Fate whispers to the warrior

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Chapter 1

“You need a new cell phone.” The man grins at me crookedly and hands me the device that I dropped when we fell.

“Oh shit,” I groan and look at the broken screen and the scratched casing. “My mom is going to kill me.”

“Be more careful next time,” he advises me, again with a grin that has changed slightly.

“Next time I just won’t save you.” My voice is a quiet growl, I don’t mean it seriously. But my mother does. Adoptive mother, I correct myself. Like in a fairy tale. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder.

“Give it to me,” demands the man in the chic, incredibly expensive suit whom I just saved from being crushed by a yellow taxi on 5th Avenue, a taxi that didn’t even stop. “I’ll fix it.” He nods encouragingly and I hand him the cell phone, I have ****. He has money, you can see that immediately. Maybe he'll buy me a new cell phone. As a thank you for his life. "I'll get it repaired and you'll get it sent back tonight, OK?" It doesn't take much to convince me. If Mom has to send me to college tomorrow morning without a cell phone, without any means of contacting me and ordering me around... Did I already say that she'll kill me? "Your family isn't the nicest, are they?" asks the man and puts the cell phone away. I just shrug my shoulders and mumble an answer that gets lost in the noise of the Big Apple. "Don't worry about it," he tries to cheer me up. "They'll definitely be impressed by what you did today."

"Yes... of course..." I turn away, wave at the man again and ask myself whether I shouldn't have taken money for what I did, but I come up with the same answer. You just don't do that. And the man, CEO or whatever he says, was really nice.

“Where have you been for so long?” Tammy’s piercing voice reaches my ear.

I really should have taken money, then I could have rented an apartment or something. I really don't like her voice, shirll and annoying and mocking and hurting. “Mom asked about you.” Her legs dangle cheekily in the air and her shoes repeatedly bang against the kitchen counter on which my littlest sister is sitting, blocking my way to the fridge.

“In the city,” I just mumble. Aren’t little sisters supposed to be cute and nice? But it’s 50/50 and I drew badly and got Tammy Lynchwood. I open the fridge but Tammy kicks it shut with her legs.

“We’ve already eaten,” she purrs and winks at me with her blue eyes. “And what did you do in the city?” Hiding from you, I want to say, but of course I don’t. I couldn’t even say that for fun, even though it would be a good way to strengthen our bond. A bond that doesn’t exist. Tammy, who has just turned 18, is taking full advantage of her status as the youngest of the family. Bad grades and bad behavior at school don't bother our mother, unlike with me and her other children.

"Can I go to the fridge?" I ask, annoyed. My arm is still recovering from the impact on the asphalt and the weight of the stranger who landed on me. Tammy waits a few seconds, but then just shrugs her slim shoulders, jumps skillfully from the counter and disappears from the kitchen. I open the fridge with relief and find two pieces of cold pizza from dinner. Nice.

"Mooom!" I flinch, Tammy isn't finished with me yet. "Finn is home!"

I quickly stuff a piece of pizza into my mouth, I don't have any more time, then my mother is standing in front of me, hands on her hips, still in her fancy dress from work.

"Where have you been for so long, Finn!" she asks, sounding reproachful. "You know how much I prefer an intact family life." She doesn't even wait for an answer before blaming me

Actually, it's not her fault. My father... he wasn't really the best example of a father... I think. At least that's what she told me when she adopted me at fourteen. Just like my middle sister Rose, who just comes into the kitchen behind her mother, sees that I'm in trouble and... does nothing but wave at me encouragingly.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," Michelle Lynchwood hisses and gets angry. "Jasmine was worried about you!" Then she thinks of something else. "And so am I!"

"I'm sorry," you say and watch as Rose takes the opportunity to steal another yogurt from the fridge while I'm being grilled.

And with Jasmine, my family is complete. Jasmine the perfect child. Jasmine the high-performing paralegal on her way to the top. Jasmine the perfect child. I know what my mother is doing. Rose and I are a means to an end for her to get Jasmine to the top and because Jasmine is almost like a sister to her, she had Tammy before she left her father too.

Tammy's trauma is treated with attention and gifts, Jasmine is the closest thing to a perfect daughter and Rose and I have to fight over the rest.

And unfortunately we do that often. It's not our fault... But Rose, at 20 and a year younger than me, has it a little easier, as the spoonful of yogurt in her mouth proves and as Michelle, mother dearest, continues to talk to me, the question repeatedly comes to mind as to why I'm actually here.

The answer? I shouldn't know, but somehow it's very clear that Michelle wanted to buy herself a son. Or she needs someone to blame. And her daughters, which often include Rose, who is trying to find a place in the family just like me but with more support, probably see it the same way. Tammy certainly does. Jasmine gives me the cold shoulder and Rose would be a great ally if she wasn't so close to herself.

So I continue to endure my mom's words, dream of an independent life that I will never have the chance to live and watch as Rose sneaks out of the kitchen with an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry bro." Rose looks at me apologetically but I can't let every one of her mistakes go.

"You could have helped me," I just say and lay down comfortably on the small bed. At least I try.

