The plane trip lasted for about 8 hours, quite a long time for me and Alex and Nick and Brian. Alex and I are the type that have to be on the ground moving around, that do not like to sit still for too long and Brian and Nick do not like to fly. Kevin on the other hand slept the entire way. Which is beyond me how anyone can sleep as much as that man does.
The plane starts its descent and the pilot tells all of us all of the general things pilots say. Tray table in upright position, seat belts on, the list goes on.
The plane taxis down the run way and Alex starts getting more antsy than he was before. He bumps into me because i am sitting right next to him on the plane. Kevin is sitting on my other side, still sleeping. Nick and Brian breath a sigh of relief to be alive. And Howie is just as mellow and laid back as he always is about everything.
Alex jumps up and runs up the isle as soon as the plane stops and i laugh quietly at him, then glance at a still sleeping Kevin. He looks like a dark angel when he sleeps, i think to myself. I reach over and push a strand of dark hair that has fallen into his sleeping eyes off of his forhead. His hand snakes up and grabs my wrist. This does not surprise me in the least, i knew he was not asleep.
His emerald eyes open and look at me, a spark of desire nestled deep within the green orbs. I gently remove his hand from my wrist, because i do not want to hurt him and unbuckle my seat belt. Standing up i stretch out my cramped back muscles, yes even i get cramped muscles. He watches with interest. i feel like teasing him even more so i turn around and open the over head compartment and stretch to get my carry on and purse down.
Since i was wearing a black tube top and some hip hugging jeans, Kev got a view of a lot of bare skin. I hear him clear his throat, and get up. I feel the heat from his hard body, as i glance up and see him lift my bags down.
“Thank you, Kevin.” I whisper softly taking both bags from his hands and walking down the isle and out of the plane. I sense he is confused but i would not know what to do even if he knew what he felt.
We made it in one piece to the hotel where we were to stay, or everyone else did, I felt a heated gaze the entire way there. Kevin was sitting in the back of the van and i was sitting one seat up with Alex and Nick. Kevin said not a word the entire drive there, but i could sense that he wanted to speak with me about something. I knew what he wanted to speak about, he wanted to ask me about this strange feeling he was having. As if he knew me from somewhere. I was happy that i could now read his thoughts, it bothered me before that i couldn’t, it was as if he had something to hide, or something was the matter with me.
Alex jabbered quite happily with me all along and Nick would join in once in a while. I got the feeling that Nick had a small crush on me also. What a world we live in that 3 men in the same musical group can have a crush on simple old me.
Upon reaching the hotel, we discovered that i would have to stay in one of the guy’s rooms. Alex immediately volunteered, much to Kevin’s chagrin, and i agreed seeing as Alex was quickly becoming like a best friend to me. This made me think of Serephine again, bringing sadness to my eyes.
Kevin must have picked up on this for he asked,” Cassandra, what’s wrong? Why so sad?” concern knitt his brows together as he looked down at me from in front of the consierge’s desk.
“Oh, nothing Kevin, i just got caught up in a distant memory.” I sighed, hoping that this was the end of the conversation, I was correct but only for the moment.
We all were staying on the same floor so we would not be mobbed by some insane teen age girls. They had checked in under phony names, as they are apt to do, hoping that somehow that would guard against intrusion.
I follow Alex into our room, and see that Kevin has the room next door to it. What a night this shall be, i think to myself as i catch Kevin glancing me out of the corner of his eye as he opens his door.
Alex throws down his bag and puts my 2 suitcases down softly on the floor next to the bed. He looks over at me and sighs heavily. “Cass, i feel that there’s something you’re not telling us. Something that’s a dark secret that you’ve kept hidden from mostly everyone that you meet or come into contact with. You also come across as a person that’s lonely. If you need someone to talk to i’m always here, i hope you know that.” Alex says, revealing that he had picked up on much more than what i had expected him or anyone else to. No one had ever picked up on that, except for Serephine. How he could know this, i do not know.
