SHADES OF DESTINY

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Michael could hardly catch his breath as he struggled for air. The basement of the county library was suffocating and musty, smelling of damp paper and dust. The entire class stared at him with pale faces, as though they had witnessed something they could not explain. A firm, familiar hand steadied his shoulder; it was Sarah, eyes wide, voice clear but trembling. 

“Michael,” she said, “don’t stand up yet.”

“What happened?” His throat felt raw. “Why is everyone—”

“Bro! You fainted,” Damian said...

...On the ride home, Michael took the back seat of the bus and stared out the window. Green Valley slid past, bright and ordinary: the forests were still green and alive, the buildings were intact, even the sun glistened off a bright blue river that looked inviting for an early summer swim. It should have felt comforting. Instead, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed. The world was different; he was different. 

“I saw something,” Michael said in a low voice. “I saw Green Valley, but not like it is now. It was like something out of your worst nightmare.” 

Damian and Sarah laughed, shaking their heads. “Sure, ya did, buddy,” Damian snorted. 

Michael didn’t smile. “It wasn’t like it is now. Something or someone destroyed it. We were all older. You both were there. But Damian, you weren’t with us. You were…” Michael hesitated, as though a warning in his heart forbade him from telling Damian any more. “You were,” Michael swallowed, “different.” The words tasted wrong as soon as he said them. It was as if the dream did not want to be revealed. He shut his eyes, and the vision surged back, not like remembering a dream, but as though the memory was alive in his blood.

“I can’t get it out of my head! Everything and everyone was gone.”

“Michael… what did you see?” asked Sarah.

Green Valley destroyed. You and I were with another girl out over the bluff, waiting for something or someone. I don’t know who she was, but she seemed important.

“Do you know what you were waiting for?” Damian asked.

“I think it was you, Damian.” Michael looked up at his friend, hesitating...

...A cold bead of sweat slid down his face, trickling down the back of his neck. Sarah brushed back her long, dirty blonde hair, focusing more on Michael while Damian continued to stare at him, unsettled now, the teasing gone. Michael did not repeat what he had heard. He couldn’t. The real Green Valley, bright, full of life, and untouched, kept flashing in his eyes as the bus rolled on. The nightmare vision began to settle into him, like a vivid warning with teeth. 

                                                             ---Clang!---

The library, now empty, reverberated with the sound of the basement gate ringing. With shaking hands, the librarian fumbled with the lock before snapping it into place. The book she had gathered with care was heavier than it should have been, weighed down by the secrets within. As she climbed the stairs, she felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She looked up to the top of the landing. He was there, waiting. 

“Back already?”

“Of course, did you truly think I would leave such an important artifact with you? I saw you recognize it when I brought it down earlier.”

The librarian’s breath quickened. “Who are you? Where did you find this?”

He continued to stand over her, patiently and silently, then slowly held out his hand without responding. Hands trembling worse than before, she placed the book in the old man’s and surrendered the book. She felt the weight lift off her. She studied the old man for a moment. He wore a red cloak that covered much of his face, yet she felt she could make out a slight grin.

“You know exactly who I am.”

She steeled herself as her face went white. The librarian stood still, her eyes shifting around the library, searching to see if anyone else lurked in the shadows. From across the room, the chimes of an old grandfather clock cut the deafening silence, chiming 6 times. Her gaze switched from the clock to the cloaked man as he turned to walk away. She took a deep breath to find her voice as the man reached the door. 

“You are The Architect.”