Freebie Mondays: Change the World (Prompt Novel Chapter 25)

For 2024, I decided to devote my prompt writing time to a novel. The twist is that the novel plot will be generated entirely by the writing prompts I chose to use for the project – which were rolled randomly using my trusty dice and a few online prompt lists. You can find the Table of Contents here.

For the final chapter the prompt was: “one character thinks their relationship is a fling – the other thinks it’s destiny.”

With this chapter, I tried to wrap up all the loose threads that remained within the novel and give it a satisfactory ending. I do think I managed to do that. From the chaos of a bunch of unrelated prompts, I created what constitutes as a coherent story.

Is it my best story? By no means. But as a fun little exercise for my blog, I do think it succeeded well beyond my wildest expectations. And it feels good to have this project finished because that means it’s time to move on to another one!

If you’d like to see this chapter come together, you can watch the VoD on Youtube!
. . .

She was in the office when Alyial arrived, sitting at her brightly lit corner table, as always, typing away at speed. He didn’t think he had ever paused to look at her before. Certainly he’d never noticed the way her hair curled along her cheek as she leaned toward her computer monitor. Nor the slight furrow of her brow as she stared with intensity at the lines of code her mad typing generated.

Things were different since the computer simulation. Since he and Nala talked like normal people. Since she revealed the depth of her ambition as more than just meeting time tables and securing grant money.

She’s trying to change the world.

It was an ambition Alyial could get behind, especially since the time he spent in the computer simulation renewed his vigor for the old project he’d put aside when he graduated college. Maybe it was time to brush it off, time to finish the book and share the philosophy.

It would certainly assist Nala with her goals.

You should say something to her, he realized as he shuffled through the door toward his workstation and activated his computer. He cringed for the barest hint of a moment, still worried the thing might explode at his touch.

But that, too, should be behind him now, and he forced himself to slide onto the stool beside his desk with what he hoped looked like relaxed confidence.

Nala’s fingers paused their mad trajectory across her keyboard, and her eyes shot in his direction. Acting on the impulse that forced him to stop staring, Alyial forced a smile to his face and said, “Ira’s supposed to be coming home today.”

Instantly, he wanted to cringe. Why the hell was that the thing I said?

“Oh?” Nala replied in a tone that could only be described as falsely sweet – indicating he had, indeed, chosen exactly the wrong topic. “And why should I care about that?”

Alyial didn’t think he would ever understand the acid tone with which Nala referred to her oldest and best friend’s wife. He understood that Nala had been interested in Delmar, Ira’s husband, when the two of them were younger. The topic had come up during the brief time they spent within the computer simulation – an interlude that now felt like a dream. But it was his understanding that Nala rejected Delmar’s proposal. So she couldn’t really be mad that another woman said yes.

“I don’t know,” Alyial admitted with a shrug. Again, he tried to act casual. But his leg slipped over his stool, causing him to slump forward against his desk, and he was pretty sure all hint of cool or confident flew out the window at the same time. “She did save all our assess from a pretty big potential setback,” he reminded his colleague, not for the first time.

Ira was the one who sent Nala into the computer simulation after him. And it was his understanding she also told Nala what to say. Without that guidance, Alyial was pretty sure the two of them would have simply butted heads like bulls locking their horns until something dire happened.

And besides, without Ira’s guidance, he never would have noticed how nuanced Nala was. Even her curt tone spoke to layers of meaning behind each word – he could see that now.

“I suppose that’s true,” Nala admitted on the tail end of a lengthy sigh. “But that doesn’t mean I want to throw her a party.” She rolled her eyes before focusing them back on her computer screen.

Alyial smirked. He could tell by the locking of her gaze on a single point she wasn’t actually reading anything.

It was funny how a little familiarity with a person painted them in an entirely different light.

“I just thought it would be a good idea to touch base after she got back,” Alyial admitted, ignoring the way his cheeks flamed red when he spoke. “I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to her, since she had to leave pretty soon after I woke up. And she did expose an entire serial killer and get him arrested and all that.”

“Yes, she’s quite the little problem solver,” Nala grated through clenched teeth and punched several of her keyboards with heavy finger jabs.

Clearly this was exactly the wrong topic of conversation, Alyial chided himself silently. Why don’t you just stop beating around the proverbial bush and say the thing you actually wanted to say? The thing he wanted to say since he woke up in the office blinking with confusion to realize he’d mistaken the computer simulation for reality.

