Julius had torn himself away from the long goodbye he had said to his wife and sons. His youngest, Kyle, was only two, so he didn’t understand his traveling schedule yet. His seven-year-old used to cry and not let go of his leg. He was getting better at separating as he grew, and now he would just get mopey and tear up a bit. His beautiful wife, Talia—God bless her—was terrifyingly strong and stable. He was leaving her with two young kids and a house to sell. Potentially also a move without him.

  He didn’t like to think about why the move was necessary. Not that he understood, but his gut told him not to underestimate the danger involved.

  His car packed for a road trip, he had several stops to make before driving halfway across the country. His destination was generally the North Carolina area. He would know better where to go as he got closer. He first went to the gas station to top off his tank and grab some blueberry donut holes, his guilty pleasure on road trips.

  As he pumped the gas, he caught sight of a dog crossing the street and his eyes were drawn to it. He turned off the pump and hung it up before walking over to it, recognizing it as a well-bred Golden Retriever. Its fur was soft and well-groomed. Kneeling down, he reached out his hand. The dog jogged up and placed his paw in the offered hand. Julius looked the dog in the eyes and sought a sign. He didn’t get anything concrete, just a vague feeling.

  “I think you need to go that way,” he said, pointing south.

  The dog looked at him and tilted his head before huffing and trotting in the direction Julius had pointed.

  Julius ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He tried not to take himself too seriously; otherwise, he would go crazy wondering if he was just making wild guesses or weighty decisions on a whim.

  Jumping back in the car, he popped a donut hole in his mouth. His next destination was Wind Haven apartments. He had an appointment with the property manager to finish up some paperwork. As he drove, he saw a red-headed girl walking down the street. This time his impression was strong, as he imagined a glow around the girl. He stopped the car and rolled down the passenger window.

  “Excuse me, miss.” The young girl turned her head in surprise. “I think you need this,” he said, grabbing one of the pamphlets for the apartments and handing it to the girl. “You should apply soon and set a deposit to hold your reservation.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Um, thanks! This is so not creepy, Mr. Mind-reader.” She smiled awkwardly.

  “It comes with the job, unfortunately. Have a good day!” Julius waved and drove off.

  Daina greeted him pleasantly at the office as he sat down with her to sign a sizable stack of paperwork. He discussed the future with her, and he saw the dread on her face as Alexander’s name came up.

  “Please, no,” she said.

  “He’s not that bad…” Julius said defensively.

  Daina’s face turned downward in a knowing frown, letting Julius know she was unlikely to change her opinion of Alexander’s disposition.

  “I’ll make sure he behaves,” Julius assented. “If the reservation is in place, you can expect us to move in in about…” Julius’ face concentrated for a second. “…two months? I guess it will take longer than expected.”

  “It? I assume the meetings with investors are taking longer than expected.”

  “No, all of that went smoothly. Just some other business that needs to wrap up that I have no control over.” Julius waved his hand vaguely.

  “Everything is in order then. Once everything else closes, I will deliver the packets,” she sighed.

  “Thank you, Daina. Please be careful and extra vigilant of any lurkers. You might need an extra security guard on duty sooner than you think… you might look for a red-headed young woman and offer her a part-time job. She will be stronger than you think.”

  “A young girl… security guard?”

  “Just remember this weird advice. Maybe it will make sense later.”

  “I will pass that on to the higher-ups,” Daina responded without question.

  “Great. See you soon! Stay safe.” Julius waved as he left.

  As Julius walked to his car, he felt a tug toward Alexander’s apartment. The feeling was ominous, but he shifted the direction of his steps without hesitating. Too much was on the line right now to play it careful. He walked past the first set of buildings and passed some teens laughing and looking at their phones. He rounded a corner and was startled to see an orc standing on a sidewalk looking at his phone. A few passersby were taking pictures from a distance, but the orc was paying them no mind.

  Julius took a breath before fixing his shirt. He approached the orc carefully to not startle him. As he looked closer, he was surprised that the orc looked like the consummate professional: white collar, tie, gelled hair. This orc was certainly working for Alexander.

  Getting closer, the orc looked up from his phone. Julius could now see a monocle with a chain wrapped around his head. It reminded him of a butler, but more a combat butler from a cartoon than a “dust the veranda” butler. The longer he looked at the orc, the stronger his impressions became, solidifying into words in his head.

  The monocle lit up as the orc concentrated on Julius. After a second, the orc’s face changed to a grim expression.

  “Good day. I don’t mean to pester you. My name’s Julius, and I have a message for you.”

  The orc was silent for a minute before responding, “I shall hear your message, Oracle.”

  “Pursue your ambitions… you will succeed.”