Chapter one
They sit in a circle on the living room floor. Everyone is looking expectantly at the girl with madly curly hair, who is perched on a boy's lap. Their long legs stretch out into the centre of the circle. She beams at the occupants of the room.
"Right, shall we go upwards, in age?" she asks. And in answer to their confused expressions, "Victor, idiots." The tall man who is sitting at the edge of the circle stiffens. She smiles, reassuringly.
"I'll…just do what I did last time, eh? It seemed to work last time," she says, smiling at a small girl snuggled in a protective embrace of the tall man next to her. The girl beams back.
"Right…" she trails off, face creased in concentration. Everyone looks at her in anticipation. Her eyes slowly rise, nervous. Glancing behind her at the boy who has his arms wrapped around her waist, she says, "I'm getting what I got before, at the wedding."
The boy gives a low chuckle. She frowns, irritated, and swats his arm. "And on to you. Hey, Victor, Xav is gonna tell you about your soulfinder."
He laughs again. "Oh no Cupcake, you're the soulseeker. Aaand back to you."
The man this playful banter is aimed at fidgets in his spot on the floor, uncomfortable. "Guys…?" he prompts.
"Fine," the girl huffs, "but you promised, Xav. You owe me." Turning to the man, she looks him in the eye. "She is in rural Afghanistan. She doesn't live there, but is…visiting? She seems…really nice. Really nice."
The boy behind her snorts. She reaches back and slaps him. "She is also…well, she's kinda…"
The boy raises an eyebrow, irritated. He is anxious, on edge. "She's what?"
"She's in prison. I'm not sure what for, or what kind of prison. She could be wrongly imprisoned, or-" She breaks off, concentrating. "No, she definitely did what she is in prison for, but I don't know whether it's…" she shakes her head. "I don't know Victor, but she seems like a genuinely good person."
He smiles, but his face is guarded, closed. His mother, a small woman standing in the doorway, frowns sadly. She hardly ever sees him smile anymore. She hopes this with bring him happiness, not more grief. He asks, "Could you give me a more exact location? Afghanistan is a pretty big place."
She nods. "I'll try…okay, the most exact I can get is somewhere near Shinkay. I don't know whereabouts, but somewhere around that area."
He nods, a business look on his face. He opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by his phone ringing. Giving them a quick apologetic look, he answers it. "Yes, Victor Benedict speaking. Yes sir. Really? How long? Yes, that sounds fine. I'll come to the office tonight, get the details. Yes sir. Goodbye."
He shuts the phone, a dazed expression on his face. One of his brothers raises an eyebrow. He smiles, a genuine smile. "Whoever said coincidences didn't exist?"
Hope y'all liked this first chapter. Please review! Sorry it was so short.