Why did it feel as if it required an inordinate amount of courage?

Alyial swallowed hard. If he was willing to revive his old novel project, and if he was no longer afraid of the potential consequences of splitting his career focus, it had to be pretty easy to talk to a girl.

At least… it should have been.

He cleared his throat. Nala shot a glare in his direction over the perceived interruption, and he almost ducked behind his computer monitor. Instead, he lurched forward, planted his feet on the floor and skirted his desk until he stood beside hers.

“Listen, Nala,” he said, cursing how halting and hesitant each word sounded, “I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened while we were inside that computer simulation, and-“

“None of that was real,” Nala snarled. Her tone was savage enough to feel like a slap in the face. But when she jerked her eyes away from her computer monitor to look at him, they were wide and wild, as if filled with desperation.

So instead of shrinking away, Alyial squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. “It was as real as we want it to be,” he protested. “And I believe you showed me a side of yourself in there that you never let anyone else see. At least no one since your high school sweet heart.”

Nala’s cheeks turned red. Her forehead followed. When her face was entirely consumed by the blush, it crept down her neck as well. Alyial worried at first the color was born from rage. But when Nala wriggled in her chair, he realized she was embarrassed.

Had she been thinking about him too?

That cinches it then.

“I know this is going to sound dumb,” he said in a rush, his cheeks turning the same shade of crimson as hers. “But before I went into the computer simulation and inadvertently mistook it for reality, I… visited a fortuneteller.”

Nala shot him the world’s most skeptical look. But instead of shrinking away, Alyial laughed.

“I realize how this comes off,” he insisted. “I mean, it was totally illogical and irrational. Anyway, she read my tarot cards. And the card she claimed was the most important came at the very end. The Queen of Swords.”

Nala’s eyes widened. Her jaw worked for a moment, but she clearly lost some kind of battle because her mouth also fell open.

“The Queen of Swords?” she asked shakily.

Alyial nodded. “And I don’t even know if this is how tarot works but… I kept thinking afterward that if I could find the Queen of Swords, my life might start to make sense again.”

He shot her a significant look.

She had been there with him in the fake version of his apartment while rain pummeled the city outside. Her skin had moved against his as they extended their arms into the rain and let the moisture caress their heated flesh.

She had moved against him beneath the dim light in his bedroom. And she had slept curled in his warmth when all was said and done.

He wasn’t going to forget that – and he was pretty sure she couldn’t either.

“I don’t believe in fate,” Nala insisted, her tone once again snappish.

But it was her eyes that gave her away – always her eyes. They once again focused on a single point somewhere near the base of her computer screen or, perhaps, even on her desk. Unmoving, unwavering, as if through sheer force of will she could deny the actual truth.

“I never used to either,” Alyial admitted. He hadn’t believed in curses either, but he couldn’t deny what he’d experienced for the last few weeks.

If even the tiniest bit of magic is real, then why couldn’t two people be destined to cross paths?

“The concept of destiny is dumb,” Nala insisted as she once again forcefully returned to her typing. “Life is what we make it with blood and sweat and determination. No mystical force is telling me where to go and what to do.”

“That doesn’t mean the universe never throws something in our path,” Alyial protested. Or at least, that was how he had come to see the challenges of these last few weeks. “Maybe the meeting is the fate and destiny is what we do with it.”

He hated the way his voice pitched upward at the end, as if he questioned his own sanity while speaking the words. He hated that he sounded tentative instead of confident, as if he was begging her to agree with him.

Yet something in his tone must have connected with the desperation that previously swirled in her eyes. Because Nala lowered her hands away from her keyboard and swiveled slowly in his direction. She was still frowning, but Alyial was starting to understand that was just her default expression. There were levels to her displeasure, and the most neutral simply represented a decision as yet unmade.

We don’t have to call it fate, he pleaded with her silently. But we can’t ignore or deny that it happened. He ached inside at the idea it had taken this long to even speak openly about the connect he felt, and he didn’t want to keep running around in circles, hiding in the shadows, waiting for her to warm up to the idea they could be something more.

“It was just a passing fancy,” she insisted after a moment and shook her head. “Just a moment of passion that sprung up between two people who let their guard down.”

