I lay in bed at 5 in the morning, listening to the humming of the house. The apartment's structure was built upon mutualism between Ava and the plants that followed her from her kingdom. She never intended to bring anything from her kingdom to the human world. But those that followed her felt duty-bound to follow her. So, in turn, this ecosystem of togetherness was built here. I benefited from it too; the healing vibration the house was set to keep the plants healthy also helped heal humans.

  

  [ENVIRONMENTAL BUFF — ACTIVE]

  Location: Ava’s Residence (Living Ecosystem)

  ? Minor Regeneration (Humans): +2% per hour

  ? Mental Fatigue Recovery: +1

  ? Emotional Noise Dampening: Low

  Note:

  This structure is classified as a symbiotic sanctuary.

  Unauthorized dismantling is prohibited.

  Be careful of a man named Silas; his thoughts drifted to the first interaction he had with Faye’s parents. Her mother was concerned this burly, monstrous man was one of the people responsible for her disappearance. She explained that Faye was always upset when she had to interact with this person, and HR wouldn’t have anything to do with it. They were afraid of him, too.

  

  [MEMORY TRACE — PASSIVE]

  Linked Subjects:

  ? Faye Addison (Missing)

  ? Silas Thorne (Supervisor?)

  Emotional Residue Detected:

  → Fear

  → Misattribution

  → Protective Projection

  Cognitive Bias Warning:

  Witness perspective may be incomplete.

  I asked them that day if they went to the company to reach out to HR and anyone else. They explained that when they went to the address that she provided, there was nothing there. However, when I went to that address, the place was very much there.

  Based on my conversation with the homeless man on the side of the building -- he could see it. But what I could feel of him, he had no magical abilities, so I believed Faye hid her entire company from her parents.

  

  [PERCEPTION CHECK — SUCCESS]

  Hidden-Structure Detection:

  ? Active

  ? False-Null Field Bypassed

  Classification:

  Corporate Obfuscation Array

  (Non-consensual civilian filtering)

  New Tag Added:

  ? Faye Addison — Compartmentalized Life Pattern

  Solenne told him to return the money to the parents and then pay back what he would owe—I did buy a car after all. This place paid good enough money, but not that good enough money to drop this. Ava would be pissed if I stayed longer than I needed to.

  Now, with the different connections to two people here. One was Jack and Patricia warned me about, and another, another strange being. A strange demon who seemed to be connected to Faye, too. My being at this place and just happening upon those who knew her had to mean that I was meant to figure this out for her parents.

  I rolled, looking at my phone—thirty minutes, said my nonconsenting wakefulness full of thoughts and worries. I couldn’t describe how I felt, what my body now felt like, and how I didn’t feel haunted... just somehow occupied.

  The emotional link I had with Silas now felt like a quiet, unmovable weight, low in my chest just behind my ribs. I could almost ignore it if it wasn’t for the way it felt. It reminded me of a shirt too tight, especially after a long busy day at work.

  

  [EMOTIONAL WEIGHT — REGISTERED]

  Source: Silas Thorne

  Effect:

  ? Panic Resistance: +3

  ? Emotional Compression: +2

  ? Restfulness: Suppressed

  Status:

  Anchor-type bond forming.

  I lay there feeling these things, realizing the differences between these two now connected with me. Silas felt dense and grounded, a pressure that took away my panic. Which was a lot over the last few weeks. It did not feel like the person that Jack and Patricia described to him. Though having a slight privilege to someone's inner workings versus only knowing how they worked, or well, didn’t work with your daughter would warp perception of a person.

  There was safety, though I couldn’t tell if I felt truly safe or if my emotions were blinding me. I always had a problem with looking for the better in people even if it wasn’t there. But I couldn’t find what they saw or, well, what their daughter told them.

  I didn’t think they were wrong with the analysis of him. If I had to work with him in any other capacity, I’m sure my perception of him would be different. The way he interacted with Solenne was frightening—even though I did work hard to try to lighten the mood.

