The Red String

Admina hurried down the marble halls, glancing from side to side while also trying to appear casual. It was a tough line to walk, but she was pretty sure she did it flawlessly. She was pretty sure she did everything flawlessly – it was part of being a goddess, after all.

She got to the Viewing Room and, with one last glance around her, slid the doors open before sneaking inside. The room was completely dark, no one in sight. But she’d expected that; she’d been counting on it. Everyone would be at that stupid party tonight, even the gods who were supposed to be manning this place. It would be at least another twenty minutes before anyone even noticed she was gone. That was plenty of time for what she had in mind.

Admina approached the edge of the Viewing Room, leaning over the cool metal railing and practically pressing her nose up against the giant window that looked out onto the world. As she watched the humans down below, she sighed to herself, wondering where it had all gone wrong. Everything seemed fine on the surface, sure. But she knew better. There just wasn’t as much love coming from them as there used to be. There certainly wasn’t as much as she would have liked. And the less love there was out there, the less power she herself had. She couldn’t believe that this really was the state of the world now. But what should she do about it?

Well, the answer seemed simple enough – she’d have to create love. It was the perfect plan; she’d bring joy to the humans below while increasing her own strength up here. Everyone would win, and she couldn’t see a way it could possibly go wrong. Now, she just had to decide on who the lucky couple would be.

She gazed down lovingly over her loyal subjects, tapping her chin dramatically as she pretended to decide. But the truth was, she already knew. She’d been planning this out all day, after all.

Her first choice was Logan – the tall, muscular senior with the chiseled jaw and nearly-passing grades. She’d always adored him. And so what if he laughed a little too loud and focused just a bit too much on his own accomplishments? That didn’t mean he wasn’t deserving of love, did it?

But who would she match Logan with? Admina let her eyes wander over the city. Suddenly, she had an idea. Why not pair him up with Emma Malik? They went to the same school, and if anyone needed a little love in their life, it was Emma. She was wound so tight; someone like Logan was sure to loosen her up. It would be a challenge, sure. But Admina loved a challenge.

Admina watched her two subjects for a minute, marveling at her own genius. They really were lucky she was here to help. And as she could see, neither of them were currently attached to anyone else. Perfect. She waved her hand and whispered her favorite incantation. It wouldn’t have been noticeable to any of the humans, but a small red string tied itself adoringly around Logan’s little finger before winding its way through the town towards Emma’s house. Once it found her, it proceeded to wrap around her finger as well. The string glowed a deep blood red for a minute before fading back into the aether.

There, Admina nodded to herself in satisfaction. Now, Logan and Emma’s fates were bound together. Admittedly, she should have done it when the couple were much younger – infants, ideally. But better late than never, right?

“It’ll never work, you know.” someone said from over her shoulder. Admina jumped and spun around. Hiari, the God of Light, was leaning against the door frame, smirking that simpering smirk of his. Great. She hated when he looked so self-satisfied.

“What won’t?” Admina asked, shrugging and putting on her most innocent face. She leaned casually on the railing next to the Viewing Window, trying to act like she hadn’t been doing anything in particular. “I was simply tired of the party and decided to watch the little people of Fairview.”

“Of course you were.” Hiari agreed, still grinning. Admina hated how bright his stupid smile was. Then, sauntering across the room to join her, he looked through the window himself. It took him almost no time to spot the brand-new red string that was binding her two humans together. He started laughing to himself before finally turning to face her.

“Those two?” He raised his eyebrow and pointed. “Why on earth would you ever pick them?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Admina scoffed, turning her nose up dramatically. He knew nothing about love, about passion. When he didn’t respond, she turned to him, unable to stand the silence. “Can’t you feel it? The love they share?”

“Love?” Hiari grinned wildly. “That’s not love. Can’t you tell?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Admina scoffed. Nobody knew love like she did, and she could feel the emotions bubbling between the two humans as sure as she could feel the floor beneath her feet. Hiari would never understand. He was just like the rest of them – so sure he knew her job better than she did.

Well, he’d just have to wait and see. These two were tied together – their fate was clear. And if Admina had to help them along a bit, so be it. But her humans were going to fall madly in love. Then Hiari would see. Then they would all see.