Isn’t that just love? Alyial’s mind screamed. But he swallowed the words – they were the wrong ones for Nala. They would only push her away.

But he could tell from her tone she was as much trying to convince herself of what she said as she was trying to convince him. So he decided to take the leap.

He reached out, caught her hand with his and squeezed it gently. “We could just try dinner,” he suggested. “A real one in this world,” he added and let a hint of a playful grin dance across his lips. “We could talk more about the book I’m planning to write. Because that is real. And how it might tie in with the success of this project.

“We can talk about whatever you want,” he added because he sensed her tensing to pull away. “Just let me see the side of you that’s been hiding since we woke up from that fantasy. Because I know she was real too, however deep you bury her.”

Nala jerked her hand free of his grip at last and shot to her feet. Alyial half expected her to slap him across the face.

She was a private person; she made that clear even within the simulation. She didn’t wear her heart on her sleeve, and she was probably never going to. In fact, she seemed to wear six layers of sweaters just to make sure her emotions remained buried.

But instead of the fierce denial he expected, Alyial received a soft sigh as Nala bowed her head. “I can’t promise you anything, Alyial,” she said softly. “My life is my work. It always has been. And it’s never gotten on well with my heart.”

“I didn’t ask for the world,” Alyial pointed out gently. “I only asked for dinner. And I can’t help thinking that my work and yours are going to pair quite well. So why don’t we just wait and see where this whole thing goes.”

Nala didn’t respond right away. Her shoulders tensed, and her gaze remained focused on the floor. Alyial could practically feel her attempting to retreat back within the shell he had spent so much time carefully coaxing her from. But in this regard, he knew he had to wait and say nothing.

The decision had to be hers, after all. He couldn’t force her hand.

At last she nodded, and a quiet but explosive sigh escaped her lips. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to see what the universe might have planned for us.”

Was that a hint of teasing he detected in her voice?

He wasn’t sure until she lifted her head and he caught a hint of a smirk gracing her lips.

Alyial grinned in response. “Great things, I’m certain. You are my Queen of Swords, after all?”

Her eyes darkened again and she folded her arms in front of her chest. “What makes you say that?” she demanded haughtily.

Alyial chuckled. “Ira told me she found an allusion to it in the simulation code. She said it was why she sent you in instead of going herself.” After a moment of hesitation, he added, “I’m glad she did, you know. I don’t think anyone else would have connected with me the same way you did.”

The blush returned to Nala’s cheeks, but she turned quickly back to her desk – trying to hide it, Alyial realized.

She didn’t like to seem weak, this fierce woman who was trying to change this world.

Perhaps she just needs a few little nudges to realize she’s strong regardless of the face she shows to the world.

“We need to get back to work,” Nala snapped after a moment when he didn’t move, though her tone was sheepish.

Alyial grinned again. “Friday at eight,” he declared before he spun on his heel and returned to his workstation.

It was a lot easier to focus now that he’d spoken his mind. Though he couldn’t help shooting glances in Nala’s direction every now and then. And it pleased him greatly to realize she often did the same.

*   *   *

“My goodness, it feels good to be home!” Delmar declared on the tail end of an epic stretch followed by a massive sigh. “I don’t mind your parents’ house, but it’s been sheer insanity the last few weeks.”

Ira chuckled. “Who knew helping the FBI arrest a major serial killer could lead to such frantic activity.”

“TV shows always end with the arrest,” Delmar pointed out playfully. He crossed the short distance between them and caught Ira in a bear-hug. She didn’t resist, even allowing him to pull her off her feet and spin her around slightly before they came to rest again.

She leaned into him. The idea of losing him was still a bright, raw wound in her mind, and she was eternally grateful none of the worlds where she lost him had come to fruition as the result of her choice.

She wanted to believe she chose carefully and considered all the risks. But in the end, every choice had been a gamble.

“We should get together with your old high school hunny,” she suggested when she finally pulled back to glance up at her husband again.

Delmar blinked, clearly taken aback by the suggestion. Then he eyed her suspiciously. “What makes you say that?” he demanded, though his tone was all curiosity. “I wasn’t aware the two of you even spoke when I wasn’t around.”

“We don’t really,” Ira admitted, though she flashed her husband one of her patented enigmatic grins. “But I have been in close contact with a friend of hers, and I think the two of them might have something to tell us.”

Delmar’s eyebrows shot skyward, and Ira allowed her eyes to gleam in response.

