Divining Destiny

Chapter 6

A few days after the memorial Susan was packing things up at home when the doorbell rang. She quickly checked on Tia, who was sound asleep in her cot, then went to answer the door. A woman was standing there, and she felt suddenly on edge, holding on to the door.

"Can I help you?" Susan asked. The woman looked up at Susan and nodded, her gaze darting left and right.

"Yes. I know this will sound very strange but...I need to talk to you about the baby girl you brought home from the fire a few weeks ago." She said. Susan gaped at her, not moving, not speaking for a few moments, and the woman looked around again. "We really should get inside." The woman urged. Susan blinked a few times, then stepped back, allowing the woman to enter her house. Once she had done so she shut and locked the door, then led the way into the kitchen, her heart pounding.

"Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee?" Susan offered. The woman sat down and shook her head.

"No, thank you. My name is Faye, and as I said, I am here regarding Amber. Or have you named her something different?" Faye asked. Susan sat down as well.

"Her name is Tia. How did you know? I haven't told anyone, or taken her anywhere. I'm not even taking her to a doctor til I move, but she seems fine." Susan gushed. Faye's eyes widened.

"You're moving? Where to" Faye asked. Susan stood up and filled the kettle and turned it on, as though she had forgotten that Faye had said no to a drink.

"I've put in a transfer. I can't stay here. All my friends know I don't have children, and I can't stay here knowing what I know." Susan said, not quite answering Faye. She got some mugs down from the cupboard and put them on the bench.

"That is very interesting. What do you think you know?" Faye asked gently. Susan sat down, rubbing her eyes as though she hadn't slept in days.

"I think, no I know, that that fire wasn't accidental. There is no way a power surge could short circuit every smoke detector on a property, start a fire in the laundry, and not affect a single other property. I'm a firefighter. Power surges don't work that way. We weren't notified of any power fluctuations." Susan said in a flood, as though the words had broken free of a gate and gushed out without her control. Faye touched Susan's hand gently.

"I know how it sounds. There's a lot out there that people don't understand. Amber...sorry, Tia...just happened to be born at the wrong time, to the wrong family. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that she is very special. There is a prophecy about the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, I don't know what's going to happen to her, or much of anything, but someone I know sees, or I should say saw, her as a threat. She thinks the baby died in the fire with the rest of the family." Faye took a breath, and shifted in her seat. The kettle boiled and turned itself off but Susan didn't move. "You found the family, Susan. Why did you say they were all dead?" Faye asked. Susan looked up at Faye, then stood and moved over to the bench, making the tea as though her hands knew what they were doing but detached from the rest of her. Her mind was going over everything Faye had told her, and it scared her. Who would want to kill an innocent baby? Susan put a mug of tea in front of Faye and sat down with her own mug, wrapping her hands around the hot cup. She had always tried to keep an open mind, but the story sounded too fantastic, even for her. To buy time she got the milk from the fridge and the sugar bowl, placing both on the table. Faye helped herself as Susan sat down again.

"Why? I don't know, to be honest. I climbed into the house and was in one room, the bodies in their beds looking like they were sleeping but there was no pulse for either girl, and I went from room to room, body after body, all dead. But I found Tia, and she was breathing. She didn't have any problems. Next thing I knew she was hidden away and I'd put a doll in her place." Susan said, a laugh escaping her. How a doll could be mistaken for a baby she didn't know. "But it worked. When I left the house it collapsed, and I knew that by the time the firefighters put it out the bodies would be barely recognisable. For some bizarre reason, when I was asked if anyone survived, I had to say no one lived. It was overwhelming. My mouth moved without me really controlling it. I had to save her. I had to protect her." Susan said softly. She didn't realise she was crying until Faye touched her shoulder.