yeah, Rose will say let's go, Emerald will open the door, the world will dissolve into fire, and he'll wake up this morning again.

This is his fifteenth raid on Devil's Run, fifteenth death, fifteenth June 28th, 2082. He needs to find a way out of this where they all live.

"We shouldn't do this," Neptune manages to choke out. "This feels like a trap."

"Neptune, Vi's in there," Rose protests. "We are not leaving her behind."

"We don't have to. We just can't charge in, colors blazing. They knew we were coming. We need to think."

"Fine," Rose grumbles. Emerald gestures for them to stand aside as she gently nudges open the door, only to duck out of the wzy as flames oame rushing through the opening. "Holy shit!" Soon enough, the flames stop. The three proceed through, only to find an empty base. "Goddammit!"

"Rose…"

"It was a trap, a trap this whole time, and I made you fall for it. Vi's probably dead and we almost were because I can't let her go."

"Rose, Vi's probably alive. She's powerful enough that they wouldn't want to kill her. She's just not here."

"What do we do now?"

"We try to find the others. The prophecy said there are seven of us, right?"

"The prophecy is bullshit."

"Still, there are three other kids out there getting hunted. We leave Violet alone for a bit and find them. They'll think we're dead and loosen their security. Eventually, anyways," Emerald admitted under her breath. Rose shakily nods and accepts Neptune's hand. The three walk away, new plans forming as Neptune sighs in relief, knowing that tomorrow will be June 29th, 2082.