Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) by L.J. Kentowski Page B

me that my clinical mentor had called in with a bad sinus infection. I was given the honorable filing duties for the day. With no choice but to perform my banal task, I went over to the administration desk where the files were kept. Kelly, the day shift administrator, was at the desk and smiled when she saw me coming.
    I met Kelly my first day at the hospital. She was one of those bright and cheery women; like, every minute of the day. Somehow she managed to find the good in any bad situation. My mood always seemed to lift when I was around her.
    As I got closer to the desk, Kelly became... brighter. A fluorescent purple headband separated her pale blond hair at the top of her head. The color pattern seemed to overflow to her uniform: a yellow smock shirt, patterned with big purple circles, and matching purple pants. As if that weren't enough to make me wish I'd brought my sunglasses, she accessorized with a matching set of bright yellow and purple parrots dangling from her ears, along with a charm-filled bracelet. Eccentricity was a trait that matched Kelly's personality. As I said: Bright and cheery.
    "Hey, Cassie," she waved at me, her bracelet tinkling with the movement. "I heard you got stuck with the files today. I'm sorry," she said, her face contorting into a silly frown.
    "Yeah, lucky me." I came around to her side of the desk and looked around. There were three huge stacks of files sitting on the end of the desk. "Are these all the files?" I asked, incredulous. "Hasn't anyone done them in the last year ?"
    "Sorry, hon. But think of it this way, you get to spend all your time with me now." Kelly smiled wide. "It'll be great! Think of it as a sleepover party, only without the sleeping part. Oh, and the part about the files. I don't think I'd ever have a filing game at one of my parties, but who knows?"
    I laughed. "How do you do it, Kelly?"
    "Well, it's a secret, and I'm really not supposed to tell anyone," she leaned in closer and whispered, "but all you do is pull your lips up and try to touch them to your cheeks. It's called a smile and it's great at parties."
    "Okay, I get it. Maybe I'll give it a try," I laughed again.
    Kelly and I talked mainly about everyday things in our lives, like school and family. My thoughts eventually drifted away from Hunter as we talked and the day went on. About halfway through my shift, Kelly went on break and left me alone to continue filing my last stack. As I reached into one of the rotating files, my mind went black, and I felt the familiar sensation of a vision coming.
    I was back in my recurring dream only this time, it wasn't me. I watched as Nora ran through the forest, tearing her dress and cutting her feet, while the branches reached out to her, as they always did me. I tried to yell to her as she turned to look behind her, but she couldn't hear me. I was strictly a spectator. The same emotions appeared on her face that I always felt time and again. And just as I'd hit that wall of a chest, so had she. I gasped when I saw Hunter slowly lower his head towards hers. My heartbeat quickened at the sight, and, although I knew he couldn't hear me, I yelled to him to stop. To my surprise, he stopped right before his lips fell on hers. I stared at them; at him, just standing there holding Nora. He slowly raised his head and looked in my direction. I screamed as glowing blue eyes bored into mine.
    Huddled in a corner underneath the desk station, I woke up to Kelly shaking me, calling my name. Realizing my eyes were open, she breathed a sigh of relief, but the concern on her face remained.
    "Oh my God, Cassie. What happened to you?" she asked, grabbing a box of tissues from the desk.
    I used one of them to wipe my tear-streaked face. There were no words that could explain what happened, at least not without getting me locked up in one of the rooms on the ward. But I was too perplexed about what I just saw to care about what she thought.
    "I'm sorry, Kelly," I said, standing. She tried