Connecting with Alyial in the wake of the simulation incident had been easy. Even if her life was slightly different now, Ira remembered her first path through this particular event.

In fact, she remembered dozens of potentially different outcomes for this portion of her life. All of them were dream-like in nature, wisps just barely grasped before they turned to smoke and mist in her hands.

But she couldn’t deny in her heart of hearts that something had happened at some point in some timeline. And she could never let herself forget, because she doubted she could ever jerk the entire world onto a new course ever again.

There were consequences for every decision, after all – and no one knew that better than her now.

Having seen what she and Alyial might have become and how the two could complement each other’s abilities, it felt only natural to embrace and foster a friendship that need not be lost.

And if she could help Nala find a little happiness along the way, maybe that was some form of penance.

She was certainly glad she hadn’t allowed Delmar to feel the sting of the blighted life the two of them might have led otherwise.

“Well, if you think it’s a good idea, I’m happy to make the arrangements,” Delmar replied when it was clear he would get no further details out of his wife at the moment. “And you are due a celebration, I would think.”

“I don’t need to be celebrated,” Ira insisted. It had become an almost automatic response. Her family had spent so much time singing her praises and inviting the neighbors over to do the same, she was ready to scream if anyone else suggested a toast in her honor.

Delmar chuckled. Having borne witness to the whole affair, he understood her stance. But his pride in her accomplishment overruled his good sense. “The achievement is worthy of an event even if you don’t feel like you are,” he declared and planted a light kiss on her forehead.

Ira melted into the nearby couch because she could tell her legs were about to give out. Her head still reeled from all that had happened in what seemed like a terribly compressed spit of time, and she was looking forward to a chance to process it all.

If an experience of this nature could be processed.

It was hard to believe that the Mawor was gone. And even harder to believe that it had never really existed. It had only ever been a man feeding some wild desire trapped in his head.

Ira suspected there was a touch of magic involved in that transformation. But it wasn’t her magic and, thus, was well beyond her purview. It would be a long time before she stopped thinking about her experience or Wendell’s. But at least she knew no one in her town would ever have to worry about the Mawor again.

Children will no doubt still make the crossing of the Mawor’s grove. It’ll be a legend as long as people live there. But it would be safe now, the game it was always meant to be instead of the danger that sat so long just beneath everyone’s consciousness.

“Do as you will,” she declared at last, deciding it was easier to give in to her husband’s teasing than to resist. “Though if it’s a celebration you’re looking for, let me give you something actually worthy of celebration.”

Delmar, who had been on his way to the kitchen, froze in his tracks and spun to face her. His hands shot to his hips and his eyebrows rocketed upward again. And this time, his expression indicated there would be no deflection. “And what is this so grand occasion I have yet to hear about?” he replied.

Ira grinned. It was hard to resist the urge to place her hand on her abdomen. And after a moment she decided not to bother. The gentle caress of her fingers was probably enough to give the game away, but she didn’t care.

“We’re having a baby,” she declared.

She had known it was true even before the test confirmed her suspicions. It was proof that the power was hers now.

And now that she knew, she was determined to wield it with intelligence and humility, rather than picking up the pieces of random temper and passion.

She wouldn’t be able to control every stray thought that drifted through her head – especially not if she intended to endure Nala’s presence. But awareness should at least allow her to provide mitigation to her true desires.

That would be a start.

“When did this happen?” Delmar demanded. But he also darted across the living room and folded her once again in his arms. His face nuzzled lightly into her neck, and she wrapped her arms around him to draw him closer.

“I imagine it was the night after the arrest,” she admitted, her tone saying the rest for her. “But we shouldn’t be surprised it found some way to happen amidst the chaos. That is, after all, how all of life’s big events get started – despite the rest if not because of.”

Delmar laughed, kissed her again and reluctantly extracted himself from their embrace. “This does call for a celebration, indeed, my darling, you are correct. Let me make the arrangements. But first, let me get your feet up…” He nudged a nearby ottoman toward the couch where she sat. “And once I have you pampered with food and water, I will make certain the coming event is completely unforgettable.”

“I have no doubts,” Ira murmured. It would be impossible for her to forget any of this anyway. She’d taken a longer route to arrive here than most.

But all was as it should be – she was satisfied of that. So she saw no reason not to indulge in just a little self-satisfaction.