Part 1

Chapter 3

Calamity

Fuck life is relentless.

He watched as yet another idiotic human spilt coffee down their shirt as they passed him. His fingers itched to do something, anything else. Maybe he’d burst that pipe over there, drench the group of tourists below with sewerage. Or better yet pop that cyclist’s tire and watch them go skidding across the pavement and into the bushes.

Flicking his hair from his eyes Calamity took another drag from his cigarette, immune to the glares from a passing mother pushing her pram. Damn wench, if she only knew that one look from him would snap the wheel of that pram and send it careening into traffic.

‘The answer to your future lies in your past’ that was what she had said, cryptic bitch.

But for all his cursing Calamity felt himself sigh, chewing over her words slowly. His past eh, it didn’t matter what part of his past she was referring to. The same memory always came careening back like a steam train without breaks.

December 1st 1832, a Saturday and a day of celebration that had turned to ruin. She had been so beautiful. Would he have still thought that, if he had known she was going to die that day?

Overhead a magpie cawed, mocking him and his thoughts no doubt. Stupid bird, he hated them and they way they reminded him of her.

“You can’t hate a bird silly”

“And why the hell not?” he asked her, stepping across the garden towards her until the magpie she was softly stroking cawed, and he stopped for fear of losing an eye.

“Because” she turned to face him, her smile like spring sunshine bathing him in warmth. “They’re my children, my little lucky messengers”

Calamity ground his cigarette aggressively against the bench, rising to stand with his hands in his pockets. The bench would burst into flame after he’d left, maybe that would provide him with some entertainment? Humans did love a blaze.

He had barely taken a step when a short man in an ill-fitting suit bumped into him. He was knocked harshly into a passing woman whose high heel snapped at the contact.

“Oi, watch it shit stain,” Calamity growled, wiping the spot the little bastard had touched him.

“I’m so sorry.” hold on, either that insolent bastard’s balls hand dropped or he was a tranny.

Looking up from his coat Calamity caught the eye of a woman wearing impossibly high heels and a very embarrassed expression as she was downright dragged down the street by the shit stain. She bowed her head apologetically at him, her eyes sliding over his face and onto the next person who had just received the same treatment from shit for brains.

“Youth,” Calamity cursed a deadly smirk twisting his face as he realised his day was about to get far more interesting.

The pair, led by the babbling shit stain were crossing the road, and a truck was just coming around the corner.

Perfect.

Shit stain had bumped him, all he had to do was watch and wait. Exactly as he had predicted, the truck suddenly accelerated, slipping over a patch of water. Tires squealed and people started to scream as the truck went hurtling towards the pair stood frozen in its path. Calamity narrowed his eyes; he had hoped only the shit stain would get caught in the blow but it looked like he was going to drag the poor woman along with him. Wrong place wrong time then.

Only he was proven wrong.

Eyes wide he watched in awe as the woman wrapped her arms around her companion and threw them away from the truck. The leap shouldn’t have been enough, the truck was moving too fast and then unnaturally slow, coming to a grinding halt at her feet.

What the hell was that?!

Calamity didn’t even realise he was marching through the crowd towards the pair until he stood directly over the woman still shivering on the tarmac.

“Hey, lady what’s your name?” things like this didn't just happen. No one stopped the hand of calamity once it had been cast.

The woman was clearly in shock, anddidn’t reply her eyes remaining glued to the truck’s smoking tires as if she’d seen a ghost. Fat chance of that. Maybe a more human approach.

“Oi, miss, ma’am can you hear me?”

Suddenly she came back to herself scrambling to her feet despite the plethora of people offering to help her. One of his trademark glares scattered them, and Calamity smirked before looking back at the woman as she spoke.

“Um yes sorry, what did you say?”

Fuck's sake she was dim, maybe he’d been mistaken. Coincidences happen all the time, this must be one of them. He’d ask Her later but after their talk on the bridge he was doubtful she’d tell him the truth.

“I asked you for your name,” he humoured her, irritation coming off him in waves which she seemed immune to, although he couldn’t say the same for the crowds around him who quickly backed away several paces.

The woman still hadn't looked at him, her eyes fixated on the tires that had been millimetres from taking her life. He was about to give up when at last she spoke. "Um, right, its Park, Ji-Yoon Park.”

He stiffened instinctively. Ji-Yoon?! No, it couldn’t be.

Overhead that damn magpie cawed again, swooping low enough for him to feel the wind off its wings. Oh yeah, it was definitely mocking him now. Was this what She had been talking about last night on the bridge? Surly not, it was too easy. Calamity looked down at the woman who was also looking up at the magpie. Could she really be...

“How very unusual,” he said instead. He needed to be sure of this. If his hunch wasright then all his suffering could be over. And if he wasn’t, well what did one human life matter.

The woman finally looked up at him, and he couldn’t help but smile wickedly down at her. She really was a tiny thing, barely coming up to his elbow even in those sky-high heels. But reincarnation was a gamble, and who knew, maybe if she truly was who he thought. Her true form would appear.

This could be her.

Slipping his gloved hand from his pocket he wrapped his fingers around her arm, and waited. When nothing happened except her stare to harden with confusion, he couldn't stop his hope from climbing.

“I’ve finally found you,” he grinned down at her, confusion shifting to bewilderment as her eyes roamed over his face, widening no doubt at the sight of his black eyes.

“I’m sorry, but I believe you're mistaken. We’ve never met.”

“How can you be so sure?” he asked bending down to which she leant back slipping from his grasp, mmmm maybe she had some sense after all.

“I’d remember someone like you.”

“Not if I didn’t want you to.”

“What are you t—”

“Look, lets skip the how's and the why’s and get right to it.” she bristled at that, which only intrigued him more and made him lean in closer. “I need to test something, and I would greatly appreciate it if you stayed still for me.”

Reaching up, his fingers were about to close around her chin when she suddenly stumbled out of reach. Holding nothing but air, Calamity groaned in frustration as she tottered further away.

“I will do no such thing,” she all out yelled at him, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

“Fine, let's get you in a more cooperative head space.”

She watched him cautiously as he lifted his hand once more, stopping until it was level with her wide eyes. He snapped his fingers, and the world fell away.