“Alright,” you say, pulling the glowing thread taut between your hands, “Here goes nothing!”
To your shock, it snaps. It actually snaps.
A sharp shock jolts your wrist, and you stumble backward until you land, breathing hard, against the alley wall.
The two halves of the broken thread glow in your hands.
Well, that was easy. You rub your stinging wrist.
Too easy.
“Cool, well, looks like you’re free now,” you say to Mysterious Hot Book Guy as you drop his half of the thread. “Thanks for saving me!”
With a wave, you turn back toward the street at the other end of the alley, thrilled that it worked. Home sweet hot shower, here you come!
Although, maybe you do feel thetiniestbit sad that you won’t even get to learn Mysterious Hot Guy’s name.
But at least you’ll be able to put all this weirdness behind you.
Except, you barely make it ten feet before something yanks your arm so hard, it nearly pulls you off your feet.
It’s the golden thread.
Hot Guy clears his throat, staring you down from where he still stands at the end of the alley. He holds up his left arm, the cuff on his wrist shining brightly in the dark.
“Forget something?” He asks, gesturing at the thread connecting you.
5
A New Deal With the Hot Guy
You
Connecting you!?
Ahhhhhhh, crap.
It’s back. It’s like it was never broken at all!
“Stupid human,” Mysterious Hot Guy grumbles as he advances on you. Holding up the repaired thread in one hand, he says, “You’re lucky a shock is all we got, pulling a stunt like that. This thread ties our life-energies together. The longer we’re stuck with each other, the stronger it grows. Try that again tomorrow, and you’lldie.”
You shudder.
He’s serious.
Judging by the angry, flashing glow to his eyes, he’s not joking. Not even a little.
“Oh,” is all you can manage.
This is not good. Not good at all.
“So then we’re stuck like this?” You ask, glancing down at the magical cuff on your wrist. “We just have to live the rest of our days linked together?”
He lets out an exasperated exhale.
“That’s why it’s your job to set me free.”
“But I don’t know how!” You protest, all the exhaustion of your long day rising to the surface. It’s way too late at night for this. “How am I supposed to do that if breaking the thread doesn’t work?!”