  The bond with Silas was several days old now. It helped build a contrasting understanding of what I felt with Silas and what I felt with Solenne. Had this occurred on the same day, I think I would be in a psych ward now.

  The magical link with her wasn’t just in one place. It threaded and moved within me. It felt like the anxiety I felt when what felt like a wisp of thread pulled through my heart, a painful flutter. From what I could tell, the pain wasn’t initial, but more it was an emotional piece coming from Solenne. An anxiety she had was manifesting within my body. It helped build the structure of her presence within me. A very soft invasiveness, silk brushing skin that hadn’t agreed to be touched. I needed a weighted blanket when some of the emotions or thoughts came from her to just ground myself back into reality.

  

  [MAGICAL LINK FEEDBACK]

  Source: Solenne

  Transmission Type:

  ? Emotional bleed-through

  ? Anxiety echo

  ? Somatic response mapping

  User Tolerance:

  Moderate

  Side Effect:

  Heart-flutter response converted to mana stabilization.

  But with her connection, she was working heavily to prevent what she thought and felt from him. I know for a fact mine was more than likely just raining on here at every hour of the day. I didn’t understand how she was able to put up walls so easily with this—she claims she has never had this happen before, but yet, she was already mastering it.

  

  [LINK STATUS UPDATE]

  Active Emotional Links:

  ? Silas Thorne — Emotional Anchor (Unstable Origin)

  ? Solenne — Magical Conduit (Bi-directional)

  Warning:

  Multiple bonded channels detected.

  Cognitive and emotional interference probability: Rising.

  My alarm rang loudly, a hearty wailing alarm to startle me awake. Too bad I was already awake. It was Saturday, and I had my gig to get to. I dressed in my usual workwear—fitted rip jeans and a hearty bright t-shirt. Nothing too stylish, but still. This local cafe, Heritage House, I learned, didn’t like overtly dressed performers. Didn’t like it; it was softer than what we experienced, or rather, felt. While we didn’t get the torch and pitchfork treatment. It sure as hell felt like it.

  The first time I went, I was dressed closer to a garage band with a couple others, and it… did not go well. People were openly annoyed, and it was hard to convince the guys who came with me to come back the next time. So it’s just been me during this.

  Here, a strong, deep, wildly earthy coffee filled the air as I stepped into the shop. The usuals in their favorite places.

  The owner’s daughter, Zara, excitedly waved me over. The first time I met her, I noticed the warmth she carried as she handled the espresso machines and the crabby customer that day. She’s twenty-something with a sweet laugh, one that she regularly used with customers like this—I learned very quickly. The warmth she emitted even in tense situations could make you forget for a second the world outside wasn’t some devilish hellscape. How that customer didn’t feel it that way was sad.

  Her warm, deep ember eyes, the color of honey left too long in the sun, were always focused on the task ahead. Which this morning was me, urging me to hurry to the counter. Her apron—one she wore like a badge of honor—was already smudged with today’s work. She would soon swap it out once the place started bustling like it always did. She huffed gently at me and held a ‘hold on' gesture. Today, she had a stack of beaded bracelets on her wrist that clattered as she grabbed a coffee cup and handed it off to her brother, Zain (yes, her parents started with Z names beginning with their eldest brother, Zakariya, but ended it with Zara, the last sister being named Layla).

  “I know you’re about to go on.” Zara stated, sliding me a coffee—my favorite, the Honeyed Qahwa—before starting, “You have an older white couple looking for you. They came in right as we opened. They said they would be back. I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

  

  [SITUATIONAL AWARENESS — SPIKE]

  Threat Rating:

  Unknown civilians — Emotional volatility detected

  Heart Rate:

  ↑ Elevated

  Instinct Flag:

  Finder instinct engaged.

  “Did they give you their name by chance?” I asked, though I know it was Faye’s parents. Why or how they knew where I would be on a Saturday was beyond me. I did not give them locations to find me. We had one established location, which was at the gig they came to me at. My alarm bells started ringing heavily in my ears, and I gripped hard on the cup.

  “No,” She paused, her eyes strong with concern. “Do you need to cancel today? If they are some kind of weird stalkers. Zak has no problems showing off his muscles.”

