Page 1 of Destiny

Prologue

Ava

Donny and Callie are hardly in the door when I pounce.

“I need to know everything you know about the future lawmakers club at Snow Creek High School.”

Donny takes Callie’s jacket from her and hangs it on the coatrack in the entryway. “Good evening to you too, cuz.”

Michaela takes Donny’s blazer once he removes it.

“Goodness, Ava,” Mom says. “Let them get inside the house first.”

I can’t help myself. I’m starved for information. I’ve finally got a lot of the story behind my ancestors, and though it’s nausea-inducing, I’m determined to find out everything.

“Don, Callie, what do you want to drink?” Dad asks.

“Just Diet Coke or water for me,” Callie says. “Thanks.”

“Water’s good.” Donny follows Mom into the kitchen and then the family room. “Something smells good.”

“Michaela made rigatoni.” Dad takes his place behind the bar. He pulls a can of Diet Coke out of the refrigerator for Callie and a bottle of water for Donny. Then he pours a glass of one of his reds for himself. “Ava, Ruby? Anything to drink?”

“I’ll have some of the Ruby,” Mom says, smiling at the mention of her namesake wine.

“Just water for me, thanks.” I take a seat next to Donny and Callie on the leather couch. “So…the future lawmakers…”

“Sounds like something from the past,” Donny says.

“How much do you know?” I ask him.

“I know a lot, unfortunately.”

Yes, he does. But I can’t go there. The thought of what happened to him and Dale, to Uncle Talon…

“I can answer your question,” Callie says. “The future lawmakers club didn’t exist when Dale and Donny were in high school. But they did when Rory and I were there. It was a newer club, and I went to a meeting.”

I drop my jaw and look to Donny.

“Callie and I don’t have any secrets,” he says.

“So you and she both know…”

“About the future lawmakers of the past? Yeah, we do.”

“It was called the FLMC for short. I don’t know who started the club when I was in school.” Callie takes a sip of Diet Coke. “But as I’ve always been interested in law, I went to a meeting once.”

“And…?”

She takes another sip. “There was no discussion about the law or making law at all. It was all about”—air quotes—“sticking it to the man.”

“What’s that mean?” I ask. “I mean, I know what it means. But what did it mean with regard to the club?”

“I don’t know,” Callie says. “I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. Soon after that, the club became invite only.”

“Oh?” I lift my eyebrows.

“Yeah, but anyone could get an invite. The FLMC members soon established themselves as troublemakers. They took credit for a lot of the crap that went on at school. When Rory and I decided to try to figure out who had spiked the punch at the homecoming bonfire her senior year, the FLMC was where I was going to start investigating.”

---