Page 46 of Zero Happily Ever Afters

“We don’t tell him about that, though.” I cuddled with Charlie, who obviously couldn’t speak but had very expressive eyes that painted quite the telling narrative. “That means no snitching to Milo even if he offers you a million kisses.”

Charlie chirped.

Casually, during one of the most obvious plotlines, I telekinetically waved over the test packets from my bag and started grading them.

Carlie trotted over, whining until I waved a hand to release her treat toys. Milo got them for her. It gave Carlie a bit of a challenge before scarfing down everything.

The show became background static as work enveloped my attention, and I sank into reviewing how my students performed on the practice exams for the Federally Accelerated Practicum. Most of them did decently on the multiple-choice sections, butI’d gathered from their surface thoughts too much of that came down to luck. They couldn’t rely on luck during the actual test, so those that I’d peered on guessing their way through parts of the test received a penalty with a note that explained I fucking knew they didn’t know and if they wanted to argue about it, bring it on.

“Only, I obviously phrased it nicer,” I said to Charlie since he always listened to me when I worked.

He purred in agreement, and I continued making my way through these practice tests.

The written responses for their short answers were harder to gauge. I didn’t know if I was being nitpicky or generous half the time when I jotted a comment of praise or improvement. Mostly improvement because, let’s be honest, they could use it. Their scoring by the FAP panelist would be subjective too, no matter how much those in charge of the testing procedures claimed to stick strictly to the rubric guidelines. Nothing was a hundred percent foolproof, and the FAP had a lot of fucking fools running it.

The clink of dominos smacking against each other rattled in the back of my head.

I bared my teeth, bracing for the clickity clank of gears shifting, my mind bracing for the visions about to spring loose and fuck up my whole life. Only they didn’t do that. Nothing. There was the ding of a bomb about to explode, and then it stopped. I sighed.

“That’s not good.” I squeezed Charlie against my chest, letting the steady purrs he released steal my attention from the potential horrors awaiting me. “It’s fine.”

I took a deep breath and shrugged. I would ignore it. It wasn’t the first bodily check engine light I’d ignored over the years in hopes that things would resolve themselves. It certainly wouldn’t be the last. Besides, no one could help with this. No one except for Milo, and I couldn’t bother him. Even if I wanted to.His mission had him traveling across the country in pursuit of a deadly witch. I needed to deal with this on my own.

These visions would spring loose soon, but it’d be fine. It had to be fine. Everything always worked out. Or it didn’t. Either way, I survived. Or I supposed eventually I wouldn’t. I groaned as I crawled off the couch to my feet while scooping Charlie into my arms because he certainly was in no mood to walk. He had his ‘carry me’ face on, which meant if I abandoned him in the living room to get ready for bed, I’d never hear the end of it. He’d cry all night until I checked on him.

I tossed him on the bed, using a bit of telekinesis to slow his plop onto the pillows so I could brush my teeth in peace and finish my nighttime routine.

Carlie scratched at the bathroom door, demanding the late-night treats I’d forgotten about. She had the look of utter contempt, patience thin and ready to lay siege to all my belongings as I slept. Of course, only if I didn’t pay penance in the form of snacks she’d grown accustomed to.

“This is Milo’s fault.” I dragged my feet from my bedroom and to the kitchen for the special treats she absolutely had to have because she’d been a good girl.

“They’re good for her,” Milo’s voice echoed in my head, the memory of his sweet smile, his puppy dog blue eyes, the irritating batting of his lashes.

He’d gotten her diet-friendly treats, snacks predicted to help with the fact the vet said she was overweight.

“By three pounds.” I side-eyed her, setting a few treats on the countertop. “Might not seem like much, but you’re like a foot long.”

Carlie devoured her treats and shimmied along the countertop before she hopped off and dashed away in preparation for her late-night antics before she would finally settle for bed.

“Me-meow.” Charlie crept at the edge of the hallway, glassy eyes peering out while he hid behind the way.

“I’m coming to bed.” I scooped Charlie up once again and carried him to the bedroom because I’d never hear the end of it if he had to walk himself back.

It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep, drifting into another repetitive dream. Finn’s speech a second time. No deviation from his presentation on the Sisters of Fate, on their psychic supremacy, on the witchy Illuminati conspiracy known as the Celestial Coven.

Part of me wanted to tear loose from the strings; I’d done it unintentionally before. Perhaps I could learn how to change my dreams, turn them into something fun. I’d drag Milo and Finn out of this classroom and run through the empty hallways of Gemini.

Frantic footsteps scampered through the edges of my dream, stealing attention from this memory. Each step beat like a slow drum, a harbinger of the worst about to unfold. The crunch of Caleb’s shoes hitting the ground washed away the sound of Finn’s voice. The further the void vision crept into my line of sight, the more that empty nothingness ate away at the memory. Soon, everything except for Caleb had vanished.

I took a deep, frustrated breath. The void vision was always the first to appear when the visions came loose, so I braced myself for an onslaught of impending images to bombard me. Honestly, it wasn’t simply sightings with these visions. No, I had the luxury of sounds, smells, and sensations of all types.

Would I be able to handle this? Without Milo here, I’d have to navigate the flurry of visions on my own. I knew this was coming. I’d felt it looming for days now, longer really, yet I was still baffled by how I’d sort these bursting visions. I’d have to contain them somehow, ignore them, drown them out before they drowned me.

Fifteen-year-old Caleb ran past me, looking nothing like the kid in my classes now. No, this frantic boy no longer existed, this danger no longer existed, but this goddamn potential future still lingered. Why? Because clearly, the universe was a dickhead. The outdated visions never faded away, always replaying alongside those that were still possible. How Milo handled this, I’d never in a million years understand. If I had his magic, I’d be pissed off all the time seeing useless fucking visions playing on repeat.

I huffed. It was even more annoying knowing Milo managed to smile through his days, considering how this type of shitshow played in his head on a loop. That just aggravated me even more. Irritation actually turned out to be a good thing, a bearable thing, which helped dull the repetition of Caleb sprinting for his life, collapsing to the ground as he died, Kenzo kneeling beside him, furious and removing the enchanted dagger, and Tara somber and filled with so much remorse her ocean of sorrow almost painted the edges of this black abyss.

“Fuck,” I muttered, bracing for an onslaught of impending visions. They’d all appear now. I’d endured the routine of it a few times now, and without Milo around, I’d have to cope with the monstrosities in my mind.

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