  With that, she mimicked her brother, posing with her arms off, showing the muscle she had, which was almost comparable to his.

  “We are protectors after ... in any form.” She winked. Her family was a long-standing Pari family who migrated to the US around the 1800s. She was very proud of that, and it was listed proudly on a golden sign in the shop and on their social media accounts.

  “They are one of my bigger finder jobs.” I answered. She nodded. “But I don’t know how they found me. I never told them about this.”

  “We do advertise live music on Saturdays.” She answered, “We list all performers' names on our Facebook and Insta. Maybe they saw you here before, and you never noticed before taking them on?”

  "Maybe," I answered. Maybe, but that’s fucking bizarre. I’ve never had a stalker, and having two distraught parents being my first experience with it... Was unsettling.

  ***

  All morning I had Zara making very obvious—well, to me—loops around the shop. Her eyes scanning the tables for the Addisons. The shop felt like a cozy living room—big fluffy sofas, chairs of dark cherry wood, and tall coffee tables to pull on that feeling. Furniture's only connection to each other was warm, loving, and welcoming. But you could tell they were found and cleaned up for this specific reason.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  

  [ALLY BEHAVIOR LOGGED]

  Subject: Zara

  Action:

  Low-profile protective monitoring

  Affinity Bonus:

  Local ally trust +1

  Dim lighting even on the bright sunny Saturday, shades partly closed, windows tinted to keep the vibe. But the seating wasn’t crowded enough to make it uncomfortable. I loved doing the gig, though it only paid in tips.

  After ten o’clock, Zak began making the rounds. While Zara was this places heartbeat -- Zak was its bones. He was a few years older than her—closer to my age, with a presence that was caring but built like a fortress. He has that classic, devastingly handsome structure—a jawline that looks like it was carved from basalt and hair the color of midnight.

  His shoulders were broad and steady and looked like they were ready to carry the world on his shoulders so his siblings never had to. When he was running the counter or making rounds, I noticed no one had shit to say or a complaint. A quiet but terrifying attractiveness to the way he protected his family and their work.

  Ugh, I had it bad, I know. My pulse does that stupid fluttering jump every time he looks up at me. I know his eyes are there to check on me and the situation, nothing more. He was engaged to be married -- a lovely doctor named Nadia. A bit softer, curvier, and surprisingly even sweeter than I could ever be. Someone anyone would be proud to have as an in-law. Though she was very human, and I wasn’t sure if Zak had properly informed her of the world she was marrying into. Though it wasn’t my ---

  I noticed I missed a few chords, though many people around me didn’t. I focused my energy on the audience not on the very-much-going-to-be-married man. An older woman walked by dropping a couple dollars in my hat with no song request, to my surprise. She left with a gentle smile before exiting the building.

  Jack and Patricia stepped in right after, the bell above the door twinkling their arrival. They were dressed in the casual way rich people did. Slightly out of place but very in place all at the same time. They walked and sat at a sofa that was furthest away from where I was performing.

  I looked up at Zak, who then turned and looked at Zara for confirmation. She gave a gentle nod that to anyone looked simply like she was probably confirming someone’s order. My shift was almost over here. They came in a few minutes before my gig here was up.

  The performer after me was a small group of very flashy dressers, something that got me ousted a year ago. The girl, the lead singer based on what she was setting up, had her hair braided with tricolor hair. Giant hair clips of stars and moons pinning her bangs across to frame her face. Her makeup was bright, highlighted in white with a pinch of glitter across her nose and cheek. The men who were setting up were dressed in similar fashion but in a more subdued version of what she wore. Either because they didn’t want to seem outlandish or they wanted to make sure all the focus was on her.

  I nodded at them, stepping up to scoop up my hat. I planted a dollar in their glittery decorated box used for tips. As I walked, I noticed a few of the older people making faces at them. The girl looked maybe eighteen or nineteen, but I wasn’t going to ask, nor did I care at the moment; I just prayed they didn’t try to eat her alive like they did to me.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, as warm and not at all freaked out by their presence.

