Blacken by Alandra Rankin (i love reading books txt) 📕

to have all the answers, the only way was to move forward. It’s what she had to remind herself about constantly, caught up too many times in ‘what ifs’ of the past.

Avie looked to Rhulle, the chestnut plumed truxen perched in her chesterfield as he read through a novel. Pondering, she ran through the striking thought of what could have happened should the initial roles between the two males she grew close with never changed. Rhulle had been cold and intimidating at first meeting, while Owen had been uplifting and warm in contrast.

What could have happened if the roles never switched?

Rhulle was an unstoppable force long before she entered Blacken. He would continue to draw in those from outside town lines in order to feed for perhaps decades longer into the future. Would he lose himself completely in his isolation? Could Avie have even survived such an encounter if she was the only one to wander into those woods?

And Owen… If Rhulle remained as an evil entity in his eyes, would the truxen eventually have been vanquished? Were the strands of fate weaving a future where Owen was supposed to have been the hero, saving Avie from the beast in the woods and subsequently causing her to never know Rhulle as she did now?

It was weird to think about. She couldn’t imagine her future without Rhulle even before they were unofficial vovii.

Fate always intended them to be together, there was no other way their lives were supposed to go. Owen made up his own outcome, making choices that lead him to pilot the ship he sailed in, his relation to her was a mystery, a lesson, rogue in its intentions. Another question the woman would never receive an answer for.

Rhulle raised his brow, reading over something intriguing as he looked off to the side, catching her staring at him.

“I see you are thinking too much again,” he stated, a smirk gracing his features with a warm tone.

“I am, too many silly things are taking over my mind. I guess I have too much free time now.”

The trial was done, legal proceedings were completed, the mystery of Blacken was solved, even the murmured rumours of the thing in the woods were dying down. She was back to her routine regular life.

Rhulle stood, closing the book and outstretching his hand for her to take, pulling her to stand with him, “Let us find something new then.”

She mirrored his smile, his mood always so infectious.

The truxen had been staying with her for a week, the apartment altered to constantly have the blackout shades drawn, keeping the windows blocked off and a barricade added for the wooden door. Since he did not need to come to her any longer, Avie found a way to keep her bedroom window locked properly in the meantime.

The pair made their way into the bedroom. Avie received a computer as an early Christmas gift from Sandra, with her stating how she couldn’t wait any longer and needed to give the present early. Ecstatic at the surprise, Avie almost rejected the expensive gift at first sight, but Sandra insisted it was fine. It was a bit of an older model; however, the woman deserved the system nonetheless—Sandy expressing how much her own kids enjoyed playing on theirs.

She set the unit up, purchasing a few accessories such as speakers, webcam and games to test out, showing off the finished product to a questioning truxen and explaining how it all worked.

Rhulle sat her down at the desk, “You told me that this can help you find whatever you wanted, why not ask it to find a new interest?”

Avie hadn’t even touched the world wide web yet, not knowing where to start into the deep dive of information. Still, she was excited to test it out.

“Good idea! Sandy gave me some tips that her boys discovered, let me grab them,” she went over to her closet, patting at the top shelf for the folded piece of paper she had received that was placed inside the manual. Finding the items, she pulled in a sweeping motion, causing something else to come loose and fall from the shelf.

It was the birthday gift Owen gave her; she completely forgot about it.

He noticed her shift in demeanour as she bent to pick the purple box up off of the floor, “What is it? What is wrong?”

“Owen gave me this on my birthday, the same night everything changed. I don’t know if—should I even open it?” She thumbed over the packaging, watching as the small layer of dust collected on her digit as it streaked through.

“I believe you should, it would not do you well to throw it away without knowing.”

She nodded, just another reminder that the blond would never really be forgotten by her, constantly leaving little reminders in everything.

Tugging at the ribbon, Avie ripped at the shiny magenta wrapping paper, opening the cardboard lid underneath. Inside was a small silver key, and a folded note. Confused, she set the key and wrappings off to the side and expanded the note to read.

Hey Aves,

I know things have been weird, and I know everything’s been falling onto you, but I thought we could try to get the Dewey Decimal team back for another mystery to solve, something different. We’ve had our disagreements on ‘certain aspects’ but I think maybe the mystery was the only thing we could see eye to eye on and I want to continue that with you. I’m not supposed to do this, but I got an extra key made for the library archives for you to use, that way you can look at them if I’m not around. It’s not like anyone is there much to begin with.

I guess what I also wanted to say was I’m sorry. You’ve been stressed from Garret and your condition and I’ve been too busy stringing you into all of this to stop and really listen to your side. So, I’m sorry, Aves.

Your birthday is coming up so