"Oh come on. You know how it is. If Mom has it in for one of us, there's nothing you can do." Her eyes try to reach me over the edge of her book but I turn to the wall and curl up. The bed is too small for me, just like Rose's is for herself, but there is no money since Tammy broke hers last year when she wanted to 'make it nicer'. And besides, I prefer sleeping on my side anyway. The room is small enough as it is and I don't want to see Rose now, so I pull back the curtain that divides the room. I can do that without getting out of bed, our room is that small. But what should we do? Live alone? "Don't be like that," Rose's voice reaches me. "Or should I tell Mom that you broke your phone?" I pull back the curtain again and her apologetic look disappears.

"How do you know?"

"You're always playing around with it," she shrugs, arrogant, not apologetic. When she feels pressured or attacked, Rose can sting just like Tammy can. "I don't care." And with that, she turns around and closes the curtain, also without having to get out of bed. And she can be as condescending as Jasmine.

"Fuck," I growl and wrap myself tightly in my thin blanket. But then I rip it off my head. "No. You know what? You could..." Before I can say anything else, the doorbell rings downstairs. I look at the clock. It's almost 11 p.m.! Who could it be so late...

"Finn! Finn, come down here immediately!"

"It's your own fault," Rose defends herself and stabs me as I pull on my shirt and rush out of the room. My mother's voice heralds ill fortune.

"Mom?" I've just put the shirt on, inside out, when I get downstairs. Michelle looks... stunned... and angry, but she often is.

"Who is that?" she asks and points to the entrance door. There stands a man with a baseball cap, black as the night, in a black uniform. I can only blink as I think of the scene from Mission Impossible. Which part? Rogue Nation? No! Fallout! Fate whispers to the warrior: A storm is coming.

But it's not raining. And I can clearly see the face of the delivery man.

"Finn Lynchwood?" he asks. "A delivery." With that, he hands me the package.

"Thank you," I answer, confused, and before I can answer that I am the storm, he has already disappeared again.

"Finn?" My mother looks at me questioningly, piercingly, sternly, annoyed. "What is that?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me!" She grabs the package but I'm faster. It can only be from this mysterious rich guy, my (hopefully repaired) cell phone. Fear makes me act. And anger. "Finn Lynchwood! Come back here immediately!" But I turn away from her and stomp up the stairs. This isn't the first argument with my mother and I actually want to be a good son to her. But damn, she's such a bitch! Sometimes...

"Finn is in trouble," I hear Tammy's voice. She stands in the doorway of her room (where she lives alone) with a cheeky grin. "Finn is in trouble."

"And you're a naughty little brat!" I hiss but my words just bounce off her like they always do. Someone should teach Tammy some manners!

And Jasmine! I haven't even seen her today and she's making me angry! Always working! Always perfect! Never time for the family! Never time for me! Never there for me!

"Shit Finn, what's wrong?" Rose hisses at me but I ignore her, throw myself on the bed, pull the curtain so hard that it almost tears off, and throw myself on the small, rickety bed. "Finn!"

"Shut up Rose!" I hiss as I rip open the package. "We should be a team but you only ever think about your own survival."

"Shut up you loser!" she screams at me. "Shut up and..." Then the lights in your room go out. "Great..." she groans. "Mom turned off our electricity. Thanks bro!"

I ignore her and stare into the torn remains of the box. Bright light shines out at me from inside, angelic, only the choir is missing. I stretch out my fingers. That's not my phone.

"What is that?" asks Rose but I ignore her and admire the sleek design made of black, shiny material. A large, bright display on which the logo of the company that probably belongs to the man whose life I saved today is rotating. On the back there is a recess above which the symbol of a finger is located. I put my thumb on it and the phone vibrates, then I look at the display again.

It's almost like my old phone, even the contact details are there. My music too. The apps too. Everything as before.

Except for a new symbol. MCD. Beta. V. 0.8.21

I think about it for a moment, then I press the app.

"Okay..." I murmur in surprise.

"What?" But again I ignore Rose. That can't be.

New Profiles Found: 4

Tammy Lynchwood. 18. Adoptive Little Sister.

Rose Lynchwood. 20. Adoptive Little Sister.

Jasmine Lynchwood. 23. Adoptive Older Sister.

Michelle Lynchwood. 38. Adoptive Mother.

Is my phone spying on me? Okay, every phone does that, but this one... this app... I put down the fancy, uber-expensive phone and look in the remains of the box. There's a note.

'Hey Finn. You seemed like a nice guy to me. And after checking you out, you are. Unlike the people in your life. I can understand that. Got my own experiences with this. You have two options now. Either you work on yourself, become rich and powerful and can afford a life in which girls approach you and fall in love with you (or just pretend to), or you use my gift to you. No, not the phone. That's free. It's the app. I could explain it to you at length but I don't feel like it. I don't like writing letters. Just try the app. Or delete it if you don't want your life to change for the better. Best wishes. The man whose life you saved.

P.S. Thanks for that, by the way.'

"What... the fuck..."

"Shut up and let me sleep," Rose grumbles next to me but I hardly hear listen.

The four profiles are flashing. I know that from other apps. Okay. So what now? The guy from 5th Avenue is definitely crazy. But what did he say? If I don't want anything to change... for the better...

Fuck. The question isn't whether I click, but which profile I click on first.

The warrior answers.

Which profile should I click first? (Which character do you want to appear first? But you knew that...)

https://strawpoll.com/2ayLQ1lYWn4