  “Good morning and hello to you as well.” Jack smiled, looking over the small menu off the coffee table.

  “We keep tabs on people we hire.” Patricia answered the question he was asking. She didn’t seem interested in the menu. Maybe Zara was right; maybe they were already regulars who I was fully aware of due to working for them now.

  “You haven’t answered our emails.” Jack started. He turned, waving over Zak to take his order. There was an awkward pause with very obvious eye contact between me and Zak. He could sense I was a tiny bit freaked out over what was unfolding.

  “I’ve been busy with the investigation," I answered. Which was true. I read the emails, starred them, and intended to email them back. “I’ve made contact with Silas.”

  “Yes?” Patricia asked.

  “I have been assigned to work with him. I am working on him to give me information about Faye. He’s very much into not talking to me," I answer.

  “If you can’t get this done, we’ll move to someone else," Jack answered.

  For Solenne, this would be the best solution to this problem. I could feel the excitement of how she felt on the matter vibrating through my bones. Close sensation similar to drinking too much caffeine on an empty stomach. I hope the grimace I made wasn’t too obvious—I was still adjusting to feeling other people's feelings.

  

  [EMPATHIC OVERFLOW — DETECTED]

  Incoming Emotional Signal:

  Excitement / Relief

  Source: Solenne

  Stability Check:

  ? Cross-link contamination

  “Does the name Solenne mean anything to you?” I ask. While Solenne couldn’t hear or read my thoughts (I think), she could feel the feelings connected to those thoughts.

  "Uhm," Patricia stopped and then started again, “That was the name of the woman Faye had been dating.”

  “They broke up a year before her disappearance.” Jack started, “One of the reasons why we didn’t bring it up. I don’t—we don’t think she was associated with her disappearing."

  “Could she have known—"

  “No, she cared deeply about our Faye. There would be no reason to suspect her," Jack answered. His eyes were scrunched angrily at the idea that I was bringing up Solenne in such a manner.

  “I apologize for any offense. The amount of money... I need to be as thorough as possible to get the answers you’re seeking.” I say, almost stumbling over each word. Patricia nods, comforting in a way, while Jack’s eyes widen like he’s about to go into an unnecessary rant.

  Shit.

  The bell over the coffee shop door chimed. Soft and polite as it always was—vastly different than the person walking through it. I knew who was walking through. Patricia placed her hand on top of Jack's in a calming, grounding way. The tension that was building up, I watched it physically melt away from him. His shoulder sagged with relief, and Patricia started.

  "... she always texted when she was off work. Even if it was late. She worked strange hours for an office job. But she always reached out to us. She told us everything. If it was Solenne, there would be hints or things said by Faye.”

  She told us everything. I wanted to explain everything that her daughter worked for and the possibility that their daughter wasn’t who she presented herself as. Before I could say any of that, my shadow doubled, and the chair next to the table slid back. Silas was sitting down beside me.

  Close enough that our knees brushed against the others. Close

  

  [PROXIMITY ALERT]

  Supervisor Detected

  Threat Classification: Personal

  Heart Rate Adjustment: Automatic

  “Good afternoon," his voice came out low, clean, and focused.

  Every molecule in the booth went tense.

  “...hello?”

  I felt Zak’s presence; he wasn’t going to interject unless I needed him to. I looked over to him and gave him an awkward thumbs up. The couple gave me a weird look, and when they looked over to where Zak was standing... He was already off on another task.

  “Can I get you anything, sir?” Zara swept in to greet Silas. He gently waved her off, and she nodded, giving me a look.

  “I’m Silas Thorne.” He said calmly, “May I join the remainder of this conversation?”

  I turned my head, very slowly. I was now sitting in a place that now held two pieces of my current job, and I didn’t like it. There were too many things happening around me.

  Silas's eyes flicked to my face, a quick check.