“Alex, you are a mystery. How you can pick up on my feelings is beyond me. I have lived a long time without someone to bare my soul to. Without a friend to share every waking thought and secret with. Quite predictably i have grown accustomed to not sharing thoughts and feelings. You see my......best friend was murdered right in front of me long ago and i have not found anyone since that has understood me as well as she.” I sit down softly on the bed, stone faced and watch Alex comprehend what i have just told him.
Concern creases his face as he sits down next to me on the bed. He places his arms around my shoulders and hugs me. Just a hug, nothing more. I have not had one of these in over 600 years and it feels good for a change. I return the hug and rest my chin on his leather clad shoulder. I breath in the leather smell as i think of Serephine once more.............
10 a.d.
“Come on Cassandra, you must learn these moves or you shall never live to see your hundredth birthday. Or, for that matter, your 52nd.” Serephine says gritting her teeth in exhaustion. She sweats profusely, causing the smell of the cow hide jacket she is wearing to emit a powerful odor.
She is trying to teach me, has been trying to teach me for the past 30 some odd years, to defend myself with my newly found powers. My powers get stronger every day that i live, and she hopes to see me live for a very long time.
“I am trying Serephine, but this is too difficult.” i mutter tiredly. My powers are much to difficult for me to control, i keep throwing flames from my pale fingertips when i least expect it, and i nearly caught the whole estate on fire. I do not mean to do these things, but this new power has only begun to show itself within the last fortnight (2 weeks time). She says that i must learn to control it or i could hurt someone unintentionally. I know that she is correct, she always is.
“Serephine, please i am so tired right now. Can i not rest for a few minutes? we have been practicing for over 3 hours without one single break, and you are about to kill me.” I look at her from across the room where i was trying to persuade her with a sullen look to let me rest.
“Oh alright, Cassandra, but do not blame me if you burn us and this estate down.” she whispers softly, she never yells no matter how angry i make her. She always has patience with me. That is why i love her like a sister.
I walk tiredly over to my soft cushiony feather bed and lay down. I sigh in contented bliss as i relax and feel my aching muscles begin to heal themselves. Glancing over at Serephine, i notice that she is sitting in a wooden rocker silently, not looking at me or anything for that matter.
“Serephine, may i ask what you are doing?” i whisper, afraid of disturbing some sort of religious ceremony.
“Yes, you may. I am meditating. I was taught this by monks many centuries ago. It helps you relax. All you have to do is sit like this and breath in deeply.” She says bringing her legs up and sitting indian style as it is now called.
I ponder this quietly, and decide that i have nothing to lose. So , i follow her example and start meditating with her. The background fades and i am transported into some sort of other world i think. I see someone who looks like me, only wearing strange leather type clothes, much too revealing for me to ever think of wearing. She looks like a common street whore. I look at her, watching her every move. She is much more powerful than i am right now, this i know. Then a sudden realization over comes me. This girl that i see, is in fact me in the distant future.
I wake from my trance and breath in a shocked breath. Looking over at Serephine and making sure that she did not see this, i lie back down on my bed and go to sleep. I do not know what just happened to me, but it was strange. I wonder if this means something, could mean something. I will only know when the future comes.
~~~~~~~~~end of flash back~~~~~~~~~~~~
i blink rapidly coming out of my reverie and see that only 2 minutes has passed. That was so real, and yet it was not. I saw myself as i am now, i did not remember that before. Strange. Strange indeed. That i had not remembered seeing myself so long ago in that trance. What a bizarre realization.
I untangle myself from Alex’s arms and thank him for being there for me. I tell him that i need to rest and lie back on the bed. I fall asleep with him watching me curiously. He saw something in my eyes that i should not have let him see, but i could not hide it from him. There is no other person that i could not hide things from but Serephine. This strikes me as curious, but i fall into a deep sleep, everything fading into darkness around me.
Chapter Five
Chapter Three
Story Index