His Unloved Mate

Prophecy

Jamie rushed out of her building as soon as she heard her landlord's voice. She knew he wasn't ready to listen to any excuses, and she honestly ran out of reasons to give. She stumbled and almost fell, with her only surviving pair of sneakers crumbling beneath her feet. She managed to gather just in time to sneak out of the building unnoticed.

When she was a reasonable distance from the house, she plucked out her partially blinded phone she had been using for over four years from the worn-out purse she was gifted at the orphanage when she turned thirteen.

It still surprised her that the purse, which now boasted a generous amount of holes, was still surviving after all these years. She stared at her face with her phone screen and was satisfied. At least she looked well put together. Her long brown hair was securely tied into a bun, and she even found a shirt and jeans that weren't worn out.

Jamie didn't have any friends and wasn't exactly sure if it was due to her looks, especially because she wasn't quite sure if her appearance scared people away. There had to be an explanation for why everyone abandoned her.

Although, Madam Beauchamp always told her she looked like a wicked witch. She always assumed it was just the woman being her usual mean self, but lately, she had begun noticing her unusual features. She considered her brown hair abnormally long, and every time she tried to cut it, it ended up growing even longer than before.

Then there was her haunting, cat-like emerald green eyes, straight nose, and full lips. She even questioned the shape of her face. Her jawline is so firm, and her lips are a dark shade of pink, and somehow, she asks about her existence.

Every feature just came together to give her this wicked look. She had overheard someone say she had a one-of-a-kind beauty, but she wasn't quite sure what it meant.

All she knew was that her features were all too pronounced and scary.

"Maybe I do look like a wicked witch," she whispered but quickly shuddered in disgust.

A thought suddenly struck her, and she immediately raised her wrist. She let out a sigh of relief when she found her emerald bracelet was firmly in place. The secret about Jamie was that she had found herself in an orphanage when she was eight without any memory of who she was before that day. She has tried to remember who she was countless times but to no avail.

The only thing she had been seen with was her bracelet. It was the one single thing she held close to her heart because, in her mind, it was the only link to who she was.

She had tried vainly to find out who she was but decided to give up when it looked like all her efforts were in vain. She hoped to discover her true identity someday, but for now, she needed a job. She needs money to help her recall who she is; she needs money, lots and lots of it, and getting a job is part of the deal to help her save up.

Realizing she had been standing in one spot all this while, she moved forward and began her search for a job.

As Jamie faced her tenth rejection for the day six hours later, she decided to retire back home and plan for the next day. She knew Madam Beauchamp would kill her if she returned without a job only to beg for water the following day, but what could she do?

She had tried her best. Everyone just kept on rejecting her. She didn't understand if there was something wrong with her. Her stomach rumbled violently, and hitting at it was all she could do to stop herself from bursting into tears. Life was too hard for her.

She had often contemplated ending it all, but somehow, something always seemed to hold her back. She wondered why her will to live was so great, especially when there was barely anything to live for. Sighing tiredly, she began her journey back home, back to the dead hole she calls home.

As she trekked the distance home, she fell deep in thought. She couldn't take any form of transportation because the money in her purse was reserved for tonight's dinner.

It's how she had lived for the past two months. She ate just once a day, except Madam Beauchamp was feeling generous. She began dreaming of a better life. She thought maybe someday she would attain some level of luxury. Sometimes, she even imagined she was the sole heiress of some wealthy family who got lost. She imagined herself being found someday and inheriting all that riches.

Absentmindedly, she laughed at her foolishness and didn't notice the person in front of her until she bumped into them.

"Watch it!" The woman said but suddenly stood transfixed.

"I'm so sorry," Jamie began apologizing to the unmoving woman, who stared curiously at her.

"You," the woman said after an eternity of scrutiny.

"Me?" Jamie pointed at herself, then looked around to see if she was speaking to someone behind her.

"Yes, you," the woman pointed at Jamie.

"Oh, me?" She asked curiously.

"Yes, you," the woman repeated.

"Okay," Jamie replied, wondering why she was acting weird.

"Your destiny awaits you," she said again, as if in a trance. Jamie looked around, suddenly scared. To anyone passing by, it was just two women discussing, but Jamie didn't feel entirely comfortable.

"What–What do you mean?" She stuttered.

"Your destiny awaits you. Do not run from it," she recited as if it was some poem. Jamie shook her head, trying to clear it.

"Have I wandered around and stumbled into the great magical kingdom of the great west?" She wondered, looking around frantically.

"Sure," she finally said in an attempt to run as far away from the strange woman as possible. She made to move, but the woman blocked her path. She bit her lips, not afraid to scream for help if the situation warranted it.

"Even if you want to, you cannot run from it. Your destiny awaits you," she said again and immediately walked past her. Jamie watched the woman go and shook her head pitifully.

"She's probably crazy," she whispered and went her own way.