When fate plays its hand

The bus swayed and jolted as it navigated the winding mountain roads until it finally reached the town.

Miranda, Madison, and Sebastian stepped off and let out a collective sigh of relief. The nightmare–like ride they’d just endured was something they never wanted to remember.

“Are we there yet?” Madison finally found her voice after buying a bottle of drink and taking a few big gulps.

Miranda shook her head. “This is the town. Joli lives in the village, so we still have a long way to go.” This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

“Do we have to take another bus?” Madison’s face went pale with fear.

Sebastian shook his head. “There’s no bus to the village.”

Before Madison could even relax, he added, “We’ll have to ride a pickup truck.”

She blinked in surprise.

Ten minutes in, Madison had stopped keeping track of how many times she had been jolted out of her seat, only to slam back down. With every sharp turn, her body tilted to one side, then was tossed back the other way.

‘…This is what you call a little bumping around?” she complained.

Sebastian’s face had turned pale, and he gripped the handrail tightly. “I checked the GPS. It’s not far. Just hang on a little longer.”

He hadn’t expected the roads to be this steep–there wasn’t even a paved road, just a rough dirt path.

“What’s wrong? You look awful. Are you okay?” Madison asked after noticing his pale complexion.

Sebastian waved her off. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, “I’m fine.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow. “Are you feeling carsick?”

Before he could answer, he stuck his head out the window and immediately threw up.

Miranda and Madison exchanged a look.

Afterward, Sebastian straightened up, took a deep breath, and pulled his head back inside. ” I’m really fine!” he insisted.

The two women exchanged skeptical glances. Did he really think they would believe that?

Madison pulled a dried plum from her bag and handed it to him. “This should help settle

your stomach. It’s sour.”

Sebastian was about to refuse, but Madison shoved it into his hand. “Just eat it. Stop being so stubborn,” she said firmly.

“I-”

Madison interrupted, “I know, you’re fine. No need to keep saying it.”

He muttered, “…Thanks.”

After watching him eat the dried plum, Madison turned to Miranda with a wink. Her expression practically said, “Look at him. He’s too proud to admit it.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow as if asking, “Is it really okay to tease him like this?”

Madison’s expression said, “Why not? He totally deserves it.”

But Sebastian’s gaze silently shot back, “I’m not blind, you know.”

Wallace Jorge, the driver, appeared to be in his 50s, with sun–tanned skin and a broad smile that showed off his white teeth. He was also quite talkative.

“You guys must be from out of town, huh? You didn’t ask about the roads before you came? The road to Swampert Village is terrible, especially after it rains. It gets all muddy and slippery. If you hadn’t run into me today, no one would have dared take you on that road.”

He added, “I’m just passing through, so I figured I’d give you a ride. But if I had to make a special trip, that’d cost extra.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you’re just passing through? You live in Swampert Village?”

“Sure am. I’m heading home and figured I’d make a little extra for gas along the way,‘ Wallace said.

“Actually, I was wondering–do you know a family named Clifford in your village?” she asked.

“Clifford? We’ve got a few Clifford families around here. Which one are you referring to?” Miranda replied, “I’m not sure, but their son’s a top student at Bedford College.”

“Oh! You must mean Ollie the Cripple. Are you looking for him?” Wallace paused for a moment, then added, “…But wait, that can’t be right. His family never gets visitors, and they don’t socialize much. They’ve lived here for years, and nobody ever goes to see them. Are you sure you’re looking for him?”