When I was little, I never really put a lot of thought into things such as destiny and fate, the things said to rule the entire cosmos. What is said to be, will come to pass as some would say. There are many other words and quotes for it, but all in all, it means the same thing.

Supposedly, everyone who is born already has their destinies pre-written for them. That no matter what they do, it will all come down to certain events that will ultimately define them. Most people do not like to believe in such things, they like to think that their choices are their own, and that each one they make changes where they'll end up, and what they'll end up doing.

As for me? I'm not quite sure what I believe, not now anyways, it's kinda nice to believe that fate has you written in some book to go down in a blaze of glory. Then again, what if that same book has you written down to die choking on a chip on your couch in the middle of Oklahoma?

So yeah, Fate could be cool, but then it could be a rude bastard that wears those thick rimmed glasses, a scarf during summer, loafers without socks, and drinks espresso while blogging and thinks he's the shit. Not to say that those qualities are necessarily a bad thing, they just might be if Fate is really a dude with a bad sense of humor and is writing down your destiny while having a shit day and some guy just flipped him off.

Or maybe I'm just very judgmental about the guy sitting diagonally across from me in Starbucks who's typing suspiciously and looking up every few minutes. I narrowed my eyes at him, slowly taking a sip out of whatever was ordered for me. Did I mention I don't like coffee? Every time I tell people I feel like it makes me see sounds, they laugh awkwardly at me and advert their gaze. Why is it a crime to not like a caffeinated beverage in society these days?

My name is Rowan Blackwood, twenty years old, writing amateur and drawing and gymnastic extraordinaire. I like bugs, and pretty much all things nature. Swimming is pretty fun, and I think coffee is stupid, obviously. I wear a blue ribbon on my pointer finger, and I've been told I'm sarcastic and a little weird. I moved to San Diego when I was seven, we had previously lived in Sweden, which is where I was born, but mom decided we needed a change and uprooted us to the states. I haven't officially gotten rid of my accent, but people seem to like it, so I'm not too concerned with it.

My mother tells me I look like my father with my long, unruly, curly red hair, and bright blue eyes. Though, I've never met the man, I wonder if he's short? Mom's super tall, and well, I'm not. I'm an impressive five foot five, with a slender but toned body. But seriously, what is that guy writing about as he types furiously away on his sleek, silver laptop?

I heard a sigh, and suddenly fingers were being snapped in my face, startled, I turned my wide eyes to my close friend, Serena, she had those same thick rimmed glasses on her pale face as the guy I had previously been glaring at. She huffed, the action causing her blonde fringe to lift up away from her forehead, her hazel eyes were annoyed.

"Earth to Rowan! The conversation is down here, on earth, sorry to interrupt your intergalactic mission." Obviously, I was rubbing off on her, that was pure sarcasm. A little rude though, an intergalactic mission would be cool.

"Sorry, what?" I asked after another moment. She sighed this time, and twirled her finger around the cup holding the vile liquid she insisted on buying everyday with me.

"I was asking what your mom said about vacationing with me and the family in Madrid." I frowned. Oh, that topic. She picked up on my expression almost immediately. "She said no?" She was surprised. Like I had been when I received the answer. "But your mom always says yes, every year!" I nodded.

"I know, but she said this year it wouldn't be possible, and that I had to stay home. She gave no more information on the matter." Her expression mirrored my own, complete and utter disappointment.

"That's seriously lame," She paused. "And weird." I nodded in agreement. My gaze slowly shifted away from her and her fidgeting to the guy typing on his laptop, he now sported a smug smirk. What did he have to be smug about?

"What do you think that guy's typing about?" I asked her after a moment. As if he sensed I was looking at him, he looked up and glared at me, the light catching his glasses. She whipped her head to see where I was staring, not backing down from his glaring challenge. She groaned.

"Seriously, what is with you and that guy? Leave him alone." I slowly turned my gaze away from the guy I was sure was writing everyone's destinies, letting him win this round.

"He's suspicious!" I defended. She shook her head.

"You are paranoid, and impossible!" she declared. My cheek twitched. I was not paranoid, he was honestly suspicious.. I glanced down at the coffee. Stupid caffeine, maybe it was doing this to me, maybe he was just a normal guy? I furrowed my eyebrows and glanced up through my lashes. No, definitely suspicious. Serena sighed and stood up. "Come on, let's go. I have to get home and start packing." I nodded my head and stood up and followed her out. I slowed as we passed the suspicious guy, whose fingers stopped moving across his keyboard as I slowed down next to him, trying to get a peak at what was written across the bright screen.

He slowly lowered the screen a little bit so I could only see the glare of the light, I huffed and quickened my pace, following Serena out the door and onto the sun lit street. It was very warm for a San Diego Thursday in the middle of June. I was sporting jean shorts and white and black stripped tank top with some sandals.

"When do you leave for Madrid?" I questioned once I had caught up with Serena. She shrugged her shoulders as we crossed the street.

"This weekend, I think." I hummed my acknowledgment.

"Plenty of pictures?" I asked with a new bounce in my step. She laughed.

"Of course, I'll also make sure to check out the bug life and send you plenty of texts about them." I grinned at her. She was the best. I always enjoyed traveling, adventures were fun. As we passed another street, there were some rambunctious teens chatting and walking away from us. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stand on end. My stomach tightened in anxiety. I slowed to a stop, wind was whipping at my hair. Serena hadn't noticed I was no longer walking at her side as she continued down the sidewalk, looking at her phone and talking animatedly. I slowly turned my head, trying to find whatever was bothering me, my heartbeat picked up.

A man stood across the way, too far away to see properly, but from what I could tell, he was dressed nicely, too nicely. His long black hair was slicked back, and he was staring directly at me, not moving an inch as the cars zoomed past his position on the sidewalk. It was eerie, and he was most certainly frightening, but oddly familiar. A bus rolled by, blocking his tall form from my vision. I squinted angrily at having my sight cut off. I waited impatiently as it finished rolling by, but he wasn't there anymore. The sidewalk was clear, that whole street was. Where had he gone? I made a note that all of the tension had left my body, and I was once again, calm.

What's with all the suspicious guys today? Maybe it was the caffeine after all?

So here it is, proof I have not vanished! I figured documentation would be the only proof you guys would believe that I haven't abandoned you all. So, I decided to write a new story about a very, very attractive god of mischief and lies. I hope you all enjoy this first chapter, I quite like it myself. Read and Review!