A name he should have never known.
Shadowmere.
That was enough for me to break free of the vision, and by the time I had, I felt myself near shaking from it. My sister’s concerned face replaced that of the ruler, who I now knew was incensed by my escape. Because that had been the last vision I saw of him. The way his features had hardened, and that smile had disappeared, replaced by a snarl of anger. The face of a man who promised this would not be the last time.
“Lily-pad?” My sister calling my nickname was enough for me to shake through the fear enough to respond,
“Yeah… erh, I just… I guess I’m just freaking out about work. Speaking of which, I’d better go,” I said, changing my mind at the last second and deciding not to tell her about my dark vision.
Her features softened, and she pulled me in for a hug.
“You will be fine, you’ve totally got this, now walk your killer boots in there and rock that presentation, then call your sister and tell her she was right.”
I laughed at that before kissing her on the cheek and telling her,
“Well, you are the smart one.” She chuckled and said mockingly,
“I know, right?”
“Thanks, sis, I owe you.”
She waved off my thanks as I grabbed my bag and jacket, before making my way to the door. Time was ticking and now, after my coffee mishap, I knew I wouldn’t have the preparation time I had wanted before the meeting started. At this rate I would be late, and then it wouldn’t have mattered what I was wearing.
So, I shouted my goodbyes, getting a ‘Good Goddess of luck’ from Sabrina and a ‘break a diva leg’ from Nate before the door closed. Then I was back to praying to the deities for succuss the whole journey back to my office building. Which meant I was,with just five minutes to spare, I was finally inside the building and walking toward my desk.
“Where the hell have you been…? Whoa… erm, nice dress,” Tara said, who was my best friend and worked in the HR department. As usual, she looked the picture of perfection, with her glowing dark skin creating a beautiful contrast with her smart business suit that was a pink blush tone. The jacket was a cropped style that flared at her waist and fit perfectly with the pencil skirt to match. The dark red stiletto heels she wore only managed to elevate the outfit from office chic to red carpet.
As for her hair, it was a thick black afro that gave her a cool seventies vibe, and I was a little jealous that my own wild curls would never style themselves so perfectly. On my first day at work, it hadn’t been her hair that caught my attention but her smile. The kind that spread so easily you found yourself smiling back without even realizing it.
Although, it had to be said that she wasn’t smiling now.
No… now, she looked worried.
Of course, she also thought that I was overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated, three factors I tended to agree with. But like I said, I had my eye on being promoted and had worked my ass off for it for far too long. Now it was my time.
“Is it that bad?” I asked, wincing. I was really hoping no one would notice enough to comment.
“Bad? Er… no, I mean not bad-bad, just like badass bad… is that bad though?”
I couldn’t help but groan, wishing I could just sink into my office chair and hide behind my desk all day.
“Some asshole spilled coffee on me in the street,” I explained.
“And then you robbed a gothic chick and stole her clothes?”
My groan of despair said it all.
“No, I… look, it doesn’t matter, I just need to set up and…”
“Honestly, I just thought your alarm didn’t go off, or you were stuck in traffic… anyway, being the awesome friend I am, I went ahead and set everything up in meeting room three.”
At this I felt like weeping and grabbed her to me, pulling her in for a hug.
“Fuck, I love you! Margarita night, on me!”
“Well, it was that or your left kidney.”
I laughed before checking the time and hissing,
