Chasing Fate (Sentinel & Guide)

Chapter 36

[I felt really bad about not posting so here is another chapter. I will try my best to produce more chapters, at least 1 or 2 times a month. ]

Jack's smile brightened as he approached the table nearest Fate, setting down the little plates of finger foods he'd gathered. The woman with him swished over to hand out the champagne glasses. She smiled brightly behind tasteful pink lipstick as she sidled a bit closer to Jack in that coupley way she'd seen ever since high school. Perhaps that marriage was closer than expected.

"Fate, this is Kaylee-Anne Patterson. Kaylee-Anne, this is Fate," Jack gestured. He was radiating happiness that could nearly knock Fate over. His two favorite people were meeting!

Kaylee-Anne stuck out a thin hand tipped with perfectly manicured French nails, "Oh! Just call me Kay, dear. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other. I don't know if Junior told you, but I'm his agent."

Jack nodded, though Fate didn't miss the ping of embarrassment at his nickname.

"Yep, she's managed me since graduating," Jack boasted, "They thought I was just an intern job but look at me now!"

"Oh, that's not all true. Mom knows talent when she sees it. You'd be a star without me hanging around."

"Ah, so you admit to riding my coattails to luxury?"

"I prefer the term 'well-positioned opportunist', dear."

Jack and Kay laughed in unison, obviously friendly and familiar in a way that could only happen after years of close contact. If Fate had to guess, even Elliot was a little less in-sync. Though she was standing only a foot from Jack's side, the distance might as well have been a chasm.

Though Kay wasn't a guide, they clearly radiated synergy. It was the kind of synergy she saw in Martha and Siegfried, in Kate and Hunter. The kind of relationship built to last until they were old and grey.

This is what she'd expected, but there was still a little pinch in her heart to see it in person. A sentinel having a guide as well as a lover was not a new concept. Though the days of kings and concubines were long gone, having a guide, as well as romantic partners, was far more accepted as long as it wasn't something along the lines of bigamy. That is, for sentinels only.

For guides, it was much, much different in the eyes of society. It was assumed that since guides operated based on emotion, that making an emotional connection outside of the sentinel was effectively cheating. It did not matter if the sentinel and guide were mutually unattractive to each other, or if the guide was with someone else before the bond was created. Anything outside of the sentinel-guide bond was just seen as being greedy. It wasn't talked about in polite company, and tabloids lived off of even your john-everyman guide being in an outside relationship.

With a bonding as high profile as hers, Fate was sure that even the concept of romance was ruled out for the rest of her days.

Perhaps she'd take up writing romance novels to fill the void.

Jack and Kay's banter did not let up. Fate didn't get much of a word in edgewise as they continued referencing old stories and in-jokes. She smiled along and nodded as best she could, finding that chewing on the appetizers at least kept her mouth busy.

The banter abruptly stopped however when a burly middle-aged man, a null with a stoic emotional signature came over and subtly tapped Jack's shoulder. He mouthed a few words tha turned Jack's happy smile into a serious mask. Fate felt the emotions switch immediately from joy to absolute focus. The broad man smiled apologetically at them both.

"I'm sorry ladies, I need to speak with this young buck for a moment. I promise I'll return him in one piece," he said as he pulled Jack away.

Both Fate and Kay watched as Jack passed through the crowds towards another pair of serious looking men. Fate recognized that particular emotional signature as she'd seen so many in her life, especially in recent days. Plainclothes police. Detectives.

"Oh, I hope it's nothing too serious," Kay exclaimed, taking a liberal swig of her champagne. With Jack out of range, her usual bubbly emotional signature dropped and one of absolute disdain replaced it.

Fate was taken aback. Nulls generally couldn't mask their emotional signatures completely. She usually would have been able to feel that stab of hatred slightly under the friendliness. And with their bond, so would Jack.

Kaylee-Anne wasn't a null, she was a carrier guide. Fate hadn't realized it initially, a subtlety in her aura that was similar to a guide but no stronger than a drop of milk in a bucket of water.

She was not strong enough to register in any of the guide databases, or read emotions. She simply had the gene and it was active enough for her to exert some magnificent control. Not much was known about carrier-guides, because they were so hard to pinpoint until they gave birth to a fully active guide, and research seemed far more concerned with improving sentinel life.

Kay didn't seem interested in that nuance, as she projected her disdain like a knife.

"It really is nice to finally see who Jack's guide is," she said, her ice blue eyes piercing up at Fate. She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper as she looked her up and down, noting her bargain bin shoes and clearance-rack dress "I don't know why I expected something... different."

Fate felt like her first day in guide-school all over again, cornered in an alcove by the rich legacy children who detested her admission sullying their ranks. The stuffy nervousness clogged her throat and made her unable to speak.

Trained guides could focus their emotions onto one person. No other guides would notice unless they came in close. There was no escape. Fate was feeling the full brunt of Kaylee-Anne's hatred and jealousy like a hand squeezing her beating heart.

This was too unexpected. Usually, Fate would have some shielding against guides she hadn't met, but this was a part of Jack's in-group, and she'd been lulled into a false sense of security by Martha and the others. She'd dropped her shields, and now was paying the price.

Just as Fate thought she'd crack and lash out from the stress, Jack headed back. His blonde man-bun bobbed over the crowd and as quickly as it started, Kaylee-Anne shut her emotions down and returned to bubbly. Just as he broke through the crowd and picked up his champagne glass, she sidled between him, blocking his access to Fate as she hugged her arm.

"Oh! You're just adorable. I can see why Jack likes you so much," she giggled, "I don't think we'll have any problem getting along, will we Fate?"