  

  [OBSERVATION MODE – ACTIVE]

  Microexpressions: Elevated distress

  Defensive posture: Confirmed

  Truth likelihood: High

  Patricia’s hands began trembling, her eyes wide and looking around for anyone to take what was happening in front of her. What she believed was something dangerous, even possibly deadly for her to be next to her. The music of the group after me—a gentle, melodic group that really clashed with the way they dressed—filled the air as everyone around us kept on like nothing was happening. Because to them…nothing was happening.

  "We've... We’ve already spoken to the police.”

  “Your daughter worked for a very restricted corporation. She was aware of the potential risks of working there. If there was a way of finding her, we would have already found her. Whatever happened, Mr. and Mrs. Addison, she does not want to be found.”

  “She was a receptionist.” Jack corrected, “She answered phones and ran errands.”

  “A receptionist who worked weird hours,” I interjected. Patricia gave me a weird look, like she also was understanding that her daughter had lied about her job. But her husband was still in denial about it.

  “Her credentials exceeded that role," Silas responded. He didn’t give up more information than necessary. Patricia’s eyes widened; she was getting the confirmation that she didn’t want. But there sat her husband, anger building up again. I don’t think a gentle hand-holding was going to calm that anger the way it did earlier.

  “You people took so much from her," Patricia spat.

  As I went to ask my next questions -- they rose from the sofa, leaving half-full drinks abandoned on the table.

  

  [SOCIAL FAILURE – CRITICAL]

  They left. Fast, not looking back at us. Which wasn’t surprising since the person they

  Warned me against sitting across from them.

  Silas stayed beside me. Zara came, undoing the apron she had on, plopping where they were sitting, and looking at us.

  “Are you safe?” Zara asked. Her eyes panned from the door to Silas. Silas tilted his head toward her in a confused, quiet way. I could tell he wanted to ask more questions but squashed that, filing it away for another moment.

  “Yes.” I answered. Though my voice wasn’t very convincing, so much so she sat there, arms crossed, waiting until we moved or Silas moved. I didn’t know which.

  “You should not be doing this," Silas said quietly. It wasn’t unkind, like he wanted this to disappear because it was an inconvenience to him.

  

  [SUPERVISOR WARNING — REGISTERED]

  Risk Tier:

  Escalating

  Hidden Flag:

  Protective override detected.

  “It’s his gift,’ Zara interjected. With her family protectors of any kind were held high.

  “You’re a mage.” Zak stepped over, arms crossed, staring down at Silas. “Most of your kind are welcome here. But from what I’m reading, you broke through the barrier due to your inability to pass the correct way.”

  “Yes,” Silas huffed, “I would tighten that barrier; it wasn’t hard to get through. I needed to be in here to stop this.”

  “I’m not dropping it.” I answered, “Solenne already asked me to. To give back the money to pay it back... to just stop. I can’t. There’s something wrong that needs to be fixed.”

  

  [PERSONAL RESOLUTION — LOCKED]

  Condition:

  Investigation will continue.

  Failure to disengage acknowledged.

  Trait Progress:

  Finder — Rank Stability +1

  Silas sighed.

  “You do not know what you’re stepping into.”

  “Then. Explain it," I said. Zara across from us nodding in agreement. Zak was still standing nearby, waiting. Based on the barely hidden smile, it had been a while since Zak got to physically throw someone out of the place, and he was looking forward to it. Built to be a bouncer, born into a coffee shop family.

  “We need space.” Silas looked at the siblings. They looked over to me, and I nodded. They stepped away but only far enough to miss some of the conversation.

  “Since you’re not going to stop. Meet me at Brimstone tonight. I will tell you what really happened to Faye.” Silas rolled his shoulders. Zak stepped back in, readying to scoop Silas out of his chair. Instead, Silas dodged and exited on his own two feet.

  “I am coming with you," Zak stated. “Yes, I heard. No, I won’t be talked out of it.”

  My worlds were colliding too close together in such a short period of time.

  

  [EMOTIONAL STATUS UPDATE—AUGUST BLOOM

  State: Anticipatory Distress / Motivated Excitement (Hybrid)

  Source:

  → Active lead on Faye Addison

  → Supervisor cooperation (conditional)

  → New information pending