Page 109 of True Sight
Happy. Healing. And finally at peace.
“Alright, I’m casting true seeing on Tolith since his perception skill is the highest out of all of us,” Hank says after Kolbi had us locked in a dungeon without a way out.
“Fuck you, Auffroy, I could have gotten us out of here,” Malcolm scoffs from his seat.
“Dennis, your perception skill is shit. Shut the hell up and let me take care of this.” I raise a hand at him and continue. “With truesight, I see three doors along the wall and on the other side of each one is some kind of monster we’re going to have to fight to get out of here.” As I speak, it dawns on me how even in my real life, I feel like I finally have truesight on who I am and who I want to be. I smile to myself as I think about who made that possible and who helped me see myself as I truly am.
“Alright, Tolith, which door would you like to go through?” Kolbi asks.
“Uhh, we’ll go through the middle door and fight our way through whatever’s on the other side.”
“Alright, roll for initiative,” he instructs. I grab the D20 die from the center of the table and give it a good shake.Releasing it from my hand, I hold my breath and wait to see what it lands on. When it finally stops, the entire table goes silent.
“Holy shit.”
“Oh my god.”
“It finally happened.”
I stare at the small acrylic die and blink a few times, unable to believe what it’s finally landed on. After more than two years of playing, not once has any of us rolled the illusive number. The perfect roll that creates the best scenario for the most ideal outcome in the game. Week after week we roll and wait to see it appear but it never does. Until now.
I look up at my friends, dumbstruck at the roll, and we all start to howl and cheer. Two years of gameplay. Two years of new relationships, losses, changes, and successes. Two years of growing our deranged, dysfunctional family which is now complete with the addition of both Henry and Annie. Two years that led to this moment, right here, with the four of us together, happy, and thriving. Staring back at us is a number that represents the perfect conditions in the game and it isn’t lost on me how it seems to represent the current conditions of all of us too. Each and every one of us have managed to figure it out, to find our perfect match, and are living lives that make us happy and bring us even closer together as a group. Looking down at the die, I shake my head and can’t believe the serendipity of it all and how much the number means to us.
Staring back at us from the center of the board is a perfect nat twenty.
EPILOGUE
CONRAD | AUGUST
“Did everyone put on sunscreen?” Bailey asks, looking around at the group. We’ve all assembled on the beach for the last time of the summer before the high season will start to slow down. All eight of us are here with the addition of Margaret who’s become like a ninth wheel to our group.
“Here, I need some for Kolbi,” Magnolia responds, reaching for the bottle and turning her finger in a circle, directing him to turn around so she can get his back. He smiles down at her and spins without hesitating.
I never personally liked going to the beach but after Henry came home from Sunday brunch with the girls and begged me to join, I reluctantly said yes. He knows I can’t tell him no because his happiness means more to me than my own and will oftentimes use it against me.
“Come on, let’s go get in the water,” he buzzes, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the shore.
“Hell no, I’m not getting in the water,” I object, trying to pull myself away from him.
“Why not?” he scoffs with his hands on his hips.
“Doyouknow what’s in the water?” I ask, raising my eyebrows at him and jutting out my chin.
“Well, no, but?—”
“Exactly. You don’t know what’s in the water which is why there’s no chance in hell I’m getting in.” I cross my arms in front of me defensively but feel my resolve starting to wear thin when he smiles at me. Taking a few steps, he wraps his arms around my waist and leans in to whisper in my ear.
“Come on, love. If you get in with me, I’ll do that thing you like when we get home. Be a good boy now and get in the water.” I pinch my lips together. “I can see that you’re smiling, you know you want to come in with me.”
“No, I’m not,” I object and force my lips into a scowl.
“Come on,” he entices, pulling my arms again towards the ocean. “You know you want to.” I roll my eyes and drop my head to one side, unable to resist him anymore.
“Fine, just this one time though,” I groan and he gives me a cocky smirk knowing he’s won me over again. We walk hand in hand down to where the water meets the sand and slowly walk further out into the waves. The beach is packed since it’s the last long weekend of summer. After today, everyone will be heading back to school and work for another year. Kids are running around playing tag, couples are walking down the beach, and several groups of people are playing music and laughing. I turn around to look at our group and see them all settling in and enjoying the sun.
Once we’re deep enough, Henry dips under the water and comes up, shaking out the excess water from his hair. The green in his eyes reflects off the ocean water and his strong arm reaches over to pull me in. I wrap my arms around his neck as we bob in the water and I can feel thedistinct feeling of his growing dick against my leg as we become a tangled mess of limbs.
“Thanks for getting in with me.” He smiles close to my lips. As if I’d be able to tell him no.
