The Pens of Fate [12](Saga remastered) {Jun.27, 2023}

Note from the Author

This book contains and mentions sensitive material relating to mental illnesses, several personality disorders, suicide, suicidal thoughts, post-traumatic stress disorder, murder, gore/violence, death, alcoholism, self-harm, depression and many others. Reader discretion is highly advised and it is important to practice self-care during and after reading. Some of the events, people, and timelines are based on true aspects of my life, so keep a clear mindset.

To my inner angels who kept fighting against the demons of my mind, I want to thank you for it. And to those inner monsters of mine, thank you for being my inspiration for the nightmares that came out of these stories. To the angels who stood beside me while I battled the evil inside of under my own skin that I kept covered, these books and stories will represent how you have been there for me. 

And to the younger me, who probably didn’t know that they were main character in their own grand tale; you were going to do great things. Don't you ever look back and question the choices that lead you to the me that I have become...

After having Tina’s cuts cleaned, Adaline looked at the twins as James texted the others for a club meeting. Before anyone spoke, Adaline noticed movement in the doorway. Bonnie stood, looking away from everyone in the room as he held up his hands to sign. His hands shook as he tried to convey his words. Adaline signed back then asked for the thing that Bonnie had in his pocket. The twins and James looked on as Bonnie handed off two different letters. The first was dirty and more aged. The paper had a yellowish tint and parts of the ink on the envelope were a bit faded. There was a small scent of the ocean soaked into the letter. The second envelope was new and only had three words written on it, “Your’s Truly, Ethan” Adaline ignored the second letter and opened the older one. 

It had been written by a dead girl on an island, who had been watching the event around her unfold closely. As Adaline continued to read, they handed Ethan’s letter to James to read to the twins. The letter in Adaline’s hands had excellent details of Ethan’s whereabouts and his end game. Adaline smiled and thought to themselves, She has done well. Placing the letter down, Adaline then took a finger and rubbed off some of the eyeliner to write on the letter. They signed the note, giving their new spy a name, Octavia. 

James looked back at Adaline, “Ethan knows about the weapon that can stop the Pens.” Adaline smiled, “He knows it exists but not what it is nor what it looks like, babe.” The twins looked at the couple in confusion. Tina spoke up, breaking the couple’s focus, “What is stronger than the Pens?” Adaline started reread Octivia’s letter as they spoked, “Not an object, like Ethan thinks, but the over simplified answer is me.” After they said that, Adaline opened the bedroom window and held the letter like a bird in their hands. As if in response to this the letter started to fold itself into a bird shaped art piece. The letter began to fly out the window, leaving the group behind. The twins stared wide eyed at Adaline, who had a blank expression as they continued to talk with James, “I have an idea but you are not going to like it.” 

The others came to the Willer’s home but as James quickly believed the late comers, Grace noticed that Adaline was absent, “Uhm, where did you say Adaline was?” James looked at Zach, not saying anything else but Zach knew that look in his eyes. Zach cursed under his breath.

Adaline now stood in a blank world. This wasn’t the landscape they had written all those years ago. The hills shot up like knives and the air was crisp and brutal. The world had completely been wiped of all humanity. Adaline walked over to the rock and sat down, waiting for Ethan to show up. They were going to end this once and for all, as the thoughts flooded their mind as their grip tightened around the Devil’s Pen. As more dust began to settle on the horizon, a finger appeared heading towards them. 

Ethan looked in disbelief at the world around him. Adaline just sat and watched his reaction, “This is what happens without evil.” Ethan shook his in denial, “No, this is not what I wanted!” Adaline kept a distance between them so Ethan couldn’t see them writing on their arm. The wolf paw print now had a bible verse in it, Genesis 4:1–18, and the word “wanderer”. Adaline knew it would take a bit of time before their plan could actually work, so they just continued to keep Ethan at bay, “Want to know something, Ethan? You're a part of me, whether you like it or not. All of your victims had hurt a child and yet you vowed to bring justice, you have ended up doing the exact thing you hate to another child. Why do you think that is?” Ethan stood puzzled in silence so Adaline continued, “You don’t even understand what I’m saying. Well, in simple words the abuse that I was put through brought you here and you killed a good big brother of a little girl who happened to find her brother’s corpse. Not only that, you wiped out a whole ass world in the process.”    

The group found themselves in a forbidding world after getting weapons and picking up Octavia, who had gotten Adaline’s response. The nearby buildings were worn down and smelt of decay. Zach’s eyes moved quickly around his surroundings, “I don’t like this.” The dead girl fixed her bandages, “Ethan killed someone that this world depended on. Each world has to have a problem, otherwise they would all be like this, and would eventually fade away,” she said as she pointed to a fallen power line pole. The pole had lost its color and had started to melt as she continued, “If Ethan tries to solve the conflicts by killing we will all die.” Grace turned to the others with a worried look in her eyes, “That would affect us, right? B-because we are real, right? RIGHT!?” Angel’s face lost its color, “You would be fine, but Adaline wouldn’t be,” she said grimly. Dan and Maddie pulled Zach aside and away from the others, “Should we tell them that you were the one who wrote us, not Addie?” Zach shook his head, “You guys would be here if I had never met Adaline. They were the one who took you to the next level. Without them, you two would be just ink on paper.” Maddie nodded, “They may not be our mom or our creator, but they are still family.” James called out, “HEY, I SEE SOMETHING!” pulling the three of them out of their meeting to look up. Ethan had stepped out a portal a few yards away...